THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1977
GOVERNMENT LAND AGENT RETIRES
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MR. DENNIS JOHNSTON, PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT LAND AGENT OF THE NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, IS TO RETIRE AFTER 18 YEARS SERVICE WITH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT.
ABOUT 100 OF HIS COLLEAGUES FROM THE NTA HEADQUARTERS AND THE SEVEN DISTRICTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES GATHERED AT THE ADMINISTRATION'S HEADQUARTERS TODAY (THURSDAY) TO GIVE HIM A FAREWELL.
THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR. DAVID AKERS-JONES PRESENTED MR. JOHNSTON WITH A ROSEWOOD SERVING TROLLEY AS A FAREWELL GIFT FROM HIS NTA COLLEAGUES.
MR. JOHNSTON
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WHOSE CAREER IN GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG AND ELSEWHERE SPANS 27 YEARS WILL START PRE-RETIREMENT LEAVE TOMORROW (JUNE 24).
MR. JOHNSTON FIRST CAME TO HONG KONG IN 1946 WITH THE ROYAL NAVY. HE SPENT HIS NAVAL SERVICE IN THE FAR EAST.
HE RETURNED TO HONG KONG IN 1959 AND JOINED THE CROWN LANDS AND SURVEY DEPARTMENT AS AN ESTATE SURVEYOR AND BECAME CLOSELY
INVOLVED WITH THE INDUSTRIAL AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF KOWLOON, PARTICULARLY IN KWUN TONG,
FROM 1963 TO 1966, HE WORKED AS A PLANNING OFFICER AND SENIOR PLANNING OFFICER ON PROGRAMMES IN BOTH THE URBAN AREAS OF HONG KONG AND KOWLOON AND IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
AFTER THESE, HE SPENT FOUR YEARS AS SENIOR ESTATE SURVEYOR IN THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT OFFICE AND BECAME INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF KWAI CHUNG AND TSING YI. HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SETTING UP AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER TERMINALS.
IN 1970 HE RETURNED TO THE CROWN LANDS AND SURVEY DEPARTMENT AS A CHIEF ESTATE SURVEYOR AND WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LAND SALE PROGRAMME INVOLVING LARGE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CENTRAL AREAS OF HONG KONG ISLAND AND KOWLOON.
HE CAME BACK TO THE NTA IN 1973 TO HEAD ITS LANDS DIVISION AND WAS APPOINTED PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT LAND AGENT WHEN THE POST WAS UPGRADED LAST YEAR.
IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, HE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TOWNS AND THE MARKET TOWNS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, AND A NUMBER OF LARGE PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, AND WITH THE SETTING UP OF THE INDUSTRIAL ESTATES AT TAI PO AND YUEN LONG.
OUTSIDE OF HIS CAREER, MR. JOHNSTON IS WIDELY KNOWN FOR HIS ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT IN RUGBY, THE ROUND TABLE AND THE MARINE POLICE.
HE WILL BE SUCCEEDED AT THE NTA BY MR. P.A. WARD, WHO WAS FORMERLY GOVERNMENT LAND AGENT (VALUATION) IN THE LANDS AND SURVEY DEPARTMENT OF THE PWD,
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