XN000022-1987-07-23 — Page 14

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THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1987

WEAK CHILD TURNED TOUGH WOMAN POLICE INSTRUCTOR

AS A CHILD CHEUNG HO-YIN OFTEN SUFFERED ILL-HEALTH. NOW SHE IS PUTTING MEN THROUGH THE HOOP AS AN INSTRUCTOR AT THE TOUGH POLICE ADVENTURE TRAINING UNIT (PATU) AT FANLING.

TAKING UP HER NEW POST RECENTLY, WOMAN SERGEANT CHEUNG FULFILLED A DESIRE WHICH SHE HAD HARBOURED SINCE 1979 WHEN SHE HERSELF UNDERTOOK A PATU COURSE.

"AT THAT TIME I THOUGHT THE INSTRUCTORS WERE SUPERB AND LONGED TO DO THE SAME THING," SHE SAID.

RECALLING HER SICKLY CHILDHOOD, SHE EXPLAINED THAT HER MOTHER HAD NOT LET HER CARRY OUT ENERGETIC PURSUITS.

"BUT YOUR HEALTH SUFFERS IF YOU DON'T EXERCISE AND I WAS MISERABLE AT THAT TIME.

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I REMEMBER

HOWEVER, EVERYTHING

FORCE IN 1976.

CHANGED WHEN HO-YIN JOINED THE POLICE

NOT ONLY WAS SHE ABLE TO COPE WITH THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT THE POLICE TRAINING SCHOOL, BUT HER HEALTH AND FITNESS QUICKLY IMPROVED.

ON LEARNING, EARLIER THIS YEAR, THAT A VACANCY EXISTED AT PATU SHE TOOK THE PHYSICAL TRAINING INSTRUCTORS' COURSE, ORGANISED BY THE POLICE TRAINING SCHOOL, WHICH ENABLED HER TO QUALIFY FOR THE JOB. SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THE COURSE, SHE RECEIVED HER CERTIFICATE ON JULY 10.

THE COURSE WAS, IN FACT, THE THIRD TO BE HELD AT FIRST INTRODUCED LAST YEAR. JT COVERED TEACHING PHYSIOLOGY, FITNESS AWARENESS AND TRAINING PROGRAMMES, SWIMMING INSTRUCTION AND LIFE SAVING.

PTS, SINCE TECHNIQUES, FIRST AID,

ALTOGETHER 50 JUNIOR POLICE OFFICERS HAVE BEEN TRAINED AS PHYSICAL TRAINING INSTRUCTORS.

W/SGT CHEUNG CONSIDERS THAT PATU COURSES OFFER GOOD RELAXATION FROM POLICE WORK WHILE AT THE SAME TIME DEVELOP ABILITY AND WILLPOWER.

"I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN SPORTS ACTIVITIES FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS BUT IT WAS ONLY AFTER TAKING THE COURSE THAT I REALISED HOW MUCH MORE I COULD LEARN ABOUT THESE," SHE SAID. A KEEN LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER, SHE HAS WON MORE THAN 30 MEDALS OVER THE YEARS.

AND HOW DOES SHE CONSIDER HER MALE CANDIDATES WILL REACT ΤΟ HER PRESENCE AS AN INSTRUCTOR AT PATU?

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"I AM SURE IT WILL STIMULATE PARTICIPANTS ΤΟ DO THEIR VERY ᏴᎬᏚᎢ . SHE SAID. "MEN ARE NOT LIKELY TO ACCEPT THAT THEY CANNOT DO AS WELL AS A WOMAN AND WILL THEREFORE STRIVE ALL THE HARDER TO ACHIEVE THE BASIC COURSE REQUIREMENT.

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