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KINGSPARK NEWS Club Number: 30119 2005-06 Rotary Year : Issue 1 : 1 July 2005 | ||
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is the biweekly bulletin of the Rotary Club of Kingspark Hong Kong Club Website: http://www.rotary3450.org/kingspark-hongkong | ||
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| Chief
Editor : Francis Wann Club Webmaster : John Wan | ||
| Editorial
(A Question of Language) - By Francis Wann | ||
| District Website | RI Website | RI President | TRF | News Room | Global History Fellowship | ||
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A Question of Language
But July is of course no ordinary month. There are several things I've been pondering. The most obvious is the Rotary International Convention in Chicago. The District Installation, and the work of the Rotary Image Committee. And July 1 marks the start of another Rotary year which means a new RI president and here at Kingspark, President Dominic will begin his debut under the President's Column. A few days ago I raised my concern of the absence of any official English media represented at the installation Ceremony, and Chair Joseph promised to follow up. Talking about English, I remember sometime ago in my editorial (May 15 2005 The Politics of Education) I mentioned the anger and disquiet within the education sector over the choice of language at school. Only yesterday it was reported in the papers that scores of parents made the eleventh hour protest against the medium of instruction requirements. Their fear is understandable. The consultation period expires tomorrow. Michael Tien who chairs the working group talks about his vision and passion in English in SCMP (Close Up, June 13 2005) under the title "Talking of success in English". He mentioned how he enjoyed his English lessons in his school days and went on to convince us that communication, or communicative approach, is the most important factor in acquiring a language. I must admit I agree with him and I'd say no self respecting individuals or teachers would want to dispute his fundamental approach to learning. Mr Tien BBS, JP's credentials are also beyond dispute. He is chairman of the Standing Committee on Language and Research, chairman or Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications, chairman ot the Working Group on the Review of Secondary School Places Allocation and Medium of Instruction for Secondary Schools, member of the Education Commission, and recently, chairman of the Employees Retraining Board. Well we would have thought that our future is in his hands. Mr Tien is almost everywhere, except in the classroom. While I sympathise with those parents who only want a better education for their children, I also believe the urgency of some degree of positive intervention. Education today is still the only means to realise one's dreams and end the social divide. Without the requirements of language proficiency on students and teachers, the myth of the elitist schools will simply continue as well as their status quo, and children of disadvantaged backgrounds will have even less chance to compete later in life. As Rotarians, we'd ask - is that the society we want to see? But Mr Tien in his position must be extremely sensitive to the implications of his words. What he mentioned in his article was the mechanics and difference between good and bad teaching, but not the system which he has been personally involved in. Without a system conducive to teaching and learning, it's difficult for the teaching profession to retain its talents. Everything seems rosy in his Roadshow commercial, but for most teachers, work is never done. | ||
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President's
Column
For the last several months, I have attended all the training seminars to get myself prepared. I have enjoyed as a member for almost 10 years and during these years the PPs and the Board of directors had done a lot in order to make Kingspark a respectable and reputable club in our District. There are many things that you would never think or do unless you are taking up the position as President. I have started to realize why they say you have to be a President in order to understand what Rotary is. The Rotary year starts from 1st July 2005; and I will be formally installed as President during our Club・s Installation Meeting on 7th July, 2005. I am proud to be the President of Kingspark. Many people think that with all the successful PDGs, PPs and outstanding projects of our club there will be a great deal of pressure on me. I do not think so, but I would consider it an encouragement. I have set goals for our club for this year. The most important one should be to build up the spirit of our members and expand our membership. Everyone is very busy with work and we are short of the fellowship that would help to bond us together. Without a good relationship between our members it will be difficult to attract new members. Even if there are new members they will drop out easily. The Kingspark Camp at Qing Yuan will be our first activity to re-build our team spirit. PP Edward, our Club Service Director for the coming year, will organize a lot more fellowship activities focused on the common interests of our members. Let's work together to make Kingspark a successful Club. I am hoping for a meaningful and enjoyable new Rotary year. . | ||
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A
Brand New Rotarian [Kennedy Tsang was inducted in May and is now the Club Sargeant-at-Arms - Ed)
But now I know it・s more than just being ：good friends；. After being granted the opportunity to become a part of with Rotary Kingspark, I am beginning to appreciate the source of this satisfaction. The sense of joy and content of a Rotarian comes not from good relationship with peers, but from knowing that you have upheld the "4-Way Test". It is about the sense of pride you feel as you practise Rotary's motto of service above self, it・s about giving back to the community that has provided you with the opportunities and it's about the sense of community and establishing partnerships. What has overwhelmed me in my short time as a member has been the manner in which my compatriots have accepted me into the Rotarian community. As with all branches, Rotary Kingspark consists of individuals from a broad diversity of background, profession and age. However, my fellow Kingsparicans have selflessly embraced me with into their world, providing me opportunities to participate and most of all, explaining and guiding me through the numerous protocol associated with being a Rotarian. Perhaps a good sign of the acceptance is that I feel that I have already known some of them for a long time. Going forward, I am looking forward to participating both in the designated community projects as well as to getting to know my fellow sister club Rotarians, Roteractors and Interactors. I recently got my first taste of things to come by attending the Taiwan trip as part of the ：3 clubs alliance； annual visit. The strong bonds and respect among the sister clubs have made me realize that the synergy created can help achieve even the most ambitious of goals. | ||
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Fellowship
Dominic talks about fellowship in his column and coincidentally, his new SAA Kennedy Tsang also discussed the subject. Fellowship is of course very important in a Rotary club, or for that matter, in any social or service club. Many of you would have heard me discuss fellowship in the context of membership development and retention, and at the risk of repeating myself ad nauseum, I would say it once more, but very briefly. Yes, fellowship is an important reason for joining Rotary, but must not be the only reason. Service is the single most important reason for a person to join a Rotary club and is also the single most important factor for retaining members. Lest I may be misunderstood, let me add that fellowship can be as important as service in Rotary. Service leads to fellowship and fellowship helps expand service, by adding quality in quantity. When a club finds that there are more people attending a fellowship function than the regular club meetings, the club leadership must find out why. More importantly, the club leadership must acknowledge the problem first. We have been holding our last regular meeting of the month in the evening for quite sometime now. The reason ascribed for such practice was that evening meetings would boost fellowship and hence improve attendance. However, we have found out that the reason is no longer valid. Indeed, attendance at evening meetings have been consistently low in recent years. When the matter was discussed at more than one evening meeting, members invariably were content to leave the matter with the club leadership. I say this is the time to act. If we want a fellowship evening each month, let someone organize such a meeting, and let us have the full complements of the regular meetings. | ||
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Views in any article in Kingspark News reflect those of the authors. They are not necessarily the views of the Rotary Club of Kingspark or of District 3450. You are welcome to write to Chief Editor Francis Wann or Club Webmaster John Wan on any topic, particularly in response to articles published in Kingspark News. We would publish all contributions as long as the authors identify themselves, the contents are not offensive or abusive, and would not offend common decency or common sense. You need not be a Rotarian to write to us and you have a choice to withhold your name in the published version. Where the contents make reference to statements or policies of individuals or organizations, we would try to obtain a response from the latter for publication in the same issue if possible. | ||
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Chief
Editor : Francis Wann The Board of Directors President
: Dominic Ko | ||
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