Newsletter No. 29

CUHK Newsletter No29 April 1992 Wha tThe y Say afte r 25 Year s Mr. Lam Kwok-wai Laboratory Technologist , Technical Services Unit Mr. Lam tells his story: 'Not for one minute did I think that I would b e working at the University for a quarter of a century! I remember that when United College was about to move t o the Sha Tin campus, I thought that there would b e a shortage o f staff quarters there, so I decided t o move to Taipo t o save commuting time. Unfortunately, i t seems that my move was rather premature, a s I had t o commute al l th e wa y back t o th e college on Hong Kong Island for si x more months. The situation di d no t improve even after th e college's relocation t o Sha Tin, fo r I had t o queue up every morning for the only two buses which ran between Taipo (wh i ch wa s then mainly a rural district.) and the University. Sometimes the journey could take as long as one and a half hours. M y travel problems lasted for many years. Despite all these problems, I have enjoyed m y work and must have carried out. my duties rather satisfactorily, because I was promoted from a job a s a maintenance worker t o a supervisory post. I enjoy hiking i n my spare time and over the years I have managed t o organize a hiking group. M y colleagues and I usually take our families to Sai Kung on a Saturday afternoon when the weather is fine, where we will round of f the day's walking with a wonderful seafood meal.’ Mr. Chan Chiu-hung General Clerk, Department of Physical Education Reflecting with pleasure on his long career a t th e University, Mr . Chan attributes his optimistic and peaceful outlook on life t o the varied cultural life on the campus. He views his long service award as an added bonus to all of the other benefits he has received from working here. Starting his career i n the Comptroller's Office a t United College's former premises in Bonham Road, Mr. Chan recollects those memorable days when he lived i n the college's temporary quarters i n High Street which had been converted from a mental clinic. Fo r a period o f time h e was made very uneasy about living there by a variety of rumours about the clinic, but very soon these fears were dispelled and some time later, h e was even joined by Mrs. Chan! When the college was relocated to Sha Tin, Mr. Chan was redeployed to the perfect job for a sports lover like himself: a post in the Physical Education Unit. He enjoys all kinds of sports, from badminton t o snorkelling, an d was introduced t o a new hobby te n years ago b y Prof. H o Kam-fai - windsurfing - which he continues t o enjoy. Mrs. Lau Chau Lai-fan, Nora Executive Officer I ， Faculty of Business Administration 'The routine work at the American Consulate General was really getting me down, so I grabbed the chance t o apply for ajob at the University. I was assigned t o the Lingnan Institute o f Business Administration bu t I had only been working a t th e Nathan Road office fo r a week before th e institute was moved t o th e Inter-University Hall o f Chung Chi College. This was the beginning of Mrs. Lau's long association w i th th e University. Mrs. Lau recollects with amusement how, i n he r early days when University central administration was less developed, she had t o take care of not only the secretarial and administrative work i n the office, but also messengerial work as well. Since then, she has witnessed constant changes - the name of the institute has changed three times, the address five times, and her supervisors seven times. Mrs. Lau often wonders if people think that she has been changing her job at frequent intervals rather than the circumstances of her job changing around her! Although conceding that some people might consider her job to be an insular and monotonous one, Mrs. Lau finds i t dynamic and stimulating. She particularly cherishes memories of her relationships with th e early MBA students, and she maintains close contacts with many of them to this day. Such close relationships were possible in the early days, when the former institute consisted of only a director, a professor, herself and si x students. Today, with over 250 students, some of whom attend classes only i n th e town centre, such close contacts are no longer possible. 6