Newsletter No. 11

CUHK Newsletter Big Brother Yick - the Vice-Chancellor's Chauffeur A professional driver must be able to drive skilfully and safely. But what additional requirements does the vice-chancellor's chauffeur face? ‘Talk little, ask little, and above all respect the confidentiality of what you may have overheard.' These are the extra duties identified by Mr. Cheung Loi Yick, the most qualified person to answer the question. Mr. Cheung joined the University in 1969 as the vice- chancellor's chauffeur and has since served all three vice-chancellors - Prof. Choh-Ming Li, Prof. Ma Lin, and at present Prof. Charles K. Kao. His seniority has won him the respect of his colleagues in the Vice-Chancellor's Office and earned him the affectionate nickname, ‘Big Brother Yick ，. Brother Yick's main duties include chauffeuring the vice-chancellor to his office or to meetings or banquets in town. No rma l ly he receives his assignments a week in advance, but of course driving at short notice is not unusual. When he is not driving, he services and cleans the car. From time to time, he w i ll drive the vice-chancellor's servant to Sha Tin for shopping missions, or stay at the vice-chancellor's residence to help with household chores. When the vice-chancellor is out of town, he w i ll occasionally drive for the pro-vice-chancellors or the University's official guests. Among his guest passengers were former US president Richard Nixon and former Hong Kong governor Sir David Trench. Having driven for the University for more than two decades, Mr. Cheung knows the campus like the back of his hand. Yet who would have imagined that he almost lost his way on his first day of work? ‘The vice-chancellor was an absolute stranger to me the first time I drove for him ，' Mr. Cheung recalls, ‘and I was so nervous that day I performed wretchedly. Prof. Li had to tell me the way all the time.’ He goes on to say, 'But, before long, I discovered that the vice-chancellor was not as unapproachable as most people would think. Actually, all the three vice- chancellors are amiable. And equally nice are most of the guests and professors from other universities.' Mr. Cheung has of course noted the habits of the three vice-chancellors when they are in the car. Prof. Li used to sit quietly with his eyes closed; Prof. Ma liked to incorporate rest with work; and Prof. Kao spends all his time reading over documents. When asked whether there have been any accidents during his 21- year tenure as the vice-chancellor's chauffeur, Brother Yick smiled with a gleam of pride and said, ‘Fortunately, there has never been a traffic accident, only several breakdowns on the way, including twice in the Lion Rock tunnel with Prof. Li.' On those occasions, he added, 'We should have been charged for the tow truck service, but were never asked to pay. I guess their staff recognized the vice-chancellor.' There has been one particularly unforgettable experience for Mr. Cheung. It was a day in the late sixties when a strong typhoon attacked Hong Kong. He had to drive Prof. Li to Kowloon as usual despite the bad weather. When they came to Prince Edward Road, they encountered flooding so extensive that it would have been unsafe to drive on. Mr. Cheung then drove back to Sha Tin, but the water level there was also hazardous. The car was likely to break down at any moment. Fortunately, luck was with them. Mr. 6