Rotary Club Of Belait
The Beginning
 

           Rotary first appeared in Belait District in the early 50’s. It was however a flash in the pan. Boom conditions, a highly mobile community and the lack of a sponsor club close by led to a premature death.

          The visit of District Governor Brig in February 1966, led to a preliminary survey by former Rotarian, Ronnie De Cruz, Rotary Club of Brunei Town. An Extension Survey Report was made in June 1966. The potential was there for a small club.

          The incident in the 50’s was not forgotten at Evanston, Illinois. District Governor Bob appointed President Dr. Gould, Rotary Club of Brunei Town his Special Representative to meet a cross-section of the Business, Professional, Government and Industrial sectors of the community.

          Nineteen representative business and professional men, including four former Rotarians, met Dr. Gould, on the first of his many visits, at the Kuala Belait Rest House on 29^th. August,1966. A strange coincidence – nineteen met at Brunei Town in September 1964! A brief outline of the history, objects and membership classification of Rotary was given by Dr. Gould. A three-man committee was formed to conduct regular meetings until provisional status was conferred. John Calver was elected Temporary Chairman; Dr. Martinez Temporary Vice-Chairman; and Ronnie De Cruz Temporary Secretary. Rev. Sorby Adams later joined as Co-Chairman.

          The nucleus gathered momentum. The Rotary Club of Brunei Town offered to act as Sponsor Club. The Provisional Rotary Club of Belait was formed with 21 members in October 1966 at a meeting held at the Kuala Belait Recreation Club. A Constitution, including bye-laws, was adopted. The following were elected provisional officers and directors:-

President:                     Rev. Sorby Adams
Vice-President:            Dr. T. Panch                                       Director : C. A. Macaulay
Hon. Secretary:            Ronnie De Cruz                                       “       : Richard Chang
Hon. Treasurer:            Ian O Neil                                                “       : Dr. Martinez
Sgt. at Arms:                R. A. Rahman                                           “       : M. V. Singham

          Seven members led by President Rev. Sorby Adams were invited to attend the Club Assembly organized by our Sponsor Club in October 1966. The group met District Governor Bob. His letter reveals the impact the stag-group had on him then!

          Processing an application for a Charter sometimes takes months, as Rotary International wants to be sure the locality is capable of supporting a successful Rotary Club. We were fortunate! On 2^nd. December, 1966(within 7 weeks) a Charter was granted. Rotary Club of Belait was admitted to membership of Rotary International. From that day on, we entered into a world-wide partnership with 606,500 Rotarians and 12,626 Rotary Clubs in 134 countries and geographical regions for fellowship and Service above Self.

          Our Community Service Committee under the leadership of Director Richard Chang, in its first step towards serving the needs of the community, erected and handed over to the District Authority two bus-shelters. The Club has also made donations to the Old Persons Home and National Disaster Fund. We look forward to more opportunities for services to the community in Belait district, to the nation and beyond.

          Our Charter night on 27^th. April,1967 will be an unforgettable epoch. Ours will be the first new Club to receive the Charter in Rotary District 330 from District Governor Dr. Bob Tamthai in person. Comparatively few men in Rotary have the privilege of being Charter Members of their Clubs. We have that honour and distinction.

          The Belait district’s Provisional Rotary Club is holding weekly dinners on Monday evenings at the Kuala Belait Recreation Club.
          Bulletin picture shows Mr. Richard Chang (in charge of community service), the president, Mr. R.K.S. Adamas, the vice-president, Dr. T. Panch, and Mr. V. Abdul Salam in an animated discussion before dinner. So far organizational problems have absorbed the club’s attention.

          The President of the Rotary Club of Belait, the Rev. R.K.S. Adams, receives the club’s charter from Dr. Bunliang Tamthai, Governor of Rotary International District 330, at the charter banquet in Seria. Dr. Tamthai, professor of medicine at Chulalongkorn Hospital and Medical School, Bangkok, also visited Kuching before going to Melboune.

 

Rotary Chief in Borneo

          After presenting the Rotary Club of Belait with its charter last week, the district governor of Rotary International district 330 Dr. Bunliang Tamthai, flew on to Kuching.

          There the president of the Rotary Club of Kuching, Bishop Nicholas Allenby, met him. He was guest of honour at a dinner at the Aurora Hotel.

          The Kuching Club, Dr. Tamthai noted, had received its charter 31 years ago. Rotary itself is 62 years old, with 609,000 members.

          Speaking at the Belait Club’s charter night banquet, Dr. Tamthai said district 330 is the largest in the world, covering Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, South Vietnam and Thailand, and using English, French, Chinese and Thai in its meetings.
Its has 43 clubs with 1600 members of more than 30 nationalities
“We should feel proud of our district. It is unique in many ways”,he said.

          Dr. Tamthai defined Rotary as “a service club whose motto is ‘service above self’. The requirement of attendance and classification” (according to the professions represented by its members) “makes it different from other service clubs”.

          Its main aims were to encourage and develop acquaintance as an opportunity for service; high ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society.

          It required each member to apply the ideal of service to his personal, business and community life, and worked for peace and international goodwill through a fellowship of business and professional men, united in the ideal of service.

          By permission of the Brunei Shell Petroleum management, the banquet was held at the B.S.P. Hotel, Seria. The president , the Rev.R. K. S. Adamas, expressed the club’s appreciation to B.S.P.

          Dr. Richard Dingley, President of Rotary Club of Jesselton, presents his club’s banner. Jesselton sponsored the Rotary Club of Brunei Town, which in turn sponsored Belait.

 

10 Years On 

          The Rotary Club of Belait has achieved a notable milestone, and not without some trails and tribulations. Indeed, looking back on this decade of club history, it is fair to say that, on occasions, it must have hovered close to the borders of extinction.

          In an area where the club’s situation has been so strongly influenced by comings and goings within the oil industry, or business linked to this, Belait Rotary has never had any great strength of members.

          The frequent absence of Rotarians on leave or duty has often meant depleted ranks for meetings and also a seeming inability to tackle major projects.

          And yet Belait Rotary today stands stronger- in terms of both membership and finance-than it has ever been. With luck, through the efforts to find fresh blood, the membership may soon top the 30 mark for the first time.

          The financial reserves are healthy (thanks mainly to invested money from the $15,000-plus raised by the Big walk effort at the end of 174).

          This year has stood out like a beacon in other respects, for it marked our biggest project- the May clean-up of Belait Beach, which drew more than 300 people, mostly youngsters, out in a spirit of community service.

          It is interesting to note the spin-off from this soon after: the clean-up of Belait Town.

          Despite the difficulties experienced, the beach project proved that the club can take something big.

          To be fair, it should also be noted that over the years, Belait Rotary has made many smaller but nonetheless valuable contributions to town , district and beyond. They may have been the modest compared with those of other, bigger clubs elsewhere, but they add up in sum to a substantial list.

          And they can be considered ever more noteworthy against the background of club strength, with the frequent loss of members as part of this; a long absence of anything more than modest funds; and frustration over project delays.

          Paul Harris founded Rotary in 1905. The present Belait Rotary Club came into being as the result of a meeting held at the Kuala Belait Resthouse on August 29, 1966.

          The earliest records of the club show the 19 “representative business and professional men interested in the ideal of service through fellowship” met to discuss the possibility of forming a club covering the Belait-Seria area.

          The use of “present” is intentional, for a similar club existed 12 years before but failed. Bearing this in mind, those at the 1966 meeting decided to form a temporary committee to hold regular meetings and to make a proper assessment of a club being able to continue to operate.

          It is interesting to note that at a subsequent meeting it was “suggested that the group be enlarged by inviting technical men, one from each profession, from Shell” to join- an early under-lining of the importance attached to having Brunei Shell men in the organization for its survival.

          It is equally interesting to note that the early meetings were held at the Kuala Belait Recreation Club. The wheel has come full circle, for Rotary is now back with the KBRC as its meeting venue after having, in the interim, been at the Sentosa Hotel, the Keng Kau Association, the Seaview Hotel, and Seria’s Cheng Wah Restaurant.

          The club was provisionally formed from October 3, 1966, Rotary International accepting its membership as from December 2.

          First president was the late Rev. R. K. Sorby Adams, with Dato Dr. T. Panch as vice-president, Mr R. J. de Cruz as secretary and Mr. I. H. O’Neil as treasurer.

          Many names from those first days are now gone, but some stay on. Richard Chang was the first director of community service, M. V. Singham had vocational service, while the names of J. P. James and V. Abdul Salam appeared in the ranks.

          And those names appearing in the formative times also read a bit like a Bruneian who’s who- people such as Clement Chia, Pengiran Abdul Momin, Charley Yong, Chung Shih Ping.

          One of the first undertakings was a visit to the Old People’s Home in Seria to hand out gifts of cigarettes and fruits etc. Since then the home has continued to be a recipient of club donations.

          But on projects, Pengiran Momin, who has climbed to the covetable position in the government of the Mentri Besar, had some timely advice. He suggested that the club should not be too ambitious but undertake small and useful work for the benefit of the public.

          In those times, the club had several Brunei Malays within its membership. It was something noted by Bandar Seri Begawan president Gerry de Freitas when speaking at Belait Rotary’s charter night on April 27,1967. He felt that Brunei clubs generally could benefit from local participation.

          It is pleasing to see that now, after a long absence, we have others joining. In local representation Belait Rotary’s future may well lie.

          The first real physical sign to the public that Rotary was alive and active in the district was the construction of two bus shelters.

          They took time to achieve, as did others of more recent vintage, as present club members are only too well aware. There was also a helping hand to the Suri Seri Begawan Hospital: a trolley for carrying cigarettes, matches, toothbrushes and so on to the patient.

          There was also a novel project abandoned: the sponsoring of two farmers for training in Formosa. It was dropped because it was felt that it would only benefit two men. There was also news that farmers from Formosa were expected to come to the state to work.

          Although the club got off to a solid enough start, there were early indications of problems which would continue to bother Rotarians in subsequent years. At one meeting members were reminded of the need for their regular attendance at meetings, and there was mention of the number absent on leave.

          At another, the treasurer stated “very emphatically” that the club coffers were practically empty and there should be a curtailing of any lavish expenditure.

          By September,1967, Belait Rotary had its first newsletter- Sari Berita- and had moved its meeting place to the Sentosa Hotel.

          Sari Berita no longer exists, but the club had decided to revive the newsletter which will, hopefully, under the name of the Rotary Round-up be an important addition for the club’s future.

          As Belait Rotary moved through 1968,1969 and 1970, so the list of projects accomplished grew.

          There were telephones provided at the Belait and Seria taxi stands; fire extinguishers for kampongs; bike stands at St James’ and St John’s Schools; a pump for Sungai Liang, financial help for five girls from poor ulu families so they could study at Belait schools; water drinking fountains for the mission schools; books for school libraries; donations of two school uniforms apiece to the six children of a poor Seria widow; aid to orphans and help for the Gurka funds- to mention many, but certainly not all of the achievements.

          However, help given then and later was also outwards as well. There was money for a nursing scholarship to send Mrs. Cecilia Lee to Australia to study; money to send an old woman for a breast cancer operation in Kuala Lumpur; another send to Hong Kong; a boy to Hong Kong for spinal therapy; young men and woman sponsored to the Outward Bound School in Singapore; money for the distressed of an Iranian earthquake; towards meeting the cost of a tractor for Fiji, and for an anti-polio campaign in South America; stamps collected to be sold for a fund financing research into crippling diseases.

          What emerges from this is that Belait Rotary has shown some strength in health care areas, and this continues today.

          One of the significant efforts of 1976 was the monetary donation to Mrs. Valerie Harwood to buy equipment for her occupational therapy unit to assist handicapped children.

          There was also a joint donation, with the Panaga Youth Committee, to help a milk fund of an orphanage in Pattaya, Thailand.

          The club has, of course, been mindful of assistance in other areas- youth, for example, with the establishment of an Interact group; five scholarships for students at mission schools; this year’s World Understanding poster competition and youth debates.

          It has also played its share in giving to the Stadium Building Fund. And so to the future- with, it is to be hoped, another “10 years on”. Next year, Belait Rotary will be linked with Bandar Seri Begawan Lions in raising sponsorship for an attempt, possibly in February, on the world long distance endurance walking record by Staff Sergeant John Brooks of the Seria Garrison.

          It is something which could gain the club a spot of international recognition, if it comes off. But, then, in its own quiet way, the club has already achieved some recognition. And for a body without many members, the accomplishments already haven’t been too bad.

 

The Present Decade, 1976-1986 

          Having achieved a notable milestone in the first ten years, the Rotary Club of Belait continued to extend its vision, expanding its activities with more variety, magnitude and involvement. This decade was not short of trials and tribulations. The threat of extinction was more near in 1984 than any other time in the past. But service-minded Rotarians are not easily deterred.

          The fluctuation in membership is fast becoming a tradition. The changes are far more frequent than before and during the last 3 years, some of the members did not last more than a year. The Club has been successful in inducting suitable Rotarians every year but the net gain per year tends to border on one most of the years. Yet the capacity of the Club for service has not diminished neither in performance nor in quality. During the two last years, the planning and selection of the Board of Directors have been upset at various levels due to the unpredictable situation prevailing in the Oil Company. President Elects have changed 3 times within a few months each year before taking office. But the club has coped with the situation quite remarkably. The foundation is strong, so it seems. This year, we would lose some of the senior Rotarians with creditable service records lasting

          5 to 10 years. But our loss would be some other Clubs’ gain and these members will not be lost to the Rotary movement.

          The concept of Rotary is not fully understood by the community at large in this country. Perhaps this could be the failure of the two Clubs in Brunei in not succeeding in taking Rotary effectively to the people. We were viewed with doubts in 1984 and adverse media publicity hurt the Clubs. The community became apprehensive and it still is, even though less than before. Wise and mature behavior by the Belait Rotarians and the Club’s good track record helped to weather the storm.

          The financial reserves are dwindling but the satisfaction is in the various projects implemented. Fund-raising campaigns have been far and less between the years. In 1983 a successful major Big Walk effort brought in substantial funds. A Family Hash in early 1985 supplemented the income. But the situation has not hampered the progress and an expenditure of  $25,000 per year is in right order. A golf tournament has been successfully completed this year and more fund raising projects are planned.

          Clean-up campaigns in the seventies, the concern by the District Officer and the Municipality have resulted in a regularized “Keep Brunei Clean” campaigns, an annual event in which the Club participates along with other Service clubs. In the late seventies some of our noteworthy projects have been in promoting Kampong Cleanliness Competitions with the encouragement from the District Office and the Health Department. Our eagerness to participate in environmental projects is well known exemplified by the “Spring Cleaning” carried out in the open stalls in Seria in 1984.

          Throughout the history of the Club, we have recognized the need for safe water supply and sanitation facilities in the rural areas. Many projects have been carried out for the Longhouses in Ulu-Belait, Melilas etc. This year, the accent is on rural areas, once again, with projects being implemented in Sukang-Ulu Belait and in Labi. Plans to adopt a village in line with this year’s Rotary International Presidents’ concept of Rotary Village Corps are being studied.

          Our involvement in the Health and Care projects have been heavy. There was a surge in the eighties(1981 in particular) in sponsoring patients for treatment abroad and it still continues. These have been some of our major projects with beneficial results to the patients. During this decade, fourteen patients- young boys and girls, male and female adults with various problems ranging from mitral valve replacement, congenital heart lesion, cardiac surgery, hole-in the-heart cases, brain tumors, leukemia, deafness, etc. have been sent to London, Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong for treatment. Other Service organizations such as the Petroleum Wives Club, Panaga Ladies Committee and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce have joined us in implementing these projects. Another health project was the Anti-Smoking Campaign carried out with poster display. Further, deaf and dumb, and blind patients have also been sponsored for training in Singapore. A particular mentally retarded child has been helped to attend regular classes at St. Michael’s School. Liaising with the Health Department, the services of Mrs. Stiger, occupational therapist was obtained to train a blind boy to read Braille. A hospital attendant trained similarly is still happily working in Suri Seri Begawan Hospital, Kuala Belait. Wheel chairs have been gifted to two patients in Seria. Material and cash donations have been given through the Directorate, Youth Welfare and Sports(1981-82) for the handicapped.

          We continue to assist the needy children with school fees, books and uniform. Books have been donated to school libraries. A novel project was to provide clothes to the youngsters from Bario (Punans) to replace their chawat (loincloth) so that they could attend St. Michael’s School (1977).

          Some projects have taken more than two years of the Club’s time from the evaluation to implementation stages. A few have been abandoned after intensive evaluation. The “Best Driver Award” competition was a good example. Road safety signs have been erected, seat belt campaign have appeared in the programme many times and 1986-87 would be the year for implementation.

          Youth activities have been promoted in a big way by the Club. The intensity and response have been fluctuating during this decade. The latter part of seventies continued with sponsoring of students to the Outward Bound School in Singapore. Due to the heavy expenditure involved in sponsoring youth aboard, the feasibility of setting up a school in Brunei was studied. This would have given the opportunities for more youth to participate. A school in Brunei would require Government approval and support and this could be a major project to be implemented in the future.

          Essay, Art and Photographic Competitions had been organized and awards made. This requires revival.

          The Interact Club, a service organization for secondary school children was organized in 1973 with 70 Charter members and was alive for 7 years. Selected members were sponsored to the Interact Conferences in Singapore and Malaysia regularly. Attempts have been made to revive the organization and it appears that the school children do not have time these days for these type of activities.

          Candidates have been sent regularly in the seventies for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award seminars held in Malaysia and Singapore. But the response in the eighties has been poor. The last two candidates were from Panaga Ladies Committee in 1979.

          Rotarians and their Anns have associated themselves closely with the District Scout and Girl Guide movements. One of the major projects successfully implemented in 1978 was the “Buy a Brick and Help a Guide” to build a hut for the Girl Guides.

          Career Guidance to form IV and V students has found a place in the Rotary Programme every year. Seminars, lectures, display of career posters, visits to places of work, construction sites, industrial complexes have been organized. More emphasis will be given this year.

          Student Exchange Progammes with students from Kota Kinabalu, Miri and Port Dickson exchanging with students from Brunei is an on-going programme. The exchanges are organized by the respective Rotary Clubs.

          The youth activities are more intensified this year. The Belait Youth Association and other youth organizations (11 No.) in the District have many ideas to implement and they require the support and guidance and our Club has agreed to assist them in several ways.

          Right throughout the history of the Club support to the elderly people have been given and the Old People’s Home in Seria has appeared on our programme every year. Ranging from gifts and dinners during festive seasons to refurbishing of some of the facilities in the Centre in Seria, a novel provision of video films for leisure and pleasure viewing have been made during the last two years.

          The Anti-Dadah (Drug Abuse Control) campaign in this country is organized by the Government. We propose to participate in a big way and have made a start with distribution of T-shirts with slogans at a National exhibition last year followed by a lecture to the youth by the Rotary District Governor Mustapha Ma during his visit to Belait in August, this year. Government approval has been obtained to publish and distribute in Malay and English a booklet on guidance to parents. This is a major undertaking and would be carried out with our counterpart in Bandar Seri Begawan. Organizing various activities and involving the youth otherwise would be a definite distraction strategy.

          Our participation in the District Officer’s Disaster Fund along with other Service Clubs have been recognized. Provision of materials to re-build longhouse destroyed by fire in Punan and in Kampong Saud were readily made.

          Regular donations have been given to the District Orphan Fund and the Handicapped Fund. This will continue as long as need is there.

          Financial help to the distressed families have always been readily forthcoming from the Rotarians.

          Contributions have been made to the Rotary District 330 projects in 1984, Tun Onn’s Eye Hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

          At international level, donations were made to the refugees in Afghanistan in 1985, International Year of the Disabled Persons Fund, Health for all by the year 2000 appeal by the World Health Organization; and continuous support to the Rotary Health, Hunger and Humanity (3H) Programme is being given.

          The most adventurous programme undertaken by Rotary International is the ‘Polo Plus’ Campaign designed to eradicate polio and other dreaded diseases such as measles, diptheria, tuberculosis, tetanus, etc. by immunizing all the children in the world by the year 2005 (Rotary’s Centenary). Every club is expected to make its own contribution through their respective districts and plans are afoot to implement our programme.

          A unique project was carried out in 1981. Two Brunei Trees were sent with approval of the Department of Agriculture to the Rotary Club of Bombay for their Vana (forest) Project.

          Group Study Exchange has been a regular feature. Both all male and female teams from Australia and California, New York and South New Jersey, U.S.A. have visited Belait. These have been rewarding programmes.

          Attempts have been made to organize an Inner Wheel Club by the Ladies of Rotary. This is still to be born. Meanwhile, the Rotary Anns have always given and continue to give tremendous support to Rotary.

          Staff Sergeant John Brooks of the Seria Garrison was sponsored for the world long distance endurance walk, Tutong to Seria, 30 miles. It was a joint project with Rotary Club of Bandar Seri Begawan.

          To benefit the soccer players in the Belait District, a football coach from Singapore was financed by the Club and the project carried out in conjunction with the Belait District Football Association.

          Notice was given in 1981 to redistrict Thailand. Thailand left District 330 in 1982 to form District 335 with 60 clubs. District 330 then had 46 clubs from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

          We are proud to record our achievements in giving birth to two Rotary Clubs in the region. In the last decade, we sponsored the Rotary Club of Miri (1969) and in this decade, the formalities of Chartering the Rotary Club of Labuan are over (October 1986), again sponsored by us. This is no small achievement for any Rotary Club.

         Our involvement has been many in various ways. In each we have given our compassion, care and meaningful service, and we will continue to do so. Our record in the past twenty years is truly outstanding considering that we are only twenty strong at any particular time. The next ten years will record more achievements, hopefully in a better climate, with less trials and tribulations. Rotary Brings Hope, always.

“WHEN THE BELL TOLLS FOR HUMANITY IT TOLLS FOR ROTARIANS.”