XN000022-1987-03-29 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 1987

SIP DAVID STARTS TREE PLANTING SCHEME

AN ATMOSPHERE OF CELEBRITY PREVAILED AT THE SCENIC SAI KUNG COUNTRY PARK TODAY (SUNDAY) AS MORE THAN 100 WELL-KNOWN PUBLIC FIGURES TOOK PART IN A MAJOR TREE PLANTING ACTIVITY ORGANISED BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT TO START OFF THIS YEAR'S COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING SCHEME.

LED BY THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, AND LADY AKERS-JONES, THEY PLANTED THE FIRST TREES AT A PLANTING SITE AT HOI HA TO ENCOURAGE THE PUBLIC TO JOIN THE TREE PLANTING PROGRAMME STARTING NEXT SUNDAY,

AMONG THEM WERE LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS, MRS ROSANNA TAM, + DR DANIEL TSE, MR CHAN KAM-CHUEN, MR CHEUNG YAN-LUNG, MR CHAN YING-LUN, MR CHUNG PUI-LAM, MR PANG CHUN-HOI, MR ANDREW WONG, MR LAU WONG-FAT, MR SZETO WAH AND MR TAI CHIN-WAH.

THEY WERE JOINED BY A PARTY OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, DISTRICT BOARD CHAIRMEN, COMMUNITY LEADERS, POPULAR TV ARTISTES LED BY MR ROBERT CHAN, GENERAL MANAGER OF TELEVISION BROADCASTS LIMITED, AND SOME 1 300 SCHOOL CHILDREN.

THE GOOD TURNOUT AND THE ENTHUSIASM ON DISPLAY WERE HAILED AS A FITTING TRIBUTE TO THE SCHEME WHICH CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR, AND WAS DESCRIBED BY THE DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES, DR LAWRENCE LEE, AS A REFLECTION OF THE GROWING PUBLIC CONCERN FOR CARING FOR OUR TREES AND COUNTRYSIDE+.

IN HIS ADDRESS AT THE OCCASION, DR LEE EXPRESSED HIS CONFIDENCE THAT WITH THE SUPPORT OF ALL CONCERNED, THE TREE PLANTING ACTIVITY WOULD SOON BECOME AN ANNUAL AFFAIRS FOR THE COMMUNITY.

HE THANKED SIR DAVID FOR HIS KEEN SUPPORT AND INVALUABLE GUIDANCE OVER THE YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT'S WORK IN DEVELOPING

HONG KONG'S COUNTRY PARKS AND IN CONSERVING THE LOCAL NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

+WE OWE A GREAT DEAL TO YOU, SIR, FOR WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR SCENIC COUNTRY PARKS TODAY, DR LEE SAID.

THIS YEAR'S SCHEME HAS A NEW ATTRACTION AS EACH PARTICIPANT AFTER PLANTING A TREE, WILL BE GIVEN A SEED PACKET AND A COLOURFUL LEAFLET SO THAT HE OR 3 HE CAN RAISE A SEEDLING AT HOME, FOR PLANTING IN THE 1988 PLANTING SEASON.

/THE MAIN