Convention May 2012 in Turkey Come and join us, Reunite with old friends and meet new ones in Turkey
	Convention report by District Chairman Ashnadelle Hilmy / Mortagy, MAY 2009
Sabah, Malaysia, "The Land Below The Wind" Dear members of IW District 95, I wish you could have all attended the Convention with us in Malaysia at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,  "The Land Below The Wind".

It was a truly memorable experience that I will try to share with you in this report about seeing friends and renewing friendships, discussing IW proposals, eating exotic food, seeing beautiful orchids and the biggest flower in the world the famous Rafflesia arnoldii as well as the adorable orangutan species, getting to know different cultures and folklore.  Braving extremely high temperatures and humidity was also another feature of the Convention.
The Local IIW Convention Organizing Committee
 

17 very hard working ladies under the leadership of the amazing Datuk Nancy Ho worked as a team for more than one year to prepare for the bid to hold the Convention in Malaysia then for three years to organize the 14th Convention after the location was announced in New Zealand during the 13th Convention.

Location:  Sabah, Land Below The Wind...
From Mountain High to Ocean Deep, North Borneo is a fascinating venue.
Kota Kinabalu: The state capital of Sabah is teeming with wildlife, flora galore, as well as highlands and beaches. This rain forest haven which is 3 hours away by plane from Kuala Lumpur is often called the Borneo paradise.

Venue & accommodations:
Sutera Harbour Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Located in the heart of the capital of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu on the shore near Manukan Island, comprises the 5-Star luxury accommodation of the city-style Pacific Sutera Hotel and the resort-style Magellan Sutera Hotel.
Convention information
Voting delegates from Egypt: Ashnadelle Hilmy/Mortagy, Afaf Maged/Ismail, Nelly Helmy/El Bahtimy and Manal El Attar.  Awatef El Nasharty had a serious accident in KL and returned to Cairo. We were all quite sad to see her go.
Non-voting delegates from Egypt & Jordan: Mahira Soussa, Hala El Akkad, Jumana Mutawe, Hala El Sayegh, Eisel Toukan

36 countries were represented and a total number of 796 IW members attended.
The largest delegations: Great Britain & Ireland 195, Malaysia 85, Nigeria 52, India 47, New Zealand 32, Philippines 28, Singapore 21,  Sweden 21,  Egypt & Jordan 13 ( including 3 husbands)
The Smallest delegations: Mexico 2, Pakistan 2, Slovenia 2 (newest club), Turkey 2 (host of 15th Convention), Bulgaria 1, Iceland 1, Lebanon 1, Kenya 1, Trinidad & Tobago 1.

Three Business sessions were held to discuss and vote on 37 Proposals:  Total votes: 2810
Passed: 14 proposals
Lost:                    19 proposals
Withdrawn:           3 proposals and General motion
Fallen:                  1 proposal

A.  Proposals submitted by the IIW Board
a) Changes to Governing Body Rules
8 proposals  (7 passed)
b) Changes to Convention Rules
1 proposal  (lost)
c)  Changes to Constitution
2 proposals (1 passed, 1 lost)
B.  Other Proposals
1. Membership             1. of IIW
1 Proposal   (lost)
2. Widen Membership   4. Of Clubs
13 Proposal   (5 passed)
3. Changes to Governing Body Rules
7 Proposals  (1 fallen, 1 withdrawn, 5 lost)
4. Changes to Convention
5 Proposals (1 passed, 1 withdrawn, 3 lost)
C.  General Motions
1 General Motion  (withdrawn)

GUIDELINES FOR THE BUSINESS SESSION
1. 
(a) The President will announce the number of the proposal to be taken
(b)  It will be proposed and seconded
(c)  Of there are any amendments to the proposal these will then be proposed, seconded, debated and voted upon.
(d)  Any amendments that are carried will be incorporated in the original proposal.
(e)  The President will read the revised proposal.
       this will be debated and voted upon.
(f)The vote will be taken.

2.     Proposals to change the Constitution are carried by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast     (Yes and No).
Abstentions do not count.
 PLEASE NOTE
If a proposal or amendment on the agenda is carried, then a later proposal or amendment contrary to this will not be taken.
Programme

Wednesday 6th May, 2009,   Registration and Orientation
Registration and arrival day on Tuesday was a little chaotic but all registrations were dealt with speedily by the hardworking volunteers and delegates spent the rest of their time finding their way around the hotels and
Banner Exchange
Banner Exchange took place at the very civilized time of 11am.  Members were as enthusiastic as ever in their search for previously unknown Clubs whose banner they could add to their collection and many new connections were made as groups exchanged information and shared fellowship. 

Welcome Reception  
The Welcome Reception was a truly splendid affair with a décor including beautiful ice sculptures and tropical forest displays. The Guest of Honour Datuk Ilyas Ibrahim, Mayor of Kota Kinabalu gave a warm and entertaining welcome to the Convention. This was followed by welcoming speeches from Local Convention Chairman Datuk Nancy and by IIW President Suzanne Nielsen.
Further entertainment was provided by the three Singapore IW Clubs who modeled fashions by designer Anna T who organizes a charity ‘ Mother and Child’ which provides sewing work for disadvantaged women to empower them to become economically self sufficient.

Thursday 7th May, 2009,  Opening Ceremony and 1st Business session
The Ceremony began with a short period of contemplation led by IIW President Suzanne Nielsen. We were then shown a video introduction to all the countries represented at the Convention, together with a live musical accompaniment which was provided by the Royal Sabah Police Contingent Band
The flags of the host countries – Malaysia and Singapore and those of the President’s country Denmark, and IIW were escorted into the hall and were mounted on the platform. The Guest of Honour, the Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman, gave us an inspiring  speech which emphasized the importance of  IIW  and similar organizations in fostering  true international understanding. 
President Suzanne then lit the Candle of Friendship and sounded the Gong to signal the start of the Convention. We were then treated to a spectacular show of Malaysian traditional dancing by the Sabah Tourist Board dancers in their many different colourful costumes.

The 1st Business Session
AGENDA

1. Minutes of the Business Session of the Convention held at the Convention Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand, 4th-6th May 2006 for approval.
2. Triennial Report fo International Inner Wheel.
3. Financial Report to be presented by Doris Johnsen, Treasurer.
4. Vice President’s report on UN.
5. Honorary Editor’s report.
6. Proposals to amend the Constitution.

The 1st Business Session started on time and several proposals were presented, seconded, discussed and voted upon sometimes with a very close result.

Hospitality Evening
We were taken by buses to the Sabah Foundation, the venue of our Hospitality Night. On arrival at this impressive building overlooking the sea we were greeted by a band of  Murut ‘warriors’ and given beautiful beaded necklaces.
The Guest of Honour for this event was the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment  Datuk  Masidi Manjun. Tables were arranged on the terraces and we were given a sumptuous buffet of a wide variety of Asian foods.  Music was provided by a bamboo ensemble and an impressive traditional dance programme. The finale was a dramatic pyrotechnic display over the bay sponsored by Kota Kinabalu City Hall.

Friday 8th May, 2009  2nd Business Session
The 2nd Business Session was well attended by voting and non-voting members. Those new to IIW Conventions expressed interest in hearing the discussions on each proposal, mentioning how much better they understood IIW after listening to the debates.
Gala Night
Glitz and glamour were certainly the key words for the Gala Dinner, members were resplendent in their national costumes and evening gowns and the theme ‘Festival of Colours’ was certainly evident. The Guest of Honour was the Chief Minister of Sabah Datuk Musa Haji Aman who happily joined in the dancing and socializing.
Music was provided by a local group ‘The Dreamers’ who were so good that members were onto the dance floor after the first course.  Pharaonic and Jordanian costumes worn by members of our delegation were one of the highlights of the event.
The Fashion Show by A’Sutra displayed the range and richness of Malaysian batik designs
The talented ladies of IW Club of Kuala Lumpur gave us a medley of exuberant dances featuring a colourful collection of exotic costumes, many made by the members themselves.

Saturday 9th May, 2009      3rd Business meeting
The 3rd Business session was also well attended by voting and non-voting members. Some of the debates were quite lively if not heated at times.  More proposals were lost than passed.
Reports from each seminar were given at the end of the session. Seham El Gohary, Board member led a very successful seminar on speech writing and public speaking.

Closing Ceremony
With some regrets we came at last to the end of our Convention and it was a splendid finale. President Suzanne Nielsen graciously wore the traditional Sabah costume for the ceremony and was escorted in by kindergarten children. After the speeches and formalities the flame of friendship was extinguished by IIW President.
The venue for the next Convention in 2012 was announced: it will be held in Turkey.

The Guest speaker was Dr. Catherine Lim an acclaimed local author and  political commentator who chose to entertain us with a selection of humorous jokes and anecdotes about  ‘gender differences’.

Mr. Steen Andersen, Executive Director of UNICEF, Denmark gave a speech outlining the importance of the projects to which IIW was contributing. After his talk he was presented with a cheque from IIW for £155,000 as our contribution to the work of UNICEF. He was then presented with a key to the city of Kota Kinabalu.
It was announced that our Inner Wheel UNICEF Girls’ Education endeavor which has been so successful has been adopted as our Social Project till 2012.

Entertainment was also provided by local children: a fantastic formation Chinese drumming group, all  pupils of Chung Hwa Lower School Kota Kinabalu;   followed by a charming dance performance by kindergarten children from a small rural village supported by IWC Kota  Kinabalu.

After the Candle of Friendship had been extinguished and the Convention closed, the Organizing Committee in their charming costumes and led by Chairman Nancy Ho gave us a ‘thank you’ song and led us into the traditional ‘Auld Lang Syne’. 

Let’s all look forward to a new year and let’s give a warm welcome to:

Our new 2009-2010 theme

Our new IIW 2009-2010 President Anne Fryer

In Inner Wheel friendship,
Ashnadelle Hilmy/Mortagy
Chairman District 95 Egypt & Jordan
2008-2009
Nationnal Representative
2000-2002

Dear Inner Wheel friends,

       It is with pleasure that members of Inner Wheel New Zealand invite you ‘down under’ for the 13th International Inner Wheel Convention to be held in Christchurch, New Zealand.
       This is the first time the IIW Convention has been arranged in New Zealand giving members from around the world, and their accompanying persons, the chance to get to know our country. Christchurch is the largest metropolitan center in the South Island of New Zealand and is renowned internationally as the ‘Garden City’.
       As our guests you will find an international city with a wide variety of shops,k cafés and restaurants and interesting attractions all within walking distance of your accommodation.
       The local Committee, a very enthusiastic team, has enjoyed creating a stimulating programme, embracing our culture, while encouraging informal and easy socializing. The Gala Dinner is an event not to be missed, with many visual surprises, unique entertainment, a diverse menu and fabulous wines.
       Autumn is stunning in New Zealand. Why not take the opportunity to arrive early or stay later and experience our beautiful country.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 13th International Inner Wheel Convention in Christchurch.

Cecile Pierce
Convention Co-ordinator