# HKBRAS VOLUNTEERS NEWSLETTER
## Change of Leader
Bill Greaves has now handed over leadership of the Volunteers to me and this Newsletter is my first attempt to get in touch with you all. Bill has led the Volunteers since we were formed in 1992 to assist the Antiquities & Monuments Office (AMO) to identify, survey, research and record historical buildings with a view to grading. Qualifications are a knowledge or interest in local history, architecture and building conservation and willingness to undertake research in government archives, departments and university libraries.
Initially the Volunteers concentrated on Water Supplies Department buildings and military buildings. As a result of our efforts a number of buildings in these categories were subsequently graded, and we moved on to other buildings such as shophouses and religious buildings. The last major exercise we were involved in was the recording of all remaining military batteries, which took about a year to complete. Bill took the central role in all this co-ordinating research and reports, and arranging field trips. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bill for all his hard work over the past years. Bill will continue to be a member of the Volunteers - you will all be pleased to know.
## Programme for 2004
The AMO now has a total of over 8,000 heritage buildings on record and more than they can ever hope to handle for grading. In fact the grading system has been suspended for some time. Volunteers also rarely have the spare time to carry out research work and can only volunteer their services for Saturday mornings. The future role of the Volunteers therefore needs to be redefined. To this end I hope to organize a meeting for the Volunteers with the Curator (Historic Buildings), Antiquities & Monuments Office to see how we can assist them, and to work out a programme for the summer. This meeting will probably not be before May as I have to go to the U.K. for a few weeks.
## Future Activities
Some ideas for future activities (one event per month) are as
xlviii
HKBRAS VOLUNTEERS NEWSLETTER
Change of Leader
Bill Greaves has now handed over leadership of the Volunteers to me and this Newsletter is my first attempt to get in touch with you all. Bill has led the Volunteers since we were formed in 1992 to assist the Antiquities & Monuments Office (AMO) to identify, survey, research and record historical buildings with a view to grading. Qualifications are a knowledge or interest in local history, architecture and building conservation and willingness to undertake research in government archives, departments and university libraries.
Initially the Volunteers concentrated on Water Supplies Department buildings and military buildings. As a result of our efforts a number of buildings in these categories were subsequently graded, and we moved on to other buildings such as shophouses and religious buildings. The last major exercise we were involved in was the recording of all remaining military batteries, which took about a year to complete. Bill took the central role in all this co-ordinating research and reports, and arranging field trips. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bill for all his hard work over the past years. Bill will continue to be a member of the Volunteers you will all be pleased to know.
Programme for 2004
The AMO now has a total of over 8,000 heritage buildings on record and more than they can ever hope to handle for grading. In fact the grading system has been suspended for some time. Volunteers also rarely have the spare time to carry out research work and can only volunteer their services for Saturday mornings. The future role of the Volunteers therefore needs to be redefined. To this end I hope to organize a meeting for the Volunteers with the Curator (Historic Buildings), Antiquities & Monuments Office to see how we can assist them, and to work out a programme for the summer. This meeting will probably not be before May as I have to go to the U.K, for a few weeks.
Future Activities
Some ideas for future activities (one event per month) are as
xlviii
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.