Two members of Rotary Geelong East were in Bali for much earned break. However, in addition to carrying out a Walk Against Waste(see story below), they made time to visit two Rotary clubs in Bali and get to know some of the people.
This is one of the great advantages of Rotary. Anywhere a Rotarian travels, if there is Rotary club in the town or city, they are warmly welcomed.
The piece below was written by one of the Bali visiting Rotarians, Jenny Acopian.
Rotarians Alison Marshall and Jenny Acopian were on holiday in Bali recently and soon became aware of the work of
Rotary District 3420 as we strolled along the beach front at Kuta.
Rotary District 3420 as we strolled along the beach front at Kuta.
The tap and basin shown was provided by local Bali Rotarians during the COVID epidemic. It encouraged people to wash their hands thoroughly as a means of preventing contagion.
We then decided to visit two local lunch-time Rotary Clubs. The first was the Rotary Club of Bali
Seminyak (chartered 2002) the second was the Rotary Club of Bali Nusa Dua (chartered 1992). We
thoroughly enjoyed the experience and had great fun comparing the clubs to Geelong East, and to
each other.
Both Bali clubs have adopted English as their official language, and each state that their members are mainly expatriates, representing 12 nation
alities. This is reflected in the names of the current presidents: Marie Francoise de Saint Priest d’Urgel, a French woman, is President of Bali Seminyak, and Matthias Frenzel, a German gentleman and restaurant owner, is President of Nusa Dua. During our visits we met no indigenous Balinese Rotarian. Indeed, our host at Seminyak (the US Consul Agent in Bali) indicated he would like to attract local members but there has been no progress so far.He was of the view that the cost of meeting and dining at a five-star hotel was an inhibiting factor.
Nusa Dua also meet twice monthly for a two or three course lunch at a luxurious five-star hotel.
While similar in many ways, there were two stark differences. We were advised that Nusa Dua Rotary, the larger club, has two female members while Seminyak was made up of around 50 per cent women.
Nusa Dua also meet twice monthly for a two or three course lunch at a luxurious five-star hotel.
While similar in many ways, there were two stark differences. We were advised that Nusa Dua Rotary, the larger club, has two female members while Seminyak was made up of around 50 per cent women.
The second major difference was the degree of formality of their meetings. Proceedings at Seminyak commenced
with an extended grace cum prayer, followed by the Four Way Test recited by all present. Alison and I were formally presented with a small club banner by President Marie.
with an extended grace cum prayer, followed by the Four Way Test recited by all present. Alison and I were formally presented with a small club banner by President Marie.
At Nusa Dua we heard of one of their signature projects the Cleft Lip and Palate project. Since 1994, Nusa Dua Rotary has provided over 2,100 operations to children from Bali and its surrounding islands. This year, they plan to provide 210 operations in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh-Collier.
Each meeting hosted an outstanding guest speaker from whom we gained fascinating insights into Bali life and culture.
