Installations galore

July is well-known in Rotary circles as the month for Installations. There is much debate about how Clubs should conduct their Installations. Some say that Clubs should just have a simple straightforward affair, and some Clubs do just this. Others argue that a more formal affair with lots of invited guests is appropriate to mark what is an important milestone for a Rotary Club - the passing of the baton and the changing of a new leadership team for the Club.

Whichever way a Club celebrates an Installation, what is important is that a Club takes time out to look back at the achievements of the previous year, and looks forward to the work in the coming year. Without meaningful projects, service and fellowship, there would be not much point in Rotary. And indeed, for us, there is much to celebrate and a lot to look forward to.

Over the last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Installations of the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur West (in Group 6, together with us), and the Rotary Club of Melawati. Both events were very enjoyable and I had the chance to catch up with a lot of people, and made a few new friends along the way. There were also a few other Gombak guests - Past President Wong Yow Seng attended KL West’s event; and District Governor Elect Leslie Salehuddin and Ann Ziela; and Immediate Past President Ridzuan Yang, attended Melawati’s event. I also had the opportunity to have a chat with District Governor Dr Rajindar Singh during Melawati’s event. Congratulations to President Thuraichamy Ramiah, President Shanti Jayaram and their Boards on their Installations. If you are keen to attend any Installations, you can check your District Directory, which has a list of all the dates. Of course, if you haven’t got your copy of the Directory, you can contact Club Service Chair Chris Chin.

Talking about directories, members would have received a draft copy of the Club Directory sent via email. Do check to ensure that your details are correct before it goes to print.

Back to Installations, the Rotaract Club of Gombak’s Installation will be held on 16 August. You can get more information here. Of course, our own Installation is just around the corner, and a lot of work has to be done to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Already, we are getting confirmation of sizable delegations from our sister Clubs. If you are keen to attend the Installation of the Rotary Club of Tanglin in Singapore on 2 August 2008, contact Past President Vincent Ng, who will be organising the trip down south. Further on, the Rotary Club of Makati South in the Philippines will be having their Installation on 8 September 2008. For more information on these and other events, check out the calendar on our website.

Finally, I was invited by my friend, President Kassim Arrif from the Rotary Club of Damansara West [blog], to speak about the Club Leadership Plan (CLP) at their meeting on Wednesday, 16 July. As you are aware, the Rotary Club of Gombak is the first Club in District 3300 to fully adopt the CLP in 2007. The CLP, though not mandatory, is the recommended administrative structure for Rotary clubs. It is based on the best practices of effective Rotary clubs. These best practices include:

• Developing long-range goals that address the elements of an effective club and annual goals to support them
• Convening regular club assemblies
• Involving all club members in the activities and fellowship of the club
• Maintaining open lines of communication
• Ensuring continuity in leadership
• Providing regular, consistent training

Importantly, the plan can be customised to fit each Rotary Club’s needs, and is working very well indeed for Gombak. You can find out more about Gombak’s CLP structure here, and Rotary International’s CLP resources can be downloaded from here.