In a special ceremony during the Second Plenary Session of the 61st District Conference, District Governor Eric Chak presented the Rotary International Service Above Self Award to Past District Governor Belinda. Rotary International President Personal Representative Past District Governor Peter Wan stood nearby as witness. The RI Service Above Self Award is the highest individual award within Rotary. Congratulations, Past District Governor Belinda!
During The Rotary Foundation recognition ceremony at the 61st District Conference, Charter President Patrick and Wendy, and Past District Governor Belinda, were recognized for their contribution to The Rotary Foundation. Our Club was also recognized as District’s #1 Club for Annual Fund contribution per capita and #1 Club for total annual giving.
For the second year in a row, Rotary International Convention has turned virtual. Unlike last year, this year’s arrangements are more formal, with the usual flag ceremony, house of friendship, breakout sessions etc., in addition to the usual plenary sessions. Various members attended. President Mark attended a number of interesting sessions, including flag ceremony (where he greeted fellow Rotarians from all around the world), and a cooking class with Rotary International President Holger Knaack. Rotary International President Holger and Susanne cooked white asparagus with potatoes, served with homemade mayonnaise. While doing so, Rotary International President Holger said that he was the first Rotary International President to never have used his Rotary International office in Evanston, but most certainly the first Rotary International President to cook for Rotarians from his own kitchen.
On June 13, 3:00 p.m., the HK Harbour OC team and the Hong Kong Island Region Scouts OC team joined together to have a happy walk around The Peak. The weather was suitably warm, breezy and there was no rain — perfect for the 3.5km walk on Lugard Road. From HK Harbour, President Mark was joined by President Elect Sam, Rotarian Eliza, Past President Grace, Rotarian Jason and his wife, Sara, and lovely Mango. Hong Kong Island Region Scouts was represented by Terrence Ho, Edward Wong, Tony Yeung and Arthur Chau, and family and friends. Our Scouts counterpart updated us on the current registration of the 2021 Island Scout Trail Walk. Also, an awards ceremony is planned for later in the summer on August 1. Mainly it was a good time for fellowship between our two teams. After the walk, the HK Harbour team had a happy hour at a cafe at the Peak Galleria. Much was discussed, but mostly about lovely Mango.
On June 10, President Mark, President Elect Sam and Rotarian Eliza visited LINKS Cafe, a community center focused on providing services to carers and families of elderly exhibiting depressive or suicidal tendencies. The center, styled in the form of a coffee shop, provides a comfortable venue for social workers and service targets to talk about life’s difficulties in a safe and relaxed environment. The venue also hosts events and classes to uplift the community. The center is run by Suicide Prevention Services, where Past President Lily currently works. Mr. WT Tsun, Past President Lily’s colleague, not only gave us an introduction of the center’s service offerings, but offered each of us a delicious cup of hot beverage.
On June 10, our Club met at Regal Hong Kong Hotel. To ensure proper social distancing, Regal has given us a large room, with 4-person tables separated by ample spaces. Mr. Kenneth She joined as a guest of Past President WT. President Mark began by recounting memorable episodes from Interota 2020, which closed the day before. President Mark also asked those members who have signed up for Rotary Virtual Convention to check their emails to gain access links. President Elect Sam gave more details about Club Assembly, Club Installation and District Installation. Charter President Patrick reported that he attended Rotary Club of Pudu’s Interact Leadership Training Seminar, held via Zoom. He had fond memories of his appointment as Youth Service Director of Rotary Club of Pudu, in the late 70s. He also reminded us that fellowship and international understanding are two important pillars of the Interact experience, and that our Club should open more opportunities for our youth to experience both. Finally, Past President Samuel counted members’ efforts during our service day at Holy Cafe in the previous weekend, the 14th official outing of this Rotary Year, and commented that Coco was mad that she couldn’t join us for the…
On June 5, President Mark, Charter President Patrick and Past District Governor Belinda attended Interota 2020 kick-off event at Hotel ICON. The kick-off event included a live-streaming of the virtual opening ceremony, which featured speeches by Rotary International President Holger Knaack, Rotary International Director Surgeon Liu, District Governor Eric Chak and Immediate Past District Governor Wilson Cheng, performances by various groups, and the singing by District Governor Eric, Immediate Past District Governor Wilson, and Rotaractors. Several Rotarians also attended the virtual opening ceremony via Zoom or Youtube, including Past Presidents Dora and Grace, and others. Immediate Past District Governor Wilson, chair of Interota 2020 Hong Kong steering committee, hosted a few tables at the event. We thank Immediate Past District Governor Wilson for his generosity in this evening and for his stewardship of Interota 2020 Hong Kong in the past few years. We also thank Past District Governor Belinda for her support behind the scenes, especially when Interota 2020 Hong Kong was planned as a physical convention. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, the organizing committee took time during the live virtual opening ceremony to thank our Charter President Patrick, whose most significant and unwavering support of Interota 2020 Hong Kong,…
On June 5, President Mark led a team consisting of Past President Grace, Past President Samuel and Amy, and President Elect Sam to deliver hot meals to 200+ elderly living in Cheung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok areas. Amy, first to arrive, was the star of the day. She singlehandedly handled 100+ meal boxes. Past President Grace managed the front line, while Past President Samuel and President Mark managed the day’s traffic, which was mostly orderly.
On June 5, various members attended as guests Interact Leadership Training Seminar, organized by our sister Club, Rotary Club of Pudu. President Mark and Charter President Patrick dropped by, while Rotarian Jason participated as panelist during the international session. The Seminar was expertly run by Pudu Rotarians, who spent a substantial amount of time to prepare for the Seminar, and the first such one virtually. Harbour attendees learned a great deal from the Seminar, not only about Interact but about how to support Interact, especially during this ongoing pandemic.
On May 27, our Club met at Regal Hong Kong Hotel. To ensure proper social distancing, Regal has given us a large room, with 4-person tables separated by ample spaces. Several announcements were made before the speaker program. President Mark urged members to support Interota 2020 Hong Kong by signing up and joining the event virtually. President Mark and President Elect Sam gave more details about an upcoming joint Board meeting, to be held on June 21. President Elect Sam also announced several important dates for our Club and District: June 24 (Club Assembly and last Club meeting of RY2020-2021), July 8 (Club Installation), and July 10 (District Installation). Club Installation would be a regular lunch meeting, at Regal HK Hotel. Final arrangements are still to be hashed out, dependent upon social distancing rules of the day and the number of members and spouses wishing to attend. At the moment, both outgoing and incoming District Governors, both outgoing and incoming Assistant Governors will attend. Finally, according to President Elect Sam, District Installation would be held in the afternoon, at HKCEC, with no meals. Members who have yet to sign up but wish to join should contact President Elect Sam directly.…