On March 26, our Club met on Zoom to celebrate our Club’s 35th Anniversary. District Governor Keith Chow, Immediate Past District Governor Eric Chak, District Governor Elect Norman Lee, District Governor Nominee Andy Li, District Governor Nominee Designate Nigel Lo, Chief District Secretary Ron Chan from the District joined our Zoom celebration. Past Club members including Douglas Hsia, Yoshie Takenaka, Kennedy Tang, Veronica DeKrey, Eddie Wong, CK Chan, Charles Lam, Patric Lee and Theresa Chan also joined. Organizing Committee Chair and President Elect Eliza, President Sam, District Governor Keith, Charter President Patrick and Past District Governor Belinda gave us opening remarks to kick off this special celebration. We also played snippets of video congratulations messages from Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta, Past Rotary International President Gary Huang, future District leaders, as well as Presidents of our sister Clubs. President Elect Eliza announced winners of the 35th anniversary photo competition. Past Presidents Ricky and Webster led us through a wonderful edition of Hong Kong Harbour ABC quiz. We particularly thank Organizing Committee Chair President Elect Eliza and the rest of the Organizing Committee for planning the original physical celebration and then this Zoom celebration.
On March 25, our Club met via Zoom. It was a regular Club meeting that happily coincided with our Club’s anniversary. To mark the special occasion, all five of our Charter Members who are still active in our Club today: Charter President Patrick, Past President Charles, Past President Peter, Past President Kay and Past President Antonio, were invited as special speakers to share their memories of the early days of our Club. Several special guests also attended, including our Honorary Member Professor Tim Tong. Past President Eric Wong, our Club’s second President, also attended. As did Past President Douglas (our 14th President), Past President Veronica (our 15th President), and Gilbert Chan, a past member who was active in the early days of our Club. From service projects and youth development to sports day and overseas trips, members shared their memories of being a Hong Kong Harbour Rotarian. The meeting ended with Past President Douglas thanking our Club for supporting his fundraising event at his current Club in the United States, Rotary Club of Walnut Grove, and wishes to maintain active connection with our Club through his Rotary and community work in the United States.
Our Club continued to meet on Zoom due to pandemic conditions and gathering restrictions in Hong Kong. Past President Douglas Hsia, our Club’s Y2K President (RY1999-2000), joined from California. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by his presence and most happy to welcome Douglas back! The meeting began with the usual report by Club President, but not before Past President WT led a virtual chorus to celebrate Past President Angela’s birthday, in a few days. Thereafter, Douglas was invited to update us about his life in sunny northern California. Now belonging to the Rotary Club of Walnut Grove, Douglas told us that, like us in Hong Kong, the current global pandemic also made physical meeting difficult in California. He also mentioned that he was his Club’s lone representative at the RI Convention in Atlanta – our Club also had one representative that year – but did not remember meeting any Rotarians from Hong Kong. Personally, he found living in Walnut Grove, a designated U.S. Historical District, fascinating. A Chinese-American history buff himself, Douglas explained that Walnut Grove was steeped in Chinese-American history and traditions. Douglas ended his sharing by hoping to visit us in the future, whether physically or via Zoom. Next…