This Sunday's meeting was exciting as our Chinese colleague, Tingting, returned from a very successful trip to China. She was very happy with the visit and hopes that she can stay in her job. At least she has achieved a degree of self confidence and a great deal of maturity which has lifted her spirits. She arrived at the meeting with biscuits and special Chinese mint sweets for everyone.
She is off on holiday to China next week and will celebrate her birthday for the first time in 4 years with her family.
Kannan (India) is awaiting news of his job as the security clearance process is taken care of. Hopefully all goes well with that.
Bill (China) is moving well on all fronts, with pizza boxes from China leading the way. Kamu has come up with a good design. Now the logo is being designed. Hopefully the cooperative organisation will take some shape during the next week with Bill and Sid forming the first core and others joining when they have a role to contribute to that organisation. The most important steps as the name and the rules and regulations need to be finalised still. We all hope the multi-multi-lingual Ilari (Finland) will be able to help us out with that task.
Kamu (Zambia) has had a rough week as his cars (Volvo and Saab) both conked out. Also, his father and brother in Zambia had health problems. But Kamu stayed focused and managed to send enough money to get all of them treated in private clinics, as treatment in a government hospital could have meant a wait of several days, if not weeks.
We were very happy to welcome to our gathering Isaac Sundarajan (India), CEO of Codenomicon Ltd. Isaac is the nephew of the well known former Bishop of Madras, Bishop Sundar Clark of the Church of South India, now retired and settled in Australia. Bishop Sundar Clark was a dear friend of my parents and many other family members. I have met with the Bishop on several occasions, but I am sure he will not remember this little snail!
Isaac is obviously also the relation of Mrs. G. Clarke (something I did not verify), who was the Principal of Bishop Cotton Girls' School between the years 1977 to 1988, when our kids, Mika (in the Kindergarten), Joanna and Susanna studied. I am also a product of the Kindergarten of this school between the years 1948 and 1950 when Miss M. E. Hardy was the Principal (1945 - 1952).
Looking at this picture, it tells me that the kindergarten area is just the same as when I studied there at the end of the 40s. It seems just as idyllic as it was then. My last class (Class D) before I moved to the Boys' School, was in the corner of the building where the right angle between the two sections of the building can be seen.
I still remember that well.
Under Mrs. Clarke, during the time our children were studying there, the Girls' School made remarkable progress. Mrs. Clarke initiated the introduction of two new Houses - Elmes and Waller - to the existing Barton, Foley and Maiden Houses, as the number of students increased. The pale green tunics changed to dark green. In keeping with the times, computer studies was introduced. The strength of the school went from 700 to 3000. Six additional classrooms were built and the shift system was introduced. The work on the auditorium was completed and a new dining hall for the Boarders was planned. The Bishop Cotton Womens' Christian College was started in 1985, the first of its kind in the Diocese.
So Isaac has a lot of family history behind him in devotion, organisation and execution, and I am sure that will show through in the way he manages this Finnish company.
The meeting ended with all of singing a rousing happy birthday for Tingting. Our special thanks go to Saikou (Gambia) who has offered us his Internet Cafe for our weekly meetings. It is a great place and full of a lively atmosphere.
After the meeting, Isaac dropped in for a very brief visit to our home to meet Annikki, see her garden and also see some of Annikki's artistic designs!
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