@llt tttßponùwt December 1985
The duel that never was THE Club forum billed as the duel of the year between the local broadcasting giants and two authors of the Broadcasting
Review Board (BRB) held
on
27
(RTHK) into an independent station, BRB chairman Justice Power and Director of Broadcasting Stuart Wilkinson failed to put up a powerful case.
November turned out to be something of a
damp squib. The panelists did not come out fighting with the exception of Tele-
-
vision Broadcasts' controller of public relations and international affairs, Paul Wong, who went on offensive from the start.
Their defence was undermined by the
startling proposal
of
forcing the two
Chinese channels to hand over one hour of prime viewing time to an independent RTHK. \rVilkinson said he preferred the "weekend" option, that is, turning Saturday and Sunday over to RTHK, in the same way that commercial television in London changes stations at weekends.
Wong told the forum, organised jointly by the Club and the Hongkong Affairs Society, that forcing the public to watph only
Members get the video nasties
osed by the BRB as too big a gamble for Hongkong to take.
Although there is a lot to be said for the
BRB recommendation of turning government-owned Radio Television Hongkong
THIS dumb
W
screen obviously being the chief one. In the end it was decided that a wider spec-
sueen
Should never be seen Except in the black hole below.
It stops all our chat And not only that, It
repeots and repeaß
in our
brsins.
The consumption of booze
Is declining
- thafs news! Go now, go now, You repetitive cow,
And leave us olone for a
snooze.
trum of feelings from members was necessary unless we were to end up with a situation in which the screen is shifted from one part of the building to another in a constant hunt for a resting place.
Luckily, members have now received the long-awaited questionnaire from the
Management Liaison Committee on all club facilities and this will give you all the chance to express your views on the subject. So should start cam-
paigning some co
But please make
tions on this and
other matters, rather than confining yourselves to invective.
THE
the
above anonymous lines, found on
noticeboard, though perhaps not
The letters received were from David
exactly elegant, express one opinion which has been heard in many conversations in the club and in at least two formal letters from members commenting on the installa-
Bonavia and from W. R. Saltmarsh, who said: "A rough and unscientific poll of 12 members pro- didn't - all correspondents duced 10 against, one for, and one mind.
tion of the video display which has been carrying satellite newscasts every day at lunch and early evening for the informa-
tion of members. The decision to buy the video was unanimously taken by the Board and there does not seem to have been much criticism of that. But the siting of the screen has stirred things up.
At a meeting on 2l November the Board discussed the complaints and various options to meet them
"Since so few people actually sit and it, could the committee please examine the possibility of putting it somewhere other than the main bar."
watch
-
resiting the
Bonavia had stronger feelings and said: "I wish to record my strongest objection . . . It is noisy and distracting, and hardly anybody watches it voluntarily.
"There are plenty of other things could spend money on more usefully."
we
RTHK programmes on prime time in tlre cause of iñcreasing "télevision literaéy" might set a dangerous precedenl fo'r infringement of an individuafs freedofn. He slammed the "social engineering" prop-
The chairman of Asia Television, Deacon Chiu, criticised another controveisial BRB proposal, the banning of cigarette advertising
on the
electronic
media. "Smoking may be a health issue but advertising is not," said Chiu. If the government feels so strongly about banning tobacco advertising, then it should ban it on all media, he said.
Although Hongkong's political future dominates debate on almost every aspect of life in the territory at present, Justice Power still maintained the BRB had not taken 1997 into consideration. But politics may have been very much on the minds of most BRB members. The Correspondent can reveal that at least one of the members of the board is known to have privately said that independence for RTHK is of vital importance to ensure that it is not be controlled by the comrnunists in 1997. Because of that, he has even advocated forgoing the cigaretteadvertising ban so long as the government and the broadcasting stations agree to RTHK independence. Negotiations with the participants in the forum were long and at some times difficult. Members are indebted to Club Governor David Miller for untiring efforts and his final success in getting all of them together in the end. Once again, however, there was a slightly disappointing response from the floor.
Are you satisfied?
Le Beaujolais nouveau est amve
DO any of you feel that you are not get-
ting sufficient satisfaction for what
contribute at work? In your marriage? To
your children? This was the rather uncomfortably close-
THOSE Francophiles and amis de vins who rose with the dawn on a not very ag-
reeable ticipate 1985 B aback t
parthe aken
f
r
an-
xiously pacing the pavement outside.
Le Beaujolais nouveau n'est pas encore arrive
!
But all's well that ends well, and to the relief not only of Heinz and the marchand des vins, but of the 80 or so members who turned out, the wine was decanted and quaffed just before 8 a.m. And it was a perfect complement to the counClub's French country breakfast try-style pate; quiche Lorraine or- bouche aux escargots; bacon and eggs, and for the true farmer something more substantial daube Charrolaise.
-
Grace a dieu, this year those andouilletes were absent.
A certain amount of vrai Frog was being spoken on the BNP table organised by true blue Brit Paul Giles. Sometimes-Parisians Daphne and Donald Wise were on hand. And many others whose connection
with la belle France is more tenuous
also
showed,their approbation.
But what of,the Beaujolais? Well, it
is
to imbibe on November 21 and a wonderful way to start the day (you mean you don't do this every day?) Experts predict that it will be a good year when it is mature.
The truly remarkable thing is that
a
mere 40 bottles or so
half a bot-roughly were downed before normal
restaurant- service began'
-
Michaer
to-home question with which Dr Robert Sharpe, a British consultant behavioural psychologist, opened what turned out to be a light-hearted lunch talk on stress on November 28. Receiving no response to his question, he reversed it and asked if anybody present did feel they were satisfied in any of the three areas. Two hands were raised from the 45 people present.
flaton
And the broad smiles gðt broader in the dining room, which was filled to capacity for a really authentic Burgundian dinner,
with the Melody Quintette (all four of
It only
can help get you through difficult situations such as an important interview. It consists of tensing arm, neck and
for a few
seconds and then relaxing them. People at the lunch
were amazed that it really did seem to work. (Ask Honorary Secretary Penny Byrne to demonstrate next time you see her.)
Dr Sharpe also got some sage head-wagging when he turned to the topic of tensions in marriage. Has your spouse stopped listening to you? Does he/she use the appalling phrase "I hear you" which of
-
course means that he/she doesn't?
need take a few seconds, he says,
to listen to your partner's moans and then reply: "I guess you must have felt X about Y when you had to 2." Sharpe maintains it can be made to any situation and mollifies youf partner sufficiently that you can then go and have a shower or a drink with tension'reduced.
Dr
Try it!
Having definitely caught the attention of his audience, Dr Sharpe proceeded to give them a few practical tips on coping with the symptoms of stress, if not curing it. One was a simple exercise know as "tension dumping" which can be done without anyone even realising you are doing it, which for most people produces a momentary physical feeling of relaxation which
guaranteed
tion, do not refuse to listen, or ignore what is said, too anxious to get yourself into a shower or outside a drink.
pression. Tell-tale signs of such stress are a slowing down in everything we do. Results of this can be, for instance, that our sex lives suffer, according to Dr Sharpe. Another common symptom is insomnia or occasional sleeplessness.
a formula which he
them
would -ease tension at home. \{hen you arrive home tired and irritated by the day and wanting some sympathy, and find your husband/wife in exactly the same condi-
fit
From brealdast to dinner and perhaps happier THE larger - around the bar early on than usual crowd the evening of No.,ember 29 was evidence of the continuing poyularity of the annual dinner celebrating the end of Beaujolais Nouveau Week.
Again, he gave his listeners an easy, practical piece of advice to take home with
That meant that there were 43 people present liable to be suffering from stress through frustration, which can lead to de-
stomach muscles
as drinkable as ever, marvellous
tle each
you
Dr laughs
Sharpe produced many resppnsive especially when he described the
mánkind ¿ls "A l'eiels, the thrãe curses'of
open-plan office and the teleþhone" and there was a good flow of questions -at the end of his talk.
One question about sleepnesses produced a typically "Sharpe" reply when he said that, contrary to most people's belief, drinking often wakes you up rather than putting you to sleep. He explained in de-
tail that many drinks
beer, brandy,
- or port blended Scotch, red wine
con-
tain toxins which after about four- hours actually wake the body up.
But Dr Sharpe is not a killjoy.
He
brought comfort to the drinking members by suggesting two alternatives: drink these particular things at lunchtime instead of in the evening, or switch to drinks which do
not keep you
awake. These include
straight malt whisky, white wine, vodka or any pure grain spirit such as aquavit. One final tip: the best way to relax yourself for sleep is sex, says Dr Sharpe
which produced the comment from one present: "He must be an lady member Australian. "
Computer copes
them) providing French musical fare to accompany the food. Memories were tested with a popularmusic quiz (and the advantages of age became apparent when this writer collected a prize). Stamina was tested by dancing that went on into the early hours. And that certain feeling the next morning showed just how large the intake of M. Mommessin's produce was. Peter Moil¡s
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THE Club's new computer seems to be on top of the job. At the last Board meeting it was reported that it has been doing the Club's balance-sheets for the past couple of months without any hitches. The Board is looking at ways to expand the system, but for the time being will wait and see what new software IBM is likely to come up with over the next few months.
,
Welshman
honoured by France
Of tea and tables THE great cha charge controversy which The Correspondent Íouched on last issue is receiving the full attention of the Board. Following are a letter of complaint received from Peter Bennett and the Board's reply: tI have just returned from temporary absence and found to my astonishment that members are now being charged $2 for a glass of tea. In over 20 years sipping tea across Asia, I have never ever been charged for plain
tea in any restaurant, club, pub or food stall.
It is preposterous that this charge has been made. Fellow members at the Club Table apparently made a written protest when the charge was first levied: there has been no reply to this protest. The Board of Governors and the'rClub .
Reuter, bureau chief Reg Gratton (left) and congratulate Chevalier Davies.
FORMER Club member David Davies, who left Hong Kong in 1981 and is now the Australian and New Zealand bureau chief for Agence France Presse, has been made a chevalier'of the Legion d'Honneu¡ in recognition of his services to French journalism.
Daúd Ge¡aint Owen Davies, which
is about as Vfelsh a name as you can get, was
installed by the French Ambasador to Australia, Bernard Follin, at a cetemony
in
Sydney on Novembe¡ 19 attended by a number of friends and colleagues.
hß AP counterpart Peter O'Loughlin
I
Davies, now 62, se¡ved in the Second World l{ar as a British liaison oflice¡ with the Free F¡ench navy. He joined AFP way back in 1950, and spent 12 years in Hong Kong with fhe agency. He was also at one time head of AFP's EnglishJanguage service and his more re.
his arrival in short spell in
the Falklands overage of the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
While on the subject of the Club Table, was distressed to find that at l0 minutes
to one last Tuesday, the waiters were instructed to move one section of the Club Table to be used by three (presumably) late bookers for lunch. This meant that the usual camaraderie at the Club Table was curtailed since one or two of the regular users were unable to fit on the remaining small-sized table.
Again, may I point out that the last "C" in FCC means "Club". Let us keep it that way.t
The Board replies: The Board of Governors considered Mr
Bennett's letter
haise from a past president AL KAFF, Club
president
once-only payment
ter: "Congratulations on the October issue of The Correspondent which reached me in good time last week. I was gratified to see that my old colleague Charlie Smith still retâins some hair and girth.
full
on the mailing list. Asia,
for a
"bottomless
size.
Tables one upstairs and one on the ground -floor are not bookable. They
ether,
Thanks for the kind words, Al.
on
Just to inform those members who are not aware of the rules, the luncheon Club
many
I
meeting
glass" and as such is reasonable. It was pointed out that there are a fait number of people occupying tables in the club for business discussions at which tea and nothing else is consumed. However, the Board supported Bennett on his other point about the Club Table. In future, the Club Table will remain at its
in
1974-75, now United States-based, wrote to us last month about the newJook Club newslet-
"Please keep me
at its
November 21. It noted that the original decision was justified in that: o We have no cover charge or hidden charges as do restaurants which provide allegedly "free" tea. o The $2 charge for Chinese tea is a
-
best
are taken on a first-come, first-served basis Ex-President Kaff
by any members of the Club, and guests are barred.
-.|
Cotrespondent
Kathl
_Bus
I Asialpacific
Sarah
off
s
Timothy W. Pearce Reuters
Cecil R. Cookson The Methodist Recorder
Martin G. Widsell Afton Bladet, Sweden David Thurston Asia Magazine Joumelist
John Parker ,, South Chinq Morning' posl,,
Assocí¡te
------
Lit Hung Dr Leung's Ciinic
Leung_
David J. Biennan First Interstate Asia Chiu Kune Hui
i
Interiors" Peter R. Warren Saatchi
&
Saatchi Associates
Jaren F. Leet
Aqua Media of Asia Robert H. Boidvs Joint Service ÉR Malcolm McCann Roger Lavington Associates Kim Kyung Hae Korean Consulate Peter S. Rumball
& L. Ellis -
Samuel Montasu
Francis
Co.
Shell
Robert Homes Fire Services Dept.
Bangers come back THIS is ottr once-a'vear d.a¿.- carroons, cakes and santa Craus kicked off the crub,s christmas season with"tht iniíarrn;i'pllry'oi"'ärrr^i¡u tl,
weren't compløining.
iii"inürl''li¡tdren
certainry
On the move Puttìng ìt together Editor
-
Janine Wookey Tel: Work
5-245095 Home 5-593454
Newsletter Liaison - Mchael Malik (FEER) Tel:5{936688 Printers - Ad-Asi4 Worldwide Commercial Bldg 34 \þndham Street Central Tel: 5256067.
I