PDG John Wan 溫頌安 – DG 2000-2001

April GML

We had a successful District Conference. Where do we go from here?

My Dear Action Presidents, Club Secretaries and Rotary Leaders,

President Cinderella (Guia) came all the way from Macau for the District Conference in advanced pregnancy. Some of her friends had advised against that, for the baby could be born any time, but when her doctor said that it would probably be another ten days after the Conference, she bravely took the journey to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. She was radiant with love and beauty at the Governor’s Banquet. If only a quarter strong of the membership in the District were as high-spirited and supportive of the Conference as Cinderella, the Conference Organizing Committee would have been able to balance the books and would not have to resort to seeking an advance from the District Finance Committee to settle the bills.

We had a very successful District Conference. President Frank Devlyn’s Personal Representative, Director-elect Toshio Itabashi was all praises about the Conference programmes, the video conference with President Frank in Manila, the Governor’s Banquet, the reception he and Ritsuko had from the District and the seriousness of the participants at the Conference.

At the Closing Session, there were over 250 participants, an all time high figure for a conference closing session. It was indicative that the programmes had successfully sustained their interest. The Governor’s Banquet more or less broke even, The deficit was due to the unexpected and unprecedented low registration coupled with the failure to negotiate a lower minimum charge for the two lunches set by the Convention and Exhibition Centre. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed the Conference to the full. I thank all the Rotarians and friends who had taken part to make it such a great success. In particular, I am glad that nearly all Action Presidents turned up at least for a while, apart from a handful. I am eternally grateful to the public spirited Action Presidents for their advice and their decision and action to raise funds to pay for the advance.

A district conference is probably the single most important event in every district. In Japan, for example, Rotarians pay for the expenses of attending the conference in advance, through the district per capita dues, so that the organizers can focus on the programs instead of on the finance. This is perhaps something we can learn from. We have been talking and promoting our Conference for some time. The dates and venue were fixed a year ahead and I discussed the programmes in my monthly letters and at Joint Presidents’ Meetings.

A conference is as good as its programmes. It is not an occasion or a vehicle to make money, or an excuse for excesses. We had excellent programmes. First, it was a forward-looking conference. It was about the future, our youths. Our theme “Back to the Future” blends seamlessly with that for the Asian Presidential Conference held at the same time in Manila, “Youth and Service Opportunities.” To encourage participation from Rotaractors and Interactors, we had decided from the start that they would all attend free. I think we had done the right thing, for the Conference was organized for them. Secondly, we had involved more than ever our partner organizations and non-Rotarians. They participated as speakers, resource persons, moderators and award-presenters. For example, we had a Youth Forum moderated and empanelled with predominantly non-Rotarians and we had speakers from Government, the academia and the All China Youth Federation. This is in line with President Frank Devlyn’s emphases on partnering with other organizations. Thirdly, for the first time, we had a live video link up with President Frank Devlyn in Manila. Fourthly, we had organized the Governor’s Banquet in an entirely new format, with the extravaganza and exuberance of an Oscar evening. Lastly, to encourage attendance of non-English speaking members, we provided simultaneous interpretation in all plenary sessions.

On the other hand, attendance at a conference can be a reflection of the state of the District. I therefore take full responsibilities for the lower than expected registration. Obviously, we had failed to meet the expectation of quite a few members or to persuade them to register for the full programme. There are lessons to be learnt in the process.

Having been your Governor for over nine months, I have developed views on how our organization could remain relevant in the community in the wake of globalization, the mandatory popularization of the Internet, the information revolution, the scramble for positioning in the new economy and the increasing prominence of the third sector. We need an organization that is proactive and capable of delivering solution-oriented services to the people who need our service. And we must deliver our services more quickly, effectively and relevantly. We should be a leader among volunteers. We need a fundamental review in the manner we have been taking decisions in the District, particularly decisions that will have a long term effect on the well being and development of Rotary in the District. I had assembled experienced and dedicated Rotarians on the Governor’s Policy Committee (GPC) precisely for this, having regard to the irreversible global trend and demand for greater transparency and accountability. The GPC has been meeting monthly since March 2000 and could become an institution in the District.

Spurred by the low registration for the District Conference and the imminent failure to achieve the overall membership target, I have decided to reconstitute the GPC forthwith. I intend to assemble a smaller group that will meet between now and end of June 2001 and as frequently as necessary with specific terms of reference and tasked with making long term and strategic recommendations to the District leadership. This will be in line with President Frank’s vision to ask us to go into the 21st Century with a mission to create awareness and to take action. It will be in line with the need to modernize our organization to insure its relevance to the community and to the future.

I thank all my members on the GPC for their untiring efforts and contributions. Suffice it to say that leadership in a voluntary organization is not about authority, but responsibility. Governors and Past Governors have no authority over Rotary clubs or Rotarians, they have additional responsibilities, in return for the additional opportunities to serve. I ran this past Director-elect Itabashi before he left. He approved without reservation or equivocation of any kind.

I would like to begin by officially announcing the results of the Ballot-by-Mail that all Action Presidents had participated in July 2000. I said officially because I had actually announced the news on 7 August through an open letter uploaded on the District Website under the title “Why we are Rotarians”. Further, I had the letter faxed to the Presidents who were not known to the District as having operating an e-mail address. Now, the results.
On Friday, 4 August 2000, the Balloting Committee, comprising Past District Governor Dr. Jason Yeung (Kowloon West), Past President Stanley Mok (Hongkong Sunrise) and Past President Ted Ho (Kingspark Hong Kong), met to examine the returns from club presidents in respect of the Ballot-by-Mail for the 2000-2001 Per Capita Levy towards the District Fund. In attendance were Past Governor Anthony Hung, Governor-elect Johnson Chu, District Secretary (Returns) Edmond Chan and myself.
Committee Chairman PDG Jason Yeung sent me the formal report on 5 August 2000 which included the following findings. First, all the 48 clubs in Hong Kong and Macau returned their ballot which were all determined by the Committee as valid. Thank you very much, Action Presidents for the part you played in creating awareness and in taking action in the exercise. That every club in Hong Kong and Macau responded without exception is an unprecedented show of solidarity and a reflection of the seriousness the clubs attached to the exercise. I am proud of all the Action Presidents.
The 48 clubs together mustered 66 votes based on RI rules. Of these, 45 voted for, 20 against and one abstained. This means that the clubs in the District have now voted by majority for the 2000-2001 District Budget. Specifically, the Per Capita Levy towards the District Fund from 1 July 2000 now stands at HK$1,100 for a Rotarian in Hong Kong, and HK$830, Macau.
In my open letter dated 7 August, I went on to address the issues raised by clubs and members related to the District Budget in general and to the process in particular. I would not repeat the arguments here. You are welcome to visit our District Website for Issue 27 of my Letters. Indeed I would urge all Action Presidents to visit the site at least once a week if possible.
From the Budget, I move to my series of Official Visits. Many of you would have noticed that I have started the visit program. Indeed, I have been exchanging notes with a few Action Governors on what some people have called a necessary routine. Well, it may be a routine for the fact that every governor visits his clubs this time of the year, but to the people concerned, particularly the principal protagonists, they should be anything but routine. Let me explain.
To start with, an official visit must not be seen as an end in itself. Rather, it is a means of achieving an important objective of Rotary International, which is to ensure that clubs in a district would continue to observe the Object of Rotary and remain effective clubs. Members of the twenty or so clubs I have officially visited so far would recall that an effective club in this context is one that would have sustained membership growth, meet the needs of the community, continue to contribute to the Rotary Foundation and provide leadership beyond the club level.
I quickly point out that it would be unrealistic to expect a one-hour visit can achieve this objective, or for that matter, anything substantial. The leadership at Rotary International have been aware of this, and this is where the District Leadership Plan (DLP) has come in handy. Under the DLP, governors can appoint a number of assistant governors to handle some of the administrative workload and for greater flexibility in official visits. The plan is designed to strengthen Rotary at the district and club levels by making possible faster and more responsive support for clubs, a larger supply of well-trained district leaders, better communications within the district, and so on. As far as official visits are concerned, governors can now visit clubs individually or in multi-club meetings conducted throughout the year for the purpose of focusing on important Rotary issues, motivating Rotarians to participate in service activities, and so on. The DLP also envisages that these visits should take place at a time that maximizes the governor’s presence, including charter nights, induction ceremonies, new member orientation programs, citation or award presentations, special programs, Foundation events or intercity meetings.
Under the DLP, therefore, it would be up to the clubs and members to make full use of the Governor’s Official Visits for the purposes of the respective clubs. After all, each club has its own special culture and characteristics and is its own best judge for its performance up to a point. If there are problems, the club leadership, in consultation with the assistant governor, would be best placed to find solutions.
As we are moving out of August, Rotary’s Membership Development and Extension Month, I would like to remind all members of the urgency and need to redouble our efforts to recruit, retain and retrieve members. The statistics so far are not encouraging. We took on 35 new members at District Installation and we added another 30 or so members on 1st July from Mongolia, but our total membership ending July was not a lot to write home about. We need to bring in drastic and dramatic measures, and PDG Moses and I are all ears.
Before I sign off, I would like to announce that nominations for District Governor Nominee 2002-2003 are now open. Clubs have up to 13 November 2000 to propose candidates for consideration by the 2002-2003 DGN Nomination Committee. Club Presidents can call me for the forms and other details. The Committee will meet on 1 December.

Your Governor John Wan

First of all, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everybody! You have worked very hard in the year 2000 and you deserve a break and a happy holiday with your family and loved ones.
Our DGN Gloria was in Australia earlier this month. Words traveled fast: a local television network in Australia got wind of the happy news, tracked her down and interviewed her for nearly an hour during which she talked about her vision of Rotary and recent development in District 3450 including the addition of Mongolia to our territory. Both interviewer and interviewee were apparently satisfied with the interview because no editing or a second take was necessary. The interview is now on tape and no doubt Gloria would make it available to her fans on request.
You should all be planning for the election of the next board of directors. Once again, I would like to remind you to send your club election results on the prescribed form by end of the year to Rotary World Headquarters with a copy each to Governor-elect Johnson and me.
In the next few weeks, your Assistant Governor and District Secretary would be calling on you to discuss how best to secure the Presidential Citation and other awards. These District officials are there to help you, specifically to help you achieve your goals. Most presidents have only one chance to be presidents in a lifetime. I urge you therefore to make the best use of the remaining months of your term and reach your goals. Remember what President Frank Devlyn said of Don Quixote? He said that Don Quixote never had any doubt on whether his dreams could be realized. In the same spirit, all of you Action Presidents should never have any doubt on your ability to achieve the goals for the year. His Presidential Citation is there for the taking. Go for it!
Also in the coming weeks, RYLA Chairman Stephen Tsai (Quarry Bay) will be asking for nominations for the 2001 RYLA Camp, while GSE Chairman Dicky Yip (Admiralty) for GSE team members and a leader. Both programmes are designed for young people. Do not be shy to nominate your young staff or Rotaractors to go on either programme. These are wonderful programmes. Give the youths a chance and send in your nominations early.
Our District Conference would be held on 7 and 8 April 2001 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. Past President Kay Lau (Hong Kong Harbour) is Conference Chairman and Past President Haywood Cheung (New Territories) Committee Chairman for the Governor’s Banquet. I am happy to have these two dedicated Rotarians working on this single most important project in the next few months. Both are heavyweights in our District and are known to be first class organizers. Both have promised to offer innovative and special programmes that you would not like to miss. The theme of the Conference is “Back to the Future” to remind us to look to the future. Please start promoting the Conference at your weekly meetings and register early. The full package, including the Governor’s Banquet, two lunches, three coffee breaks and a Conference kit, costs $1,800, the same price tag for the Conference organized three years ago by Past Governor Jason Yeung.
Back to my official visits, by mid-December, I have visited all except three clubs officially. I made follow-up visits to some clubs and I tried to attend all anniversary dinners or balls. I missed a few; and I could not attend a few District functions because they clashed with other appointments. I have enjoyed every meeting and every function I attended. As I thank the Action Presidents, the Rotarians involved and my District Team for the hard work and hospitality and for making these occasions enjoyable, I would like to apologize to the Action Presidents and Rotarians who were disappointed because of my inability to turn up at their functions.
I have often been asked whether I find all these activities tiring or tiresome and whether I am feeling relieved now that the halfway mark is in sight. Well, the short answer is no. Life is a series of choices. Since a friend introduced me to Rotary some years back, Rotary has become part of my life, and I am glad. In the same way that one ought not be tired of life, I do not think I would ever be tired of Rotary. Yes, there were times when club members failed to deliver, did not honour promises and made me feel more stupid than I really was. In such cases, I would remind myself that life comes in a package and that all the sham, drudgery and broken dreams had nothing to do with Rotary or Rotary’s Ideal of Service.
It is this Ideal of Service that has kept me going, and dare I say that has motivated many Rotarians worldwide all these years in their strive for world peace and international understanding. It is all these selfless men and women doing great deeds quietly that has made Rotary the great organization that it now is. I often see images of these men and women during my visits to clubs. I am encouraged every time I see them and I can never see them often enough.
On this note, I wish all of you, your loved ones and your families once again a joyous holiday season ahead. May the spirit of Christmas fill you with faith, love and hope, reinforce your Rotary spirit, enhance your creativity and capacity, create awareness in you and enable you to take action in your club, in your community and in your world, for the greater good of humanity in general and for the good of the people who need your service in general.
Talk to you soon.
Your Governor John Wan

Congratulations to Rotary mums; Register for District Conference; Council on Legislation; Support the Rotary Foundation
My Dear Action Presidents, Club Secretaries and Rotary Leaders,
I would like to begin by sharing with you the good news from Assistant Governor Amy Ho. Amy announced that at 22:29 hours on 22 January 2001, her first baby, arrived, weighing in at 6 pounds 6 ounces. Had the baby girl waited a day and an hour and a half longer, she could have been the first baby born in the Year of the Snake in Hong Kong. Amy also reported that mother and daughter were both doing well as she wished us a Happy New Year. Congratulations, Amy and well done. Now, we all wait for the arrival of Cinderella’s baby expected to be in April. We have already said that if the baby arrives on the 7th or 8th April through natural birth, mother and child will attend district conferences of our District free in future.
Yes, our District Conference will be held on 7 – 8 April 2001 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. RI President Frank Devlyn has appointed RI Director-elect Toshio Itabashi and his spouse, Ritsuko, to be his and Gloria Rita’s personal representatives to our District Conference. Director-elect Toshio has been a member of the Rotary Club of Ashikaga East, Japan since 1962. He is President of a paint and chemical distributing firm, Managing Director of the Japan Paint Commerce Association, Chairman of the Ashikaga Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Chairman of the Ashikaga International Association. He is also editor of Rotary-No-Tomo, and has served RI as district governor, International Assembly discussion leader, committee member, and Foundation regional coordinator. Director-elect Toshio is a Rotary heavyweight and a keen Rotarian. I look forward to meeting the couple and to sharing his Rotary wisdom.
My Action Presidents, now is the time to urge your members to register for the District Conference. I should stress that a district conference is for all club members and their spouses, not just for club officers and committee members. The purpose of a district conference is to showcase the achievements of clubs in the District and to provide occasions for fun, fellowship, inspirational speeches and discussion. The theme of the conference is Back To The Future. It is a reminder for us to look into the future – the future of Rotary, the future generations, and what the future means to you. We would bring in speakers outside Rotary and the District to provoke new thinking. We would try to make this a conference with a difference. Please urge your Rotaractor and Interactor advisers to register for their Rotaractors and Interactors and to encourage the youths to attend all the sessions, not just the youth sessions. Indeed, all sessions would be relevant to them, because we would be looking into the future. Rotaractors and Interactors attend free if they do not stay for the meals. This policy is in line with our commitment to the new generations and our resolve to live up to the challenge in the slogan, “Every Rotarian an Example to Youth.”
Also taking place in April, but in Chicago, Illinois, USA will be the Council on Legislation. The Council meets once every three years and will next meet on 22 – 27 April 2001. Past Governor Arthur Au will represent our District to attend and I believe you have all received his letter asking you for views on the proposed legislation to be considered. I received in the post the booklet (Volume I) with the complete text of the duly proposed legislation, 527 in number. It is 4-cm thick. There are two types of legislation – enactments and resolutions. A proposed enactment is intended to amend the constitutional documents of RI, i.e., the RI constitution, the RI bylaws and the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. A proposed resolution is legislation that does not seek to amend the constitutional documents. The documents are printed in English, and in French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. The English version of the legislation is considered the official document. The booklet is available in compact disc format and on the Rotary World Wide Web site. We have been advised that Volume II will soon be posted. This is a second booklet with the complete text of the duly proposed legislation that has been amended for errors in Volume I.
Back to the present, we are now in February, and February is Rotary’s World Understanding Month. On 23 February 1905, the first meeting of Rotary was held and the day is now designated World Understanding and Peace Day. DGN Gloria Chan organized a joint meeting in the evening on Friday, 23 February 2001 at the Regal Hong Kong Hotel. I am glad to see so many of you at the meeting.

World Understanding month is a chance for every club to pause, plan and promote the Fourth Avenue of Service – International Service – and to pursue Rotary’s continued quest for goodwill, peace and understanding among the people of the world. I discussed the international responsibilities of a Rotarian in my last letter. I urge all of you to take up the quest with due seriousness and to promote and practice international understanding in spirit and through action. As a start, consider our responsibilities towards our brothers and sisters in disaster stricken Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, India and El Salvador. Consider our responsibilities towards the Rotary Foundation and the wonderful programmes that can be carried out for humanity with our continuing contributions. Consider this an assignment and a duty to your fellowmen. This may sound quixotic, but in the words of President Frank Devlyn, let this be the year that people many years from now will recall as the year in which the Action Team of Presidents created awareness of the international responsibilities of a Rotarian and led the members to take action, by taking proactive steps in our disaster relief efforts, in our contribution to the Rotary Foundation and in our International Service programmes.
Talk to you soon.
Your Governor John Wan

The mission of volunteers; Rotary supports IYV; PolioPlus and our international responsibilities; Happy Year of the Snake
Governor-elect Johnson said in the Continuity Column this month that he had received only six report forms from clubs on the election results. I expect he would have received many more returns by now, but probably not all. I know because I also receive a copy of all returns. Johnson wrote his letter two days before the end of December. He sounded worried, and for good reasons too. Failure to send these returns on time could result in the records of the clubs concerned not being updated in the next Official Directory, which in turn could result in the club officials not being able to receive communications from World Headquarters in good time or not at all.
It is worrying that so many club officials appeared to have little or no regard to rules of the organization that had freely and voluntarily joined. It is true that we are all volunteers, but so are the Rotarians at district and international level that are chasing for these and other returns. As volunteers, we volunteer our time and talents to serve others. Very often, volunteers set high standards for their voluntary work. They would put in extra efforts and time to ensure that the work and hence the service they render others freely would be of a standard even higher than the work for which they are paid. In advanced economies where voluntary work is a way of life, volunteers are required to observe codes of conduct that prescribe standards for the service they pledge to render of their free will and accord.
Rotarians are volunteers, but they are also business and professional people dedicated to providing humanitarian service, to encouraging high ethical standards in all vocations and to helping build goodwill and peace in the world. It follows that the service we render must be of a standard befitting business and professional people, or service of the highest standard. The Year 2001 is the International Year of Volunteers (IYV). Let us remind ourselves of the international responsibilities of a Rotarian and let us all strive to be an exemplary volunteer.
In the beginning of this Rotary Year, I set a District goal for us to promote Rotary’s image by participating proactively in the IYV. I am happy to report that on 7 January, we partnered with members of the Lions Clubs International District 303 and the Hong Kong Junior Chamber in the Hong Kong Walk, and we walked under a “Support Volunteers” banner. There will be more programmes of this nature coming up. Watch out for them.
January is Rotary Awareness Month, and President Frank Devlyn has urged us to promote the message of PolioPlus through our local media. President Frank reminded us the dramatic success stories of PolioPlus, in particular, of how Rotary partnered with institutions such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and national governments worldwide to immunize more than two billion children against polio in the last five years, and of Rotary’s role in mobilizing 10 million volunteers each year in National Immunization Days. He said, “PolioPlus has proven that volunteers play a critical role in public health initiatives.”
I would like to join President Frank to urge you to make a special effort to create awareness in the community of Rotary’s efforts in the PolioPlus programme. The Rotary International Board of Directors has recognized PolioPlus as a special programme of RI that has the highest priority over all other programs until the certification of worldwide eradication is achieved in 2005. In 1985 when the programme began, there were 125 polio-endemic countries. The figure has since declined to 30. To date, 122 nations around the world have benefited from PolioPlus grants. As of June 2000, Rotary has committed more than US$378 million to global polio eradication and the contribution to the programme would exceed half a billion US dollars by 2005.
From PolioPlus, I move to The Rotary Foundation. In the year ending June 2000, The Rotary Foundation received total contributions of US$73.7 million and paid out US$90.7 million in programme awards, including US$37.6 on PolioPlus. The Foundation needs contributions on a continuing basis to ensure that the on-going humanitarian and educational programmes can be sustained. The returns ending November 2000 for the District showed that contributions from clubs had been slower than expected, and District Annual Giving Sub-Committee Chairman Past President Johnny Fan had made a number of appeals on several occasions to urge club presidents to remind members of their earlier pledges. Once again, I appeal to you to be mindful of the international responsibilities of a Rotarian and to develop a habit to contribute to The Rotary Foundation on a continuing basis. In the beginning of my term, I encouraged each member to contribute US$100 each year and clubs to become 100% Paul Harris clubs. We are not yet there.
Still on the internationality of Rotarians, Governor-nominee Gloria Chan is organizing a Joint Meeting of at least seven clubs to celebrate World Understanding and Peace Day on Friday, 23 February 2001. It will be an evening meeting, to be held at the Regal Hong Kong Hotel. I urge you to encourage your members to make an effort to attend. Gloria has invited Professor Edward Chan, Vice Chancellor of Ling Nam University to speak on “Towards a Harmonious International Economy.” It will be a great way to celebrate Rotary’s anniversary.
Before I sign off, I would like to wish all of you a prosperous Year of the Snake. As in every year this time, we are inundated with information, predictions and forecasts from astrologists, soothsayers and fengshui experts of all descriptions. So far, the year does not augur well. I urge you not to be disheartened, for it is in such times that the need for volunteers and do-gooders would be most felt.
Kung Hei Fat Choi.
Your Governor John Wan

Governor’s Monthly Letter
July 2000

Be proactive with membership development and extension,
enhancing Rotary’s image and building partnerships

My Dear Action Presidents and Rotary Leaders,

This may be the first time I write to you in this particular format, but I hope this is not the first time you come across my thoughts in writing. During the past 12 months, I contributed to a “Continuity Column” in Governor Dipo’s Monthly Letter. In addition, I started a letter series through e-mail round about that time to talk about Rotary, my life and life generally. Both series are available on the District Website.

In this day and age, effective communication is vital. This monthly letter cannot therefore be the sole communication tool between us. To encourage the use of the Internet, I am deliberately limiting production to 300 hard copies for each issue. I urge you to advise your members to go for the Website version that is linked to the District Album. Over time, maybe we can print even fewer hard copies or do away with them altogether, thus saving some trees. In the meantime, you are free to make copies for members and friends who prefer to read them as such.

Now, first, my wife Rosita and I would like to wish you well. We wish you prosperity, good health and happiness. Once again, I can no better convey to you the Rotary message for the year than to quote what our leader of leaders Frank Devlyn said to his team members on the first day of the Rotary year. This is what our President said,

“Today is the first day where we officially begin the work of our “Action Team”. All of you are aware of the importance I have placed on our theme . . . “Create Awareness . . . Take Action” . . . In our clubs, In our Community, In our world. It is now up to each of you to give life and meaning to our theme during our year. Let us never forget it is our time to make things happen. If we are to be successful in our goals, it will depend on you and me. Good luck and best wishes for a very successful Rotary year.”

I would like to believe that our Action Team had started work before 1 July 2000. I said in my article “Is there a beginning or an end” that to the committed Rotarian, life is a continuing quest to follow the heart, as opposed to a quest for fame and fortune. I also said that any time is a good time for service, such that there is no beginning or end in the enterprise of service. Nevertheless, it is useful to start a new year with new goals and defined objectives. One suggests this is what the annual Rotary themes seek to achieve.

Specifically, President Frank Devlyn has asked us to focus on the following priorities during 2000-2001.
First, keep our current RI and Rotary Foundation programs in motion. In particular, keep up the momentum on programs such as PolioPlus.
Second, be proactive in our membership development and retention efforts.
Third, work hard to enhance Rotary’s public image
Fourth, build partnerships
Fifth, find innovative and proactive ways to address the world’s many pressing concerns.

August being Membership and Extension Month, President Frank Devlyn has reminded us of his 21st Century Challenge issued in July, which will recognize those districts and clubs that achieve the highest net gains in membership between 1 July 2000 and 15 May 2001. President Frank has also challenged each Rotarian to bring in a new member during the year. He asked each club to create two teams—one focusing on recruitment and the other on retention. In short, he has asked clubs and districts to think corporate and to think big. “If every club meets the 21st Century Challenge,” notes President Frank, “the results will be felt worldwide, as an ever-growing force of Rotarians strives to Create Awareness and Take Action.”

The Presidential Membership Goal for this Rotary Year challenges each club to increase its net membership by five Rotarians. I am happy that many clubs in the District are taking this most seriously and are working hard on it. I am hopeful that we can achieve our District goal of 2001 members and I hope that at least one of our clubs in the District can receive from the hands of President Frank the award at the 2001 San Antonio Convention in June 2001.

Past Governor Moses Cheng is our District Membership Development and Extension Chairman. He has been working very hard on the program and will no doubt issue guidelines and a District Award Scheme. Watch this column. In the meantime, feel free to write to him or me if you come across ideas on how to take the matter further.

From membership development, I move to Rotary’s image. To start with, one must bear in mind that enhancing Rotary’s image is not an end in itself. It is a means to promote Rotary and to bring Rotary closer to the people that need our service most. In corporate parlance, it is a marketing strategy in the business plan. Building image takes time and money. It follows that we would achieve economy of scale if this is taken up at the District rather than at the club level. Once again, we welcome your views.

Another way of enhancing Rotary’s image is through building partnerships with other organizations. I suggest we have made a good start by signing Friendship and Co-operation Agreement with four service organizations at our District Installation in June. These four organizations are the Lions Clubs International District 303, Zonta International District 17, Hong Kong Junior Chamber and the Agency for Volunteer Service. We would follow up with these service organizations with a view to developing joint service projects that would not only benefit more people, but would also help enhancing our image and our public relations. This is a new area and once again, will need to be proceeded at the District level.

In the words of President Frank, there’s so much to do. So we must take action early and be proactive. Talk to you soon.

Your Governor John Wan

Rotaractors celebrated World Rotaract Week; Ask a friend to join Rotary now; Don’t miss the next District Conference

My Dear Action Presidents, Club Secretaries and Rotary Leaders,

World Rotaract Week is the week in which 13 March falls. This year, our Rotaractors celebrated the week by launching a campaign to create awareness in the community that spina bifida in children can be a largely preventable and hence avoidable condition. Spina bifida is a congenital abnormality affecting the spinal cord and spinal column. During the early life of the embryo the outer layer of cells running down the back of the body curls over to form the neural groove and this closes right over to become a tube lying just below the surface skin. The tube then develops into the spinal cord and spinal column. In spina bifida the primitive neural groove fails to close and the vertebral canal becomes deficient at the back causing anatomical and functional abnormalities of varying degree. The condition could be life threatening at worst and causes severe clinical management problems as well as social, educational and emotional adjustment problems at least. Research has now indicated that 80% of the condition in the newborn can be avoided if the mother takes sufficient folic acid three to four weeks before pregnancy. Folic acid is available in all vegetables and fruits.
Our Rotaractors created awareness for spina bifida by preparing information cards and distributing them to passers-by in busy streets. They also motivated the over 100 graduating Rotary Youth Leadership Award campers to be volunteers. Speaking of RYLA, this is the first year the District RYLA Committee had Rotaractors as full members. They participated fully and actively in the planning, organizing and running of the RYLA Camp. At the Closing Ceremony, participants demonstrated their enthusiasm and newly gained Rylarian spirit. It was a highly successful operation and I am positive that both Rotarians and Rotaractors have learnt useful lessons in the process. Hopefully, we have planted Rotary seeds in these youths’ mind that would last them for a life time, regardless of whether or not they would become Rotaractors or Rotarians one day.
By the time you read this, there would be less than 100 days left in this Rotary Year. I thank you to ask yourself what you have done to create awareness for membership growth and what action you have taken. Remember that long before our year began, President Frank Devlyn challenged each club to increase its net membership by five Rotarians. In response, I set ambitious goals to achieve a quantum increase in membership. I was glad that PDG Moses Cheng agreed to be the District Membership Development Task Force Coordinator. Moses and I have since been urging each club to take up President Frank’s challenge. Indeed, Moses further designed the “Challenge 2001” scheme with the object of bringing the District membership to 2001, or an all time high, by 30 June 2001.
So far, only a handful of clubs have met President Frank’s five-a-club challenge, and we are still a long way to the membership goal set by PDG Moses. For the past eight months, our membership strength has been hovering around the 1,700 mark. We recorded 1,702 members at the end of February. During this period, we actually brought in some 160 new members, but we also lost 130. At this rate, it would seem that we would never make our goal.
But this cannot be the attitude or mindset of Action Presidents and Action Team Members. We have all been encouraged from the outset to emulate the spirit of Don Quixote – to dream the impossible dream and to reach the unreachable star. More than that, we have been reminded that we are to be Don Quixotes with a mission and a goal. This month, President Frank Devlyn asked, “Have you asked someone today to join Rotary?” President Frank went on to say that now is the time to ask, to ask someone to join Rotary today. If every member in District 3450 does that between now and end of June, we would over-achieve our target of 2001 before 30 June; and even if only a fifth of the membership succeeds in bringing in a member each, we could achieve our District membership goal comfortably.
Take action now. Talk to a friend. Talk to your friends about Rotary. Tell them not just the wonderful fellowship and the great time that they can expect from you and your club. Tell them that Rotary is about service. Tell them the great deeds that many quiet men and women have been doing for their less fortunate fellowmen. If they are still interested in joining us, you can be sure that they will be joining Rotary rather than a Rotary club.
Before I sign off, I would like to appeal to you again to register for the District Conference. We have good and solid programmes lined up. For speakers, we have from the Government, the Secretary for Home Affairs Mr W K Lam, from the academia, Professor Michael Enright, author of The Hong Kong Advantage, from the Mainland, a committee member of All China Youth Federation, and from the media, Bonnie Chiu from TVB. And I have yet to mention RI President’s Personal Representative Director-elect Toshio Itabashi and the many experienced and learned Rotarians from the District all of whom are worth their weight in gold.
Still on the programme, we are going to have, for the first time in a District Conference, a face-to-face encounter with the RI President himself through a satellite link-up. RI President Frank will be speaking to us live from Manila at the Asia-Pacific Presidential Conference. The theme of his conference will be “Youth and Service Opportunities” which is along the vein of ours, “Back to the Future.”
On entertainment and fellowship, Past President Haywood Cheung has promised a Governor’s Banquet with a difference and in style. There will be no long speeches, no endless presentation of awards and definitely no dull moments. For a preview, watch the recent broadcast of the Oscar Awards Presentation.
Talk to you soon.
Your Governor John Wan

My Dear Action Presidents, Club Secretaries and Rotary Leaders,

In the May issue of The Rotarian magazine, President Frank once again urged Rotarians to continue to bring in new members with fresh vision and energy. His forceful message should dispel the myth that life for a Rotary leader ends on 1 July and that because there are only a few weeks to the end of the current term, the current leadership should step aside and leave the work to the next crop of leaders.

While our term may end, our responsibility towards our fellow human beings or mankind will never end. Economic growth and technological advancement have improved the livelihood of many in affluent economies including ours, but we would not be fulfilling our responsibilities to humankind if we continue to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the plight of the millions in yet to be developed economies. Past President James Lacy introduced the Children Opportunities Grant when he was president. He spoke passionately of the millions of children who roamed the streets every night looking for food and shelter. Now we also learn that many of these children might never taste clean water in their lives, might never wear shoes or clean clothes and might never have any chance to be educated.

Some sociologists and social activists are quick to attribute the seemingly inequitable wealth distribution to corruption in governments and even in relief agencies, to technology and to globalization. While Rotarians are non-political and would endeavour to distance ourselves from these issues, we ought not distance ourselves from the people who are caught in these issues. These are the people who need us most. It was against this background that I have been asking each and every member in the District to make it a habit to contribute to the Rotary Foundation, and specifically to contribute US$100 per year per member. I am glad that the Council on Legislation, which just ended, has passed a resolution that would encourage clubs to move towards this direction. It is worth repeating that without contributions on a continuing basis, the Rotary Foundation would find it hard to continue with its many educational and humanitarian projects.
Talking of humanitarian projects, at the International Convention in June in San Antonio, President Frank would present RI’s highest honour, the Rotary Award for World Understanding and Peace to Dr. Pramod Karan Sethi, a retired orthopedic surgeon from Jaipur, India. Dr. Sethi developed the “Jaipur Foot,” an artificial limb that has transformed the lives of millions of landmine and polio victims in India and other developing countries. In announcing the award, President Frank talked of the great admiration of the members of Rotary, as fellow humanitarian activists, for Dr. Sethi’s dedication to helping the poorest of the poor. Noting that Dr. Sethi had abandoned a practice that caters to the rich, President Frank went on to say, “To him, ethical and humane services have been the basis of the medical profession. He has consistently practiced and advocated values that keep the patient, particularly the poor, at the center of medical concern.”

Not all of us have the brains and adroitness of Dr. Sethi, but it is possible for the average service-minded Rotarian to emulate his spirit or to contribute to the Rotary Foundation which has funded many matching grants in support of the preparation and distribution of artificial limbs to victims, including of course the “Jaipur Foot,” particularly if we consider the vast disparity in National Income between Hong Kong and India.

There is actually plenty of scope for developed economies to help developing and less developed countries. It also makes a lot of economic sense. The agenda for the 21st Century may now appear to be heavily biased towards information technology, innovation and technology or biotechnology, hence the pre-occupation on the digital divide and the perceived urgency to narrow the gap. However, the single most important item on the agenda would perhaps be the creation of awareness that all human beings, all nations and all economies are interdependent. The sooner we are able to develop action plans to create such awareness; the better it would be for the human race and mankind as a whole. I therefore see a big role for volunteer organizations and service organizations such as Rotary to take the lead to create awareness and take action to create a better world for everyone – a world with a new order where people are encouraged to understand each other and treasure peace. Service-minded Rotarians with their professional knowledge and business experience in particular can help the poorer nations to grow out of poverty and savour economic prosperity. With this objective in mind, the motivation to recruit more service-minded people can never be greater.

Talking of volunteers, earlier this year, President Frank spoke at the 16th IAVE World Volunteer Conference held in Amsterdam in January. The United Nations had proclaimed the year 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers and the conference was the first in a series of international events. President Frank stressed that Rotarians were all volunteers and that Rotarians work in partnership with both public and private organizations to serve their communities better. President Frank went on to say that volunteers were the backbone of all non-governmental organizations and that in this International Year of Volunteers, “let us create awareness of the contribution of our volunteers and take action to celebrate, stimulate, and demonstrate solidarity with the dynamic volunteer movement.”

In Hong Kong, the Agency for Volunteer Service organized an International Year of Volunteers Steering Committee involving professional bodies, business sector and welfare agencies. Our District is also represented on the Committee. Which sent a delegation of 16 volunteers and volunteer administrators to the January Conference. The delegation reported on their visit last month during which the Steering Committee also unveiled the revised Universal Declaration on Volunteering. (See page 4 for full text.)

Talk to you soon.

My Dear Action Presidents, Club Secretaries and Rotary Leaders,

The Nominating Committee for District Governor 2002-2003 met on 1 December 2000 and selected Rotarian Gloria Chan of the Rotary Club of Queensway as District Governor-nominee. As we congratulate Gloria Chan for her achievement, we thank members of the Nominating Committee for the work on the one and Gloria for her willingness to serve Rotary in general and the District in particular on the other. From now till the RI Convention meets in San Antonio, Texas, USA in June 2001 when she will be elected District Governor-elect which office she will hold for one year till 30 June 2002, Gloria Chan is our District Governor-nominee and should be addressed as such. Congratulations, DGN Gloria Chan.
While in the congratulatory mood, let me share with you the happy news that also on 1 December, a bouncing nine-pound baby girl was born to President Shane Parmanand. Both mother and child have been doing well. Congratulations and well done to the Pamanands.
In the month of December, each club would be going through procedures to elect its club officials, including the president, president-elect and secretary. I hope all of you would take the process seriously and elect the best people to these and other offices. This is the first planning phases for the next 18 months, for each club should identify now its club president for 2002-2003, in the same manner that the District has identified Gloria Chan our leader for that year. I am aware that a few clubs had problems, but please be assured that your respective Assistant Governors and I stand ready to advise and assist as and when necessary. Our objective is to make ours an effective district, and it is never too early to plan. Please remember to forward to the District Secretariat the names of the Rotarians elected before the end of the year so that we can forward them to the RI Secretariat in good time for their inclusion in the Official Directory 2001-2002.
As we move out of November, our Rotary Foundation Month, let me invite all of you to congratulate the clubs that had contributed the most to the Annual Programs Fund of The Rotary Foundation for 1999-2000. The top two clubs were Kowloon North, 102,000 and Kowloon East, 28,000. We had two clubs in the third place and they were, Hong Kong and Kowloon Golden Mile, each having contributed 11,600. The top three clubs in terms of per capita giving in the same period were, Kowloon North, 3,777.78, Kowloon East, 528.30 and Wanchai, 288.57. All figures are in US dollars. Congratulations to all the five clubs. I would be sending round the banners and congratulatory letters from the Rotary Foundation Chairman Herbert Brown as soon as practicable.
November was indeed a busy and momentous month for the District. We hosted the Rotary Zone Institute under the leadership of RI Director Gary Huang who was Convenor and our Past Governor Arthur Au who was Chairman. Convenor Gary said at the Closing that it was one of the best and best attended Zone Institutes. The last count for attendance was 499 including 86 spouses. Of the total, 154 were from our District, 175 from all seven districts in Taiwan, and 170 from the rest of the districts. The attendance figure for our District did not include the Rotarians and spouse who helped out in various sessions on various duties. The District, in particular, myself, owe a lot to all of them. I would like to thank all those who have assisted before, during and after the event in making it a success. I would also like to thank the Action Presidents who had risen to the occasion and encouraged their members to participate in the Institute. And I thank everyone who was there for whatever reasons. Once again, it is testimony of the collective strength and leadership inherent in the membership of the District. Between our members, I am confident and I feel assured that we can rise to the occasion to take up any challenge for the greater good of Rotary in general and of our District in particular.
RI President-elect Richard King and President-nominee Bhichai Rattakul who were in Hong Kong for the Zone Institute visited Beijing immediately afterwards at the invitation of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. They were joined by President Frank Devlyn and General Secretary Edwin Futa. You can read about the visit from the RI website, in particular President Frank’s website. Briefly, President Frank reported that it was a very successful visit and that he was hopeful that the visit could mark the beginning of and lay the foundation for the re-establishment of Rotary clubs in China eventually. President Frank also said that he would be seeking approval from the Board of Directors for provisional club status for the Beijing Fellowship Group which has been meeting regularly for five to six years. The District China Committee chaired by Past Governor Moses Cheng had since met to discuss the various implications to the District and I would be communicating these views to President Frank direct. Among other things, I would assure the President that he can expect unqualified support from the District and the membership for any decision on this subject as long as our views are duly considered in the process.
Before I sign off, I would mention my third visit to Mongolia within six months. I went there on a rather cold weekend in November to play host to RI President-elect Richard King and Cherie, Secretary General Edwin Futa and visiting Rotarian Christopher Bramsen who is also the Danish Ambassador to China, Mongolia and Northern Korea. I thank District Secretary Edmond Chan (Channel Islands) and Deputy District Information Co-ordinator Herbert Lau (Tolo Harbour) for accompanying me during the trip. We were there for just under 24 hours, but we discussed a wide range of issues and visited a few places including a project made possible by contributions from clubs in the District and the District Designated Fund, and matched by the Rotary Foundation. It was a meaningful way to celebrate the Rotary Foundation Month.
Talk to you soon.
Your Governor John Wan

My Dear Action Presidents, Club Secretaries and Rotary Leaders,

In the three months ending 30 September 2000, we have taken on 99 new members, including the intake of 35 members from the Rotary Club of Ulaanbaatar and those inducted at District Installation, but we have also lost 85. The membership count on that date is 1,706 and a rather far cry to the membership target of 2,001 we set for ourselves to achieve by mid May 2001.
I would like to thank the clubs and the members in particular that have brought in new members so far. Past Governor Moses Cheng has been visiting clubs talking about the District Membership Challenge – the by now well known Challenge 2001 – and we have designed rather attractive recognition pins for the proposers and new members. They should be ready for distribution soon.
The fact remains that we need to work much hard at membership recruitment, retention and retrieval. While the figures indicate that the District achieved a net increase of 14 members in the first quarter, the shrew readers would notice that we would actually have lost 21 members if we had not had the addition of 35 members from Mongolia. To add to the gravity of the situation, I have unconfirmed reports that we might not have 35 members from Mongolia, certainly not now. This means we are losing members as a District. The situation is serious. We need to address the problem urgently and the clock is ticking.
Consistent and continuing membership growth is one of the four criteria for an effective club. It follows that a district that cannot report membership increases for a few years can hardly be regarded as an effective district. I am calling for an urgent meeting with Membership Task Force Chairman Moses Cheng and the District leadership to address the problem and I am looking for effective solutions. Please tell us what the problems are and what you think we can do to increase our membership.
As we move out of October, I hope you have commemorated Rotary’s Vocational Service Month in a meaningful way. At district level, Past Governor Arthur Au organized a District Vocational Service Seminar during a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Peninsula. Over 100 Rotarians attended. In Macau, President Cinderella Ngao of the Rotary Club of Guia partnered with a number of government and non-governmental organizations and launched a series of activities in a New Millennium Seminar and Exhibition at the Macau Tourist Activities Centre, featuring life long education, environmental protection, time management and free training on the use of the Internet. I am particularly happy that the events received a good run from the local media, both the printed and the electronic. President Cinderella has certainly created awareness of Rotary’s concern for Vocational Service and has taken action by partnering with other organizations and in the process enhanced Rotary’s public relations and image. These are certainly in line with what President Frank J Devlyn has been urging clubs and Rotarians to do. If you are still thinking about what to do, I suggest you answer to President Frank’s call to provide job opportunities for the disadvantaged and the disabled. It is not necessary to start or complete your projects in the month of October. As I have said before and I am saying again, there is no beginning or end for anyone who wants to do a good turn to others. Anytime is as good. The important thing is to take action and do it.
Now is the time to plan for activities in November to mark The Rotary Foundation Month if you have yet to do so. I urge you to create awareness in your club of the Foundation and the need to contribute to it. I urge you to encourage club members to get accustomed to contributing to the Foundation on a continuing and regular basis. Once again, I am not asking every Rotarian to contribute US$1,000 each year, although that would be very much welcome. I am thinking of a tenth of the amount, but making it a habit. Yes, doing good can be habit forming. I can think of no better and more worthwhile or noble habit than doing good I general and contributing to The Rotary Foundation in particular. If you need help or ideas for giving, please feel free to call any committee member on my District Rotary Foundation Committee or you can call me. We are here to help.
Still on The Rotary Foundation, I would like to share with you – if you have not already heard – the good news announced by the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation recently. Past Governor Y K Cheng and Managing Editor of this very District Bulletin is among the 171 Rotarians awarded the Citation for Meritorious Service for 1999-2000 in recognition of his significant service to the Foundation. As we congratulate Y K for his achievement and the thoroughly merited award, let us pause for a while to think of the service rendered to the needy by these worthy Rotarians through the Foundation. Don’t be left out. Support the Foundation.
I cannot leave without asking you one more time to support the Rotary Zone Institute to be held in Hong Kong from 10 to 12 November. Many Rotarians in the District are working very hard to host the event and to ensure that our visitors would receive the welcome they deserve. I urge you to be part of it, to play host and to make a difference. Talk to you soon.
Your Governor John Wan

“Anybody recognize this club?”

This was the question posed by an experienced but exacerbated Rotarian when he was confused by the decisions of the club leadership over club administration and other matters. He went on to explain, “In my days, I would get at least five calls in the afternoon if I failed to turn up at my club meeting without first telling the president or another member. Now, nobody seems to care whether I turn up at all and nobody from the club called me in the last three weeks I was unable to attend club meetings. It seems that the worst has yet to come judging from the letter the board has just served this dedicated past president. The board has threatened to remove him from the club register if he cannot offer a satisfactory explanation for his failure to turn up at the past four meetings.”

Déjà vu indeed. It is not inconceivable from a distance that neither the board nor the experienced Rotarian was entirely right or wrong. Paul Harris had said, “There are no great fundamental differences between men and between nations. None are entirely good, none entirely bad. The great mischief-maker is misunderstanding.” Paul Harris had also called for tolerance between members, describing the quality as the single most important for Rotary and between Rotarians.

I urge you to revisit the June message from President Frank. He recalled the five presidential conferences he had presided in Mexico City, Miami, Cape Town, Manila and Vienna that had focused on a range of issues, from urban concerns to membership. He had seen first-hand how hard these proactive Rotarians had worked to accomplish the many goals they set for themselves. He then urged all Rotarians to join him in supporting his successor Rick King to accomplish the four challenges for the next year, namely, to grow our membership, enhance Rotary’s pubic image, ensure that all Rotarians are excited about Rotary by being better informed, and ensure that every club is ready, willing and able to embrace service projects Rotary need to complete.

Even in the eleventh hour of his term, President Frank has asked his district governors and club presidents to redouble efforts in membership growth and membership development.

Closer to home, it certainly has been an eventful year. There was not one day in the past 18 months and probably longer, not one day on which Rotary in general and this District in particular was not on my mind. At first, I thought that Rotary had kept me awake or asleep, Rotary had kept me going, or that Rotary had fueled my imagination. Later I realized and now I am fully convinced that it is you, all of you, who had been responsible. Indeed, Rotary would be meaningless without the people in it. You are Rotary in District 3450. Collectively, you have made Rotary meaningful and I am happy to be part of you.

At the District Installation last June, I said that I was accepting the office of District Governor with humility. As time goes by, the feeling becomes all the more intense, and a year later, I am thoroughly and completely humbled by the experience and the privileges of having had the experience. I have seen dedicated men and women at work. Most of them have worked quietly on projects that would benefit humanity in general and the underprivileged in particular. I have seen presidents standing staunchly by their principle and spending hours, days and months taking their clubs through thick and thin. Indeed, there are many unsung heroes among you and your members.

Some of you have achieved more than others, but that is not an issue. We are volunteers. We have volunteered to serve our fellow human beings, for better or for worse. As long as we have tried our best, the results do not matter. Just as the race is not always to the fast and the battle to the strong, the arguments are not always to the right and the righteous. But don’t lose heart. Don’t ever lose heart. You are not here for the laurels and recognition. You are here for the extra opportunities to serve. Your mission surely must be to motivate more service minded individuals to join our organization, people who believe in what we believe, even in the face of temporary setbacks.

To my Action Presidents, don’t ever even begin to think that your work has finished. No, I have made this point before and let me say for the record that Rotarians never retire. You are now to assist your successors, the presidents-elect to become even more effective presidents. Indeed, you would not be regarded as having done your full and complete duty as Action Presidents if he or she fails to deliver a better year ahead. We need progress in the organization. Your role is to ensure that the Rotary wheel will continue to roll forward.
To Governor-elect Johnson, I pledge my full support under the leadership we can certainly all expect from him. I expect Johnson to build on the success of the past and take the District to greater heights, and I would support him in all his endeavours towards this end. I am convinced that we would have a better tomorrow for the District. I have enjoyed and benefited from the support he has given me during the year, and he can expect and indeed demand the same from you and me. This is what continuity is all about.
To the Presidents-elect, I congratulate you for embarking on this next stage of your journey in Rotary. The prospects are good. Our leader for 2001-02, Johnson Chu, is a good guy and deserves every bit of your support. Give him your best. More importantly, you should feel assured that support from your predecessors is considered given.

Let me conclude by thanking all of you. There is no way Rosita and I could have survived the year without the love and support that you have showered upon us so generously and selflessly. As long as this spirit of understanding prevails and as long as there is a willingness to tolerate each other’s difference, everyone will recognize that we are Rotarians. Thank you.

My Dear Action Presidents and Rotary Leaders,

The cover story this month talks about the Rotary Zone Institute to be held in Hong Kong in November – the 2000 Rotary Institute Hong Kong. Traditionally, Rotary institutes are meetings designed for the attendance and participation of past, present and incoming officers of RI resident within the area the institute is to serve. The RI Board attaches great importance to Rotary institutes. They are useful medium of communication for developing and strengthening support, cooperation and understanding between participants. There is an entire section devoted to institutes in the 1998 Manual of Procedure, which again is indicative of its importance in Rotary. Among other things, Rotary institutes provide a forum for learning, discussion and inspiration.
I hope many of you would attend. The last time Hong Kong held an institute was in 1995, and the one before that, a very long time ago. It would probably be a good few years before we would host another zone institute. I hope many presidents, presidents-elect, past governors and present and incoming district officials would attend. I have enclosed with each hard copy of this letter a promotional leaflet with invitation letters from Director Gary Huang, Institute Convenor, and our Past Governor Arthur Au, Institute Chairman. There is also a registration form enclosed. Please make more copies and encourage your members to use them, beginning with yourself.
Before I leave this subject, let me give you one very important reason why more Rotarians in the District should attend, and why you should attend in particular. The reason is that it will better prepare us for the eventual International Convention that we have been lobbying so hard to host in Hong Kong. If indeed we succeed, we would need many Rotarians with the experience that an institute can offer.
From Zone Institute, I move to a recent RI Board decision to restructure service centres. Specifically, the Board decided to close from mid September the Southeast Asia Service Centre in Manila, Philippines. Our District is now serviced on RI and Foundation matters by RI World Headquarters staff at Evanston. Ann Koh and Dora Kordek are now respectively Manager and Coordinator of Club and District Administration for Asia/Pacific. Separate banking information for RI payments and Rotary Foundation contributions have also been made available and sent to all club presidents by the RI Secretariat direct. Please get in touch with your Assistant Governor or District Secretariat if you have other questions.
Still on Rotary news, you would have known by now that RI announced on 11 September 2000 the nomination of Bhichai Rattakul as President-nominee, RI for 2002-03. Bhichai Rattakul is a member of Rotary Club of Dhonburi, Bangkok, Thailand. He was RI Director from 1990 to 1992 and a Trustee of The Rotary Foundation from 1985 to 1986. He served as a member of Parliament of Thailand for nine terms. He was leader of the Democratic Party, foreign minister in 1975-76, deputy Prime Minister for 10 years, and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Bhichai Rattakul is a good friend of Hong Kong and a personal friend of many past governors in the District. He has a distinguished Rotary career since he joined as a charter member of his club in 1958 and is now a member of the 2000-01 Diplomatic Relations Task Force. You can get more details on this distinguished Rotarian from the RI web site.
Back to District matters, the District Rotaract Committee held the Rotaract District Conference on 24 September at Suen Douh Camp in Fanling. It is noteworthy that Committee Chairman Peter Lam (Tai Po) and his Committee had picked September, the New Generations Month, for the event. I went for the opening ceremony, as did Past Governor Joseph Lee and a number of Rotaract advisors. The advisors then met to discuss topical issues in the District, in particular those related to young people, while the Rotaractors had their training session. The advisors reached broad agreement that they should meet more regularly and frequently between themselves and with the District Rotaract Committee and the Rotaract club presidents. I am glad that Joseph Lee and Peter Lam have created awareness of the youth issues and will be taking action to address them.
Also on 24 September, the District held its first ever Swimming Gala in Ma On Shan. It was very well attended. There were well over 400, half of whom spouse and children. It was a day for the family. Full marks to District Sports Committee Chairman Tony C N Kan (Shatin) and the hardworking members of Rotary clubs of Kowloon Northeast and Taipo for putting together such a fine programme, and congratulations to the Rotary Club of Kwai Chung and the Rotary Club of Tai Po for having done so well in the men’s and women’s events respectively.
September also saw a very successful District Rotary Foundation Seminar organized by Committee Chairman Grace Young (Mid Level). There were record registration and attendance. Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator Jackson Hsieh came from Taipei to give the principal input and RI Director Gary Huang also spoke at the Seminar. Both spoke well of the Seminar and the efforts of the organizers and participants. However, we must not rest on our laurels, for there is still a lot of work to be done. Now is the time to prepare for talks and in-house seminars at club level in November, our Rotary Foundation Month, based on the input and experience gained at the District seminar, so that more members can benefit and learn more about how the Rotary Foundation work and specifically how the many humanitarian, educational and cultural programmes operate. The members of the District Rotary Foundation Committee and Sub-Committees are all ready, willing and able to assist. All you need to do is ask.

Your Governor John Wan

Continuity
United We Stand
(April 2000 Issue)

At the March Joint Presidents’ Meeting, Governor Dipo Sani and I presented a proposal to hold a District Installation at the end of this Rotary year, specifically on Thursday 29 June 2000. It will be in the format of an Intercity meeting during which Governor Dipo will pass on his baton to me, as will all club presidents to their successors.

A District Installation is not a new idea, even in this District. A number of Past Governors had organized such meetings to mark the change of leadership in the District, and participation by clubs and members had been voluntary. What is new this time are the whys and wherefores, and perhaps the format.

First, a little background. Every year around June and July, Rotary clubs in the District would organize special handover meetings. Many of these meetings were actually very pleasant occasions and fun. The problem is, nobody outside the clubs involved knew about these events, hence such events were not conducive to promoting Rotary’s image in the District. Moreover, very often, the outgoing and incoming governors had problems deciding which ones to go when they were held concurrently. Against this background, Governor Dipo and I tried the idea of a District Installation Meeting on many clubs during the Governor’s Official Visits to clubs early this Rotary year. The feedback was very positive. Indeed, all the clubs we talked to, without exception, agreed that it would be a move in the right direction.

Entered RI President-elect Frank Devlyn. When he presented the theme for 2000-2001 at Anaheim, when he urged Rotarians to create awareness and take action, he also called for greater involvement with our community in general and for us to be more proactive with our public relations initiatives in particular. In short, he has urged us to develop Rotary’s image more effectively. Frank Devlyn’s call has added new impetus to our plan to change the traditional way of organizing change-over meetings at club level. His call has spurred us into action. Our response is a District Installation that will be a highly visible and high-profile public event where all club presidents will be installed into office in a solemn, dignified, and memorable ceremony befitting an organization of leading business and professional people, of which we all are.

So far, so good. Indeed the arguments for this big and mega event were so overwhelming and convincing to ourselves that we never thought that it required selling. Indeed we had never imagined any Rotarians would say no, particularly after the sounding out exercise we conducted earlier with the leadership in many clubs. Perhaps we should have known better that one doesn’t always win when one is right; or perhaps we, and I in particular, could have had more lessons in public relations.

The result was not exactly a landslide in our favour as we had expected. A few presidents were not sanguine that their membership would agree to the proposal, citing costs and possible erosion of the club’s autonomy as reasons, while a president challenged it as undemocratic in that it had no regard for the clubs and members who did not want to attend. The debate was lively and some said afterwards that the proposal was controversial.

I would rather not rehash the arguments for or against the proposal, and would certainly not pass judgement on who are right or wrong. The bottom line is that we are holding this big event to mark a policy change on the way we have been handling public relations. Under the new covenant, we are to engage in effective public relations and on a proactive basis. We are all new to the game; and with hindsight, I could have presented the message better. If you think I have done a bad job, I apologize, but it would be wrong and unwise to discard the message if you don’t like the messenger.

It would be unrealistic to expect every Rotarian to turn up for the District Installation, but it would be a sad day for Rotary in general and for RI District 3450 in particular if not all the 48 clubs in the District were represented at the meeting. Attendance at the District Installation is a sign of solidarity within the District, for united we stand. Good attendance would be a show of force to the community which we have all professed to serve. It would enable Rotarians to stand up proudly and be recognized as people who care, people who believe in and hold high moral and ethical standards in their private and public lives, and people who are prepared to work selflessly for international peace and understanding in a seemingly faceless and materialistic world.

In the lead up to the big day, we would organize suitable publicity and arrange press briefings, including the preparation of a Press Kit, the issue of special newspaper supplements and holding a Press Conference on the day. Already, we have worked out the part of the ceremony involving 48 club presidents handing over the presidency to their successors. This will be the highlight of the evening, the whys and wherefores of the District Installation, and a hallmark of continuity in leadership.

Continuity Column
August 2000

Whys and Wherefores

Governor Dipo asked me to start a column in his newsletter. I have no problem with that. Indeed, I think this is good news for our District. It shows that Governor Dipo is intent to answer President Carlo’s call for continuity in Rotary, in form and in substance. Over the past few months, Dipo, Anthony Hung and myself had been attending Rotary functions and going places together. In fact, we three decided in March to meet at least once every month to discuss matters of a strategic nature, including medium and long range planning and projects straddling more than one or two years. At the July meeting, we also resolved to keep notes of these meetings to enable future district leaders to follow what we have been doing or not done. In short, we are getting very serious about continuity which we see as vital for the healthy and continuing development of Rotary in our District.

So far, the initiatives that can be attributed to we three working together include the District Electronic Communications Committee which seeks to bring the district up to speed in the use of information technology as far as possible; the District Projects Task Force which will identify, plan, implement and evaluate District projects of a continuing nature or with recurrent consequences; and the appointment of Past Governor Anthony Hung as District Youth Services Co-ordinator, in recognition of the importance we attach to youth services in general and youth development in particular.

In my presentation on leadership at the last District Assembly, I stressed that leaders must lead and follow, as the situation requires. Indeed, the nature of our institution is such that we would all take turn to lead and follow, for the common good and in furtherance of the Object of Rotary. That is why it is essential that the district leadership should endeavour to focus on more important and district-wide issues. Only then would we be able to allocate and apply our limited resources to deserving projects and the really needy. Governor Dipo has said that successive governors ought not be competing to out-perform one another. I totally agree. He also said that life is too short for unproductive and meaningless activities, which I also agree. I would add that when our Rotary leaders work together towards clear and well understood objectives, they would the better be able to create the very much needed synergy to take our District collectively to greater heights. I think this is what continuity is all about.

Continuity
Taking Stock and Looking Ahead
(December 1999 Issue)

This is the last month of the year, of the decade, of the century, and many would not dispute, of the millennium. Many people would be busier than ever preparing for the Y2K, and planning and organizing millennium parties, extravaganzas and what not. When the hurly-burly’s done and when the witches meet upon the heath, one hopes that all the heartaches and headaches would be worth the while and that the human race would emerge the wiser and not simply older.

It is perhaps not a coincidence that Rotary has not designated the month of December for any specific purpose. There are so many things to be done this month, even in an ordinary year and apart from the obligatory Christmas parties and New Year celebrations. This is the time Christians would prepare themselves for the coming of Christ celebrations, accountants would prepare books for their principals, and for businessmen to take stock generally of their businesses and develop and fine-tune strategies for the future. For Rotary, this is the time of the year when all clubs would confirm or elect their leadership for the Rotary year to begin in another six months and to elect or at least identify a club president for the year 18 months away. These are the rules, well tried and tested for nearly a century as sound and good, and which have helped provide the very much cherished continuity in our organization.

The importance of planning to the success of an organization can never be over emphasized. Management guru Peter Drucker hails planning as one of the most if not the most critical management functions. The many rules and regulations evolved over the years for Rotary are there to enable Rotarians and clubs to be more effective in achieving the Objects of Rotary. They are our planning tools. Now, tools are only as effective as the users using them. They can do wonders in the hands of master craftsmen, but would degenerate into blunt instruments when left to ignorant and inexperienced apprentices. This is why we need to look at our rules and review them continuingly.

At Rotary International, an RI Programs and Emphases Review Committee has been established to review RI’s current policies and procedures for the development, implementation and evaluation of RI programs, emphases and presidential initiatives, and to suggest ways in which RI’s program activities can be more effective in supporing the work of Rotary clubs. It is chaired by Past President Cliff Dochterman and Past Governor Jason Yeung is a member. The Committee started work in July, and already has recommended, among other things, to discontinue the traditional terms of “programs,” “emphases,” “activities” and “initiatives” and replace them by “Structured Programs” which are organized activities with a framework and guidelines recommended by the RI Board, and “Menu of Service Opportunities” which are issues and concerns identified as recommended service priorities for a specified period. The Committee has also recommended that Rotary clubs should be encouraged to invite qualified Rotaractors into membership of their clubs or to consider sponsoring a new Rotary club for them.

Similarly, at club level, there is nothing to stop Rotary clubs to review their club plans and objectives, or club programs and emphases to ensure that they are atuned to present day needs and that they are relevant to the needs and aspirations of the membership, and more importantly, that their programs meet community concerns.

I can no better underline the importance of taking stock and looking ahead than to summarize what a past president wrote in an article for Rotary on the Internet which I reproduced in full in Issue 6 of my letters. Writing on what he would do if he were president again, this past president said he would re-orientate his membership to emphasize the basics of Rotary; improve the weekly program; develop effective program to reduce the cost of being a Rotarian; promote projects that would involve more membership and cost less; emphasize the president’s role as a club member; review membership policies with emphases on young qualified candidates; and plan earlier. Yes, plan earlier. This is perhaps his single most important message. The past president ended by reminding incumbent presidents how lucky they were, for they still had time to ensure that their plans would materialize. He then went on to say that incoming presidents were luckier for they could begin right now in preparing themselves for the term ahead.

Perhaps the best time to start planning is now, before it is too late. Let me stress that the task does not rest on the president or board members alone. Each member should contribute towards the planning and review process. I would further stress that this is not just a process to rid the system of the ancient, which is not what continuity is about. Rather, one should be looking to retain programs that are good and to bring in new ways and means that can rejuvenate the membership and hence the club, which is what continuity is all about.

Continuity
Happy Birthday
(February 2000 Issue)

Those of you who attended the Midnight Mass last Christmas eve in open air at freezing temperature during the Youth Jamboree at Wan Tsai peninsula might recall what the priest said. It was a short sermon, but very much to the point and befitted the occasion. The priest spoke of a person who was not religious at all, but who loved the festive spirit of Christmas so much that he would have Christmas food complete with turkey and Christmas pudding every time he ate out or played host. He decorated his home with holly and ivy and his Christmas tree was always well lit up. Very interestingly, he would wish his friends Happy Christmas year round and gave them Christmas presents. He was asked why he did all that and what the charade was all about. His response was serious and could even be regarded as logical. He said that he believed Christmas was the happiest season in the year. He wanted to be happy every day and to communicate his happiness to others.

Well, even the not very religious would know that Christmas is one of the more if not the most important feasts observed by Christians worldwide and that it was meant to remind them of the birth of Christ and more importantly the love of God for Man. Christians believe that God loves Man so much that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to our world so that Man could be saved from eternal damnation. The feast has since become commercialized, but on the other hand it is widely observed everywhere, even in non-religious countries, which in turn would help Christians in their mission to spread the gospel. It is for the Church to ponder on the implications, but there could be a lesson to learn from the analogy by service organizations such as Rotary.

All clubs – at least the club presidents – would remember the charter day of their respective clubs and would organize functions to mark the occasions. Many Rotarians in the District love attending these anniversary balls or celebration dinners. There is nothing wrong with that. Indeed, Rotary is as much about fellowship as about service; and nothing except good would come out of these celebratory events which are normally hallmarks of fun and fellowship. The question we should ask of ourselves is perhaps this. Are these dinners and balls helping clubs to bring more Rotary to the membership, and is there a danger that the membership might lose sight of what Rotary is all about in the quest for fun and fellowship?

Let me come closer to the subject of this article. All of you would know that February is Rotary’s World Understanding Month and 23 February, World Understanding and Peace Day. In essence, 23 February is Rotary’s birthday. How many clubs in the District have organized a celebratory event on this day in the past five years? How many have planned one for this year. Not very many, I believe. But why?

You would all be familiar with Cliff Dochtermann’s celebrated publication “The ABCs of Rotary.” He has seen it fit, and I entirely agree with him, to place “Definition of Rotary” upfront – Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world. I urge you to remember these 31 words by heart, but more importantly, to live up to these words.

It may be too late to organize something for 23 February 2000 or during that week, but it is still worth trying. However, don’t worry too much if you miss this one. Give your club one year to plan an activity for 23 February 2001. Meanwhile, I have one simple suggestion that everyone can achieve if he or she so desires. On 23 February 2000, try greet each other with “It is Rotary’s Birthday” or a similar message. Better still, tell a friend who is not a Rotarian that it is Rotary’s Birthday and recite him or her the 31 words. That would certainly help promote Rotary therby maintaining continuity.

Continuity
What would my successor think?
(January 2000 Issue)

Even if you were only marginally interested in how our District is being managed, you would have heard by now that the Nominating Committee for the District Governor-nominee met on 16 December 1999 and selected Past President Johnson Chu of the Rotary Club of Peninsula as the nominee for Governor in 2001-02. In accordance with procedures outlined in the Manual of Procedure, if no valid challenges were received by early January, Johnson Chu would be presented at the RI Convention in June 2000 for election as our District Governor for 2001-02. At the time of writing, the position was not clear, but it should be at publishing time. My guess is we should all be congratulating Johnson at this time.

The selection and election are necessary processes for every district; and it does not take a genius to figure out that they provide handy material and opportunities for exchanges of views, gossip, criticisms and backstabbing. Some would argue that it shouldn’t because we are all volunteers and because Rotary is not a political organization etcetera, while others would say that we live in an imperfect world such that we can expect a bit of everything and learn to accept such imperfections as constructive enmity.

There is no right or wrong answer. Suffice it to say that our District have been through this before and have thoroughly discussed and agonized over the issues involved, culminating in a new procedure for assembling the Nominating Committee being adopted by the District and put into practice for the first time this year. The new procedure provides for a number of past presidents to be elected by clubs to represent them on the Nominating Committee and which number is to be matched by the most recent past district governors available for attending the meeting. It also provides for the more distant past district governors to attend the meeting as non-voting members.

One obvious advantage of the new procedure is that it removes the oft-repeated criticism that past district governors monopolize the selection and may not be best placed to select the best candidate. Another perceived advantage is that it would reduce causes for challenges. Time will tell whether the new procedure will serve us well. In particular, time will tell whether it can achieve the key objective of the nominating process, viz., to find someone as District Governor whom the membership is prepared to follow and have him or her represent them and reflect their interests at the local and international level.

Lest I may be misunderstood, let me hasten to say that I am not averse to the new nominating procedure, or the procedure the District has been following until recently, or for that matter, any procedure as long as it is in line with the spirit and principle outlined in the RI Manual of Procedure. Any system can produce leaders approved by some but shunned by others. More importantly, a system is only as good as the users operating it. In the present world of Rotary where continuity is more important than ever, my bottom line is this. If we are all leaders in the community, as we profess we are, we should not find it difficult to follow any leader for one year until and unless he or she has demonstratively deviated from the Object of Rotary or violated the laws of the land or become unfit or unsuitable for the office of governor. On the contrary, it should not be beneath anyone to continue to support an apparently less robust leader in order that our great institution can continue to flourish and benefit the world through the services we can offer.

This brings me to a question asked of President Carlo Ravizza at the 1999 Taipei Rotary Institute held in December. Noting that the importance of continuity is enshrined in the current RI theme, a member asked whether the President knew what his successor was thinking and what would happen if Frank Devlyn or his successors introduced RI themes that might not be conducive to the maintenance of continuity. In response, the President said in essence that the spirit of continuity has already been so entrenched in RI that the annual RI theme would in future highlight policy emphases on programs rather than ushering in changes to policy objectives. What is of vital importance is to bring in quality members in quantity in order to maintain continuity.

I suggest that we can apply the same spirit at the district level in the interest of continuity. This would enable us collectively to build up a system to administer the District that would enable clubs to operate service programs more efficiently and cost effectively. It would help us establish and reinforce the esprit de corps among us and make us proud of the organization to which we belong. We would then be more aware of community needs and be better placed to serve those who need our service. We would then be better able to contribute towards world peace and international understanding and help create a better community to which the people would want to belong. On this note, I wish you all a happy start to a millennium and may the spirit of continuity stay with you always, regardless of who is or will be taking charge.

Continuity
And the world would be better for this
(June 2000 Issue)

I would like to begin with what I said at the start of my main speech last District Assembly. I said, “The Object of Rotary has not changed in the last 95 years. Great things never changed: the northern star, the centre of gravity, motherhood, love of God, friendship and so on. It is the conviction that Mother Nature would not change that has encouraged ages of men and women to continue their search for knowledge, the secrets of Nature, the principles of intellectual truth, and above all, the knowledge of oneself. Similarly, it is the unchanging desire to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a worthy enterprise that has spurred generations of Rotarians in search of the best methods and processes through which they can put more Rotary into Rotarians, thereby enabling Rotary to be more relevant and useful to Mankind.”

My friends, this is how I interpret Rotary, and this is what I expect of every club and Rotarian in the District, in Hong Kong, Macau or Mongolia: to put more Rotary into Rotarians, to be relevant, and to make the world a better place in which to live, for ourselves, but more importantly, for those who need our service.

Doing good has never been easy; and the road to godliness has never been straightforward. Take cleanliness, for example, which Dickens said is next to godliness, the welfare, livelihood and health of countless poor children could be enhanced by quanta and their misery appreciably alleviated, if only each child is given access to clean water and a small bar of soap. Many Rotary clubs in Asia have been working on clean water projects and have made good progress, but there is still so much, so much more to be done.

I told you before and some of you would recall the video in which Frank Devlyn warned us that our journey with him next year would surprise us, delight us, challenge us, and even exhaust us, but above all, change us. This will be the challenge ahead, and may I add, not only for the next 12 months, but also for the rest of the lives of those who have Rotary in them. This is the Continuity I have been talking about for the last year.

Frank Devlyn has urged us to be proactive. Yes, we must be proactive. We must be proactive with membership development and extension; we must be proactive in improving Rotary’s public image, our image in the community; and we must be proactive in the use of latest information technology and the Internet.

My response is summarized in the District Goals I presented at the District Assembly. Once again, these goals are not ends in themselves. Rather, they are means to achieve Rotary’s objectives, which are to develop effective clubs and to promote Rotary. Accordingly, we are planning to increase our membership number to 2001 by mid 2001, but without forsaking the high and consistent standards and quality in the membership. We are planning to provide more Rotary training so as to prepare our members to take up leadership roles beyond the club level. We are planning to encourage every member to contribute towards the Rotary Foundation. Above all, we are planning to be relevant in our community, by taking their problems head on and taking action together with them and our partners in service.

I quoted Dr. Martin Luther King at the District Assembly. Let me quote again, “The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand at times of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy.” Our incoming Action Presidents and Team Members will not be unaware of the challenge that lies ahead. Frank Devlyn has challenged us to create awareness and take action. He has warned us that it won’t be easy. He likens it to the mission of Don Quixote seeking his impossible dream, except that Don Quixote was a man without vision. Don Quixote was not a Rotarian. Our Action Team members will be Don Quixotes with a mission to create awareness and to take action in our club, in our community and in our world, and the world would be better for this.

Continuity
Courage to Change
(March 2000 Issue)

In between parties and celebrations, and in between introspection, reflection and discussion on what is in store for the year 2000 and beyond, I hope you have reserved some space for Rotary and I hope you have reflected on the future of this reputedly largest service organization with which you are associated. In the light of my experience at RI’s 2000 International Assembly, let me share with you Frank Devlyn’s mission for us in the 21st Century.

RI President-elect Frank Devlyn told the governors-elect assembled at Anaheim Hilton that they were about to embark together with him on the most exciting journey of their Rotary lives, a journey that would surprise them, delight them, challenge them, and exhaust them, but most important of all, change them. Yes, he warned his team members that the experience would change them, for the better. He said that “in every district of the Rotary world, hundreds of people are waiting for someone to give them hope,” and went on to suggest that the governors-elect would be the persons who can bring these people hope.

Tall orders indeed, but I would like to believe that most of us have joined Rotary so that we can collectively change the world through promoting international understanding, goodwill and peace. “If a program or policy is not working, change it,” Frank Devlyn urged his audience; and assured them that “there is nothing to be lost from trying new ideas or new methods of doing things.” He specifically asked them not to be afraid of change. He then unveiled the theme for our Rotary year for 2000-2001, the very first theme of this century –

CREATE AWARENESS AND TAKE ACTION

Frank Devlyn said that this simple, yet powerful theme will be our mission and will guide our efforts in all that we do. “And there is so much to do.”

Let us now pause for a little while before Frank Devlyn catches up with us. Let us reflect on the implications this theme would have on President Carlo Ravizza’s call for acting with consistency, credibility and continuity, in particular, continuity. You would recall that at the 1999 Taipei Rotary Institute, the President was questioned on whether he was worried that his successors would introduce themes that might affect continuity. His reply then was more or less that it won’t happen, adding that the vitally important thing to do was to bring in quality members in quantity to maintain the necessary continuity. The question is, whether Frank Devlyn’s mission for Rotarians in the 21st Century – to create awareness and take action – would adversely affect continuity in our Rotary world. My answer is no, an emphatical no. Let me explain.

The annual themes introduced by successive RI Presidents over the years reflect the emphases of the respective Rotary leaders. More specifically, these themes reflect how they interpret Rotary. They are the means to achieve the Object of Rotary, as opposed to the object itself. It follows that these themes by themselves do not and would not diminish or detract the will of the Rotarians worldwide to better service the people who need them. When he introduced the current year’s theme, President Carlo Ravizza did say, however, that he would not introduce new programs. Not only that, he urged clubs and districts to carry on the good work and projects of their predecessors and encouraged them to embark on multi-year projects.

There are actually sufficient similarities in our two Rotary leaders as far as the will to maintain continuity is concerned. To start with, Carlo Ravizza has described Frank Devlyn’s theme for 2000-2001 as “a wonderful example of continuity at the top leadership, because it builds logically on this year’s theme,” snd because “creating awareness starts with being consistent and credible.” On specifics, both Rotary leaders have said that there would be no new programs. They are both saying that the menu of service opportunities has already included ample Rotary programs and there is no need to introduce new ones. Both have placed strong emphases on membership development and membership retention, and in particular, bringing in quality members, or members who would make good Rotarians.

Very importantly, both have urged Rotarians not to be afraid of changes: Carlo Ravizza have been talking about adding two C’s to the three C’s in his theme, the Courage to Change; while Frank Devlyn has called upon his team to change a program or a policy that is not working. The courage to change as opposed to changing for changing sake is indeed the hallmark of leadership in this day and age. Rotary has been effective in solving yesterday’s problems. We now need solutions to solve the problems of today and the future. Sticking to past practices because they had worked in the past does not help. We need the courage to change, so as to insure our continuing relevance. We need to create awareness and take action with consistency, credibility and continuity. No more and no less.

Continuity
Is there a beginning or an end?
(May 2000 Issue)

In the past months, many friends and well-wishers have asked me whether I would beome increasingly busier as July 2000 came closer. My reply invariably was that I should be, adding that Rotarians are always busy.

Yes, Rotarians are always busy. Many business and professional leaders in Rotary have for many years worked tirelessly with endless dedication to help their fellowmen. They are always busy with other people’s problems: they lose sleep because they know out there many people are waiting for their help; many children are roaming the streets, underfed, underclothed and often abused and overworked; many families are starving because the breadwinners were incapacitated in avoidable accidents and sicknesses; and many more families were displaced through conflicts between leaders of their countries. Every time I read about their deeds, I feel proud of being a part of this wonderful organization called Rotary, started by one dreamer Paul Harris who wrote that “Perhaps dreaming is not so bad if one dreams good dreams and makes them come true.”

The untimely passage of our dear friend Paulo V. C. Costa last month must have shocked many Rotarians, but life is for the living. Paulo would not lie content if Rotarians did not continue with the good work which he had started with other worthy Rotarians. Among other things, this RI Past President left us a book of Rotary philosophy and inspiration, called Rotary Wisdom – Reflections on Service. He commissioned this work of love in 1990 when he was Incoming President. It was a collection of some 200 essays of Rotary leaders from 41 countries all of whom were asked to write in no more than 300 words on the only one question of why I am a Rotarian. Only 1,000 copies were produced. Eight years later, when James Lacy was President, 65 more essays were added to the collection which was published as Volume 2 in unlimited copies, at least more than 1,000 anyway. I urge every serious Rotarian to order at least two copies, one for himself and one for his best friend.

In the Introduction, Paulo Costa observed that none of the Rotary leaders had mentioned the quest for fame, for riches or for power as reasons for being a Rotarian. “Rather, these writers speak from the heart. They speak of their commitment to serving mankind. They speak of love, understanding, friendship and peace. These are simple messages, singular and sincere, that passionately express the great wonders that Rotary has to offer.”

It is thus that Rotary and its ideal of service has survived all these years. The mode in which we deliver our service to our fellowmen may have changed, but the Object of Rotary has not. To the committed and dedicated Rotarian, this worthy enterprise is a way of life. They have seen, heard or experienced good deeds being done to their fellowmen, witnessed how the lives of so many have changed because people care, and participated in humanitarian or educational programs which have opened up enormous opportunities for so many. It is this way of life that has attracted the right people to Rotary and inspired them to stay and help to inspire others, through action.

To the committed and dedicated Rotarian, therefore, life is a continuing quest to follow the heart, as opposed to a quest for fame and fortune. Our leader of leaders has challenged all Rotarians to create awareness in our clubs, in our world and in our community, but more importantly, he has urged all of us to take action once awareness is created or enhanced. There is no need to wait for the turn of another Rotary year or calendar year. Any time is a good time for service. Let us keep each other busy and keep ourselves busy all the time. It follows that there is no beginning and no end in the enterprise of service; and this is what continuity is all about.

Continuity
Are past presidents past?
(November 1999 Issue)

A past president was present at the private meeting with Governor Dipo Sani preceding his official visit to the club. He asked Governor Dipo and his delegation why many club presidents had become apparently dormant and inactive after their presidency. Some said they needed a very much deserved break; some lingered on for a while before they finally disappeared from the radar screen and into the oblivion; while some simply went into immediate hibernation. Still others left the club and Rotary and became members of the largest unorganized organization in the world ever, namely the organization of ex-Rotarians!

It may sound funny, except that it isn’t. It is not funny at all. This is serious business and the future of our movement could depend on whether we can bring back past presidents to our system and restore the very much needed continuity.

You have probably heard experienced Rotarians describing the importance to Rotary of each and every Rotarian. For recent literature reference, turn to page 24 of the Proceedings of the 38th District Conference of RI District 3450, where then RI Director Edgar C Hatcher Jr was recorded to have said that “the most important person in Rotary is the individual who does the work down in the trenches and gets the work done that elevates the quality of life of those people less fortunate.” Yes, Rotary does have high regard for every Rotarian, and quite rightly so, but Rotary International also attaches great importance to the leaders among Rotarians. To start with, a past president is also a Rotarian and hence by definition is much valued. In addition, RI would invest a lot more on him. Thus, every district governor must undergo vigorous and systematic training before he takes up office. This will not only ensure that he would do a good job during his governorship, but will also enable him to provide the mandatory training for his presidents and district officials. The system has been designed to put sufficient Rotary into every club president that would last him longer, much longer than the year of his presidency.

Now, all past presidents were presidents and by definition well trained and experienced Rotarians and leaders in Rotary. All of them had tasted the joy of successful service projects, fun and fellowship, and the love and support of their club members, perhaps some more than others though. They had been trained with their fellow presidents of their years by their respective governors to appreciate, interpret and impart the various Rotary themes and the Rotary ideal of service. In short, each and every past president is a tremendous asset, not only to his club, but also to the district and the Rotary world. To allow past presidents to become inactive is no different from putting valuable assets on ice and frozen, which no business and professional people worth their salt would even contemplate to do in the business world.

Past presidents have a lot to offer. They make excellent Rotary Foundation Committee chairmen, public relations consultants, bulletin editors, group leaders, trainers, mentors for young members, negotiators and advisors generally. Indeed, the immediate past president is often made in charge of organizing Rotary Information sessions. In short, they are adept in every job, for they have seen them all.

You may ask how the young members can gain the necessary experience if these past presidents continue with what they have been doing and doing so well. This is indeed a good question, and let me explain. First and foremost, being active does not necessarily mean taking up offices or retaining authority, including the power to veto club decisions. I go back to my favourite elements of leadership, leading and following. Effective leadership means being able to steer the club in the right direction and achieve the common objective. This is where seasoned leaders, namely past presidents, can do better than others. Past presidents can give the young members plenty of room to manoeuvre; allow them to lead and allow themselves to be led; watch over them without stifling them; lead them without directing them; and above all, motivate them to achieve and to lead.

On the other hand, younger members can also learn to appreciate the worth of past presidents and accord them the respect they deserve. They should have regard to the fact that these worthy men and women before them have individually or collectively helped build up the club and the district. They must understand that they are not there to compete with their predecessors or to outshine them. Above all, they are also club members. Thus, when they seek advice, they should do so with an open mind, rather than in a perfunctory manner. They would do better to dispense with the mindset about the old being ancient and the past being past. Very importantly, in the interest of continuity, they owe it to themselves and to the membership to explain why when they depart from well established practices and when they apparently ignore their predecessors’ advice.

Once again, continuity means all members working together towards the common objective of service; and keeping past presidents active helps.

Continuity
Effective clubs, the making of
(October 1999 Issue)

By now, you would have heard that the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International in 2001-02, having functioned in accordance with the RI Bylaws, had unanimously nominated Richard D King of the Rotary Club of Niles (Fremont), California, USA for the office of President of Rotary International for the year 2001-02. If no Rotary club nominates a qualified candidate by 1 December 1999, Richard King will be elected at the 2000 RI Convention to succeed Frank Devlyn of Mexico on 1 July 2001, more than 20 months from now.

You would observe that the procedures for nominating Rotary leaders, including the RI President, are laid down in details in the RI Manual of Procedure, last revised in 1998, which is billed as “A Reference Manual for Rotary Leaders”. These procedures are applicable and indeed recommended for every level of leadership in the Rotary system, including the club and district level, and are designed so that the key people will be selected or elected at least 18 months before they take up offices. It does seem that Rotary has every intention and would bend over backwards to ensure that we have a system that can achieve and maintain continuity in Rotary leadership.

The September promulgation would mean that our good friend Richard King can now begin to plan for his year. In our district, we are now taking steps to assemble a Nominating Committee to return a worthy Rotarian to be Governor-Nominee to work with Richard King. Similarly, at the club level, each club should start planning for an election meeting to return its President-elect for 2001-02 before the end of the year. I therefore find it somewhat disturbing that a few clubs in the district have yet to decide on who to take up the office of the respective presidents-elect for 2000-01. I urge the membership and in particular the Board of Directors of these clubs to make haste, in the interest of continuity for Rotary in general and for their clubs in particular.

The earlier a club returns its future leader, the better that particular leader will be able to prepare for the year in which he is elected to lead the club. Many of you would have heard this from Governor Dipo Sani, “There are no such thing as a strong or weak club, but there are strong or weak presidents.” More often than not, presidents are strong or made stronger because they have taken time to prepare for their presidency, and an essential part of the preparation is to build up a team and to find the right people to do the right job.

In most clubs in the district, the membership will elect the Board of Directors, although the views of the president-elect and his predecessors can be persuasive. I would like to believe that the membership of most clubs would take the matter with the seriousness it deserves, but we live in an imperfect world and accidents can happen. Some members were volunteered to take up offices, while others were put on the Board for the wrong reasons. This could result in a rather weak board, which in turn could result in poor club decisions or no decision at all. The situation would manifest itself worst when a club president assigns an unwilling or ill-equipped member to be chairman of any one of the four avenues of service committees. Let me elaborate.

The role of the four committee chairmen of each club can never be over-emphasized. Individually, they plan activities in the respective avenues of service, and between them they help to ensure a balanced program for the club. Because of this, most clubs would assign experienced Rotarians and very often past presidents to be chairmen, and quite rightly so. Only in very exceptional circumstances should new members be assigned for these duties, and when they are, the club should ensure that they would be properly trained and orientated before they take up offices, either at the District Assembly or by the appropriate District Officials.

This is not to say that new members should not be assigned work on such committees. On the contrary, every effort should be made to appoint them as committee members as early as possible, preferably shortly after induction. Over time, they will gain the necessary experience and be ready to assume committee chairmanship. This would be conducive to the maintenance of continuity in the club programs and help strengthen club leadership.

Continuity
By John Wan

Multi-Year Projects
(September 1999 Issue)

Governor Dipo always stresses the importance of continuity in his speeches to Rotary clubs during his Official Visits. He would ask Rotarians to recall the number of occasions their club leadership had abandoned projects initiated by their past leadership in order to start theirs, only to find out at leisure that theirs were put aside equally unceremoniously by their successors. True, I recall the many agonizing hours I spent listening to debates on whether to take up projects that straddle two or more presidencies. Some quoted chapters and verses from Rotary literature while others cited examples from past practices in or outside the District to support their respective points of view. Not surprisingly, often the Board would rather err on the conservative side, resulting in worthy and meaningful projects being left on the wayside, often forgotten and never to be picked up again. “All these would change from now on,” Governor Dipo assures us, and one hopes that will be the case.

But this will be the case. Indeed it must be the case if we are to continue to live up the Rotary ideal of “Service Above Self”, provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world. As our world leader Carlo Ravizza has said, achieving continuity requires a great and meaningful change in attitude. It means respecting the programs of our predecessors and working as a team with our successors. This is precisely what your district leadership have been doing. All of us now work as a team. We have only one objective, which is to put more Rotary in the District membership, and we are determined to succeed. We are conscious that it means hard work, it means accountability and openness, it means putting away our ego, and above all, it means trusting and supporting each other. To some people, this may appear to be a fundamental change. It may well be, but we believe it will be a change for the better, and more importantly, we are not changing for changing sake. We believe that this attitude change will help foster continuity in the District, and we hope that the membership of the District will copy. After all, I would like to believe that most of us have joined Rotary because of the ideals Rotary stands for. These ideals have motivated generations of Rotarians to serve their fellow human beings generously and with humility, and which have made them credible people along the way. It would be wrong to abandon them for worldly and other unworthy motives.

Looking back, our District does have fine examples in clubs which have been carrying on multi-year projects, and very good projects too. At the risk of being invidious, I would mention a few. We have Admiralty sponsoring the Outstanding Disabled Persons Award, New Territories sponsoring awards to recognise students who made the most progress, Hong Kong Harbour continuing with their support for a resource centre for mentally handicapped children in Tuen Mun, Kingspark Hong Kong working with the Spina Bifida Children Support Group, Tolo Harbour sponsoring drama competitions among youths, and many others, not forgetting the many Rotaract and Interact clubs being sponsored by clubs in Hong Kong and Macau. Many of these projects and programs have been designed for children and young people and thus take on a particularly special meaning in this New Generations Month. Long may these clubs continue with these meaningful projects.

Farewell Address

Thank you, Emcees Alice and Vincent. Mr. C Y Leung, My Family of Rotary, My Action Presidents, Fellow Rotarians and Friends, My Partners in Service, Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is certainly a great occasion and a moment I would treasure and remember for a long time. So I would try to do it slowly, hopefully to get it right. Looking back, it seemed only yesterday when I stood here last year for my acceptance speech. I said that I had accepted the office with humility and as an opportunity to serve. A year later, with eight more pounds around my middle and donning noticeably more gray hairs, I can tell you that I have been truly humbled by the experience of having been a district governor.

I would not chronicle what I have done or not done last year. That is the job of historians. More importantly, I believe that the process is more important, much more important than the results. The office of the Governor is an institution. He is the only Officer of the Rotary International in the District and the Rotary International President expects him to carry out a host of responsibilities, but with not a lot of authority and hardly any resources. Herein lies the challenge, the ultimate challenge to one’s humor and nature, capacity for work, capacity for food and drinks, reliability under pressure, ability to handle relationships, and a host of skills including sleepwalking. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. No one single person can do it all by himself or herself. It follows that achievements in the term of a governor reflect the collective efforts and wisdom of the District rather than those of any one person or a few persons.

This is what “Continuity” is all about. The Rotarians among you would recall that Past World President Carlo Ravizza had asked us to Act with Consistency, Credibility and Continuity, with a footnote that we must have the Courage to Change. His successor, President Frank Devlyn has urged us to Create Awareness and Take Action and at the same time told us that the reason for so doing was because Mankind is Our Business, which in turn is the theme of his successor, President Rick King.

Now, fellow Rotarians and Friends, the apparently different themes in successive years have not changed the Object of Rotary or Rotary’s Ideals of Service. This is fundamental. In the same way, our desire to pursue the Ideals of Service, our desire to take our service to the people who need them most, and our strife for a polio free world and for world understanding and peace, all these and others will not change or diminish with changes in Rotary leadership at any level, be it at the international, district or club levels.

The success and achievements in the last year are due therefore to the collective efforts of dedicated Rotarians in the District, in particular the Past District Governors many of them have given me valuable and timely advice, often without my asking. These wise men are really worth their weight in gold. Stand up PDGs to be recognized, and let us all give them a big hand.

Many of our Past Governors have been recognized by World Headquarters for their sterling work to humanity in general and to Rotary in particular. This year, we have seen for example Past Governor Arthur Au, our Master, receiving the Service Above Self Award at the District Conference held in April. I am happy tonight to recognize another Past Governor for his efforts to promote the ideals of The Rotary Foundation and to present him The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service on behalf of the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

The Citation for Meritorious Service is a very special form of recognition and is awarded to only one Rotarian in each District each year for exemplary and significant service to The Rotary Foundation. Rotary’s objective of world understanding and peace can only be advanced and will only be ultimately achieved, by the unselfish and unlimited participation of Rotarians.

Our Foundation works only when Rotarians work. It moves into the future only when Rotarians make it move. Its potential as an instrument of doing good in the world is limited only to the degree that we, as Rotarians, limit our involvement and support.

So, it is my great pleasure and honour to recognize this fellow Rotarian among us. This Rotarian has an impressive public service and community service record. He has been very active with youth programmes all these years. This year in particular, he has inspired us with his vision and dedication to Rotary and Foundation programmes. He has indeed brought great honour to our District. He is none other that Past Governor Joseph Lee. Congratulations Joseph, our Governor in 1989-90 and please come for the award.

[Present Award]

A thoroughly merited award indeed; and congratulations, PDG Joseph .

That brings us to the District Officials. These are the District Committee Chairpersons in charge of a host of functions and activities ranging from fellowship to sports, youth to technology, Rotary Foundation to training and so on. They also include the Assistant District Governors, the District Secretaries and other members of the District Management Committee. Collectively, they have functioned as my very effective vanguard, promulgating and interpreting district policies, and at the same time, taking the brunt from members all the way without grumbles, well not a lot anyway. Stand up my District Officials and receive a big round of applause.

Many of these worthy District Officials worked extremely hard throughout the year and even before the year began. Among them is one Past President who convened the first meeting in April 2000 and has been providing exemplary leadership in steering and coordinating the planning, organizing and operation of no less than ten District-wide sports and recreational events. Such dedication deserves special mention and recognition. He is none other than District Sports Convenor Tony Kan, Past president of Rotary Club of Shatin. Thank you Tony and please come for the Award.
Then, there are my presidents, my Action Presidents who have been ever so supportive, outspoken and proactive, each in his or her own way, but always standing behind me figuratively and literally, as you see them now. I have had great times with them individually and collectively. We had joy, we had fun and we had seasons in the sun. All these would last me for a long time. These are the Action Presidents, Ladies and Gentlemen; please join me to give them a hearty and most deserving round of applause.

For the record, all but two presidents have been awarded the Presidential Citation from RI President Frank Devlyn. I have earlier presented them their thoroughly merited certificates. For their achievement, President Frank has also recognized me with a special Presidential Citation.

In addition, two presidents have received special awards from President Frank Devlyn in recognition of outstanding community service efforts, and for outstanding achievement in promoting awareness and understanding of Rotary through a public relations campaign.

The Significant Achievement Award honours the club with outstanding projects that address the needs of the local community and that could become a model for future activities and inspire other Rotary clubs. The award goes to the Rotary Club of Guia, Macau. President Cinderella please step forward.

[Present Award]

The RI Public Relations Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of the Rotary club in a District in promoting the good news of Rotary and in organizing projects that have enhanced Rotary’s image in the community. And the Award goes to the Rotary Club of Kingspark. President Tom Hui please.

[Present Award]
Now, the District Officials and the Club Presidents alone could not have achieved what we have achieved without the support of the ordinary Rotarians. These are men and women who have been quietly doing great things. These are the frontline soldiers in the trenches. They are the unsung heroes of the District, without whom we would not have a district and the Governor would have nothing to govern. I owe them a lot. Rotary owes them a lot. Let us give these generous men and women a big hand.

We also have among us our partners in service. These include people in the Rotary family, that is our Rotaractors, Interactors, Ambassadorial Scholars and Group Study Exchange Members. They also include our partners in other service organizations and non-governmental organizations. Earlier, our emcees have recognized the representatives who are with us here tonight, but there are many others. We owe a lot to all of them and I invite you to join me to give them a round of applause.

Last but certainly not the least, I thank my own family. How can I forget them? Rosita has been with me all the time, and even when we could not be physically together, our spirit is with each other. When she was well, she would take up the tedious but necessary filing work, arrange my papers in order of priority and destroy the junk mail. She would remind me of the deadlines for returns and replies, and help me understand how people’s mind work so that I can keep my brain functioning some of the time. More importantly, she keeps the children up to speed with my schedule so that they would not complain. I am forever grateful to my wife Rosita, and my children Stephanie and Lawrence. I invite all of you to join me to thank my family, in particular Rosita.

Nothing now remains for me to do except to wish my successor Johnson Chu a great and successful year ahead. Johnson is a great guy and a truly dedicated Rotarian. I assure Johnson that he would have my full support in his term as I had the same from my worthy predecessor Dipo Sani. I have already briefed my team of Action Presidents to give their full support to their respective successors, those men and women in black or regal eagles. None of them has said no, so you and your team can expect full support from us.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you, particularly the non-Rotarians, for being here tonight to share our happiness. To the Rotarians sitting next to these friends, don’t lose a great opportunity to ask them to visit our clubs and to join us, either as full members or as honorary members. I wish all of you a great evening, and may God bless you all.