A Gift from Philippine Mothers

A couple of years after my term as President, I was invited to visit the Philippines on my way home from a meeting in the States, to attend a Rotary Foundation Seminar.  With typical Filipino generosity, the organisers had asked one of their Rotary members to paint a portrait of me, for pesentation at  the seminar.

He came to the meeting with this beautiful pastel, and made the presentation.  He said that although he had been commissioned to paint my portrait, he thought I would already have several of these -  so, because I had been instrumental in the immunization of 6.3 million Filipino children, he had decided instead to portray the concern of an indigenous Filipino mother for her children, and to present it as a gift from the mothers of the Philippines.

 It was an emotional moment.  Neither of us could control our tears.  Whenever I look at it, which is often (it hangs in my office) I re-live that moment.  I have been told that young man has become famous in The Philippines for his skill at a portraitist.

Clem Renouf