The Correspondent, May 1991 by The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong

The Swire

COI{TENTS

Group

1,.

\,,

';r''Èi THI]

TELEVISION cameraman Gary Fair-

FORI'IGN

man left the comfofts of the FCC for the risks of Gulf War coverage and found himself in the thick of action with the 16 US 101st Airborne Division

CORRIÌSPONDENTS'

CLUB North Block, 2 Lol'er Albert Road, Hong Kong. Telephone: 521 1511 F-ax: 8(ì8.1092 President

Paul tsavficld

F'irst Yice.President

- I'ctcr Scidlitz - Saul Lockhar t

Second \¡ice-President

Correspondent l\lenrber Golernors

John .\nrìrc*'s, Bob Dar is. Petcr Gs 1'nnc, Iìobin IIoJcr. Chris Pctcrson, Claudìa Rosctt, Ifichaeì Tavlor, Steve Yines

Journalist Member Governors l)arid Thurston. Stuart \\'oliendalc .{ssociate Member Governors Kcn t3all, \l'endl Hùghes. Peter Humbìe, Dorothy Rvan

Professional Committee:

THIS year's Carlsberg media golf tournament drew a large contingent of FCC

members to the PhiliPPirres for fun and sport l4

Collrrror: Paul Ba¡ fiçld, ,lf,rrárr.s: Petcr Seidlitz, Peter Hunrble. Saul Lockhart, Dorothl' R1'an, \Yendl Ilughcs, Peler Gu'1'nnc, Stuart \\'ollendale, trlichael Tavlor, Bob Davis

THE Fijians and Kiwis were not the only stars at this year's Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. The FCC's Ron Fitz-

Nlenrbership Committee: S(crc Vines, John Andress

Social Committee: Corrrrrror: Doroth¡' Ryan,

patrick thrilled the capacity crowd with a parachute jump into the ground, and a large number of other members were there to cheet him. Ray Cranbourne's

,llrlrlrcrr: \lichaeì Taylor Video Committee: Col¡r¡r¿r: David Thurston. Ðoroth), Ryan, Ken Eall, Paul Bavtield

rl,1¿l¡à¿r.r:

photographic record appears inside

Publications Committee:

Col¿rror: Saul Lockhart, .l,frrbr'rs: Pauì Bavfield. Bob Daris, \Vencì1 Hughes, Davìd Thurston, Str¡art \4rollendale, Ken Baìl

Footl and Beverage Consultation Group: Chris Peterson, Nfike Snrith, Saul Lockharl. Jo trlayfield, Margarel Bryan, Jim Shar Co¡r¿r)¡or:

,tr/¿nä¿rs:

Club illanager: Heinz Grabne¡ Club Steward: Julia Suen

As pioneers of ultra long-haul flights to and from Hong Kong,we

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speech

Correspondents' Club. is published monthl! lor and onbehalfof TheForeignCorrespondents Cìubb!:

AsiaPacif ic Directories Ltd. 9/F Crand Yies Cor¡nerciaì Centre. 29-3l Sugar Streel, Causerval' 8a1, Hong Kong

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.- -

stop barrage of jokes during a luncheon

'l'.he Correspondent

Tcì:5;i lrJil

Bal. Hong Kong

Telephone:577 9331; F'ax:890 7287

SOMETHING caught the attention of humorist and quick-sketch artist Rolf Harris on his recent visit to the club. It was the work of the FCC's own humorist and quick-sketch artist, "Basher", on display in the Main Bar. Rolf kept members laughing with a non-

Departments From the President 4 26 Zoo 26 Prisoner

Peddler HKJA news Crossword

22 28 30

THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

CLI.IB NEWS

President reviews his year of office Shanghai's mayor Zhu Rongji as a consolation prize. This was just before I took over as president in May last year. Since then, he has been promoted to vice-premier. When he gets to be premier maybe we can grab him again. About three days after the ground war was launched in the Gulf, we had Caspar Weinberger - the man of war

his is my last column as president so I would like to summarise the year's activities. I would also like to thank the Board and

other members for their support and hard work in making this a successful year.

When the current board began its year in office, one of the main aims was to negotiate the lease on our building. Readers of The Cowesþond.ent wiTlhav e happily noted that this was achieved.

(seven years as Reaganfs Secretary of

Defence). He had plenty to talk about. A day later, the speaker was a man of more gentle persuasion the former US Consul-General to Hong Kong and

The new six-year lease began on 1 April. Unfortunately, a large increase in rent accompanied the lease agreement. Originally the rent was to be

US ambassador to Burma, Burton Levin. His insights into Burma's

increased by 200 per cent, but after a period of negotiation we managed to

of the disfranchised opposition were

reduce

highly critical and direct.

military government and the treatment

itto arnere 70 per cent or so. The FCC's finances, being sound,

managed to cover the rent increase, although we could not avoid raising the monthly subscriptions and some prices to cover costs and HK budget-induced

inflation. I was very proud to be a member of the FCC this year proud to be part of agroup that could dig deep into pockets to raise more than $250,000 forthe Ted Dunfee and Eddy Donoghue funds. A good deal of the money raised came from members who did not know the individuals concerned; they just responded to the need. At one stage, we

considered setting up a permanent fund for members in distress. However, in the end it was felt that a caseby-case approach would be fairer.

would also like to take this

op-

portunity to thank the manager Heinz Grabner, the steward Julia Suen, restaurant manager Gilbert Cheng and all

their staff for their continued hard work and dedication. I have enjoyed

working with them to maintain the high standards of FCC service. I also appreciated their close support. It has been a successful year in attracting speakers. At the top of the list would have to be the former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. He came prepared for war, but only foundaseries of skirmishes. He washis 4 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

Lee Kuan Yew usual hard, acerbic and incisive self. On

paper, the quality of questions were good, but the answers were those of a professional politician half answers delivered with supreme confidence. We also had a full house for Hong

Kong's Governor, Sir David Wilson. The important aspect of this speech was thathe made it at all. This occasion was the first opporhrnity the massed

press had to listen to and question the Governor since he arrived on these shores. The Governor had been to the

FCC before, but only for informal

lunches with the board his preferred style for meeting the press. Sir David proved to be a smooth operator, handling the questions with a seasoned politi-

cian's ease - sometimes too much ease. Those looking for a definitive statement about Hong Kong would have been disappointed, particularþ with China breathing down the territory's neck, insisting on being included now in decisions about HK's future. One speaker we failed to get was the Xinhua chief in Hong Kong, Zhou Nan. Unforhmately, he couldn't find the time. There was one good spinoff of discussions with Xinhua we got

Other speakers have included, Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans; Dr Stephen Fitzgerald; Israeli foreign affairs boss Reuvin Merhav; Queensland Premier Wayne Goss; Rothman's skipper Lawrie Smith (with a little help from Lord Lichfield); Bank of East Asia boss David Li; jazzman George Melly; journalist, editor and scourge of governments Derek Davies; entertainer Rolf Harris; bestselling author Robert Elegant; Christies auctioneer Christopher Burge (the man who sold a Van Gogh for US$82 mil-

lion) and Russian banker Anatoly Nosko.

This year we introduced a seminar series which proved quite successflrl. The first looked at the changing face of Europe and the consequences for Asia. Sponsored by Commerzbank, the main speaker was Soviet banker Anatoly Nosko, supported by Commerzbank's Juergen Pfister and HK Trade Deve-

lopment Council's George Oleksyn. Philip Bowring, editor of. the Far Eastern Econornic Reuiew chaired the session.

One of the more interesting side stories to the seminar was the effort needed to get Nosko a visa. The Immþation Department moved with extraordinary slowness. In the end, it required the intervention of the Politic-

companies. Viswa Nathan and his company Printline passed on The Corresþondenf to editor Ron Knowles and Vonnie Bishop and Mike Bishara's AsiaPacific Directories. The change-

al Adviser to get the visa approved as Nosko was getting on the plane. The rest of the world had relaxed its vigilance of Russians since German reunification, but Hong Kong was still deep in the Cold War, looking over its shoulder atwhat China might think. Shortly after this incident we ran into a similar problem trying to get a

literaþ

oveili,vas remarkably smooth. Ron has

continued the fine standards established by Viswa during his three years as

I would like to take this opportunity once again to thank Viswa and his team for all their work over the

editor.

visa for Ying-jeou Ma, chairman of Taiwan's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan, to speak at the club. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, his

years.

This year also saw the rebirth of a food and beverage committee which has operated with relative success.

visa was denied. The over-the-shoulder

The most obvious achievement was

syndrome again.

The second seminar, which

was sponsored by Indosuez Asia, looked at Asia's emerging markets with specific reference to India. A seminar on developments in Vietnam is being organised for later in the year. Two journalistic issues occupied

some time this year: journalists as news-makers in covering events such as the Tiananmen massacre (well before the CNN stars of the Gulf War arrived in our living-rooms); and the difficulties of correspondents getting working visas - and once there being able to get access to people and stories.

number of correspondents were - often for no particular reason - and inexplicably others got visas. The FCC joined with the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) refused visas

organising

The president and his guv'ner

many doubts, but it got there in the end.

was an instalment payment scheme for the joining fee for lower-paid journalists. With several of our speakers this year, we made extra efforts to include

choice of titles, but we are working on it. The workroom in association with the video library was redesigned once again to úew levels of efficiency. This

a place for local non-member journalists. With this scheme we hope these journalists will be encouraged to join. The publications committee under the leadershíp of second vice-president Saul Lockhart had an active and successñrl year. It oversaw the changeover of editors and production

was done under the stewardship of

a tourist visa. As I remarked in September, China's policy towards journa-

has no policy

always amicable

just

took on a

more formal note this year with the inclusion of a page or two in The

the last being China's attempt

newshounds and observers alike. We had the usual food and music nights that were mostþ successful Italian, Thai, Austrian and Australian foods. Heinz introduced some wine and cheese nights which are steadily becoming more popular. As always, suggestions for this area of the club's activities would be most welcome. It has been an enjoyable and produc-

would like to thank all

Hughes, Steve Vines, Stewart Wolfendale, Chris Peterson and Dorothy

talks.

Forhnately the decision was reversed. An innovation introduced this year

drank, commented and went home

and hard work, particularly Peter Seidlitz, Saul Lockhart, Wendy

withthe co-operationof the Hong Kong Government to stop journalists from covering the recent talks on the airport

and the joint liaison group

earnest. It turned the bar into a war news trap. People stayed and stayed,

members of the board for their support

occasions when joint action was neces-

Steve Vines and Heinz Grabner. With a stròke of luck (or was it immaculate planning?)we managed to get CNN up and running in the main bar the night before the Gulf War began in

tive year.

Corresþondznl of HKJA news and views. This was in addition to several sary

has got some way to go as far as

The FCC's relationship with the

HfJe

bleary-eyed. Now CNN only gets a casual glance - until the next conflagration captures the imagination of

knee-jerk reactions.

food survey. The results of

car4r out the conclusions. The video club moved into the black this year. It took a couple of years and

to send a letter to Xinhua to ask for an explanation. There was no reply. Other still letters have been written since with no replies. In the last few months it is now somewhat easier if you get an invitation; or pay a small fortune; or use

lists is that

this survey will be published shortly and it will be up to tlie next board to

George

Melly

scatological jokes

Ryan. hope the new board and president-elect Peter Seidlitz also have an enjoyable and productive year.

Paul Bayfield

THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

LUI\CHEON SPEAI{ER

TTIE INNER CIRCLE

'[Inique' opportunity after Gulf War tTl t I

he Gulf War had presented a

"We are proposing, therefore, that any regional security arrangements which will be made vis a vis the Gulf situation will have a far-reaching

unique opporfunity to reshape some of the regional affangements for the Middle East, luncheon guest speaker Reuvin Merhav, Israeli

positive influence on our own security arrangements between Israel and the

foreign affairs supremo, told members and guests on March 26. The Middle East, due to its compli-

Arab countries. "We nowface the unique situation in which we can call an end to this belligerency and try to build a gradual

cated history, super-power rivalries and geographical juxtaposition, had not yet found the peace that is its due. Butitwas a question of time and people should not become impatient. The question between Jew and Arab

was only one of many rivalries and conflicts in the area. "But the Jewish Arab conflict is the most exposed one because of the nature of the conflict between the two societies. One society which is very traditional which abides by certain rules and certain laws in which not even one democracy has managed to

develop or to prevail and another society - and I'm not passing any value judgements - which is open, open to the world's press and feels a

great responsibility for what doing."

There was the major question of acceptance of Jewish sovereignty. "A great leader like Sadat" managed to accept the fact that the Jews enjoy sovereignty in their own country and following that recognition "we manag-

ed to come to terms with our most important neighbours in the south." He had been personally involved in trying to approach the Iraqis through the Egyptians in April of 1989 in Cairo and was told there was no need to worrf¡ about the Iraqis. They were being a moderating power. They had learnt their lesson and they wanted to rehabilitate their status in the international community. "We said to the Egyptians and later on to the Americans and to the Europ-ean Community: 'The man has just finished a war of eight years with lian. He has got 50 divisions million - isamaking soldiers the best arsenal, great efforts to accumulate chemical and biological war-heads. We think this is going to burst at the seams'." 6 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY 1991

The places to eat within staggering or shouting distance of the FCC

Reuvin Merhav The reassurances from the EC were repeated in July 1990. Once again, he was told that the Iraqis did not have any aggressive intentions. Events had proved otherwise and steps had to be taken to head off further threats.

"What I am proposing is a very simple thing. The securily arrangements to be conducted by the six Gulf countries, the so called Arab coalition, the six plus two. "You will know, or have noticed, that the range between the western part of Iraq, which is larger than the whole of western Palestine, and the state of Israel equals the range between western Iraq and northern Saudi Arabia, and so we face the unique situation in which Iraqi Scud missiles which were launched against us during the war

were also launched against

Saudi

Arabia from the same launchers.

.W'e are menaced by

the outer circle'

"And we face an even more unique situation. Not only did the air force of the coalition do their best to knock these launchers down but this was done

with the active participation of the Saudi Arabians with the coalition -

which goes to show thatwhen given the

right conditions, when given the right incentive, when given the right political and strategic engineering we share

basic interests with the Saudi Arabians.

network of confidence-building measures with the Arab world coupled with gradual steps vis a vis the Palestinian problems, because our thesis has been for years that as long as we are threatened and menaced by the outer circle, be it from the east, from the south or from the north, we don't have peace of mind." "We have reached with the Egyptians over a period of 15 years a system of security arrangements brokered by an honest broker the United States which made the Sinai Desert into a

demilitarised

zone. This gives us

confidence of the south without the Egyptians losing sovereiCnty over it. "Since we don't have this possibility with Iraq we are going to propose that arrangements will be made in western Iraq vis a vis Saudi Arabia and perhaps Jordan which will give us the needed security from the east - a security we badly need on the strength of our very bad experience with the Iraqi expedition forces as of 1948 until the Scud missiles. "It will give us a reduction of 40 per cent of the military threat from the east and it will bring us again to a positive solution within the Jordanian-Palestinian realm. "We do think we have an opporLunity to reduce the external circle and concentrate positively with the Palestinians and the Jordanians on a local solution which will meet the legitimate rights of the Palestinians as we have accepted them and recognised them in the Camp David accords. "Now this cannot be done without an

honest broker, and from all that we have seen in the international scene the only honest broker we have found who can deliver is the United States."

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-T LUNCHEOI\ SPEAKER She goes to see the boss of the sperm

bank, who tells her: "You never know with a fellow that age. Send him in the room and give him a jar." An hour later he is walking down the corridor and meets the nurse. He inquires: "That old fellow; how did he get

Rolf's lunchtime laugh-in

on?"

"Oh, I forgot all about him. He's still ntertainer Rolf Harris proved to be a bit of a contradiction when he regaled FCC members and guests with a succession of jokes as the

moment. The

"No. Just individual sheep." There is a long silence, then the voice inquires: "Could I have their names?"

An old Jewish fellow is dying and on his deathbed he calls his wife. "Rachel," he says. "I amhere, atyour

Aman atthe Olympic Games sees an athlete coming towards him and asks:

side," she replies.

my name?"

striding

AND FOUR CHILDREN TO SUP-

PORT'. His hat on the pavement has not a penny in it. The officer tells him in plummy tones: "I think it's a damned disgrace.

You chappies fight for your country, you are wounded in the service of your country, and Joe Public goes past with

never a thought. I think it's bloody disgraceful and I intend to put my money where my mouth is." He takes out his wallet, produces a couple of 5O-pound notes and drops them in the hat. "Get some food for your

wife and kiddies and yourself; and can

say on behalf of all of us, a hearffelt thanks and joþ good show."

The fellow looks at him and says: 8 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY 1991

in the room. I'd better go and see." She knocks at the door and the old fellow invites her in.

"Are you alright?" she asks. "No, as a matter oflact," he replies. "I'm not alright, since you mention it. I tried with the right hand - no luck at all. I tried with the left - nothing, I'm afraid. Just before you came in I was trying with both hands simultaneously, but I'm afraid it's no use, yotmg lady. I cannot get the lid off this bloody jar." An Irishman disposed of his wife by murdering her in an acid bath, then lost his left arm trying to get the plug out.

that

since his wife died he has not made love. In any case he had a low sex drive even when his wife was alive. Now he has met a much younger woman. They have arranged a weekend in Brighton

together and he is petrified that it will be a disaster for him. He has no confidence he

will be able to rise to the

occasion.

The doctor tells him he has these marvellous pills. He says one will be enough, but he is giving him a second as a back-up.

On the following Monday the friend turns up at the doctor's surgery with his arm in a sling and a smile on his face.

"How did it work out?" the doctor asks.

"Fantastic! Forfy-seven times in the

two days. Bloody marvellous."

"That's good," says the doctor. "And what happened to your right arm?"

"Oh, she never showed up."

Aman approaches his doctor, who is

"It seems you are always by my side," he says, "f recall the first little car that we had when we were first

"Are you a pole-vaulter?" "No," comes the reply. "Actually I am German - but how did you know

THE FALKLANDS \4/AR, WIFE

The English chap says: "Forby-two."

two snappy ones.

bearing the words '\4/OUNDED IN

got?"

haustible number of stories - mostly embellished with superb mimicry which kept a delighted audience laughing non-stop for the best of an hour. In many cases, the longer they were, the better. He began, however, with

A British army officer is

team is out

the Riverina and the 22 of them have another 19,000 to do, so they will be there for a couple of weeks yet. The B team a77 -matteam is in the Darling Downs and they've another 13,000 to do . . . How many sheep have you

club luncheon speaker on April 11. Having advised would-be jokers that the best jokes are the shortest ones, he went on to tell a seemingly inex-

along the street in London and sees a rather shocking sight of a fellow sitting on the pavement. He has one leg, with the trouser flapping in the wind. He has only one arm, with his sleeve pinned to his chest. His face is a mess of badly healed scars and burn marks. Next to him in hardly legible scrawl is a placard

also a personal friend, and tells him

Rolf Harris "Muchos gracias, senor."

Two Scotsman went on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. It hits the iceberg and the two find themselves clinging to the same piece of wreckage in the

icy waters of the north Atlantic. One says to the other: "Well, it could have been worse." His friend asks: "How in God's name, Jimmie, could it have been worse?"

The first Scot replies: "We could have bought return tickets."

An Englishman migrated to Australia and set up a sheep farm similar to one he had in England. After a while he telephones a contractor to tell him he has some sheep he needs shearing.

The voice at the other end says: in a bit of strife at the

"VÍe11, we're

married. You were at my side when we had that terrible smash and wrote it off. You were at my side then, I recall. "And then in 1939 when the Nazis discovered my secret hiding place, you were at my side as they marched us off to that fearful camp. Somehow, we came out of that more dead than alive. At least we were together, and we left

\r ì

the country of our birth and came to England to start afresh. I saved and scrimped every penny to form a company, and you were at my side, I recall, when I found out I was bankrupt and had lost the lot. "And now that I am dying, you are at my side again.

"You're a bloody jirx, Rachel."

An old fellow enters a sperm bank "I think

in England and tells the nurse:

it is a marvellous thing what you are doing for the future of this great country, and I would dearþ like to make a

donation." The nurse says: "We11, you are get-

ting on a bit." "No only 78 years of age, and I still lead a very active live in that regard what you was hinting about . . . and I wor¡ld dearlylike to make a donation." THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

LUI{CHEOIT SPEAKER

Rothman's sailor a bit short of wind

PEOPLE

UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, Lawrie Smith, skipper of the controversial yacht, Rothmans, who prepares so painstakingly and with such success for his ocean-racing ventures, admitted to being unprepared for his luncheon address to FCC members and guests on March 28. Smith, who was in Hong Kong for the annual San Fernando race, therefore devoted most of his time to showing a video of his voyage in the Whitbread Round-

ì¡

the-World race and afterwards answered a few questions. After coming first in Rothmans in the Sydney-Hobart race earlier this year, he and his crew were disqualified because of an advertising symbol on the yacht's sail. He said he got involved with Rothmans in June 1988 one

afternoon when he heard about the Whitbread race and was asked to enter. They had to start preparing within a week. "I said_I hadn't really planned on that, so we had to put the campaign together very quickly because the race was starting in September 19Bg and it takes almost a year to build one of these things. "Rob Humphreys was asked to design a yacht, which he did in two weeks. We launched it in April 1989, then drifted around the Solent for six months because there was no wind that particular summer. "I had to put together a crew. We put 16 guys together as a crew. They told me at the time they would prefer it if we had a mostly British crew, so we ended up with five Australians, two South Africans, an Irishman, a Malaysian and the rest were English."

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That's the Spirit: FCC President Paul Bafield steers the Spirit towards San Fernando.

THE yachtie contingent among FCC

Spirit did very well too; second in its

members was well represented in the biennial San Fernando Race (Hong Kong to the northern Philippines) at

class and fifth on corrected time (Chan-

Easter.

The 480-mile race is normally a fun race sailed mostly in light conditions. This year there were three days of 30-40 knot winds, rough seas and plenly of rain. Breakages and sea-sickness were rampant. One sailor said that he felt as if he'd spent three days in a washing machine (without the tumble drier). Despite all that there were moments of wild exhilaration (interleaved with moments of terror). As with all voyages once you are back on dry land, you file

nel Handicap Systém).

FCC member Tony Scott had the fastest ride - on the maxi Rothmans, which broke the race record by about 14 hours.

Other FCC members who took part - and survived - included: Michael Lunn, Steve Franklin, David MadocJones, John Cagney, Bruce Maxwell, Margarite Siron, Chris Reade, Chris

I know I ordered a large San Mig, but this is ridiculous. Nick Thompson's the man with a big thirst. Young, Karl Grebstadt, Steve Ellis, Keith Coppel, Eric Smulders, Bill Kraitzer, Alan Burge, Richard Willsteed, Fred Whithouse, Mike Mudd and Bill Areson.

away the terror and remember the exhilaration. And, of course, come back for more. Once the contingent arrived in the balmy climes of San Fernando it was parly time - the FCC, as you might imagine, was well represented. Usually at these events you hear the "if-only" stories and the tall tales. No this time reality was better than any fiction.

The only all-media boat was Spirit: the skipper was Robin Johnson of Time

Mike Westlake and Paul Bay{ield (Far Eastern Emnomic Reuiew), Nick Thompson (South Chinn, Morning Posl); Peter Jeffery (Awiuals magazine among others) and Ken Mcmngazine.

Lloyds Bank services and expertise available to individuals through our offrce in Hong Kong. For further details contact Graham Donald 82321321136/266 2901-4 Admiralty Centre, Tower 1, 18 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong.

Kenzie (Asian Business Press Group).

Stern faces members Peter Jeffrey (white hat), Paul Bayfield, - FCC (at the helm) and former member Ken Mackenzie. Mike Westlake THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991 11

PEOPLE Pictures of sartorial elegance at the China Coast Ball in Shanghai, FCC mernbers Jcan Le Clerc Sablon of Le Figaro and Robin Moyer, who was snapping au'ay for The Sunday Times.

ErÆ

:Þ

Jim Mulvaney, Asia correspondent with

Newsdny,IeTT,

Hong I(ong for New York in April after celebrating with fellow FCC members on a junk trip to Lamma. Our picture by David Tliurston shows (from left) Sinan Fisek, David Garcia, Mulvaney and Annie and Hugh Van Es.

LETTER I THINK Ted Thomas' description of the inimitable Forrest C. (Woody)Edwards as "curmudgeonly" is a little harsh. Gruff, if i may sub your copy Ted, is probably a rnore fitting adjec-

tive. But beneath that gr-uff exterior was a hell of a nice guy, who, as with many veterans of print journalism, had an outlook on life that combined an old newsman's scepticism with a young reporter's romanticism. In Woody's case it added up to a first-rate foreign

, l'r7

i4.',

correspondent. I first met Woody in Korea and when our paths crossed again in Hong Kong

some years later, he told me of a vacancy in The l{en York Tirues

bureau, which I subsequently filled. For many years we workecl together on the board of The Foreign Correspondents' Club and tn 7967, during the first of his two terms as president, he drew my attention to a building then

going up rvithin sight of our Hilton Hotel eyrie and suggested we investigate it as a possible club site.

We trekked up a newly-constructed staircase, climbing around scaffolding and stumbling over discarded building

materials,

to the fourteenth and fif-

teenth floors. In the time it took us to catch our breath, we decided that this space in Sutherland House, with its panorama of downtown Victoria and 1oo view of the harbour, just had to be the new home of the club. 12 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY 199i

l¡r--.rd

The

accompanying photo shows

Woody (kneeling in front, on the left) and colleagues in the Demilitarized Zone in Korea, circa 1953, with members of the Indian armed forces, who were there to superuise the prisoner exchange. Others in the pic are (from left to right) Jack Sampson, Ed Hymoff and myself in the back row and Frank

The apparent friendly camaraderie of the correspondents pictured belies the fierce competition among the agencies throughout the Korean War and the Panmunjom peace process. Dirty tricks were not uncommon, lead-

Press, as I recall, while Ed and Frank worked for United Press. I was a

ing to harsh exchanges and some fisticuffs. No names, no pack drill, but if the Indian MPs weren't present, the photo session may not have tumed out to be quite so harmonious. Never let it be said, however, that anyone might have behaved in a curmudgeonly manner.

Reuter corespondent. (Where are you all now, fellers?)

lan Stewart, NSW, Australia

Jordan, on Woody's left. Jack and Woody were both with the Associatecl

THIS SPORTING LIFE

Ready for action . . . goHers and caddies.

DAY TWO ROLLING down the South Super Highway, the bus jolted slightly. Concerned heads turned to see if the beer was all right, which it was. Continuing our sortie, oblivious to the fact that only one nut instead of the

regular eight was holding the rear left

wheel together while hitting 100kman-hour, we were moderately surprised when the bus came to a halt some 10 kilometres later. "The bus has broken down," was the cry as everyone clambered off, not realising how close we had come to

The line-up for the competition

disaster.'

seven flights of golf-maniacs to do battle.

Par for the

coarse DAY ONE AMID towering palm trees and a burning sun overhead seven flights of four golfers attacked the South Course of Canlubang Country Club in the Philippines in search of the coveted Carlsberg/F.C.C. Golf Scramble Trophy. As nothing less than a sub-par round would win, tactics played a big part and throughout the day huge shouts would break the silence to announce one flight had made a birdie, but more often than not this was a ploy to confuse the opposition, as nobody could possibly go round in 14 under par!

As the day progressed and the deadly dehydration slmdrome was kept in check by caddies armed with cold lager, it became clear that last year's winning 3-under-par round by John Lenaghan's team would not be low enough

Winner of the nearest-the-pin prize, the veteran correspondent of the Far -Eastern Economic Review, Rodney Tasker, receives his award from Carlsberg's Derek Currie. It was a shot of sheer class . . . luck had nothing to with it. 14 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY 1991

to take this year's title. When the seven weary flights staggered in through fatigue from the 6,165-yard tropical course, only four shots separated all the flights. As the party moved to Makati for the prize-giving ceremony, it was the defending champions of John Lenaghan, Derek Currie, Spencer Robinson and Rodney Tasker (the latter replacing Dave Gilhooly who by rule of thumb couldn't make it) who tookthe trophy andpots with a six-under par round, edging out John McDougall's team

by one shot.

Eventually the good old Highway Patrol on his motorcycle came along and arranged for some jeepney's to shuttle us to the course, leaving the Highway Patrol cars to take the remainder. Ron Kirkpatrick may have done many things from the sky, but being driven to the first tee by the local constabulary was a first for even Fitzy! Despite the flights being hastily rearranged, the Carlsberg Media Golf

Classic got under way just one hour late

but spot on "Filipino time". - Carlsberg tranquilizers were on hand

at the first tee for those who needed them, which was about 98 per cent of the players. Some five hours later at the 19th hole golfers recounted how they had holed from 30 feet or lost five balls down a ravine, or hit 30 bunkers on the Jack

Nicklaus-designed course. When tranquillity resumed and all the cards had been carefulþ scrutinized, FCC member John Lenaghan, now based in Bangkok, came out on top with 37 stableford points, which included one eagle and five birdies.

The nuts have come off the bus . . . well, not all of them. There are still a few on board, quaffing Carlsbergs.

In joint second place with 33 points were Dave Hodges, freelance photographer based in Manila, and FCC member Robert Low.

As winner of the 1991 Carlsberg Media Golf Classic, Lenaghan can now select where the scholarship or equipment award donated by Carlsberg to the sum of $10,000 should be given in Thailand where he is based.

Winner of the tournament, John Lenaghan, claims his prize from Carlsberg's PR chief, Derek Currie.

- The Prizewinners CARTSBERG / F.C.C. SCRAMBLE SIX-UNDER

PAR:

RUNNER-UP:

33 Stableford Points (15-18). ROBERT LOW (FCC) 33 Stableford Points (17-16).

JOHN LENAGHAN, RODNEY TASKER (both Thailand), DEREK CURRIE, SPENCER ROBINSON.

RUNNERS-UP

JOHN McDOUGALL, (FIVE.UNDER PAR): GEOf.F MILES, ROBIN MOYER, DAVE HODGES (Philippines).

DAVID HODGES (Freelance photographer based in Philippines)

BEST FRONT 9: BEST BACK 9:

NEAREST PIN:

JOHN LENAGHAN _ 21 Stableford Points. DAVE HODGES - 18 Stableford Points. HOLE 6

FRANK MILLER (FCC

trased in Philippines);

Team Trophy Winners

HOLE 15

RODNEY TASKER

(FCC based in Thailand).

CARLSBERG MEDIA GOLF CLASSIC 1991 WINNER:

JOHN LENAGHAN (Thailand) 37 Stat¡leford Points (21-L6).

LONGEST DRIVE:

HANDICAP 24 AND UNDER: JOHN LENAGHAN (Thailand). HANDICAP 25 AND OVER: MIKE TINSWORTH (FCC).

THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991 15

COVER STORY he spike-haired Queens-

lander was freezing

soundman Fritz von Klein. They were covering the

and afraid. Hi-tech land offensive with the US "smart" weapons the 101st Airborne the

"toys for the boys" - have Screaming Eagles a supposedly made modern helicopter assault division warfare different from the ihathad flown them ll2km filthy, fetid fighting of the into Iraqi territory. past. But for FCC member The journalists in the Gulf

Gary Fairman, an

r il

NBC were invited

to nominate

News cameraman based in which forces they wanted to Hong Kong, the Gulf War be with, explained Gary, He was more like World War I. was particularþ arxious to Fifming the action . . . Gary at work. After weeks of waiting, be with the 101st Airborne Story: Ron Knowles Pictures: fretting and filing the same because he was convinced boringly repetitive material they would see action and from Saudi Arabia, he was provide him with good matenow in the front line of the rial to film. "As a second option I wanted to be with action.

"I found myself scared out of my mind, lying in a trench,

Fritz von Klein

the Arab armies, since I

knew they would be the first bogged in mud and soaked to go into Kuwait." by torrential rain in the Iraqi was desert less than 300 km from Baghdad. I had only covered skirmishes and the Iran-Iraq war before, and realised

thiswas no disco.

. . Itwasno

party. This 'was At ease: Gary Fairman relaxes with Major Dan Gregson after the lo1st Airborne had dug in near Highway 8 in the Iraqi desert: (below left) the light wasn't too good for filming in Kuwait even at midday as the burning oil darkened the sky: (below right) one of the troops of the lolst Airborne takes cover -after the landing in Iraq.

'This no disco'

So it was that he found himself aboard one of the 68

bloody Black Hawk helicopters, serious." each one packed with arms Gary couldn't really com- and 15 combat troops, flying plain. He had volunteered for at more than 200 kmh little this desert sortie with his more than 7 metres above reporter Rick Davis and the desert. Garyhad something on his mind. The launch into Iraq had been delayed for an hour after the scout helicopter had

been shot down.

"It

didn't

make me feel real good," he

admitted. "I thought 'What is going to happen when 68 of them go in?"' When they landed they realised they were in the wrong spot. "My legs were like jeþ. We had to getback Desert for breakfast: there was no five-star service and in and we flew 1.5 km to the Gary shaved and drank from the same mug. "The Americans were correct position." next day they blew up the They were near to High- highway." conducting what they call way 8. Alongside the troops, Gary witnessed Iraqi 'psychops'. They would Gary and his NBC colleagues

began digging in, hacking away furiously at the slimy, saturated sand. "There was mud as far as the eye could see."

troops surrendering "in

send out a helicopter over an

droves" after they had

Iraqi position and drop leaf-

see

what the awesome accuracy

laser-guided 'ù/eapons

could do.

lets calling on them to

surrender within a given Continued on Page 18

StUck in the mud with J'¿#j 'legs like jelly' af

ere'"vas

THE CORRESPONDBNT MAY

1991

PEOPLE

Gary's War from Page 17 deadline. When they didn't

The mother of all balls

respond they wotild send in a smart missile that homed in

and just blew them to bits. Then the rest would come out with their hands up. It was amazing

Stem magazine's Stefan

Reisner

donned an earring from newly joined associate member Lynn Grebstat, PR of the Regent. Photographer Robin Moyer, shooting for The Sundny Times in London, forgot his shirt, his wallet and his ball ticket but still managed to Stand tall beside the tru1y aristocratic Jean le Clerc Sablon, of Le Figaro, who

the accuracy these

weapons." Gary said he had no problems with censorship or news management and had no objections to the pool system, which led to complaints

on the way up had been well

from some journalists that

admonished by CAAC staff for having

they were being restricted in their coverage and spoon-fed with sanitised details by the

eventually been found asleep at Kai Tak while then fully loaded plane waited to depart.

military authorities. There

Meanwhile, an unusually dapper

were as many as 3,000 corre-

associate Martin Merz appeared at the

in Saudi Arabia

ball with a Beijing opera star called Sunset, and Marc (Dr Doom) Faber, garbed in some kind of Prussian military outfit, took over the opening-of-

alone, he said. "We believed that the only

way we going to be able to cover the war was to be in the

pool."

He admitted, however, that the Americans "had a very good PR machine working for them." (He was less happy with the Saudi Arabians, who were particularly restrictive towards journalists with cameras.) "The Americans took me to a stealth bomber base where I was allowed to film anything I wanted to, The only thing I was told was 'Don't touch the plane and don't get under the bomb doors'. I also filmed a guy who bombed a nuclear re-

for their sartorial elegance. And so there were some difficulties in recognition as a select band of FCC members joined Hongkong's gliteratti at the China Coast Ball in the Peace Hotel, Shang-

hai, in March.

- of and deadliness

spondents

HACKS are not generally renowned

The magnificent hall for a glittering ball.

the-wine department for a while. David Thurston, of the Sundny Post Magazine was truly resplendent in patent rubber galoshes ($5.95 from Hangzhou No 1 Department Store, not shown). And NewsroeeĂ&#x2C6;'s Peter McKillop put his arm around the man who had the nerve to let it all happen, Peace Hotel general manager Zhao Xikun.

Stepping lively . . . Martin Merz

and,

sunset.

actor on one mission." He said the Americans

gave him details

the

ground offensive "weeks in advance" and, even as Iraq Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz

Above: Lynn Grebstad and Stefan Reisner ... with matching earrings. Right: Shanghaied in his kilt, Richard McKeown with Linda

was in Moscow on his illfated, last-minute peace mission, Gary was packing his bags for the assault that was about to be launched against

Tsang.

Iraq.

Last month he was in Hong Kong, packing his

- this time for a holiday in South Africa.

Pictures by David Thurston and Jennie

bags again

18 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

South China MornĂ?ngPost reporter Jennie Cooke (left) with John and Sally Carson. 1991

Cooke

Peter McKillop made peace with the manager of the Peace Hotel. THE CORRESPONDENT MAY 1991 19

PEOPLE Pictures by Ray Cranbourne Story by Ron Knowles

Irene O'Shea hat.

resplendent in her

SsnghongBnn\

Roberto Chard, with headband, his wile Carlotta, President Paul Bayfield and wife Kate Campbell, Michael Becker and Bruce Walker, with hat, needed only one more member to form an FCC sevens

Ron's drop goal was awinner atthe

Sevens

ยกnยก on Fitzpatrick had his eye fixed 1ยกl clearly^on his goal trom 3,00u l\r-eer away aL rhe Hong Kong

all over the world.

ster bracketed to a metal clip on his boot, which enabled them to drift to

International Rugby Sevens.

four in each of two helicopters

For FCC Associate member Ron was one of eight parachutists who jumped from helicopters to land within a whisker of a huge X marked on the pitch. It was all part of a colourful display on

put on about 10 shows a year. Melbourne-born Ron, who has his

the second day of the great rugby festival which annually draws teams from 20 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

The parachute demonstration was staged by the Coca Cola display team

who

own business selling telephone systems to forex dealers, came to Hong Kong in 7976 and took up the parachuting pastime in 1980. He said the Sevens display presented

no difficulties. Earlier in the day the team carried out three practice jumps over Sai Kung. Before jumping at the Sevens, the team jettisoned a wind drift indicator so that the parachutists could accurately estimate their exit point. Thus, they jumped a considerable distance to the

south side of the stadium and man-

Each parachutist had a smoke caniearth in a delicate pinkhaze - adding hrther colour to the scene already enhanced by their bright canopies. And what did Ron do the moment landed? r'I went for a nice, cooling jug of beer," he said.

team.

Left: Peter Wong brandishes a $5O bill in his effort to attract a wager. "I'll take any bets on the Kiwis".

oeuwed to land by the X in the centre of the ground. THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

CLUBNEWS

A PEDDLER'S JOUR}IAL

Dutch don't know

what they missed

by these immigrants is having, and will continue to have, a far greater impact on Australian society than merely the

LEIGHTON WILLGERODT, an Associnte Member of the FCC, is a with a US multinntionnl chemical comþany.

cuisine they brought with them. The rough edges of the traditional AngloSaxon culture are being blunted and "ockerism," in its more extreme form, is being increasingly placed on the defensive, and is in retreat to those smallpockets of ignorance where it can

salps execatiue

still find refuge. Another sign of what I would consider the increasing maturity of Australian society is the changing attitude

I WAS amused to read in an account of the early exploration of Australia, by Roberl Hughes in his book The Fatal Shore, that a Dutch expedition given the mission to "map the remaining unknown parls of the terrestrial globe" missed the continent completely. In

toward their penal colony beginnings. I am told by Australian friends that in recent years it has undergone a revers-

al. Today Australians search

blood lines hoping to find an ancestor

1642 lwo Dutch ships sailed south from Mauritius and then due east. They passed directþ south of Australia, and - not even having caught a glimpse of

who came out to the colony in chains. In

the old days they tried to deny that if, heaven forbid, there was a convict in their past, it remained

heritage and

the huge land mass to the north ran aground on what is now the island of Tasmania. Thinking it was part of the mainland, they named it Van Diemen's Land,

ó €

after their patron, and finding little there of interest, continued on an

To compound the irony, on their homeward journey they discovered Tonga and Fiji, mere specks in the Pacific leaving Australia for the British

politicians, for whom they seem to have a universal disregard.) The safest course for the recipient of

all this information is to agree with them, but if he does feel the urge to make some disparaging remarks they should be gently phrased and preferably submerged in a lot of gushing enthusiasm for the country. Some significance can be drawn from the fact that Australians are one

22THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

a carefully guarded secret. I can not conclude these brief comments on my impressions of Australia without mention of that most unique spread one finds on the breakfast table

each morning when visiting that fair country. I am referring to Vegemite. I was not disappointed to find it was just as unpalat¿ble as I thought it would

easterly course where they discovered New Zealand.

to claim 146 years later. I recentþ spent a week in Australia. It is easier to find now but still takes a long time to get there. I think Australians seem to be quite satisfied to be where they are. In fact I have the impression Australians spend more time talking about what a great country they have than any other nationality I know of. To the newcomer they constantly extol the virtues of their climate, their beer, their wine, their relaxed lifestyle, their open spaces, Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, and on and on. (The one exception I noticed is their

their

be. Vegemite can be included with

of the few nationalities who celebrate their military defeats. At the same time though they will not let anyone forget it

parts of the United States he would be

was the "bloody Poms" who got them into those no-win situations in the first place. There is something almost belligerent in the way they express pride in their nationality or country. At times one even gets the impression that they have the need to convince themselves

backwardness or ignorance. I found Sydney and Melbourne to be more cosmopolitan and sophisticated cities than I had expected, due for the most part to the presence of large

what a great bunch they are.

This tendency takes its most

ex-

treme form in ockerism.

"Ocker" is Australian slang for a typical Aussie from the outback. He could be a friendly, beer-swilling fellow who becomes one's drinking mate for an evening. Butthere is also an implica-

tion of ignorance and racism in the term.

Ar "ocker" is the type of fellow who will tell you over his 10th beer "its no bloody use trying to help the Abos. They will only take off on a walkabout and get drunk for a week". In some

called a redneck. "Ockerism," then, could be defined as a celebration of

numbers of "New Australians."

With the scrapping of the White Australia Policy in the mid-1970s waves of Asians and some Africans have joined the influx of Greeks, Italians and Eastern European refugees who began migrating to the country following the end of World War IL Establishments bearing names 7íke Luigi's Pizza, Peking Palace,

Japanese natto, Philadelphia scrapple and German limberger cheese as one of those dishes which the vast majority of the human race would classify as not fit for human consumption. It makes me wonder if any inference

can be drawn from its popularity in

Australia. Maybe it is just another symptom of their belligerent nation-

In any case, the Dutch don't know what they missed.

Drink

Reciprocal clubs The following clubs have reciprocal agreements with the FCC. This meaqs you can enjoy the facilities at these clubs, on cash basis, upon presentation of your FCC mem-' bership card, AUSTRAI-I,A

Canberra National Press Club, t6 National Circuit. Barton, ACT 2600 The Victo¡ia Club, lævel 41. Rialto South Tower, 525 Collins St., Melbourne, MC 3000

Dswin P¡eæ

Club, Cavenagh St.. Sydney NSW 2000

kings!

RugÞy Club, Rugby Union House, Crme Place Off 3lA Pin

By Club Manager fleinz Grabner

CANADA

St., Sydney 2000

REPUBLIC OF PAIAU

Palau Conmunity Club, PO.Box 598, Koror, Palau 96940

Ottawa National Press Club,

150

Wellington, Ottawa Kip

544

DENMARK

International Press Centre,

MAY has a special German flavour to it since the club will be introducing Hofbrauhaus beer - the celebrated premium beer from Munich, once brewed exclusively for the kings of Bavaria.

Now it is being made available to FCC members, not only at the Club but also at their homes. A home-delivery service is offered for any order of two cartons or more. Members may mail their order to the

club or give it to a waiter in the bar. The cost of the order will be added to your monthly account.

Copenhagen

14 Siaregade, DK-1205

GERMAI.IY

Jomalisþn Club, Berlin

Berlins E.V- Kurfu6tendamm 224, 1000

Presæ Club Munchen, 8000 Munchen 2, Maneîplalz

22,

Munich JAPAN

FCC

Tolvo,7-l

Yurakucho, l-Chome, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo

Tet 2ll-3161 KOREA

Sadan Pubin Seoul Club, #208 Jangchoong-Dong-2-Ka, Chung-Ku, Seoul

Seoul Forelgn Correspondenta Club, l8lF Korea Centre Bldg, 25 1-IþTaepyong-Ro, Chung-Ku, Seoul

THE NE'THERTANDS

Nieuwspært International Press Centre, Holfsingel

12,

Den Hague

NEW ZDAIAND

National Pres Club of WelHn¡þn,

PO.Box 2327,

Wellington,

IÙOTICE TO

ALL MEMBERS The annual general meeting of the FCC will be held in the Dining Room at 6pm on Wednesday [.lay 29. AII members are invited to attend.

SINGAPORE

Singapore Press Club, Times Houæ,390 King Seng Rd TTTAII.AND

Foreign Correqondents CIub of thailånd, 23lF Dusit

Thili

Hotel, 946 Rama fV Rd. Bangkok 10500

UNIED KINGDOM The Foreigr Prew Asociation, 11 Ctrlton Hous Termce, l¡ndon SWIY 5N Tel:01-9300445

Ipndon Pres Club & Saibes, 4 Carmelite

St., t¡ndon

DC4

Wig md Pen Club, 229/230 Strand, London WCzR

1BA

Tel:01-353{88f

the comfort of your outn home. Home deliueryfor any order of t1ilo or more coutons. Simply mail it to any utaiter at the bar and your order uill be add.ed to your montbly a.ccount.

your order to tbe

FCC or band

Nick's Greek Cuisine, New Delhi Tandoor, and Saigon Gardens, are now every bit as common as the typical Australian pub with the faded Fosters Beer or Tooheys Ale sign hanging out front. The diversity of cultures introduced THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

PEOPLE

CLUBNEWS

Haven't we seen this before?

Hughes is busted ,t

i=s=.F.

'-¡*

SOME members may have noticed the disappearance at the end of March of

the Richard Hughes bust from

Reuters

IT'S that picture again - well nearly. Certainly an eerie similarity: military helicopters, rooftop landings in embassy compounds, figures coming or going . . . The famous

Hubert Van Es photo of aerial retreat from the IIS embassy in Saigon in 1975 became the symbol of defeat

in the Vietnam war. "Looks like someone in the US military's public relations sectionwas trying prettyhard to exorcise the image, " said Hugh of the recent shot of proud marines landing in Kuwait City, "look, they've even got the same louvres; they probably painted them on."

the

Main Bar. Several theories were expounded as to its whereabouts but the puzzle remained unsolved. Several days later it reappeared unannounced, prompting much scratching of chins, and pulling of ears. As can be seen above, the bust was

piaying a part for the April issue of

Epicure, Hong Kong's leading food and wine magazine. While shooting Power Tables, featuring the favourite restaurants of the territory's movers and shakers, the magazine borrowed the bust and shot it in the Hilton Grill's Dick Hughes' room with his favourite tipple and "friends." Board member David Thurston was on hand to see the bust restored to its rightful spot (right).

Dealing with complaints paign over the size of coffee cups and

standard size for expresso and the price is about 100% cheaper than anywhere else.

the price of coffee. This campaign

The more important issue here is

involved placing adhesive stickers in

that there are a number of mechanisms that can be used for complaints: 1. The board went to some effort to arrange for surveys on food and beverage matters to be distributed. A large number of members have responded.

RECENTLY a group of members took upon themselves to mount a cam-

prominent places around the bar.

When the stickers were removed they lifted varnish off the bar. The bar, revarnished a month ago at great inconvenience to everyone, will have to be done again. The members responsible will be obliged to pay for it. Whether or not the message was legitimate has been somewhat lost. Fellow members, staff and the board view the method of protest as inappropriate. But to answer the protest: the FCC's coffee is considered one of the best in Hong Kong, the serving size is the 24TIJE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

The results of the survey are being collated at the moment. By the end of

May, the results will be published and acted upon by the board and the board-elect.

2. A was formed this year. From May food and beverage committee

onwards,this committee will meet each month to deal with complaints and suggestions.

3. Speak directly to the manager, particularþ when it is something that can be acted on immediately.

4. The suggestion box will be reintroduced. This was removed some months ago as members did not use it for complaints or objections - it was generally used for obscenities. This box will be cleared twice a month and be reviewed by either the committee or the board. 5. If you feel strongly enough then appear before the board in person and make your suggestion or complaint.

The board and the manager

are

committed to responding to member's wishes. Put it in writing and, now, let's move on .,.

THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

PRISONIER AT THE BAR

Dressing down WHEN Rupert Murdoch was in town to checkon his little tax lurk, The South Chim Morning Post,heinvited some of his executive minions to a boardroom nosh on

April

THE ZOO

BY ARÍHUR, HAC,KER

IT,s YoUR cLASstc

OLÞ CHINA HANÞ /\^EÊTS OLASS

Mindful of the occasion, they dusted

'AW /!\Ê SYN ÞRO

off their best suits and all but one were nattily turned out to meet their leader. The exception was the normally dapper SCMP operations manager Cyril Pereira, who, thinking the invitation was an April Fool joke, was clad in a casual leather jacket when summoned to dine. Perhaps Cyril had heard the story

sourced from Sydney

of the

ITrink about it! F,C,C. memberc represent one of the highest earning, per-capitå, consumer spending groups in Hong Kong.

F.C.C. members are generally decision makers who decide

night

\ryHAT to buy for their companies.

Murdoch went on the town with one of

his editors an Aussie of legendary alcoholic appetite.

As the evening drew to a close the pair agreed to share a taxi and staggered in search of one. A sceptical driver agreed to take them to Mur-

THE CORRESPONDENT is a controlled ci publication, reaching all members plus their families.

doch's flat, but the journey got to much

for the editor, who deposited a techni

Complimentary copies are mailed to other key figures in

colouryawn into the Dirty Digger's lap. Murdoch said nothing.

the city.

The fouled and the fuddled continued the journey in silence until they reached their destination and reeled away in different directions.

The following morning the first call the editor received was from Murdoch. He reached for the telephone and braced himself. "Gawd," breathed the great man,

"we must have had a heavy right. I

woke up this morning and discovered I'd been sick all over my suit."

You can say that again

Mixed up kid

ConEatulations

AN American newcomer to the territory was scanning an issue of Tke

. . . to Correspondent member Gavin Greenwood, of the Far Eastern Economic Reuiew, and his wife, Julia, on the birth oftheir second daughter, Tess, on April6. All are doing well.

Corræþondenlwhen he came across the notorious photograph of Nury Vittachi,

sporting a large earring and other

pirate gear, giving a slobbering New Year kiss to our ruggedly handsome editor. Stabbing Nury's image with his forefinger, the innocent inquired: "Who is she?" He was informed that "she" was the lascivious and lubricious Lai See - a noted columnistwho has been faxed by many of the big names in Hong Kong.

"Wow! Put me on the list,"

drawled.

Congratulations ..

to Journalist member Bob

Howarth, editorial technology and training manager of the Sowtk China Morning Post and editor of the Brailte post newspaper for the blind, which won a "best community promotion" award in

the 1991 International

Newspaper

Marketing Awards.

A leading media headì hunter blames bad management for some of the \¡/orst excesses.

"Managers rise through

the ranks of publishing

companies," she said. "They have little monev invested in their training. Ât the fint sign of trouble, they panic." L L;------------,.i

26 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

oi^n

1991

Bonus overseas mailing of 900 copies.

Thought about it! Join this list of smart advertisers who know the exact

market they are reaching,

Coffee Einders TWO members staged a protest about the fiercely adhesive stickers along the the club's coffee prices recently by surface of the bar to cushion their

plastering the main bar with adhesive labels bearing the legend $9 COFFEE SMATL CUP - BIG PRICE. - The small stickers proved a bit con-

drinks. _ The protest was not well received by

FCC authorities (see þage 25), whosê cups runneth over. fusing for more than one member. I hope the duo made theirpointabout Some people, mistaking them for a new coffee in the recent survey on food and style of beer-mat, tried vainly to slide beverage.

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JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION IIEWS

JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION NEWS ôt i I

I I

Having a t¡all

guests and members take the floor at the Grand Hyatt.

What aknight it was! THEY sang . . . they danced . . . and they dined when hundreds of guests and members turned out for the HJKA annual fund-raising ball at the Grand Hyatt on April4. And leading the way was the Chief Secretary Sir David Ford, who gave a gently witly speech about press relations with the government before asking his wife to join him on the stage in a duet. Sir David and Lady Ford then

gave a tuneful rendition of the Elvis Presley hit, Love Me Tender, which won an ovation from the appreciative audience. They were not the only singers of the evening. The lively band was kept on

its toes by

Mrs David Sun, the wile of the HKJA honorary auditor, presents the first prize in the draw two American Airlines round- to Los Angeles to Joyce Wu of trip tickets Commercial Radio.

Stephen Cheong, who proved his grow-

ing reputation as a vocalist with

couple of powerful numbers.

He was followed by one of Hong Kong's leading public relations personalities, Lorna Workman, whose

dramatic performance of a Chinese love song - in Cantonese - was rapturously received.

Lorna was joined later in the evening

by HKJA Executive Committee member Michael M allk and Journnlist editor Ron Knowles in that old favourite C hatanooga C hoo-C hoo

a demonstra-

tion that an engine can keep on track, even when two of its car:riages get derailed.

Legislative Councillor

Tender love - Sir David and LadyFord. Above: Director of RTHK Cheung

Man-yee steps out with World Wide Shipping boss, Helmut Sohmen. Below: Lorna Workrnan shows how to put across a love song with feeling.

AF-TER more than two years as chairman of the HKJA, Emily Lau announced last month that she was resigning to pursue a caree[ in politics. Emily is standing for direct election

Legislative Council of Hong Kong under the new procedures to

Emily added: "Having worked as a journalist for 15 years, I am deeply

create more democratic representation

aware of the importance of freedom of

two United Democrats, in her efforls to secure one of the two seats in the New Territories East constituency, which includes the highly populated areas of Shatin and Sai Kung. Her decision to enter politics has also meant that she has had to leave her job Hong Kong coffespondent of the apost Far Eastem Emnomic Reuíew she has held since June 1984. Emily said in prepared statement: "I shall stand as an independent candidate, not affiliated with or controlled by as the

any political party or organisation."

She placed the issues of human rights

1991

election platform priorities. Her experience with the HKJA had made her realise "that the fight to preserve freedom and human rights requires eternal vigilance," she said.

to the

will face several opponents, including

28 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

Cheong in full voice.

Emily Lau leaves to bid for career in politics

for the people of Hong Kong. In the election on September 15 she

HKJA Executive Committee members toast the guests.

Legislative Councillor Stephen

and press freedom at the toP of her

expression and freedom of the press and their significance in the preservation of other freedoms and on the rule

of law." There was a danger that press free-

dom could be eroded or disappear during the period of transition towards

the return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule. She pledged to pay close attention to developments in the news media and

do her utmost to uphold an independ-

ent and fearless press and

high

standards in the journalistic profession. Before becoming the HKJA chairman in 1989 Emily served as an Executive Committee member of the HKJA from 1985 to 19BB and as the association's vice-chairman from 1988 to 1989.

Emily Lau

new horizons

THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

1991

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APRIL GRIPHOS PUZZLE

The winner of the April Griphos competition was Doug Roots (2258) who wins a bottle of spirits donated by Hiram Walker. The answer to the ptzzle for "odd words out" was thatt\Mowords in eachcolumnwould notmake aword

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The HKTDC can help you make business headlines every day of the year. As a major force in world trade you'll f ind we ve always

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got a good story t0 tell: no padding, no puff and backed by accurate, up-tolhe-moment figures and statistics. Next time you receirle 0ne

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0r contact us if you need details on any aspect of H0ng Kong

7sB 1991

181

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30 THE CORRESPONDENT MAY

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when spelt backwards. The odd words out were goat, foul, fine, owl, dunce, case, review and feet.

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sydney

StephenN¡ak.Te Tel:(1)6

PamelaBott0mley

'Taipei ViviaYang Tel:(886)02-705-9333. Tokyo OavidHui Tel:(81)03-3502-3251Æ. Toronto 4444. Vienna JohannesNeumann Tel:(43)01-533-98-18. Zurich J.A.FLrer Tel:(41)0]-3S3-2950

W.H.W0ngTet:(1)416-366-3594. vancouver

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