Presented by Past District Governor Elaine Thompson
P.D.G. Elaine was introduced by President Mandy Kwasnica.
Elaine advised that a great portion of her presentation would be by way of a video that she has edited down to 17 minutes. She will take a few questions after the video presentation.
After a long plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean, they arrived in Germany at 3:00am Winnipeg time. They then took a bus tour along the River Elbe,
because they could not check into the hotel yet. By the time they were able to get into their hotel room it was 8:00am Winnipeg time. The room was not exactly palatial by any means, measuring out at 8’ x 24’.
The opening entertainment acts included a Korean singer that was the second place in a televised talent show, a group of Bavarian break-dancers, a Bahamian painter and a group of performers singing ABBA songs!
R.I President Barry Rassin welcomed the Rotarians with a speech focused on the ‘Rotary Ethos’. Diversity, Leadership, Fellowship, Integrity and Service. These are the guiding principles of Rotary and define our actions.
Diversity: All voices, ages, sex or gender, race, ethnicity and abilities.
Leadership: We must improve our skills through mentoring. All the greying Rotarians should pass on their knowledge. We must listen to the Rotaractors – they are our future.
Fellowship: A force for Peace worldwide.
Integrity: Trust – not to tolerate any bad behaviours, high ethical standards,
- Honesty and integrity builds TRUST
Service: Six areas of focus / Peace and conflict prevention/resolution. Disease prevention and treatment. Water and sanitation. Maternal and child health. Basic education and literacy. Economic and community development.
Rid the world of Polio. The last steps to eradication have proven to be the most difficult. They are especially difficult in areas with conflict and insecurity. Areas/ countries with poor healthcare systems are difficult to work in. There must be sufficient resources. We must work to a happy conclusion for all of the world’s children. Keep focused on the finish line! Bring the core values home!
The ‘House of Friendship was huge. It covered the floor space of two massive buildings.
Q/A
1.- John Inglis wondered how many people were in attendance at the convention?
A.- 25,000 people
2.- Nancy Morris asked what they liked the best about the convention?
A.- The General Sessions. Leadership – you should get friendly with the people you work with. You should ‘Love’ them.
3.- Glenn Campbell wondered how the possible language barriers were dealt with.
A.- There were translators available through headsets. You would tune to the channel that had the language you wanted. There were 6 or 7 languages that the speakers were translated into.
Ed Thompson advised that not many people were actually using the translation headsets.
Ed Thompson told a story about friendship. When Elaine and Ed were looking for an evening BBQ in a park, they asked for guidance from some locals. They were not actually planning on going to the BBQ but chose to guide them right into the park they were looking for. They even stayed for beers and food when they all arrived at the destination!
Next year the convention is in Hawaii. These are inspirational events. Elaine and Ed encourage all to attend at least one R.I. Convention.
President Mandy stated that her first R.I. Convention was in Toronto. It was an incredible experience.
