On July 23, our Club met on Zoom due to heightened pandemic conditions and gathering restrictions in Hong Kong. The meeting was conducted in the evening. Undeterred by the time difference, Past President Angelica Rinehart (Rotary Club of Fremont, Ohio) woke up early to join from the United States. Past President Angelica last visited us in February and March 2019. Everyone was surprised to see her and was most happy to welcome her back!
The meeting, in addition to the usual report by Club President, had two highlights. The first highlight was our Club’s first-ever virtual induction of a new member. The induction began with Past President WT giving a brief introduction of our newest member: Eliza Ning. No stranger to our Club and our District, Rotarian Eliza is already an active Rotarian who has served on both the District Peace and PPE Committees. Eliza also has additional connections with our Club: Past President WT was her mediation mentor when she began studying the discipline some years ago. Furthermore, through her involvement in District’s Sustainable Seafood program, Eliza has previously worked with President Mark, Past President Grace and many of our Interactors in the past. Eliza has also worked with Past President CK while they both served on the District Preserve Planet Earth (“PPE”) Committee. Last, but certainly not least, Eliza is a neighbor and family friend of Past President Samuel and Amy. With preparatory help from Past President Angela (as Membership Director) and Past President WT (as proposer), the induction was successfully completed. 16 Club members served as happy witnesses. While it was unfortunate that the induction had to take place virtually, a proper pinning ceremony shall be arranged in due course, when our Club returns to meeting physically.
Let’s all welcome Rotarian Eliza as our Club’s newest member!
Another highlight of the evening was Rotarian Kelvin’s sharing in respect of the current pandemic. An active researcher at HKU, Rotarian Kelvin gave us layman summaries of various topics, including: development of the “second”/”third” wave of infections, potency and mutation of the Coronavirus, efficacy of mask wearing, prospects of vaccine development, personal hygiene recommendations and safety precautions etc. The sharing was enlightening, and, to some degree, disturbing. In conclusion, and agreed by all, today’s number one priority is to stay healthy and safe.
