Nine
THE ROTARY STORY
CONTINUES (1992/3-1998)
(cont'd - 10)
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Leadership at District Level
An event that has made RCPJ the envy of other Rotary clubs locally and internationally
during the presidency of P.P. Steven Si, was the Club's organisation of the
5th Joint District Conference of Districts 3300 and 3310 held at Hotel Istana
in Kuala Lumpur from 22nd to 24th November 1996. The formidable task of organising
the Joint Conference which coincided with P.P. David Ho's and P.P. M.
Jeyasingam's
term of office for 1996/7 as Governors of the two districts listed above,
fell on the competent shoulders of Chairman, P.P. Goh Seng Chuan and his committee
of dedicated PJ Rotary mates who worked into the eleventh hour to ensure that
the event proceeded smoothly with few hitches. The Conference, prepared on
a grand scale, attracted Rotarians from across the globe and included delegates
from Argentina, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines and Thailand not forgetting
those from the host districts of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. Even a Group
Study Exchange (GSE) team from Australia was present as observers. With RI
President Luis V. Giay and his charming First Lady, Celia, attending the Conference
as guests of honour, the auspicious event was officially declared open by
the Sultan of Perak, DYMM Sultan Azlan Shah who was accompanied by the
Sultanah,
Tuanku Bainun binti Mohd. Ali. The final evening of the Conference drew to
a resplendent close with the gracious presence of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong,
Tuanku Ja'afar Ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman and the Permaisuri Agong,
Tuanku Najihah, at the Governor's banquet.
Participants at the 5th Joint District Conference generally concur with RI President Giay that this was one of the best organised events ever held by a Rotary club. By rating the Conference a perfect '10 ' in terms of organisational ability, programme layout, content matter, choice of subjects and speakers, variety of social functions and entertainment, and last but not least, pleasant hosts, President Giay gave a tremendous boost to the ego of PJ Club. It is easy to understand why he was overwhelmed by the 'whole' event. Apart from the ceremonial pomp which included a presentation of flags and community singing as well as speeches and panel discussions, participating Rotarians were treated to a whole round of sumptuous dinners and fine entertainment, whilst avid golfers were invited to take part in a golf competition at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. Meanwhile, among the many exotic items in the Ladies' Programme that accompanying Anns were exposed to, were facial and culinary demonstrations and talks on Geomancy or "Feng Shui". It should be mentioned in passing that D.G. David Ho was so impressed with the work and support he had obtained from his PJ Rotarians in his year of office that he and his Board named three stalwarts as recipients of the Best Service Awards at district level at the District Assembly held at the Kelana Resort in Seremban in April 1997. The deserving awardees were P.P. Dr. Low Teong, the District Secretary, P.P. Goh Seng Chuan, Organising Chairman for the 5th Joint District Conference and P.P. Dr. Tarcisius Chin, Editor of the District Bulletin.
Rotary Anns to the Forefront
For a Rotary Club like PJ Club that prevents women from joining the movement
as members since many Rotarians still regard the Club as the last bastion
of male exclusivity, it is ironic to discern the deep involvement of spouses
in so many aspects of Club activity. Mention has been made about the work
of Anns in the Puchong clinic in the earlier pages but much more can be said
about their present role as partners and co-workers of their Rotary husbands.
For instance, at the 5th Joint District Conference , Anns made the Club proud
of them when some of them banded together as a choir to belt out the Rotary
'anthem' in front of a sea of astonished faces that belonged to VIP guests
and Rotarians. It is a fact that Seng Chuan and his organising committee will
readily admit that a lot of work behind-the-scenes in preparation for the
Conference was undertaken by the Anns who were led by D.G. David's First Lady,
Elsie Ho. On a few occasions at the residence of Nancy Goh, wives toiled into
the night to help in wrapping gifts, insert Conference papers into folders,
prepare leaflets and banners and also performed other miscellaneous tasks.
At the Conference venue proper, besides their duties as receptionists and
usherettes, Anns also doubled up as tea servers at the 'Tea Corner'. No longer
are Rotary wives content to take a back seat in order to let their men do
all the work and take all the credit!
This gradual emergent role of the Rotary Ann can be traced back to the days of Seng Chuan as President. Then, the Club decided to devote some space in its weekly newspaper, "The Peejay Pos" to the publication of anecdotes, short stories, jokes, recipes and anything else that mattered to women in a column called "The Cosy Corner". Unfortunately, despite an encouraging beginning, the column had to be cancelled when it was found no longer worthwhile to continue its publication since the number of articles had dwindled to a mere handful. Perhaps future Club committees can consider reinserting the ladies' column in the newsletter with the infusion of fresh blood among the younger Anns!
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