KINGSPARK NEWS

Club Number: 30119

2007-08 Rotary Year : Issue 6 : 16 September

Contents

Breaking News (Memories in Canberra) - By Raymond Hau
Editorial (A Word four Our Leaders) - By Francis Wann
President's Column - By President Marvin Lai
From the Charter President (Still on Membership Development) - By CP John Wan
Letters to Editor
The Board

District Website | RI Website | RI President | TRF | News Room | Global History Fellowship

Breaking News

Memories in Canberra

By Raymond Hau

[Raymond Hau is a student of Wah Yan College, Kowllon. He spoke to the club last month]

When I Stepped off the flight for the first time and looked up to the blue sky of Australia, I had a big surprise. "Wow! this is Australia!" I told myself as my mind and soul wandered excitedly, like a child who had just found a new toy. In fact, I have found a new world.

The last few weeks were all surprises - the people, the home stay, the school, the classmates. Thank God! You have given me the most valuable and memorable gift before my eighteenth birthday, before I become a totally mature man. You have given me the courage to finish the task you gave me, the mission from the Rotary Club of Kingspark Hong Kong and the task I gave myself.

In the early part of the journey, I was sometimes upset andl lonely in school because of the differences in culture and the new way of communicating friendship. But at least it gave me a chance to think about something and about changes. And with God's help, I started to feel the passion from other students in school, and started to enjoy every precious moment in Canberra. Now I would like to present my most sincere thanks to all who have given me help and advice.

To Mr Ko: I can't imagine what would happen without your very important help in the preparation for every detail. I would like to thank you in particular for having spoken to my parents and for assuring them that my trip would be safe. You have also told them the importance of such a trip in building up a child's confidence and independence.

To Mr Lau: Thank you for your advice and for the details you had given me for my presentation to the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise. Talking to you in the coffee shop was very enjoyable.

To all Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Kingspark Hong Kong: I enjoyed having lunch with you because it was my first time to attend such a formal meeting with so many adults.

To Steven and the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise: Thank you for all that you have done for me, in particular your appreciation for my presentation at your morning meeting. That was a great encouragement.

To the Kleins family: You have given me a warm memory in Canberra and I will never forget all of you. Thank you for your kindness and patience and for putting me right every time I did something wrong.

To the friends in Hawker College: You have filled my journey with joy and love, and I felt extremely sad to leave all of you!

Finally I would like to thank my parents for their trust in me.

The end of a journey is a start of another great journey. And now God has given me another hard task - the public exam. However, this precious experience has helped me build up my confidence in myself and in those who care for me and love me.

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EDITORIAL

A Word for Our Leaders

Webmaster John issued an appeal in the last edition for feature editors. It may still be too early to see any response within our membership, not something you'd expect, at least not within our club. I discreetly reminded John that we did have our features editors on the editorial board and suggested that he run a footnote after it.

"What for?" His email came with the smell of disapproval.

Now it's been more than two months since President Marvin took office in July, but we still haven't discussed the problems of KingsparkNews and it seems he is quite comfortable about it. PP Edward's timely article last time should be much appreciated, and at least there was something our members could identify with. Whereas we do have a Newsroom section to provide updates on local and district levels, it shouldn't be the job of the president. And as members might still remember, the Secretary, and I don't mean Irene our executive secretary, should be in the best position for the job.

All this would mean that the President's column is a truly president's column, not simply a collection of data or information. Members or any others would like to read his mind, would like to see how he thinks on certain issues, and ultimately how he leads and inspires anyone who might just care to click into our site.

Rotary International does have guidelines for club presidents, but producing a club bulletin isn't one of the requirements. We're producing it as our tradition, and as CP John mentioned, first sent by fax, and now online. But why, after gathering years of experience, doesn't our official club bulletin seem to have the sparkle it once enjoyed. Or is it, as they say, "a sign of our times" which literally means a natural hatred of the printed media?

I remember when I talked to DG Peter Wong about the problems facing Rotary and the clubs, he made a point about protocol, and he didn't mince words when he criticized the elaborate display of chunks of Rotary memorabilia on one's body at district functions. Well perhaps you would expect a district governor to be more diplomatic and go with the flow, but there must be occasions when as a leader, he wants to be heard.

Rotary is a big family, so big that at times it's easy to lose ourselves. We know our motto and would vow to live by it. On several occasions I asked our past district governors whether there was anything they felt strongly about Rotary traditions and practices, and would like to see an overhaul.

Naturally I seldom got a clear answer. Webmaster John has over the past three editions dwelled on the issue of membership development, and I should be very surprised if he intends to continue. It's of course an important issue and should always be on top of the agenda for any clubs throughout the year, not just for the month of August.

While new members would make our clubs more diversified and interesting, perhaps it's our PDGs who should make the loudest noise at all levels, if that's all in the interest of clubs - and inevitably of Rotary.

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President's Column
By President Marvin Lai

District Affairs

1. RI President-nominee for 2009-10

John Kenny, of the Rotary Club of Grangemouth, Central, Scotland, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International in 2009-10. He will become the president-nominee on 1 December if there are no challenging candidates.

PP Kenny is a past dean of his local law faculty, a judge, and a notary. A Rotarian since 1970, PP Kenny served RI in Great Britain and Ireland as president and vice president. PP Kenny is a Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation and a Bequest Society member and has received the Foundation's Citation for meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award.

2. RI Polio Eradication Advocacy Task Force Chair, PRIP Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar in Hong Kong - October 8-9, 2007 (Monday & Tuesday)

Polio has reappeared in many countries. As of end of 2006, only four countries remain having Polio; however, Polio reappeared in many more countries and posed a threat to the world health. RI Polio Eradication Advocacy Task Force Chair: PRIP Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, will be in Hong Kong from October 8 (Monday) to October 9 (Tuesday) to further advocate this issue. Further details will be announced in due course.

3. DG's Visit to Area 9 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

DG Peter Wong is to make his first debut as the District Governor to visit Area 9 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia since he took office in July this year. DG Peter shall visit Ulaanbaatar from September 17 to September 21, 2007.

4. Matching Grant

District reminded all clubs that the application deadline for matching grant is March 31st, 2008; though it seems many months away, it does take time to approve applications, so the District urges all clubs to submit applications early. For our Club, we already have successfully applied for District Simplified Grant (DSG) for our Rainlily project last year; however, we shall continue to examine any possible projects that might require matching grants such as the international service projects with our Sister Clubs in Taipei and Bangkok.

5. District Membership Seminar - September 8, 2007 (Saturday)

District Membership Seminar was held on September 8, 2007 (Saturday) at Sheraton Hotel from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. Over 120 Rotarians attended the seminar. Our PE Joyce, also Club's Membership Chairperson, represented Area 8 and presented the topic on "Long-Established Clubs" (Congratulations, PE Joyce!). Other topics were "Recruitment (regular issues)" by Area 3, "Recruitment (public relation emphasis)" by Area 2, "Retention" by Area 5, "Extension" by Area 1, "New Member's Orientation" by Area 6, "Small Clubs" by Area 4, and "Action Planning on Membership Development" by Area 7.

6. District Rotary Foundation Seminar - September 15, 2007 (Saturday)

District Rotary Foundation Seminar is to be held on September 15, 2007 (Saturday) at Taifook Securities Training Center located at 14/F, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central, Hong Kong from 2:00pm to 5:30pm. Our PDG Alexander Mak is the DRFC (District Rotary Foundation Committee) Chair for this Rotary year, so please come to learn more about The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and support our PDG!

7. District Public Relations (PR) Workshop - October 27, 2007 (Saturday)

District PR Workshop will be held on Oct. 27 (Sat.) from 2:00pm to 5:30pm at Taifook Securities Training Center in Central. Further details will be announced in due course.

8. District Golf Tournament - November 6, 2007

District Golf Tournament will be held on November 6 (Tues.) at Discovery Bay Golf Club. Deadline of entry is Oct. 18 (Thur.); family and guests are welcome to join the fellowship buffet dinner. For cost information, please refer to the club emails.

9. District Sports & Fun Day - November 25, 2007

District Sports & Fun Day will be held on November 25 (Sun.). Further details will be announced in due course, so mark your calendar and enjoy a day of fun and healthy games.

Club Affairs

1. Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY)

Thank you for your continuous support. IPP Patrick Wong, Chair of Foundation, shall remind those who had pledged to support EREY the deduction of US$100. For those who have not yet pledged, please yield a resounding YES to IPP Patrick when he calls. Again, thank you for supporting RI and our mission!

2. Club Assembly - September 20, 2007

Club Assembly is to be held on September 20, 2007. There will be a few important issues to be addressed; hence, please come to share your views for the betterment of the club and to rekindle with your fellow Kingsparicans.

Furthermore, on September 20th, PP Mahendran of RC of Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (District 3300), our friendly club, will join our lunch meeting to further build on the relationship between the two clubs. We had completed a Matching Grant project with RC of Sentul in March 2007 for a computer center for an orphanage in Kuala Lumpur.

3. District Governor Peter Wong's Visit - September 27, 2007

DG Peter Wong is to visit our club on September 27 (Thur.). This is an excellent opportunity to advocate all issues directly to our DG, so please come to support our club and the district.

4. Mr. W.K. Lam Featured in Rotary on September 13, 2007

Mr. W.K. Lam (the well-known civil servant) was the keynote speaker on September 13, 2007 at the joint meeting among RC of Kingspark Hong Kong, RC of Kwun Tong, RC of Channel Island, and RC of Kowloon East at Miramar Hotel. JP WK Lam, being the CEO of Equestrian Events (Hong Kong) of The Games of The XXIX Olympiad Company Ltd., presented the topic regarding the preparation work of equestrian events leading to Olympics in 2008 in Hong Kong.

5. Kingspark Camp

The Kingspark Camp is tentatively set on December 1, 2007 for 1 night and 2 days in Hong Kong. Venue and activities are to be confirmed. However, if you have any great suggestions, please do email it to our Camp Chairman PP Ted Ho.

6. Decease of Mother of PP Thomas Chan

PP Thomas Chan's mother has just passed away, and the funeral service was held on September 10th, 2007 at Universal Funeral, Hunghom. Our condolences are to PP Thomas Chan.

7. Area 8 Joint Project - Career Talk - January 25, 2008

I am proud to announce that our Career Talk has been chosen as the representative joint project for Area 8. Congratulations to PP Peter Lo, our Club Service Director, and the joint project's Chairlady Fiona for their great achievements. Thanks also to their diligence and dedication to Rotary as a whole.

8. Rotaractor's Visit to Dawn Island - October 1, 2007 (Monday)

President Edith Wong of Rotaractor Club invites all Kinsgaricans to join them in their first community service on October 1 to visit Dawn Hong Kong, which is operated by the Christian Drug Rehabilitation Center in Dawn Island. The aim is to raise awareness on drug abuse problem among youngsters. For more details, please refer to the club emails.

9. Hotung Interactor Club's Visit to Osaka, Japan - August 24, 2007

In reciprocal to Osaka Interactor Club visit to Hong Kong, our interactor club Hotung has also visited Osaka under the leadership of PP. Thomas Chan. This trip was to further cultural exchange between the two cultures and experience Japanese way of living. Thanks to PP Thomas Chan for leading the team to Osaka and PDG Alexander Mak and PP Dominic Ko's initiation and support of the visit.

10. PP Winston Tsang's Invitation for a Cruise Dinner - September 1, 2007

Thanks to PP Winston Tsang of RC of Kowloon East (father of our Honorary Secretary Kennedy Tsang)'s generous offer, few Kingsparicans and guests had fun on a cruise around Hong Kong Island at night on September 1 and also enjoyed a sumptuous dinner and viewing of the beautiful Hong Kong harbor.

11. New Name Tag for All Kingsparicans

Thanks to Irene Leung, our Executive Secretary, we have revamped our Kingsparican name tag to a more modern and vibrant look, so please come to our regular lunch meetings to experience your new name tag.

12. Brass-Name Plates for the President's Ribbon

Brass-name plates with all Past President's names will be made to better recognize the efforts of all Past Presidents. This is in process now and shall be completed on or before end of October 2007.

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From the Charter President

Still on Membership Development

Since the first Rotary club held its first meeting in 1905, Rotary has experienced almost uninterrupted membership growth over the years. The only times Rotary had membership decline were during the Great Depression, the Second World War, and more recently, the economic downturn triggered by the Asian financial crisis around 1997. Cliff Dochterman, Rotary International President in 1992-1993 has said, "It is quite remarkable that Rotary was able to grow in almost an unbroken line for 100 consecutive years and at the turn of the century was adding a new Rotary club every 14 hours of every day."

A closer examination of the membership statistics would, however, reveal a slightly different picture. Membership reached a plateau in 1996 and continues hovering at around 1.2 million. This could have been the principal underlying reason for a resolution, albeit non-binding, made at the Council on Legislation held in 2001 urging RI to achieve a membership total of 1.5 million by 2005 when RI would celebrate its first centenary.

Rotary leaders have always placed membership growth top on the agenda and are fully committed to expansion of Rotary into new areas. Membership growth is important because members are the single most important assets in the organization. More members would increase Rotary's capacity to serve, bring in new ideas and new resources, including donations. Rotary leaders are trained to develop strategies that can lead to positive membership growth through recruitment, retention and extension. Extension in this context means opening new clubs, particularly in countries or geographical areas without an official Rotary presence.

In the early days, and indeed even tody, many prominent people have held either active or honorary membership, including heads of states, senior government officials, army generals, sportsman, astronauts.

Japan banned all Rotary clubs during the Second World War in countries they occupied. After the war, RI General Secretary George Means headed back home after a mission in India. He was instructed to stop in Japan to see if he could revive interests in Rotary. The General Secretary went to Yokohama harbour and it was said that he managed to track down General Douglas MacArthur, who held honorary membership in a number of Rotary clubs in Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States. General MacArthur gave the General Secretary carte blanche support. George Means quickly reorganized clubs in a number of key cities, including Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka.

I have related to you before how the Americans gave scholarship to Japanese students to study abroad and how many of the students became committed Rotarians and supporters of the Rotary Foundation.

It does seem that government sanction or at least recognition would be conducive to membership development. Back home, Rosanna Wong, who also holds honorary membership in a number of clubs in the district, is a firm believer and supporter of Rotary, she herself being a Rotary alumnus. She believes that Rotarians in Hong Kong can be an immense contrrbution on the boards and committees set up by the Hong Kong government and has suggested that the district leadership could work closer with the government in this area, to the benefit of both the community and the district. It is quite clear that not a great deal of progress has been made so far.

Before I leave this most interesting subject, let me share with you what some prominent people have said about Rotary.

"If we really want to love, if we really want to live, we must love until it hurts... No Rotarian whose motto is Service ABove Self... should call himself a Rotarian if he does not make time to serve." Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India, at the 1981 RI Convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

"I see Rotary International as a generating force of incalculable value." Franklin D Roosevelt, former US president and Rotarian.

"The first time I heard of [Rotary] it was a great consolation, and I said to myself, 'Now they are beginning to do what is necessary for the future." Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Prize laureate and Rotarian.

"[Rotary] goves service to society. I remember once [seeing] two handicapped people [who] were provided with wheelchairs [by Rotarians]," the Dalai Lama.

"Rotary is one of the most important and credible nongovernmental organizations in the world." Mikhail S Gorbachev, former president of the Soveit Union.

"If you had not started PolioPlus in 1985, there would, at the time of Rotary's 100th birthday in 2005, be eight million more children with polio." Dr. Albert Sabin, developer of the oral polio vaccine and Rotarian.

"Rotary is doing all these wonderful projects, most of all the eradication of polio, to improve lives." Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop emeritus and 1984 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Rotary!" A little boy in North Makati City, Philippines, to RI President James L Bomar Jr in September 1979 after Bomar administered the first dose of polio vaccine to the boy's baby sister, during one of the first Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) projects, which immunized millions of Philippones children.

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Letters to Editor

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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The Board

President : Marvin Lai
President-Elect and Membership: Joyce Mak
Vice-President and Public Relations: Michael Eyles
Secretary : Kennedy Tsang
Treasurer : Ted Ho
Rotary Foundation : Patrick Wong
Club Administration : Edward Lau
Service Projects : Peter Lo
Sergeant-at-Arms : Alexander Kar

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