PRESS RELEASE
Royal Visit.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1986
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF AT CITY HALL
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A LITTLE BIT OF HONG KONG HISTORY WILL BE MADE WHEN THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH ARE WELCOMED AT CITY HALL ON OCTOBER 21 BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, AND THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, SIR S.Y. CHUNG.
IT WILL BE THE QUEEN'S FIRST OFFICIAL FUNCTION DURING HER VISIT, AND THE SECOND TIME SHE HAS VISITED THE BUILDING WHICH FOR ALMOST A QUARTER OF A CENTURY HAS BEEN THE CENTRE OF HONG KONG'S CULTURAL LIFE. THE QUEEN ALSO ATTENDED A WELCOMING CEREMONY IN CITY HALL DURING HER LAST VISIT IN 1975.
HISTORY WILL ALSO BE REPEATING ITSELF, BECAUSE THE FIRST BRITISH ROYAL VISITOR TO HONG KONG, AN EARLIER DUKE OF EDINBURGH, PRINCE ALFRED, ONE OF QUEEN VICTORIA'S SONS, INAUGURATED THE FIRST CITY HALL IN 1869.
BUILT ON QUEEN'S ROAD, THE EARLIER BUILDING WAS LARGELY DEMOLISHED IN 1933 TO MAKE WAY FOR THE HONG KONG BANK'S NEW HEADQUARTERS, WHICH IN TURN HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE ULTRA-MODERN STRUCTURE THE QUEEN WILL VISIT AFTER THE WELCOMING CEREMONY IN THE PRESENT-DAY CITY HALL.
THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE WILL STEP ASHORE FROM HMY BRITANNIA AT QUEEN'S PIER AND WILL BE GREETED BY THE GOVERNOR AND LADY YOUDE WHO WILL PRESENT THE CHIEF JUSTICE, SIR DENYS ROBERTS, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, THE COMMANDER BRITISH FORCES, MAJOR-GENERAL T.A. BOAM, SIR S.Y. CHUNG AND THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MISS LYDIA DUNN.
THE QUEEN WILL INSPECT A GUARD OF HONOUR MOUNTED BY THE 6TH QUEEN ELIZABETH'S OWN GURKHA RIFLES BEFORE ENTERING THE CITY HALL CONCERT HALL. SPEECHES WILL BE GIVEN BY THE GOVERNOR AND SIR S.Y. CHUNG TO WHICH HER MAJESTY WILL REPLY.
AFTER THE WELCOMING CEREMONY THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH WILL LEAVE THROUGH THE GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE WHICH WILL BE LINED WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN AND MEMBERS OF YOUTH GROUPS.
BUILT AT A COST OF $20 MILLION, THE CITY HALL WAS OPENED BY THE THEN GOVERNOR, SIR ROBERT BLACK, ON MARCH 2, 1962. SINCE THEN IT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN HONG KONG.
/EACH DAY
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