On June 28, 2025 the leadership of District 7020 was entrusted into the hands of Professor William ‘Bill’ Aiken.
The District Governor installation ceremony, held at The UWI Regional Headquarters on Mona Road in Kingston Jamaica, was a morning of fellowship, unity, and inspiration as IPDG Dominique Bazin passed the gavel to DG Bill. It was a moment of celebration of the many accomplishments in the Rotary year 2024-205 while looking forward with a focus on continuity, innovation and partnership as charged by DG Bill.
Under the theme ‘Recognize Needs Transform Lives’ DG Bill addressed the room of Rotarians and guests saying “Let us Recognise Needs, Transform Lives as we Unite For Good through partnerships and collaborations within and outside of Rotary so that we continue to increase our impact and expand our reach in the Caribbean and beyond.”
While DG Bill is a distinguished urological surgeon, and Head of the Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthesia & Intensive Care, and Emergency Medicine at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Jamaica, and has dedicated his professional pursuits to the management of prostate cancer, he felt compelled by the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and many reported cases of sudden death, that this health crisis was a more pressing need for the district to focus on. DG Bill went expounded on the urgent need for strategies to address this issue at club and district level which will include raising the awareness of cardiovascular diseases such as heart diseases and sudden cardiac arrest, sensitization and training of community members on basic life support skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automated defibrillator AEDS, and ensure that automated defibrillator AEDS are readily available at key locations within communities to respond to an emergency.
The installation ceremony reinforced Rotary’s commitment to “Service Above Self” and further demonstrated that Rotarians are a People of Action that do-good in the world and save lives. The energy and momentum was one filled with good fun, laughter and lasting memories. It truly upheld the words once said by Paul Harris that “the foundation upon which Rotary is built is friendship; on no less firm foundation could it have stood.”