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KINGSPARK NEWS Club Number: 30119 2006-07 Rotary Year : Issue 21 : 3 May | ||
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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
(Kingspark
in May) - By Francis Wann | ||
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District Website | RI Website | RI President | TRF | News Room | Global History Fellowship | ||
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Kingspark in May
Even more so for Kingsparicans, if I may add. I was particularly delighted to hear about the success and the overwhelming response to tne Rotary RainLily Project in which Kingspark plays an important role. Those who couldn't get themselves physically involved in this very meaningful endeavour should perhaps at least make an effort to go to the Fundraising concert this Thursday May 3 at St John's Cathedral in the evening. As you should have read the recent email from social services director Joyce, this project was sponsored by Kingspark and City Northwest Hong Kong, and is made possible with the allocation of service matching funds and the Rotary District Simplified Grant 06-07. The nature of this particular service project and our partership in service with the Association concerning Sexual Violence Against Women (ACSVAW) should give us plenty of food for thought over our future commitments and priorities. This is not the first time we successfuly applied for DSG, but it certainly is a first in our club history that we've managed to get so many Rotary clubs, Rotaractors, and Interactors involved in a very worthwide cause. I have no information on the level and nature of support and sponsorship from a host of Rotary clubs and corporate sponsors. But given the size of the project, I'd have thought the publicity it generates should have gone much further. Understandably putting the pieces together requires a great deal of public relations work and a mastery of logistics, but with the Opera Society of Hong Kong as one of our organizers in the Fundraising concert, the promotion seems to have fallen short of expectations. Don't get me misquoted. I hasten to add this is already a high maintenance, high profile, and high participation project thanks to our committee officials. The message of Rotary ( and Rotary projects) need to go beyond the confines of the Rotary family and venture into uncharted territories, and this of course is again a test of our leadership. Going back to our club, in a few days we will witness the formation of another sponsored Interact Club in Ho Tung Secondary School. Members might still remember our School Partnership project which has been publicised by the Education and Manpower Bureau and the Mock Court project which we planned for their students. This is our 4th sponsored Interact Club, and over the years, through mentorship and service involvement and a worldly outlook, we've watched them mature, going from strength to strength, and acquiring a real understanding of Rotary. That of course is why we always value investment in our youths as the essence of our avenues of service. With May also come school and public exams, and with our education system as it is, how are we going to instil a sense of hope into our younger generation must be high on our agenda. And May is not at all peace and quiet. Today marks the international Labour Day and those scenes of anger and desperation here and abroad which you saw on TV should remind you of how indequate our society has become. In a few days come the May 4 Moverment Anniversary which should have particular significance when we look back in history. And of course May is also a cause for Kingspark to celebrate, for very soon we'll be having our thirteenth anniversary celebration. Let's party. | ||
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President's
Column [President Patrick submitted this column on 20 April - Webmaster] A few days ago, I finished writing and mailing out the last batch of belated appreciation letters to the helpers of our club vocation project "The Mock Court" held on October 2. Taking this opportunity, I should again express my appreciation to the following civil servants of the HKSAR who had spent many hours to prepare and write the 2 trial cases, and to stand-in and role-play as witnesses and officer of the Trial Court. They are Mr. Tsang Ming-To, Leung Chi-Chung, and Ms. Shum Hoi-Yan from the Hong Kong Police Force, and Ms. Chan Nga-Ting from the Immigration Department. They had helped to make the mock trials as lively and educational as possible. The Joint School Project with the Ho Tung Secondary has now come to the long term bonding phase. The First Board of Directors of the Interact Club of Ho Tung Secondary School has just been formed. The Chartering and Inauguration ceremony will be held on May 7. This is our fourth sponsored Interact Club. Our members should be proud of our continual commitment to have sponsored the most number of Interact Clubs in the District. May I remind all our members that we should continue to support our Interactors in their community service and fund raising projects. Attendance and showing up in meetings and community events is a very good and effective way to encourage and support them. There are less than 3 months to go before PE Marvin will become the next President of the Club. I have still one tiny wish to fulfill. Remember when I urged "One Member, One Kingspark news"? There are more than a dozen members who have not contributed a word, but there are less than 5 issues of Kingspark News to be published before my term ends. By the time this article goes to the print, which I hope, we will all be busy with the 3-Club Alliance activities. We are organizing the following activities to celebrate the 3-Club Alliance weekend - 1. Rotary RainLily Family Day at Tuen Mun Youth Centre in the afternoon of 21 April 2007. 2. Rotary RainLily Joint Project with RC of City Northwest Fundraising Concert at St. John's Cathedral, Central, on May 3. 3. Reception dinner to welcome RC of Chung Yuan Taipei and RC of Sathorn Bangkok at The Chinese Club in the evening of May 4. 4. Bowling Competition at Mei Foo Bowling Centre in the morning of May 5. 5. 3-Club Alliance Annual Dinner Party at The Miramar in the evening of May 5. 6. Rotary RainLily Joint Project Closing Ceremony on May 6. This is the first time our club is hosting such a big event. The Organizing Committee led by PE Marvin, and comprising PP Edward, PP Peter, PP Thomas, PP Dominic, Michael, Joyce and I need all your help to organize and run the many events. I hope to see our Rotarians involving their family members, and take time to participate and help in making the weekend as enjoyable and memorable as possible. This is the time Kingsparicans join to reciprocate hospitality to our visitors. | ||
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Let me illustrate. My brother editor - who incidentally only gave me his article last night but talked of today as the International Labour Day and so on - suggested that the Rainlily project has given our club to work together for the first time in our history with so many clubs in a very worthwhile cause. My brother came late and could not be faulted for not being aware of other even bigger events, but alas, only he and he himself can judge what is "a very worthwhile cause." Then our President Patrick - who submitted his journal on 20 April - talked of another first that out club would be hosting soon. It was clear that he was referring to the 3-club alliance weekend. I recall we had had events on an even bigger scale before, but then, our perceptions are of necessity different; and I know you know that I am going to say this - perception is not real by definition. We are all aware how RI defines an effective club; and we have been branded as such by successive governors on numerous occasions. The ultimate test however lies within - within the heart and mind of each individual. It is the priority to which each member would give to the club and to the objectives of projects that the club tries to achieve. I have said so many times, and I would try not to say this again this weekend if you buy me enough drinks, that many people join a club for the wrong reasons and leave for one common reason generally which is - loss of interest. We can translate lost of interest in this context to inability to identify one's priority with the perceived objective of the club or of Rotary. Now this is important and significant. If ever I became a director of RI, I would halt all membership development programs in their present form and focus on what we do or try to do. The idea is that I would let the product sell itself, but I would not be averse to getting top TV hosts with proven ratings to assist in the process. You see that is why I know I would never make an RI director in my present life. Returning to the "First" theme I began this column with. It is easy to be the first. All one needs to do is to do something different. But it takes conviction, resolve, commitment, patience, humility and love to repeat what people have done before, to sustain their efforts, to labour and sweat, to remain second, third and anonymous. We are fortunate that the history of humanity are full of people who never set out to be the first, but who would spend their life time energies doing what is good for others. Sometimes they end up being recognized as firsts. Paul Harris was not the first president of his Rotary club, nor the first RI President. | ||
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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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Editor : Francis Wann The Board of Directors President
: Patrick Wong | ||
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