Ladies and gentlemen. Good evening.

PP Florence Hui

Whenever I tell my Rotary friends that I’m a Rotaractor-turned-Rotarian, they’ll say “You must be very young.” So I keep telling them that I’m a Rotaractor-turn-Rotarian.

I was here 14 years ago when I was installed as the President of the Rotaract Club of Macau by my predecessor, Sam Lei.

Why I’m a Rotaractor-turn-Rotarian?

When children grow up, most of them will become parents. When Rotaractors grow up, will they become Rotarians? If Rotarians are the parents, the Rotaractors will be the next generation… I kept wondering about “To be, or not to be” a Rotairan, especially when I was about to turn 30.

I joined the Rotaract Club of Macau as a chartered member, growing up with my Rotaract buddies and our parent-like partners in service. Having grown up through serving others, I began to realize and truly appreciate what my “partners in service” (our Rotary Leaders) had done. The commitment “to serve” is a long road but I like to keep walking this way so I was inducted to Rotary Club of Macau on 2 July 2005.

Now I direct this question to all Rotarctors here, especially those who are about to turn 30: Why not become a Rotarian to serve further?

I take this opportunity to thank all the Rotarians who have inspired me,

  • My partners-in-service at Rotary Global History Fellowship, including District Governor Albert Wong. They are a group of devoted Rotarians around the world who seize the day as if they had 72 hours a day to preserve Rotary history, values and philosophy.
  • Past District Governors Peter Hall, Dom Vessegualt, Anthony Hung and John Wan.
  • Past President Andrew Jones, Rotary Club of Kowloon, my District Rotaract Chair in 1994/1995 when I was a Rotaract President. (although he couldn’t make it to come here tonight, I still want to thank him for being HIM.)
  • Thanks to all my Rotaract friends, especially those at Rotaract Club of Macau for their support, especially for tolerating my meddling in their business;
  • Thanks to you all at the Rotary Club of Macau for making me the first Rotaract President-turned-Rotary President in his/her mother club in Macau. I’ve learnt so much from you and I know I’ve got much more to learn;
  • Thanks to my proposer, my Rotaract Advisor, PP Ip Pui Fai for his trust in me even though mostly I didn’t listen to him when he was my Advisor.

14 years ago, I quote this from Etienne de Grellet
“I expect to pass this way but once: therefore any good that I can do, or kindness that I can show to any fellow creature let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

Thank God, I know I’m lucky because I could pass this way again!

Today, I would like to quote from George Bernard Shaw (as paraphrased by Robert Kennedy.)
Some look at things the way they are and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?

Let’s Make Dreams Real.
Thank you.

President RC Macau 2008 ~ 9

Related Posts: