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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
ADDRESS BY THE CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English): Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, may I call the meeting to order.
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 1995 were confirmed.
STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL (in English):--Members of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Members of the Press and ladies and gentlemen, at this, the last meeting of the Whole Council in its current term of office, it is my duty—and a duty tinged with considerable sadness—to bid farewell to colleagues who will be leaving us at the end of their term.
Largely as a result of the constitutional changes introduced by the Government, this Council will be facing its biggest turnover of Councillors since it came into being in 1935. Come 1 April, 21 Members will be retiring from the Council, taking away with them a staggering aggregate of 210 years of Council experience. Yes, you haven’t heard me wrong, together they have accumulated over two centuries of formidable service to the people of Hong Kong. Such is the magnitude of this Council’s loss! If I have to do full justice to the departing Members, I will be keeping you here for the rest of the day delivering my solitary appreciation of their individual contributions to this Council. I hope, therefore, colleagues will forgive me for the brevity of my reference to some Members in this speech which, as it stands, is already running up to 9 pages (in double spacing though)!
1.
Mr. Lo King-man
I shall start with Mr. Lo King-man, our Vice-Chairman for the last 4 years. King-man joined the Council on the appointment of the late Governor, Sir Edward YAUDE in 1984 on the same day and at the same time on the clock as I. He was appointed with impressive credentials in the cultural field, particularly as an opera singer and producer. He has been a strong advocate for promoting diversification in cultural development and for providing better opportunities to talented artists, a vision he pursued with vigour as Chairman of the Culture Select Committee for 4 consecutive years. Any casual observer of the developments in arts and culture can witness the impressive improvements achieved over these years. On a personal basis, I have to place on record my sincere thanks to King-man for the wise counsel and staunch support he has rendered me during my chairmanship of this Council.
2.
Mr. Brook BERNACCHI
In terms of service to the Council, Mr. Brook BERNACCHI’s record is unparalleled. First elected to the Council in 1952, Brook’s services stretched over a period of 43 years, apart from 3 relatively short breaks in between. My predecessors were so lavish in their words of praise for Brook on previous occasions of his departure that there is little I can add now without infringing on the copyright of our Hansards on Council proceedings. Brook will, however, be long remembered for his affection to this Council, his forthright disposition, at committees and for the strength of his leadership over the Museums Select Committee and the Liquor Licensing Board and, more recently, the Finance Select Committee. On his impressive track record of staging comebacks to this Council, we could well be just saying another temporary good-bye to him for the fourth time on this occasion!
3.
Dr. the Hon. Elsie Tu
However, nothing saddens me more today than to include in my farewell list the name of Dr. Elsie Tu, whom I have the greatest respect and admiration. Elsie has indefatigably and selflessly served the Council for 32 years since she was first elected in 1963. There is no better proof of the respect and esteem which she enjoyed among Councillors than in her election as Vice-Chairman of the Council from 1986–89 and then as Council representative on the Legislative Council since September 1989. Elsie’s unblemished records of public service extend far beyond the time and scope of her association with this Council. Her relentless efforts in campaigning for the cause of the poor, the deprived and the needy have won her not only massive local community support but also international recognition. I am glad that Elsie has indicated that she will not be retiring from public service as yet and earnestly hope to welcome her back to this Council one day.
4.
Miss Cecilia YEUNG
Another long-serving Member whom we will all miss is Miss Cecilia YEUNG who made her mark as the first elected Chinese woman Councillor 24 years ago and was a household name long before many of us appeared in the public scene. Her genuine concerns over environmental issues, such as food hygiene, street cleansing, hawkers and markets, have made her a people person in the community she has been elected to serve. However, why and how she has extended her interest to liquor licensing in recent years so as to have become so successfully the Chairman and then Vice-chairman of the Liquor Licensing Board still mystifies me. Perhaps Cecilia will enlighten me after the meeting.
5. Mr. Stephen LAU
The most senior of our appointed members, Mr. Stephen LAU, has served with complete dedication and loyalty to this Council for 17 years. Apart from being the Vice-chairman of the Council from 1989 to 1991, Stephen has also served on most select committees. He had brought to this Council a pragmatic business management skill which he put to good use as Chairman of the Entertainment Select Committee in overseeing the early days of operation of the Hong Kong Coliseum and the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, and lately as a member of the Board of Governors in our efforts to resolve the problems faced by the Hong Kong Stadium. He can be regarded as a walking encyclopedia of
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