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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 1974.
NEW HOSTEL FOR ELDERLY OPENED
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THE KWAI FONG HOSTEL FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE, THE SECOND OF ITS KIND IN HONG KONG, WAS OFFICIALLY DECLARED OPEN TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR. KENNETH TOPLEY.
THE HOSTEL, SITUATED IN THE KWAI FONG HOUSING ESTATE IN TSUEN WAN, PROVIDES NON-INSTITUTIONAL HOUSING FOR 153 AMBULATORY, INDEPENDENT ELDERLY PEOPLE AGED 60 OR OVER.
THE HOSTEL IS SPONSORED BY TEN VOLUNTARY SOCIAL WELFARE AGENCIES AND THREE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT. IT IS RUN BY THE HONG KONG CHRISTIAN SERVICEBN ONE OF THE SPONSORING AGENCIES WHICH ACTS AS CONVENOR OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND ADMINISTRATOR OF THE PROJECT.
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY, MR. TOPLEY SAID THIS PROJECT, LIKE THE FIRST ONE,. THE WAH HONG HOSTEL, IS A DEMONSTRATION THAT JOINT VENTURES WERE POSSIBLE BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND VOLUNTARY WELFARE ORGANISATIONS.
HE SAID: THE DIFFERENCE IN THE POSTURES OF 13 BODIES WHICH HAVE TAKEN ON THE RESPONSIBILITY FIRST FOR THE WAH HONG AND NOW FOR THE KWAI FONG HOSTEL SHOWS THAT AS LONG AS THE
-- 15 KEPT ULTIMATE GOAL THE WELFARE OF THE CLIENTS -- CONSTANTLY BEFORE US, NOT AN EASY THING TO DO, JOINT VENTURES ARE NOT ONLY POSSIBLE IN THEORY, THEY POSITIVELY FLOURISH IN PRACTICE.+
HE BELIEVED THAT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BODIES CO-OPERATING IN SUCH A HOSTEL HAD A SPECIAL VALUE, AND SAID THE DIVERSITY OF OUTLOOK AND BACKGROUND OF THESE ORGANISATIONS PREVENTS THE HOSTEL FROM BEING RUN IN AN AUTHORITARIAN WAY, AIDS THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE RESIDENTS AND ENCOURAGES THE APPLICATION OF ADDITIONAL CARE AND FORE THOUGHT IN THE ARRANGEMENTS.
+WE HAVE HERE AN ORGANISATION. THAT IS NOT A WELFARE INSTITUTION IN THE OLD SENSE WITH THE CHARACTERISTIC ODOUR OF WHAT USED TO BE CALLED CHARITY BEFORE THAT BECAME A DIRTY WORD, BUT A NEW CONCEPTION AT WORK TO HELP THE CONDITION OF THOSE WHO WISH TO MAINTAIN THEIR INDEPENDENCE AS LONG AS THEY CAN.
+BECAUSE NEW CONCEPTS THAT WORK ARE AS HARD TO FORGE AS TO FIND AS WE FOCUS MORE AND MORE ON THE PROBLEMS OF OUR ELDERLY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WHO WILL BE AN INCREASING PROPORTION OF OUR TOTAL POPULATION SO IT BECOMES A CAUSE FOR PARTICULAR CELEBRATION THAT WE HAVE COME UP WITH SOMETHING NEW THAT WORKS, MR. TOPLEY
· SAID.
HE THANKED ALL THE SPONSORS IN THIS VENTURE AND HAD A WORK OF PARTICULAR PRAISE FOR THE HONG KONG CHRISTIAN SERVICE WHICH, HE SAID, HAD DONE SO MUCH IN THE TASK OF CO-ORDINATION ON BEHALF OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE ELDERLY
NOTE TO EDITORS:
COPIES OF THE FULL TEXT OF MR. TOPLEY'S SPEECH CENGLISH AND CHINESE) ARE BOXED FOR COLLECTION.