President s Message Fellow Rotarians, Rotary Club of Raffles City. Rotary International Calendar: April Maternal and Child Health Month

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1 President s Message Fellow Rotarians, First of all, I would like to extend my deep appreciation to Vice- President Aaron Tan, IPP Corina Lai and President-Elect (PE) Nidhi Swarup for covering for me over the last three weeks. My work travel schedule has been quite hectic so I have been missing in action during our lunch meetings. Thank you Aaron, Corina and Nidhi for pinchhitting for me! Rotary Club of Raffles City Singapore District 3310 Chartered 13 August 1980 Rotary International Calendar: April Maternal and Child Health Month Weeks of 10 th and 17 th of April 2016 I would also like to thank our Vocational Services Director Tengku Sri Indra for conducting a successful Career Symposium in TPJC. The auditorium was brimming with students and parents for the entire session. Tengku was his usual vibrant self, and he kept the audience energized and inspired by his speech. For this year, we tried a new format where we divided the speakers into two groups so each speaker had about 15 minutes to describe their industries and available work opportunities. It was a very effective format that allowed the students to learn about a broad spectrum of fields. There were lots of good questions on skills needed in today s environment, the difficulty of the field, stress management, and globalization, among others. Of course, time ran short and we all had to saunter to the lunch reception, which gave us a chance to field more questions from the students. Needless to say, the opportunities abound in today s borderless world, and I hope that the students will choose a path where they can excel and have the passion to constantly make a difference in their own fields; at the same time, to make this world a better place for the next generation. With two months left in the Rotary Year, I would like to invite everyone to attend our club assembly on the 3 rd of May. PE Nidhi Swarup will be presenting the District and club goals for the upcoming Rotary Year. It will be another year packed with service projects and fellowship activities. I hope that you are able to attend this important meeting. - Sigrid G. Zialcita Page 1 of 14

2 RCRC Lunch Meeting 12 th of April RTN Geoff Hogg IPP Corina Lai opened the meeting with about 19 members and guests in attendance including four visiting Rotarians all from West Lakes Rotary Club in South Australia. They were Gary and Teresa West with Keven Kendle and Susan together with our guest speaker Mr. Andrew Psarianos. Rotarian (RTN) Andrew Schleider formally welcomed the guests and proposed the toast to RI. PP Jeffrey Chan announced news of the forthcoming Rotary Council Meeting in Chicago to review and update Rotary rules especially with a view to making them more attractive for new members to improve retention rates. He also announced an especially interesting speaker for next week Khushroo Dastur, the head of private banking at Citi, to talk about money laundering. RTN Tengku Indra Meanwhile, everyone tucked into their food while the announcements continued. The lunch menu included samosas, lemon chicken, stir fried broccoli with straw mushrooms, fish fillet with Thai sauce, SCC mee goreng, followed by fresh fruits and brownies. There was a brief announcement by RTN Tengku Sri Indra, reminding all about the Career Symposium taking place at TPJC this weekend. Soon the time had arrived for RTN Judy Tan to introduce the guest speaker, Mr. Andrew Psarianos on "Art & Importance of Story Telling to Engage an Audience" RTN Judy Tan Andrew talked about digital and content communications and its important use across all industries touching on the art and importance of storytelling to engage an audience. With over 30 years of storytelling experience across all sectors of corporate video broadcast television and film making, Andrew shared with us briefly his own story. Working across the traditional broadcast medium and also Digital content generation, he is a highly experienced international producer, director, and cameraman, dealing with content development documentaries, promos, corporate CEOs, conferences, training videos, and crisis management. Page 2 of 14

3 RCRC Lunch Meeting 12 th of April (Cont.) RTN Geoff Hogg He explained how he works with clients to tell their story in the exciting world of Digital and Content distribution. In this high-tech environment attention spans can be as little as 15 seconds to deliver the story. We were treated to a short video to emphasize his message and then reminded that the five critical questions to make any story are still: WHAT-WHEN-WHO-WHY-HOW There were a few questions from the audience then it was left to PP Tengku to thank Andrew for his most informative presentation. This was followed by a brief photo call with visiting Rotarians and our guest speaker then IPP Corina closed the formal meeting very promptly at 1.40 allowing fellowship to continue. IPP Corina Lai (right) and RTN Judy Tan presented a gift to Mr. Andrew Psarianos (center) who spoke on "Art & Importance of Story Telling to Engage an Audience" during RCRC lunch meeting on the 12th of April. ROTARY S GUIDING PRINCIPLES The Four Way Test Object of Rotary In 1932, Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor created The Four-Way Test. The test, which has been translated into more than 100 languages, asks the following questions: Of the things we think, say or do 1. Is it the TRUTH? 2. Is it FAIR to all concerned? 3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? 4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster: FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian s occupation as an opportunity to serve society; THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian s personal, business, and community life; FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service. Page 3 of 14

4 Show Your Gratitude to Your Employers Tengku Indra Jeremy Lee,a Junior College Year Two Student at a local JC,talked to his Entrepreneur Uncle on his Career Direction for the future. He is very passionate of becoming an Entrepreneur and therefore aspires to read Business Administration in three years time at the National University of Singapore after completing his National Service obligation. But his parents are so insistent that he chooses to read Medicine as they feel Medicine is a Professional Degree which presumably can earn him a lot of money compared to being an Entrepreneur which is risky in their minds. He is really in a dilemma. Should he pursue his passion and go against the wishes of his parents or simply enroll for a Medical Study and feel completely unhappy in his tertiary education? This problem is common amongst many Singapore JC students as well as parents. In the light of this issue among others, our club in partnership with Tampines Junior College has been organizing annual career symposiums since RTN Tengku Indra Keynote Speaker In his Keynote Speech on "Stepping into the Working World, RCRC Vocational Services Director, Tengku Sri Indra stressed the following five important points to the students: 1. Know your Strengths 2. Work well with your Bosses 3. Take Initiative 4. Demonstrate Leadership 5. Show Gratitude to your employers! This year, organized on 16 th of April, was the fifth time seeing the largest turnout of almost 400 comprising of students and parents. We were strongly supported with the presence of several Rotarians such as PP Vincent Chen, PP Wee Koon San and his family, and PP Khushroo Dastur from the Rotary Club of Tanglin. As in previous years we have invited many distinguished speakers who are professionals in their fields. These speakers include our Rotarians from RCRC as well as others from various Singapore organizations such as the Maritime and Risk Management. Topics of discussion which were grouped into two clusters include the following: Education Services, Banking, Real Estate, Insurance and Risk Management, Medical Services, Hospitality, Engineering, Communication and Media, Accountancy and Finance, Marine and Offshore Engineering, Maritime Services, and Legal. Special thanks go to all speakers for their dedication and commitment in sharing their experiences with the students in particular our very own President Sigrid Zialcita, PP Dr. Low Cze Hong, RTN Brian Tan, IPP Corina Lai, RTN Judy Tan, and Susan Chan (spouse of PP Jeffrey Chan). The keynote address ended with the entire audience singing Lulu s classic song To SIR with Love led by President Sigrid in remembrance of the point about Gratitude in the Working World. Page 4 of 14

5 TPJC Career Symposium 16 th of April TPJC Career Symposium Speakers with Ms. Pamela Yoong (Principal of TPJC) RTN Tengku Indra Keynote Speaker RTN Judy Tan Communication & Media IPP Corina Lai Accountancy & Finance Service Page 5 of 14

6 TPJC Career Symposium 16 th of April (Cont.) AG Dr. Low Cze Hong Medical Services PE Nidhi Swarup Moderator Mrs. Susan Chan Education Services Pres. Sigrid Zialcita Real Estate RTN Brian Tan Hospitality Mr. Fabian Wiedermann Banking Services Page 6 of 14

7 RCRC Lunch Meeting 19 th of April RTN Geoff Hogg President Sigrid Zialcita opened the meeting at 1pm. It was very well attended with around 23 members and guests. It fell upon RTN Jaya Prakash to welcome the guests from far and wide. Visiting us from the Rotary Club of Jerusalem we had RTN Mark Zober and RTN Marilyn Farber who had literally just stepped off the plane from Israel earlier that morning. From the Rotary Club of Singapore we had Yap Lip Kee along with Anoop Sonpar a guest of Florian and Jessica Lim a guest of Eugene, as well as our very popular guest speaker PP Khushroo Dastur, RC Tanglin. This was followed by PP Frankie Tan who proposed the toast to RI. The floor was then turned over to President Sigrid who reminded us all of the exciting program at the upcoming District Conference in Chiang Mai. She also took the opportunity to re iterate to everyone about the planned trip to our sister club in Peninsula Hong Kong scheduled for mid-june and looking for any further participation by interested members. RTN Marilyn Farber from Israel then shared with us some interesting facts on her club. It is the only English-speaking Rotary Club in her country and suggested that we should consider partnering with them as a sister club. Meanwhile, the rest continued enjoying their SCC lunch whic h included Caesar salad, soup of the day, grilled chicken chop, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, a clip polio pasta, followed by fresh fruits and tiramisu. PP Jeffrey Chan provided an update from the recent Rotary Council Meeting in Chicago to review and update rotary rules especially with a view to making them more attractive for RTN Jaya Prakash PP Frankie Tan RTN Marilyn Farber Page 7 of 14

8 RCRC Lunch Meeting 19 th of April (Cont.) RTN Geoff Hogg new members to improve retention rates. He then went on to give his usual most eloquent introduction of the guest speaker AG Khushroo Dastur, Managing Director of Sirrus Advisory, whose talk was on "Money Laundering." Khushroo is an authority on Private Banking and Business Risk Management and regularly speaks on compliance related matters as guest speaker at conferences across Asia Pacific. He has also been lecturing at The Wealth Management Institute, The International Compliance Association and The Financial Training AG Khushroo Dastur Institute (set up by SMU and MAS). Mr. Dastur has a Bachelors Degree in Commerce (B.Com) as well as in Law (LLB) from Bombay University, and is also a Chartered Accountant. He provided a helpful overview of how bankers responsibilities are evolving in Wealth Management and explained the KYC procedures and rationale. This led us to the topical Panama papers and the Mossak Fonseca documents leaked by the ICU. 2.6 terabytes of information revealing 14,000 clients of whom 140 were politicians and public officials. Whilst having an offshore company is not illegal, the onus is now more than ever for bankers to police potential money laundering with the prospect of massive fines and criminal charges for bankers failings that come to light. He cited the President Sigrid presenting a gift to AG Khushroo recent $1.8 billion fine for HSBC shortcomings Dastur of RC of Tanglin, who gave an insightful talk on over Mexican business. Bankers in Singapore Money Laundering during RCRC lunch meeting on have a responsibility to report suspicious the 19th of April. transactions to the MAS and it is a criminal offence to warn the client that action has been taken. There were numerous controversial questions from a most engaged audience with Khushroo deftly sidestepping any references to the current Malaysian financial scandal and with 2pm nearing PP Vincent Chen stepped forward to thank PP Khushroo for his most informative talk. President Sigrid then closed the formal part of the meeting while informal fellowship and financial gossip continued. Page 8 of 14

9 Rotary International Presidential Message K.R. Ravindran Many years ago, in Kolkata, India, I had the chance to meet Mother Teresa. She was an incredible woman with an incredible force of personality. When she walked down the street, the crowd parted in front of her like the Red Sea. Yet when you talked to her, if you mentioned the tremendous things she had done, she almost did not engage in this topic at all. By many reports, if you asked her what her greatest achievement was, she would answer, "I am an expert in cleaning toilets." The answer was both humorous and absolutely serious. Her business was caring for others. Toilets had to be cleaned, so she cleaned them. There was no question of a job being beneath her. Helping people who needed help was her work, and there was nothing higher, nothing in the world more important than that. So one day, when an elegantly dressed man came to Kolkata looking for Mother Teresa, the nuns who answered the door informed him that she was at the back of the house, cleaning the toilets. They pointed the way, and indeed he found Mother Teresa scrubbing the toilets. She said hello, assumed he was there to volunteer, and began explaining to him how to hold the toilet brush correctly and how not to waste water. Then she put the brush in his hand and left him standing there, in his expensive suit, alone in the lavatory. Later, the man came out, found Mother Teresa again, and said, "I have finished; may I speak with you now?" "Yes, certainly," she said. He took an envelope out of his pocket and said, "Mother Teresa, I am the director of the airline, and here are your tickets. I just wanted to bring them to you personally." That airline director told that story again and again for the rest of his life. He said those 20 minutes spent cleaning toilets had filled him with the greatest joy he had ever known because by putting his hands to Mother Teresa's work, he became part of that work. For those 20 minutes, he cared for the sick just as she did: with his own hands, his own sweat. That is exactly the opportunity that Rotary gives us. We might not do what Mother Teresa did give up our lives, our homes, our families. But for 20 minutes, 20 hours, 20 days of the year, we can be like her. We can do the work that others will not with our hands, and our hearts, and our sweat, and our devotion knowing that what we do is the most important work in the world. Page 9 of 14

10 Upcoming Events Month Date Time Event April 26 12:45 President Dennis Carroll, Rotary Club of Changi 29 District 3310 Conference 3 12:45 PE Nidhi Swarup - Club Assembly: Presentation of RY Goals May 10 12:45 RTN Eddie Chng - The Boom and Burst of the Financial Sector and How Hedge Funds Affect the Real World 17 12:45 Alvin Yapp Peranakan Culture 21 17:00 Inter-City Dinner Meeting SAVE THE DATE: District 3310 Conference 29 th of April 2016 Chiang Mai, Thailand Contact: PP Jeffrey Chan Intercity Meet with RI President K.R. Ravindran 21 st of May, 17:00 pm Venue: TBD Contact: Pres. Sigrid Zialcita Visit to Thong Keng 29th of May 2016 Contact: RTN Brian Tan RI Convention 28 th of May 1 st of June 2016 Seoul, Korea Contact: RTN Luis Coronado RC of Hong Kong Peninsula Ruby Gala Dinner 16 th 19 th of June 2016 JW Marriott Pacific Place, Hong Kong Contact: RTN Stanley Yap RCRC Charity Gala Dinner 13th of August 2016 Marina Mandarin Page 10 of 14

11 Upcoming Events Page 11 of 14

12 Birthdays, Wedding Anniversaries, etc. BIRTHDAY April 14 April 15 April 16 RTN Florian Weidinger PP Vincent Chen PP David Ong WEDDING ANNIVERSARY April 20 RTN Yoshihisa Endo INVITATION FROM ROTARY CLUB OF PENINSULA Page 12 of 14

13 The Weeks of 10 th and 17 th of April in Pictures IPP Corina Lai exchanged banners with visiting Rotarians (Gary and Teresa West, Kevin and Susan Kendle) from the West Lakes Rotary Club in Adelaide, South Australia on the 12th of April. President Sigrid exchanged banners with husband and wife, Dr. Mark Alan Zober and Dr. Marilyn Farber of the Jerusalem Rotary Club District Israel. Both have also previously served as presidents of their club. RCRC lunch meetings held on the 12 th of April (top row) and 19 th of April (bottom row). Page 13 of 14

14 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS (Left to Right) Judy Tan (Public Relations), Mohan Pillay (Sgt. at Arms), Aaron Tan (Vice-President), Florian Weidinger (Hon. Secretary), Kaka Singh (Hon. Treasurer), T.C. Phua (Club Service), Brian Tan (Youth Service), Jeffrey Chan (Asst. Secretary), Jochen Krauss (Community Service), Sigrid Zialcita (President), Ron Pereira (Projects Director), Corina Lai (IPP), Nidhi Swarup (President-Elect), Johnson Tan (International Service), Wee Koon San (Sgt. at Arms), Tengku Sri Indra (Vocational Service), Chris Mertz (Sgt. at Arms), David Ong Choon (Membership), Eugene Lim. (Family of Rotary/Sports Convenor). (Not in Picture) Vincent Chen (Rotary Foundation) BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS RCRC Past Presidents 1980 to 2015 (Left to right) Charter President Low Siew Joon, Charter Member Chris Mertz, PDG Philbert Chin, Charter Member PP David Lee Fong Lit Page 14 of 14