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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese):-Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting is called to order.
MINUTES
The minutes of meeting held on 8 February 1983 were confirmed.
STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Today is a day of much regret in that we are bidding farewell to a number of our Members.
Mr. Peter P. F. CHAN has chosen not to seek re-election this time, having served the Council with dedication for a total of 14 years both as an Appointed Member and as an Elected Member. He served on many Select committees over the years and made a significant contribution to Council's work. I am sure I am echoing the thoughts of Council Members in thanking him for all his work over the years.
Mr. TSIN Sai-nin is also leaving us. He has been a Member of the Council for ten years after serving the community first as a teacher and later as a staff association official assisting his Colleagues in the teaching profession. He has served on many Council committees over the years and on behalf of the Council, I thank him for his many contributions.
Mr. Francis CHAINE will also be no longer with us during the next year and while he has only been with the Council for two years his loss will be felt by all of us, not in the least for his willingness to turn out to officiate at events at short notice when other Councillors were unavailable. This type of activity provides a great deal of goodwill with the community and I thank him for his contributions to Council's work, particularly in the field of sports.
I would like to congratulate Dr. Denny HUANG, Mr. Peter C. K. CHAN, Miss Cecilia YEUNG, Mr. Edmund CHOW and Miss Maria TAM on their re-election and Mrs. ELLIOTT and Mr. Augustine CHUNG on being returned unopposed.
The Urban Council has for many years been seeking to provide cultural, entertainment, sports and recreational activities for the people of the urban areas. Whilst the Council has achieved a great deal in these fields, I believe the time has come for the Council to seek more support from the private sector.
As Hong Kong is our home, we should be willing, and even consider it as our duty, to assist with work in these fields. Indeed, a number of individuals and organizations have assisted the Council in these important endeavours, but much more can still be achieved.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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The Council has not as yet put any great emphasis on sponsorship of its various activities but I feel that now is the time to invite more private sector sponsorship for Council programmes. Sponsorship of cultural, entertainment and other activities is not only a good means of making the community aware of a particular firm's social consciousness but it would have also in many cases very much more real and lasting advertising value than the usual forms of paid advertisements.
Having said this I think that it is worth pointing out that during the coming financial year, the Council hopes to gain the financial or other support of a larger number of companies or individuals than is already the case, either on a 100% sponsorship or on a proportionate joint sponsorship for Council's programmes and projects.
In the public sector, the Council has on-going sponsorship programmes with many Government departments. Some examples are:
(a) The Labour Department with its annual Careers Exhibition
(b) The Recreation and Culture Department on many sporting events
(c) The 'Let Them Live' Exhibition with the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, the Hong Kong University and the World Wildlife Fund.
In the cultural and entertainment field, the Council from time to time jointly sponsors important foreign cultural presentations with the respective diplomatic or cultural organizations represented in Hong Kong.
In seeking wider private sector support financially and otherwise for what the Council plans to do in the cultural, entertainment, sports and recreation areas, it is hoped that there will be wider community participation in Council activities.
To give examples of some of the donors and sponsors in the private sector to Council's work in the past two years, I would mention, for instance, Citibank with its donation of a Concert Grand Piano for the City Hall; Omtis (Hong Kong) which met the cost of equipment installation along the fitness trail in Harlech Road; and sponsorship for landscaping an area of Public Open Space in Tsim Sha Tsui by the Wing On Group.
During 1982, the Council was able to expand commercial/industrial sponsorship for its Science Museum project and associated activities.
In public entertainment and celebration the Urban Council was most pleased to organize the co-ordination and support services for the 1983 Chinese New Year Fireworks Display which was presented by Jardines on the night of 13 February 1983.
I therefore look forward to increased participation and support, financial and otherwise, of Council's many programmes and projects during the coming financial year which commences 1 April 1983.
(Mr. Edmund W. H. CHOW arrived during the Chairman's address.)
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