Pudu Rotary Club
DISTRICT 3300 MALAYSIA
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A GLIMPSE OF THE PAST
By DG Dr Paul C K LeeWe have just celebrated our 30 years of Rotary activities. During our 25th year anniversary, we had a very successful dinner where we raised over RM 45,000. A Souvenir Magazine was also produced which provided us a rich record of our 25 years of existence. As we move into our next decade of Rotary service, we can't help but feel elated of our tremendous success. We are grateful for the strong foundation laid down by the founding fathers of our Club, for their dedication and sacrifice in the true spirit of Rotary. If our Charter President, the late Douglas Fraser, is with us today, I am sure he will be extremely proud of the Club.
From a seed Doug planted, with a Charter Membership of 25 in 1966, the Club today is one of the largest and most active clubs in District 3300 with a membership of 56.
FELLOWSHIP
We have from the start been a club with strong fellowship. Members have continuously indulged in Rotary fellowship activities beyond the four walls of the meeting room, ie family outstation trips, golfing weekends, overseas family tours etc.We honour our Anns with love and appreciation annually by "Anns' Night". Pudu strongly believes that if our Club is to be effective in our endeavors to serve the community, we must have the support of our Anns. Thus the "Anns' Night" conceived in 1981 as a token of our appreciation, is really a most fitting tribute.
ATTENDANCE
Our Club attendance record has been the envy of many. It is not what we claim, but congratulatory letters have been received from PDGs acknowledging our excellent attendance record annually. Such a claim cannot be emulated by any other Club yearly, when attendance records had been in excess of 80% since the inception.For the last few years, our attendance was well over 95%. We may have won the District Best Club Attendance only once, but we have always been the top 5% without fail every year. When our District included Thailand, our main challenger was the Rotary Club of Lamphoon. Later it was the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya; then the Rotary Club of Kota Melaka; then our daughter club the Rotary Club of Ampang and now the Rotary Club of Ipoh . Pudu must continue with the attendance pace set for it is only with good attendance that we can expect to have strong fellowship; which enables all members to join hands to serve the community in unison.
BULLETIN & CLUB RECORDS
The Club Bulletin (Berita Pudu), is acknowledged as the pace-setter having won the District Best Bulletin Award almost every year in the last 10 years. We can rightly boast of regularity in production without fail EVERY WEEK rain or shine! Credit must go to those super-Rotarians whose dedication have made a much considered monotonous task as Bulletin Editor with much joy and pleasure. Special mention is in order for the longest serving Bulletin Editor, PP V G Chandran, who served a record of 8 years continuously and Rotarian Yow Hon Wah who won 3 District Best Bulletin Awards during his 3 terms as Editor!Our weekly meeting program speakers have also been an asset of Pudu. Week after week, month after month, year after year we have been able to have a speaker at our weekly meeting. We had on occasions resorted to stand-by speakers but we have never needed to convert the meeting to a "business meeting" where visiting Rotarians and guests had to be asked politely to leave!
The historical records of our Club are kept by binding the weekly Berita Pudu (Bulletin) as well as having the President providing in his report at the Installation Souvenir Magazine a detail write-up with photos. These records have on numerous occasions proven to be very useful and informative. Our Pudu Rotary Club Handbook, started in 1973 also served as a useful source of club records.
FINANCES & CHARITY FOUNDATION
The Club's finances were streamlined with Incoming Board of Directors having to produce a budget at the beginning of the Rotary year, thus providing a very systematic and professional approach concerning expenditure of our funds. This also provided all the members a complete knowledge of all the projects and activities of the Rotary year. The Club Funds and Community Funds are distinctly segregated to ensure that funds raised from the public will be spent for the community's benefit.The raising of funds for our projects have been made that much easier because of the Pudu Rotary Charity Foundation. This Foundation with tax-exempt status established in 1971 had been the effort of PP Dato Alex Lee who was one of our Charter members and the Club's sixth President.
Through the efforts of our Charter President, the late Doug Fraser, funds were received from Rotary Clubs, Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors and friends in Australia. A contribution of A$50 (equivalent to RM 125 then) was given to poor students in the Pudu District assisting them in the payment of examination fees, the purchase of books or uniform. The requirement of the recipient having to correspond with the donor resulted in many happy and lasting relationships. The "Donor-Recipient" requirement was catalytic in improving the standard of English of our students. Presently, with such donation getting lesser, Pudu started a Capitalisation Scheme to ensure and perpetuate this worthy project without having to rely solely from overseas donations.
PAST PRESIDENTS' COUNCIL
The formation of a Past Presidents' Council in 1985 is another hallmark of Pudu. The Council though has no legal standing, has been a source of advice for the President. The Past Presidents meet once every month on the last Tuesday for lunch.
NEW GENERATIONS
In Youth activities, we are acknowledged of having one of the largest number of Interact Clubs. Few years ago, we had 10 Interact Clubs and 2 Rotaract Clubs under our sponsorship. Today, we have 9 Interact Clubs and one Rotaract Club. With such large a number of Interact Clubs, we have initiated programs to ensure the smooth administration in guiding and counseling our youths. The yearly Interact Leadership Training Seminar provides the Interact Clubs the knowledge of club administration. The Interact Advisers' Fireside and write-up assist the Rotarians in their onerous task of being Rotarian Advisers. The Interact Advisers' and Teacher Advisers' tea provides an opportunity for exchange of views as well as for Pudu Rotary Club to show her appreciation for the services of the teacher advisers. The 6 Challenge Trophies give the impetus for our Interacters to work hard and compete in their endeavor to serve. The monthly Interact Coordinating Council Meeting provides an opportunity for all the Interact Clubs' leaders to coordinate their activities as well as to share their experiences.CATALYTIC PROJECTS
Go to Innovative Projects
SERVICE TO THE DISTRICT
In service to Rotary, Pudu Rotary Club has also not been lacking. In 1968, the then Vice President V. Arunasalam formed the Rotary Club of Kajang and in 1984, the then DG's Group 4 Representative PP K B Lee formed the Rotary Club of Ampang. For these two clubs' good record of service speaks volumes of the strong foundation laid in their formation.Pudu also played host to two District Assemblies; one in 1972 and the other in 1978. The later being a Sectional District Assembly, was thrust upon us at the eleventh hour, and upon strong request from the District, when the original venue Phuket was not able to receive the large number of Rotarians for the Assembly. The two Assemblies were successfully organised with profits for the District. The greatest task was, when our own Past President K B Lee was elected District Governor for District 330 for Rotary Year 1989/90, during which we had to organise the 4th Rotary International Joint Districts 330, 335 and 336 Conference at Genting Highlands. Although originally the assignment appears a mammoth task but with strong support and total commitment of Pudu Rotarians, success was obvious. The Conference yielded a nett profit of $45,273.43 setting yet another record. We received numerous accolades, the credit should go to each and every Pudu Rotarian who rose to the occasion in showing exemplary performance, in the name of Rotary.
In the year 1998/99, Past President Dr Paul C K Lee assumed the position of District Governor; the second Rotarian in our Club to be given this distinct honour.
Pudu Interact Clubs also organised a District Interact Conference at the University of Malaya in 1980, and in 1986 the Rotaract District Conference was organised by the Rotaract Club of Pudu at Genting Highlands. PP Tharmalingam chaired the organisation of a District RYLA in 1983 at the YMCA at Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur.
In other areas of service, Pudu Past Presidents have continuously served the District in numerous positions such as District Governor's Group Representative, Chairmen of District Committees, District Secretaries, Assistant District Secretaries, District Treasurer etc etc. We also organised the Inter-City Friendship meeting in 1995 during RI President Bill Huntly's visit to our District.
As Pudu Rotarians, if we want to be as successful in the years ahead, then we must continue to "Believe in Rotary" and "Share Rotary to Serve People". We will then surely "Enjoy Rotary" and "Rotary will Bring Hope" to the millions of undernourished, underprivileged and aged. Whilst we "Look Beyond Ourselves" and continue building the future with each RI president's themes, let us also remember our own Club motto of "Involved We Are, Committed We Must Be."
