Gibraltar, coloquially known as “The Rock”, is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. Sitting at about 37N (equivalent to Melbourne in our hemisphere), the territory shares a border with Spain to the north. It’s official language is English, though its unofficial language is Spanish.

Interestingly, Gibraltar was ceded by Spain to the Crown of Great Britain in perpetuity, under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, though now Spain asserts a claim to the territory and seeks its return. The overwhelming majority of Gibraltarians strongly oppose this, along with any proposal of shared sovereignty. The British government has stated that it is committed to respecting the Gibraltarians' wishes.

I chose Gibraltar tonight because it is one of the few clubs in Rotary International which is not associated with a district.

Tonight we toast:

The Rotary Club Gibraltar

• Chartered in 1966
• Membership of 40
• Meets Tuesday at 1900 at the Rock Hotel

City/Country: Newbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland 

County Kildare takes its name from St. Brigid’s monastery beneath an oak tree; Cill Dara, the church of the oak tree.   Newbridge is one of the main towns in the County.

As an inland county, south of Dublin, Kildare's landscape shares many of its features with its neighbours, but it has the advantage of the Wicklow mountain range to the east, with the foothills spreading westwards to meet the Curragh of Kildare.

I chose County Kildare tonight because of the advent of the great Melbourne Cup next week; many great Irish horses have come to Australia in recent years to participate in this international race event.  Kildare is home to many great Irish racing stables and The Curragh has been known as the premier racecourse in Ireland since the 17th century; it remains the home of the Irish Classics.

Tonight we toast:

            The Rotary Club Newbridge, Co Kildare of District 1160

            Chartered in 1990
            Membership of 29
            Meets Monday at 1815 at the Keadeen Hotel

City/Country: Bali, Indonesia

Bali is one of the main islands in the archipelago of Indonesia. Unlike most of Indonesia, the predominant religion in Bali is Hindu. This is evident in the culture of the locals and in the myriad of temples one sees when driving around the island. Bali relies heavily on its tourist industry, so varies in its scenery from opulent 5 star resorts to very poor villages and districts of urban centres.

I chose Bali for our toast tonight, as I have just returned from there where I was teaching at Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar, Bali. It’s a public hospital which caters primarily to the poor, with complex medical problems.

Bali has 11 Rotary Clubs. We were staying in Sanur (unfortunately I could not attend a meeting), so I have chosen Bali Sanur for our toast tonight. 

Tonight we toast:

The Rotary Club of Bali Sanur of District 3400

• Chartered in 1987
• Membership of 17 + a Rotaract Club
  
• Meets Monday at 1930 at the Bali Beach Hotel

City/Country: Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is the world's 22nd largest city by population with approximately registered 8,160,522 residents (July 2007), but due to large unregistered influxes of migrants from the North East of Thailand and of many nations across Asia, the population of greater Bangkok is estimated at nearly 15 million people.

Bangkok is situated ~14N, the equivalent of Darwin in the South. In the span of over two hundred years, Bangkok has been the political, social and economic center of not only Thailand but for much of South East Asia and Indochina as well.

I chose Bangkok for our toast tonight, thailand was the site of a recent lightening strike that took the lives of 2 visiting Australians (from WA) and 3 Thai people. Our thoughts go out to the families of those victims.

Tonight we toast:

The Rotary Club of Bangkok of District 3350

• Chartered in 1930
• Membership of 89
• Meets Thursday at 1215 at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel