Bangkok Rotary Convention tales

Rotary International’s 2013 convention in Portugal is fast approaching, but Rotary Club of Huntsville Lakes of Bays member Alison Brownlee is still reveling in her trip to Thailand for the 2012 convention in Bangkok this past spring.  Alison says her experience in Thailand was one of the most memorable she will ever have, not only because the country she stayed in for two weeks was stunningly beautiful, but also because the international convention opened the new Rotarian’s eyes to Rotary’s impact worldwide.

   Alison with RC Sudbury President Lisa Demers at an outdoor market in Bangkok 

The first five days of Alison’s trip were dedicated to the conference. After travelling 25 hours to Bangkok from Toronto (with a brief stopover at the Shanghai airport in China), the wearing traveller welcomed the rest afforded by sitting in a chair at the convention.
But while in that chair, Alison says she heard some of the most impassioned speakers discuss topics such as Rotary’s collaborative projects that bring water, education and health care to people in developing countries. Others spoke about youth’s increasing involvement in humanitarian leadership. And still more spoke about Rotary’s ceaseless commitment to ending polio.

 A beautiful view of the river Kwai

“Going to Thailand as a Rotarian not only gave me an opportunity to see what a diverse and influential humanitarian organization Rotary International is, but it also enabled me to experience firsthand Rotary’s purpose of building peace through international fellowship and understanding,” says Alison.
Polio eradication was in the spotlight for much of the convention. Rotary Foundation trustee John Germ told the more than 35,000 Rotarians attending the convention that Rotary had exceeded its $200 million fundraising goal to help eliminate the debilitating disease, but more help was needed.
John said the final one per cent of the disease was the hardest to treat because those affected are largely in war-torn, remote or politically unstable regions in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.  Rotary’s leaders urged members to continue the fight against polio.
“We can’t stop until the world is polio free,” said John. “That was the promise.”

    Convention main stage designed with 2011-2012 theme "Reach Within to Embrace Humanity"

Rotary International’s 2012-13 president, Sakuji Tanaka, was introduced during the convention. Tanaka spoke about his vision of peace as more than just the absence of war. But he explained Rotary also helps create peace in the simplest sense – by reducing conflict. “Peace means different things to different people. No definition is right or wrong,” said Tanaka. “No matter what peace means to us, Rotary can help us achieve it.” He then unveiled his presidential theme of Peace Through Service.

Alison, as her club’s new generations chair, attended seminars geared toward youth involvement in Rotary. Speakers discussed how important it is to instill Rotary’s message of service above self in youth in our communities as earlier as possible, whether through Interact clubs, youth exchange programs or volunteer opportunities.

The convention was also filled with cultural demonstration that included traditional dance routines, Muay Thai boxing, and musical performances.  Alison’s travels to the Kanchanaburi, Chiang Mai and Kho Chiang regions in Thailand after the convention enhanced her cultural understanding of the country further.
She regaled the club with stories of visits to elephant sanctuaries, sacred Buddhist temples and national rainforest parks (it was in the parks that she discovered spiders the size of her face, she says).

Alison encouraged every Rotarian to attend an international convention not only to participate in Rotary International’s principle annual event, but to learn more about the countries in which the conventions are held.