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Address of Past RI President Bhichai Rattakul
As the RI President's Representative
At the Conference of District 2700, Fukuoka
12 – 13 April, 2014
“ Why Rotary?”
District Governor Motoaki Anai, and my Fellow
Rotarians,
I rise to speak with great humility because I am fully
aware of the honour given to me by our President, Ron
Burton, a man of great vision, and a man of dignity andintegrity.
There is no doubt that President Ron Burton and his
dear wife, Jettta would love to be with all of you on thisspecial occasion, especially to renew the friendship he
had with you, Governor Anai, during the week in San
Diego in January, 2013.
Like all Presidents in the past, President Ron Burton
and you, Governor Anai have been working very hard to
make Rotary a more realistic force for good, and to
Engage Rotary and Change Lives.
We have now only less than three months left before
the year comes to its end. .
I think the year, so far, has been a year of greatsatisfaction to all of us as Rotarians. Thus, it is only
quite natural that nothing would bring real happiness toPresident Ron if he could only be with all of you even fora short period of time.

2But, as we have more than 360 districts around theworld it would be impossible for him to be at every
conference to thank you personally, but you can beassured that his heart and his love for district 2700 will
always be with him!
I have been a Rotarian for 56 years, and there aremany more who have served Rotary for more than 60years and perhaps even 70 years. But, very often thequestion arises, “Why Rotary?” “Why take time for it?”
I can only say to you that in my conviction andexperience I have found it good for the people.
I think this is the measure of goodness. I have foundthat it contributes to understanding and communicationand goodwill and peace and service and the relieving of
human want and suffering among men, and women.
I can only say to you that I would not take a year of
my life, nor any part of it, for Rotary if I didn't have aconviction pertaining to its purpose and its future andits effectiveness.
And this I bring to you as our witness from thesewanderings around the world as well as my 56 years ofassociation with it at closer range.
In one of my stops...official calls...in my own country
for a day of outing for a “hands on” NationalImmunization Day of the Polio eradication campaign,with more than 50 other Rotarians I had the sorrowful
experience that was later on made known to RotaryInternational.

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We all are aware that the Polio Plus programme costs
a lot of money. In fact more than one billion dollars
were raised by the Rotarians worldwide to keep theproject moving in the hope to completely eradicate thisdreadful disease as soon as possible.
But, money and fund are not only the “service” that
Rotarians provide. Rotarians give their time, theirenergy, and even their life to this noble cause.
Rotarian Yongchai Surapantanakorn who was only 35
years old had a wife and two young children. He owned
a small automobile spare parts shop in a small town not
far from Bangkok.
His income was so meager just enough to cover thefamily expenses and be a member of a Rotary Club.
He had never been a Paul Harris Fellow!
But, the PolioPlus programme had always been close
to his heart. However, the constraint on his income hadforced him to abandon the desire to have even a smallpart to contribute some fund to the programme. But, hedevoted his time, talent and energy going around thedistrict to raise fund for the programme.
HIS DETERMINATION TO HAVE A SMALLPART IN THE ERADICATION OF POLIO WAS SO
STRONG THAT HE SPENT EVERY WEEKVISITING VARIOUS CLUBS AND ENCOURAGED
THE ROTARIANS TO PARTICIPATE BY
CONTRIBUTING TO THE POLIO FUND ORPERSONALLY PARTICIPAATING ON EACH AND
EVERY NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION DAY.

4It was on a humid day in April, Yong Chai with hiswife, daughter and a friend went out once again for
a National Immunization Day. They went in a small
sampan boat carrying with them the precious Polio
vaccine drops.
The whole day was spent at various villages along thewinding canals where parents brought their children out
waiting for the Polio drops.
It was another hard day work for Yongchai. His bodywas all soaked with sweats and dirt.
The sun started to set and it was time to return home.
Suddenly, the water gates in the canal opened for thefarmers to till their lands the next day. Yongchai didn't
realize that the current was so strong that it could do him
and his family harm.
He continued paddling against the current.
As a result his small sampan boat was capsized! He
grappled the remaining Polio vaccine on one hand andthe other his 7 years old daughter. He swam to the shore
and returned again in time to save his wife when she wasstarting to go down under the current.
By that time, with his concern over his friend , hewent back into the canal facing yet another wave ofstrong current to find that his friend was struggling toclimb up the shore.
His friend was safe!

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But poor Yongchai was so exhausted to such an
extent that he could no longer carry the weight of hisown body.
With no one on shore to help him, Yongchai wasdrowned! He went down under the water just when thesun was setting at the far end of the horizon.
I was at his funeral the next day. I met his wife, andhis daughter and his friend . All of whom survived
because of an act of one service-minded man who spent
his whole life trying to Do Good in the World.
Yongchai didn't leave much for his young family, but
he did leave a legacy that Rotary service does not confine
only to fund raising, and Rotary service certainly does
not confine to “purse” service, but Rotary's real service
is “Thoughtfulness of and Helpfulness to Others”.
I think a we should face ourselves soberly with thisinevitable from mortality for all of us. This dramatized it
for us, and we shall never forget it!
YES, YONGCHAI HAD THE COURAGE AND
THE DETERMINATION!
SPEAKING OF “DETERMINATION” IT
REMINDS ME OF HOW ONE SMALL ROTARYCLUB IN BANGKOK MANY YEARS AGO SPENTSO MUCH TIME AND MONEY FOR BANGKOKCHILDREN’S EDUCATION IN THE LARGESTSLUM AREA IN THAILAND.
EVER SINCE SHE WAS A CHILD, PORNTHIP
HAS MANY DREAMS AMD AMBITIONS.

6BORN IN THE SLUM…A POVERTY STRICKENFAMILY OF THREE, HER PARENTS HAVE HAD TOSTRUGGLE AND WORK EXTREMELY HARD TO
MAKE ENDS MEET.
BOTH PARENTS EARNED A COMBINE INCOME
OF A MERE $10.- A DAY…JUST ENOUGH TOFEED THE WHOLE FAMILY, AND SAVINGSOME…NOT ONLY FOR PORNTIP’S EDUCATIONBUT ALSO PORNTHIP’S OLDER BROTHER ANDSISTER.
WHILE THE OTHER MUMS AND DADS WOULDVISIT SHOPPING MALLS TO BUY SCHOOLUNIFORMS AND STATIONERY FOR TYHEIRCHILDREN, THE FIRST PLACE PORNTHIP’SMOTHER THOUGHT WAS A PAWNSHOP!
FAMILY DESTITUTION EVENTUALLY FORCEDHER BROTHER AND SISTER TO LEAVE SCHOOLAFTER THEY FINISHED THEIR NINTH GRADE SOTHAT THEY COULD FIND A JOB AND MAKESOME SMALL INCOME TO PUT FOOD ON THETABLE.
IT WAS A TOUGH AND ROUGH TIME FOR THEFAMILY. PORNTHUIP REALIZED THE SITUATIONWELL. BUTAS THE YOUNGEST CHILD,PORNTHUP WAS TOLD NOT TO GIVE UP HERSTUDIES.

7THE ROTARY CLUB WAS APPROACHED, ANDWITH MORE THAN 100 POOR CHILDREN IN THESLUM, PORNTIP WAS GIVEN A SCHOLARSHIP!
HER PARENTS ALWSYS TAUGHT HER ABOUTTHE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND HOW IT
COULD IMPROVE THE FAMILY’S STANDARD OF
LIVING.
IT DID!
HER STRONG DETERMINATION, LIKE THE
LATE YONGCHAI, TO STUDY, FUELLED BYOPPORTUNITIES AND SACRIFICE GIVEN TO HERBY OTHERS, HAS TURNED HER LIFE AROUND.
FROM BEING AN UNDERPRIVILEGED GIRLWHO NEEDED AN DUCATIONAL LOAN EACHYEAR, OR SCHORLARSHIP FROM THE CLUBS INTHE AREA TO BE ABLE TO STUDY, NOWPORNTHIP IS RECOGNIZED AS THE VERY FIRSTDOCTERATE GRADUATE TO COME FROM THELARGEST SLUM IN THE CITY!
 AS AN ACADAMIC STANDOUT, HEREXCELLENT GRADES ALSO WON HERTHE PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARSHP FROMTHE ROYAL GOLDEN JUBILEE PH.DPROGRAMME.
THOS SCHOLARSHIP ENABLED HER TOPURSUE ANOTHER YEAR OF INTERNSHIP8PROGRAMME AT JOHN HOPKINS HOSPITAL INTHE US.
“I LOVE SCIENCE”. SAID PRONTHIP.
ESPECIALLY BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE NEWFOCUS ON HOW “ NANOTEECHNOLOGY” CAN
ENABLE LESS MEDICINE TO TAKE BETTEREFFECT AMONG THE SICK. AND I HIOPE MYKNOWLEDGE CAN ONE DAY HELP IMPROVEAND SAVE MANY PATIENTS’ LIVES.
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT PORNTHIPACADAMIC TRIUMPH HAS BEEN HER DEEPEST
DESIRE AND STRONG DETERMINATION TO HELPPEOPLE.
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT PORNTHIP’SACADAMIC TRIUMPH HAS ALSO NEEN
“OPPORTUNITY”“OPPORUNITY” IS MORE THAN JUST LUCK”,SHE SAID TO ME RECENLY.
“IT IS AN INGREDIENT TO COOK UP YOUR
SUCCESS”.
AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ROTARIANS ISALSO NOT LUCK…BUT AN OPPORTUNITY TO ..
“ENGAGE ROTARY AND CHANGE LIVES”.
My fellow Rotarians, as I now turn more on Rotary. I
feel that lately the demands from Rotary International

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imposed upon the clubs are increasingly becoming aheavy burden on the administration of the club.
I strongly feel that the work load placed on theGovernor, and through him to his clubs is now almost afull time job!
As a result, fellowship among the members of theclub has been diluted because of time constraint that
hamper club's attendance, discouraging and ignoring theapplication of the formally strict classification principle.,and lack of Rotary information, etc.
This has created undesirable consequences, and manyclubs around the world have to close down because of
our own doing...ignoring and bypassing thequalifications of being a Rotarian all together.
If Rotary is like any other service and charitable club
will our dream of having more young business andprofessional men and women into the fold of Rotary
become realistic?
I doubt very much!
I further feel that with many new programmes andnew emphases every year resulting in adding more andmore staff at the secretariat, and through the action of theBoard and the Council on Legislation has created newrules , new regulations and new patterns for clubs tofollow, Rotary has now become a gigantic bureaucratic
establishment!
One of the emphases lately has been “Public Image”.

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We even have a Rotary International “Public Image
Coordinator”!
What can a Public Image Coordinator does to makegood image on Rotary? I really don't know!
In the urge to have more and more members, RotaryInternational, for many years, had what we called RotaryInternational Membership Co-ordinator. We spent a lotof money on this programme, but the whole idea
collapsed a few years later because it didn't make sense
to recruit new members without going through theprocess which we used to strictly adhered to it in the past.
To me, service is what gives us our image!
What we do or what we don't do...that is how Rotary
is judged, and that is how we get the image we deserve.
If we serve well, then we will have an image thatpeople respect. But, there is no one who can serve for us.
No one can serve us our image on a silver tray.
We have to work for it. We have to carry out theservice ourselves.
This in my opinion is Rotary...service. Service is notwriting a cheque book or donating money. Acting as acharitable organization certainly is not our aim.
Service is when we make available of our time to giveof ourselves!
Thus, you will see that the spirit of Rotary is simple.
But, if Rotary's programme and activities grow to11

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become too large and too complicated, then we will
forget the spirit of service.
I say, let us all renew our dedication to the ideal andthe spirit of Service Above Self on which our fellowshipis based.
Let each of us share the responsibility to do the best
we can to serve.. It is the best way and, I think the only
way we will keep Rotary running on track in the years
ahead.