IWC President's Archive

2000 - 2002 - Ishrat Lindblad

May 2002

Fresh from the April luncheon and the fabulous flamenco, such an appropriate symbol of the synthesis of Eastern and Western culture - I sit down to write a message for May, my last message for the Bulletin. It's easy to feel both nostalgic and sentimental, but luckily my mind is too full of all the serious business ahead to permit me to indulge in any kind of "April foolishness!"

We are now such a large club with well over 400 members and yet we seem to have such difficulty in getting people to come to the AGM. We have the usual business agenda - a new Board to elect, the previous year's work to report on, lots of hard working committee members to applaud, and important issues to discuss. The Operakällaren is becoming even more expensive, yet it seems very difficult to find a feasible alternative that costs less. In order to keep lunch costs down, we must subsidise the cost of hiring the banqueting hall, and that entails substantially raising the membership fee. We also have several proposed amendments to the constitution to approve. Please dear fellow members come and participate. Without your active interest and support the club will never be what you'd like it to be. Come and make your views known.

You will find my annual report further on in this Bulletin. I do, however, want to thank all the hostesses for hospitably opening their homes to our members for very much appreciated coffee mornings and afternoon teas through March and April - Junko Uchida, Claudia Palm, Minerva Kontopoulos, Anita Wegelius Bergström, Ulrika Wesslau and also those who have agreed to host functions that we eagerly anticipate enjoying in May.

Finally it is with great regret that I say "farewell" to Hemmat Monib who has been such an enterprising Tours Chairperson and who brings her spectacularly successful term to a grand climax by arranging a very special cruise for us in the archipelago at exactly the right time of year! May the sun shine on her both literally and metaphorically wherever she goes.

There are times when the words "thank you" seem singularly inadequate and this is one of them. There are so many who have contributed greatly to making this such a rewarding period of my life. Let's hope we can now relax and enjoy one of those unbeatable Swedish summers that become even more perfect when we relive them in memory!


April 2002

How can people complain about “Spring tiredness” ? How can they possibly tire of something that’s gone even before it arrives? After several decades here, I realise it is about how tired they are of eternally waiting for the arrival of Spring! Now before some learned lexicographer tells me that the expression simply means everyone is dead tired by the time it’s Spring I’d better change the subject! Did you go to the fabulous buffet Minerva and her enterprising philanthropic committee arranged at Kanthi’s Yoga studio? Imagine being able to feel you are doing good while wining, dining and watching exotic Indian dancing? Kudos all round for a super success!

Oh! and what do you think of hats? Now that we’ve learnt all about hats from Bibi Kant let’s think of Elske Wilton and put on a hat - any kind of headgear will qualify - for our April luncheon.

Please doff your own hats for the Nominating Committee! Thank you, Gillian Ratcliff, and each member of your committee for the countless hours you all have put in throughout the year and even more in the last few months to prepare the slates for the coming elections. In addition to perusing these slates, dear members, please make sure you scrutinise your Board’s long list of suggestions for amendments to the constitution. We have strongly felt the constitution needs careful revision. Interestingly enough, two of our past presidents seem independently to have felt the same need but come to a different conclusion. While they suggest a “freeze” on amendments, we, as a board, feel there is no need to refrain from changing what needs to be changed now since the constitution clearly allows for amendments to be made each year. There really is some thinking for you to do before the next AGM. I would like to thank every member of the present Board for putting in hours and hours of deliberation and discussion. Finally, a very special “thank you” to Regina Rehbinder who has voluntarily given us her professional legal advice. That’s the great advantage of a club like ours which has people with such a variety of talents and professional skills. We may start off singing different tunes but, in time, with mutual trust and understanding, the sound becomes clearer, the tune more melodious. Wishing us many years of singing harmoniously together ....

March 2002

Has it struck you how full of symbolic meaning February has been? Our luncheon date coincided with the Chinese New Year. "Happy New Year" to all our Chinese friends. It also seemed uncanny to have Anna Maria Corazza Bildt's talk on the significance of Europe as an instrument of peace in the Balkans, on the very day that the United Nations began its trial of Slobodan Milosevic for war-crimes. How grateful I feel to her for honouring our club by agreeing to share her knowledge of peace-work in Bosnia with us in such a spontaneous and provocative way. February is also a special month for our Muslim friends as it is the month of Hajj followed by the festival commemorating Abraham's sacrifice-- the most important holiday of the Muslim year. Let me take this chance wishing you all "Eid Mubarak"!

And now it's time to say "thank you" yet again to many people. Some of us were lucky enough to see two extraordinarily beautiful homes. Thank you Lars Grundberg for welcoming us so warm-heartedly to Stafsund , a true antique lovers’ dream home, and to Hemmat Monib for managing to arrange such a special trip. Thank you too to Elizabeth Hammarskjöld for having patiently waited for two whole years to enable us to be guided round Axel Notini's apartment hidden away in such an unexpected place, as precious jewels often are!

We have been really spoilt by the hospitality offered to us this month. Not only have we enjoyed two Östermalm coffee mornings thanks to the generosity of our members Kira Billman and Kirsten Schepelern, but we have also been treated to a real "first-of-its-kind" newcomer's tea hosted by a gentleman! For which, dear Dr Zelat Milovanovic, many thanks -- I hope our other "Valentines" are inspired to take a leaf out of your book!

There's been so much to reflect over in February that I've hardly left myself space to mention some of the forthcoming activities. I am looking forward to a dazzling and unfailingly popular fashion show at the luncheon. With fashions changing so quickly, we never seem to tire of being invited to view a new collection! March brings not only the vernal equinox and the delight of days that grow longer and longer... but we also celebrate Easter at the end of this month. Happy Easter everyone!



February 2002

It was wonderful to be able to start the New Year by listening to Walburga Douglas whose family has played such a key role in the making of European history. I was especially cheered by the knowledge that her dream of a Paneuropean union had such a happy ending. We certainly need these stories to inspire us to work together in peace and harmony during these strife-riven days. Our heartfelt thanks to her for starting us off on such a hopeful note and giving us so generously of her precious time.

February, with Saint Valentine's day falling right in the middle of it, is a great time for celebrating the gift of love; the greatest gift we can receive or give. So please celebrate with your beloved by persuading him to join us for an especially heart-warming lunch. I always look forward to meeting our members’ spouses and also being able to express, on behalf of our club, our sincere appreciation of the many invisible ways in which they also work to support us. At this luncheon we must also remember those who are less lucky than ourselves and have been left alone. I am thinking especially of Monique Berndtson, one of our past presidents, who has just lost her husband after fifty-five years of marriage. It is impossible even to begin to imagine how empty that must feel, and we must have many members who have lost dear ones. At such a time it is good to know we also have a large number of members who really show they care.

Kate Wacz is a certainly one such member. Many many thanks to her for
her now firmly established tradition of inviting us to a coffee morning each January in her lovely home. We all look forward to her warm hospitality, to meeting many friends there and to enjoying the typically Hungarian delicacies that she unfailingly tempts us to savour.

You may think this is the start of the year, but in fact the end of our club year is approaching fast. It is already time to begin the process of electing a new board. Please send in your nominations for vacant positions right away (with a statement that you have obtained your nominee's consent to stand), and start thinking seriously about any amendments to the constitution which you think are needed. This is your club, and now is the time when you can really do something to make your voice heard.

January 2002

Merriment and melancholy are inextricably mixed as we say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new. As I write these lines I am just preparing to take off for Pakistan and will be returning in January with a heavy heart after saying yet another goodbye to loved ones at "home". For some of us these goodbyes are also final. My heart goes out especially to our dear Tours chairperson, Hemmat Monib, who lost her beloved father just weeks before she was able to arrive in Egypt herself. All of us can identify with such a loss and I pray our friendship will prove a source of comfort to her upon her return. Fortunately in the midst of sorrow we can also feel joy as I am sure you will do when I now give you the good news that our former Social Activities chairperson, Johanna Anzill, has had a baby girl!

From our club festivities point of view, December was certainly a very successful month. Those of us who were lucky enough to make an early reservation enjoyed a truly fabulous evening with Ambassador Farida Jaidi, hosting us with the help of ( I give you two guesses ) Angela and Mary, to enjoy an unforgettable exotic, better-than-Hollywood Casablanca night. Scarcely had we got over all the excitement of a Swedish belly dancer, or the chance to get our hands decorated with henna, or even properly to digest all the delicious Moroccan food, than it was time to gather together for our December luncheon and celebrate a Filipino style Christmas. Many many thanks to Ambassador Erlinda Basilio and yes, Mary, Caroline, Florema and all our other members from the Philippines who worked so hard behind the scenes to bring a touch of the friendly and sunny islands to these Northern climes and give us a foretaste of the true Christmas spirit. I must say we are very lucky to have such generous members who take on all this extra work at such a busy period just to give us a good time.

Now we have a new year ahead. Time for a fresh start. We have some wonderful things lined up. Are you ready? Get set. Go.…

December 2001

It isn’t often that a Western scholar reveals the kind of understanding, knowledge and appreciation of the debt that the West owes to the East that is so typical of Sigrid Kahle. How grateful I feel to her for coming to lecture at our November luncheon and making us aware of the “other side” of the picture. Her subject seemed especially topical right now when we need more than ever to understand our “Others”.

What a busy month November has proved to be! The neighbourhood coffee mornings have really taken off and I would like to thank most heartily all the people who offer to host these. We’ve had the opportunity to enjoy a convivial evening at the Moroccan Tourist Office with Ambassador Farida Jaidi of the Moroccan embassy who is also helping us with our eagerly anticipated exotic “Casablanca night”. We’ve been treated to lavish coffee mornings by Ambassador Basilio of the Philippine embassy and our treasurer, Maria Faxander. Then there has been champagne tasting with Richard Julin, a “Romani” evening and a fantastic visit to the Skultuna brass works. If, like myself, you’ve found yourself wishing you could be in several places simultaneously, or wondering why the Board does not spread out the events a little more, you may like to know that we accept whichever date best suits our hosts/hostesses. Moreover, Angela, Hemmat and Tiina are so full of initiative and great ideas that it would be a real loss not to follow them up. So be prepared for the agony of choice!

Many of us will remember how Ambassador Erlinda Basilio arranged a cultural programme for us soon after her arrival in Sweden; now she is nearing the end of her posting here and has generously agreed to treat us to the wonderful parting gift of a Filipino Christmas! We know from experience that we can look forward to a really colourful celebration full of the true spirit of Christmas. Our cherished patron, H.R.H Princess Lilian, has most graciously agreed to attend this luncheon in spite of an extra tight schedule on account of the Nobel centenary. Her presence will add that touch of royal glamour that we all look forward to at our December luncheon. Please do help to make it a special occasion by dressing up in your national dress!

As I write these lines the holy month of Ramadhan is about to begin - by the time you read them it will be about to end. Each one of us will then be looking forward to having our own special “holy day “ to celebrate as Eid, Hanukkah, Diwali and Christmas succeed each other. Let’s put up a sincere prayer for “peace on the earth and goodwill to all men”. Imagine what a wonderful world we could live in if we could help to make that hackneyed wish come true!

November 2001

Seldom have I found it as comforting to arrive at the Operakällaren and find a throng of friendly faces ready to spread friendship and good cheer as I did at the October luncheon after the constant feeling of dread that has accompanied me throughout the past month. It was especially nice to see our past president, Elske Wilton, who had flown in from Holland to be with us. I was full of admiration for the calm and efficient way in which Marilda and Aldona took care of the ticket sales even though they were doing it for the first time and we had one of our unusually well-attended luncheons. I was also struck by the consideration so many members showed by having exact change available. That is the best way of showing that we all appreciate Marilda and her committee for taking on this extra task which saves each individual member the extra twenty-five crowns per ticket the Operakällaren would charge us for using two of their staff to sell the coupons.

Of course we've already seen that Agnes, Angela and Mary make an unbeatable team when it comes to giving a fashion show that extra sparkle but this time it was great to see our own members modelling for us and enjoying playing out little dramas to match their clothes and accessories. I am sure that seeing people we can identify with wearing the clothes makes us believe we could perhaps also wear some of them ourselves. I hope you'll remember to tell the people at The Stockholm Showroom and Entré that you belong to our club when you go shopping there so that they see it's worth their while to provide us with such great entertainment at no cost to the club. Many thanks also go to Minerva for handling her first lottery so well. I was quite embarrassed at my own good luck and will hardly dare to buy a ticket in the future for fear of winning yet another prize!

Many of us enjoyed a lovely coffee morning at the Hungarian Ambassador's residence thanks to our generous member Judit Szöke and we also learnt a lot about Hungarian "white gold" (I mean Herend's fine porcelain of course) from Veronika and Agnes. Let's hope the tide has turned and now that things have been bad in the world for too long they are going slowly but surely to get better. At least we are continuing to do our own wee bit.

Welcome to lots of fun and activities ahead…

October 2001

It’s like watching the movies but it’s actually happening…. It’s horribly, unbelievably true! Going home from the wonderful atmosphere of our September 11th luncheon to the dreadful news of the terrorist attack on the United States was like watching not just the World Trade Center but the centre of our whole world crumble. On behalf of our club which is devoted to the cause of promoting international friendship and harmony, I would like to express our deepest sympathy for the numberless people who have been affected by this shattering event. I think

especially of Ambassador and Mrs. Lyndon Olson who have just returned to the States from Stockholm and who did so much to support our club—what a terrible time for them.

What can one go on to say? Any other concern seems so trivial by comparison. But it’s all the ”little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love” that make our own personal lives liveable and those are the acts which our club is known for. Perhaps we need to appreciate all the good people who surround us more than ever at a time like this.

So I’d at least like to thank some of these very kind people who help keep our club alive: Tiina Connors for stepping in to take care of social activities when Johanna Anzill decided to leave the board for motherhood, not to forget Johanna herself who also stepped in at a time of need; Ambassador Sarala Fernando for hosting a gem of a tea party for the IWC at the Sri Lankan embassy just before leaving Sweden – we shall really miss you. Thank you too to Marsha Harris who is also leaving Sweden and who has contributed so much to the club while here. I’d also like to be able to find just the right way to say ”Happy Birthday” to our dearly treasured long-time active club member, Mary Liz Malmaeus, who celebrated her 85th birthday on the fateful day. I am so glad we could sing to her at our luncheon before any of us heard the news.

Finally perhaps we can try especially hard to resist despair and work hard for world peace.

September 2001

Welcome back to a new club year after what I hope has been an absolutely wonderful summer for all of you. Your new Board is full of fresh energy and initiative and quite determined to make the year ahead an enjoyable one for you all. We were very sorry when Kirsten Schepelern informed us during the summer that she would have to be relieved of the duties of secretary but have been fortunate in being able to persuade Mary Borromeo-Hedfors to take over from her. I have had the pleasure of working with Mary on the Board before, and her formidable capacity is already well-known to all of us. I am indeed most grateful to you Mary for helping us out at a time of need.

Our May business meeting was better attended than usual and I would really like to thank all the club members who took the time to come and show their interest in the affairs of the club and vote on important issues. Some members expressed their regret that we did not have a programme at this meeting but I myself felt it was nice to have at least one opportunity in the year where members could take the time to ventilate their views freely and then have time to mingle informally afterwards. I also think that since the number who attend this luncheon is always relatively small and many people may be in a hurry to leave, it becomes a bit unfair to ask a member to perform for us and then not give her the full time and attention that is her due. Please do let me have your feedback on this topic since we want to please as many of you as is humanly possible!

The big shock to everyone this year is Operakällaren's increase in the price of our lunch. Apparently the demand for their facilities is so great that their board is no longer willing to give us any kind of discount. Surprisingly enough, diligent research by our hostess chairperson has proved that Operakällaren is not so expensive after all! The fact that they can agree to accommodate numbers varying between 80 and 200 and guarantee the dates we want for the whole year is also exceptional. Consequently we all felt it was the best of a bad bargain to accept their new price and have instead decided not to raise membership fees at all for the coming year.

Many dear members whom we shall all miss have left Sweden this year. I especially want to thank Susan Andersen for giving us a wonderful afternoon tea in her beautiful home just before packing up to leave. We are also very sorry to see Kay Olson, wife of the American ambassador, and Adelheid Ackermann, wife of the German ambassador, both of whom hosted Christmas lunches for us during their time in Sweden, leave Stockholm. Thank you for all the myriad ways in which you both contributed so generously to our club. We very much hope that you will join us for lunch whenever you visit Stockholm in the future.

And now to fresh events and pastures new. Looking forward to seeing many of you at our September luncheon .



 

 
Last Update: 05 September 2007