Welcome, Joan, Marianne Soal, the Regional Paul Harris Dinner, Therapy Dogs and the Iron Lung.

Last Week
Marianne Soal chatted about herself and how being a Rotary Exchange Student in Texas made her keen to join Rotary.  She spoke about her training in education and how her life had changed when she married a Baptist minister.  She lives in Rosettenville in a deprived area where there are a lot of refugees and migrants so, through the church, she is busy with feeding schemes, workshops....you name it!  Just helping them fight their way through the red tape is a mission!  She has thrown herself into Rotary with the same enthusiasm she has for her work in Rosettenville.
Many thanks, Marianne.  It's a pleasure having you in the club.

We also inducted Joan Sainsbury as a member of our club bringing our membership up to 41.  Joan has been associated with our club for many years through the annual Arts Festival.  She has, at last, decided to join and we are delighted.

In this picture I do, at least, look a normal size....I've been getting quite a complex about presentations as I look like a midget..a tiny President!

My relief was short-lived as we had a visitor from Switzerland, Martin Bachmann, so naturally we exchanged banners.

At least our President Elect is shorter than me.....I await next Rotary year with a sense of anticipation.

Last Saturday saw the Regional Paul Harris Dinner to commemorate the Centenary of the Rotary Foundation.  There were over 80 present and it turned out to be a most enjoyable evening.  The guest speaker, Siphiwe Moyo, turned out to be highly entertaining and great fun.  I do wonder when we have these 'professional speakers' whether if I went to hear him this week I would hear roughly the same talk and the same jokes but that's just me being cynical.


Our Club was well represented...and here they all are:

This Week
Angie Thornton, who is the President of TOP (Touch Our Pets) Dogs is our guest speaker.  She will be talking about Therapy Dogs and the many different ways her organisation uses dogs in hospitals, in peoples' homes and to educate children.  She will be bringing a therapy dog with her.....I had to get special permission from Wanderers.....so if anyone feels they have a need for therapy just let Angie know. http://www.therapytopdogs.co.za/

Anns' Book Sale 23rd March
Don't forget to collect books for this.  Les Short will receive them at Rotary Meetings.

Rotarian builds his own iron lung replica to teach a new generation about polio

Recalling the fear that gripped the UK, the U.S., and elsewhere during the height of the polio epidemic in the early 1950s, Frank, a past president of the Rotary Club of Upper Eden, thought of the iron lung, a device largely relegated to museums and history books. The lifesaving mechanical respirator was a potent, if depressing, symbol of the debilitating disease. An iron lung, Frank reasoned, would educate younger generations who grew up free of the fear created by polio, a virus that is spread easily, during the 20th century. 

He hoped to borrow a model to put on tour to serve as a reminder that the polio fight remains unfinished. “I spent the last three months of 2015 looking for an iron lung in hospitals, etc.,” says Frank, 65. “I had hoped to source an original unit, but they have all been scrapped and those that remain are in museums, and they would not part with them. Being fully committed to the project, I had no other option than to build an iron lung myself. 

“This proved quite a challenge,” even for a retired mechanical engineer and self-described “nut and bolt man,” particularly after he resolved that only a fully functioning machine would do. “I learned many years ago that the dafter the project, the easier it is to get good publicity for the cause,” he quips.

Roger Frank put his engineering backgrou

Using the outline dimensions of a unit in the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds as a reference, Frank rolled and welded steel for a cylindrical main chamber, fabricated tracks for a mattress that slides into and out of the unit, and cut access doors and windows. “I cajoled various local companies into assisting with the project,” he says, particularly painting the unit and a trailer used to transport it; Upper Eden club members also assisted. “I suppose in some ways people are used to my harebrained ideas, and not one of them declined to support the project,” he adds. Frank, who bore most of the construction costs, concedes that most of the 650 hours he spent over four months on the heavy metal labor of love were devoted to the trailer, itself a showcase worthy of a Rolls-Royce Phantom. 

“To finish the job, he then created visual displays to fit into and onto the trailer, including a television program of iron lungs being used ‘for real,’” notes Ben Lyon, the club’s immediate past president. “The finished result is a stunning promotional and educational tool in aid of polio eradication.” Onsite, a computer-controlled sequence activates the lung, in thumps and whooshes, for five minutes before triggering a YouTube video about iron lungs. 

For many polio patients, the apparatus was crucial to surviving the disease’s early stages, when their muscles were too weak, or paralyzed, for independent breathing. The lifesaving mechanical respirators were a common sight, lined up in rows at hospitals. The stricken, mostly young children, were confined in the chambers, normally for at least two or three weeks, exposed only from the neck up, with mirrors above their heads providing their only glimpse into the world around them amid the machines’ cacophony.

As a static exhibit the lung is lifeless and really comes alive when the motor starts and the end bellow operates. I think it really helps give people an understanding of how it would be to be locked in it,” Frank says. “Also the drive unit, or mechanism, is quite noisy and adds to the atmosphere, just as the original units did.”

Frank, who notes that his replica has been booked for the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland conference in April, makes the display available to Rotary clubs that agree to arrange transportation and staff it to raise funds and awareness for End Polio Now. It has been deployed to agricultural shows and schools, with area club members staffing the unit. 

“Most people, especially young ones, are totally dumbfounded by the whole spectacle, and after watching the video are mesmerized and stand motionless for quite a few seconds,” says Frank, “I suppose in awe, or taking in how somebody could spend [nearly] their entire life in such a machine.”

On occasion, a “lucky” visitor might be invited inside the lung.

Sara Dumbell, a journalist with BBC Radio Cumbria who reported on the project, says: “I get sent on many exciting jobs, but getting to see a real life-size replica iron lung was a first for me. The iron lung itself was hugely impressive. I’m 28, and so the major UK outbreaks of polio were a little before my time, but it was deeply moving to learn about how so many children across the world were forced to live in these machines.

“I couldn’t leave without trying out the iron lung for myself, but having the metal lung separating your head and body at the neck I found to be the most uncomfortable feeling,” she adds. “I must admit I was quite relieved when I was allowed out.”

With a nod to the red End Polio Now donation buckets at the ready, Frank says, “I kid people that it is £1 to get into the unit and £50 for me to let you out.”

The Vocational Service Awards, Visitors, the New Protection of Personal Information Act, TJ's & Polio Plus

Last Week
The Vocational Service Awards Lunch was an enjoyable occasion for all of us and the Wanderers Golf Club provided us with an excellent venue and a good meal.

Tyron Sharnock, Sharon da Silva, Paul Bruns & Dou Dou Kanada

Hugh Rix

It was a real pleasure to meet our awardees, Paul Bruns, Tyron Sharnock,  Dou Dou Kanada and Sharon da Silva and to hear what they do for the benefit of the community.  Paul and his upliftment and rehabilitation programme for prisoners with Hlumelelisa, Dou Dou sorting out the documentation and legal problems that refugees and foreigners have in this country, Sharon and the amazing range of services that she provides for the poorest of the poor in conjunction with Malvern St Vincent de Paul Society and Tyron who has helped our Youth Committee so much over the years with our Youth Leadership Weekend in the Magaliesberg.

Our thanks to Hugh Rix for organising the event and to Lyn Collocott for taking the photographs.  She took lots more of people at tables, the hand over of each award etc....she didn't photograph the food.  If you would like copies just email me.

A spin off is that Paul Bruns is interested in joining Rotary but our time and day doesn't suit him. He will be attending Morningside this week as breakfast is perfect for him and it is close to home.  I think the real problem is that as an old Rondebosch boy he felt intimidated by James Croswell who was at Sacs but was too polite to say so.  (that's Rondebosch for you.)


We had two visiting Rotarians, Dipesh Metha and his wife from the Rotary Club of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. We exchanged banners!





This Week
Marianne Soal will be talking about herself.  It will be interesting to hear her story!

TJ's Acoustic Music Club 23rd February Marks Park

The music starts at 8,00pm every Thursday until 10,30.  There is an entrance fee of R25 and I think the food is an extra R60...I may be wrong.  There is also a bar

at very reasonable prices.  If you want to see what is happening go to https://www.facebook.com/TJsMusicClub/?ref=br_rs and you will see the line-up for this coming Thursday, 2nd February.


IMPORTANT NOTICE!! Rotary District 9400 | Protection of Personal Information (Version1.0 – February 2017) 

Rotary International District 9400 is committed to safeguard the privacy of information entrusted to the Executive and Officers of the District and regard this commitment as essential. Protecting the confidentiality and security of all member’s information, is part of how we conduct our business. This Privacy Statement applies to all personal information that we obtain and handle in this District, irrespective of the member’s country of origin. This statement is made in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI Act) as required by Law. 
1. We will comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act as well as other applicable laws, regulations and guidelines issued by the Government of South Africa. 
2. Where it is necessary to obtain personal information, we will do so by lawful and fair means. In the event that you provided us with personal information, we will regard the fact that you have provided that information as your consent that we may use your information. 
3. Should you accept any position as Officer of District 9400 or of your Rotary Club, you are deemed to have given your consent (as applicable by the POPI Act) to us publishing your contact information in the District Directory. 
4. We will only use your information within the scope of achieving the following purposes: 

i. Populating the District Directory with contact details of all District Officers as well as Club Officers as deemed necessary.
 ii. The hard copy to be printed annually and the electronic version to be updated on a monthly basis if needed. iii. Providing Rotary International with the information as per the Rotary Manual of Procedures (MOP) and the Rotary Code of Policies (RCP) as needed. 

5. The Directory is for organisational purposes and is available to Rotarians in good standing ONLY. The Directory may not be distributed to any third party for any purpose what so ever. Illegal distribution is punishable by law under the POPI Act 
6. We will not provide any personal contact information to a third party, except for purposes deemed necessary by law. 
7. We may disclose information relating to your professional skills to potential project partners. 
8. You may request disclosure of the personal information we hold on you, or request the amendment, removal or updating of such personal information by sending an e-mail to the Electronic Media Chair of the District. After we obtain satisfactory evidence of your identity, we will seek to address your request in accordance with the applicable laws and guidelines. 
9. If you have any questions or comments regarding your personal information or this statement, you can contact the District Electronic Media Chair in the following ways: E-mail: support@rotary9400.co.za 10.This statement may be amended from time to time. At the time of any amendment, we will publish a revised statement in substitution to the District website.


2017-18: Rotary: Making a Difference

In 2017-18, we’ll answer the question “What is Rotary?” with RI President-elect Ian H.S. Riseley’s theme, Rotary: Making a Difference. “Whether we’re building a new playground or a new school, improving medical care or sanitation, training conflict mediators or midwives, we know that the work we do will change people’s lives — in ways large and small — for the better.”

On the 17th January Rotary announced $35 million in grants to support the global effort to end polio, bringing the humanitarian service organization’s contribution to $140 million since January 2016.

Nearly half of the funds Rotary announced today ($16.15 million) will support the emergency response campaigns in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin (Chad, northern Cameroon, southern Niger and Central African Republic). Four cases of polio were detected in Nigeria in 2016, which had previously not seen a case since July 2014.

With these cases, funding is needed to support rapid response plans in Nigeria and surrounding countries to stop the outbreak.

While significant strides have been made against the paralyzing disease, with just 35 cases reported in 2016, polio remains a threat in hard-to-reach and underserved areas, and conflict zones. To sustain this progress, and protect all children from polio, experts say $1.5 billion is needed.

In addition to supporting the response in the Lake Chad Basin region, funding has been allocated to support polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan ($7.15 million), Pakistan ($4.2 million), Somalia ($4.64 million), and South Sudan ($2.19 million). A final grant in the amount of $666,845 will support technical assistance in UNICEF’s West and Central Africa Regional Office.

Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion, including matching funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and countless volunteer hours since launching its polio immunization program, PolioPlus, in 1985. In 1988, Rotary became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and was later joined by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Since the initiative launched, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to 35 confirmed in 2016, and no cases in 2017. 

Social, Vocational Service Awards and RAGAS

Last Week

Chris Thompson

It was a social meeting with many jokes and entertaining stories.

David Bradshaw asked if we would be able to help with hosting the Nigerian Friendship Exchange.

We also had our DGR Chris Thompson present who seemed to enjoy himself.
He subsequently joined the Board Meeting and it was predominantly fictitious as we had to invent much of it so that he would be impressed. I think he was.



This Week
It's our annual Vocational Service Awards lunch where we make presentations to people recommended by club members.  What makes these awards different is that they are given to people who have really made a difference within their community but would never normally receive any form of recognition.  There are so many people who do so much but are never recognised and I am really looking forward to hearing the various motivations for the awardees.

Don't forget that it's at Wanderers Golf Club, entrance in Rudd Road not at our usual venue.  I am also looking forward to having a proper lunch after all those bits of pizza!



Gary Haugen, leader of the International Justice Mission,contends that humanitarian work means little if basic safety is threatened

Gary Haugen and IJM staff meet with clients in Bangalore, India who were rescued from brutal bonded labor slavery in a brick kiln.

In 1994 Rwanda was reeling from the genocide of as many as 1 million people over 100 days, the apex of decades of civil conflict in the East African nation. 

Gary Haugen, then a young human rights attorney working for the U.S. Department of Justice, landed in Kigali to head a United Nations unit investigating the genocide and gathering evidence needed to prosecute the perpetrators for war crimes.

“There was basically no functioning government, Haugen recalls. “So much chaos is unleashed when there isn’t a civil authority exercising control. A lot of people tried to help, sending food and medicine and providing housing and education, but when it came to the problem of violence, very few people stepped up to that challenge.

Haugen established the International Justice Mission (IJM) in 1997 to address violence in developing countries. The organization has 17 field offices and works with local investigators to rescue victims of violence, support survivors, strengthen law enforcement, and bring violent criminals to justice. In his 2014 book, The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence, Haugen argues that the progress made in the global fight against poverty means little when citizens’ basic safety is threatened.

At the 2016 Rotary International Convention in Korea, Haugen talked to Rotarians about one of the most harmful forms of what he calls the “everyday violence affecting the world’s poorest people – forced labor, or slavery. “Slavery is not a relic of history," he said, noting that an estimated 35 million enslaved people are hidden in plain sight, all over the world, generating $150 billion in profits for traffickers who seldom face prosecution. “It’s vaster and more brutal than ever. And it’s more stoppable than ever.

Join the fight against slavery

Millions of people are being held captive for commercial gain. Mass migrations, poverty, natural disasters, and conflict create situations in which vulnerable adults and children are exploited. No nation or neighborhood is immune. While slavery is illegal everywhere, it is likely happening near you. The Rotarian Action Group Against Slavery raises awareness and helps Rotarians take action against slavery and human trafficking through its programs, campaigns, and projects. The group is made up of 1,600 members and supporters across 65 countries who support clubs around the world.  

Rotarian Action Groups are open to Rotarians, family members of Rotarians, and Rotaractors who want to join together in support of clubs and districts planning and implementing service projects in their respective areas of expertise. To join, visit ragas.online. 

Patrick Ache, a Social Meeting, Rotary Scout and on a Scooter across the Sahara

Last Week

Patrick's family sporting different national dress, Cameroon, Senegal & Ghana.

Patrick Ache gave us an interesting presentation on himself and what he does.  he's truly an international person with links to many African countries through his family, a law degree from the UK and a move into business and career counseling.  When I listen to talks like this I immediately start thinking about how he could best be used by Rotary...maybe I shouldn't!


A couple of his friends came to hear what he had to say, Thule Mdletshe and Ray Goodell from the Rotary Club of Morningside.  The real reason for their visit was to try and find out what he did for a living.





This Week
It's a purely social meeting with the usual selection of jokes and weird stories.....at least I hope we have some weird stories.  Visiting Rotarians be warned, it's not for the faint hearted.
Spell check doesn't like 'hearted' for some reason or other and would prefer heated, earthed or hearten...I think earthed would be the best alternative.

Rotary Scout

I wonder if any of you are following the progress of Rotary Scout in the Cape to Rio Race.  It's now Day 22 and they have been having electrical power problems as the sky has been overcast and there have been squalls so that solar power charging has been a bit low and they had to ration electrical use.

Ride a scooter across the Sahara

Ahmad Elzoghby 

Rotary Club of Alexandria Cosmopolitan, Egypt

Back in 2011, not many people were riding scooters here. But the car traffic where we lived in Alexandria was insane, so I and a few friends started to ride scooters as an alternative means of transportation.  

One day a friend recommended that we do a tour around Egypt, from where we live in Alexandria to Sharm el-Sheikh, which is 450 miles away. And I said, why not? A few days later, I thought, why not go from the very north of Egypt to the very eastern border, then go south and visit all the tourist sights? Egypt depends mainly on tourism, and at this time tourism was suffering because of the recent Egyptian revolution. So we thought we would do this to tell the world that Egypt is still a safe place to visit: We can tour the country on scooters and still be safe.

Interested in riding with Rotarians? Visit crossegyptchallenge.com or learn about the International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians at http://www.ifmr.org/.

I spoke to my Rotary club and they were very excited. They gave me the go-ahead to put this together. Three months later on 1 July, at the beginning of the Rotary year, the Cross Egypt Challenge was born. In that first year, there were only 14 riders – from Egypt, the United States, and Mexico. In 2015, we had 75 riders from 12 countries.

We started in October from the Plaza of the Library of Alexandria. We rode to Cairo and Tahrir Square, where the revolution started. After Cairo, we rode east to Suez and crossed into the Sinai Peninsula. We saw the Sinai Mountains, the Red Sea, the canyons, amazing sights. You would be riding in the middle of nowhere and there would be a Bedouin walking with two camels, and you would wonder, where is this guy going, where is he coming from? Why is he walking in this heat?

Next we went by plane across the Red Sea to Hurghada, then through the Eastern Desert to Luxor. This is a very tough desert. It’s all rock formations and a huge mountain range. The farther south you go, the hotter it gets. During the day it’s 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The most difficult part is keeping yourself awake. People get tired easily in the heat, so their concentration is reduced.

From Luxor we rode on to Aswan and ended at the southern border of Egypt, at one of the Abu Simbel temples that were saved by the United Nations when the Aswan High Dam was constructed in the 1960s. 

There is always risk involved when you are on the road with two wheels. In 2015 we were very lucky and had zero accidents. But in some years we have had accidents. In the second year, we were riding in the Western Desert near the end of the trip. We had gone about 1,800 kilometers and I was behind the group trying to make arrangements with escort vehicles. After I finished, I was speeding to catch up with the group, and suddenly I saw the road was under construction. There was a 3-inch difference between the dirt and the asphalt. The last thing I remember was kissing the asphalt. I dislocated my collar bone; the injury is slightly visible even now. 

Everywhere we go, people stop us and talk to us. Egyptians are very friendly. They invite us to their house to drink coffee, to rest, to eat lunch. The best thing is that you get to see not only the tourist places. You’re diving into the culture. You’re diving into Egypt. 

Kathy Munro, Patrick Ache, Region 2 Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship Dinner and Rotary Scout

Last Week

We really had an exceptional talk by Professor Kathy Munro on the Sinking of the Mendi in February 1917.  It was much more than that because not only did she debunk the legend of the Mendi sinking but she expanded her talk to include a lot of information on the SA Native Labour Corps which I am sure was new to many of us.
It was a great start to the year and many thanks to Lyn Collocott for organising this interesting talk.


We also had a number of visitors from overseas.  David & Wendy Lloyd from the Rotary Club of Dorking in Surrey, England and Ralf Meyer from the Rotary Club of Frankfurt, Germany.
As you can see they are busy concentrating on the talk.



I was able to present them with a club banner at the end of the meeting.







 I am beginning to get a complex about these presentations as I never really thought I was that small!









This Week

Patrick Ache will be telling us about himself.

These talks are technically called 'My Job' talks and everyone is supposed to give one when they join.  I have always wondered what that meant if the person was either retired or too rich to have to work.  Anyway Patrick will no doubt talk about what he does.





Rotary Region 2 Paul Harris Fellowship Dinner
This will be on Saturday 4th February at Bryanston Country Club and is for Paul Harris Fellows and partners.  It is the region's Rotary Foundation Centenary Celebration and is not a fund raising event. The dinner is R240 per head and as I am organising the food I will definitely include the Moroccan Lamb that we had at the Induction Dinner.  The region will be sending an invitation to all Clubs.

The Rotary Scout
The Rotary Scout is currently taking part in the Cape to Rio Race and you may be interested in following her progress and reading the rather entertaining blog that gets written up every day.http://www.rotaryscout.co.za/blog/  There is also a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JMLRotaryScout/  I am in the Rotary Africa photo below ......ha ha!  Neville Coxon who sadly died a couple of years ago was the Assistant Area Commissioner Water Activities for Cape Western at the time and practically fitted it out single-handedly over the 7 years and raised the money as well.

JML Rotary Scout is a 39’ modified Tosca cruising yacht (a “sugar scoop” was later added to her stern to increase her length from 36’ to 39’), owned by the South African Scout Association. The yacht was donated by the Rotary Club of Bellville as a bare hull to the Sea Scout Base at Sandvlei, Lakeside in 1987 and fitted out over a number of years, finally being launched in 1994.

She was designed by built by Angelo Lavranos who has a huge portfolio of designs to his credit, covering many different concepts. It is always interesting to look at his designs, because they conform to no particular dogma and are all based on very good thinking and experience. Including mini-racers, super-maxis, medium cruisers, cats, houseboats and powerboats – he has done them all. In addition to the Tosca 36, Lavranos also designed the highly successful L36 and Atlantis 36 of the same length – all three quite different but equally good forms of a medium-sized performance cruiser.

To Quote Lavranos himself: “Seeing the success of the L36, Fred Scholtz asked me to design the Tosca 36, (design 0103) as a production boat, to be cheaper to put together than the L36. Center cockpit rather than aft cockpit. She has a higher volume than the L36, with her beamier, firm bilged, full sterned hull, less ballest, smaller rig, less displacement. Less of an “all rounder” in performance than the L36. More wetted surface and slower in light airs, but faster reaching in a breeze. The original boats were simple & light. Two circumnavigated. Unfortunately as time went on the boats got more elaborate, aft cabin walkthrough, bigger engine, more tankage, bigger rig, stern platform etc.”

Dynamically – Toscas sail well. They held some good passage times on the Governors cup – Cape Town to St Helena – a nice long downwind reach – and are clearly able to survive fierce weather. One did get laid over in a sudden squall under full rig in Hout Bay’s “Thunder Alley” one day – spreaders in the water – she popped right back up without changing direction and kept going . . .

Being light and beamy, and roundish, they are good trade-wind cruisers, and very comfortable. They also manage upwind quite well except in gale-force conditions. Reaching would be the preferred point of sail and they actually do quite well round the cans in moderate conditions.

JML Rotary Scout is managed by a group of dedicated volunteers, mainly Scout Moms and Dads. Nobody is paid. The yacht falls under the control of Sea Scout Base Parent’s Advisory Committee.

Happy New Year! Prof Kathy Munro & Ban Ki-Moon retires as UN Secretary General.

This Week

Our guest speaker is Professor Katherine Munro who is Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Planning at Wits. Her retirement is hardly 'retirement' as she has become heavily involved in researching and writing about aspects of our heritage. I remember particularly an interesting article by her on the relationship between Ghandi and Hermann Kallenbach here in Johannesburg.  She wrote the article after visiting the unveiling of a statue of them both in Lithuania where-as here, Kallenbach is sadly all but forgotten.

She will be talking to us about the Sinking of the Mendi almost exactly 100 years ago, on the 21st February, 2017, with the loss of 616 South Africans of the South African Native Labour Corps, 607 of them black troops.

Ken Burgess
I have received an email from Joan Burgess following the letter I sent with the Club's condolences on Ken's death.

To: The Rotary Club of Rosebank.

A very big thank you to all for the beautiful flowers and the letter of condolences which you sent to me and my family on the occasion of Ken’s passing.  Our years with Rosebank Rotary were a time when great friendships were forged and I treasure the contacts which have been maintained over the years and the kindness and support at this time.

With Best Wishes

Joan Burgess 

James Croswell forwarded this email from Mukesh Patel, President of the Rotary Club of Hatfield.

Hello James 

Happy New Year.  Best of wishes to you and family.

Watching the test match all morning reminded myself and Sujata the happy memories of Newland.

Pass our regards to Charlotte , Shirley, Mike,  PJS  and all .

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017 will be full of joy.

Mukesh Patel

Equality and Diversity Officer
Rotary District 1260
m.patel@rotaryhatfield.uk
equal@rotary1260.org.uk
M:  07977 905942

H:01923 661737

THE ROTARIAN CONVERSATION WITH BAN KI-MOON

Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa

One of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s earliest memories is of fleeing with his family into the mountains during the Korean War, his village burning behind him. His father and grandfather had to forage for food in the woods; his mother gave birth to his siblings away from anything remotely resembling a health facility. “I have known hunger,” he says. “I have known war, and I have known what it means to be forced to flee conflict.”

The soldiers who came to their rescue were flying the blue flag of the United Nations. The UN provided them with food and their schools with books. And the experience sowed in Ban a belief in the transformative power of global solidarity, a belief he has spent his career working to achieve. 

A meeting with U.S. President John F. Kennedy at the White House after winning an essay-writing contest as a teenager inspired Ban to become a diplomat. He entered Korea’s foreign service in 1970, serving roles including ambassador and minister of foreign affairs and trade before being elected UN secretary-general in 2006.

Ban made polio eradication a top priority of his second five-year term. In 2012, he chaired a polio summit on the sidelines of the annual General Assembly, securing strong commitment to eradication from all the heads of state where polio is endemic as well as ministers from key donor governments, Rotary, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has included polio messages in his briefings, during visits to polio-priority countries, and in statements at multilateral events including the General Assembly, African Union, and Group of Eight summits, and has personally participated in polio vaccination campaigns.

In 2016, Ban addressed the Rotary International Convention in Seoul and donated his $100,000 honorarium to Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign. “The ‘wind in our sails’ is Rotary International,” he now tells The Rotarian. “Thanks to its advocacy, we have been able to come within striking distance of a polio-free world. I will always be grateful to its leaders and its many volunteers on the front lines of this effort. They are truly noble humanitarians.”

Ban is stepping down from his position at the United Nations after a decade that saw declines in poverty and achievements in public health. But it was also a rough period for the UN, with rising violent extremism and an unprecedented population of refugees. His successor, António Guterres, former prime minister of Portugal, begins 1 January. The Rotarian’s Diana Schoberg interviewed Ban about polio, his legacy, and how Rotary and the UN can work together. “I believe the world is moving in the right direction,” he says. “I am generally hopeful.”

THE ROTARIAN: A cornerstone of your legacy will be the Paris Agreement on climate change. How were you able to rally people together about this issue?

BAN: It has been a long, hard road, but it has paid off. I went against all of my advisers by raising climate change with then-U.S. President George W. Bush in my first visit to the White House during my third week in office in 2007. He was a bit surprised – but he came on board. At the meeting in Bali where we adopted the first road map leading to the Paris agreement, the United States gave its last-minute support. President Bush confided to me at a private farewell lunch in 2009 that the U.S. delegation leader had phoned him from Bali for advice and he told her to do what I wanted.

While the outcome of the Copenhagen climate change conference in 2009 was not what we had expected, it was the start of a long road that led to the Paris Agreement. My vision to get to an agreement was based on one word: inclusion. The issue of climate is too important and too big for only governments to take on. We opened the doors of the United Nations to civil society and to the business sector. They, too, needed a seat at the table. Civil society has kept pressure on governments to act. Whether it’s the energy sector, the insurance industry, or transportation companies, they all have a role to play.

TR: What is your most unsung achievement at the UN?

BAN: I have made human rights a top priority, which is reflected across all areas of the United Nations. Human rights are integral to the Sustainable Development Goals [a set of 17 goals adopted in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all within 15 years]. And after hearing “never again” over and over again in response to atrocity crimes, I created the Human Rights up Front initiative to prevent and respond to warning signs of looming atrocities.

I have also been proud to be the first secretary-general to speak out against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. And because I believe in leading by example, I backed up my words with full equality in terms of benefits. 

Sometimes in the world of diplomacy, “unsung” successes are destined to remain so. I have often employed quiet diplomacy, whether to ensure the release of an imprisoned journalist or convincing a leader to truly listen to the aspirations of his people. Quiet diplomacy is about letting the other party get the credit for doing the right thing. It’s not about me getting accolades.

TR: With the recent setback in polio eradication in Nigeria in mind, what is the key to ending polio?

BAN: Trust is essential. To earn and maintain trust, it is absolutely imperative that there be no politicization of polio eradication activities. Community and religious leaders are our best advocates in this effort.

The detection of wild poliovirus in Nigeria is a serious setback, but it is only a setback. The world has never been closer to eradicating polio, we have the tools and strategies that we know are effective in stopping the disease, and together we have reduced polio transmission to the lowest levels in history in just three countries worldwide. If we continue, with courage and determination, on our current trajectory, we will stop polio once and for all. Failure is not an option, and in the very near future, I believe we will deliver on Rotary’s promise of a polio-free world for all generations to come.

TR: What decision or course of action from your time as secretary-general would you change if you could?

BAN: I have made clear to the member states, and particularly to the members of the Security Council, that they work best when they are united. That is why I have felt so frustrated about the disunity in the Security Council when it comes to Syria. As I have argued, it shames us all that we as an international community have not been able to come together and halt this brutal war.  While that disunity has persisted, more than 300,000 people have died. I will keep working until my last day in office to resolve this horrific crisis, but I need the support of the member states – all of them.

TR: UN peacekeepers played a role in introducing cholera to Haiti after the devastating earthquake in that country in 2010. The epidemic has since killed 10,000 people and sickened 800,000. What can the UN do to restore trust?

BAN: It is clear that the United Nations has a moral responsibility to the victims of the cholera epidemic and for supporting Haiti in overcoming the epidemic and building sound water, sanitation, and health systems. During my own visit to the country, I made it clear that I deeply regret the terrible suffering the people of Haiti have endured as a result of the cholera epidemic.

I am working to develop a package that would provide material assistance and support to those Haitians most directly affected by cholera. These efforts must include, as a central focus, the victims of the disease and their families. The United Nations also intends to intensify its support to reduce, and ultimately end, the transmission of cholera, improve access to care and treatment, and address the longer-term issues of water, sanitation, and health systems in Haiti.

TR: The UN’s recent Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 are more numerous and seem more detailed than the Millennium Development Goals – 17 goals with multiple subpoints for each. What was the thinking behind that, and how can the UN and partners keep so many goals in focus?

BAN: I have heard the criticism that we have too many goals and they may be unwieldy.

These new goals matter because they will be the yardstick that everything between now and 2030 is judged against. These goals are far more than aspirations. They provide a guide for action in the key areas where countries will have to invest in order to move forward.

Moreover, the goals, including their subpoints, were not imposed by the United Nations bureaucrats like some forced agenda. The 17 SDGs are the product of long and detailed consultations by member states as well as the broader civil society through online portals and local meetings. We may have a big number, but the goals are a true reflection of what the world has been asking for.

TR: We are seeing globalism being rejected in many pockets. Nations are becoming less stable, and tribalism or religious sectarianism is gaining some appeal. What can the UN offer to counter these trends?

BAN: This has been a period of multiple challenges – from the financial crisis to the uprisings in the Middle East, from the rise of violent extremism to renewed geopolitical competition in Europe and Asia.

In times of uncertainty, we do see a rise of politicians who prey on people’s fear, especially when it comes to the rising number of refugees and migrants. We must reject the dangerous political math that says you add votes by dividing people, and we need to stand against bigotry and xenophobia in all its forms. The United Nations has just launched a campaign against this poison. It is designed to foster communities of inclusion and mutual respect – and we call it, simply, “Together.”

This time of uncertainty has also witnessed a rise in violent extremism. While it’s of course critical to counter this extremism, we must also work hard to prevent it. I recently put together the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, which places heavy emphasis on human rights. Experience with counterterrorism measures has underscored the need to avoid stoking the fires we are trying to extinguish. To this end, civil society organizations, like Rotary, have an important part to play by promoting inclusion and dialogue between communities.

TR: What advice can you offer Rotary leaders on working with people in a diverse, multicultural, global organization?

BAN: I’m not sure that I can offer any advice to Rotary leaders. Your organization is older than the United Nations and, arguably, you have a broader representation than we do. When I had the privilege to address your members recently in Korea, I think I counted more flags in the hall than we have at the United Nations!

Since you are asking, I will share some thoughts. Every day that I have worked at the United Nations, I have combined my efforts with people from every part of the world, and that has shown me the value of having as broad a range of viewpoints as possible when dealing with the world’s problems. I found that I gain much from listening to people from cultures other than mine who approach problems and solutions differently. That intellectual diversity, whether in the UN or any other organization, is to be cherished and nourished. We all have much to gain from listening to others. No one culture holds the keys to all the solutions.

TR: How can Rotary and the UN make the most of our partnership?

BAN: Rotary and other similarly engaged civil society organizations represent the best that the world has to offer. You understand the need to get involved and participate positively in the lives of your communities and the world around us.

We now have a global agenda to build a better, more equitable, more sustainable world. I would encourage Rotary International to embrace the Sustainable Development Goals and find within them areas where we could, as partners, replicate the success of the polio eradication campaign.