[dropcap]I[/dropcap]had the pleasure recently of accompanying my friend Vice Counselor Louis to the special Rotary Club of Gros Islet lunch for sponsors of their annual golf tournament that has raised one and a half million dollars during the past two decades, projects aimed at helping the needy in Saint Lucia. As usual, Taiwan was ready to support this effort—as they have supported hundreds of initiatives island-wide since their return over a decade ago.
My team, Team Taiwan, would normally run away with the victory in the tournament; but I do believe they will play diplomatically and make sure that one of the other teams walks away with the prize. The Taiwanese are a very considerate people, as we all know. The same applies to the prize of a brand new Audi, donated by JQ Motors–Audi, St Lucia, for a hole-in one. Last year, for the first time in the tournament’s history, one team member actually achieved the almost impossible and walked away with an Audi. Clearly, my friends from Taiwan could shoot a hole-in-one on any of the holes but diplomatic etiquette would probably not allow them to pick up the prize. They will almost certainly abstain from demonstrating their prowess in this regard.
Speaking of holes-in one: our prime minister, during his recent hectic visit to Taiwan, managed to squeeze in a round of golf during which, for the first time in his golfing life, he succeeded in shooting an Eagle. Now for you not in the know in golfing terms, the PM did not actually shoulder a firearm, aim towards the skies and bring down one of these magnificent birds. His love of nature and the environment is legendary and any such accidental shooting of a large bird would break his heart!
On the golf course, each hole has a determined average number of shots required to sink the ball in the hole. This is called ‘par’; so a par-4-hole means you should get the ball in the hole with four shots from your T-shot, which is your first shot and has nothing to do with taking a sip of Lipton’s between each hole. Golfers are not avid tea-drinkers—but the Taiwanese are. If you mange to get the ball in the hole with one shot fewer than the par number, it is called a ‘Birdie’; you shoot a Birdie, which again has nothing to do with our feathered friends being shot by our PM.
However, and here’s the scoop: my team will proudly be playing as Team Taiwan and not as Taipei, or Chinese Taipei as the Communist Mainlanders insist our island nation of benefactors be called in international settings. So why not make your way to the Sandals Golf and Country Club at Cap Estate on Saturday, that’s today, and see how Saint Lucia’s golfing elite stack up against the diplomats from Taiwan—in an effort to raise even more funds to help the Rotary Club of Gros Islet help Saint Lucia’s needy.
