Conventional? - Not on Your Life! - UN Secretary-General at Rotary Convention

There’s nothing so invigorating as seeing Rotarians celebrating Rotary and nowhere more exciting to do that than the annual Rotary International Convention. Returning to Birmingham after 25 years, the NEC has provided an ideal venue for this year’s convention.

Amongst the 20,000 delegates from Rotary’s 154 countries, four Rotarians and their partners from Elthorne Hillingdon made the short journey up the M1 (or M40). Basing ourselves in Coventry, a short rail journey from the NEC looked like a good idea and would have been had it not been for a complete absence on Sunday of suitable rail services to get us there on time!! That, though, was the only issue with the arrangements. Registration and logistics could not have been better organised, setting things up beautifully for the opening plenary session. Complete with razzamatazz that would have graced the West End stage, our entertainment was drawn from our UK host country and our President’s native Korea. A succession of superb acts followed one another, from Morris, Scottish and Irish dancing through Korean opera singers and drum dancers and the band of the Coldstream Guards. Closing the entertainment programme, Birmingham’s Youth Choir were joined by Korea’s Little Angels in “You Raise Me Up” – which could well be a strapline for Rotarians the world over!

The serious business of convention on Day 1 was in the hands of RI President DK Lee, who spoke movingly of his hopes for a reduction in child mortality born from his unforgettable visit to an African village and seeing the issue first-hand. President DK was somewhat upstaged by his fellow-countryman, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. A surprise addition to the programme, Excellency Moon congratulated Rotary on the progress we have made, in conjunction with the World Health Organisation, in reducing the incidence of Polio to just four countries.

It’s only when you look around a convention hall like this, at the number of Rotarians each doing their bit to help the world that you realise just how much poorer the world would be without Rotary.