Lisbon International Rotary Convention

Posted by John Campbell

on Jul 22, 2013

I recently attended the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, and this was an exhilarating experience. It was a significant decision to hold the RI Convention in Lisbon - a city with significant world history as a base for global exploration.

On Saturday 22 June, an Orientation for First Time Convention Attendees was conducted which gave us an indication of what was to come over the next 4 days. There were 25,000 attendees from 167 countries and the internationality of Rotary was on show. This is a very large Convention, so large that the Opening Ceremony is held once in the morning and repeated in the afternoon, so that all attendees are reached. Meeting with members from around the world and hearing their accents, and seeing the wonderful vibrant colours of their National Dress brought this home. As Past RI President Sakuji Tanaka said – ‘at this meeting our differences diminish.’

President Tanaka grew up in post war Japan – the rebuilding period, and at an early age he declared he would do the best job he could, get the most customers, never forget his origins and never be too proud to do the humble deeds.

The presentation of Flags of the World was a moving experience, especially when the Australian Flag came forward. All the flags were raised high above the stage, where they stayed for the duration of the Convention. A surprise finish to day 1 of the Convention was a ¾ hour performance from Il Divo.

The common theme that came through at the Convention was not to be a by-stander. As Leymah Gbowee – 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate and President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa said, ‘Too many people step into the shadows and let evil stand in the light. We need to step out of the shadows and leave a Legacy.’ Leymah called on us to ‘turn the upside down world UPRIGHT.’

Jorge Sampaio, former Mayor of Lisbon and former president of Portugal, spoke passionately of the plight of Syria, where they have lost a generation of academics and they are re-building and re-healing and educating their current generations.

Past Rotary International President Bill Boyd spoke of the need to strengthen Rotary’s message of the impact that we have in communities, recognise our strengths. He said there is a difference between Rotary and other organisations - we are in a category of 1.

 We think differently - because of our diversity

 We act differently - because of our leaders

 Not often projects fail

 We act with passion and perseverance – i.e. Polio eradication started in 1985 and we will carry it through to success

What is wonderful about Rotary and the challenges throughout the world that are presented to us, is that Rotarians in 34,000 communities throughout the world, step up into the light and take the lead and get things done because it is in our DNA. We are not by-standers. A stand-out speaker was Craig Kielburger, Co-founder of Free the Children , Co-founder of Me to We. He spoke of his horror , when at the age of 12, living in Canada he read in the paper of a young boy of the same age who worked as a slave in Pakistan who was murdered because he spoke out against slavery. With passion, this led to the formation of these 2 organisations, and in his early teens, he canvassed Rotary Clubs in Toronto for funds for his passage to Pakistan to investigate this frightful situation and also for introductions to Rotarians in these areas who could provide safe passage for him. He promised the Rotary Clubs that upon his return he would report back his findings, and in his address he said “that is why today – 18 years later, I am still speaking to Rotarians.” Read more at these links: http://www.freethechildren.com/ and http://www.metowe.com/about-us/

I attended 2 Presidents Luncheons, and sat at Past RI President Kalyan Banerjee’s table and Past RI President Bill Boyd’s table for the other. It was a privilege and an honour to share conversations with these 2 great leaders. I attended Breakout Sessions that provided great ideas to share with our Club and the District.

The House of Friendship showcased Rotary’s projects from around the world. Those appealed particularly were ‘AIDS Free Birthright for Children (http://www.aidsfreebirthrightforchildren.org/index.html?page=Pilot_project) and Child Slavery Action Group - both projects being run out of the UK. Rotary has an amazing list of Fellowships that cater for many – for example the Fellowship of Rotarian Train Travellers (this would appeal to Fred) and The Fellowship of Rotarian Wine Appreciators (this would have great appeal)

I look forward to sharing more of my Lisbon Rotary experience with you.

PP and DGE John Campbell