The 12th Board Meeting of Rotary Year 2022-23 was held at Holy Cafe, our long-term service partner, on June 19. Mrs Maria Sung, proprietor and community volunteer extraordinaire of Holy Cafe, crafted a fantastic menu for Board members in attendance. Past Presidents Ricky and Mark also joined as observers.
The Tenth Board meeting was held at the Regal Hong Kong Hotel with heaps of items discussed. The Board was suggesting a fellowship dinner in May or June before the end of the Rotary Year.
On June 21, our Board met for the 12th and final time in RY2020-21. Board members mainly made sure that handover to the incoming Board would be smooth, and that all lingering issues were dealt with. Thereafter, a small dinner gathering was held. Quite a few members and their spouses attended, including Honorary Member Vivien Lau, as well as our new Honorary Member Professor MF Yuen. President Elect Sam brought to the occasion 3 bottles of whisky with a varied flavor profile. Others brought wines, ranging from classic French Margaux and St. Emilion, to a Chinese cabernet from Yunnan, China.
On December 19, our Club hosted a trifecta of meetings: Board Meeting, Club Assembly, and Annual General Meeting. At Club Assembly, President Mark shared with attendees the progress of various projects, including our Global Grant projects with Rotary Clubs of Pudu and Taoyuan Southeast. President Mark also detailed our Club’s plans to go ahead with putting together a project with Hummingfish Foundation. At Annual General Meeting, members approved, among other things, the financial accounts of RY2018-2019, expertly prepared by last year’s Treasurer Barry. After President Mark declared the closure of Annual General Meeting, our Christmas-themed party began. The dinner menu was specially designed by Regal’s catering for the occasion, with a colorful and delicious dessert spread to complement the festivity of the evening. President Mark and Rotarian Sam brought wines and whiskeys, respectively. Before tasting, our resident sommelier Past President Kay shared a bit of information and history about the wines on offer: one Chateau Montelena and one Negru de Purcari, a prized Moldovan wine brought home by President Mark when he visited Château Purcari near the Ukrainian border in Moldova half a decade ago. Members lucky enough to be sitting at Rotarian Sam’s table also got his expert take…
After our meeting with the District Governor, we jetted to HKU Alumni Association for our monthly Board meeting. The meeting was nourished with excellent food from the kitchen, with a menu specially crafted by Rtnne. Catherine and input from Charter President Patrick Poon. Our Board members and observers continued the Connect-The-World Wine Program with two wines: a Malbec from Patagonian Argentina, and an Aglianico from Campania, Italy. Past President Kay Lau, an expert in wines, gave us an overview of how to appreciate the two wines on offer. When Board members were not too fixated on aromas and finish, we turned our attention to Club affairs, with special focus on various service projects, including those with local service partners and those with sister clubs abroad.
On August 15, members and families gathered at Chiu Chow C.O.C. Members’ Club (潮州商會會所) to celebrate boys and girls with birthdays between July and September. Our Club’s Board Meeting was held one hour before the beginning of the dinner. The dinner, capped with gigantic birthday buns for all, was arranged by Past President Webster Ng and Rotarian Sam Poon. Rotarian Sam and President Mark Tong also brought whisky and wines for all to share. Many thanks to Past President Webster, Rotarian Sam and attending Rotarians and family for making this fellowship a successful and joy-filled one!
On July 18, our Club Board convened for the first time in this new Rotary Year, at Fung Shing Restaurant in Causeway Bay. Lots of Club matters were discussed and resolved, but just as importantly, all the dishes ordered were mopped up by our hungry Board members. The evening was smoothed by wines and whisky from all over the world: a bottle of Spanish rioja from President Mark Tong, a bottle of Australian cabernet from Rotarian Kelvin Yeung, and a Scotch from Rotarian Sam Poon. Rotary does “Connect the World”.