During March 2019, two RCS Edmonton board members went international! Major (retd) Alexander Tsang CD, Director of Casino Operations, and Ryan Jacques, Director of Youth Affairs, attended the first ever Asia Conference of the Royal Commonwealth Society in Hong Kong from March 14-17, 2019.  The week was filled to the brim with insightful discussion, intriguing presentations, and valuable networking, combined with an immersive experience in Hong Kong food and culture. It is safe to say that all delegates left the conference more knowledgeable, more hopeful, and more inspired about the future of the Commonwealth.

The conference was kicked off on a high note with a welcome dinner at the Hong Kong Zoroastrian Club, where delegates got the chance to mingle and many connected for the first time. The next day, hosted at the beautiful St. John’s Cathedral in the heart of downtown Hong Kong, the first conference session brought Jeff Nankivell, Consul General for Canada, and Abdul Qadir Memon, Consul General for Pakistan, to examine the importance of and what it means to be a part of a connected Commonwealth. Later, Ryan presented on the youth panel regarding his perspective on youth education and skills, and Alex shared his experiences serving in the Canadian Armed Forces while allowing the delegates to engage with many artifacts from his time in the military, including his service medals. Other discussed topics of great significance included sustainability, the protection of our oceans, and the advantages of intra-Commonwealth trade.

As well, Alex joined delegates from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Pakistan, and Singapore to present their respective RCS branch reports. Alex presented on behalf of RCS Edmonton, highlighting Edmonton’s hugely successful method of fundraising through running a casino and the possibility of Edmonton hosting an international Commonwealth conference in 2022, similar to the RCS Asia Conference.

At the end of the conference sessions, George C. Magnus OBE, BBS, the President of RCS Hong Kong, introduced a unique potential project for the future direction of the Commonwealth. He proposed a global internet-based platform called CommonWealthSharing.com, where the top 10% of citizens from all Commonwealth countries could connect and exchange ideas from each other. It would be up to each country to decide the 10% of people from their country who could take part, whomever they feel would gain the most from participating in the initiative.

After the official portion of the conference came to a conclusion, delegates headed off on a short ferry trip to Lamma Island for a delicious farewell seafood lunch, compliments of RCS Hong Kong. Sadly, international delegates had to return home over the following days, but they ultimately took with them new understandings, insights, correspondences, and fond memories from their short time in Hong Kong. There is no doubt that all delegates will be eagerly awaiting the next international RCS conference that will bring them together to continue the learning and reflection process about the Commonwealth.