Pages 167-209

This antique clock, manufactured by
Ansonia Clock Company in Brooklyn, N.Y.,
accompanied Peter Tsui, the founder of
Wah Yan, for the greater part of his life since
the Robinson Road days. Still ticking on the
wall today, it has become a symbol of the
timelessness of the bonding between
Wahyanites.
~ 167 ~
~ 168 ~
Wah Yan International Conference 2004 - Prologue
Changes in world order have brought conflicting values and aspirations to society.
We are facing a complex and chaotic world today with increasing uncertainties in many interacting
forces and paradigm shifts. Educational reforms around the world have brought great challenges
to schools, students, teachers and parents alike. Hong Kong faces a mandate complicated by
post-1997 obligations to harmonize capitalism, communism, nationalism, patriotism and the like.
For a well established school like Wah Yan, it certainly has not been easy to juggle
with the educational reforms, political changes and social demands at a time when
Jesuits presence is reduced to the minimum.
While having their positive value, current educational reforms reduce the amount and quality of
contact time between teachers and students because of the extra burden of paper work,
publicly accountable self-evaluation programme, administrative reporting and the like. All these
reduce the hope for our teachers to make up for what is lost from the days when Jesuit Fathers
make up of half of the teaching staff: quality teaching, coaching in skills and values that made us
excel in debates, drama, music and sports, and the fine examples of Christian love and
humanity the reverend Fathers set to inspire us.
Yet God works in amazing ways. Crisis often precipitates greater growth and chaos sometimes
evolves into stunning new orders. In recent months, improved networking has resulted in the
strengthened bonding between old boys. Unified and amplified, their voices that
call for the provision of assistance to the younger Wahyanites still in school are coming across loud
and clear. By offering their expertise, time and resources to help the students, they hope to reduce
the impact of the reforms and changes and create a soft landing situation. It was in the midst
of such sentiments that the “Timeless Bonding” theme of the 9th Wah Yan International Conference
was born, reflecting the true Wah Yan Spirit in us all.
Since the International Conference is held only every other year, members of
the IC2004 Organizing Committee think that it is appropriate to address the current issues of
educational, social and structural changes that our Alma Mater is facing. We will explore the role the
old boys play in this trying time and hope that some helpful answers will emerge under the
guidance of the experts whom we have invited to guide us through the three-day event.
~ 169 ~
Message from
Sir Gordon Y.S. Wu
G.B.S., K.C.M.G.
Honorary Chairman
Wah Yan International Conference 2004
! ! ! !
Gordon Y.S. Wu
Honorary Chairman
Wah Yan International Conference 2004
~ 170 ~
Message from
Peter Tam
Joint - Chairman
Wah Yan International Conference 2004
Dear Wahyanites and Friends,
Few schools in Hong Kong has an active alumni community as that
of Wah Yan, a glance at the map of related web sites represents a
myriad of close to a hundred related web sites that include overseas
chapters, special interest groups, class clubs, etc. Thanks to the
leadership and foresightedness of senior alumni, the biennial
International Conference is a marvel and is now in her 9th term.
If alumni unity and concerns for the alma mater are critical measures
of the success of an institution, Wah Yan and the Jesuits Fathers should have no regret.
2004 is a special year that we have the opportunity to celebrate the 80th and 85th
Anniversaries of the Wah Yans and the 9th Wah Yan International Conference together in Hong
Kong. Since it has taken us a good eight years of waiting since 1996 before we have the
honour to host the conference again here in Hong Kong. We would like to take the opportunity
to share and explore with all Wahyanites and friends the challenges that our alma mater is
facing in a changing Hong Kong. We also examine how education reforms, socio-economic
changes, political changes are affecting Wah Yan and how alumni need to work closer than
ever among ourselves, with the school, teachers and fellow students for betterment of the
quality of education and to stand by the schools on the road ahead.
With all the activities planned for the occasion, we hope all of you and your family will have
a good time together with fellow Wahyanites. Although we may not have some topics of
interest to cover, we still have a lot of time just to be together and enjoy the simple happiness of
home coming.
On behalf of the organizing committee, Dominic Lee and myself, I wish to thank all of you
for attending the Conference, some of you may have travelled a long way, and to all the
speakers who kindly grace the event. Special thanks are due to Fathers, the Principals,
teachers, advisors, committee members for their relentless efforts to make the conference a
success. We are especially grateful to Father Deignan, whose guidance and visions has
geared the whole event.
With prayers and best wishes!
Peter Tam
Joint - Chairman
Organizing Committee
~ 171 ~
The Organizing Committee
Wah Yan International Conference 2004
Advisers
Fr. A Deignan, SJ
Fr. G Zee, SJ
Fr. J Coghlan, SJ
Norman So (Principal, WYK)
George Tam (Principal, WYHK)
Patrick Wu (WYHK 58)
Philip Ching (WYHK 54)
Chung Ka-leung (WYHK 70)
Joseph Leung (WYK 83)
Joint - Chairman
Joint - Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Members
Peter Tam (WYHK 64)
Dominic Lee (WYK 66)
K K Lam (WYHK 65)
Gary Ching (WYHK 86)
Richard Leung (WYK 79)
Charles Chau (WYK 92)
Nick Tsui (WYHK 67)
Toby Lo (WYHK 80)
Daniel So (WYHK 74)
Nelson Ho (WYK 83)
Felix Tseng (WYK 81)
Alan Lui (WYK 98)
Subcommittees
Secretariat
K K Lam (WYHK 65)
Thomas Chau (WYK 78)
Gary Ching (WYHK 86)
Jasmie Leung
Programme
Danial So (WYHK 74)
Raymond Siu (WYK 96)
~ 172 ~
Re-union Dinner
Stephen Tse (WYHK 74)
Toby Lo (WYHK 80)
Derick Chak (WYK 78)
Lo Wing-sun (WYHK 77)
Cheung Tai-chiu (WYHK 89)
Tommy Lai (WYHK 74)
Martin Ho (WYHK teacher)
Lau Fu Keung (WYHK 96)
Daniel So (WYHK 74)
Simon Chan (WYHK 75)
Kelvin Lo (WYHK 87)
Souvenir Book
Nick Tsui (WYHK 67)
Wilson Wong (WYHK 63)
Kelvin Lo (WYHK 87)
Lo Wing-sun (WYHK 77)
Cheung Tai-chiu (WYHK 89)
Desmond Lee (WYHK 88)
Anthony Keung (WYK 01)
John Tan (WYHK 81)
Leo Yu (WYHK 91)
Promotion
Charles Chau (WYK 92)
Wallace Yiu (WYHK 75 )
Peter K S Lam (WYHK 67)
Tai Chiu Cheung (WYHK 89)
Michael Sy (WYHK 91)
Felix Tseng (WYK 81)
Recreation
Dominic Lee (WYK 66)
Michael Au (WYHK 69)
Floor Manager
Wallace Yiu (WYHK 75)
Record
John Tan (WYHK 81)
Hospitality
Godwin Leung (WYHK 86)
Registration
Thomas Chau (WYK 78)
Lau Fu-man (WYHK 99)
~ 173 ~
Message from
Stephen Tse
Chairman
Re-union Dinner Organizing Committee
Wah Yan International Conference 2004
I am both very honored and excited to have the opportunity
to be the chairman of the Re-union Dinner Organizing Committee.
It is indeed a very special occasion for Wahyanites to come
together to celebrate the 85th Anniversary of Wah Yan Hong Kong
and the 80th Anniversary of Wah Yan Kowloon, which coincide with
Wah Yan International Conference 2004, which is held biennially
in cities around the world and this time in Hong Kong.
We share great affinity, love and respect for our Jesuit
fathers and our teachers who inspired us in our youth years.
Coming together for the reunion always allows us to treasure what we have got
from the Wah Yan education, to refresh our friendship, to renew our link with each
other, and to foster thoughts of and actions for supporting Wah Yan and our peers.
For everyone here this evening, I hope that you will enjoy the time. As we hold
dearly to our hearts, would you also share this joy and memory with Wahyanite
friends who cannot join us tonight.
Stephen Tse
Chairman
Re-union Dinner Organizing Committee
~ 174 ~
About
Wah Yan International Conferences
Wah Yan International Conference 2004
A year after the successful launching of the Student Ambassador Programme, the PSA organised the
first International Conference in 1988. Launched in Hong Kong, it was attended by over a hundred local and
overseas alumni. It was resolved that a Wah Yan Alumni International Conference would be held on a biennial
basis.
Objectives
•
To provide fellowship opportunities between local and overseas Wahyanites.
•
To allow Wah Yan alumni all over the World to better understand the well being of each other.
•
To keep alumni informed about both Wah Yan Colleges in Hong Kong and Kowloon.
•
To explore possible improvements on our Global Link Networking.
Conferences
Year
Location
Theme
1988
Hong Kong
Wah Yan Family Around the World
1990
Vancouver
Unity Is Strength
1992
Hong Kong
Wah Yan Spirit
1994
San Francisco
Towards A Global Wah Yan Community
1996
Hong Kong
Wah Yan Towards Year 2000
1998
Calgary
New Wave of Wahyanites
2000
Los Angeles
Wah Yan Spirit in the New Millennium
2002
Toronto
Beyond Nostalgia
2004
Hong Kong
Timeless Bonding
~ 175 ~
The Programme
Wah Yan International Conference 2004
November 11, 2004. Thursday
5:00pm - 7:00pm
November 12, 2004.
Wah Yan College, Hong Kong.
Speech Day
Friday
9:00am - 3:30pm
Wah Yan International Conference Golf Tournament
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Wah Yan College, Kowloon.
Speech Day
November 13, 2004. Saturday
8:30am -9:30am
Registration
WYK
9:30am - 10:00am
Opening Ceremony
Introduction of Honourable Guests and Delegates from
Overseas Chapters.
Opening Speech by the Principals
Norman So, George Tam
Opening Speech by IC Chairmen
Nick Tsui, Dominic Lee
International Networking Committee (INC) Report
By K. K. Lam, INC Chairman
10:00am - 11:15am
Reports by Delegates
11:15am - 11:30am
Break
TIMELESS BONDING SERIES
Session 1-10
~ 176 ~
Programme Chairman:
Professor Lui Tai-lok, Professor of Sociology.
Dean, College General Education, Shaw College,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
11:30am - 12:00pm
CHANGES IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM
!""#
Session 1
Topic: Hong Kong’s Education in Transition
The Official Stance: What are the main Changes and Why?
Big changes in our education system in recent years have drawn many
public outcries. What are the long term strategies and vision from the
Government’s stand point?
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Rosanna Wong Yick-ming D.B.E., J.P.
Chairman, Education Commission
Q and A
12:00pm- 12:30pm
Session 2
Topic: Critical Assessment of the Education Reforms in Hong Kong
and their Challenges
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Pang King Chee, former HKIEd VicePresident, Founding Directorate Member of HKIEd, Founding Chief
Executive of Curriculum Development Institute, Education
Department
Q&A
12:30pm- 1:00pm
Session 3
Topic: Catholic Education in a Changing Hong Kong - The Ignatian
View
How to maintain the quality in catholic education and excel in various
aspects of education with special emphasis in moral education.
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Fr. Dr. Alfred. J. Deignan, S.J., Provincial
Delegate, The Society of Jesus
Q and A
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Lunch (01)
2:00pm - 2:45pm
TIMELESS BONDING- WAHYANITES IN ACTION
!"#$
~ 177 ~
Session 4
Topic: Old boy’s (girl’s) love for their alma mater - How alumni/ae
can contribute.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anson Chan Fang An-sang, G.B.M., G.C.M.
G., C.B.E., JP. Former Chief Secretary of Administration of the
Hong Kong S.A.R.
Q&A
2:45pm - 3:15pm
Session 5
Topic: A Reflection on the Characteristics of Wah Yan Education
A reflection based on personal experience and encounters on the
characteristics of Jesuit education
Keynote Speaker: Andrew So Kwok Wing JP, Chief Administrator,
Hong Kong International Institute of Educational Leadership.
Former Legco member from 1978-1985 and the Ombudsman of
Hong Kong from 1994-1999.
Q&A
3:15pm - 3:45pm
Break
3:45pm - 4:15pm
Session 6
Topic: TIMELESS BONDING IN ACTION Interest Groups, Clubs and Societies
Translating bonding into selfless action, how can alumni participate in
an array of activities benefiting students and alumni alike in a spirit of
sharing and mutual enrichment?
Keynote Speakers: Philip Ching, Nick Tsui
Q&A
4:15pm - 5:15pm
Session 7
Topic: Wah Yan! Oh Wah Yan! Three quarter of a century in a nut
shell, reminisce and projection
Keynote Speakers: Raymond Yu, Wong Chin Wah and others
Anchor Chairperson: Mr. Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, JP.
Chairman, Hospital Authority,
Chairman, China and Far East Area, Ernst & Young
Q&A
7:00pm - Late
Dinner (02)
~ 178 ~
November 14, 2004. Sunday
9:00am -
Registration
WYHK
9:00am - 10:30am
Morning Rendezvous Continental Breakfast
10:30am - 11:30am
On site briefing on WYHK New Building
11:30am - 12:00pm
TIMELESS BONDING IN ACTION
- WAH YAN AND BEYOND !== !
Session 8
Topic: Wah Yan Values, Hong Kong and Contemporary China
Keynote Speaker: The Honourable Donald Tsang, G.B.M., JP. Chief
Secretary of Administration of the Hong Kong S.A.R.
Q& A
12:00pm - 12:30pm
Session 9
Topic: Alumni Supports in Educational Institutions -How can we
contribute?
Translate bonding into selfless action and sacrifices.
Keynote Speaker: Sir Gordon Y.S. Wu, G.B.S., K.C.M.G.
Q&A
12:30pm - 1:00pm
Session 10
Topic: How Wahyanites can make a difference in Society
Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Alan Leong Kah-kit, SC
Q&A
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Lunch
2:00pm- 2:15pm
Briefing on ‘3+3+4’ Academic Structure”
Norman So, George Tam
2:15pm - 3:00pm
Panel Discussions
A) Future Development of ‘Timeless Bonding’ Scheme
B) Youth Forum - views from the younger generation in a changing time
C) Improvements on INC Networking
D) Overseas Education for young Wahyanites
~ 179 ~
3:00pm - 3:15pm
Break
3:15pm - 3:35pm
Panel Presentations and Sharing
3:35pm - 4:00pm
Selection of Base for INC
Selection of Venue for IC 2006
Conclusion of IC 2004
4:00pm - 5:45pm
Seminar: Personal Financial Planning for Education (For parents
and alumni)
Speaker: Mr Shek Kang Chuen (Associate Publisher and Head of the
Research Department of Hong Kong Economic Times)
7:00pm - Late
Dinner (04)
November 15, 2004. Monday
7:30am -9:00am
Harbour-side Breakfast (05)
at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
10:00am - 11:00am
WYHK & WYK Joint Thanksgiving Mass
at Wah Yan Kowloon
6:30pm-7:30pm
Reception at HKCEC
7:30pm- 10:00pm
WAH YAN RE-UNION DINNER (06)
at HKCEC
~ 180 ~
News from
Overseas Chapters
Wah Yan International Conference 2004
2
11
1
3
4
9
7
16
5
12
8
14
6
10
13
15
1.
Calgary
9.
2.
3.
Edmonton
Ontario
10. Southern California
11. United Kingdom
4.
5.
Vancouver
U.S. Eastern
12. Bangkok
13. Melbourne
6.
7.
Houston
Michigan
14. Singapore
15. Sydney
8.
San Francisco Bay Area
16. Hong Kong / Kowloon
~ 181 ~
Seattle
Vancouver
Dear fellow Wahyanites,
For many years our Vancouver alumni has been one of the strongest overseas chapters.
Currently we have over 180 registered members and 22 past presidents. Our 12 board of directors
hold monthly meetings along with our honorary advisor Mr. Raymond Yu, invited members and
students.
The Annual General Meeting and Dinner takes place in the Chinese New Year. Some 200
people attended the well-organized event in both 2003 and 2004. The family members were
entertained by quiz and bingo games while the alumni members attended the AGM. This has
always been a fun-filled evening with lots of take-home prizes and red pockets.
In 2003 our Vancouver chapter hosted another Western Canada Reunion in Salmon Arm.
We had delegates from Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. Over 100 people attended the 3-day
event. It was a wonderful experience of participation and shared fellowship. Our alumni members
enjoyed activities of sight seeing and touring, wineries, cheese factory, fruit picking, and a super
lake cruise. Last June, 70 adults and 15 children attended the Father’s Day BBQ 2004 in Stanley
Park. It was a wonderful culinary experience along with biking in the sunny afternoon with a
volleyball match.
The biggest event hosted by the Vancouver alumni each year is the Fall Annual Ball. Some
340 people attended in 2003 while 280 attended the 2004 Annual Ball last October. The gala
evening always has the honor of participation from the alumni such as Canossian, Chinese
University of HK, La Salle College, Maryknoll Convent School, Marymount Secondary, St. Joseph,
and St. Paul Co-ed and Convent School.
The newly formed Mutual Support Group provides both guidance and assistance to alumni
members in times of stress, sickness, family crisis, or any circumstances that require assistance.
In the past few months, we provided assistance and spiritual support to a past alumni member
and his family. Our Support Group Members had daily hospital visits and daily group prayers.
We took pride in our participation and exhibited the true Wah Yan spirit.
In 1990, the Vancouver Alumni Chapter hosted a memorable International Conference. A
donation was made to the Vancouver Parks Board and 3 trees were planted in Vanier Park. These
trees have flourished since then as our Wah Yan overseas alumni takes hold and forms a strong
network in North America. It is our wish that we be granted the opportunity to host the
International Conference 2006. We will pledge our utmost support to make this event a true
Success!
Moses Lo
Chairman IC 2006 Committee
~ 182 ~
Calgary
The past two years for our Calgary chapter have been memorable indeed.
Highlights included an encore visit from Rev. Fr. Deignan and student ambassadors
accompanied by alumni back in 2002. We were sold when Mr. Peter & Winnie Tam came to create
buzz on their 2004 International Conference Promotional Tour. Other memories included many
of us making the long trip up to Edmonton to be rewarded with celebrating Chinese New Year
with our Edmontonian counterparts.
We have grown close to the Vancouver chapter over the years, meeting them in Salmon
Arm, British Columbia for the 2003 Western Canada Reunion, and then attending their 22nd Annual
Ball in October of the same year. While we had our guards down, we suspect that they had been
secretly headhunting and recruiting our members. Several of our alumni have since moved to
reside in Vancouver. I guess the warm weather and wonderful Wah Yan Alumni there are difficult
to compete against.
Looking forward, our chapter does not have a 5-year plan, but wish to win over other alumni
and to grow in size. We welcome all of our brothers to come visit the great Canadian Rockies and
to give us a call.
Dominic Hon
President
Calgary Chapter
~ 183 ~
Edmonton
On behalf of the members of Wah Yan Past Student Association – Edmonton Chapter in
Alberta, Canada, we congratulate the dedicated effort of the WYPSA International Conference
2004 Organising Committee (2004) in organizing such a massive undertaking in IC2004, and the
successful endeavour of the Publication Committee, WYKPSA (2004) in producing “Starlight of
No. 56” in commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of Wah Yan College Kowloon.
Below is a brief description of the history our Association in Edmonton and a glimpse of our
recent activities.
Sincerely,
Executive Committee
Wah Yan Past Student Association – Edmonton
September 26, 2004
A Brief History about us (Edmonton Chapter)
The Edmonton Chapter of the Wah Yan Past Student Association was founded in the Spring
of 1987. Our aim is to promote friendship and support social, educational, cultural and charitable
activities among members in a non-political and non-profitable environment. We currently have
38 members (as of February 2002) including six members on the Executive Committee.
We established two scholarships in the name of “Edmonton Award” in 1989 for Form 3
students in Wah Yan College, Hong Kong and Wah Yan College, Kowloon. We continued this
tradition for 11 years. The scholarships were administered by the Principals of both colleges.
Scholarship Fundraising was carried out mainly through the sales of annual Entertainment
Coupon Booklet in the early days as well as generous cash donation from members and a small
part of the membership fee.
A Special General Meeting was held on August 12, 2000 to discuss the most effective ways
of making use of our Scholarship Fund. Because of the relative small amount collected each year,
it was agreed that it would be more effective to distribute the donations received to local charitable
organizations in the future rather than sending them back to our mother schools. In this regard,
the Executive Committee would very much welcome your suggestion on suitable local
organizations to receive our contributions in the future. Please let us know what you think.
Networking with other Chapters was first established in the Summer of 1990 during the
second Wah Yan Past Student Association International Conference in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
~ 184 ~
We take pride to host our honour guests and student ambassadors whenever possible. If you are
a former Wah Yan student new to Edmonton, please drop us a line. We will do our best to make
you feel comfortable in Edmonton.
Chapter Activities
Annual BBQ and independent evening events
• One of the most participated events during the year
• Members and families are welcome
• Updates on current activities in an informal setting
• Lots of food and fun
• Followed by an evening of karaoke or Mahjong at various private homes Annual
Soccer match with La Salle Old Boys
• The soccer team members are mostly made up of recent graduates from both colleges
• Weekly soccer practice during the summer months
• Wah Yan Team uniform color: Yellow and black
• The La Salle Team usually takes home with the trophy after the match
Visitors from Hong Kong, Vancouver and Calgary
We welcomed alumnus from Vancouver and Calgary as well as student ambassadors from
WYCHK and WYK on August 4, 1998. Also in attendance were many distinguished guests from
Hong Kong, including Father Deignan, Father Zee, Mr. George Tam and Mr. Raymond Yu. It was
one of the largest alumni gatherings we had in recent years.
Prior to this, we hosted two student ambassadors from WYCHK and WYK in April 1991.
Ron Lau and Leo Chu guided them to the world’s famous Canadian Rockies. The two student
ambassadors admired very much the snow-capped mountains and the glaciers. They also had a
chance to visit the University of Alberta and the eighth wonder of the world — West Edmonton
Mall while they were here.
Highlights of 2003/04 activities
JANUARY 25, 2003: CHINESE NEW YEAR POT LUCK GATHERING
Our Chinese New Year Pot Luck Gathering was held at Vincent & Linda Lee’s beautiful
home on this cold Saturday evening. Leo gave us a very informative presentation on digital
~ 185 ~
cameras and digital photography. He also brought all his gadgets and took family portraits for
us in Vincent & Linda Lee’s beautiful living room.
June 7, 2003: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Our 2003 Annual General Meeting was held at Tropika Malaysian Cuisine on this Saturday
evening. The event was well attended. We took the opportunity to catch up with each other, look
back at what happened in the year past (the most memorable was definitely the Welcome Dinner
for our guests from Hong Kong at Top of the Inn) and talk about our upcoming functions. The
new executive committee for the 2003-2004 term was installed and our financial standings were
discussed. The committee members look forward to serving our members and welcoming our
visiting guests, beginning with Mrs. May Sze in late July.
JULY 28, 2003: WELCOME DINNER FOR MRS MAY SZE
It was our great honour to host a welcome dinner for our former teacher in WYCHK Mrs.
May Sze and her husband Mr. Michael Sze this evening at a Chinese restaurant in Edmonton.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2003: ANNUAL BBQ & KARAOKE GATHERING
It was our honour to have Fr. George Zee joining us for our annual BBQ gathering at Rundle
Park this evening. We were all very happy to see Fr. Zee again and learn about happenings at our
mother schools firsthand. We were also very happy to have close to 20 La Salle old boys and their
families joining us for the gathering. Thank you to everyone for your generosity in contributing
to the Wah Yan Jesuit Nursing Fund. A donation in the amount of CDN $1,500 (approx. HKD
$8700) was made in support of the Fund. We all agree with Mr. George Tam in saying that this is
unquestionably a very worthy cause indeed. We are glad to have this opportunity to give
something back to the Fathers who gave so much to us and Wah Yan. The Wah Yan PSA (Edmonton)
is also glad to make a donation on September 21st to the Edmonton Chinese Catholic Parish in
our continuing support of local organizations.
JANUARY 17, 2004: CHINESE NEW YEAR POT LUCK GATHERING
Many thanks to Vincent and Linda for once again offering their beautiful home to host our
Chinese New Year Pot Luck Gathering. It was very well attended by our members. It was a great
honour to have Donald Yau joining us from Calgary for the evening.
MAY 12, 2004: WELCOME DINNER FOR GUESTS FROM HONG KONG, VANCOUVER
AND CALGARY
It was our pleasure welcoming Mr. Peter K H Tam (WYHK ’64), President of Wah Yan College
Hong Kong Past Student Association and Chairman of Wah Yan International Conference 2004
~ 186 ~
to Edmonton. It was also very nice to see Larry Yip and Tony Wong again in Edmonton. As soon
as we receive more information about IC2004, we will share the news with you all. We strongly
encourage everyone to join the big family in Hong Kong in November.
JULY 25, 2004: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2004 & BBQ GATHERING
Once again, our AGM / BBQ gathering was very well attended. Thank you to everyone for
coming out. We took the opportunity to catch up with each other, look back at what happened in
the year past and look forward to our future gatherings. The new executive committee for the
2004-2005 term was installed and our financial standings were discussed. We would like to
welcome our newest member and our new VP, Alfred Lee, to join our Association. The committee
members look forward to serving our members and welcoming visiting guests. Photos from this
gathering are available on http://photos.yahoo.com/wahyan_edm
~ 187 ~
Ontario (Hong Kong)
On behalf of the Wah Yan College (Hong Kong) Ontario Alumni Association, we are looking
forward to a successful International Conference and celebration of 80/85th anniversaries in
Hong Kong. We are grateful to the organizing committee for planning a wonderful occasion for
us to meet fellow Wahyanites.
MEMBERSHIP
As of today, there are 330 Ontario members in our database. We stay in touch with our
members with a web site, an E-mail list, a quarterly newsletter, and a bi-annual booklet. The
latest booklet contains 67 pages of articles and 24 pages of membership directory. The articles
include event reports, news from overseas chapters, information on the School Development
Project and, for the first time, a directory of Jesuit Fathers associated with WYK and WYCHK in
the past.
FORMER TEACHERS & PAST PRESIDENTS
Former teachers residing in Ontario: (in alphabetical order)
Mrs. Helen Lee, Mrs. Man Poon Yuen-Lee, Mr. Anthony Wong Shiu-Tsang, and Mrs. Stella
Wong Cheung Sau-Lan
Past Presidents of our Associations are (in reverse chronological order): Kelvin Tsang (’91),
Patrick Lau (’86), K.Y. Ng (’72), Eric Chan (’67), Matthew San (’67), Kumert Chow (’71), Peter
Yeung (’72), Martin Li (’65), Stephen Ng (’60), David U (’62), Thomas U (’65), and Dr. Raymond
Chan (’59).
CONTACTS
Web site: http://www.wahyan.ca/ontariohk
E-mail: ontariohk@wahyan.ca
Address: Wan Yan College (H.K.) Ontario Alumni Association,
20 Queen Street West, Suite 3207, Box 47, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 3R3
About one-third of Canadians live in Ontario. The large population, rich resources and
strategic location of Ontario have helped the province build a powerful economy. Cities like
Toronto and Ottawa serve as the financial and political centers of Canada respectively. Besides,
Ontario has several world-renowned universities and post-graduate business schools. We welcome
any Wahyanite who is going to study, work, or travel within Ontario to contact us when you
arrive!
~ 188 ~
Executive Committee 2003 – 2004
President
Tony Tang
Vice President
Nelson Wong
Treasurer
Paulus Ng
Secretary
Alex Au
Membership Director
Paul Au
Social Convenor
Jason Ma
International Convenor
Sunny So
Immediate Past President
Kelvin Tsang
-
-
-
(HK ’85)
(HK ’91)
(HK ’71)
(HK ’00)
(HK ’90)
(HK ’94)
(HK ’95)
(HK ’91)
SUMMARY OF SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE PAST 10 YEARS
International Conference 2002 (IC2002) – “Beyond Nostalgia”, a four-day event attended
by teachers, fathers, and representatives from chapters around the world. Over 200
participants took part in various discussions on topics related to our alma maters, city
tours and sightseeing trips highlighted by a gala dinner attended by over 300
A 4-day celebration of the 80th (HK) and 75th (Kln) anniversaries in July 1999, jointly
organized with the Ontario WYK and New York chapters.
Since 1998, we have established the Annual Wah Yan College (H.K.) Ontario Alumni
Scholastic Award. The award, along with a cash prize funded through voluntary donations,
is given to university entrants with high marks who are Wahyanites or children of
Wahyanites. Around 30 young achievers have received this award so far.
In August 1988, a welcome dinner for Fr. Deignan S.J., Fr George Zee S.J., Mr. George Tam
(Principal of WYCHK) and Mr. Raymond Yu (former Vice Principal of WYCHK)
In 1996, a visit by our former Principal, Fr. Coghlan S.J. and hosting of the two Student
Ambassadors, Derek Cheung and Sunnie Kwong.
In 1995, the Association sponsored and participated in the Wah Yan Dramatic Society
from Hong Kong’s performance of the Chinese Opera in English “A Tale of Two Kingdoms”
to raise funds for the Chinese Culture Centre of Greater Toronto.
LOCAL EVENTS SINCE LAST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
After hosting the International Conference 2002 in Toronto, our chapter resumed normal
activities in the past two years as follows:
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2002 (23 NOVEMBER 2002)
Partly due to the effect of IC2002, we saw new faces in the AGM 2002. Tony Tang (HK ’85)
took over from Kelvin Tsang (HK ’91) as President and all our executive committee members
were under 35! During the dinner, we recapitulated the IC2002 and “roasted” the chairman of
the IC2002 Organizing Committee – Peter Yeung (HK ’72). In conjunction with our association’s
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20th anniversary celebration, we had a slide show reviewing the past of our association and a
cake-cutting ceremony by all the past presidents.
IC2002 CD ORDERING (FEBRUARY 2003)
The 2-CD package is full of content, including an after-event video summarizing the IC2002
group discussions, a complete documentation of IC2002, over 1,000 4R-sized event photos, and
an hour of video clippings capturing 20 different memorable moments in IC2002. We would like
to take this opportunity to thank those Wahyanites who have ordered this CD.
Joint School Bowling Tournament (31 May 2003)
The tournament was the first activity after the SARS epidemic. More than 40 members from
Wah Yan Kowloon, St. Joseph’s College, the Canossian Colleges of Sacred Heart, St. Mary’s & St.
Francis’ and our association attended. Despite our focus on the pins and balls, we had a great
time mingling with new and old friends. Especially during a year of war and virus outbreak, we
cherished the inter-personal touch which we might have taken for granted during better times.
Dinner with Mrs. May Sze (31 July 2003)
In late July, Mrs. May Sze and her husband Mr. Michael Sze Cho-cheung were in Toronto.
We welcomed the couple with a reunion dinner attended by almost 25 Wahyanites, many of
whom had not seen Mrs. Sze for over a decade. In attendance were past teachers Mr. Anthony
Wong and Mrs. Helen Lee. We had a very joyful and long after-dinner chat with Mrs. Sze. All of
us were reluctant to leave the place. Ontario Wahyanites always look forward to visits by past
teachers. If they do visit us, we surely will have another wonderful gathering ...
SOCCER MATCH WITH WYK CHAPTER (9 AUGUST 2003)
The game was a fun-filled event with about 25 alumni and friends. Unfortunately, the final
score was 5 to 3 in favour of Team WYK.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2003 (29 NOVEMBER 2003)
Our eldest member Sammy Chiu (HK ’38) led us in the singing of the school song. Photos
and diagrams of our alma mater’s School Development Project were shown.
JOINT SCHOOL PICNIC (3 JULY 2004)
120 alumni from Marymount, St. Francis Canossians, Sacred Heart Canossians and our school
attended the successful picnic. We were overwhelmed by the great food prepared by the female
co-organizers.
-
OTHER EVENTS
In January 2003, close to 30 members enjoyed an NBA game (Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee
Bucks) at discounted ticket price.
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-
-
In February 2004, members from both Ontario Wah Yan chapters were on hand to welcome
Michael Au, Past President of WYHKPSA. He brought us first-hand news from Hong Kong
on the two Wah Yan’s and IC2004.
It was on Valentine’s Day 18 years ago that the first Hong Kong Joint Schools Alumni
Valentine Ball was held in Toronto. Since then, a group of Hong Kong Catholic high schools
alumni associations has been taking turns hosting the event annually. Our chapter takes
part in this event every year.
Furthermore, our association has donated various amounts to the School Development Project
of WYCHK, Rev. Fr Sean Coghlan, S.J.’s “School in Mainland China” project, and Cheung Chau
Xavier House renovation project.
On a personal scale, we witnessed the weddings of half of our executive committee members
in the past two years. These happy men include our President, Vice President, Membership
Director, and Immediate Past President.
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Ontario (Kowloon)
Kelvin Chan (1994) - President
Kelvin Ng (1995) - Vice-President
Ambrose Li (1986) - Secretary
William Fok (1968) - Treasurer
Peter Wong (1962) - International Convenor
Peter Au (1966)
Eddie Lau (2003)
Alan Leong (2001)
Raymond Leung (1977)
Christopher Tam (1977)
Andrew Tang (1965)
Victor Tong (1968)
Joseph Wong (1967)
Augustine Yeung (1966)
Ricky Yiu (1999)
Mr. Anthony Ho - Staff Advisor
__________________________________________________________________________
2002 ~ 2003
2002 saw the successful hosting of the 8th Wah Yan International Conference by our
WYCHKOAA brother alumni here in Toronto. Many of our members attended the activities and
some were there to help out, including our own show-biz personality Peter Au (1966) who was
drafted as one of the two Masters of Ceremonies of the gala dinner. We were also able to raise
some Cdn $6,000 as our contribution to the Jesuit fathers’ travelling fund to help sponsor some
Wah Yan fathers to attend IC2002 from around the world.
The classes of the 1960’s had always dominated the presidency of WYKAAO since our
inception. At our 2002 Annual General Meeting in November, first time in our history we witnessed
our leadership being passed to a member of the younger generation, Kelvin Chan of 1994. Also at
the meeting, we played our part in the Christian ecumenical movement by having Rev. Edmund
Der (1954), an Anglican minister, as our keynote speaker.
Early 2003, events like the annual Valentine Ball and Spring Banquet ran as usual. The Spring
Banquet was our 1st event to raise money for WYK’s School Maintenance Fund. Our new logo,
designed by Vice President Kelvin Ng (1995), was also unveiled. Then came spring of 2003! SARS
was on the rampage in Toronto and many of our functions were on hold. It was a scary time for
the Canadian society at large but especially for the local Chinese community. Fortunately, all of
us stayed unaffected and escaped unscathed.
It was twenty years ago, back on February 25, 1983 that our former Assistant Principal Mr.
Anthony Ho convened a meeting of Wahyanites from WYK at the International Restaurant. With
the SARS epidemic- winding down in the summer, we were able to put on a great show to celebrate
this significant event in our history. In September, a dinner dance with silent auction was held at
the Don Valley Crowne Plaza Hotel with Peter Au again as the Master of Ceremonies. WYK
School Supervisor Rev. Fr. George Zee, S.J. was kind enough to come all the way from Hong
Kong to be the guest of honour. All net proceeds from this event went towards the WYK School
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Maintenance Fund. Through the whole year, thanks to all those who contributed in various ways,
over Cdn $20,000 was raised for our alma mater. A special 20th Anniversary
ooklet was also published to commemorate the occasion and to preserve our past history
for the future generations of Wahyanites in our province.
2003 ~ 2004
At the 2003 Annual General Meeting, President Kelvin Chan was again re-elected for another
term with further injection of new blood into the Board of Directors. We again took part in the
annual Valentine Ball and organised the Spring Banquet in 2004. Added on the list of events were
the Golf Day in June, WYK 80th Anniversary Picnic in August and the joint WYCHK/WYK 85th/
80th anniversaries golf/dinner in September.
Our distinguished alumnus, eminent immunologist and Order of Canada recipient, Dr. TakWah Mak (1962), was appointed Director of the new Institute for Breast Cancer Research in
Toronto’s renowned Princess Margaret Hospital in June. Both Dr. Mak and Mr. Anthony Ho
made it to the list of WYK’s 80 most influential people in the last 80 years.
Further news and details can be seen on our web site at www.wykontario.org. WYKAAO
will be sending a strong delegation to IC2004. Led by President Kelvin and Mr. Anthony Ho,
they are looking forward to a very fruitful conference in Hong Kong. We wish them Godspeed
and every success!
~ 193 ~
Michigan
The Day After Tomorrow
We are counting the days.
Our Michigan Chapter might have disparate nature from other chapters. Based in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, we serve a group of about 10 young alumni studying in University of Michigan (UM)
or Michigan State University (MSU). Members hassling with heavy study workload, we organize
activities only to relieve members’ pressure, rather than creating extra burden on them. Our
informal setting promotes a friendly community to share joyfulness and melancholy.
Since our cabinet assumed control of the Chapter in 2002, we have been organizing different
activities to build up a strong sense of wahyanites breed and pride. Every September, we hold an
annual gathering dinner to welcome newcomers and reunify all active members. During the dinner,
“the big brothers” share their academic and social experiences in Michigan with the new faces in
order to help them to adapt to this new environment easier. On the other hand, all alumni are hardcore
soccer fans. In response, we have started out a bi-weekly indoor soccer game since Fall 2002. Also,
the majority of our members are spines of the Michigan Hong Kong soccer team, which participates
in the UM intramural tournament. Last year, the soccer team advanced to the semi-final stage.
Apart from the pressure-reliving activities, our committee meets monthly to gravely discuss
and evaluate the chapter performance. We strongly encourage our members to join the meetings
and the responses are enthusiastic. Our President, Charles Law, also updates us with recent news
about Wah Yan during the meetings.
Our chapter participated in the Graduation Ball organized by HKSA last April. All of our
members attended to farewell the two graduating wahyanites, including our vice-president, Rico
Chan, who will further pursue his graduate studies on the west coast.
Behind the blissful and enjoyable moments, we are about to eliminate.
Michigan is no longer a popular destination of undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
For the past two years, we merely have five newcomers studying in either UM or MSU. For the
current 10 members in the chapter, only 3 will remain after this academic year. This is such a big
blow and calamity to the wahyanites community in Michigan. Without a moderate amount of
“new blood”, our Michigan chapter is going to die out soon. However, we will not undergo
euthanasia. We still have a hope.
Lastly, quoting a script from “Truman Show”,
“Oh! And in case (our chapter) don’t see ya again! Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and
Goodnight!”
International Convenor, WYMIPSA
Arthur Chan (2000)
~ 194 ~
Houston
Despite having less than 13 members, members of the chapter are still very active taking
part in many of their activities. They get together regularly once every two months for dinner or
lunch, exchange DVD’s, reminiscing their good old Wah Yan days and having a Texas ‘Good old
Boys’ social gathering informing other members about any good restaurants in town, fun places
to travel, etc. In fact, their International convener, John Fong, cannot come to the conference
because he is opening a new restaurant. Photos of their recent gathering show many happy
faces.
~ 195 ~
Southern California
One of the highlights this year was a Wah Yan Anniversary Dinner organized on 5th June
2004, celebrating the 85th anniversary of Wah Yan College, Hong Kong and the 80th anniversary of
Wah Yan College, Kowloon. About two hundred old boys and guests attended. We were glad to
have Mr. Raymond Yu, our former Assistant Principal of Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, and Mr.
Anthony Ho, our first laymen Assistant Principal of Wah Yan College, Kowloon, to share the
Wah Yan history slide presentation, insightful speeches and games with us. At that night, we
received significant pledges from many past students for Jesuit Fathers Nursing Fund, the
Education Funds of Wah Yan College Hong Kong and Wah
Yan College Kowloon. For further details and pictures,
please visit www.wahyan.com.
Our Chapter has succeeded in getting more and more
Wahyanites together over the past two years. This increase
in membership is a result of our concerted effort in
promoting liaison among alumni in Southern California.
Football has long been the hinge in gathering Wahyanites
irrespective of our age. We have been recruiting many old boys, primarily from the 20’s range,
ever since the formation of the Wah Yan Alumni soccer team. Apart from regular training, friendly
matches were held with a couple of teams, such as the La Salle Old Boys Association team. It is
anticipated that a football league will be formed in the near future. Our basketball team has
managed to get the runner-up in a local league shortly after its formation in the passing summer.
For those who were not into sports, there were all kinds of
gathering organized throughout the year. On Independence Day this
year, there was a barbeque at the house of Gavin, President of our
Chapter. We also celebrated the Mid-autumn festival with Hong Kong
School Alumni Federation and performed a skit in front of more than
a hundred guests.
Last but not least, our monthly dinner plays an important role in gathering old boys. There
is an average of twenty people attending each dinner. The dinner is not only fun but also
informative and educational. This is really a good time to learn the news of Wah Yan from the
younger members. Besides, old boys were invited to give brief talks about their profession. Some
of the highlighted topics include Fung Shui, financial analysis, Mars exploration, etc. With the
aforementioned events, our Chapter has succeeded in promoting interaction and communication
among our members, as well as benefiting our high schools, our chapter members and our
communities in Southern California.
William Su
(WYHK98)
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~ 197 ~
Sydney
Since the last International Conference in 2002, our executive committee
has remained stable and we continued to act as the link between our members
and other Wahyanites around the world.
We have introduced “themes” into our annual dinner in order to raise
the interest. In 2003, our theme was “Reminiscence”. We encouraged our
members to bring to the dinner their own collection of items related to Wah
Yan. We saw pins from various organisations, photographs, publications,
bookmarks, souvenir flags and even exam results, some of which date back
to the 1950’s! During the night we also had a short “drama” act and a competition to identify
some well known Wahyanites and our executive committee members from their own class photo
from Wah Yan.
This year the annual dinner was arranged to coincide with the visit by the guests from Hong
Kong: Fr Deignan, Mr George Tam and the Student Ambassadors of both Wah Yans. The theme
this year was 'Wah Yan Today'. The night anchored on the speeches provided by the VIPs. They
brought us the latest news about our
mother schools: the recent re-development
projects and the future direction of Wah
Yan. Both ambassadors provided us with
a well produced multimedia presentation,
showing us how time has changed the
campus and our teachers' faces. The night
finished with everyone singing the school
song which brought back our old
memories.
The Student Ambassadors, Philip
Chow (WYCHK) and Louis Mak (WYK) had stayed with us for a week after the annual dinner.
The first few days of their visit were more formal, visiting Jesuit schools in Sydney and other
prominent local alumni. We showed them the must-go tourist attractions, such as the beaches
and the Opera House. Philip and Louis also joined two local tours, one to the Blue Mountains
and the other to Canberra. They also enjoyed an "Aussie style" barbeque with many members at
Thomas Wong's place. On their last day here, Patrick Lee, their host for the entire week, brought
them to a game of golf.
Although this was the third time we acted as the host chapter of the Student Ambassador
programme, we were able to make another breakthrough. During their visit, images of their visit
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here uploaded to our website everyday almost in “real-time” so that Wahyanites all over the
world could see the details of their stay in Sydney!
Other activities we organized in the past two years included a ski-trip, several one-day
tours and a sky-watching night. Special dinner and lunch gatherings were held when prominent
Wahyanites visited us from overseas. Representatives from our executive committee also
participated in fund raising charity activities for the local Chinese Community.
Executive Committee
President:
Vice Presidents:
Treasurers:
Secretary:
International Convener:
Co-coordinator:
Webmasters:
Committee Members:
Honorary Legal Advisor:
Bernard Chiu
Andy Lam
Sunny Cheung
Vincent Lam
Thomas Wong
Patrick Lee
Geoffrey Lee
Colin Wong
Dennis Yeung
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Michael Chan
Johnson Leung
Vincent Lam
US Eastern
As the world economy was getting out of its doldrums,
our members in NY were feeling the crunch too. For a while,
there was unemployment for some, overwork for others
because positions were not replaced. But we managed to
carry on increasing our membership size and made the last
two years very busy and productive.
We had our general meetings, picnics, dinners, etc.,
but a few things are particularly noteworthy.
In the summer of 2003, we hosted 2 student ambassadors from HK, one from WYHK and
one from WYK, Vincent Woo and Ken Ka- Ming Yung for 2 weeks . We provided them with tours
of NYC, sightseeing such as Statue of Liberty, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Museums, Wall Street. They
toured Lincoln Center and watched a Broadway musical. They visited Columbia and Princeton
Universities, a nuclear laboratory, and a multi-national law firm. They even spent a weekend in
our capital, Washington DC. They tasted various foods from Nathan’s hot dog to pretzels and
Brazilian BBQ and even approved of our local
Chinese dishes. Of course, they managed to do quite
a bit of shopping too.
We enjoyed their company as much as they had
a fun filled and meaningful trip.
~ 200 ~
Father Frank Doyle who spent about 20 years in HK and Asia and had retired to Ireland
came to New York to help out as a local parish priest in 2004 for a month. We had a chance to visit
him and reminisced.
We planned and succeeded in setting up a tax- deductible scholarship foundation called the
WYCA Scholarship in 2003. The purpose is to help needy students from WYHK and WYK when
they apply to universities in the United States. Because of the generosity of our donors, students
from HK and Kowloon have already received their first payment of a 4-year scholarship. We feel
honored to be able to fulfill our responsibility as Wah Yan Alumni by helping the next generation.
Peter Lau Tak Leung (HK’68)
President, US Eastern Chapter
~ 201 ~
San Francisco
The San Francisco chapter is happy to report that its scholarship foundation values the
continuing partnership with the Rosita King Ho Charitable Foundation, founded by Mr. Kwan
King Ho of Hong Kong, in jointly granting two-year scholarships of U.S. $6,000 per year per
grantee to qualified students from WYHK and WYK who plan to pursue higher education at U.
S. community colleges or universities. In 2004, four new scholarships were awarded to deserving
students with widely different academic pursuits from both WYHK and WYK. They went to: 1)
Kai-Yin Chan who majors in music at the Arizona State University; 2) David Ming Mai, a major
in biochemistry and economics at the University of California, Berkeley; 3) Winson Wing Sum
Tai, a transfer student from De Anza Community College in Cupertino, CA, to UC Berkeley as a
political economics major; and 4) Jenson Yan, an electrical engineering major at Purdue University.
On top of that, three second-year awardees continue to receive stipends from the Rosita King Ho
Charitable Foundation and the S.F. chapter, for a total of seven students supported by the joint
scholarships in the 2004 academic year.
Another noteworthy highlight of the chapter’s activities in 2004 was the annual picnic at an
absolutely super location by the S.F. Bay in June. There was a big turnout of old boys and their
family members. The icing on the cake for all picnickers was to be honored by the presence of
Mr. Anthony Ho from Toronto and Mr. Raymond Yu from Vancouver!
High on the chapter’s priority to-do list over the next two years is fundraising for recharge
of the chapter’s scholarship funds so that more WYHK and WYK students can continue to benefit
from scholarships. Special and meaningful activities will be planned to strengthen the social
network of WahYan alumni of all ages in the S.F. Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Such activities will
include fun things to do for the many Wah Yan graduates who are now local students at De Anza
College, UC Berkeley, and Stanford, and regularly held talks in various disciplines and areas of
interest to be given by old boys.
Patrick C. Lui reporting,
WYK 1963,
Current president of the S.F. chapter of the Wah Yan Alumni Association, and
currently at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University, CA.
~ 202 ~
United Kingdom
Six years after leaving our dear school, I feel very much connected once again. Although
regrettably, I cannot join the conference in November due to my commitments to the university
work, I would like to take this opportunity to express my warmest greetings to all of you, who
are there to participate in the meaningful event.
Despite the Great Britain being one of the largest “education exporting countries”, the U.K.
chapter has never (as far as I know) been a strong one in terms of the number of members. This
might be accounted for, by the fact that most members in the U.K. are students and they sometimes
lack the incentives to group together. After all, as one of my fellow alumni replied when I asked
if he would like to join us for a dinner gathering, would you prefer to hang out with a group of
young ladies or to go dine with a bunch of blokes? I would keep my answer to this question to
myself, but the same answer has somehow led me to take over as chairman of the alumni chapter
in April 2002.
J.F.K. once said, “Don’t ask what the country did for you, ask what you have done for the
country.” As an old boy to a school where we share countless fond memories, I believe that apart
from strengthening the network among ourselves, our prime objective should be finding means
to help the current Wahyanites. Thus we are actively planning to try our best to assist our fellow
schoolmates in their preparation to further their studies in the U.K. I think that this would be the
best way to repay our school.
I trust that I have shared more than a few thoughts and I am sure all of you would be better
off enjoying the event rather than reading this. I wish you all had a wonderful week with our
fellow schoolmates and teachers. God Bless.
Ignatius Li (’99)
Chairman, WYPSA UK Chapter
~ 203 ~
Singapore
“ We have so far round up 17 Wahyanites in the Lion City. First dinner gathering was held
in June this year followed by a second gathering in October. Members range from class of 60s to
the 90s covering major professions and including MNCs and the banking industry. We reckon it
will be difficult to have frequent meetings due to individual business and social commitments.
Some Wahyanites are already active in some of the business/social clubs organized by
“HongKongers” in Singapore, such as the Lions Club; Kowloon Club; Hong Kong Singapore
Business Association and an informal “Hongkies bimonthly golf tournament”. So in such a way
we don’t want to overlap with other activities too often as we see each other in other events
anyway. Nonetheless the Wah Yan spirit is always with us.”
The Singapore Alumni (with only very limited membership) held their first gathering last
Friday, l8th June 2004, in Jade Palace hosted by Allan Choy (63). It is really nice to see
that the Singapore Alumni is active again AFTER MANY YEARS! Photographed left to
right above: Kevin Kwok (HK ’92), Anthony Kam (KL’77) , George So (HK’68), Desmond
Wai (HK’86), Allan Choy (HK’63), Felix Hsu (HK’81), Ng Chi Fan (KL’71), Daniel Wai
(HK’90), Stephen Lam (HK’75)
~ 204 ~
Melbourne
As neighbour of the Sydney Chapter, the Wah Yan brotherhood is still in the heart of those
in Melbourne. They were most helpful trying to play host for a couple of days in Melbourne
when the two student ambassadors from the two Wah Yans visiting Sydney in April. Due to the
limited time available, the students could not go there. However, Fr. Deignan and Mr. George
Tam, the Principal of Wah Yan Hong Kong, were grateful for the hospitality of Wahyanites during
their short stay there.
Bangkok
After being dormant for quite some time, Wahyanites in Thailand are longing to rekindle
their alumni spirit. They just had their first gathering in early October with one of the elders,
Tana Bamrungtrakul who is 87. They are trying to locate as many Wahyanites as possible in
Thailand and to get things organized. Some of them will be coming to the conference to join the
fun and the warmth of being with the Wah Yan family again.
Seattle
For proximity with other west coast cities, the Seattle chapter has been relatively quiet for
some time. They have plans to become more active and hopefully one day, it will flourish as
lively as those other West Coast Chapters when people find out that Seattle is such a lovely place
to live in.
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Hong Kong
It was in the summer of 2002 when the then Chairman Mr. Nicholas Tsui reported with
excitement that Hong Kong was to host the IC2004 and to bring the office of the International
Networking Committee back to Hong Kong. Before we could all fasten the seatbelts, here we are.
Back home here, the past two years have been most eventful. From the international
community’s perspective, SARS and the democratic movement leading to the July 1st March in
2003 must have featured high on their list of attention. Our old boys community has equally felt
the tremor. The severe economic down turn had awoken our sense of comradeship and on that
awakening, the PSA has embarked upon a medium/long term objective: Old Boys rekindling.
After exploring several ways to go about this, we settled upon a model tried and tested in Wah
Yan itself when we were all in school namely the clubs and society structure. Before long, Personal
Interest Groups (“PIG”) sprang to a total of more than 24 of them. To the 3 consecutive Chairmen
of the PSA, we all agree this is a worthy cause and a sincere effort to re-strengthen the Wah Yan
network after SARS when a lot of old boys were hard-hit one way or another. It is also an effort in
earnest to rebuild the sincere PSA movement after what must have been seen as aggressive SDP
Fund Raising for two years.
Otherwise, PSA communication continues to move towards the modern Internet era. Our
Home Page takes much pride in making a very wide range of news headlines available, which
are updated regularly and often daily, satisfying many inquisitive overseas viewers and
occasionally fishing a few lost Wah Yan sheeps guiding them back to our community. We are
confident that through the use of our frequently updated Web Site and the ever-growing Search
Engine database, this is the best way to co-ordinate and keep old boys in touch all over the world.
The SDP is of course a major feature in the past two years. Since its launch in Jan 2003, the
project has raised over $30 Million and as we speak, the new SIP Wing sits purposefully on what
you all might affectionately remember as the Music Room or the Fathers’ chapel wing. If all
things go well, you gentlemen will be able to visit our new school hall in a couple of years and
visit the new classrooms above it. Although not a PSA undertaking, the PSA has worked closely
with the school on this project. Every PSA chairman is a member of the SDP Project Board and
every school-run SDP event is implemented in conjunction with the PSA machinery.
~ 206 ~
On the more human front, the PSA continues to promote the General Fund for betterment of
student welfare. The fund enables the school to undertake activities or expenses where the normal
channel of finance does not provide for. Another fund is the Jesuit Nursing and Medical Fund,
which is well known and extremely well supported by the old boys community. The balance sits
comfortably at about half a million dollars. With all such sub-accounts in the PSA Account, our
new Treasurer Mr. Gary Ching did a marvellous job sorting them out and last year we managed
to streamline the PSA accounts and settled many idiosyncrasies that haunted the auditors and
Council Ex-co every year in the past.
In recent months, the PSA has placed substantial resources in giving attention to present
students. The Principal has long desired for certain activities to be revived in Wah Yan but often
hampered by the lack of human resources. With the PIG scheme and Timeless Bonding, the PSA
has secured a good number of old boys who agree to participate in activities directly in Wah Yan.
In conjunction with parents and teachers, the English Club has started a reading scheme and old
boys have been volunteering to give written feedback to book reports submitted by students.
Recently, a steering committee known as SLC , the School Liaison Committee, has been set up
and headed by Peter Wong to support our representative in the School Management Board, Mr.
Patrick Wu. The SLC also co-ordinates with all old boys and parents with a view to supplying to
the SMC any intelligence of where and how current students can be assisted to achieve a better
Wah Yan product.
Finally, one must express the satisfaction of experiencing a wonderful relationship between
old boys, the school and parents. The school has demonstrated an unprecedented degree of cooperation and appreciation to the PSA movement whereas parents have played a great part in
encouraging the students to blend with our movement. The PSA wish to thank all those who
have played a part, no matter large or small, in the fulfilment of our Wah Yan movement, be it
One Family, Timeless Bonding or Better Future.
Toby Lo
Vice President
Wah Yan (HK) Past Students Association
~ 207 ~
Kowloon
Over the past years, the Wah Yan College Kowloon Past Students’ Association (WYKPSA)
has developed not only as a social organization, but also one that serves the Alma Mater, assists
the younger generation of students and helps the personal development of its members.
The pride of the members of the PSA substantially relates to the high quality of education
the school continues to provide. By providing additional resources to where the school is strained,
members of the PSA will be able to pay their gratitude to their Alma Mater, contribute to its ongoing success and maintain their pride as a result. To facilitate the process, WYKPSA strives to
build efficiency to its communication system, network database, and operational structure. The
WYKPSA essentially becomes a platform for members to engage in various activities of valuable
cause. Amongst the activities of the WYKPSA, some of them were social and entertaining in
nature while others provided means for the personal developments of its members. Moreover, it
actively participated in the fund-raising efforts of the school for the building of the new school
annex. The highlights of some of these events would provide a gleam of excitement in the last
two years.
International Networking Committee (INC) Under the Student Ambassador program, Vincent Wu
went to New York and Louis Mak went to Sydney. They
had received very warm welcome from the oversea
brothers.
Newsletter Committee - In January 2004, the first issue of the “Wahyanites” was successfully
published. This newsletter has brought colorful snapshots of the events of the school and the
PSA directly to the desks of all subscribing members.
Students Committee - Through the mentorship program, the committee matched up the
mentors who were the old boys of WYK with the mentees who were made up of college level
young men graduated from WYK.
Young Members Committee (YMC) - Throughout the year, members of the YMC met and
talked to the Honorary Advisors, who are Wah Yan boys being successful in the Hong Kong
community, in various personal and casual meetings. In addition, the YMC also arranged field
trips to the Hong Kong International Airport and Cathay City.
Boxing Day Party - The theme of the evening was to provide a casual atmosphere suitable
for family enjoyment. With Mr. Eric Kot Man Fai being the MC/Performer for the evening, the
party was filled with laughter.
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Sports Committee - Sixteen teams from
the two Wah Yan campuses took part in the 5th
Wah Yan Football League and it was concluded
with “the Supreme” from WYHK taking the
championship title.
Other Social Events - Together with the WYHKPSA and the current students in school, we
celebrated the Chinese New Year, the birthdays of Fr. Mallin, Fr. Coghlan, Fr. Naylor, and
Fr. Deignan.
Fund Raising - the WYKPSA reached out to the members. A few class years organized pooling
of contribution towards the new school annex project. Over a million dollars were raised for the
school project.
In the coming year, the WYKPSA is committed to continue developing the means of
communication for the Wah Yan community. In addition to building the database and finetuning the website, we have activated the Year Representatives program as an additional channel
of communication with past students in each individual year. During the anniversary celebration
of the school this year, the WYKPSA has reached out and connected with many old boys, and
teachers who have left the school. Cooperation with the oversea chapters also remains as top
priority as we believe that such cooperation leads to marvelous programs and opportunities in
the future.
“Starlight at No 56”, the 80th anniversary memorial book has been published and is available
in any major bookshop in Hong Kong. Another way to obtain a copy is to buy it through the
Internet bookshops, www.cp1897.com or www.yesasia.com.
With all the exciting events coming this year, the best way to keep track of them is to subscribe
to the “Wahyanites”. Or if you prefer to be online, you may visit us at www.wykpsa.org.hk.
Wah Yan College, Kowloon Past Students’ Association
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