Macau Senior Rotarians’ Service Recognised by Rotary International  President Stephanie A. Urchick

Past Presidents of Rotary Club of Macau José Maneiras, Eduardo Tavares da Silva (ET), and Peter Kok were honoured by Rotary International President Stephanie A. Urchick for their  more than half a century of service to the community. All three received Appreciation Certificates from R I President Stephanie in the presence of District Governor Nigel Lo during a visit to Macau on 21 November.

1985-1986 President José Maneiras (59 years of service) joined the Rotary Club of Macau after attending several meetings at the invitation of friends who were Rotarians. He says the formal invitation mentioned the need to fill a vacancy in the “Architect” classification.

As Club President, he is proud to have built the “Boys Home”, a facility for rehabilitating juvenile delinquents in custody. The facility provided areas for inmates to learn new skills and occupy their idle time. Maneiras recalls that some former inmates went on to become police officers.

Past President Maneiras is also a long-time blood donor with over 50 registered donations. He has been an advocate for the need to donate blood, working to raise awareness in his community, even before Rotary began organising blood drives. PP Maneiras, 89, regrets that he has not been allowed to donate blood since the “young age” of 65.

1974-1975 President Eduardo Tavares da Silva (55 years of service) was introduced to the Rotary Club of Macau in early 1970 by his good friend Oseo Acconci, an artist, sculptor, and builder. After attending a few Club meetings, Tavares da Silva embraced Paul Harris’ principle of service above self.

During his term as Club President, ET initiated the Rotary Club of Macau’s Paul Harris Fellows program to support The Rotary Foundation. The Club also hosted its first student exchange during his presidency.

Tavares da Silva led a service-oriented life, working on Macau’s urban planning, social, and economic development, and found Rotary to be a tool to provide service to the community. Having attended Rotary Club meetings all over the world, PP ET is pleased to have gained a better understanding of the communities he has visited or lived in, such as Cambridge, the Azores, Madeira, Botswana, Thailand, and Macau.

1983-1984 President Peter Kok (51 years of service) was introduced to the Rotary family by Past President Kenneth Chow. Initially, he saw Rotary as an opportunity to develop his business and enrich his social life.

After more than half a century of service, Past President Peter credits Rotary with giving him the tools to be a responsible and accomplished leader.

Throughout his Rotary life, PP Peter has been most impressed and interested in international service, which has allowed him to get to know more Rotarians and friends in other countries, to understand their customs and cultures, and, above all, to lend a helping hand to those in need.

The Rotary International President commended the three Rotarians and thanked them for their service, which totals an astounding combined 165 years. All three Past Presidents have served the Rotary Club of Macau, the oldest Club in Macau and the second oldest in District 3450.