XN000022-1977-12-22 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1977

+WHEN THE MEMORIAL WAS BUILT IN 1897, A TIME CAPSULE WAS INSERTED IN THE PLINTH CONTAINING NEWSPAPERS AND COINS OF THE PERIOD. THIS CAPSULE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN 1903, SINCE WHEN IT REMAINED UNDISTURBED TILL 16 SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, WHEN THE MEMORIAL WAS DISMANTLED FOR REMOVAL TO THIS SITE.

+ IT SEEMED APPROPRIATE TO REPLACE THE TIME CAPSULE, AND 1 THEREFORE DECIDED THAT A NEW AND LARGER CAPSULE, CONTAINING BOTH THE ORIGINAL CONTENTS, AND ITEMS RELATED TO 1977 AND TO THE SILVER JUBILEE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II, SHOULD BE CONSTRUCTED.

+THIS TASK HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN BY MR. BRIAN PEACOCK, CURATOR OF THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY WITH THE ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE OF PROFESSOR DOUGLAS PAYNE AND PROFESSOR ANTONY REYNOLDS OF HONG KONG UNIVERSITY.

+THE CONTENTS OF THE ORIGINAL CAPSULE, WHICH AFFORD A FASCINATING GLIMPSE OF HONG KONG'S PAST, HAVE BEEN ON DISPLAY FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS IN THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE URBAN COUNCIL FOR MAKING THESE FACILITIES AVAILABLE FOR THE PURPOSE.

+WE HAVE ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL CONTENTS COPIES OF AN ENGLISH AND CHINESE NEWSPAPER OF TODAY'S DATE, A SET OF CURRENT HONG KONG COINS, A FIRST-DAY COVER OF THE HONG KONG SILVER JUBILEE COMMEMORATIVE STAMP ISSUE, THE SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS COMMEMORATIVE PROGRAMME AND A 1977 HONG KONG STREET GUIDE (WHICH

IS, PERHAPS, A SOMEWHAT EPHEMERAL ITEM). THERE IS ALSO A DESCRIPTION OF THE HISTORY, AND OF THE DISCOVERY, OF THE TIME CAPSULE, PREPARED BY MR. IAN DIAMOND, THE GOVERNMENT ARCHIVIST.

+ IN ADDITION, HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II HAS GRACIOUSLY SENT US A MESSAGE TO MARK THIS OCCASION. A COPY OF ITS TEXT HAS BEEN INSERTED IN THE CAPSULE. THE QUEEN'S MESSAGE IS AS FOLLOWS:

'I WAS MOST INTERESTED TO LEARN OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE TIME CAPSULE IN THE QUEEN VICTORIA DIAMOND JUBILEE MEMORIAL OF 1897. THE ERECTION OF THE MEMORIAL ON A NEW SITE AND THE PLAN TO PLACE A NEW CAPSULE IN IT IS AN IMAGINATIVE CEREMONY TO MARK THE END OF SILVER JUBILEE YEAR IN HONG KONG.

'IT GIVES ME MUCH PLEASURE TO SEND MY WARM GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES TO THE PRESENT AND FUTURE RESIDENTS OF HONG KONG.'

+ IT NOW GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE IN INSERTING THE CAPSULE IN THE MONUMENT AND REDEDICATING THE MEMORIAL TO THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF QUEEN VICTORIA AND THE SILVER JUBILEE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH 11.+

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