rossroads Proud of our Heritage, Committed to our Future 4 LAST WEEK Report on Wed 12 September 2018 Evening Meeting

Transcription

1 C rossroads Rotary e-bulletin published by Rotary Club of Singapore Proud of our Heritage, Committed to our Future 17 September 2018 Chartered 6 th June 1930 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner for Best Bulletin in District 3310 Volume 55 Issue No IN FOCUS Being A Rotarian A Big Deal? By HM PP Raymon Huang 4 LAST WEEK Report on Wed 12 September 2018 Evening Meeting 10 MARK YOUR DIARY What s ahead? Don t miss the forthcoming events and Birthday / Anniversary celebrants and more

2 In Focus Being A Rotarian A Big Deal? By: Honorary Member (HM) Past President (PP) Raymon Huang (Penned at the bedside Yishun Community Hospital) HM PP Raymon Huang To many of us Yes. To many others Not quite. To yet many others Never even heard of Rotary! Never heard of Rotary? A movement doing humanitarian work worldwide for over 110 years and never heard of it? Incredible? Not so. I have quoted this true story before. A simple question asked of the citizens in the hinterlands the question: Do you know what is Rotary? In larger countries the hinterland can be hundreds of miles from the main cities. In Little Red Dot Singapore, all our hinterlands are just kilometres from anywhere in this tiny nation. And Rotary is such an active movement here. Yet to us Rotarians, it seems quite unbelievable that even here, many have not heard of Rotary! In a survey done some time back, one of the questions asked was Do you know what is Rotary? The survey was conducted in one of the hinterlands of a large country not far from Singapore. The answers given were surprising, funny, and quotable. Here are samples: Answer 1: The name of an air-conditioner engine. Answer 2: The brand name of a watch. Answer 3: It is a lottery! And in Singapore, the answers would be a lot of No! To you, and me, it is different. We are all in Rotary for many reasons, but basically similar reasons we want to give back to society some of the many blessings it has given us. Yet there are many other attendant questions on how or why we have been drawn into Rotary. Yes, apart from the basic reason, why and how did we find ourselves get caught up in the movement? We know that entry into Rotary is by invitation. That gives the perception of exclusivity. So when good friends invite us, we grab the opportunity; often not knowing what is really ahead after joining. Orientation is part of the solution, but getting immersed in Rotary programmes is the real answer. We know too that it s a common belief that only percent of the membership is really active and involved. Maybe at RCS we are more fortunate the percentage is higher. And so comes the other question How much are we really in it in Rotary since we are in the movement? Of course, Rotary must come after family commitments and your own professional and business demands. I have always maintained that the family is central. Well then, it is good, once in a while, to sit quietly by yourself and meditate and ask questions like Well now that I am in Rotary, how much of my talent, time and treasure should I 1 C r o s s r o a d s

3 In Focus give to it? Naturally, honest answers are needed. Such moments of self-examination are good. When done, a later follow-up exercise of self-assessment will be good. At the end of the day, one of the fundamental benefits of being in Rotary is to enjoy yourself. Meeting and mingling with fellow Rotarians people who are Service Above Self oriented, like-minded, yet so different in socialising, which has an impact not often felt. So Rotary is not just give and give, we do gain a lot back too satisfaction, enjoyment, new friendships, smiles and gratitude from beneficiaries, and new knowledge all the time. To me, as a long-standing Rotarian it is the Big Deal. Yes, for me, being a Rotarian is a big deal. I am sure most of you feel likewise. That is why our Club is thriving. Membership participation and involvement are so important. Equally, membership satisfaction and enjoyment are just as important. When we carry the Rotary banner high, we became The Inspiration to many a club. Yet, many a smaller club can be an inspiration to us too. So, whether being a Rotarian is a big deal or not depends entirely on yourself. Being motivated is a big factor, swimming with the current is better than just floating along with it. I have no doubt that all of us are in Rotary with a good and noble purpose in mind. Onward we march, like Rotarian soldiers! P/s: RI has designated September as Basic Education and Literary Month. I leave that to the more learned in the Club. 2 C r o s s r o a d s

4 Photo Album of Club Events of the Week President Mark & PP Philip Leong at the Tanjong Katong Girls School (TKGS) Interact Club Installation on A memento for President Mark President Mark TKGS Interact Board Members President Mark addressing the Interactors At the Club s Booth - National Senior Volunteer Month Fiesta at Bishan Community Centre on From left: Rtns Anindya Dutta & Rewa Mirpuri From left: Rtns Adnan Ansari, Rewa Mirpuri, Pres Mark, Guest, Anindya Dutta & VP Hassan Moosa 3 C r o s s r o a d s

5 Last Week Last Week Report on the Wednesday Evening Meeting 12 September 2018 OPENING REMARKS President Mark Wang called the meeting to order and warmly welcomed the Guest Speaker, Mr Andrew Wee, as well as his father, former member Mr Roland Wee. WELCOME Duty of welcoming Guests of members and Visiting Rotarians fell to Rtn Vikrant Kanyal: Guests Speaker, Mr Andrew Wee Former member, Mr Roland Wee Ms Yu Yingxi, Mr XiaoZhao Tan & Mr Tulio Leri (RWDC Industries) Dr Ganesh Ramalingam Dr Carl Shiu Visiting Rotarian B S Hegde Belgaum, India Rtn Vikrant TOAST & EXCHANGE OF BANNERS Toastmaster PP Tapan Rao called on visiting Rtn B S Hegde to say a few words about his club, Belgaum. From left: Rtn B S Hegde, PP Tapan & President Mark President Mark exchanged banners with Rtn B S Hegde from Rotary Club of Belgaum UPCOMING CLUB EVENTS President Mark reminded members of the coming Club events, starting with: o 2 nd Club Assembly on Tuesday, 18 September 2018 at 6.30pm at Senior Police Officers Mess. o District Governor Henry Tan s Official Visit at the Weekly Meeting of 19 September o Help the Children 2018 Visit to Surabaya, Malang and Batu, Indonesia from 12 to 14 October. o World Polio Day on Wednesday, 24 October. The Club will host an Inter-City Meeting during the normal weekly meeting time slot at the Tanglin Club, with other Rotary Clubs attending. The Meeting Programme will include: - an inspirational speaker, Dr William Tan - Rotary End Polio updates - Fund-raising 4 C r o s s r o a d s

6 Last Week Speaker: Mr Andrew Wee, Communications Director, RWDC Industries Pte Ltd Topic: Biodegradable Straws Rtn Joseph Rtn Joseph Chia was called upon by President Mark to introduce the Speaker, Mr Andrew Wee. Mr Wee graduated with bachelor s degrees in English and Psychology from Ohio Northern University has 14 years experience in the media industry. He has advised small and medium businesses on business strategy and has been an e-commerce business unit manager for a North American technology incubator. Mr Wee s current role in RWDC Industries covers investor relations, fundraising and client servicing. Rtn Joseph also invited former member, Rtn Roland Wee to say a few words prior to his son s presentation. At the start of his presentation, Mr Andrew Wee spoke of RWDC Industries mission to reduce the use of plastics. He described the composition of plastic, advising its opportunities and problems. He noted that the life of plastic produced in 5 seconds, used for 5 minutes, broken down in 500 years! Adding further, that more Guest Speaker Mr Andrew Wee than 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic trash called the oceans home. He highlighted the devastating pollution caused by plastic waste. Mr Wee gave an overview of RWDC s business and work with biodegradable bioplastics such as Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) which saw them winning the Temasek Foundation Liveability Challenge The Company won $980,000 for its work with biodegradable straws. (A copy of Mr Wee s presentation is available from the Secretariat.) To give the Club s vote of thanks to Mr Wee, President Mark called upon Rtn Suresh Hathiramani. Rtn Suresh noted that the ultimate goal of human society was to From left: President Mark, Mr Andrew Wee & Rtn Suresh halt or reverse climate change and the mantra to live by was reduce, reuse and recycle. On behalf of the Club, Rtn Suresh wished Mr Wee and his company, great success in the application of this technology to help make our planet more liveable. 5 C r o s s r o a d s

7 Mark Your Diary Birthday Celebrants This Meeting Next Meeting RC sends Birthday greetings to the following celebrants: PP Tapan Rao Hon Secretary Connie Ho 19 September 2018 Reception Desk duty: PP Perlita Tiro & See Mee Lee Sunshine Box: Atul Merchant & Ronald Wong Programme: District Governor Henry Tan s Official Club Visit 26 September 2018 Reception Desk duty: T K Chew & Keizo Fujitake Sunshine Box: PP Paliath Mohandas, Noshir Mistri Speaker: Mr Douglas Faulkner, Rotary Scholar & President, Leatherstocking LLC Topic: Long-time Love Stories Anniversary Celebrants Coming Rotary Events RC sends best wishes to Wedding Anniversary celebrants: Stuart & Michelle Pearce Robert & Judith Craiu International Service Meeting International Service Committee Meeting will be held on: Date: Thursday, 20 September Time: 7.00pm Venue: Moghul Mahal Restaurant, 2 Tessensohn Road, #03-01, S Hosts: Rtn Suresh Keerthi, Rtns Deepu Joseph, Alex Lega & PP Mansoor Hassanbhai Youth Service Meeting Youth Service Committee Meeting will be held on: Date: Thursday, 27 September Time: 7.00pm Venue: To be advised Hosts: Rtns Deblina Chatterjee & James Lee September Basic Education and Literacy Month 18 September 2 nd Club Assembly 19 September DG Henry Tan s Official Visit 22 September FootballPlus Fiesta from 9.30am to 12.30pm at Republic Polytechnic (Woodlands) October Economic and Community Development Month October Help the Children Project in Malang and Batu, Indonesia 24 October World Polio Day 2018 at The Tanglin 1.00pm November Rotary Foundation Month 2-4 November 30 th Pan Borneo Meet C r o s s r o a d s

8 The Four-Way Test Of the things we think, say or do: The Guide to Daily Living Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendship? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Before doing the things we want to do, consider first, the Precepts of the guide. Ask ourselves these 4 questions and act upon them: First: Have I spent some time in self-examination? Second: Have I spent quality time with my family? Third: Have I given my best to my work? Fourth: Have I given some time to someone near and far? The Guide, in fact, encompasses the 4 parts of the Object of Rotary. BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2018/2019 President Immediate Past President President Elect Vice President (Public Relations) Vice President (Membership) Hon. Secretary (Administration) Hon. Treasurer (Finance) Mark Wang Keith Harrison Deepak Nagrani Hassan Moosa Rajkumar Perumal Suppiah Connie Ho Horst Hagemann Directors Chair, Community Service Chair, Vocational Service Chair, International Service Chair, New Generations Service Director (Club Rotary Foundation) Dr Rupesh Agrawal Ronil Sujan Dr Chan Siew Luen Dr Hoh Sek Tien Manish Tibrewal 7 C r o s s r o a d s