Roundup of IIW President Phyllis' visit to Malaysia
by National Representative Juanita Lee (Districts 330 and 331)
23 February 2020
IIW President Phyllis arrived in Kuala Lumpur on 17 Jan 2019 on her official visit to Malaysia. She was feted by 22 clubs in the district. The highlight was the celebration of World Inner Day in Taiping on the 18 Jan. There was warm fellowship at luncheons and dinners where she was the guest of honour. President Phyllis participated in several projects for women, children and green living. The road trip north to Taiping and back to Kuala Lumpur over the 7 days was a spread of scenic, iconic and historical sights. Click here to view photos.
Day 1: Arrival in Kuala Lumpur
17 January, 2020. The much-awaited arrival of IIW President Phyllis was on schedule at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The Inner Wheel District 330 welcoming party headed by NR Juanita Lee and District Chairman Padmini Menon and her Exco members were on hand to greet her with a welcome banner and a bouquet of orchids. She and her spouse PDG Paul Charter were then whisked off to Eastin Hotel in Petaling Jaya for dinner at the Hotel’s Chinese Restaurant hosted by NR Juanita Lee and her spouse, Dr Lee Hock Bee. Also present were IIWPBD Jessie Wang and IIWPBD Datin Pearl Jai Mohan with her spouse, Dato’ Dr Jai Mohan and son.
Day 2: World Inner Wheel Day in Taiping
On the following day, President Phyllis and spouse, accompanied by NR Juanita and IIWPBD Pearl took a drive to Taiping which was the venue of World Inner Wheel Day celebration.
They had lunch at Dong Café, Ipoh, situated in a restored pre-WWII building which also houses a heritage gallery called “22 Hale Street”. History is re-enacted in the mother-of-pearl antique furniture and settings such as a living room of an effluent Peranakan family, a barber shop, a towkay’s (big boss) office and a bridal chamber. The ambience was reminiscent of the heyday when Ipoh was the tin capital of the world in the 19th to 20th centuries. They were given a guided tour by the curator and took photos in each historical set.
When they arrived to check in at the Grand Baron Hotel in Taiping, the members of the Inner Wheel Club of Taiping, District officers and members of several other clubs were present to warmly welcome President Phyllis and spouse.
A total of 172 Inner Wheel members registered for the World Inner Wheel Day celebration comprising nineteen out of twenty-two clubs in District 330. From District 331, Chairman Shirin Ghadiali (IIWPBD), Club President Datin Rachel Rayah Kumar and Past National Representative Rokiah Staun from Inner Wheel Club of Kota Kinabalu flew in specially for this occasion.
A group photo session of President Phyllis with each Club was taken before the dinner function. A signing ceremony of an undertaking by IWC Taiping to adopt a non-profit school for special children, the Sekolah Semangat Maju, Taiping was held. The highlight of the evening was a talent contest and indeed the audience was entertained by the medley of dances and costumes put up by the members of the various Inner Wheel Clubs. Click here to read more in IIW Facebook.
There's also more about this in IIW website.
Day 3: Dialogue with President Phyllis
The “Meet the President” dialogue session was held in the morning. There was a lively and fruitful discussion between President Phyllis and the members.
With the dialogue session over, members of IWC Taiping proudly showed off their town to President Phyllis in a short sight-seeing tour. It was one of the most vibrant towns in the Malay Peninsula, a state capital of the Perak Sultanate in 1874. It had the first railway, the first modern golf course and the oldest hill resort in Malaysia. At the Taiping Lake Gardens, the 200-year-old rain trees line a scenic jogging path encircling the fringe of the lake, its branches famously arching down towards the waters, the first public garden built by the British. Click here to view photos in IIW Facebook.
Lunch was hosted by members of IWC Taiping at the old and historic Club named “The New Club”, founded in 1885 and which boasts of affiliation to St Andrew’s Golf Club in Scotland.
It was time to bid farewell to Taiping and the next stop was Ipoh. On arrival in Ipoh they checked into The Haven Resort Hotel a popular resort hotel with scenic views.
In the evening, President and her spouse were the guests of honour at a dinner hosted jointly by the three Inner Wheel Clubs of Ipoh East, Ipoh and Ioras Ipoh. About forty-three members and their spouses attended the dinner. It was a light-hearted session filled with chatter and laughter and lots of photo opportunities for the members with the VIP guests, exchanging of bannerettes and presentation of gifts. Click to read more in IIW Facebook. Here's more in IIW website.
Day 4: Tour of Ipoh
In the morning, stepping out onto the balcony at The Haven Resort Hotel, one can have a resplendent view of the lake and limestone hills set in clear blue sky. Taking a break and a well-deserved rest, President Phyllis donned walking gear and strode out onto the jogging trail built along the foot of the limestone hills. Along the way, she stopped to admire the flora and could hear the soft sounds of nature. Click to view a video. Click here to read more in IIW Facebook.
One last stop before the drive back to Eastin Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, was at Kek Look Tong (or Cave of Great Happiness), a Chinese temple set in multiples caves in the heart of a limestone hill. It houses gigantic Buddha statues; impressive stalactites and stalagmites.
Day 5: Taman Tugu Green Project
President Phyllis attended the Green Project by Inner Wheel Club of Petaling Jaya at Taman Tugu Eco Park and took a morning walk at Taman Tugu Eco Park, covering 66 acres of green lung in the city, with more than 5,000 trees. Participants were members of Inner Wheel and 30 sponsored students from Fugee School, a non-profit school for refugees under the support of the UNHCR. The objectives of this project are two-pronged. Firstly it is a green conservation awareness programme conducted by the Taman Tugu experts. Secondly, under the guidance of The Free Tree Society of Kuala Lumpur, the Fugee students were guided on environmental stewardship and taught the fundamentals of tree planting. Click here to read more in IIW Facebook. More to read in IIW website.
In the evening, President Phyllis and PDG Paul attended an informal fellowship night with a batik theme organised by NR Juanita Lee and her club members, the Inner Wheel Club of Kuala Lumpur, at her residence. Members and spouses from several clubs attended this function. Click here to read more in IIW Facebook.
On the menu were signature local cuisine and many types of local fruits in season. A cake decorated with red roses in celebration of her visit to District 330 was rolled in with a chorus of “she is a jolly good fellow”. NR Juanita presented President Phyllis with a gift set of a baroque pearl necklace and a pair of baroque pearl earrings.
In keeping with the theme, a fashion show by members of the Inner Wheel Club of Kuala Lumpur showcased different styles of batik fashion for ladies, one of which was presented to President Phyllis. She was sporting enough to agree to model her outfit to loud applause and appreciation from members. Click here to view a video. Here's more in IIW website.
The Inner Wheel Club of Intan Kuala Lumpur, a new generation club, showcased tote bags made from T-shirts. It generated a lot of interest and curiosity. IWC Intan, Kuala Lumpur presented a tote bag to President Phyllis.
Day 6: The Rotating Library Project by Inner Wheel Club of Kuala Lumpur
The benefits of having a good reading habit is a well established fact. The lack of new good books in school libraries led the Inner Wheel Club of Kuala Lumpur to create a project called “The Rotating Library”. This project coincides with Kuala Lumpur being named the UNESCO World Book Capital 2020.
President Phyllis was invited to witness the handover of a thousand “Rotating Library” books for two schools. New books will be added into circulation every 6 months. To encourage the reading habit, prizes will be given to avid readers. During this event, the club also presented school uniforms, shoes, school bags and stationery to the needy students. Read more in IIW website. Click to listen to the speech by IIW President at the launch.
President Phyllis and the IWC of Kuala Lumpur members than accompanied PDG Paul to attend a lunch meeting at the invitation of the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja (RI District 3300). President Phyllis and PDG Paul were introduced to members of the Rotary Club.
After lunch, President Phyllis and PDG Paul enjoyed a guided tour at the Royal Selangor Pewter Visitor Centre. They were enrolled into the ”School of Hard Knocks Workshop” and learned the art of hammering and molding pewters. At the end of the session they were presented with a certificate of attendance, and their very own hand crafted pewter piece.
Later that evening a dinner was hosted by IIWPBD Datin Pearl. Photos were taken of Pearl receiving her Margaret Golding Award from President Phyllis and the evening ended with Pearl presenting a painting to her.
Day 7
On the final day of their visit, President Phyllis and PDG Paul managed to take in a tour of the Petronas Twin Towers which is the iconic building of Malaysia. The towers were made famous in several box office movies and listed as the tallest building in the world from 1998 to 2004, but as twin towers it remains the tallest in the world today. They then visited the Suria KLCC shopping centre at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers where the Chinese New year festivities was in full swing to celebrate the Lunar Year of the Rat. There were lots of red lanterns and adorable rat figurines to give a very colourful setting.
The next tour was to the Kuala Lumpur Tower. Strolling around its observation deck, one can see a 360-degree breath-taking view of Kuala Lumpur. It is the seventh tallest communication tower in the world.
During the seven days of close personal encounter with President Phyllis, one and all felt how warm, wise and gracious she is. President Phyllis certainly embodies the ideal of an Inner Wheel member, one who promotes true friendship, encourages personal service and fosters international understanding.
The members of District 330 wish President Phyllis a meaningful and fruitful completion of her year in office.