XN000022-1976-05-28 — Page 9

THE GOVERNOR

ནཱི'

8

GOVERNOR PRAISES CAS

******

FRIDAY, MAY 28, 1976

SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, THIS (FRIDAY) EVENING PRAISED THE WORK OF THE CIVIL AID SERVICES DURING THE PAST YEAR.

ADDRESSING' THE CAS ANNUAL DINNER AT CITY HALL, SIR MURRAY NOTED THAT LAST YEAR WAS EXCEPTIONAL BECAUSE THE CAS WAS CALLED UPON TO RENDER AID NOT ONLY TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG BUT ALSO TO THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO ARRIVED SO UNEXPECTEDLY ON MAY 4.

+THIS WAS AT A TIME WHEN YOU WERE ALREADY HEAVILY COMMITTED TO PERFORM DUTIES CONNECTED WITH HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN'S VISIT,+ HE SAID.

FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH:

+MR. COMMISSIONER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

+1 AM VERY PLEASED TO BE WITH YOU'ALL AGAIN THIS EVENING AND TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY. YOUR WARM HOSPITALITY. THIS IS PARTICULARLY SO AS I WISH PERSONALLY TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE UNTIRING EFFORTS YOU HAVE PUT INTO YOUR VOLUNTEER DUTIES OVER THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS.

+THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR, AS YOUR COMMISSIONER HAS 'MENTIONED, YOU HAVE BEEN KEPT VERY BUSY, AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THE SACRIFICES YOU HAVE MADE IN GIVING UP YOUR LEISURE TIME' TO ASSIST THE COMMUNITY, LAST YEAR WAS EXCEPTIONAL FOR YOU WERE CALLED UPON TO RENDER AID NOT ONLY TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG BUT ALSO TO THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO ARRIVED SO UNEXPECTEDLY ON THE 4TH MAY. THIS WAS AT A TIME WHEN YOU WERE ALREADY HEAVILY COMMITTED TO PERFORM DUTIES CONNECTED WITH HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN'S VISIT. THE FACT THAT AT SUCH SHORT NOTICE YOU WERE ABLE TO MOBILISE SUFFICIENT VOLUNTEERS TO MEET ALL THOSE COMMITMENTS SO. EFFICIENTLY, DEMONSTRATES CLEARLY THE HIGH STANDARDS OF YOUR ORGANISATION. THE WELFARE OF THIS LARGE NUMBER OF REFUGEES WAS, I KNOW FROM MY OWN VISITS TO THE CAMPS, HANDLED WITH A GREAT DEAL OF UNDERSTANDING AND HUMANITY- AND THE REFUGEES GREATLY APPRECIATED. YOUR ASSISTANCE AND INGENUITY.

+LIKE ALL SUCCESSFUL ORGANISATIONS. YOU NEED TO LOOK AHEAD TO THE FUTURE AND EVEN IN THE MIDST OF ALL YOUR OPERATIONAL DUTIES LAST YEAR, PLANS WERE PUT IN HAND TO RESTRUCTURE AND STREAMLINE THE SERVICE. AS A RESULT, AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, A NEW LOOK CIVIL AID SERVICE, WITH AN INDEPENDENT CADET CORPS, EMERGED. FROM THE REPORTS THAT I HAVE RECEIVED, THE NEW ORGANISATION APPEARS TO BE WORKING WELL. THIS IS BORNE OUT BY THE EXPERTISE YOU. HAVE SHOWN IN YOUR FOREST FIRE FIGHTING DUTIES, RURAL AREA PATROLLING AND WHEN YOU ASSISTED IN CONTROLLING THE VERY .LARGE CROWDS WHO ATTENDED THE BILLY GRAHAM RELIGIOUS

CRUSADE AND THE THREE WALKS FOR A MILLION WHICH RAISED MORE: MONEY FOR CHARITY THAN EVER BEFORE.

+

/+I AM