On January 15, more than a dozen Hong Kong Harbour Rotarians and spouses were present at the naming ceremony of Patrick SC Poon Amity College at Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. Patrick SC Poon, of course, is our Club’s Charter President and well-known philanthropist. During Charter President Patrick’s speech, he mentioned that Rotary philosophy of service above self is one of his chief guiding principles when he does philanthropic deeds. Plenty other District dignitaries were present, including District Governor Wilson Cheng, Past Governors Moses Cheng (Chairman of the University’s Council), Anthony Hung, Jones Wong, Peter Wan, Ada Cheng, YC Ho, and District Governor Nominee Keith Chow.
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…
On December 12, Mr. Dixon Ip, a coffee connoisseur and a certified judge in coffee events around the world, came to our Club to talk about his most passionate topic: coffee. Mr. Ip is a friend of our Club’s honorary member Prof. Tim Tong. While most of us mortals drink coffee for its caffeine, Mr. Ip approaches coffee with the scientific rigor of a world-class lab researcher and the intense passion of a restless teenager. In Mr. Ip’s eyes, coffee is not just a drink; it is an ode to all the hard work that goes into it, from the farmers cultivating the coffee plants to the roasters experimenting with varied roasting temperatures. Mr. Ip is especially passionate about the cultivation process – something that has led him to travel all around the world in search of different agricultural techniques and pre-processing styles. As a coffee judge, he has also traveled around the world for coffee and barista competitions and, in the process, has probably seen more latte art than all of us – combined. Mr. Ip believes that coffee consumption has also changed over the years. Consumers are now paying more attention to package labeling. Whereas just a decade…
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!
Our Club’s RY2019-20 Installation was held on July 25 at Regal Hongkong Hotel. The presidential sash and gavel were passed on from Imediate Past President Lily Chan to President Mark Tong, while new pins were received by our incoming directors. The Club Installation was well-attended: 60+ Rotarians, family members and friends were present to witness this most important Club event. Many District leaders also attended, including: District Governor Wilson Cheng, Immediate Past District Governor YC Ho, District Governor Elect Eric Chak, and Assistant Governor David Thomas.
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”.