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SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 1978
IN RECENT YEARS IN HONG KONG THERE HAD BEEN AN EXPLOSION OF LEISURE-TIME REQUIREMENTS FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION AND CULTURAL PURSUITS, SIR MURRAY SAID. THIS IS TRUE ABOUT ALL YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT PARTICULARLY ABOUT THOSE IN EMPLOYMENT THROUGH THE INTRODUCTION OF REST DAYS AND PAID LEAVE, THERE IS A NEED TO BE FILLED.+
SIR MURRAY OBSERVED THAT SINCE 1968 PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL COMPLEXES HAVE INCREASED FROM TWO TO EIGHT AND 14 MORE ARE PLANNED OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, MOSTLY IN THE NEW TERRITORIES. THERE ARE NOW 10 PUBLIC OUTDOOR STADIA AND SPORTS COMPLEXES INSTEAD OF THREE AND BY THE MID-1980S THERE SHOULD BE 13 MORE, INCLUDING MAJOR STADIA AT HO MAN TIN, TUEN MUN AND SHA TIN. INSTEAD OF NO PUBLIC INDOOR SPORTS HALLS THERE ARE NOW FOUR WITH TWO UNDER CONSTRUCTION. BY THE MID-1980S THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF SOME 24 MAJOR PUBLIC INDOOR SPORTS BUILDINGS.
→WITH THESE FACILITIES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF AT LEAST 250 HECTARES MORE PUBLIC OPEN SPACE IN URBAN AREAS, THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTIVE RECREATION WILL BE GREATLY ENHANCED,+ SIR MURRAY EMPHASISED.
THE GOVERNOR ALSO NOTED THAT THE ENJOYMENT OF THE COUNTRYSIDE AND HONG KONG'S BEACHES HAS DEVELOPED STRIKINGLY. FORMERLY FEW VENTURED INTO THE HILLS OR EVEN TO THE BEACHES, BUT BY 1977 THERE WERE AT LEAST 3 MILLION VISITORS TO COUNTRY PARKS AND SOME 24 MILLION TO BEACHES. FURTHERMORE THE COUNTRY PARKS AUTHORITY, ESTABLISHED IN 1976, HOPES TO COMPLETE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR ITS DESIGNATION OF NEARLY HALF THE TOTAL LAND SURFACE OF HONG KONG.
REFERRING TO THE FACILITIES FOR CULTURAL PURSUITS, SIR MURRAY REMINDED THAT 10 YEARS AGO THE ONLY PLACES FOR PUBLIC CULTURAL PERFORMANCES WERE IN THE CITY HALL. LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR HAVE SEEN THE ESTABLISHMENTS OF THE HONG KONG ARTS CENTRE AND THE BAPTIST COLLEGE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY HALL. THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WILL SEE THE COMPLETION OF MAJOR CULTURAL COMPLEXES IN TSIM SHA TSUI, TSUEN WAN, TUEN MUN AND SHA TIN.
COMMENTING ON THE CONFERENCE ITSELF, SIR MURRAY SAID THE AIM BEHIND THIS WAS A MOST LAUDABLE AND WELCOME ONE AND HE WAS SURE THE PROGRAMME WOULD GIVE THE PARTICIPANTS A GREATER INSIGHT INTO WHAT BENEFITS COULD BE DERIVED BOTH BY MANAGEMENT AND THE WORK FORCE FROM A CONCERTED EFFORT TO PROMOTE A PROGRAMME OF RECREATION AND SPORTS FOR PEOPLE IN EMPLOYMENT.
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