Nine
THE ROTARY STORY
CONTINUES (1992/3-1998)
(cont'd - 2)
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First Among Equals?
What must members of a club do, one might ask, before a club attains primacy
in the district? Is it the regular attendance of members at weekly club meetings
or is it the special projects the club undertakes or is it a combination of activities
plus a host of other factors that should be taken into consideration before
a club can achieve supremacy?
In terms of weekly attendance, the percentage for a club like RCPJ that has 60 to 70 members at any one time, has consistently been between 60% to 75% in the last few years. This percentage is by no means a high one that would help the Club win any award for good attendance as some other clubs in the district have been able to obtain percentages that surpassed the 80% category even though they might have comparatively fewer members. Even the number of "hundred percenters" that is, members who did not miss a single meeting, have only been in the range of 12 to 18 in RCPJ in any given year. So what dreams did Seng Chuan have when he and his committee visualised a premier RCPJ three years hence down the line? It was obvious to the task force then that poor attendance and low membership were problems that had to be redressed if the Club was intent on fulfilling its ambition of gaining supremacy at district level.
Although concerted efforts have been made during this period by the Club committees, especially under the term of the zestful Dr. Low Teong as Club Director, to enlist new members in a bid to increase Club membership, it was essential at the same time to ensure that quality was not compromised for quantity. To this effect, several measures were taken by RCPJ to enhance the quality of new Rotarians in a bid to make them more dedicated and committed. First of all, to get introducers more involved with their "inductees", a brief containing details and ideals of the Rotary movement was circulated to the two parties. A "mentor" selected from among the pool of more experienced Rotarians was also provided to 'rookie' members to familiarise them with the activities and projects of the Club in the event of necessity. To round up the familiarisation procedure, "fireside" sessions were held at the residences of senior Rotarians for newly inducted members to make them feel at home.
Meanwhile, measures taken to improve weekly attendance at club meetings were not always fruitful. Even Jack Lim's gimmick of 'make up or pay up' resulted only in raising attendance percentages temporarily. In response to criticisms that dull luncheon speakers were a contributory factor to poor attendance, the Club organisers tried to remedy the situation by inviting speakers to talk on more varied and exciting topics ranging from health to the information highway so as to enliven meetings, but even then, such attempts were still not good enough to boost flagging numbers. It would seem that only the occasional dinner meetings which replaced the lunch sessions and often doubled up as Fellowship functions with the inclusion of Rotary Anns managed to make a difference to the weekly attendance chart. Moreover, to get out of the tedium of holding meetings at the same venue and tasting the same bland food at the PJ Hilton, some of the evening meetings were held at more exotic outlets like the "Out of Africa Restaurant", the "Windmill Restaurant" and the "Country Barn".
Besides providing fun and merriment, evening meetings could be staid and solemn occasions held to commemorate special events such as the 50th Anniversary of the death of Paul Harris, the Rotary movement's Founder, which occurred during the term of P.P. Steven Si on 21 January 1997 at the Subang Glenmarie Resort. Such meetings were also held in conjunction with certain thematic activities as was the case with "World Understanding Month", organised under the direction of the International Service Committee where foreign dignitaries whose countries were selected for the celebrated event were invited to grace the occasion. Examples of these included "Russian Night", "German Night", "A Night in Madrid" and a "A Night in Chile". These events were meant not only to foster international understanding and goodwill among RCPJ members and foreign emissaries residing in Kuala Lumpur, but they also gave Rotarians an insight into different cultures and customs as depicted in the food, costumes, handicrafts and dances of the foreign countries presented on these occasions. Rotarians and their wives could sample "Russian Bosch", "Paella", "Sangria", "Brutwurst" and "Chilli con Carne" while at the same time, witness fast and titillating dance numbers like the "Macarena" and the "Flamenco" at these fellowship evenings.
While it can be observed that social events do play a significant part in forging and strengthening bonds of friendship among people of different professions within the Club, it cannot be overstated that the main purpose of Rotarians is to serve society and Mankind in general. This underlying objective is emphasised annually when each President of Rotary International presents his motto which is meant to be the guiding theme for the whole movement during his year of office. Hence mottoes articulating that "Real Happiness is Helping Others" and beckoning Rotarians to "Believe in what you do; Do what you Believe in", "Be a Friend", "Serve with Love", "Build the Future with Action and Vision" and "Show Rotary Cares" all carry a similar message: that Rotarians have a mission to further the interests of society. In that respect, it is incumbent on every Rotarian to be affiliated to one of the four avenues of service, namely, Club, Community, Vocational and International. PJ Club had the honour of being the first club in the district to add on a fifth, namely, Youth, to its avenues of service in 1970. It is not uncommon for some of the more active PJ members to be invited to sit on two committees in a given year as the Club realises that these are the reliable ones who can offer valuable inputs to discussions and projects. On the other hand, "deadwood" or lethargic members known by the acronym "RINO" (Rotarians In Name Only) who perhaps faithfully attend weekly luncheon meetings and merely lend their names as members to one committee or another also exist but they make little impact on the Club.
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