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Friday flea market at Sek Kong to close after 14 years
Hundreds of visitors are expected to flock to Sek Kong tomorrow (Friday), all of them hoping to pick up a last-minute bargain before the Royal Air Force's famous Friday market finally closes after 14 years.
Over 150 hawkers will set up stalls for the last time on the five-acre Married Quarters Estate and Royal Air Force (RAF) organisers are determined to mark the event in style.
The wife of Lt Col Ian Buckley, Officer Commanding the Administration Unit at Sek Kong, Mrs Julie Buckley, and wife of Lt Col Bijay Rawat, Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, Mrs Aruna Rawat, will perform a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8.45 am to officially open the last market day.
Later at 11.30 am, Sek Kong Station Commander and Senior RAF Officer in Hong Kong, Wing Cdr Barrie Simmonds, will present a cheque to representatives of a local charity, the Home of Loving Faithfulness, which cares for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities.
"We're grateful to all the people - Garrison families, locals and even the tourists for making the market such a huge success over the past few years," said administrator, Flight Lieutenant Paul Rice.
"As a way of saying thank you and putting something back into the community, RAF personnel have been collecting money at the market over the past few weeks and we hope to donate a substantial sum to the Home of Loving Faithfulness at Dill's Corner.
"Three RAF Wessex helicopters will carry out a fly-past over the market and presenters from the British Forces Broadcasting Service will be entertaining the crowds with their "live" roadshow."
The market, which covers the Married Quarters Estate at the bottom of Route Twisk, began in 1979, in a rough and ready form, with RAF taking formal control in
1982.