PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Tuesday, 29th June 2010
at
The Grand Dorsett

Incoming District Governor Lim Kok Beng
Incoming President Leong Yeng Kit and Ann Fiona
PDGs Dato’ Dr Low Teong, David Ho and Dr Joe Rajendran
AG Farouk Nurish
Rotary leaders past, present and future
Past Presidents
Rotarians and Anns
Ladies and Gentlemen

As I stand before you this evening in my last act, permit me to express my feelings as the President of the RCPJ. It is a mixed bag of feelings of sadness and relief. Sadness because it is going to end soon and I am going to miss the challenges of deadlines, luncheon meetings, speeches and the many obligatory functions in Rotary. Relief because I can now go back to some of the things I have planned to do. One of these is to go back to Sydney more often to see our granddaughter.

In the past year, I have learned. I have learned about people. I have also learned about Rotary. Indeed, I must thank you all for giving me this opportunity to learn. I have to add that I enjoyed my Presidency. It has helped me to have greater patience and tolerance for others.

Our Club has done extremely well in our projects and activities. We completed all the projects we set out to do except for one. We won three awards, two of them indeed very prestigious. 

We won the Rotary International District 3300 SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. We submitted Project Beautiful Gate.

We won the BEST BULLETIN AWARD for Clubs with 25 Members and More.

These two are the most prestigious awards. In addition to these two, we won a Special Award for the Fully Compliant CLP Club.

We also received the Presidential Citation for RY 2009/10. These awards are on display at the front table.

At this juncture, I have to express my gratitude, on behalf of our Club, to PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong for writing up the reports and submitting them on time. Whatever he had written has now turned into gold. Thank you, LT.

There are several people I have to thank. Without them supporting me, my year of office would have been uneventful. With much humility, allow me to say thank you so much to these generous and wonderful people for taking our RCPJ to a greater height. My sincere gratitude to all Rotarians and Anns, including my wife, Irene, and friends of Rotary. Thank you, my Board of Directors and Advisers. Your co-operation and advice have been recorded with much gratitude. Thank you also to all the Chairmen of the projects and activities. Thank you to our Rotary friends, Shirin and Clare who have worked with us for one Rotary year.

Let me now convert my appreciation and gratitude for the following people:

1.0 Presidential Awards

A Rotarian who has given his fullest support and words of guidance. He proposed me to Rotary and then strongly encouraged me to take up the Presidency 14 years later. He is holding positions in the club that others are hesitant to do so. He is the Editor, Sergeant-at-arms, Adviser to the Board and other responsibilities that he voluntarily has taken on. He works like the speed of lightening that I cannot match. Ladies and gentlemen, he is none other than PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong. It is my pleasure to bestow on him the first Presidential Award.
Thank you, LT, for all your guidance and advice.

The second Presidential Award goes to a Rotarian and a good friend who has given me unstinting support. He has never said no. We made a pact to hold the position for two years. We succeeded. In his year as President, I worked closely with him and learned a lot from him. One of our greatest achievements was the RCPJ Charity Dinner and Show. We raised RM130,000. He is our IPP Dato’ Kevin Yong.
Thank you, Kevin, for being there for me.

2.0 The Four Avenues of Service Citation Award

This is a Rotary International Award for an Individual Rotarian who has excelled in the Four Avenues of Service. And the Certificate is awarded and signed by the RI President, John Kenny on the recommendation of the President of the RCPJ.

I will now call upon PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong to read the citation.

I would like to add that he is better known as the Dama man. He and his Ann almost completely raised RM90,000 in the Dama Musical Show that we are so proud of. I would like to request Ann Karen to come forward to share this moment.

3.0 My Board of Directors

Thank you, Directors for giving me the opportunity to work with you. It has been a great pleasure. I appreciate your hard work and dedication in your Standing Committees.

1. PE Leong Yeng Kit
2. VP Jack Lim
3. Hon Secretary, Margaret Soo
4. Hon Treasurer, Tony Ong
5. IPP and New Gens Director: Dato’ Kevin Yong
6. Director Club Administration, PP Balram Menon
7. Director Club Public Relations, PP Michael Chua
8. Director Membership, PP Dr Tarcisius Chin
9. Director Service Projects, Rtn Koh Kia Heong
10. Director The Rotary Foundation, PP Yap Swee Fatt

And of course, my Advisers to the Board.

11. PDG David Ho
12. PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong

4.0 Special Awards 

I would like to honour the following for their services:

1. Sergeant-at-arms: PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong
2. Club Care: PP JD John
3. Weekly Speakers & SuperMum: VP Jack Lim
4. Family Day: PP Albert Yong
5. Club Bulletin: PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong
6. Attendance: PP Tara Singh Gill
7. Publicity: Rtn Rianne Chin
8. Membership Drive: Rtn KO
9. Golden Child Project: PDG David Ho
10. Honouring the Professions: Rtn Loo Kit Choong
11. International Nite: PP Goh Seng Chuan
12. Sister-club Hosting: Rtn Capt. Shashi Dharan
13. Joint Cheer: PP Teo Woon Hud
14. Rea-da-book Project: PP Yung Seng Fook
15. Water & Sanitation: PP Michael Toh
16. Polio-eradication collection: PP Datuk Abdul Rahman Ramli
17. Project Beautiful Gate: PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong
18. Venue & Menu: PP Rupert Goldman
19. Charity Concert & SuperCamp: Rtn Pua Boon Yee
20. Assistant Club Care: PP Chris Ng

5.0 Attendance

Category A: 100% Special Awards solely own Club Attendance and makeup from other clubs

1. PP Dr Tarcisius Chin
2. PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong
3. President Dr Eric Wong

Category B: 100% with makeup from various sources

1. PP Michael Chua
2. PP Tara Singh Gill
3. PP Goh Seng Chuan
4. PDG David Ho
5. Rtn Krishna Moorthy
6. VP Jack Lim
7. PP Balram Menon
8. PP Chris Ng
9. PP Ong See Seng
10. PP Teo Woon Hud
11. PP Michael Toh
12. PP Yap Swee Fatt
13. PP Albert Yong
14. IPP Dato’ Kevin Yong
15. PDG Dato’ Dr Low Teong
16. PP Dr Tarcisius Chin
17. President Dr Eric Wong

6.0 Awards for Friends of Rotary

1. Bulletin: Ms Shirin
2. Webmaster: Ms Clare

7.0 My Personal Awards

1. For Advice and Assistance in Group 11: AG Farouk Nurish
2. The Concentrated Language Encounter: Ann Girija Menon

And a special award for the oldest Past President. Thank you for participating in this Swan Song & Installation: PP Wong Nang Dick.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you once again. You have been wonderful!

President Dr Eric Wong
RY2009/10

Tonight President Dr Eric Wong is going to make a presentation of the Four Avenue of Service Award by Rotary International to an outstanding member of RCPJ.

The Four Avenue of Service Award is awarded by Rotary International on the nomination of President Dr Eric Wong and there is only one award per year for each club. RI Officers, Past, Present and Future are not eligible.

The Award provides for a way for the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya to personally recognize one club member for his outstanding efforts in the four avenue of service. The club member must have demonstrated support of the Object of Rotary through his participation each of the four avenue of service. Recipients must be an active Rotarian and can only receive the award once.

The recipient for Rotary year 2009-2010 is PP Teo Woon Hud.

His contributions to RCPJ for the year includes:

1. Chairing the very successful Dama Musical Show that raised over RM 70,000 for both the club Charity and Club Account – Club Service
2. Actively helping the club raised RM 15,000 for the Supermum project in Penang-Vocational Service
3. Co-organise the Project Golden Child in A’Formosa. – Community Service
4. Serve as an active liaison between RCPJ and RC Hongkong Island West and RC Chungli. A Major Donor of the Rotary Foundation. – International Service.

I have the pleasure to invite PP Teo Woon Hud to come forward to receive the framed Four Avenue of Service Award signed by RI President John Kenny from President Dr Eric Wong.

District Governor Lim Kok Beng, assistant Governor Mani Chandran and his charming Ann Sharon, Past District Governors present this evening, Presidents of Rotary clubs in District 3300, President Eric Wong, First Lady Irene, President Elect Jack, Vice President Koh Kia Heong and their respective Anns, my fellow Rotarians of RCPJ.

I cannot recollect having being voted in as President, as I was overseas working during the last three AGMs of our club since 2007, 2008 and 2009 when I was voted in as VP, PE and President guys respectively. Does that still count or invalidate my presidency as I was voted in absentia. Well, thank you guys for this accolade of honour – to helm our beloved club through its 50th Anniversary.

Thank you my fellow board members and all members of RCPJ for your support and dedicated service, as we make this year another great year to remember by. Thank you President Eric for showing us the way in the first year we implemented the CLP and we continue that with some improved modifications learnt this year.

There is no policy speech tonight. We shall keep that for our first luncheon meeting, where we will get down to business and talk shop. OK, but I will only state this one policy though – you keep up your great Rotary work, I keep my speeches very short and it’s a win-win situation for team RCPJ. When Government Minister or elected parliamentarians take office, they each need to declare their assets. In RCPJ, when you get elected as President, I was given a Statutory Declaration to declare my weight as at 1st July….so guys, looks like I need to be hanging around the salad bar a little more.

Thank you again. Have a good evening everyone.

This being the final issue and reporting on the Swan Song and Handover Night will be a bumper issue. It will not follow the usual format but will instead have the full text of President Dr Eric’s Swan Song on the first page and continuing inside, the text of In-Coming President Yeng Kit’s speech, the Four Avenue of Service Award to PP Teo Woon Hud, the final Editorial and nine pages of photographs.

When I took up the post in April-May 2009 we had planned for an Editorial Committee with a number of names in the Committee. It is now very obvious that the proposal did not worked out as I ended up producing every issue of the PeeJay Pos myself, even when I was overseas. I had to catch up on the issues on my return with help from President Dr Eric. But I am not complaining because when I agree to take up a job I will always try to do my best. And I enjoyed producing each issue every week. It was the race against time that sometimes get me a little worked up. 

The winning of the Best Club Bulletin (Print) for Clubs above 25 members made all the effort very worthwhile. The last time we won the same award was a very long time ago. Over recent years we did received some of the minor awards for club bulletin. This award had been won by RC Pudu for many years continuously until this year where they were the runner-up. There is never any doubt that RC Pudu also produces an excellent club bulletin.

Let me take this opportunity to thank some of my fellow members for their contributions to the PeeJay Pos. First I must thank President Dr Eric Wong for editing every issue and contributing reports and photos of event that I was not present. He constant encouragement and compliments certainly helped me to keep going. We worked very well throughout the year. My thanks to Ms Clare Law our webmaster who converted my various sections into a beautiful club bulletin. The following contributed Editorials to the bulletin: PDG David Ho, PP Ong See Seng, PP Balram Menon and PP Dr Tarcisius Chin. Thank you my friends. I had hoped that every member will write something but it did not worked out. My thanks to PP Teo Woon Hud who taught me to use Picasa. It really made sending photos to Clare so much easier especially when she was overseas.My thanks to each and every member of RCPJ who have contributed in one way or another to the success of the PeeJay Pos this year. Finally my thanks also goes to Ms Shireen Lim in my office who provided me with tons of secretarial back-up.

Member often wonder whether anyone ever reads the PeeJay Pos? I at times also wondered. But let me assure you that many of our members do read the club bulletin. This is because I have been questioned many times on the contents. Fortunately I had an acceptable answer for all of them. Anyway to all the members of RCPJ I hope you have enjoyed reading the PeeJay Pos for the last 47 weeks.

To my friend PE Jack Lim who is the next Editor, I wish you all the best. It is a difficult assignment but I am sure you can do it. After all there is nothing in voluntary service that is easy. It will take a little of your time each week but I am sure you will soon get to enjoy it. Over to you my friend, Jack.