XN000022-1985-03-10 — Page 10

SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 1985

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1 216 YEARS OF COMBINED SERVICE

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WITH A COMBINED LENGTH OF SERVICE TOTALLING 1 216 YEARS BEHIND THEM, 56 STAFF MEMBERS OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT RETIRED IN JANUARY THIS YEAR.

*

IN THEIR LONG SERVICE WHICH AVERAGED 20 YEARS, THEY HAD WORKED IN ESTATES, TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS AND SQUATTER CONTROL FORCE AS FOREMEN, WORKMEN, ARTISANS AND ESTATE CARETAKERS.

SOME OF THEM HAVE SEEN THROUGH THE DRAMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME SINCE ITS BIRTH IN 1954 AFTER A BIG FIRE IN SHEK KIP MEI.

AMONG THEM WAS 55-YEAR-OLD MR SIU FOOK-CHUEN WHO RETIRED AS A FOREMAN OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT'S SQUATTER CONTROL FORCE.

+ IT'S SIMPLY AMAZING THAT TODAY MORE THAN 2.35 MILLION PEOPLE ARE ALREADY LIVING IN PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES, HE SAID.

MR SEU WAS AWARDED BEM IN 1979 IN RECOGNITION OF HIS OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE PUBLIC.

+AS A SQUATTER CONTROL FOREMAN, MY JOB WAS TO CO-ORDINATE PATROL TEAMS GOING AROUND SQUATTER AREAS TO PREVENT ILLEGAL SQUATTING ACTIVITIES,

+ I WAS SOMETIMES INVOLVED IN DEMOLITION WORKS OF DEVELOPMENT CLEARANCE AS WELL.

+TO HELP MAKE THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME A SUCCESS, I THINK IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT THE PROBLEM OF SQUATTERS IS CONTAINED AND DEALT WITH. +

OWING TO THE NATURE OF HIS JOB, MR SIU SAID HE HAD HAD A NUMBER OF +UNFRIENDLY OCCASIONS+ WHILST CARRYING OUT HIS DUTIES.

+IT REQUIRES PATIENCE AND TACTS TO DEAL WITH THIS KIND OF

WE DID JUST THAT AND SITUATION AND TO AVOID UNHAPPY INCIDENTS. THINGS EVENTUALLY WENT SMOOTHLY.

+

MR SIU FIRST JOINED THE GOVERNMENT IN 1951 AS A GANGER AND HAD BEEN WITH THE SQUATTER CONTROL FORCE FOR MOST OF HIS 33 YEARS' SERVICE. HE WAS PROMOTED TO FOREMAN IN 1963.

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