During my recent visit to Budapest, I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the Rotary Club of Budapest-Tabán, the club’s first meeting for the new Rotary year after the long summer break. It was a fascinating experience for many reasons.
My first impression, upon entering the meeting room at the Budapest Marriott Hotel overlooking the River Danube, was the high degree of formality compared to our own informal club meetings. President Tibor Darab, who greeted me at the door, wore a suit, tie and very impressive Rotary president’s chain.
Members were seated around a single large rectangular dining table. For the meal, they had three different options to choose from, which they had pre-ordered a day or two before. Since none of these were vegetarian, upon sitting down I was offered a menu, which had several vegie options.
I ordered a traditional dish called Lescó, Hungary’s version of ratatouille, seasoned with paprika – of course! It was very delicious, but I suspect some Torquay Rotarians might be shocked about no dessert or alcohol being served! Water was the beverage of choice for all.
Throughout the two-hour meeting, President Tibor encouraged robust discussions between all members on a range of topics for the year ahead. As most of the meeting was conducted in Hungarian, it was impossible for me to understand much of what was being said.
I was therefore very grateful to have Club Secretary, Miklós Vörös, sitting beside me. He did an excellent job translating the main points into English for me while at the same time taking the meeting minutes (in Hungarian). How’s that for multi-tasking? Köszönöm Miklós!
In addition to the 18 or so members sitting at the table (and one on-screen dialling in from Malaga, Spain who, unlike online attendees at our hybrid meetings, had plenty to contribute to the discussion), there were two exchange students present who introduced themselves. The first was from Colorado. The second from Annecy, France, where I had lived during the 1980s (I had a good chat with her after the meeting).
Then it was my turn. I provided a very brief overview of our “no tie required” club and presented President Tibor with our banner, receiving the Rotary Club Budapest-Tabán banner to present to President Ben on my return to Australia.
Members asked why I was in Budapest and told me about the Rotary Literary Award in which I had expressed an interest when I first emailed the club about my impending visit. I am very grateful to Rotarian Péter Sterk who provided me with written information about this initiative, which was a major project for Rotary District 1911 for three years between 2008 and 2011. The awards ceremony was even televised!
President Tibor outlined his vision for the club for the year ahead with two key challenges being the need to expand the club’s membership and to make meetings more interesting for members. Sound familiar?
The club has a strong focus on supporting children in state care through various means including the Letter-Eaters literacy program, which aims to inspire and maintain these youngsters’ desire to read. Members firmly believe reading is a vital tool to empowering young people to stand on their own two feet once they leave state care to make their way in life. More information about this important program, which President Tibor is committed to expanding during his presidential year, can be found here.
Among the other items discussed was the upcoming visit of one of the club’s three sister clubs, Rotary Club Trieste-Nord, which will coincide with Hungarian Republic Day on 23 October. This nationally significant day commemorates the uprising in 1956 and the creation of Hungary in 1989 (following more than 40 years of Soviet occupation). What to do with the Italian Rotarians during their visit was the source of much debate.
I was shocked to learn how COVID has impacted the club’s fundraising efforts over the past few years. Previously, regular charity concerts were organised to help raise funds and there are hopes of one occurring this year. For the moment however, the club is sourcing its funds from members’ donations (on top of their annual dues) and other donors – and looking at how it can improve fundraising in future.
Unfortunately, due to the tight meeting agenda combined with the language differences, I didn’t get a chance to tell them about our barbecue program and how it’s starting to ramp up again after also being impacted by COVID.
My encounter with Rotary Club Budapest-Tabán highlighted many similarities with Rotary Club Torquay but also many differences.
Hungary’s first Rotary club was founded in 1925 and the first district (82) was created 10 years later. In 1941, Rotary in Hungary was prohibited and remained so for the next 48 years before being reborn in 1989. Since then, Rotary District 1911 has worked tirelessly to build Rotary’s profile and relevance in modern-day Hungary.
In all, it was a privilege and very humbling to join these committed Rotarians for their first meeting for the year. Here’s to the Rotary Club Budapest-Tabán.
Cheers!
__________
