Kota Kinabalu: The spirit of camaraderie was evident as Rotarians gathered to celebrate the Rotary Club of Likas Bay’s 43rd anniversary at Hilton Kota Kinabalu.
The celebration was marked by fellowship, awards, songs and cultural dance performances, culminating in a cake-cutting ceremony commemorating 43 years of community service.
The occasion also saw the installation of incoming president Anna Clark by her predecessor Aldrin Wong, together with the new Board of Directors and Club Officers for the 2026-2027 term.
The new leadership comprises President-Elect Dr Ramu Palaniappan, Vice-President Captain James Jr, Secretary Kevin Chong, Treasurer Datin Chua Soon Lan, and Directors Datuk Lee Chuen Wan, Philip Chong, Leslie Yew, Gwendolen Vu and Mathilda Ma.
Club Officers are Datuk Francis Lai, Wong Chu Lai, Dr Asohan Thevarajah, Michael Tong, Jong Hui Yun, Samuel Yeh, Victor Wong and Audrey Koh.
The presence of a delegation from sister club Rotary Club of Lu Chou, Taiwan, led by its President Pharma Dong Hsieh Ming, added significance to the occasion.
Dong commended the Rotary Club of Likas Bay for its leadership, dedication and achievements, and expressed hope that the two clubs would continue working together on humanitarian initiatives.
“Partnering to serve and spread love, the Rotary Club of Lu Chou hopes to continue walking hand in hand with its sister club to connect the world and serve humanity.
“We also look forward to creating further success together in our joint endeavour, the Stateless Community Vocational Training Project,” he said.
Past District Governor Datuk Haji Zainie Abdul Aucasa officiated at the celebration, which also saw the presentation of the Likas Bay Rotary Club’s vocational award to Dr Kathryn Rivai.
The award recognised Rivai’s commitment and dedicated service in providing basic education to children at 14 learning centres throughout Sabah.
Zainie said the club had remained exemplary in upholding Rotary’s “Service Above Self” motto over the past four decades by reaching out to communities in need.
“The people are definitely appreciative of what selfless Rotarians have done, which only motivates them to do more and be impactful,” he said.
On this year’s Rotary theme, “Create Lasting Impact”, Zainie said it encouraged Rotarians to work together and collaborate on service projects that could make a meaningful difference in communities locally and worldwide.
Immediate Past President Wong described the 43rd anniversary as a milestone and a testament to four decades of collective service, camaraderie and dedication.
He said this was reflected in the club’s achievement of four Rotary awards for 2025-2026 – the Club Excellence Award, Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service presented to Past District Governor Philip Chong, Rotary District 3310 PolioPlus Champion Club and 100pc Paul Harris Fellow Club.
In her maiden address, Clark said the club would continue its signature projects during her term, including the Gift of Sight 4.0 Cataract Project, jointly carried out with 11 other Rotary clubs in Sabah; the Smile Cambodia Project, which provides free cleft lip and palate operations in Cambodia; medical camps for rural communities; and the Water, Sanitation & Health Project.
The latter is a joint club initiative focusing mainly on providing gravity-feed or underground water supplies to rural communities in Sabah.
“We will also strengthen youth development for our Interactors and Rotaractors, nurturing the next generation of leaders who will carry Rotary’s torch forward,” she added.
