205th Anniversary Gala Dinner

Dear fellow members,

While we still recall five years ago, we all gathered to celebrate the Bicentenary of Ying Wa College, November 2023 will be another opportunity to gather to celebrate our alma mater’s 205th anniversary.

You are cordially invited to join us for an exceptional occasion – the Ying Wa College 205th anniversary gala dinner. This special evening is to honor the School’s long-standing history and success in terms of its contributions and impact to society by its graduates in religion, translation, printing and education.

The 205th anniversary Gala Dinner will be held on
Date : 26 November 2023, Sunday at 7:00pm
Venue : Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Level 1 at Phase I, Convention Hall.

Pricing Details

Price

Reservation Period

$1,500/person

($18,000/table of 12)

Table guaranteed if whole table is booked by using Reservation Form (Appendix A) by 30th June 2023.

Please note there are two phases of reservation, details are listed in the reservation below :

Reservation Details

Please note the following points regarding the booking for the 205th anniversary Gala Dinner:

First Phase (from now to 30th June 2023)

  • Bookings by old boys and must be one table minimum (12 persons per table) and tables will be guaranteed.

  • As such, please contact your Class Reps to include your booking, or group your classmates together to make your booking. Appendix B contains the information of your Class Reps. If you cannot find your Class Reps, please contact OBA’s 205 Gala Dinner Committee by WhatsApp (see also Appendix B), or email to 205GalaDinner@ywcoba.com (particularly for overseas old boys).

  • Preferably reservation to be made by Class Reps, a completed Reservation Form (Appendix A) with proof of payment (cheque, deposit or transfer slip) needs to be either mailed or faxed to YWC School Office (校務處).

Second Phase (from 1st July 2023 to 25th October 2023)

  • Bookings by seat(s), Seating arrangement will be made by OBA.
  • A completed Reservation Form (Appendix A) with proof of payment (cheque, deposit or transfer slip) needs to be either mailed or faxed to YWC School Office (校務處) or email to 205GalaDinner@ywcoba.com.

We shall confirm the reservation in both First and Second Phases by contacting the sender of the Reservation Form within 14 days upon receipt of the form.

Donation Pledge

We feel proud that Ying Wa old boys have a strong tradition of being grateful to their teachers and very anxious to meet them on the occasion. We have invited many teachers (most in retirement) to attend the dinner. If you do wish to make a donation as sponsorship, please contact our committee or email to 205GalaDinner@ywcoba.com.

We look forward to seeing you all at the memorable event on 26 November 2023.

Best regards,
Gareth Ng
Chairman

Monthly Networking Event Resume

Please kindly note that the monthly networking gathering for Ying Wa boys and friends will be resumed. The first will be:


Date: 19th May 2023, Friday (6:30 pm to 9:00 pm)
Venue: J’s Bar Bistro, The Royal Garden, 69 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East.
Drinks arrangement:
OBA Member $180 per head,
Non-Member $200 per head
Two drinks coupons (selected house wine/beer/cocktail/soft drinks with nibbles and snacks for sharing.)

This is a regular casual networking occasion for old boys of all age groups and looking forward to seeing you all on 1st Friday evening of each month. No preregistration required. Should you require any further information or have any other suggestions, please feel free to contact one of our Recreation Conveners below.

Best regards,
Philip Yeung 楊偉炫, 1994 (philip.yeungwy@gmail.com)
Eric Poon (潘燿基) 1998 (eric_ykpoon@hotmail.com )
YWCOBA Recreation

Ying Wa Archive Room Treasure

The Ying Wa College Archivist has completed cataloguing the donations of heritage artifacts from alumni celebrating the Ying Wa College 200th Anniversary. Some of the artifacts have been used in exhibitions and commemorative publications.

Ms Jane Sze has recorded about 70 groups of donations. All catalogued items are now packed in accordance with archival practice with preservative materials. They will be available for viewing and research in the Archives Room with prior permission and arrangements ( email address being skyj@yingwa.edu.hk)

Our applause and appreciation to Archivist Ms Jane Sze for her splendid work!!

英華書院長跑日 家長、校友及老師邀請賽

長跑日又返黎喇!

?書院將於本年4月4日(二)舉行長跑日,設邀請賽事,詳情如下:

?地點:馬鞍山海濱長廊 (烏溪沙)

?起跑時間:約9:30am (9:00am 熱身)

?路線:約3公里
(由烏溪沙青年新村出發,沿海濱長廊,再原路折返於烏溪沙青年新村完結)

?組別:家長、校友及老師(分男子及女子)

?獎項:每組冠軍設有獎盃,亞軍至第10名設獎牌乙面。

?頒獎時間:大約中午12時

?現誠邀各位校友踴躍參與,與師弟們一齊感受長跑日的盛況,長跑日當天亦歡迎校友到場觀看、打氣。 所有入場人士須遵守學校指示,保持秩序。當日場地不設泊車。

?有興趣的校友請於 3月19日(星期日)或之前 將中文姓名、屆別及電話號碼發送至黃子榮 (drwongtszwing@gmail.com )及趙緯樂 (sunny.israel@gmail.com),資料會再轉發至書院負責體育老師作報名用途,謝謝!

周日友誼球賽報名

  1. 開放時間為星期日早上10時至下午1時。早上10時之前,為書院校隊練習時間,校友請勿太早進駐場地,以免影響校隊練習!
  2. 現階段只開放 足球場,5樓籃球場 及 乒乓球枱予校友會會員,暫不開放與家屬,盡量減低風險。
  3. 出席者,需預先向校友會報名。https://forms.gle/BFFR89CPKyh6FWTF9
  4. 出席者須由英華街進出,進入時必須在警衛前 確認身份。
  5. 請知悉 政府衞生署及有關部門可以要求提交本報名資料予其跟進或處理相關事宜。

THE KING AND I: A Short History of Mr Rex King

by Albert KingFan Ng (YWC 1977)

It was 24 Jan 2023 (Tu), two days before Australia Day. I finally located Mr Rex King, Principal of Ying Wa College 1972-1978. A blessing, we have crossed paths with each other for 5 years as I was a Ying Wa boy 1972-1977. When I called him on the phone, the voice on the other end sounded a bit hesitant as if he was talking to a “stranger” who was one of his tens of thousands of students from decades gone by. But once the ice was broken, we had a decent 3-minute talk on the phone and arranged the rendezvous with “the Godfather of Hong Kong public exams” I later jokingly referred to him as.

His residence is basically a home for senior retirees with independent living: he has his own apartment on the ground floor with a lounge, a kitchen, a bedroom and a washroom. There are staff on duty round-the-clock catering to the needs of the residents. Meals are provided and the seniors mingle and enjoy communal living. He purchased this current residence over a decade ago. This was financed by a property he purchased when he first moved to Adelaide at the age of 60. That first property he bought had a seaview from the balcony and the house was freestanding on a block of land. The value of that house tripled over a decade when he sold it. When he was in Hong Kong, he owned an apartment in Kwun Tong in Kowloon; then he moved to Hong Kong Island. The value of the property hiked when he left Hong Kong. With the proceeds, he purchased the posh house in Adelaide upon resettlement.

Once I stepped into his apartment, I spotted a stack of photos on the coffee table in the lounge. My photo with my name printed on it was on the top page. How meticulously prepared was this old man who lost very little of his drive to perfection!

As we sat down and briefly introduced ourselves, we started touching on the many anecdotes of our days in YWC, and a few names were mentioned. But what I really wanted to find out on this mission was the howabouts and lwhereabouts of this man, an almost god-like figure in my 5 years with him, before he entered YWC and after he left YWC. That is the gap I was eager to fill.

He revealed that he once had an elder sister two years his senior but she fell off the horse that got frightened by a piece of falling paper and an oncoming car. Riding bareback, she was thrown off the horse and died. Mr King was barely twelve and from then on, he was never on horseback. That obviously left a traumatic dent on everyone in the family and he became the only child in the house.

He lived on a sheep farm and used to do all sorts of farmwork including milking the cow. He also perfected the skill of delivering a lamb single-handedly. With one foot on the sheep’s neck and the other on its behind to immobilise the mother, he pulled the lamb out from the sheep’s womb with both hands, sometimes putting his hands into the sheep to deliver the baby lamb. The lambs were sold on the market: that was the major source of income. Another source of income was from sheep shearing.

His father worked at an abattoir, mainly in the office, not a worker slaughtering the animals. He was into heavy smoking and alcohol. He died of a heart attack in his 40s. That is why Mr King touched neither in his whole life. His dad also missed joining the New Zealand Army in the World War because he had crossed toes and it was his deep regret when his mates all went to war. His dad also bought a large acreage for farming and a Ford model T2 which was left behind for them. Mr King learnt his driving using the T2 which he had to wind a handle to start the car (like lighting the spark plug in a modern car). After his father died, his mother took over the chores of the farm. After he entered university, he would still return to the farm to help out during holiday breaks.

He was a 100% country boy as he used to live half an hour from the nearest town, Invercargill, the southernmost city of New Zealand. People often say if you take one more step you’ll fall off the world. It frosts in the morning about 20 days a year. So Mr King went to school with frost all over his legs as shorts were worn for the school uniform. He started off wanting to major in Maths but found himself not coping at a higher level. He dropped Maths and majored in English instead. He earned two degrees, one from the University of Otago in Dunedin and the other from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch.

In New Zealand, he served a mandatory 6-month conscription as bugle boy. But whenever he played the bugle at home, the dogs would keep barking. He learnt to use all sorts of firearms but missed serving in the Korean War (which happened too early for his age) and the Vietnam War (which started too late).

His coming to Hong Kong was in fact his own choice. He studied Hong Kong from many editions of the Hong Kong Yearbook before the journey (again a tell-tale sign of his meticulous personality). He came as a missionary teacher with the United Church of Christ (UCC) which merged the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches. He arrived in 1963 and spent 2 years as an English teacher in Ho Fook Tong College near Castle Peak which was still a small fishing village then. He then accepted the offer of principalship at Ming Yin College in Shek Kip Mei in Kowloon. He was actually involved from its construction to its opening and then its operation as a school. He had fond memories of Ming Yin College, the youngest school then that he pioneered. He also treasured his time in YWC as it is the oldest school. We also discussed the dispute on the oldest school reputation of YWC, the Malacca phase of YWC and Morrison, etc.

He remembered visiting 3 Hong Kong Governors in their house through his connection with a Hong Kong high ranking official whose name he evaded. He couldn’t quite recall which Governors but upon prompting, he named Edward Youde, David Wilson and one other. I mentioned Murray MacLehose but he didn’t concur. He said it was not David Trench. It’s most likely Christopher Patten but he couldn’t name him. But he remembered on one occasion David Trench picked up an English textbook in his school and criticised the standard. When I asked who his most favourite Hong Kong Governor was during his 33 years in Hong Kong, he said it’s between Edward Youde and David Wilson, but definitely not Murray MacLehose.

He also remembered quite clearly the 1967 riot when he was principal of Ming Yin College. Xenophobia prevailed and anti-Western slogans were written all over the walls of Shek Kip Mei. But his school remained open during the whole riot. There was even one student who went to school on foot all the way from Tsuen Wan to Shek Kip Mei at that time, he recalled.

He also recalled getting a friend from New Zealand to teach in Ming Yin College. This New Zealander later became the first principal of Ming Kei College in Tai Kok Tsui in Kowloon, using Ming Yin College as its campus before the construction of its own premises. This gentleman is J K Walls.

After he left YWC in February 1978 (the same year I left YWC), he joined the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). To enhance his knowledge, he pursued a master degree in education/exam in HKU under the mentorship of Alan Brimer (HKU Dean of Education then), the leading figure in school examinations in the world. Mr King was promoted to Deputy Secretary General (1992–1996) in HKEAA. He was very proud of that as he knew how important he was in that position since public examinations is THE thing in Hong Kong.

During his 19-year tenure in HKEEA, two interesting events stood out from the rest. In the early days of his tenure, the English Examination Paper, after it was finalised, had to be shipped overseas for printing and shipped back to Hong Kong before the exam. While unloading at the wharf, the cargo carrying the exam papers fell off and broke. The papers were scattered all over. The disaster was irreparable. Mr King and his team had to prepare the exam paper anew on Saturday and hand-print it on Sunday. Just in time to be distributed for the exam. The whole event was kept secret from the public. After this accident, the exam paper was printed locally. Then came the next event. One year a part-time worker in the printing room intended to smuggle out an English Exam Paper but was caught red-handed by Mr King.

He also mentioned how crazy Hong Kong parents could be. Students would be coached by private tutors and they worked on sample exam papers. Mr King made every effort to collect the sample papers from these private tutors and made sure that the actual exam paper was set as differently as possible from the sample papers. What a smart gweilo!

He revealed that while working at HKEAA, he missed frontline teaching a lot which is his greatest passion. In his spare time, he offered volunteer work as English teacher two evenings a week at St. Andrew’s Church in Tsimshatsui. He also initiated the Summer with a Purpose (SWAP) program, a 4-week English camp for secondary school students during the summer holiday. There was a quota of 30+ and he allocated half of it to Ying Wa boys. My niece’s husband, Daniel YiuKwok To (YWC 1998) was one of the participants in the SWAP program. We visited Mr King together in this Adelaide trip. After relocating to Adelaide, he was still active in volunteer teaching in the local community, mainly teaching Chinese migrant students for some 12 years before complete retirement. He is definitely a teacher at heart through and through.

I also commented on his accent or rather lack of KIWI accent during our chat. To my understanding, he came to Hong Kong in his 20s, an age most would retain their accent. His answer was that his accent was mid-Pacific which is a hybrid of New Zealand, Hong Kong and Australia.

Regarding his ancestry, he remarked that his surname came from someone who played the role of KING in a medieval pageant in the 14th to 15th century. Mr King was a 4th generation New Zealander who migrated from Australia. He reconfirmed that he was not of convict stock!

When I asked him about his choice of retiring in Adelaide instead of New Zealand, his answer was that he preferred a place not as busy as Hong Kong but more vibrant than New Zealand, kind of the middle of the road. These days, he does morning walks in the neighbourhood as exercise and plays snooker with his friends in the residence. In fact someone called him for a game during our visit but he turned him down. He usually spends an hour daily playing snooker. He is good enough to have a break of 20s, a skill that requires sinking at least 3 colour balls.

When asked to recommend a novel or an author to us (since he majored in English), he said he couldn’t. He spends most of his time on the internet these days. He used to play cricket at a young age. These days he watches sports on TV instead, but he’s not fanatic. He usually goes to bed at 10-11pm. Before going to bed, he watches TV, mostly on recorded news and documentaries.

Regarding his health, I deliberately left it to the end as I wasn’t sure if he wanted to discuss that. I bought him some cakes and fresh fruits. His immediate comment was 2/10 for cakes and 10/10 for fruits because he is type 2 diabetic. But he did eat a cheesecake in quite high spirits. He was adamant that physically he’s still in top shape. Just his memory at times gets the better of him. He also revealed that he successfully fought off 2 bouts of cancers, bowel cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Both have been in remission for a long time.

I think it’s important to put some notes on my meeting with this 85-yr-old, a man I once found formidable. He is a living testimony of “West meets East” in the last century particularly for his contribution to HK. There is so much he wants to get off his chest, maybe before his memory starts to twindle. I have tried my best to cross-check some of the facts, especially names and times, on the internet. I have also omitted some stories which are either contradictory in timing or irrelevant to most of us. It’s still possible that some of his recollections could be slightly inaccurate. He told me that if he were to write his biography, it would be in 3 sections: 26 years in New Zealand, 33 years in Hong Kong, and the 26+ years in Adelaide. I feel obliged to at least accomplish part of that in writing before it’s too late.

Afternote:

We had a second meeting, dinner in a Chinese restaurant, on 27 Jan 2023. When I dropped him off after dinner in his residence, I farewelled him at the gate and told him that we would see each other next time I visit Adelaide. He replied, “Could be in my cemetery.” My heart sank and this old man slowly disappeared in the distance.

Further Reading:

https://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/40years/loadeb8b.html?id=294077

Application for DSS-S1 Places in Academic Year 2023-2024

Dear members,

Ying Wa College (“YWC”) will start open recruitment of Secondary 1 students for the year 2023/24 from 12th November 2022 to 26th November 2022. I am glad to inform you that the Association has liaised with YWC to render assistance to Ying Wa Old Boys who wish their sons to be admitted to Secondary 1 of YWC subject to the following conditions :-


1) The father of the son(s), must be a paid-up member of the Association for the past two years (i.e. full 24 months counting back from the date of the deadline stated below).
2) The conduct of his son(s) must not be poor in his (their) present school(s).
3) The candidates should meet the required standard set by YWC.


If your son is interested to apply for a Secondary 1 place in YWC, you must make the application directly to YWC. You can either apply through online system in YWC webpage or download the application form and submit it together with other required documents by mail or in person to YWC. For details, please go to http://www.yingwa.edu.hk , then click
Menu>Admissions>S.1 Admission Information and Procedures.


Moreover, the S.1 Admission Briefing will be held on 12th November 2022 at 2:30pm. If you want to reserve the seats, please register online starting at 10:00am on 31st October 2022 (Monday). Please visit the website of Ying Wa College (http://www.yingwa.edu.hk , then click Menu>Admissions>Application) for details of this admission briefing.

If you wish the Association to render assistance, please submit the soft copies of the Application Form, P4 school report (final term only), and P5 school reports (all year) in PDF format to the Convenor for Student Affairs via Ms Cherry Tsui through email tyf@yingwa.edu.hk on or before Saturday, the 26th November 2022.


Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact our Convenors for Student Affairs, Ng King Him (93582756) or Ivanhoe Ko (92674830); or email: ngkinghim@yahoo.com.hk or ivanhoeko@yahoo.com.hk respectively.

Yours sincerely,

Ng Chi Kwong, Gareth
Chairman

英華書院長跑日 家長及校友邀請賽

書院將於本年11月1日(二)舉行長跑日,設邀請賽事,詳情如下:

地點:烏溪沙

起跑時間:約9:30am (9:00am 熱身)

路線:約3公里
(由烏溪沙青年新村出發,沿海濱長廊,再原路折返於烏溪沙青年新村完結)

組別:家長及校友組(分男子及女子)

獎項:每組冠軍設有獎盃,亞軍至第10名設獎牌乙面。

要求:符合疫苗通行証的規定

現誠邀各位校友踴躍參予,與師弟們一齊感受長跑日的盛況,亦歡迎校友到場觀賽。

所有入場人士須要符合疫苗通行証的規定,亦建議入場前先做快測

有興趣的校友請於 10月22日(星期六)或之前 將中文姓名、屆別及電話號碼發送至1998屆Sunny Chiu (sunny.israel@gmail.com),資料會再轉發至書院負責體育老師作報名用途,謝謝!

【保健養生】- 中醫保健講座

【保健養生】在我們的青葱歲月,「英華」這兩個字與病痛通常扯不上任何關係;不料到了我們更能體會「寸陰是惜」的今天,「英華」又給我們輕鬆上了一課,也讓同氣連枝的兩間學校校友,在短短約一個小時內,獲益良多。
英華書院及英華女校的校友會邀請了YWC的校友中醫師徐澤昌博士(2003屆)為校友主持中醫保健講座,講座已於上周五(8月19日)晚上,在YWC的多用途活動室圓滿舉行。
當晚主持林漢傑(2005屆)及徐博士以清談形式,帶領現場及線上,一起探討都市人經常面對的健康困擾,包括痛症、更年期前後,以及脫髮等問題。徐博士不但為兩校校友破解了不少健康迷思,還即場提供了許多保健養生實用貼士。
講座答問環節,反應最為熱烈。兩校校友提問非常踴躍,林林總總的問題涵蓋新冠肺炎患者的調理、耳鳴、食療等。可惜當晚時間所限,即使校友意猶未盡,校友會亦唯有待日後再邀請徐博士,與校友一起探討了。
是次講座更獲YWC校友贊助與中西醫、保健養生、食療、纖體、美顏等內容相關的書籍,現場免費贈閲,以供兩校關注健康的校友參考。
是次活動是兩校校友會近年首次攜手合辦的活動,大家覺得如何呢?請留言告訴我們吧!??我們很期待下次在校友會其他活動遇上您!?