SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 1993
DURING THIS GOODWILL MESSAGE CAMPAIGN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REQUESTED THE ENGLISH TEACHERS FROM ABOUT 100 SCHOOLS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR STUDENTS TO WRITE GOODWILL MESSAGES ON POSTCARDS WHICH WERE GIVEN TO TOURISTS VISITING THE INFORMATION AND GIFT CENTRES OF THE HONG KONG TOURIST ASSOCIATION.
ALTHOUGH THE GOODWILL MESSAGE CAMPAIGN HAS ENDED, FRIENDSHIP FORGED BETWEEN THE STUDENTS AND THE TOURISTS HAS CONTINUED.
IT WAS DURING THIS CAMPAIGN THAT FIVE SECONDARY MET TWO AUSTRALIAN TOURISTS.
SCHOOLGIRLS
THE GIRLS, DRESSED IN THEIR BLUE AND GREY SCHOOL UNIFORMS, MET MR AND MRS PATRICK MILLER AT THE CENTRAL GIFT CENTRE.
"MY FRIENDS AND I TALKED WITH MR AND MRS MILLER FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES BEFORE WE GAVE MR MILLER A GOODWILL CARD," MISS KWOK RECALLED.
TO
THE POSTCARD DEPICTED HONG KONG'S WORLD FAMOUS NIGHT SKYLINE, A MAJOR ATTRACTION WHICH HAS BEEN ATTRACTING MILLIONS OF TOURISTS SPEND THEIR HOLIDAYS HERE.
BUT WHAT WAS MORE ATTRACTIVE WERE THE SIMPLE MESSAGE WRITTEN ON THE CARD "STAY AN EXTRA DAY".
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IT MUST HAVE IMPRESSED MR MILLER, HE IMMEDIATELY TOOK A GROUP PHOTOGRAPH OF THE GIRLS TO COMMEMORATE THE ENCOUNTER.
THE STORY DOES NOT END HERE.
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DEVELOPED THE
HAVING GONE BACK TO AUSTRALIA AND SUCCESSFULLY PHOTOGRAPH, THE MILLERS THOUGHT OF CONTINUING THE FRIENDSHIP BY SENDING THE PHOTOGRAPH TO THE GIRL WHO GAVE HIM THE POSTCARD.
JUST
THAT, AND MORE
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THE MILLERS DID
INCLUDED WITH THE PHOTOGRAPH WERE SOME BEAUTIFUL AUSTRALIAN STAMPS, THROUGH THE ADDRESS WRITTEN ON THE GOODWILL CARD.
BUT THE PACKAGE WAS "RETURNED TO SENDER" BY THE HONG KONG POST OFFICE BECAUSE THE ADDRESS WAS INCOMPLETE.
THIS SETBACK DID NOT DETER MR MILLER.
ON A NEW ENVELOPE, A DETERMINED MR MILLER WROTE THE FOLLOWING: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, HONG KONG.
THE POST OFFICE WAS UNERRING IN DIRECTING THIS MISSIVE - IT ENDED IN THE IN-TRAY OF THE INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS SECTION (IPR) OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IN WỤ CHUNG HOUSE, WAN CHAI.
AND THE SMALL TEAM OF IPR STAFF TURNED SLEUTHS ΤΟ LOCATE THE GIRL OUT OF THE 28,000 STUDENTS WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE SCHEME.
WHERE, AMONG THE THOUSANDS LIVING ON TSING YI ISLAND, IS KWOK SIU-YING? WHICH SCHOOL 15 SHE STUDYING IN? IPR STAFFERS WERE DETERMINED TO THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.
/THERE WAS