XN000022-1978-09-28 — Page 5

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1978

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LADY MACLEHOSE PRAISES ACHIEVEMENTS OF DISABLED GIRLS

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THREE PHYSICALLY DISABLED YOUNG GIRLS HAVE SET A SHINING EXAMPLE AS TO HOW WILL POWER AND DETERMINATION CAN OVERCOME ALL ODDS.

FOR THE PAST 18 DAYS, THEY HAVE BEEN SCALING ROCKY MOUNTAINS, ROWING LONG DISTANCES, TREKKING FOR DAYS THROUGH RUGGED TERRAIN, AND GENERALLY FENDING FOR THEMSELVES ON REMOTE, BARREN ISLANDS,

AND THEY LOVED PRACTICALLY EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

THE GIRLS WERE AMONG 61 YOUNG GIRLS ROUGHING IT UP AT THE OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL IN SAI KUNG WHICH IS KNOWN FOR ITS DEMANDING COURSES IN CHARACTER BUILDING.

LADY MACLEHOSE THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON PRESENTED ALL THOSE WHO COMPLETED THE COURSE WITH CERTIFICATES AND BADGES.

SPEAKING AT A BRIEF CEREMONY, LADY MACLEHOSE SAID IT WAS MARVELLOUS TO SEE THREE DISABLED GIRLS COMPLETING THE COURSE. WITHOUT HELP.

SHE HOPED IN FUTURE THE OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL WOULD ENCOURAGE MORE DISABLED PEOPLE TO JOIN. +THIS IS NOT ONLY CHALLENGING BUT ALSO ENORMOUS FUN.+

AMONG THOSE RECEIVING CERTIFICATES TODAY WERE NONE MORE PROUD THAN CHOW YUEN-WAN, MARY LAI AND FUNG YUET-WAH, THE THREE DISABLED GIRLS.

+ THE CHALLENGE WAS A BIT SCARY AT FIRST, SAID CHOW YUEN-WAN, +AND AT ONE POINT I ALMOST GAVE UP.

+BUT GRADUALLY I GAINED MORE CONFIDENCE AND THINGS BECAME SURPRISINGLY EASIER. NOW I'VE LEARNED TO LOOK AFTER MYSELF AND I FEEL MUCH STRONGER AND CONFIDENT, + SHE SAID.

HER FRIENDS MARY AND YUET-WAH SHARED THE SAME SENTIMENTS, YUET-WAH, AN INSURANCE CLERK WHO WAS SPONSORED TO THE COURSE BY THE SPORTS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PHYSICALLY HAND ICAPPED, SAID BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL SHE NEVER IMAGINED HERSELF CLIMBING ROCKY HILLS.

+ THE COURSE HAS GIVEN ME A NEW INSIGHT OF MY OWN POTENTIAL, AND I REALISE NOW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I CAN DO THAT I NEVER EVEN DREAMT ABOUT.+

THE 18-DAY COURSE WAS THE FIRST HELD THIS YEAR FOR GIRLS.

/ACCORDING TO .....