Dear Lasallians,
This is the first term of my presidency at the Association after serving the Committee since 2004. I feel nothing but thankfulness for having this honor in being President of LSCOBA, promoting fraternity and brotherhood among over 7,500 members of the Association. LSCOBA is like a big family to me in that we meet and discuss while sharing the fun and rewards of getting our jobs done. There are times when we would have different views and opinions, but we as Lasallians would always find a way out. One thing we know is that we have the “heart to conquer every ill.”
Attributed to the support from the Committee and members, the Association held a number of successful events during the second half of the term. The theme of the LSCOBA Annual Ball 2016 was “Night of the Legends”, where we paid tribute to some of our most outstanding and legendary old boys. The Year of the Rooster Spring Dinner 2017 held in March 2017 continued to be the most popular event. This year we broke the record in attendance.
It’s our aim to provide different types of activities for our members. For sports events we had basketball league, doctors of La Salle football match and golf tournament, while supporting the school and students with old boys taking part in the LSC career days and family fun days. Culturally we had docent tour and were holding social and networking events like happy hour gathering for our members.
Apart from the conventional activities, we also rolled out new programs and events like a Photo Competition featuring “La Salle Spirit.” Then, the Members’ Benefit Platform provided offers for OBA members. In the first Community Service Program, we invited needy families for an exclusive movie show, and we also launched the best-selling souvenir, the LSCOBA Octopus, covering both the adult and elder versions for old boys of different years. I hope you have noticed our efforts of enhancing the presence of the OBA through the ease of getting our news via various channels, including our website, Facebook page, regular email notice and your class coordinators.
Regarding the issue of this newsletter, I have invited a number of key stakeholders to write their views of old boys as well as any message they would like to convey to our members. My special thanks to Br. Patrick Tierney for the poem paying tribute to Br. Henry Pang, Past President Nicholas Ng for sharing his story of how he was “Called to be a Lasallian,” Mr. Wun-Sing Tong, Principal, La Salle College for the recent update of our students and the School, Mrs. Chandni Rakesh, Principal, La Salle Primary School for information on the Diamond Jubilee Campaign, and Mrs. Shirley Wong, Chairperson, La Salle College Parent Teacher Association, for writing about her experience of working with old boys. The articles of two 98ers, Jevons Au and Thomas Ng, are particularly impressive, demonstrating how La Salle has made them become who they are now.
As I am on the verge of finishing my first term, I would like to share with you an experience which has strengthened my commitment to serving you and La Salle. I needed to collect at least 50 nominations in order to run for the Alumni Manager position of LSC last year. I ran onto the football field on a weekend, trying to collect the signatures from old boys. When I approached a senior old boy who just walked out from the game and asked for the nomination, he just kept walking and said, “Why would I sign it without knowing who you are and what you have done?” I was pretty upset at that moment but when I thought it through, I realized that there is no free lunch in this world and nothing can be taken for granted. This, of course, includes serving for La Salle. If we take up a role, we need to do it wholeheartedly in order to earn the respect we strive for. I ll continue to serve each one of you with my Committee.
I look forward to your continuous support!
Roger Lee (1985)
President
LSCOBA 2016-2017
Email: [email protected]