TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1979
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+ON SUCH AN OCCASION AS THIS I SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO RECOUNT SOME OF THE RECORDED AND AUTHENTICATED HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR FIRST QUARTER CENTURY. I HAVE JUST MENTIONED THE FOUNDING TRIO WHO MET AT THE HOTEL CECIL ON THAT DATE UNKNOWN - BUT LET US NOT DOUBT THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THIS EVENING'S PROCEEDINGS IT WAS SOME TIME IN NOVEMBER. AND IT IS CERTAINLY WELL-KNOWN THAT PROPER, IF NOT ENTIRELY SOBER, CELEBRATION FOLLOWED THAT DECISION-MAKING MEETING.
+THEN AGAIN THERE IS THE QUESTION OF YOUR FIRST AGM WHICH WAS HELD IN MACAO. IT IS UNCLEAR WHY THIS EXPERIMENT WAS NEVER REPEATED- BUT I AM ASSURED THAT IT IS QUITE CERTAIN THAT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WAS HELD IN THE SAME SPIRIT MANIFESTED BY THE FOUNDING TABLERS.
+BE THAT AS IT MAY
+OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS YOU HAVE EXPANDED AND HAVE ACHIEVED AN INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION WHICH WAS CONFIRMED BY THE HOSTING OF THE COUNCIL OF YOUNG MEN'S SERVICE CLUBS IN HONG KONG IN 1975. YOUR REPUTATION RESTS ON THE SOLID FOUNDATION OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF MEMBERS PAST AND PRESENT AND IT IS ON THESE THAT YOU MUST CONTINUE TO BUILD.
*BY FAR THE MOST IMAGINATIVE OF YOUR UNDERTAKINGS HAS BEEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FOUR FISHERMEN'S VILLAGES AT CHEUNG CHAU AND LANTAU. THIS WAS STARTED IN 1959 IN RESPONSE TO THE WORLD REFUGEE YEAR AND HAS BEEN CONTINUED AS YOUR CENTRAL PROJECT. IN THIS MR. CHAIRMAN, AS YOU MAY KNOW, I HAVE A DEEP PERSONAL ASSOCIATION: AS THE FIRST REGISTRAR OF CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES AND LATER DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES I HAD A VERY CLOSE AND VERY EARLY INTEREST IN THIS PROJECT.
+THROUGHOUT YOUR BRIEF HISTORY YOU HAVE LIVED UP TO THE TABLERS MOTTO ADOPT, ADAPT AND IMPROVE AND THIS IS NOWHERE MORE EVIDENT THAN IN THE IMAGINATIVE WAYS IN WHICH YOU HAVE SOUGHT TO RAISE FUNDS FOR PROJECTS. THE EASTER FAIR, THE WALKATHON AND THE BOXING SMOKERS ARE ALREADY INSTITUTIONS AND LAST JUNE'S ORGANISED CHAOS ON THE STAR FERRY IN WHICH $100 000 WAS RAISED MAY WELL BECOME AN ANNUAL EVENT REPAIR WORK ON THE PIERS PERMITTING. YOUR SUPPORT OF THE SANDY BAY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL THE HOME FOR THE BLIND AND ST. CHRISTOPHER'S HOME AND NUMEROUS OTHER CHARITIES, HAS BECOME A QUIET AND UNPUBLICISED TRADITION,
+SINCE ITS FOUNDATION, HONG KONG HAS HAD ITS SHARE OF DIFFICULTIES AND PROBLEMS SOME MIGHT SAY, WITH TRUTH, MORE THAN ITS FAIR SHARE. THE EVENTS OF THE LAST YEAR OR SO WOULD SEEM TO UNDERLINE THIS FACT. THAT WE HAVE MANAGED TO OVERCOME OUR DIFFICULTIES AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, IS A TRIBUTE TO THE RESILIENCE, HARD WORK AND GOOD SENSE OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG IT IS A TRIBUTE TOO TO THE TYPE OF COMMUNITY SPIRIT AND THE IDEAL OF SERVICE WHICH IS FOSTERED BY THE TABLE AND BY OTHER ORGANISATIONS OF SIMILAR IDEALS.
+ IT REMAINS ONLY FOR ME TO PLACE ON RECORD THE GRATITUDE OF THE GOVERNMENT, INDEED OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY FOR THE SELFLESS CONTRIBUTIONS WHICH YOU HAVE ALL MADE OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS. TABLERS OF HONG KONG, SALUTE YOU AND IN DOING SO I WISH YOU EVERY SUCCESS IN THE NEXT QUARTER OF A CENTURY.
+GENTLEMEN, GIVE YOU ROUND TABLE NO. 1 AND THE ROUND TABLE MOVEMENT IN HONG KONG.+
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