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Wednesday, September 27, 1972
HONG KONG LEARNS FROM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
**
The Assistant Director (Social Work) of the Social Welfare Department,
Miss Annie Chan, said today Hong Kong had made a "positive contribution" to the
discussions in Australia in connection with the recent 12th World Congress of
Rehabilitation International.
Hong Kong was represented by a delegation of 64, and Miss Chan headed
a Social Welfare Department contingent of four. They were joined in Sydney by
more than 2,000 delegates from all over the world.
The Departmental representatives attended two pre-conference seminars,
in Brisbane and Adelaide, where small groups of about 100 delegates spent a
week discussing intensively specialised subjects such as social planning and
vocational training.
Miss Chan took part in the Brisbane talks, acting as chairman of a
discussion group.
The seminars went into their topics "exhaustively," and Hong
Kong gained a lot from the four hours of discussion daily.
There were "lively exchanges" between the developed and the developing
countries, and Hong Kong made a positive contribution to the useful flow of ideas
because it was "uniquely placed to be able to appreciate the views of either
side."
Miss Chan said she was impressed by the mass of information on
rehabilitation gleaned from the conference, and she had no doubt some of it would
influence future local attitudes and work.
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