On July 10, District Installation was held. The guest of honor and speaker was the Honorable Bernard Chan, GBM, GBS, JP. During the Club Presidents’ Installation Ceremony, outgoing President Mark passed the president’s sash to incoming President Sam. In attendance from our Club were Charter President Patrick, Past District Governor Belinda, Past Presidents WT and Grace, and President Elect Eliza. Later in the day, during Past District Governor Belinda’s presentation of Rotary Foundation Major Gifts and Pledges, President Sam announced the largest pledge of the day, the US$250,000 Rotary Club of Hong Kong Harbour 35th Anniversary Endowment Fund. The investment earnings from the Endowment Fund is to be designated perpetually and solely for scholarships in Rotary District 3450. More details will be shared with all Club members in the 1st Club Assembly on the evening of September 23.
Club Installation marks a time for new beginnings. Immediate Past President Mark gave his year-end review, including some interesting photos. President Sam, under the supervisory eyes of District Governor Keith Chow and Immediate Past District Governor Eric Chak, was handed the meeting gavel as well as the presidential sash. Several members were recognized during the Installation, including Charter President Patrick and Past District Governor Belinda for their great support of the Club and of the District over the years; outgoing Board of Directors; and Paul Harris Fellows in 2020-21. Overall, 24 of 26 members attended, plus two of our Honorary Members.
District Conference was held in June, 19-20. A total of 10 from the Harbour family attended: President Mark, Charter President Patrick, Past District Governor Belinda, Past Presidents Grace, Angela, WT and Dora, President Elect Sam and Rotarian Eliza registered for two days of programs, while Wendy attended as special guest of the Organizing Committee during Foundation recognition ceremony and lunch. The OC team and venue operator took meticulous care to ensure everyone’s safety and good health. Past President Dora worked behind the scenes to ensure smooth operation as part of the OC team. Past President Angela presided over the People of Action Photo Competition prize presentation ceremony, during which Past District Governor Belinda, in her role as District Public Image Committee Chair, presented top awards. Past President WT was a panelist in a breakout session on peace. Charter President Patrick and Wendy, as well as Past District Governor Belinda, were recognized for their contribution to The Rotary Foundation during Foundation recognition ceremony. President Mark attended the business session to vote on behalf of our Club. Possibly most significantly, however, was that our own Past District Governor Belinda was awarded Rotary International Service Above Self Award, an RI award recognizing individual…
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, 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 13, 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. Special welcome was given to all five of our Charter Members. Before the speaker program, members took turns to give reports of Club and District activities. Past President MK, as Sergeant-at-Arms, thanked President Mark and President Elect Sam for their contribution to the red box in the Poster Hunting Challenge, and thanked many others for their generous contributions to red box on the day of the meeting. Past President WT gave highlights of a tree planting outing to Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve. Past President Grace chimed in and said the work this year was especially challenging as some of us had to carry pots of plants up a steep slope and had to clear wild bushes before saplings can be planted. Charter President Patrick gave details of District Training Assembly, and highlighted key points by the event’s guest of honor, Mr. Kenneth Fok, JP. President Mark ended the reporting section by encouraging members to sign up for the upcoming service outing at Holy Cafe, when over 250 elderly were expected…
On May 8, at Kowloon Bay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, our District conducted Training Assembly for incoming Presidents Elect, officers and directors. Various members attended, including: Charter President Patrick, Past District Governor Belinda, Past President Angela, President Elect Sam, Rotarian Eliza (President Nominee) and Rotarian Jason. The Keynote Speech by Mr. Kenneth Fok, JP, informed us on Youth Development and Sports in Hong Kong. Later, Past District Governor Belinda chaired a breakout session on The Rotary Foundation, while Past President Angela and Rotarian Eliza presented in the Public Image and Service Projects (Health, Preserve Planet Earth and Peace) breakout sessions, respectively. Rotarian Eliza also acted as the reporter for her breakout session in the Plenary Session. One new item for this upcoming Rotary Year is to appoint a Youth Protection Officer at each Club, as required by new Rotary International policies.
On April 20, President Mark, Charter President Patrick and Wendy, Past District Governor Belinda, and Past Presidents Grace, WT and Angela attended Intercity Meeting at Regal Kowloon Hotel. Past District Governor Belinda did not only attend the meeting; as Assistant Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, she was the evening’s Guest of Honor and gave the keynote speech. Charter President Patrick and Wendy were guests of District Governor Eric Chak, and were recognized for their contribution (top donors in the District) to The Rotary Foundation. Past District Governor Belinda was also recognized as a Level 4 Major Donor. The meeting was separated into rooms of attendees to conform with government gathering restrictions. Each room was then linked to the main stage via live Zoom.
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.