On Monday, the 3rd of September, a few of us, Ted, Anwer, Peter Lo and I managed to come to a happy hour drink. We had a few drinks in an Irish Pub in Central, although all of us had something to do right after that - Anwer needed to attend a business dinner, Ted and I needed to go home for dinner. That is the beauty about a happy hour gathering - you only drop by, relax and chat for a while and then go on to catch up with your next appointment. We talked about anything, gossiped, and exchanged views on current affairs. Of course, we did not leave Rotary behind. We all agreed that it was an excellent Assembly last Thursday night. Everyone had the chance to speak out loud and clear. That made everyone feel comfortable at the end of the meeting.

I found that was a very good Club Assembly in many aspects. Firstly, there were 28 people attending, including 24 members. That was 75% attendance. It might be a record for a dinner meeting. Secondly, we managed to talk about and discuss every avenue of the four services and working committees. Members had shown great interest and concern in the club's business. Most important of all, their concern and care is a reflection of what is in their hearts and also their eagerness to serve the community and the world through club projects. Last but not the least, we had a wonderful and frank dialogue among members on topics of common concern. This part had turned out to be the highlight of the assembly which also ended with a perfect remark. If you were there, you would not forget Calvin's speech and the way he spoke. Thank Calvin, your effort is very much appreciated. Of course, we would not forget all PPs' comments since they have devoted so much to the club. I remember PDG Raymond Wong because he said in the Assembly "there are many things I do not want to speak now". Thanks to PDG Raymond and IPDG John for giving us valuable advice and guidance. I hope that this will improve communication, consideration, mutual respect and understanding among Kingsparkicans.

Speaking about projects, I think that huge support is needed from members personally. I am sure directors will need your help one way or another. Whilst the Board will keep you informed of their decisions, on the other hand, you are always welcome to attend the Board meetings.

Kingspark is a "fast growing" club. We have seen so many newborn babies in our members' families all these years. Some have twins and one even has triplets. This time, I like to congratulate Rtn Vera on her becoming a mother. Someone said the most beautiful woman in the world is the pregnant woman. I wish her a happy, healthy and, most importance of all, beautiful pregnancy. The faces of IPP Tom and Rtn Bernard showed that they might be having some problems of their own. I like to see them having smiling faces very soon. Alex and Ho Chi Ming are working on interviews of individual members for printing in the newsletter. This is a good way to get to know more about members from different angles.

The District Rotary Foundation Seminar will be held on Saturday, 8 September 2001. Six members will go with our club Foundation Committee Chairman PP Ted. We look forward to hearing more from Ted after the Seminar. Any member who is interested to go to the Seminar can still contact Ted before Saturday. See you in the coming Thursday lunch meeting.

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Spy Kids, Planet of the Apes, Jurassic Park and Artificial Intelligence, what have they all got in common? Yes, they are all movie titles, but you cannot be serious if you expect a prize for that. Let me save you the guesswork, for this could be a frustrating experience, and besides, you couldn't possibly know the answer unless you have been following my life closely recently, I mean really closely. I can't think of anyone in his right mind that would do that.

Alright, these are four recent movies shown in the UA Cinemas in Pacific Place Queensway that I went to see with Rosita, all on Tuesday evenings. Yes, that is it. It would probably not mean a lot to you, but it does to me.

I used to be a film buff. I saw many films when I was small. These were mainly the Cantonese films, which later became known as Cantonese Oldies on late television. My siblings and I became so familiar with the cinema people that we could sneak in without tickets sometimes. It was a very old cinema and it had spacious windowsills on which we could sit comfortably throughout when the cinema was full and when we did not have tickets. In my secondary school days, it became fashionable to watch western movies. These could be the cowboy westerns or just any English or American movie. Those days I would go to the movies with my classmates. I recall that the good movies would run on for weeks. One classic that I saw at least six or seven times was The Sound of Music. In my university days; that was the roaring late Sixties; movie going was a very popular pastime and people went to the movies for all sorts of reasons. I recall going to a late night show with an English Language major after which we sat in the Hilton coffee shop and drank lots of coffee until breakfast. In those days, the coffee shop operated round the clock. I sat there half awake listening to her exposition and analyses on the film we had just seen. The analyses took twice as long as the movie. Afterwards, we walked back to our different hostels in silence and nothing happened.

As time goes by, I saw fewer, very much fewer movies in cinemas. I suppose this is the trend anyway. First the television, later the VCD and now DVD have taken over; and besides there are so many more other things to do. When the children were small, it would be bad for their health and our spirit to take them along. When they became older, they would not go with us. The result is that I hardly see more than two or three movies in cinemas a year. I saw most movies on television, discs and during long flights.

Rosita finished her second course of chemotherapy late July and became more mobile in August. I would update you on her conditions next week. We decided to take advantage of the mobility and the reduced Tuesday price for admission and see a movie every Tuesday. There are other obvious spin-offs. At first, Rosita was not convinced that I could find the time every week, but I did, or shall I say, we did, and most important, we both enjoyed these sessions, more so than the movies. Initially, there were discussions on the seats. Were they too close or too distant from the screen, or should they be left or right of the aisles. I have since become an expert and I know exactly which are the best seats. Rosita was very pleased with my progress - for someone who had never brought a cinema ticket by himself for some ten years, this was quite an achievement.

At first, we thought that we would need to block off the entire evening every Tuesday. We found out that this won't be necessary, for Rosita could make her own way to the cinema so that I could attend an evening meeting or even a dinner between work and cinema. For example, in the Jurassic Park week, I managed to attend a Rotary committee meeting at the RIC and a dinner with two of my favourite Rotarians before Rosita joined us for desserts in the Pacific Place before dashing off next door to the Cinema, which reminds me that I need to thank these two Rotarians. One of them must have paid, and I probably know who.

From the four movie, I move on to the Dance Expo. The Hong Kong Dance Expo 2001 was on during the last three days of August in the Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium. It was organized by the Hong Kong Dance Federation, a non-profit dancing society set up in 1978 by the famed and acclaimed in the dancing community in Hong Kong. This year's event was sponsored by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, the Chinese Dancers' Association and others. The programme featured the major dance troupes, dance academies and schools of ballet in Hong Kong and the Organizing Committee invited from abroad the Anhui Arts Teen Dance Troup, the Inspired Dance Company from the Shenzhen Arts School and the Bauhinia Dancing Group and Linda Lai's Studio from Los Angeles, U.S.A. One of our nieces in Los Angeles is on the Bauhinia Group and was performing. So Rosita bought the best tickets a few weeks before and sent flowers to Sha Tin Town Hall on the Opening Performance. I gladly accompanied her. I also took the brave decision to drive to Sha Tin and park in a car park that I had never used before. Normally, I would park in the Town Hall itself, by prior arrangement, but since this is a private function and I am no longer the governor, I decided to take the risk. I am happy to report that nothing untoward happened. It was a pleasant evening. It rained and poured at times, but we were in the car. The performances were funny and entertaining. There were so many little children in flimsy, colourful and fancy ballet dresses. I think almost any child in the dance schools had been offered an opportunity to perform. Little wonder why the house was packed, with eager parents and proud grand parents. There was a number jointly staged by two schools. There must be over a hundred children at curtain call. And very importantly, I managed to spot our niece unaided.

Such is the fun and joy of life after being a governor. It does not mean, however, that Rotary is no longer a priority. No, I would find it hard and impossible to sever Rotary from my life now. But it means that I can play a supportive role, one that I enjoy no less and one which allows me to take up more fully my other roles, of which there are a few, including being an uncle. But let me quickly share with you that I am still very much active with my own Rotary club. I am now the Club Webmaster. I have picked up a few basic skills from the District Webmaster and I intend to work on them to get a club website going that would not only enhance communication between members, but would also enable the rest of the District and others to know more about our Club. Already, I have re-activated the club mailbox under the district e-mail system and I have announced to the world through the Internet who our Club President is, something that quite a few clubs in the District are still working on. I look forward to receiving your feedback on the new website. Talk to you again next week.

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Dominic first came across the Interactors in the RYLA camp organized by Kingspark. He was then asked by the writer to assist in the District Interact Committee. Initially he agreed, in order to give a favour to his old friend, and eventually was so involved in the programme later on that he became the District Interact Chairman for 2000-2001.

According to him, the main problem with the Wah Yan Interactors is one of continuity. Their executive committee consists mainly of students coming from Form 6, and those from Form 4 are generally not keen in remaining in the committee when they come to Form 6. As a result, the performance of the club depends very much on the caliber and dedication of the committee members in a particular year and, also to a considerable extent, on that of the particular president. This explains why the club was very active in 1999-2000 and very quiet in 2000-2001. To overcome this problem, he advised the executive committees in future to organize activities which are more tailor-made for the students from Form 2 to Form 4, in order to generate more interest in Interact among them, and thus pave the way for the development of more experienced leaders for the future.

Dominic mentioned that the District Interact Committee had undergone a big change when the writer was the Chairman. He has laid down a good foundation and built up good traditions in the Joint Interact Council. All these have made it easy for him to continue the good work. He considered that there is a huge potential for the expansion of the Interact membership in the District and he is not surprised that the number of Interact Clubs could be doubled in five years' time, if there is adequate support from the District Interact Committee. If we want to have this growth, he said, we would have to appoint a secretary to this committee to handle the enormous amount of communication among the Interact Clubs, the District Interact Committee, and the Rotarian advisors. We would also need to overcome the psychological hurdle in the reluctance of most Rotary Clubs to sponsor more than one Interact Club and to provide a mechanism for Rotary Clubs who have lost interest in their sponsored Interact Clubs to transfer the sponsorship to other interested Rotary Clubs. He also believed in having more training for new Rotary advisors and in having this taking place well before the beginning of the Rotary year, in order to enable them to cope with the substantial amount of Interact activities in the summer i.e. shortly after they assume their offices.

Dominic loved to work with young people. This would make him feel younger and more lively, he said. Whilst he has participated in many Interact activities, he could not forget the embarrassing experience he h in taking the Interactors on the international understanding trip to Chaozhou last year - just because he could not speak putonghua as fluently as he had wanted! He had, of course, improved a lot in this respect since then. He was happier when he talked about the recent trip to Osaka and Kaibara with the Interactors who treasured very much the experience, for the first time, of home-stay with the Rotary families in Kaibara. He suggested that we should consider to offer home stay at Interactors' home when we have visiting Interactors from other Districts.What advice would he give to the District and also to President Raymond? To the District, he suggested the appointment of a District Interact Chairman-Elect. The reason is, as aforesaid, that most of the important activities of the Joint Interact Council, and also the Interact Clubs, fall on July and August i.e. as soon as the District Interact Chairman assumes his office. It would make his job so much easier, according to Dominic, if he had already worked with the Joint Interact Council for a certain period of time by then.To President Raymond, he would like to see him involving more in Interact activities this year and also getting more Kingsparkicans to follow suit. Although he did not state so explicitly, Dominic was of the view that a successful Rotarian advisor had to be interested in youth affairs and also able to follow a flexible time schedule - to accommodate the variety of Interact meetings during our regular office hours.Now that Dominic has passed on his District Interact Chairmanship to a capable successor, he would have more time for Kingspark - something we all wanted to see.

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Dear All,

Forgive me for being too explicit in soliciting contributions to questions and/or articles for the newsletter. I believe that not until all of you are involved one way or another in the newsletter, we will have no way to ensure that this is a newsletter that is of interest, let alone use, to you. The latter is important, not only for the paper to survive, but also to achieve its mission of serving a communication among us.

Last night, we talked about having the paper reporting on news. To me, this would mean news of the club as well as members. If you ask me, I will treasure news from members more. The reason is simple. The more we know about one another, the more we can support each other, and this leads to a closer relationship among us. So, pleasse let me or Ho Chi Ming know about anything that excites you that you want to share with us.

Then there is the 'Members Column'. I hope you can make use of this to share your views with fellow members. You need not restrict this to club matters. Do it on other things as well. Tell us if something has happened that made you very happy or sad. Tell us if you come across some very good deeds which impresses you. All other members will be happy to hear about these and rejoice together with you. That is what I call 'sharing'--a very important contributor to good fellowship. If you do not feel like writing, as many members understandably do, please get hold of either me or Ho Chi Ming and we will do the writing for you.

Of course, if you have any comments, compliments or criticisms on the club or anything that concerns our members in general, you are always welcome to write a 'letter to the editor'. I promise you that I will be impartial in this matter and publish any letter that is not malicious in nature and whether or not it contains compliments or criticisms. Since we have just published the second issue of the relaunch, you can see that we are still trying to find a format that you will like. That is the reason why the first issue is only 2 pages long and back and white in colour whereas the second has 12 pages and also very colourful. Two very big extremes. Please let us know which you like more.

Finally, I am happy that Ho Chi Ming has volunteered to be a reporter for our paper. With the many things that we would to cover, we will need more reporters and editors etc. If you are interested, we are happy to take you on board to go through the 'pleasant experience' together in the spirit of Rotary.Thank you very much for taking the time to read this long email, and I have to seek your pardon in taking up so much of your time again. I look forward to hearing from you.

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When John first took me to a Rotary meeting a few years ago at the excelsior, I never thought about the prospect of being a Rotarian myself. Indeed what I witnessed was an occasion reminiscent of a formal social gathering, so formal I could not comprehend their various offices and protocol -the sergeant-at-arms, the traditions of opening and closing, etc.

I was sure what it all added up to be. We seem to have no shortage of charities and in every fashion. Would rotary make a difference? then John told me he started Kingspark and became the de facto president and founding member. Then I just wonder how anybody in his right mind could spend so much time and effort on this one single mission - were it not something of tremendous significance. My attachment to Rotary was on and off until one day john asked me to seriously consider joining it. It's certainly easier for me to take a detached attitude without getting committed. I honestly had no idea if I was ready.

Then I went to more meetings, and parties, and there I recognized more Rotarians past and present, and some of their families. It was all fun, but where is the real work of making mankind their business? there isn't any ready answer to this and as I was reading some RI newsletters, I began to realize how everyone Rotarian or otherwise could contribute in his own way. But with a rotary family, that contribution could be enormous in nature.

Shortly after installation, I had a word with Michael Eyles about procedures and formality, etc and he assured me this would be taken care of. At another meeting Alex reported on the progress of scholarships, and I was amazed many other members seemed to know very little about it. When Anwar rose to make a point about communication and dissemination of club information, I thought the writing was clearly on the wall, and it's about time we put our house in order.

Well John told me the important thing is we all share the same belief and guiding principle. I agree, but there must be better ways to get to grips with the complexities of the organizational structure.

John became DG for 2000-2001 but I wasn't inducted until after he stepped down in June. I seem to recall what Johnson Chu said at the installation, that you have to earn your membership as Rotarian. And the rest is history.

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Good afternoon President Raymond Sin and dear Rotarians,

It is my pleasure for me to be here, to know more about Rotary club of Kingspark, and it's also a good chance to share with you what Rotary International District 3450 means to me.

To start with, let me tell you a story about a 15-year old girl. She surely isn't a very out-going person at that time. One day, a former student asks her to join a social service project, to organize a concert for the elderly. She refuse at once, thinking this kind of community service does no help to her.Later that month, this former student go to her again, stating to this girl that she is from a club called "INTERACT", and again persuading her to help and organize another service for children who are mentally handicapped or with down-syndrome. Cause of curiosity, she joined the club and went to that service. This is the very first time she meet people in need, people who are less lucky. She thinks that doing this kind of voluntary services may help her to know more about her community. So she continues to help out when she's free.

Two years later, this girl is now a sixth-form secondary student. She is now the President of the Interact club of her own school, which is Marymount Secondary School. Throughout the 2 years, she learnt to be humble and learnt to serve. She is now ready for some more challenges. She wants to join the election of District Interact Representative for the District. She sees the JOINT INTERACT COUNCIL as an organization for her to learn, to serve and to experience.

She was right, being the District Interact Representative enables her to get in touch with the Rotary world. Led by Rotarian advisors and District Interact committee Chairman, she was opened to a brand new world, to see and to grow. Through organizing projects serving the community and enhancing leadership skills of fellow INTERACTORS, She know more about Rotary and also herself. The year is so memorable that she just cannot miss the further movements of Rotary.

Maybe you're troubled by the many "she"-s that I have used. And surely you can guess I'm that girl. Right, I'm now 21, studying in the University of Hong Kong, double majoring in Translation and Comparative Literature. In these years, my experience as an Interactor and Rotaractor helped to shape my character. A few months ago, I saw a poster of an ambassadorial scholarship, and more surprisingly, it's from Rotary. I was a bit disappointed that the Rotaract clubs in my university isn't as active as I expected, so when I found out that I can have another way to keep in touch will Rotary, I was excited. But of course, the characteristic of this scholarship, which is to be an ambassador, is another attraction.

I was so anxious about the result of my application for this scholarship, caused I've looked forward to study aboard to learn and experience for a long time. Now my dream came truth. I can bring along my knowledge of my own community and Rotary, and put them into good use.

I proposed to do Journalism in the UK. As I have been doing some sort of communication studies here in Hong Kong. I want to develop my career as a Journalist. This job, I believe can increase the awareness of and respect for cultural differences. This is one important objective of the scholarship. And when I'm in the UK, I'll be participating in Rotary service projects, which fulfil the Rotary ideal of "Service above self". Further, a Journalist can keep up with the latest news. I hope that my job as an ambassador can also link the host Rotary club in the UK and my sponsor Rotary club here in Hong Kong together. But without your help to let me involve and get to know your club, and all your valuable advice and guidance, my ambassadorial tasks in the year after would never be successful. Thank you.

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District Rotary Foundation Seminar - 8 Sep 01 (Sat), 9:00-3:00pm, at HK Academy of Medicine. All new members must go and other members are encourage to go. - PP Ted (our Club Rotary Foundation Chairman) will In-charge this.

District Swimming Gala - 23 Sep 01 (Sunday), 11:00-6:00pm, at Ma On Shan Swimming Pool. All members and their family are welcome. Deadline 15 Sep 01. - Rtn David Cheung In-charge.

District Vocational Seminar - 30 Oct 01 (Tue), 12:30-2:00pm (luncheon meeting). Vocational Director Amy will call you later.

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the Board

President
Immediate Past President
President Elect
Vice President
Secretary
Treasuer
Community Service Director
Vocational Service Director
International Service Director
Club Service Director
Programme Chairman
Sergeant-at-Arms
Director
Director

Raymond Sin
Tom Hui
Anwer Islam
Peter Lo
Michael Eyles
Thomas Chan
Ho Chi Ming
Amy Chow
Stephen Lin
Sunny So
Jane Fung
Patrick Wong
Alice Chau
David Cheung