Diary

Rotary Club of Port Pirie

Diary entries of Bob Ward

Friday 11th of May 2007 - 09:51:52 AM
Reflection
Can't believe that I've been back for a month now and haven't put in any closing remarks, so thought it better late than never. The last month has been particulary hectic, almost like being in the Philippines. So, how was this exchange? As a Team Leader I was blessed with a great team. Each of the individuals bought something special of themselves which enhanced the performance of the team and resulted in the Rotarians of District 3790 embracing them as their own. Melissa, or mum as she became affectionately known, was a favourite with our hosts. In part this was because she was seen as a fun person, always chatty and wanting to be on the go. During any presentation she talked about Australian animals and had the audience facinated with her animal puppets. Tireless to the end she managed to look after any health issues we managed to run into. Natasha, the quiet one. Our hosts quickly latched onto the fact that Natasha had a real "thirst" for looking at water projects and trying to understand them and the difficulties that each project presented. As a result she was always off to see one project or another. From the team perspective she was often the one making the quiet approach suggesting a particular need for something to be done or managed Peter, the intrepid reporter. In a sense he became the reality check because he always had the one liner that either bought a smile to the face or bought us back to reality in certain situations. I'd often hear "Did you hear Peter's comment about .....", and it was always complimentary. His vocational visits probably lacked the depth that he was looking for but the journalist in him always looked for the human issues that the rest of us often didn't see. Simon! Why I had so much trouble with his vocation I'll never know. I had him as a Science, Maths or Physics teacher, everything except Chemistry. His passion for science came through during the exchange and he showed a curiosity for almost everything. Took some adjusting to Philippine time in that a "9am departure doesn't mean a 9am departure, just need to be patient". Turned out to be a great digeridoo player. Stephen, energetic, confident, organiser, opportunist, the list could go on. Stephen embraced the opportunity of the exchange and used his knowledge of asian culture to the benefit of the other team members. He had some great vocational opportunities and discussed many ideas with some influential people. Could see the challange in the lack of planning in many areas. From a Team Leaders perspective my task wasn't difficult. With a team that was willing to take most thing as they came and willing to try most things put in front of them , my responsibilities were made easy. There were challanges during the exchange. The pace was nonstop and was certainly very tiring. There were times, especially in the second half of the exchange, when it became difficult to be always on the go, but to the credit of the team we supported each other and always came up smiling. March 2007 was a great experience which I enjoyed as much as the others. the members endeared themselves to everyone they came into contact with, did themselves proud and certainly represented Rotary with pride. To anyone that has an interest in being involved in GSE I can only say, give it a go. This is an opportunity to do exactly what the program is about: experience another part of the world; experience your own vocation and meet the people in it; and expand your knowledge of Rotary International and the work that Rotarians do. My thanks to Rotary for that opportunity and a special thanks to each of the members of the Team, a great group to work with and a whole new group of friends Bob Ward

Not as easy as it looks	Washing day	Rotary cares

Sunday 25th of March 2007 - 10:33:56 PM
Time Flies
I know that one of the issues that has impacted on some, if not all, of the team members here in the Philippines is the difference between those that are well off and those that aren't. It doesn't matter what country you visit, you'll find them but the impact here is pretty intense. If you look, see and listen to Rotary here, you can see past that. You can see an incredible effort and sacrifice to try and make a better world. I asked the Mayor of San Fernando, La Union last week about the impact of Rotary on the community and did it make a difference. I think we got a bit of a political response but he made it quite clear that in his mind Rotary was a clear leader in almost every aspect of life in the Philippines and the first to respond where there is a need or a call for help. Those we have met are far too long a list to mention them all but a couple that spring to mind are: PE Alice De Vera RC Tarlac. Retired last year from the position of President of the International Wireless Association, a company that makes wiring looms for many of the top brands of vehicles, employs approximately 7,000. Alice started the company from scratch and has built a world class organisation She was also vice President of Kawasaki in the Philippines. Alice and her husband Jun are providing a feeding program at one of the local primary schools. Three times a week they put together a variey of goods and head down to the school to assist in the feeding. They've also provided shoes and other items as required. The school princilpal has asked them how long the support would continue for. The response was "for as long as we are alive" I wish them both a long, healthy and happy life Ces and Min Mendoza RC of San Fernando La Union. Ces is a PDG and Min a National President of Inner Wheel. They are both in their 80's but you'd never know it. Min's confided in me that she was 81 but that it ws really only 18. Ces is known as Mr Rotary for the work that he has done and is still doing. They were never blessed with children so Rotary has filled that spot for them both. I only stayed with them for a couple of days and never seemed to get time to just talk. Its become one of my regrets and I hope to be able to sit down some time in the near future and make up for that loss. These people and many others are so generous both with their time and money it is a pleasure to have shared some time with them and learning from them. Would they have been like this if not in Rotary? I'm sure they would have but Rotary gave them a focus, gave it all meaning and they have responded. All throughout the District 3790 we've listened about the projects being undertaken. The most asked question of me is "would your club be our sister club". I've had to say that it probably won't but I've added that I'd like them to e-mail me sometie in the near future so that as I get the opportunity to talk about this Group Study Exchange, I'll put a challange to all clubs that there is a club here in the Philippines that wants and needs your help. Whether it be on a single project or ongoing through a sister club relationship like that which my home club, the RC of Port Pirie has had for the last 12 years with the RC of Dau, doesn't mater. Assistance is needed here on a big scale. There are areas of Rotary that started here in the Philippines and spread to other countires. Polio Plus is prime example and Rotary Community Corps is another. The visit here has been intense, but worth every minute. See you soon.



Friday 16th of March 2007 - 11:19:36 PM
Highlights
Seems like the right time to mention what the highlights have been for me outside of the projects being undertaken by Rotary. Without doubt the hospitality has been number one. All our hosts have put themselves out and nothing has been left out. Mount Pinatubo has to be second with some others colse on it's heels. Looking at the lake and looking up at the sides still in place you just can't imagine what happened on June 15, 1991. Unbelievable, simply unbelievable. Visiting the monastry here that has a relic from the cross of Christ. I ended up being the only one from the team that went on this (privately organised). Honestly a little skeptic on the way out but once you were there looking and touching, well it's hard to describe. Learning about the history of WW2 here. This country is so steeped in it's history and Australia has so much to be thankful for - the Battle of Bataan, the death march, the memorial erected since are very humbling. I didn't get to the Corriador, but would love to come back and see that. We met and spoke with Rorarian who was involved in the Death March and listening to him speak was a whole new experience. The Maritime Academy of Asia and Pacific a union and shipping company facility dedicated to producing officers for the commercial shipping. Run by a retired Admiral of the Philippines Navy and the whole thing is so professional. These are but just a few of the things and there are far too many to do justice to them here. One can only wonder at what is still to come.



Friday 16th of March 2007 - 10:29:45 PM
Conclusion
It's not difficult to come to the conclusion that the limited time that's available to get to the internet to convey a blow by blow description of what's happening here make it almost impossible to be "regular". I appreciate that some of the team members are doing a great job and holding the team up through their entries so that's great, at least some news is getting out. I've decided at this stage to give a bit of an overview of things from my perspective rather than try to fill in the days gone past. I've just come from the DisCom Dinner where we've been able to catch up with many of the friends that we've made in the last couple of weeks and this has bought back quite a few memories. The Team has been working well together. No major incidents and the minor ones have been just that and quickly forgotten. Each of the members have had small issues relating to vocational visits mainly in that they are not enough and would like to see some of the Institutional visits that they observe as seemingly inappropriate, replaced with more vocational spots. In some instances, such as a visit to a university rather than be subject to a generic "tour" of the facility, there may be more use in selected individuals spending time in their own vocational areas such as engineering or the science areas. Admittedly there is some sense in this but they have also come to appreciate the work it has taken in putting all this together and are blown away at the reception we all receive where ever we go. The University of Tarlac is an example of this. We were nearly an hour late with our arival. Yet almost all of the senior facualty members were there and the performance put on for us was nothing short of sensational. In reflecting afterwards you can only ask why we are treated this way? What are we able to give in return? The answer always seems to be - nothing. Most of the facilities range between adequate to great. Many have sourced overseas finance and supporters and they have thousands of kids lineing up to enroll in classes and without exception they are all expanding. The conclusion I have to come to with my question is that it is Rotary. The organisation here is held in such high esteem that it is the only answer. The organisation does promote itself well here and in particular the educational facilities want to promote and showcase themselves to Rotary at any opportunity and take advantage of any spinoff from that. Interestingly, all Clubs here will tell you that they must improve on their public image. If we did what they do half as well in Australia everyone would know about Rotary. Their spinoff on the image they have is that they have many young professionals in their 20's and 30's wanting to join. The other thing that is now noticeable between the Team members is their understanding of what Rotary is. They are asking questions about club membership, projects etc. they are often in awe of the dedication of Rotarians and their committment and because of the exposure to the livelyhood of people here, they are beginning to take notice of the results of the efforts. I am in no doubt that they will all be suggesting that there are endless opportunities here for Australian Clubs and in particular those of District 9500. Personally I've lost count of the number of Clubs that have asked for help in finding a sister club for them.



Saturday 10th of March 2007 - 08:23:35 PM
Crikey time flies
Day 3 has been just as hectic as the others. We attended a dedication of a new libray facility at a school that was different in that it was in the center of a cemetery, certainly not the usual thing. During the rainy season the place can have up to 18 inches of water through it and slowly the classrooms are being built up to protect the students. The library is pretty basic but the kids, because of their background, are still behind in their learning. There is no doubting the dedication of teaching staff here. While this ws happening there were medical examinations being conducted and teeth being exracted by Dr's and Dentists giving freely their time. President Jong of the RC of San Fernando (P), one of the dentists explained that a week before he had conducted an oral health session for the kids and discovered that many didn't even know what a tooth brush was. These were distributed to all attending. I passed a small collection of "everyday facts" books to the president of the RC Metro San Fernando to pass on to the Pricipal. Following lunch we looked at a number of sites devistated by the Mt Pinatubo explosion. I also discovered that mine host Ador had a significant record of Mt Pinatubo and the aftermath and that their club was the responsible club for the construction of low cost shelters at the Aeta village Haduan, a village our club has an interest in.



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