Robert Lai Chin Yin

Past President K M George introduced me to Rotary, and I was inducted into this illustrious international organization in April 1981 under the Presidency of Dr Richard B Barrow.

I was immediately put to 'work' - handing out members' badges when they arrive for the meeting-this was the fastest way of getting to know your fellow Rotarians. We used to meet at Gardenia Restaurant which was situated on the first floor of the present Tong Hing Supermarket. We sit in a U-shape formation and the meeting decorum then and now has changed much.

In a short time I was recruited to assist in the publication of the weekly bulletin-type stencils, make copies with a Gestetner duplicating machine, sort out and staple together...no photographs in bulletins then.

My most memorable time then were the years when I served as Advisor to the Rotaract Club of Kota Kinabalu, over at least five years.

Then over the next six years I served in various capacities on the Board and just before I was transferred to work in Kuching, Sarawak I served as Hon Secretary to PP David Chin.

Immediately on arrival in Kuching I was invited to join the Rotary Club of Kuching, what else but as Advisor to the Rotaract Club of Kuching. This I did for two years before I was transferred again to work our of Brunei Darussalam. In the two years with the Rotaract Club of Kuching-they organized a Rotaract Conference in Kuching, attendance of which has never been matched or exceeded since!! They also organized the longest mural painting along the streets of Kuching which involved most of the secondary schoold in and around Kuching.

Over in Brunei Darussalam I continued my service with the Rotary Club of Bandar Seri Begawan serving all the various posts on the Board and culminating as President of the Club in 1992-93. Many projects were accomplished over those years - in Limbang, Sarawak, Federal Territory of Labuan, in Bangkok, Thailand, in Manila, Cebu, Davao and other cities of the Philippines. Those were happy days as Rotary, besides the occasional golf game, took up most of my leisure hours.

I returned to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in early 2003 and attended the regular meetings of the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu to make-up. PP Tan Sri Thomas on one of my make-up meeting suggested that I should 'rejoin' the Club which I did, sometime in the middle of 2003.

(to be continued)....