XN000022-1984-05-21 — Page 3

MONDAY, MAY 21, 1984

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SUPPLIES OF TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM THE AFTERNOON OF

MAY 30.

THE DISABLED DRIVERS OR THEIR AUTHORISED REPRESENTATIVE SHOULD PRESENT TO THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT EXEMPTION LETTER AND I.D. CARD IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE TICKETS, WHICH WILL BE OVERSTAMPED WITH THE REGISTRATION NUMBER OF THE VEHICLE INVOLVED.

YOUNG SCIENCE FICTION CONTEST WINNERS PRAISED

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WINNERS OF A RECENT SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FICTION WRITING COMPETITION WERE TODAY PRAISED FOR THE LEVEL OF CREATIVITY AND QUALITY OF THEIR WORK.

+SHORT STORY WRITING IS A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT ART, THE SCHOOL CHILDREN, RANGING IN AGE FROM 15 TO 20, WERE TOLD BY THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR JOHN WINFIELD.

MR WINFIELD, WHO IS ALSO CHIEF INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS, WAS OFFICIATING THE PRIZE-PRESENTATION CEREMONY OF THE +SCIENCE FICTION WRITING COMPETITION 1984+, ORGANISED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE HONG KONG ASSOCIATION FOR SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, UNDER THE SPONSORSHIP OF THE SHELL COMPANY OF HONG KONG LIMITED.

MR WINFIELD SAID THE INTEGRATION OF SCIENCE AND FICTION WAS NOT EASY - +FOR THERE IS ALWAYS THE HIGH PROBABILITY THAT THE ONE WILL BE IMPOSED UPON THE OTHER SO THAT THE END PRODUCT IS NEITHER SCIENCE NOR FICTION.+

THE WINNING ENTRIES, HE SAID, SHOWED THAT THEIR AUTHORS WERE WELL AWARE, PERHAPS INSTINCTIVELY, OF SUCH DIFFICULTIES.+

SPEAKING OF SHORT STORY WRITING, MR WINFIELD SAID: IT REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF CREATIVE DISCIPLINE, EXPRESSING ITSELF IN SUCH QUALITIES AS AN ABILITY TO ESTABLISH A DISTINCTIVE THEME AND MOOD IN A FEW PAGES, AN ECONOMY OF THOUGHT AND OF WORDS, AN EAR FOR THE INNER RHYTHMS OF THE LANGUAGE, AND A SHARP SENSE OF TIMING AND APPROPRIATE PACING,+

MR WINFIELD SAID PEOPLE WHO HAD READ THE WINNING ENTRIES MUST HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE LEVEL OF CREATIVITY AND QUALITY OF THE WRITING.

HE ALSO SAID HE WAS PLEASED TO KNOW THAT THE WINNING ENTRIES WERE TO BE PRINTED IN BOOKLET FORM, AND THAT FREE COPIES WOULD BE DISTRIBUTED SHORTLY TO SCHOOLS.

SIXTY CHILDREN FROM 32 SECONDARY SCHOOLS TOOK PART IN THE COMPETITION.

MR WINFIELD CONGRATULATED THE EIGHT WINNERS, ESPECIALLY WINNERS OF THE FIRST THREE PRIZES WHO WOULD BE LEAVING FOR SINGAPORE TO TAKE PART IN THE SINGAPORE YOUTH SCIENCE FORTNIGHT 1984.

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