L
MONDAY, MARCH 1, 1982
GOVERNOR OPENS TOWN HALL AND LAYS FOUNDATION STONES
FOR TWO MORE IN NT
****
TODAY (MONDAY) WAS A BIG DAY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WHEN THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, OPENED A TOWN HALL AND COMMUNITY CENTRE AT SHEUNG SHUI AND LAID THE FOUNDATION STONES FOR TWO OTHERS AT TUEN MUN AND SHA TIN.
SIR MURRAY SAID THE PROGRAMME, COSTING ALMOST $272 MILLION, FURTHERED GOVERNMENT'S POLICY THAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR CULTURE AMUSEMENT AND RECREATION, AS WELL AS MEETING PLACES FOR COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, SHOULD BE MORE EVENLY SPREAD BETWEEN THE URBAN AREAS AND THE NEW TERRITORIES.
THE TOWN HALL AT SHEUNG SHUI IS BEING UPGRADED SO THAT IT CAN BE USED AS A PLACE OF PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT: THE TOWN HALLS AT TUEN MUN AND SHA TIN WILL BE DESIGNED ON THE SAME LINES AS THE TOWN HALL AT TSUEN WAN, OPENED TWO YEARS AGO, EXCEPT THAT BOTH WILL HAVE LARGER STAGES. THEY WILL BE READY BY 1985.
+IT HAS GIVEN ME VERY MUCH PLEASURE TO VISIT THE NEW TERRITORIES TODAY TO OFFICIATE AT THESE THREE EVENTS, SIR MURRAY SAID,
IN A SPEECH AT SHEUNG SHUI, HE SAID OPENING THE CENTRE MARKED A NEW STAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT.
THE FIRST RESIDENTS WOULD BE ARRIVING IN THE NEARBY CHOI YUEN ESTATE IN A MONTH'S TIME.
WITHIN A YEAR THERE WOULD BE ALMOST 30 000 PEOPLE LIVING THERE.
+ASSIMILATING THE NEWCOMERS INTO THE COMMUNITY WILL BE A CHALLENGE. I AM SURE IT WILL BE MET WITH THE SAME VIGOUR AND GENEROSITY WITH WHICH YOUR LEADERS HAVE COME TOGETHER WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO BUILD THIS FINE HALL, HE SAID.
THE OPENING WAS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE NEW TERRITORIES.
TSUEN WAN AND YUEN LONG ALREADY HAD TOWN HALLS.
+EARLIER TODAY I LAID THE FOUNDATION STONE FOR A TOWN HALL IN TUEN MUN, + SIR MURRAY SAID.
→THIS AFTERNOON 1 WILL DO THE SAME IN SHA TIN.+
LATER THIS YEAR CONSTRUCTION OF HALLS WOULD START IN TAI PO AND SAI KUNG.
*SO THERE WILL BE A RING OF SEVEN HALLS, EACH A FOCUS FOR DISTRICT COMMUNITY LIFE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF ITS DISTRICT BOARD,+
THE GOVERNOR SAID IT WAS A HAPPY COINCIDENCE THAT THE OPENING OF THE CENTRE, AND LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONES FOR TWO TOWN HALLS, SHOULD ALL TAKE PLACE ONLY THREE DAYS BEFORE THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
/+PROPER OPPORTUNITIES