A RARE coup has been scored by Sandys Rotary member David Sullivan.

A past president of the club, he was selected as District Governor for the region covering the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, Westchester and Bermuda - a feat previously achieved by only a handful of local Rotarians.

"It's a terrific honour," Mr. Sullivan said. "It's great to be picked by some 17,000 Rotarians throughout the district and for Bermuda to get the nod I think, is historic.

"I was extremely pleased to receive the nomination. And for Sandys Rotary, as it's also its 30th anniversary, to have a member selected as District Governor as well, is great. All of our previous District Governors have come from the Hamilton club. It's a large feather in the cap for Bermuda Rotary as well.

"My role throughout the year is one where I'm obliged to visit as many clubs as I possibly can, promoting Rotary and themes of Rotary. By having a District Governor from one of our own clubs, the Bermuda flag will be flown pretty heavily (throughout the New York area) and hope it will introduce Rotarians to Bermuda and help to put Bermuda back on the map (with tourism)."

As District Governor, Mr. Sullivan will take on administrative responsibility for district 7230 - Manhattan, Staten Island, the Bronx, Westchester and Bermuda. There are 530 districts around the world with each district comprised of 50 clubs. In order to be chosen, nominees must have served a full term as president of a club, as Mr. Sullivan did for Sandys Rotary in 1998/1999.

According to Sandys Rotary president Vaughn Mosher, to be granted the title is considered to be a "very high honour" among Rotarians.

"This is the first time in 22 years that we've had anybody (from Bermuda) to represent the district," he said. "The last person was Bill Masters, back in 1984. It is a very high honour both for David and for Sandys Rotary."

Mr. Sullivan was invited to join Sandys Rotary in 1990 and over the years has served in many club capacities. As there is a great deal of training involved, he won't actually take on the position until July of 2003.

"District Governor is a contested office and I ran against five others from the district," he said. "It's quite an undertaking as there's a fair amount of time commitment involved, pretty heavy travelling, huge administrative responsibilities but also lots of fun.

"There's a certain amount of training that's involved before I can move up to the next level of Rotary. It's an area I get a chance to have fun with - Manhattan, Staten Island, Westchester, the Bronx and Bermuda. And it's ironic that our district, 7230, now boasts two of the three largest financial sectors in the world - New York and Bermuda."

See alsoInsighton page 5.