The Correspondent, December 1998 by The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong

THE

Canoil THE CORRISPONIIDNT December 1998

The FCC

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under -30 hotu's THE FOREIGN CORRESPOIIDENTS' CLUB ) I.)s er All)ert Ror(l Hong Kong 2521 lil-l .Frx: 2868 4092 r.i""nh.n., ' Entril: fcc@lccllt( or8

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Soutb Korea is on tbe mend

rôüflìalist Member Governors

Li., Kin-'ning' Frrncis iuoriârq

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Flnaflce Comnittee Tgts u rz r: \Yllli^t\ H Areson -[r' Professional Committee irncl Jolrn Colnre¡' co, t r¿, tà,t, Li" Kin-nring

MultiMedla Co

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Cottt r',nn'' .lerry fuclrartlson

Membership comittee Cotltvttof: Htll)en \'1n Es Comittee F & B and Enterta¡ment clu,1",,oit, Kevin Egan rnd carl Rosenqttist

lVall Comnlttee

Coll¿zllol: Httbert van Es

Freedorn of the Press-Comlttee

SOU¡DAY YOU WANT TO BE IUST IIKE EVERYONE

Co tt t ? ilo

ELSE

Roben Sanders

The CorresPondent

o. o To usE THE VERY BEST

EDITORIAL

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Telenh Èut,t'il,

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Letrter:s

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Pfess confereflce cprìtacts Professional Social allairs FCC Golf societ5r' FCC irreplaceable Man'in Falkas

1998

The Forc¡gn c()ÍespôÁ<linr-s cluh o[ Hong Kong

Canon Marketing (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd. Tel. 21 70 2B2B

Covel photoglaph by Hubelt van

...

FoR Youn

Bmr Suor December' 1998

TtE

C0R8ESPOilIIEI{T

?"#: To the editor From I(eith Statham #3346 At a time when we are constantly being told that the Club is broke, the

selling it? If not where can we order it? Also, the price? Many thanks. I am enjoying The CorresPondent

Board of the FCC surely needs to give

very much and pass

rnembers an explanation of the "reasons" behind the decision (of which I am reliably informed but, of

around or

distribute some ofthe articles to people here who are interested or involved in Asia.

course, not promulgated to members)

to spend in

excess

(Editor's notei Tlranks

$800,000 on

knocking about and rebuilding the downstairs bar to transform it into financial viability study to back this capital expenditure, can we see it? If not, assnming that the net profits on booze consumed in this new "FCC

by retur"n e-ruail. As to wbetber the book uill be sold, in tbe club, perhaPs Ed. can contøct tbe

ad.d,ress

Jazz Bar" (not to be opened to nonmernbers?) are 1.00/0, how long will it take for jazz enthusiast club members

budget will the peformer's fees come? The club only has a finite market i.e. the members, so were this new

-venture (not open to the public) to succeed, itcouldonlydrawits audience

from the Main Bar...where profits will inevitably drop! I am not alone in wondering how, and on what commercial basis, decisions such as this are taken.

ex-FCCers

liuing in tbe great beyond. uho keeP in toucb uitb tbe club, tbeirfriends and. colleagues and Hong Kong tbrougb tbe pages of tbis magazine. You baue ølready been sent Ed's

to consume $8.8 million worth of drinks? On top that, out of which

tbe

leind word.s aboutThe Conespondent

It is nice to hear from

somebody's idea of aJazzBar.

If the Board commissioned

for

mctnager to arrange it.)

past two months,

minimum is spread over a year, saying that every member has to spend $3,000 annual1y. \Øhy, that's a normal lunch for me.

minimum usage charge and Chinese New Year gratuity, sent out bY Post. Can those who didn't iet the office know? Upon discovering this gap, it was re-sent by e-mail and fax.

I am anxious to support the club

but reaily do not feel I should

be penalised because I can't go there every

month. One other point: I have for many years argued that there should be a viable and pleasant area for members

to eat lunch and dinner safe from cigarette fumes. I suggesttheVeranda. Thele is ûrore compelling evidence that passive smoke calrses cancer, I find it obtrusive and obnoxious to have people aronnd me smoking at meals and I know many others feel the same. I have nowishto dictate myprejudices to others, but I feel that onearea tnthe club that is smoke free is a reasonable

a tour of their facilities (which are very nice: pool, health club/gym,

restalrrants, bar,Iibrary, deli), gave me

(lditor's note: President Diøne

members visiting Seoul check out the Seor-rl Club.

explanation?

Slormont ød.d.resses tbe issues raised in Keitb's letter in ber colutnn on page 4 )

From:John Clayden 157 5 ßalsatn Street, #JO4, Vancouver, BC V6K 3L7 TeL 1 (604) 685-6789 Fa* 1(604) 685-7578

coln You published my letler (August 1998) on (Edward) Stokes' book. Now I have a number of friends who also lived in HKwhowor-rld like get copies for Christmas presents. Is the FCC

E-mail: johnclayden@compuserve.

THE CORRf,SPOilDEI|T December 1998

Kevin Sinclair #1434 Thank you for the letter about rising costs. I have been waiting for it. It seems every club and lestaurant in Hong Kong is facing hard times. I have some misgivings about the tactics adopted to covel' costs. I have no quarrel at all with the contribution to the staff new Year bonus. Happily include me in that.

However, about the minimum rnonthly usage fee of $250, I feel that is unfair. Take my circurnstances. In the

circulal to membels concet'ning ottr' plans for the pool bar went out on November 6th. As an aside, I've heard some mernbers did not receive the

back fi'om three weeks in Seoul and wanted to relaY mY experience with the Seoul C1ub, one of our reciprocals. The staff made me feel very welcotne and after providing I just got

I( e¡thstatham's letter' (see letters I\png., was received bef'ore the

fairthatl be in effect penalisedbecause my work prevents me from being in the club. On the other hand, I arn perfectly h^ppy if the $250 monthly

FromVayne Wilcox #6714

the run of the place. Qttite a nice respite from the noise and hustle of Seoul. I highly recommend FCC

Is it too much to ask for

I have been out of Hong Kong for more than six weeks (Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Italy, Spain, France, China several times). Because of this, I have not stepped into the ciub for several weeks, So I do not think it

Over to you, Mr Statham

proposition. SØho knows, cLÌstomers.

yolr may get more

wish the club Governors the very best in the fight lo control costs and I

keep the club viable. I know you are doing a very tough job and get very few compliments.

cilcular, which also addressed

Obviously, though, the board is

Club next door has with Michelle's restalrrant. This is presumably what Keith lefers to in his letter. It was, however, only one of several proposals

put forward.

In the event, that was one we decided to put on hold for the time being in favour of attempting to boost usage by the existing membership. If,

the

necessaly returns, well, we

meantime, we are seeking to improve

snafu.

Addressing Keith's concerns, I think the first thing to emphasis is the though it is Club is not "broke" making an operating -loss which the board has had to address. 'we have reseryes of around HK$12 million which are responsibly invested and yielding interest.

malket when the pool bar is booked to capacity and bookings have had to be turned away and by aclding to the facilities we offer. The refurbishment blueprint increases the numbe.r of seats, bums for the use of, and makes downstairs a more welcoming place by opening it up to natural light,

Our choice was twofold,'sfle could

The plans, which are displayed in

twiddle our thumbs and allow our

the lobby for all members to see, were

operating

losses to eat away at

reselves

and hope things would somehow improve two or three years down the track. Or we could address the deficit head-on. 'W'e chose the latter rather than opting for short-term populist approvaL by dumping the problem on a future board and letting it deal with a chronic problemas itballooned into a crisis.

mr¡lti-use" fâcility, to employ the jargon

of thoSe in the trade. Perhaps P.R. will then , companies such as'Keith Statham have to think again. But in the Associates Ltd, will find it a benefit.

of course, we fail to attract

pool bar revenlres through a twopronged approach. To inclease the covers, particularly for the lunch

perturbed and needs to track down and remedy the cornmunications

As an extra, the place is designed

in such away that it can be rented out for events rangingfrom cocktaíl pafiies to art gaÌlery exhibitions, to fiLn nights to press conferences. All these will take some of the strain off the main dining room. The plans have been clrawn up specifically so it can be "a

predicated on offering a distinct alternative to the rather formal restaurant upstairs and the raucous bar on the ground floor. Downstairs, during the day, will be more of a Clipper

Lounge type place. Comfortable seating, lots lo read, in short a comfortable den-like p1ace.

As for the evenings, we have soughtto enhance the night-time trade

aaaaoaaaaa

Our appeal for memorabilia to mark next year''s 50th anniversary of theÆCC's ârríval in Hong Kong has yielded some gems. Bob Davis of the

Stockhouse has tlacked down the historic photograph mentioned by founding member Albert Ravensholt of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek

reluctantly toasting each other,

photograph taken in the FCC's oliginal premises in Chungking.

The committee responsible for charting next year's 50th anniversary extravaganza is hard at work turning ideas into reality. In the meantime, we're keen to solicit sponsorship, advertising, andyes, cash. We'd like to obtain aidine tickets to fly celebrities to Hong Kong, hotel rooms and other forms of accommodation, prizes and

funding.

This board, aftet along and careful

by offeling extra facilities. These

If you or your company

Ielters to tbe editor are always win yourself a bottle uelcome

revenue-return side, one of the proposals we considerecl was to

include live music and other forms of entertainment and a late-night venue open to those who work until midnight and later' a caiegory that covers in this town not to many journalists mention other night-owls.

contribute, please don't hesitate to

STf)LICHNAYA

look at a numbel of proposals, decided to target the erosion in takings from the downstairs pool bal as the first in a

an original or of Stolicbnayafor uiry letter-

but ue reserue the

rigbt to eclit.for clarity orfor reasons of sþa,ce.

series of ren-ieclial lneasures. On the

"special" members. That is a proposal

Keith, as the former guru of the Hong Kong Arts Festival and a P,R. supreflro, we'd like to invite your input

lather similar to the one the Fringe

to the entertainment programme.

transform the Pool Barinto aJazzClub

and seek revenlres by allowing in

can

contact the convenor of the 50th anniversary committee, Ben Beaumont,

who can be contacted through the front office.

DianeStormont December 1998 1f,8

C0RRXSPONIIXNT

a few weeks before the event, the team could handle a 12-hour bash without serious discomfort. True! Of coLrrse, water-divining survival techniques wele also inclucled.

Pak Tam Chung to Pak Tam Au Rick 'Crewcut' Adkinson drove the tearn together with Dr Mike'Potion' Moles, Hu 'HapPY SnaPs +1' van Es and Bonnie Special to the start. Finally,

Ray Pierce

r-rnder starter's orders at Pak Tam Chung, with perfect weather and huge profits fol vaseline shareholders, the teenx, pronounced with a Scottish accent, was readY for the agonY of it all, Encouraged by Chief SecretarY Anson Chan, we were off at LI a,m', oul position sotnewhere at the back of the crowd. "'!7e only want to finlsh and have no need to rush," was the collective sentiment, but a few thousand walkers can take a while to pass on a nal'row and twisting path! After a long flat one hour pull around the resewoir, which Ego noted ended up quite close to where we started the fun before it began clinbing Sai Sían Mountain. The next pithy comment I recall was "if this is sttpposed to be trailwalker, where's the bloody trail?"

and Keuin. Egan

Operation Trùølwalker toLrted tl-ris stalqzart tearrr in last rrrontl-r's Cc>rrespotzcletzt uzit-kr a- f)retty pic taken in fror-rt of tl-re clul->. NÇzell folks, the FCC -lr;aJlvr¿rlker lfearrr a.ctv-a.IIy'uzalked' (it is a, v,¡a]katl-ron rerrrerrrt>er, not a lrlr:^a.ratl;on) tl-re entire lOOkrrrs of tl-re À4acl-el-rose lfrail. NToxz krere's the inside stoÐ/ of the adrzerrtr-rre coltrteslz of the tearrr ca-1>ta,itl Lot¿is 'Alice' Tatorr¿¿zs \ùçze

\Vf. W

have all hearcl the one about

ln*y"r's at the bottom ol the ocean, but what about three

lawyers, a weightlifter and Alice in \Øonderland at the top of Ma On Shan? Lore and odour perhaps? Here comes the lole.

In a moment of diminished

responsibility, one Ray'Monclo' Pierce

and accomplice Pete 'Twiggy' Pedelsen conspired to inveigle ace balrister Kevin 'Ego' Egan to join thern

in Trailwalker '98, this year's fundraising walkathon organised by

Oxfam and sponsored bY the Hongkong Bank. In need of a fourth to rotlnd otlt the team, preferablY someone with Trailwalker experience to show them the way, I was approached (11 times since 1981). Alittle later, Andrew'Pupil' Chandler joined as the official reserve after sutwiving a seven-hottr practice thus fulfilÌing in the driving raln,

- more olÌr need for Yet

legal

representation. More strenuous training followed, including two serious night sessions.

ecember'1998

How successful were these late night 'walks'? Difficultto say. During thefirst session, it is 'alleged' a little known noodle shop at Shatin Pass was terrorized sometime after midnight. Another session included healy grit enhancing 1ungle bashing around Mount Parker, For extra muscle

building during this exercise, Alice cleverly discovered severe hills where

none had previously been known to exist. Longer and longer walks were

completecl to inclease stamina which imploved to such deglee that

s Teatn doctor Míke Moles clistt"ibtttirtg uitantins to tbe FCC teant'. Frottt Thott'r.cts, Peter Pedersot'4 Moles, Ray

left to rigbt: Keuin Egatt, Ior.Lis Pierce and Anclrezu Cbartdler.

\\\

Then came thevillage of Sai'W'an,

the first checkpoint, where we were bar-coded in and out like oversized packets of crisPs in a suPermarket

checkout. Onward to Ham Tin, monsterbunkerwith not a golfer in sight and over the hill to Chik Kang (from whele PO!? escapees could rnake the final run to China during the Occup ationhalf-a centLlry ago). This place is so wild those viscious New Terlitoríes' dogs have to watch out for themselves.

through

F c6tþta.i

n Iot t is Tbontøs

Then on to second checkPoint at Pak Tam Au, where omniPresent Dr Mike awaited with our tolches and his magic potions.

Cheung Sheung and Kai I(ung Massive

Good breecling, and the fact that Tbe Correspondent represents a cultured and soPhisticated membership of an equally cultured ancl sophisticated club, prevents full disclosure of comments thrown at this suffice to say it section of the trail ascends 9Oo/o of the waY, with three

Mictd.te of tbe nigbt stop for nou.rishmelTt arLd wamt clotbes preþaratiotx for ilte cold. h'elz rLp Tai Mo Sban December

it't'

5r ñ h

Clockwise fiom top: The end is in sigltt' only 2o.4kms to go; Bonn'ie and Mctrion þrepctring breøkfast for team tnetnbers øt the BOkm Point; Teatn doctor Mike Moles taking a break tubile waitingfor tbe team dt the 80km checkpoint.

ñ I

Ciockrvise fi'orn top: TeanT cct'ptctilx LotLis 7-ltotnas cbecking the all intpot"tant.feet; Peter Pedersott's feet cfter the Solznts; A welcont'e barty breakfcrst ctt Íbe SOkm stc,tþ

i".

{

ñ 5

cribed

c byEgo' an Ltnw hear,y

of calls it 'Cock Crown Mountain' Q97m)' Monclo triecl to lead a group of tired walkers astray after the first gentle son

steps up 'Buffalo's EYe Rock' (447m),

b.,i *åt frustrated bY PuPil who

whistled through his teeth in a waY long forgotten. Darkness began to falt"as thã reem tackled Stone Head 'Mountain and Thuncler Strike Rock Hill' (both around 400m) prior to the final assault on Cock Crown, After much Parn artivrng on top' the scene was akin to a battlefield, but it was cold and there was no incentive

down leads KeiLingHa, but known, night due to

treacherous tree roots and uneven a Path Lt rocks otherwise known ^s

the bottom awaited the angels of mercy

as walkers have spread or-rt, but you

(a.k.a.) Marton Chandler, suppofi team

still have to watch ont as occasional 3 p.m. express teams storm past. "Passing please!" slightly frantic. "You're welcome," a bit sarcastic.

leacJer and remaining angels' Bonnie Special, mY sister Jean, nePhew Rob and Doc Moles. Vegetarian Muscles finished off several serwings of pasta and two or three buckets of beef and

lü/ithout this support, the FCC

"Swoosh." Once on the top and the heartbeat is restored, walking along the saddle is easy usually as it is well lit by the lights of Kowloon and Shatin, although it's much noisier now as the new Chek Lap Kok flight path passes overhead.

team would not have been able to rise

Roughly where the business end of

agaLl1.. ..

the horse would be is a very steep and

vegetable souP and there followed noises off, of sustenance going in and

socks and otheritems of clothingbeing

changed.

Horse Saddle Mountain to Kowloon (FlYing Goose) Peak ..

..but rise we did. Seemingly like

the face of the 'Eiger', but in fact a mere 45 degree sloPe where stePs

constructed 20 Years ago have long since been washed awaY I>Y heavY rain. By now the route is less crowded

treacherously loose slope, which can be a problem for those with a knee situation, as did Mondo by then. Next is the suggestively known section 'One Rise More'. "For nightwalking you need plenty of light!" yells Alice, stiil remernbering his minor coronary at this spot during training due to an inadeqr,rate torch.

Ego's was mr-rch bigger'. "Yott know, if yor-r turn ofl the torch and wait for yolrr eyes to get usecl to the clark you can lnanage withor-rt it

of cotiLse, giving the whole area a very .snlreal appearance. But the hot tea ancl coffee, the coln and chicken soup, ancl more of the goocl Doc's potions

...aaatghl"

rer.ivecl us all.

Hald-learned lesson: light

Half Way!!

in'iportant.

Intelesting too is the ancient Chinese path on this part. tsuilt a few

tl'iousancl years ago, "long before 1841," rnuttered one. "And unlike those

r-rp

Ma On Shan

still therel" gluntecl another. - Sholtly after checking in and out at the fifth checkpoint, Gilwell Boy ScoLrts' Carnp, we arrivecl at the well chosen pagoda on Fei Ngoh Shan Road

wlle|e the sLrppo|r teant was again ready to breath life and glit back into

To Beacon Hill

At Shatin

Pass we were half way,

or, one hundred clicks. (Unlike rnilitary

exlreme'Alice Springs' tnid-westet'n accent. tVhen you get to Beacon Hill you don't hang around as it gets rather chilly. Soon we were cruising tl'irottgh

monkey colrntry; i.e. Kowloon Resetr.oir and up to the CP 6 (Rifle Range) for beef casserole and

mentionecl eadier was doing

a roaring business, especially in batteries and there were the bodies of weary tlailwalkers all over the road. This time, already filled with food ancl good

vegetables

cheer, we shrnk past hoping we

The Dreaded Needle and Grassy Hills to Lead Mine Pass As we left the sixth checkpoint heading thlough the Shing Mun

sllppoftefs wefe pfesent; crewctlt and Amy 'Blue Eyes'Jarneson. The wind was fierce, across the mountain siopes

white balloon on the top of Beacon

At this stop 111<lre

from a long group of trailwalkers in flont, ancl holding Muscles back. Apparently he told them so, br-rt was insufficiently understood due to his

slang, each click o[ clistance post represents a half a kilomeÍre, not a kilon-ietre.) The noodle shop

*'or-rldn't l¡e noticed. This was a fatrly easy leg with supelb views of the Kowloon Peninsula and what ttsed to be a busyairport. Aslightpull up to the

or-rl bodies.

Hil1, but nothing leally serious, apart

redoubt, a painful defence line facing theJapanese invaders in 1P41, some, but not too mttch pain, was being felt by us as we approachecl the Shing Mun Reserwoit'. Dawn broke shortly

before ariving there ar 6.15 a.m. The thing that get you about 'Needle' is that whenever you think yon're almost at the top, another peak appears. But when it eventually appears, it is fiercely steep and plunges straight down just as steeply as soon as yolt get there. By then it was fu1ly daylight and 'Grassy Hill' in all its beauty and deception could be seen. The deception is again steepness.

"If you put youl'hand out in front you can touch the ground, " exclaimed

Pupil. "Alice why the

@+$%

weren't

we tolcl about'Grassy' duringtlaìning?" "NØe got lost! Rernember?" After more threats to my health, we arrived

at 'Lead Mine bauin'g.fít't'ishecl tbe h'ailwalker'9g itt Tbe teatn at tbe 1))lznt mark, 29brs 59mit't'

=IEH#F¿¡

Pass', the seventh

checkpoint.

Tai Mo Shan

It then began to dawn on r-rs the

{X>

only serious challenge to completion of the trail was this next and last, bnt

sorlewhat gentler, mountain, for although only two-thirds of the trail was up, the remainder would be 95o/o down and aneasy underfoot. Soon in high spirits we were gliding down the Tai Mo Shan Road leading to RoLrte

T\øSK (the Tsuen

.ùØan Shek Kong

link) and eighth checkpoint, u.l'ieLe a special treat awaited. Crewcut picked

õ-ù si È ffitrb

ir certificates of contpletiot't'

up in our Peugeot Lirlo and whisked us down to The Gun Club. Real toilets, sinks, showers, seats and tables, eggs, r-rs

bacon and tea, a change ofsocks and shirt ol whatever! Br-rt no beer. Not yet.

The fìnal agony of Tin Foo Tsai T rial andT ailam Chung reservoir and catctrment

been major! Ego had splint problems; that's the long thin mr-rscle down the

oulside of the shin, which gets

extlemely sensltive rn'hen sprained. Mondo's knee was not any better, Pupil's eyesightwas worse) still seeing shooting stars in daylight, Alice kept falling asleep on his feet ancl had to resort to pondefing Fertlat's Last Theorem to stay awake. To cap it all, Twiggy kept bleaking his lead and wouldn't stop l'ushing ahead.

At about 3.15 lust before the penultimate checkpoint we saved one team's bacon by rescuing a barcode u,'rist-band which was lying on the track. Tl-re very last haul arouncl the Tai Lan-i Chung would normally be a most enjoyable stloll through some pletty scenelybLrtthis time itwas quite boring and tine consltrning, coltnting the clicks (i.e. distance posts) as it twists and tr-uns following the shore of the feseñ/o11'. An hor-rr laterwe were on the

final

water-catchment in Castle Peak which takes teams to the giant steps leading down to Pelowne Barlacks, one time

belonging to the British Army, now

Clockwise lrom top left: 'Where does ot'te -go afteífit'tishing a 100 km walk? FCC o.f

the Tlaining School of the Immigration

Department. Crew-cttt and Blue Eyes met Lrs about 15 uinr-rtes from the finish and chir,'vied us in under the 30hor,u mark. Al1 five of us crossed the line in 29 hours 56 minutes (Alice's watch) to be metby or,rrfaithful support and Kees 'Happy Snaps #2' Metselaar. There followecl an understandable peliod of celebration both at Perowne ancl in the FCC, but here is not the place for such detail. See you at the far end of the Bar, just left of "Dingoes"'

coLn"se; Tbe onþ) otber FCC tt'¡.em.ber tuho

ualleed tbe trail tbat we kt'tew of. Nick Thom.psotl. tuas roþed i1x 6tt tbe lttst tnonl,er;t to tualla for the Rugby CIub Teant, tuithotLt bauitlg clone any h"ait'til'tg at allfor tbe euent; Celebratiott lulch at tbe FCC: "Mother" Mariott Cbattcller

= I ñ h

Corner'.

Atabout 1.15 p.rn. thehappyband was readyto tackle the lasttwo sections

knou,'ìng that

it wor-rld soon be the

end. " Hey Alice, you said the trail was flat or down! How corne it is going up?"

"\Øell, I didn't say that exactly. . .. ". Rucle sign at Alice, more threats but then I suppose that's what the captain of Manchester United gets to pLrt Lrp with. Fame comes with pain.

Therein lay the problem. Since rising on Friclay morning we had all been awake for some 30 hours and were extremely drowsy and had minor aches and pains to contend with. !Øithout Doc Potion, they could have

Conclusion Of about 800 starting teams, less than 400, cornpleted. The average age

of Trailwalkel' participants I guess would be less than 30.The FCC tearn, with an average age of 47, came 130'L'. L.H.Kwan finished in 36 houls. His stLrdenrs collected $1,000, which has been donatecl to the FCC team. So far

we have raised over HK$70,000 for a very good cause. This was a stllnning achievement of detelmination and personal leadership fi'om within each member of the walkers, their sltpport team and lhe generor-rs sponsors.

@ Decer¡ber 1998 THE

CORIESP0IIIIIEI{T

Post-fl atrrdovet llong Kong rJØest rlaeets East? Rouzan Callick, tlle Austr¿zli¿ztz East lTteets ryest. Or is it in Hong I{ong, discusses Lris neu/ t>ook Itirtanzc icz I l?euiezt/ s c<>tres1>ondent orr tl-re SAR. Cyrit I)t'tn't'p reports

while market bears have

Public Relations Manager, with whom

capitalist file. . . .victim, as the government would have it, of

currently the AirPort AuthoritY's he stayed on several stlbsequentvisits.

ln1996,when the then editor-in-

chief of the Australian Firtancial

ReuiewaskedRowan if he would like an overseas posting ... he had no hesitation in choosing Hong Kong. The book project came about when the publisher of the University

.otärpånd"nts in Asia and an FC'C stalwart, described

Hons Kong as "

ramiju nctior-l s, lree-boot ing

colonv. naked

and

,,nnrháÁed, devoid of self-

pity, l'egrets ot fear of the i","t""I.. an "unnatltral

world in which East met'!íest

on common grounds of Dretence and exPedience;

.orrup,,on a nd

"iftre PLA turned into pus slzcats u¡trile rrrarket bears frarze canrsed lrntold d;axrrage- So, Elong l(ong ís out of ttre red fr5ring parr and intcr tlle

logic; hypoclisY and molalitY; nåiì n"t really understanding the other but cooPerating with each other in br'rilding a and t"ii"* *f't,.h borh undelstoodwhile benelired each ;'1; *;i.h contemPt lor the other"' having nå.ãlii"g í-tot he first visited

on the Ho.rs lionsr"o me20Yearsago' a daY (Airstralian) s2o i;J f.;

"í, Rowan shared this world toLlr,

capiÍalist

fire----"

of New South \X/ales asked him if he

would be willing to write a book about post-Handover Hong Kong, "Thinking I could just string together a few old features, I said Yes."

This is not what his book,

Comrades t CaPitalists: I{ong Kong Since tbe Hand.ouer,has turned out to

be. Concenfrafiîg on economic instead of political issttes, Rowan has the could stay for $10 a mght' Once wrote laughtel had subsided theY

doõn an aclcL'ess on a piece of paper guessed and I endecl LtP at - You've Chung King Mansions.'' - norruni.tY, he clid not staY there i'rescued" by the only long. He was

it!

"The PLA turned into pussycats

person he knew in Hong Kong, one Phillip Bruce, well-known Hong Kong historian, FCC quiz team captain and

had plenty to write about as Hong Kong has gone through the thloes of its worst meltdown in 13 Years, with

its currencY and stock

1Tìarket

repelling attacks from all sides. On the other hand, it has seen relative calm on the political front.

caused untold damage. So, Hong Kong is out of the red frying pan and into the

South Korea on the mend South I(orea's Arnt>assad<>r-at-Large for Econorrric Affairs, Dr l(irn I{i Hvzarr, l-righligl-rts his countÐz's econornic progress. -Bt'¿sitzessu,teek coffesf)ondent A4czrk C) lilforri reports Korea is on the mend. That's the message that Seoul's ebullient and erudite Ambassado r-at-Large for Economic Affairs Kim Ki Hwan brought tothe FCC. Kimticked off a convincing checklist of progress that Korea has

But there's much more lo be done, as

Kim candidly conceded.

The top five cbaebol have

continued to stonewall to the point

the big chaebol will be a litmus test for Korea's future. Labor is another key flash point. Korean workers went from being among the most brutalised in the world in the Eighties to enjoy a decade of

Foreign reselves have surged

where they haven't allowed NØorld Bank-funded auditors tasked with restrllcturing Korea's economy to look at their books. The government has

funds."

from a paltry US$9 billion last December to a record $45 billion

Hyundai, LG, Daewoo and SK) to

are still difficult and productivity is among management and workers remains

Rowan said although many international journalists had lost interest in Hong Kong because

now . The current account surplus will balloon to a staggering fi37

submit sweeping reorganisation plans.

high.Kimpointed to encouragingsigns

nothing much was happening here on the political front, he thought the territoly was still a terrific city from which to cover

billion this year, after a

decade

of cleficits, providing

much-

dastardly, fiendish yankee hedge

made in the past year:

ordered the big five (Samsung,

extraordin ary realwagegains. Layoffs

miserable. Distrust

in some recent dîsputes, including

I '

needed breathing room . Korea's currency has stabilized,

a successful compromise over layoffs in the financial services sector. Br-rt much more progress needs to be seen before there can

be real grounds for optimism in

trading in a narrow range of 1,300-1,350 won to the US dollar

travellers, talkers and

o The country has removed the

this Kolean sore spot. Kim's FCC talk underscored his position as one of Korea's few

researchers who naturally feel massively constrained while in the mainland." "AndHongKongmatters

overhang ofshort-term debt, by negotiating for longer-telm loans

longtime member of Korea's elite

China and the region because

it was the base of "incessant

in itsell because it remains the eternal city to the 55 million overseas Chinese whose liquid assets have beenvalued atUS$ 1.7 trillion and because it symbolises, as nowhere else, the merging of the two great themes of our era: the globalisation ofworld economies and the rise of China. "How they develop and to what

extent they will continue to grow harmoniously or whether they will set up as rivals will be fascinating to watch. And, there is no better place than Hong Kong from which to observe this." Read between the lines, one could be forgiven for thinking that Rowan has already chosen the subject matter of his next book. A reuieu of Rowan Callick's book

can befound onpage 20.

true international players. A tecþnocracy and a one time economics tutor to strongman

More than 500 new laws or

presidential decrees have come into force . A new Financial Supervisory

Commission has

Chun Doo Hwan, Kim has been among a small group pressing for

more iiberalisation

been

. Hosti

le takeovers by

two decades.

It is not clear that his views have yet won the day, given the atavistic belief among many

foreigners

are allowed. . Five banks and more than two dozen financial institutions have been shut down or merged and $19 billion spent on recapitalising the banks

There's no doubt that this is impressive action for a country that has for decades tried to resist radical change and has vainly tliecl to preseñe

an outdated statistic model of development, one that nurtttred the

lumbering cbaebol (big business

groups) with cheap finance, br¡tdicln't ask them to make a profit in return.

and

transparency for the better part of

established to oversee the sick banking and finance sector . Foreign ownership of stocks and rcal estate has been almost completely liberalised

The process is not pretfy. It is certainly

not market-driven and there is no guarantee the bíg boys are really going to change anytimesoon. Manyanaþts think the cb øebol's stubbornness could drag out Korea's crisis.

Kim, however, is optimistic that

if only because will change them to the government forces they

record stretching back more than a clecade where they have wriggled out of government attempts to tame them. In any event, change at despite

Korean officials and businessmen that the cozy oId ways of doing business are best. But the crisis in Korea, and the election of longtime opposition warhorse Kim Dae Jung as president a yeu ago, have forever changed the face of Korea, Inc. Korea still has a long'wayto go if it is to achieve its aim of becoming a prosperous, democratic country. But as Kim Ki Hwan reminded us, the country has travelled a distance in the past 12 months that would have been unimaginable to contemplate before the onset of the Asian financial

cfls1s. December 1998 THX

CORRISPONDXIIT

Saving the wodd's att.

human rights and the environment as ,LmnèstY International and Greenpeace. Being as imPassioned who's to say as she is abotlt her cause, some achieve she won't of her goals. The wife of Kad von Austria, had little trouble

enlisting strPPort as

was cleãrthose who had come to listen to her

subscribed to her ideals in and her cause, at least

moral terflis if not

financial ones'

Of cotlrse, havingan

aú aîd ctrltural

Pedi-

sree lent a cerlain heartY-

ieight qualitY to what she had to say Besides being the founder ancl chairman of Art Resto-

in getting the ftrnds and the right people involved in restoration and to

physically save what is plobably the

world's most important group of about a dozen panel paintings done in the eally Renaissance style, probably between the 14th and the l6th centuries. '!7e were also involvecl in the restoration of Europe's second oldest synagogue in Dubrovnik," she

Arcbduchess is nowfocusing on Cbinø.

Shocked by the enormity of the 'catastrophe', the Archduchess started

travelling the length and breath of Central and Eastern Europe including the far reaches of the then to see first hand the Soviet Union ravages of art-and cultural heritage's five natural enemies: war, looting, She herself studied at St Martín's

School of Art and the Institute of

ContemPorarY Art in London, ancl worked for the family foundation in Switzerland for three years before she embarked on her own crtlsacle to do what she could to Preserve and

vandalism (and ad hoc conservation), political repression (and confiscation), neglect and mass tourism. Along the way, she earmarked some art and cultural heritage sites,

in the war-torn

former Yugoslavia, that badly needed to be

ber 1998

especially

-l?i c

b ct r¿ls o

?'L

aroline Yeoman opened her speech (better known as "interactive dialogue") by asking the

rlorade easy?

everyone else in the room and only lwo peopie had enough cards to go round.

Though, of course, all the

advantages are lost if you do not remember anything about the person who gave it to you in the first place. So, how doyou do committomemorythe

have made a promise about getting eithel some information for them or eVen just mentioned that you woulcl d,on't lef fue grøss contact them

- feet. Ol they will grow.uncler your forget you. as quickly as they met yolÌ, Then having established

audience ("information receivers"). She then went on to ask what

the audience thought her group knew about the brain? Here the

business card? Those thatjog your

answers came

'ùØhat

of the question was to bring into focus the creative side of ournatlÌre

notes do you put on

memory. A few ideas: Date and place w'here you met. Slhat citctrmstanc es (friend / associate

tad slowerbutwere

still quite well informed. The point

two sites worthy of her

which should be used to the full

of . . ). Anything physical that helps bring back a mental image: Colour

when networking. Yeoman went on to talk about the great advantages of that well known Hong Kong accessory: The Business Card. However, just having

and body, and set of

some

"those cards"

will

ol style of hair and clothes or' perhaps any particular speech mannerism. Note anything you be1ìeve will help conjure up a face circumstances,

not

necessarily open the network channels. You should also be well prepaled for any type of social meeting that might become a networking possibility, therefore you should do your homework about where you are going and whom you

during the Cultural Revolution ..,(and) followed up by rampant

could meet. This involves making sure that you have enough cards with you, what you wear and how you present yourself. This was proved immediately

looting. Now there are only about

task.

dare we say it relationship with the target, you -should continue -to build on this.

Responses were received from the

foundation's support.

convince others to do the same. "In Sichuan, the hanging coffins used to number 500 until soldiers started using them for target practice

determination in hel voice, there is no doubt the Archduchess up to the

ep <)rts

networking could achieve, not only in a personal sense but also, and maybe mole importantly, in a business sense.

of those old houses, restore and preserve it, and hopefully through our example we will be.able to

"\Øhen I see how mttch support is being given to ecological causes, I go gleen with enl1r. Oul main task is to mollnt a major awareness pl'ogramme which draws attention to the factthat ecological and cultulal heritage issues are anatLtr^l extension of each other," Given the fire in her eyes and the

all kr-roqz a,l>or-rt netv,/orking...rigl-rt? Or do vze? Caroline l-eotttart, art associate of tl-re Quicksilrzer Gror,rp, prorzides ,som.e insigl-rts - W'erzr11,

assembled company if they knew what

Yunnan. Unfortunately, many of the old houses were being converted into noodle shops which means the people of that town will eventually lose part of their cultural heritage. Our plan is to buy one

whele perseverance

rJØe

Now, she is turning part of her attention to China. Visiting Yunnan and Sichuan provinces recently at the invitation of -ùØong How Man, President of the Hong Kong-based China Exploration and Research Society, she identified

was very i m pressed with the beauty of Lijiang in

"The problemwith promoting the saving of art and cultulal heritage is that these issues are regarded as the premise of the elite or the privileged. \Øe have a mammoth task ahead of us to convince people that some of the poorest people on earlh are the ones losing their cultural heritage.

Networking

re called.

Tbe

and some big I cannot name

light now- ale going to come up with lalge donations," von Habsburg

preserwation wolk.

the last EmPeror of

handy.

corporations which

throughout her life, one supposes her current raison d'êtrewovldbe a natural progression, but, to hear her tell it, she 'saw the light' some nine years ago when she was shown a

Habsblrlg, grandson of

remain," she revealed. \øhat's all this going to cost? "Oh,

time now

saved and she appliecl all her energies

document prepaled by the European Pariiament that estimated that half of Europe's art and cuhural heritage had been either damaged or destloyed.

coupled good connections come in

raise the fr-rnds. After all, I've been beating the drttms for rather a long

restore some of the world's cultttral heritage.

"In Croatia, we managed

predicted. This

onr efforts to saving the ones that quite a bit. But, don't worry we will

Frar-rcesca \/<)Ít Habsbr-rrg, ckta-irtrra-n and four-rder of thre Art R-estor-¿"tion ancl Cr-rlt¡.1;.ral Heritage Foundation, brottgkrt l-rer rrressage on art col1señ/ati<>tt to Hong I{ong. (}jtril l)tzrzzl!> reports

Being surrounded by aît

that are still intact. \Øe intend to direct

we were asked to give a card to

to go with

that

card.

important and relevant details? First you should read the card thoroughly, not only to make it "stick" but it also

shows the other person you are genuinely interested in them. You could also read outtheil name. Having done this and completed your chat, make a few notes on the card. If you

At the end of Yeoman's presentation, I asked the pelson sitting next to me if she felt that she had iearned anything? Her answer was extremely positive. !Øe then went through the cards we had collected to see if we could not only rer-nember who gave them to us, but and, ye s we what they looked like managed to recall everyone.

December 1998 IHD

CORRESPOIIIIEI{I

The greattnrffle hunt

per'l-raps thouszrncls, of men ancl dogs are seeking the alotnatic r,rnclerground

Cl-refs fion-r :¡-ll orzer tl-re qzc>rld descer-rd ever-¡z Al' tr-rr-r-rr-r or-r the srr-rzlll prorzir-rcial Itali¿¡.r-r tc)\^/n of Alba, cleep in tl-re Pierr-ror-rte cc)Lrntryside. As uzell zrs L>eir-r¡4 tl-re rnzrir-r tov,/n in the lfarolo qzine re54ic>n, Alba is also the uzorlcl tn-rffle capital. Tl-re intrepid I{euirz Sitzc,l¿zirjoinecl tl-re hr.'rr-rt

to Auturln; aftel tl-re h¿ttvests urele reapecl and stoled, the tluffies start

f, ror.'ncl etl like -r p'ctry g,otl Iassignnlenl. Clrcl Unlhclto Bornbano, u,.ho l-rns the Toscana lestalÌrant clovr'n the hill fi'orn the FCC in Hong Kong's Ritz-Carlton Hotel,lr.-as

The cobbl estoned meclievel stt'eets

glitter u'ith It¿rlian fashion. Even rlot'e and rnttch plush tl-ran the boutiqr-res llofe cfo\\¡decl are-the su-ank delicatessen shops- that feattue trr-tffles

rll cxpensivc.

heading to the hills of Pien'ìonte to l-runt trr,rffles. \ñ/hy not collre along?

in a rnillion grrises.

\Øell, u.4'iy not, indeed? A mutual fi'iend, Malio Caralliella, w-ho u.'on fame when he openecl the

for tl-re lnan yolr love? No tlouble,

\Øant a genr-tine silr'-el tlr,tff'le slicer

signolina. That u.'ill be HK$2,400. The mass business is done in a vast

RestaLu'ant

1oca1 inch-rstry.

cobblestonecl streets, choice *'hite rftrffles cost HKS25,000 a kilo. Elegant shops sell trr-rffle triva; a black-bristlecl brr,rsh to clean the e¿rr-th off the sacrecl lungi is vital. \ùØashing a clilty truffle in ü:rtel is r heinorrs culinarl sin To tl-re uninitiated, a newly clug

Dick the cìog left behincl. T<¡ tn¿Lstet' chefs, however', these are natttre's sr-rprelne gift to the culinary zrrts. "The

Nlc¡zart

fungus. tsut the vr-orlcl is in goocl shape as the hvo chefs ancl myselÊ set out to ûreet veteran trr-rfilao Luigi Viberti. T1-ie 77 S. ç4

-year-olcl retilecl rural

postllìan ll:rs heen rliggirrg Lr p tr-r-rffles for se\¡en

of his opelation. The other partner is a particr-rlar'ly scruffy brown and white

" they

Lìke all plize truffle

bottts of trantpittg ouer the hills, ILt,íg¡ prize. Dick is ofJ'cltctsit'tg a quail

\/ictor"y',/ ¿Ji¿¡" the

Accolding to Luigi,

Year after vear', trulfles appeâr zrrouncl the roots of the sarre oak or

tl're

pull oftl're rnoon infÌuences glowth. Some say tlr-rffles grou' rvhere

liglitning strikes. Sonle say the groLrnd mr-rst be clzrn'ip, othels dry. Thele is

buy 133 kilogrammes of truffles. Toclal-, they come by jurnbo jet to À,Iilan. Nlyths and iore about the vegetable fill scoles of books.

those who l-rolcl that linden roots

the oak tree school of pelsr-rasion ancl attract the spore. Evelyone aglees ri,-itl-i

the

Rom¿rns; thele's aphroclisiac eqnation.

definitely an

rnore rnushrooms Dick finds, the mole breacl he gets. Off he goes, eagedy lea ping thlor:gh

mole than their u,'eight in go1d.

,b., tnarl¿e| in Alba, trltffle cnÞit.tl of rbe uorlcl, :: ?"r:it't,cl Flouio.Borclízzo santples one of ltis clferings nre bouseÞnil7ter

tlre subject. Ir,s-a cornplex bnsiness. First of on, *nV speuds tbree ntc¡ntlts ct )tecr,' ¿,Orttt lor vr.or-rlcl h.nclreds of ,-r,r^,.r.å

the precions Jrr'rtgi

Italianmenspendrnostof theglorious marqueewhiche-u'ery,'weekenclof the Piemonte autllmn trudging about in autr-rmn is set ttp in a schoolyarcl off

tlie hills looking for eh-rsive fungi? The the main stleet. Hel'e, the nt4liløo seII anss,'er gets back to the third most theirhatr.estof thehills. A trr-rfilao is a licenseci trufÏe ancient human lust, after sex and foocl lnoney. hlrnter. Nlost of tlie year, he rnay paint - Trr-rffles ale big business. Fol one houses or lepair cals. In the Attturnn, w-rinkled, knobbly fr-rngi about the hehr-rntstmffles. Thereismol'elnoney size of a clirty sn-rall nes.'potato, chefs in it. The tufilao ale a haldy buncl-r. willingly pay HK$10,000. Alba, tl-re Theleisson-ruchmoneyinmr-rshrooms pr-ovincial town in the small prorrince that in other areas of Northeln Itaiy where tl-re u-ine Balolo is gown, also and o.u'er the mountains in Savoy in happens to be tl're trr,tffle capital of the France, poisons have been lelt out to

becls, tl-irongl-r patcl-res of o¿Lk forest and among the nebbillio grapes that nake

the frisky hound and the agecl trr-rfilao, pant Umbelto, Malio ancl myself.

It's gorgeous. Dau.n breaks over

the castle-sluclded skyline. A hear.y

ancl u'illow. Fr-rrtive figures g1icle thlough the rnists that

kill prize hounds. Thele have also cover the valley floors.

THE G0RRXSP0NDENT December 1998

Hunclrecls,

atËempti have been rnade by

agronornists in Cl-rina, Neu. Ze¿rlancl, Algenti n:L rrncl Canrtclr. Aftel tl-rree hor-tls of trekking thlor-rgh n'ruddy stre¿rtr'is, sLrnn\vineyarcls ancl shacled glacles, Lr.rigi,

Urlbelto, Mario, Dick and I har''e rlanaged to r-lnealtl-r jr-tst tr,r,o truffles. Orle is the size of ¿r small n'iatchbox. The othel looks like a dried prr-rne. E'u'efyone is happy, especially Dick, rr'ho has liacl

monncls of pasta n'ith fresh trr-rffles slicecl on top All this is rvashecl dorn'n by gallons of Barolo aûd Barbera and Barbalesca.

Piemontese cli¿rlect. Hou'the hell did the clog get callecl Dick? \Well bel-rincl

of oak, poplal

has evel l¡een able to clrltivate this most. stubborn of plants, althor-rgh

starts vr,itl-i la\\, meat. Then there are falmhonse uncooked sausages and home-n-rade cheeses and sleaks and air-dliecl hams. Of collrse, there are

this is hon' you say Dick in the

deu, lays on the vines ¿rnd forests

r,r'illou.'trees or on the sar-r-ie p'atch of land. Nobocly knows w'hy. No scientist

bleakfast. The lest of us go for lunch. The Piemonte speciality' fol evely rneal

blackbelry-cl-roked creek

the alea's famed Barolo wine. Close l¡el-rind Dick bor-rnds Lr-rigi. He's yelling "Dig, clig" but it turns out

vn'et

fLnlgi golcl. L'ntberto bolcls

w'hose

gives liirn a scl'¿rp of lockhzucl peasant breacl. The

So offvr'e headed, r'eacþ

for a fight to the cleath u.'ith the aromatic subterranean mr-rshrooms u,-hich sell for

h¡ts

zrncestors have ch-rg tnrffl es long before Chlistopl'rel Coh-lmbr,rs learnecl to sail,

thatthe mocleln ela began. By 1932, special trains from all ovel Enrope were he ading for Alba tcr

yor-r want?)

smrfflers, Dick is a monglel. He's tr¿rinetl by stan'ation. Hc sniils a tluffle. and Luigi

thought.

rnttshrooms,

Peasants in these mollntains prized tlr¡flles w'hen Caesar s'as a boy. But it n'zrs only in 1903 wl-rer-r Victor Ernmanuel III visitecl tl-re Alba annual agricultulal shou- (wine, fat sal-rsages ancl tnrffles; what more clo

n-rutt callecl Dick.

ploclair-r-i.

ñ clecades. He's the br-ains

n'itl'r us.

In tor-rlist cloggecl

In tl-re Alb¿r rnarket, big v'acls of money are paicl ovel for a srlall hanclkerchief-tiecl package of smell_v

Harbour vieu.' and ran it for' nine years, u.as going to be cooking in a 15th centlu'y t'astle in Pai i'1. the irtljoining plovince. He would corle

Ltnlvefse

major

u.hite tmffle looks like son'iething

tl-re Glancl

On the way, I str,rdied

mysteliously sprouting. Tn-rffles are

cash :rborrt.

Stanforcl Hal'boul Vieu' Hotel né Hollclay Inn

Truffles beu,'are,

lllushrooms. It's zr quest that has been going on f'or thor-rsancls of yeals. Long befole tl-re lise of the Rornan En'rpire, local falmels lookecl fom,'arcl

been trgly rlrmolÌr's of arnbusl-iing trr-rfilao to grab their catch...even mr-rlcler'. Celtainly, there's plenty of

splencliclly casual Mistral

Tellific. I scoff the lot. A cor-rple of flying home, I feel a \¡agLÌe pain in the right knee. The next clay, I arn clippled. I hobble to the doctor. clays later,

AJïer the Great TrtLffle Hr.ntt, Keuin Sincl¿tir (rígbt) cligs intr¡ rabbit 6n'Ld tt"Ltlfle steLu it't tbe uiner-y of renounecl Giuutí GcLgliarckt NoÍe the síze of glasses, ea.clt oJ'tulticb bolds ct. bottl.e oJ Bou"olo. "Tt"tLlfling is tbirctlt tuork," Gictttttí scL-ys

Gout, ancl a bad case. Thcle is sotttc jttstice.

@ f)cccml¡er 1998 THE

CORRXSPOilDENT

The bars of

memorylane

Toþo

Tkre 1>eriç>atetic (kzrtSt '44ctr<-y't¿t?'Lt retLLrr-rs to this page qzith a. tal<= of a feqz of uzatering-kroles in

Frorn Ian À4cCrorìe in Nev,¡ Zealand, FCC rrrernt>er a957-66

iI-okY<>

Dick Hughes and Lachie McDonalcl in Hokleaido, Jaþan, wben seeking tbe Hairy Ainu in 1946

ñ I I

he London DailyMaits warand ioreign con'espondent Lachie McDonald, who covered.ùØorld \Øar II in the Pacific and the post-war fighting in China, has jr-rst published his memoirs. He was a fi'equentvisitor to Hong Kong in the late I940s and 1950s. A contemporary and fi'iend of FCC

stalwarts like Dick Hugl-ies, Monty Parlott and Frank Robertson, he recalls

how he dippect into his employer's pocket to help a Broadway Mansions barman become a staff asset at 31 Conduit Road. McDonald was in and or,rt of Shanghai Press Club at Broadway in 7948-49, but spent most of his time in Nanking ("the headquartels for all bur the comfort-zone correspondents"). He recalls: "I left Shanghai to the Communists and the intense Graham

Jenkins (AAP-Reuter) and a few others when Mao's formations were on the outskirts of the city. Graham

barrnan's fare to

õ'

Hong Kong, where

it was hoped to form a corres-

pondents'

c1ub. Subsequent events

and

upheavals elsewhere meant I never got the time to enjoy the FCC when it was formed, or renew acquaintance with the balman, who anothel'old Reuter' hand, Bill O'Neill, introduced to me as Lee.

Legends abound. øbout Mr Liøo wbo, afrer on serving, reme mber"ed t b eføces,

correspondent were there to lrcer them. Their officer invited McDonalcl over the imaginary border line s'hich

ran down the middle of the

rrait-t

Barrow(Reuters) joined me in Canton and we operated from thele until we left fol Hong Kong, throwing empties

Member.)

already calling the New China

in the direction of Mao's advance

waiting to see what happened when

their backs.

I think, of the regular ships previously "\Øe were on the last,

maintaining the Canton-Hong Kong service. "Before I left Broadway Mansions after my linaI stay there, I remember

ffiliation, club number ønd drink! He retired a,fter 40 years in "In 7949,I was in Hong Kong with Ian Morrison of The Times, the cornmunists reached the border. He was courting Han Suyin on top of the morgue at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital the heavy concrete roof being reasonably cool. From the old

Gloucester Hotel where I iived for months, I sometimes accompanied Ian, Suyin and one or other of her fellow doctors to that odd oasis."

On October \8, 1.949, when 39

contributing a handful of (Lord)

troops of the 1st Brigade of the East

Rothermere's money to a fund being collected for payment of the excellent

River guelilla column anived at

ff,E

Shataukok, McDonald and a French

McDonalá, a New Zealan'cler' lives in Auckland. His book, B.¡'littes Memoirs of ø rï/ar Cor^respottdct,tt,',

Dixieland, classical, on music, western. Othels are & country or rock

sauerkraut and dark bread.

with waitresse's

waiters in 1O-gallon hats ancl bolo ties

serve whiskeY bY the bottle while in .faux-Brit Ptlbs, tweedY JaPanese Anglophiles sip pints of ale and throw darts.

Among the friendliest bars are tiny watering holes-in-the-wall with room for only half-a-dozen customers and thlee bartenders. Theycall them'stancl bars' because, to the JaPanese, who normally squat on the floor, perching

on a bar stool is akin to

will remember.

such as the Lion in Ginza, often sponsored by breweries, Pack in hundreds of diners and drinkers. In

Bylines: Memoirs of a wat Correspondent By Lachie McDonald Kangaroo Press (sinion & Schuster Attsl'¡alia) PB 3O4 pages

rsBN 0-86417-955-3

no bar seating, despite the name. The spacior,rs room, which looks as though it hasn't changed much since opening

heft, and consurned plates of sausages,

-is full of names "old China hrtrrcls"

drinking songs and sing "Rol1 Out the Ballel" in English, accompanied by a

women wouici belt out Gelman

Asakusa and Shibr-rya, rnany bars focr-rs

he.first d.ecided to sta! on it't Asia

(Editor's note Mr Liao (not Iee) Cbien-ping wøs tbøt børtend,er.

spots, the Karniya is arranged like a restaurant, with about 20 tables, but

Teutonic proportions. Patrons seated at solid wood tables quaffed from liter mugs of cold draft they could barely

clad in airline stewardess tlniforms or cllessed ttp as schoolgids. Something for every kinky taste. In cowboy bars,

photographs inside "what scltrle Gloucester Hotel legulars s'e're

packs of cooking and other gear on

standing.

Cavernous, Bavarian-sLyle beer halls

sLur-ìrner,

outdoor beer gardens sprollt

up around the city, often

atop

skyscrapels.

One of the oldest, and most authentic Bavarían transplants is Bei Rudi in the pricey Akasaka nightlife clistlict. There, when I last visited, I

was transplanted to Munich's

Larger than most Tokyo night

Hofblauhaus, slightly out of kilter and on a smallel sca1e. On stage, tvu'o diminutive, dirncll-clad Japanese

lounges and saloons than in any other Asian city as the frenetic locals attack nightlife with typical Japanese banzai enthrÌsiasm. The glittering G inza alone reputedly has more than 1,100 bars in a few sqtlare blocks. In districts such as Ginza, Shinjuku,

clesignecl on themes,

llttghes beþre Hottg Kortg knew bin't. He zucts ett.frt.¡titt¡¡ some rest ønd relaxation at Australian fficial's bonte ott tbe outsleirts of Tokyo drning tbe OccLrpcttion ofJapan tul-tt'tr

1977 ønd is nou a life l{onorary

they trudged padi embankments, gre a t

uoi'i",y

bars, ptrbs' beer halls'

Dicle

street to take some of the first tlcNs

bay in a haystack. Hit the streets on anv evening, and yotr'll find a gleater'

sr-lch as

names,

guard, silhouetted against the sky

Q earch¡ng for a drinking establishJ,n.nt in TokYo is like looking for

stern, squat man in lederhosen playing

a piano-accordion. Beer

halls- are

Gerrnan, so the replication .was of

The Musical Beer Plaza Lion in the Cinza Lion Buildjng was more intelnational, with enteft ainment from a three-piece band (violin, piano and accordion) and a sextet singing in German, Italian and Fr-ench. Years ago I happened on one of Tokyo's most unlrslral beer halls, Qui Higashi-Ikebukuro. This bizarre aberration was patterned after an Islamic mosqLle, complete with Saracenic curlicues and otherMr"rslim architectural embellishments. In the

Market Court (a courtyard), various dishes fi'om countries around the world were served, I wonder if it ever suruived. Tokyo's trendytheme bars, which

come and go like Japan's seasons, have little history behind them. One

'néar'ly 120 years ago, has fakepatternecl stone linoler-rm floors and imitation wood-panelled walls. Decor, limited to a few pre-war Sapporo beer pósters, lends an aura of an earlier, less hurlied era.

This is no tolu'ist haunt, although mÕie knowledgeable visitors do visit Asakusa. The bar distributes brochures on its history, al| inJ apanese. Although

few foleigners come to the Kamiya wl'iere no English is spoken, it is easy

enough to order food and drink by pointing to the familiar plastic food displays by the door. By noori opening, the bar already has its regular clientele: local workers,

sarørimen (salarymen), country folk just arrived at neaúty Asakusa Station

and the occasional graying local Bohemian in black beret. This is not the place for fancy cocktails. Mainly, waitresses plunk down glasses orlitres of beer and shot glasses of a lethallooking mahogany liquid on the plain tables. The latter, the house specialty called Denki Bran (electric brandy) has a brandy base with wine and gin

exception, the Kamiya (founded 1880), claims to be Japan's oldest 'Westernstyle bar. The singulal Kamiya Bar is across from the Tobu subway station in Asakusa District, near the popular' Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) Temple. Yet neither guide books nor theJapan

At first -sip, it is ahnost sweet, until the burning starts and hands clutch for the beer chaser. It tastes better than it sounds, althorrgh true to its name, it packs quite a jolt. Denki Bran, and the

National Tourist Office pamphlets

Japanese call yuniku, unique.

added

it goes for about ÜS$2

shot.

venerable Kamiya, are what the

mention it. December 1998 THX

C0RRXSPOI\IIIEI|I December 1998

CORRXSPONIIDI{T

Is it almost ovefl

volume) or otherwise (to stay in

. Predictability: How conficlent

business) cLrtting their profit

are yolrf interyiewees about their own forecasts fol sales, pr-ofits or

margins. -üØhen that practice stops,

By David O'Rear

whatever, in the comingyear?

demanding rriol'e and better data

Planning to build a billion dollar

ft'om banks a nd cotnpanies.

petrochemical plant in Malaysia today would send the number crunchers running around in circles. \Øithor-rt predictability

r-rsually in response to a nice

f I

tn" past few rnonths, sevelal

norrnally straight-thinking people have forecast the end of the GAD! (Gleat Asian Depression) sometime in the first half of 1999. There reasoning is fairly goocl, ancl no one is foolish enough to sLlggest that all countries in Asia will recovel'on the sarne day. By IQ-weighting the consensus forecasts and doing a little legression analysis, the magic day should be April 1"'. Their views are basecl on a reasonable cleglee

of optimism

ancl shoulcl be taken

serior-rsly. Tl-ie doornsayers, on the othel hancl, have more fr-rn. So, u.hat will it take to crawl fi'om the deptlis of the outhouse back into the sunshine? And, with the stink of the past 18 months in our nostlils, how will we know we're back on the right side of things? lNote: Resist linking

papelmoney to this analogy.J

What it will take Only twice in the past quarter centLlry have Asia's developing economies failed to grow faster than those inLatìnAmerica- 1979 and this year. Never before have the Asian Tigers and Tiger wannabes produced worse economic results than the rest of the developing wodd, Next year

looks better, but only by comparison to where we've been. How can Asia recover frorn the GAD!

Debt. There needs to be

settlement of corporate and sovereign

debt; that means losses all around. During the Eighties Latin An-rerican clebt crisis, foreign banks agreed to folgive a poltion of the loans they hacl made, in exchange for fresh funcls and repayment (on better', longer terms)

of the monies owed. That is

not

happening in the case of Indonesia, and it must.

There have been mistakes on all sides, bul that isn't the important issr-re

now. Banks, fi nance companies, merchant banks, and Pelegline shouldn't have lent to a lot of the THE CORRf,SPONDXNT December 1998

bolrowers knocking on their doors.

Their credit risk

assessment systems (where they existed at all) failed, and they will have to bear the consequences. Borrowers should have

known better than to accept money on 30-day or one-year tertns and then invest it in leal estate and other projects that can only pay off with luck long afterthe loans are -due. Regulators accountants were asleep at the wheel; didn't have the nr-rmbers to crunch, and didn't seem to care.

In Indonesia's case, a group of American, European and Japanese banks gave up trying to find a solution several months ago. The ploblem is

that while the Americans and Eulopeans were willing to take a haircut forgive some of the money owed - the Japanese woulcl have IfJapanese banks had been scalped. agleed to wl-ite off a useful poltion of the rnoney they are never going to collect, their capital adequacy ralios a measlÌre of protection against -losses would have fallen below (the famous 80/o BIS worlcl standards latio). Decades of profits and much stronger risk management criteria have given other banks the ability to take a hit (once in a while) without going down. The bottom line is that the fasterJapan nationalises bad banks

and uses taxp^yer money to rebuild their asset bases, the faster they will be in a position to help Indonesia (et al)

and close to half that rnuch tn 1999; the average was about 11% growth in 7990-96. To pr-rt it another way, private spending in the Severe Seven this year

will be US$215 billion lessthan in 1997 (in the seven years to 1.996, spending

polite

IMF cattle procle. The nurnbers are l'iorrible. \Øhen we write fewer stories with phrases such as "the worst ,/ highest ,/ lowest stnce I97 4 / 7954

/ 1934",

ugliest the end

is nigh.

such poor demand at home. Moreover',

most

these countries export to

economies thaf are ah'eady producing more than they can consume. The S evere S even to gether sen d ab ottt 5 60/o of their total exports to other parts of Asia (including each other). America, the great hope, absorbs less than 20%.

Japan is still a big malket, but don't count on it for growth.

Is it over yet? Most of those optimists I referred to are thinking that positive economic

growth equals l'ecovery. Like the HKMA, they think up

good, down is bad and that's all there is to it. Growth

is very nice, but

it isn't the cure-all

Fo,' rhose ol yor.r wlro are not I f'amiliar with WIPS, it is a nonpolitical, non-plofit olganisation that aims to: o promote the statlrs of women in aIl areas of publishing . plovide a forr,rm for- discttssion

and the sharing of information and expertise . encourage commttnication and lnutual support among women in

publishing

help with practical training for career development, and

total loans or assets. In 7997, haq's

Or,rr mernbers are employees or

the collapse of demand. In the early Nineties, the seven most severely hit

economy grew 250/o, but that isn't the same as saying its problems are over. Here's a short check-list of factors that I think will signal the end of the

freelancers in the fields of pr-rblishing, the rnedia and PR. '!l'e are writers,

econollies

- rise 7.40/o private consumer spencling p.a. in real terms. Lastyear that fell to 3.7o/o and our projection is minus 11%o tn 7998 and contintted contraction in 1999. Caprtal investment in the Severe Seven will clecline abovt22o/o in 1998,

for-rr-letter wold?

.Lending: Interest rates are

15 OVer.

Dauid O'Reør ls

Regional

Economist fot" tb e Econontist Unit; tb e opinions bere do not reflect bis orun uietus, or tbose of bis conxþonxy.

GADI Use it inyour

inteliews (oryour

own company budgeting), and see if the nightmare's oveL for you. (If it is, give me a call so I can stop writing this

column.)

Margins: Most companies are,

voluntarily (to maintain

sales

Sâ

In tlre first of a.n <)<.c'àsior-ra-l series on groLtps u.ho'meet regularl;z at tl-re FCC, tkre r-leqzl;z elected presiclent of tkre NÇzornen in Publisl-ring Society, I{c;tj,,t -Ro^ss-, e><pl-ains thre organisation's role 'atl.d a.ctirzities.

shocking lesults of the GAD! has been

- Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, the saw their Singapore and Indonesia

people tend to stuff valuables r-rnder the nattress. Is 'risk' still a

they are shoring up their asset bases and looking for the safest bets (US T-bills). \Ølien banks reslllne lending as if it was a normal part of business, the worst

News fromWIPS

Demand. One of the most

(s¡s¿, Hong Kong,

we can't predict, budgeting becomes pLÌre gr-resswork.

but banks aren't lending. Insteacl,

increased an average of about US$62

billion a y ear). Capitalinvestment will drop US$181 billion. Opps. Contrary to popular belief, these countries are not going to export their way out of trouble. Exports this year are smøller than in 1997 , and, with the exception of Hong Kong and Singapore, account fol too small a share of the total economy to offset

some seem to think. Growth creates jobs, whichleads to more consumption (demand). Growth also reduces the ratio of Oh-My-Goddebts to the banks'

hard.

or reverses, it is a good bet the wolst is over'. . Bad news: Governrnents are

coming down ah¡ost as fast as currency values did a year ago,

. work towards equality of

opportunity and advancement for all women in publishing.

journalists, editors, proofreaders, graphic designers, photoglaphels, illustlators, indexers, translators, PR specialists, vicleo producers ... yoLt name it.

How do we accomplish or-rr aims? Mostlybymeeting once a month atthe

FCC, by publishing a monthly newsletter, by holding occasional

plactical workshops on topics sttch as photography ancl graphic design, and by researching issues of interest to members, Our rnonthly meetings at'e usually held on the filst -ùØednesday of the

month, from 6 to 8 p.m. First, we netwolk infolmally over a clrink and snacks, sharingnews about jobs sor-rght and offered, and promoting upcoming

n,e include a fr-rll dilectory of mernbers,

with cletails of theil skills and contact if yott're looking fot' an nnrnbers employee- or a freelancer, look no further than or-rr directory. On the community service front, we have a regr-rlal roster of volltnteers wl-ro eacl-r take anhor,u'a week to read newspaper and rnagazine articles to FCC

doyenne Clare Hollingwothwho

importance of wrilten contracts with clients, and how to get tardy clients to pay up).

can't see as well as she used to. Vl'e also like to make an annttal Christmas l¿s¡ clonation to a worthy ç¿u5s year, rnernbel's gave gifts for patients at the Dr,rchess of Kent Children's Hospital andthis yealwe plan to make a cash donation to a shelterforbattet'ed women. Only women can joinrùØIPS, but

Our monthly newslettel featr¡res repofts of our meetings, minutes of

meetings as gLrests.

events of interest. Tl-ren, we hearfi'otn a gllest speaker'- previous speakers

have included politicians, authols, editors,

time lnanagement consultant,

and two self-employed br-lsiness women (who spoke about the

committee meetings, news fi'omsimilar organisations such as ollr fi'iends the

Webgrils (that's the con'ect spelling and, as the name implies, is group of women whose main interest is in the \X¡eb and the Internet), 'ùØorld \Øide

tips fol effective writing and job

men are welcome to attend

or-rr

@ For further information, contact Kay Ross on 2858 I23I or Polly Yu on 2526 0206, or check

out \øIPS wtuw.

øs

bsite: <bttP://

nline . net. b Þ/uip s>.

advertisements. Every second month Deceml¡er 1998 THE

C0RRXSPONIIENT

-r-

Comrades & Capitaltsts

Ken Edwards (February 6, lg514ctober 24, 1998)

Journalist, editor arrd publisher

Av¡ard-qzinning uzriter and FCC rrremL>er Rovzan Ca"llick, East Asia Corresl>ondent for ttre Az¿str¿zlicztz Fir¿cttz<-ictl ]?euietuI<><>ksd t>ack a- Hong I{ong since tl-re If arrdorzer. Club P re sident,I) i ¿t tz e S t o rnz o tzl rerzieqzs tl-re L>ook

J, *ns a letter tothe Sotttb Cbina LMorning Post last April that focused Rowan's thoughts as he dlew together the threads of this book written at what must have been wire-service speed.

The correspondent, Richard Tseng,

director of a software house,

recolrntecl his shock about a limp

response to his advertisement seeking junior programlners. Instead

It's against this backdrop that

Autumn interventìon in the stock

Rowan charts the birthpangs of Hong

malket. Yet despite the gloorn, doorn and doubts, Rowan's book is positive about Hong Kong's futr-rre. His unsentimental

Kong, China, Before the handover, overweening economic selfconfidence held sway. Prjor to \997, when people sought to crystal-ball gaze, it was politics they worried about. They fretted the dead hand of the central plannels would ruin the srnooth-working machíne that was the Hong Kong economic system.

of the flood of applications

Yet as Rowan's account of evenls,

anticipated, the cornpany leceived only a handful and none processed the skills sought, Mr Tseng recounted in sorrow how he'd been told, only half jokingly,

as the eally post-Handover weeks

that Hong Kong's expensively

educated computing graduates, the glandsons and daughters of refugees u.ho'd manufactured their success the hard way, pleferred to become stock and real estate specLliators. This anecdote ilh-rstrates Rowan's analysis ofwhat's gone wrong in Hong Kong. It is a process that had its origins in the heady ple-Handover days, but

stretched into months shows, it was capitalist free market econornics, not Communist politics, that sandbagged Hong Kong as it struggled to redefine itself once the Bdtish left.

This is no dry academic tome. Rowan, East Asia Correspondent for the Australian Financial Reuiew, has an eye for absuldity and an ear for Hong Kong's heal'tbeat that shows in his newspaper columns and survived the joulney into the more pondetotts

examination of the underlying strengths ancl weaknesses of Hong Kong

its people, its economy and

its politics backed by scores of interviews shines a light onto rnany - aspects of the fabric of of the enduring success.

He also concludes that many of the problerns that had been shelved in the headlong rush to gel rich from

wheeling and dealing

poor

- and ploductivity, the cartel tenclency

declining language skills for example are now beginning to be addressed. - "Pollution and the massive gap

between rich and poor, formerly viewed as merely the inevitable collateral darnage from success ale now issues of concern of many," he states. On the political front too, the

Forrlrer Hong l(ong jou.rna"list I(en Eduzards sttffered'a f'¿tal Lreart a.tta.ck recentl;z szl-rile jogging in S¡zdne).. In Hong l{ong hre vzorked for tkre Cbitz¿t A4¿tiI and tLre Sc>z¿tb (]/ci'tt¿z A4<>rtzitzg Post. In Ar,rstralia-, kre Lreld serrior editorial positions uzitLr 7hc: At¿strzzlicztt, thre N4elboLlrne Age a"nd 7-inze. His first book is dr-re oLrt soorì. lfkrree close FCC friends pa¡z tribr-rte From absent member Ken Ball

Australia.

\1¡ VY

But not old enough to die, K. whofirstcrossedpathshereinBrisbane Edwards. 35yearsagoandremainedclosefriends Your passing has cheated r4any through u.ork and travel around the of your loved ones of more time'with

globe.

KenEdwardswasoneofAnstralia's . Time to lunch and dine.

noted . Time to resume conr¡eLsations for writing to fi'iends. But every fev' often interrlÌpted by long periods of tirne, or geoglaphic months for those 35 years my phone distance. would ring somewhele in tl'ie wor'ld . Tine to relishyoulviews onlife and that u,ondefnl rich voice would say "6.9¿*ards here Bally....what and its meaning. . Time to share that last glass of about lunch...." finest journalists; yet he was not

wine. In Hong Kong, the lunches wele at the famoLl sLaTaverna and we saw

it through a couple of locations. In

worst

possible time for the fledgling SAR. In unvarnished terrns, Rowan's thesis hinges on the view that Hong Kong had grown flabby on the back of years of continuous assetplice inflation

extent of the red tide disaster', events concisely andvividlyportrayed in the 170-page publicalion, butas the book points out, the string of bad luck that battered Hong Kong setwed to drain

In conchrsion, Rowan argues it

it was the Venice Beach Restaurant in

King's Closs. \Øe lingered long,

public confidence in itself and the leadership leaving the territory even

needs to unclog its arteries, build up

economic meltdown.

business.

advelsity and its ability to triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, still possess the grit ancì ingenuity to overcome the economic challenges

at the point in the summer of 1998 when Chief Executive C H Tung and

of the 21st centlÌry.

decline, but befole the controversial

its determination in the face of

THE G0RRESP0NIIXNI Decen.rber' 1998

more vulnelable to the Asian The book, a rollicking tour of the first 12 months underthe redflag, ends

his team unveiled a package of measlÌl'es to slow the ploperty market

new muscle-tone and get back to Cornrades & Capitalists By Rowan Callick University of New South Wales Press PB 168 pages, HK$L10

rsBN 0-86840-728-3

fine port. But with your sad passing 1'q11 have today (as yor-r did right through your life) blought together rnany mutual friends, sorle of u'hom have not seen each other for 20 years. And q.e'll aln'ays have yor-rr memory.

There were many lunches; many

dinners; cor,rntless bottles of led

MantIa, the old Savoy Hotel, now the

easy money from the spilalling -property ancl stock markets and is now being called to account.The question now is does Hong Kong, once fêted for its adaptability,

o,es you neuer set to tenou

In Sydney, just

Seeú in pøssing cars

Mirrored in tuindou,s ancl remembered.

you.

llyatt.

will take time for Hong Kong to sort oLrt its new identity, but in the meantime, the recession rnight just be the foul-tasting bLlt necessary dose of rnedicine that Hong Kong

,te

Two inseparable young journalists

serwed to discledit those ominor-rs early

calls to promote "Asian values."

:ii#ti:lJ.:'åå;iJ:,ït*ïî:i:

were known as K Bar ancr Eclwalds. Or the two Kens. older now-.

preoccupation u,ith the economy has

to roost at the

lt's always tbe strangers tbaf do tbe ruost clam.age

t<.

world of books, Obviously no one could foresee the deadly bird flu epidemic or the

came home

behaviour'. \Øe were no longer 25, in Manila at the Red Rooster Bar with

You left me after our last rneeting walking down the street in King's Closs, looking for a taxi and calling "See ya, Bal1y". \Øe won't see each other again

few rnonths ago,

conternplating the meaning of life at 50: the philosophical talk continued

late into the evening, driven by our deep friendsl'rip and the lestaurant's policy of a free glass of polt with coffee aftel clinner. \Øe filled up on coffee fair'1y quickly, but kept the free port coming. As we emerged that night onto

the streets of King's Cross, Ken

br-rt as

we palted that night, I

remembered sever:al things we didn't get a chance to talk about. One was

a reqllest that you one day might deliver the eulogy at my fr-rneral..,..I coulcl never have imagined that you wor-rld pass away first. Another was that a poet we both

admiled over the decades, Rod

Ancl the otbers

tbe ones ubo

- tben go away. promise euertbing, I tbink peopte were nxeant to be strangers.

Søtnetimes

Not to get to knotu one another, lxot to get close enough to dømøge the beaft made older by eacb new encou?xter.

But then, íon'teone com,es ølong and chønges øll tbat For a tabile a,nyw6ty. Goodbve'

':::i':::, ..

From absenl ntemberJack Spøckmøn

in Calfontia. I'm slaggeled by the news on Ken Edwards. He tl'ulywas one of the rnost charming people you could ever meet. And to be taken from us so eally, it's

bewildering. I supposed he was in lobus[ hea]th and had never given a thought to things like heart attacks.

snggested we look into one of the nearby bals for a "cleansing ale". \we

McKuen, now had a \Øeb site and I thor-rght you may wish to look at it.

\Øhat a loss. He and I go

did, briefly, blrt agreed we were getting too old for this sort of

You rnay, Ken, have found this

Cbina Mailand that's been dead now

favourite from the 7970's:

for 25 years. Ken, in fact, dicl

a1l

the way back to the

l)ecer.nber' 1998 THE C0RRDSP0I{|IENT

the

r I

subbing on the best story I evel clid Fabel Mellin'sJim Raper''s $30 rnillion cheque to himself. "Let's see all those zeros in the heading," huffed Norman Barrymaine [another old I'rack who founcl farne bul not fortr-tne by being held prisoner in Chinal as Ken put the finishes touches to the stoly.

In between my getting a coPY of the cheqr-re and Ken's subbing was three weeks of knocking on RaPer's door and lying in wait fol him arotlnd restaurants where I cor-r1dn't afford to dine.

have so many things to thank

you (Ken tsall) for, and top of the list is yollr action in pressing a pl'rone into my hand back in March so tl'rat I could enjoy a chat with Ken. And of course I faithfr-rliy plomised hirn thatwe'd get together on my next run thlor-rgh Oz. \Øhat jesting life does with us. Thanks

for letting

"'*' ï:,::.:-.'.:o

Ft'om, Keuin, Sit'tclair

I was greatly shockecl to hear' about Ken Eclwards. I sr-rppose it is a

sign of rapidly approaching senility thatyou look back on PeoPle as how anct I yor-r last remetnber them recall Ken as a good l'iumoured kid. I hadn't seen him for at least 10 last time was in the bal of the years - Hilton with Bob Howarth, Brísbane the one-tinre chief sub of theold Cbina Mail and later compr-tter gurtl al the SCMP. That must have

been

1986

(Governor Sir Edward Youde had just

clied) and ú'e were chatting of the cl'ranging Hong Kong.

Eclwards couldn't hal'e been mistaken for anything but what he was, an easy-going Australian.

I lecall well the first time I saw

him. The news editor's desk at the old SCMP used to be Placed in the newsroom so I could look down the corridol and see who was heacling towards the office. One morning in about7974, a figure emerged from the gloom. It was tall, uplight ancl strocle confidently into the reporters' roorrr. It was atl-rletic, dlessed in sn-rartly plessecl slacks, a short sleevecl sl'rirt and a neat tie. His eyes

"\Øhat have we hele?"

asked

myself. "Ken Eclwalds, new lepolter'," he

declaled.

\Øithin a week, Ken had

bloodshot eyes, a rumpled shilt and

had given up the tie. He had discovered the joys of 'ùØanchai bars

and had taken to the wild, riotous way of life in Hong Kong in that hectic era wilh an enthnsiasm that was almost frightening. \What he never lost was his sense of humour and I'ris chuckle. Everyone liked Ken. It was impossible not to find him an endealing character. He got on weii

with all and his attempts Cantonese made him

^t lot of Chinese

friends. Ken had a few jobs in Hong Kong and, like most of Lrs, soon outgrew the nightly forays into the depths of the

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Account Manager Mr Vincent Cheung Ie1.2170 2757

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1ot

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our Hire our Use

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AI.nPORT AUTHORITY

TV CAMERAS, EQUIPMENT ETC

Manager Phillip Bruce 28247700 Enquiries 28247705,2824 7152(24 hours)

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PROFESSIONAL NEWS CRE\ry

GREAT VALUE I"OR MONEI'... AND SO CONVENIENT! Function:

Call2573 4161 or fãx 2838 3469 .....

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WORLDWIDE HONG KONG

BILLYt.S. WONG General Manager

CROVN WORLDWIDE (HK) LIMITED

The Hong Kong Transition Project

CLown Vorldwide BIdg., 9-11 Yuen On St., Sju lek Yuen, Sharin, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2636-8388 Direc¡ Line: (852) 2636-8333 Mobjle; (852) 9099-9955 Faxt (852) 2637 -1.677 E-naJl: bn,ong,hksba@cton'nworldwide

Hong Kong Tlansition Pt'oiect of the Hong Kong Baptist University held its latest briefing in the FCC in November, its third in the club this year. Constantly monitoring the Hong Kong public's views on a wide range of subjects, the projectmernbet's have "briefedthe media, govetntnentofficials, business peo pleandacademics morethan 2,000 times since 1990," according to the HKTP's dilectot', Dl Michael DeGolyer, who reckons he has done more than " 1,600" interviews,/briefings l-rimself. The HKTP began in Febrltaty 1.989, studying the transition period from I)84,theyear theJoint Declaration was signed, to the Handover onJtlly 1, I9g7 .It plans to stay in business to 2007 to chalt the opinions held by the SAR's population in its first decade of life. The study itself is a long-term, rmrltinational, multi-clesciplinary str-rcly of the economic and political changes during the peliod from 1982 to 200f

KNIGHTSßRIDGE YORK

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Our experienced team can help you find the right home in Hong Kong. We also provide advice on relocation and offer orientation tours for newcomers on arrival. Call Jenni Tinworth .for more informøtion Fax:2537 1885 Tel:2537 5338 E-mail: firhilt @ hk.super.net www.firhill.com.hk A Member of the Hong Kong Society of Real Estate Agents Ltd.

conr \\ieb Sirc: http:r,nq,,ctownn'oddvjde con

HÀMPSTEAD . HIGEGATE . KÉNSINGTON . HONG KONG . SINGAPORE . Nry

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9/F Citicorp Centre, 18 Whitfield Road, NoÉh Point, HK RBSIDENTIAL

LETTINGS

Peter

Randall

Sally

Brandon Assistant

Property to let in London?

\Øe specialise in letting and management in Central London and the Hampstead area. Ifyou are a prospective landlord of tetant, please call Susan on 2537 5443 to fìlnd out how we can help you. FIRST FLOOR .

28 ARBUTENOT ROAD

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HONG KoNG

PR Manager

Manager (Editorial)

2807 6527 2807 6373

ax: 2807 6595 E-mail:plr@ hkta.org nternet: http://www. hkta.org I

INFORMATION Ph

oto g r a p h s -V i deos- F e atu re s- Liter atu re-

on all aspects of tourism December' 1998 TEE

CORRXSDOIì|I¡ENT

oo ks

FREELANCE WRITERS ROBIN LYNAM - Features and humour pieces on travel, food, wine and spirits, music and literature. Tel: (852) 2827 2873 Fax: (852) 2194 4551 E-mail: RobinLynam@compuserve.com EDWARD PETERS - Features, Travel, Profiles, Research. Many Asia Pacific photos. Tel: 2328 2553 Fax:2328 2554 E-mai :edpeters @ netvigator.com I

PHILIP ROBERTSON - Script, copy, speeches, corporate brochures.

Tel:9460 9457 Fax: 2553 3161 E-mail: rpr@hk.super.net

HUBERT VAN ES - News, people, travel, commercial & movie stills Tel: 2559 3504 Fax: 2858 1721 E-mail: vanes@asiaonline.net

Hong Kong

FREELANCE CAMERAMEN

a o 5

FRANCOIS BISSON - Film, Video - 10 years in Asia' NTSC - PAL Video Equipment Hire Lighting, Sound' etc.'.

;

Tel/Fax: (85212570 9722 Mobile:9097 2766

FREELANCE ARTISTS

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHERS JENNIFER BOWSKILL - Specialising in porlraits,fashion,events, Commer-

GAVIN COATES -'SAY lT WITH A CARTOON!" Call Gavin Coates on Tel : 2984 27 83 Ê-mail: gavincoa @ netvi gator.com

cial & Corporate photography

TeUFax.2il7 6f'78 Pager:71168968 #8&ì8 RAY CRANBOURNE - Editorial, Corporate and lndustrial Tel: (852) 25248482 Fax: (852) 25267630 E-mail: cranS@hkabc.net

PROFESSIONAL

KEES PHOTOGBAPHY -- News . Features. Online Tel:2547 9671 Fax: 2547 8812 E-mail: kees@hk.super.net

tSHITA BISSET (SHl) - Shanghai Based Management Trainer with PR & Marketing Services Tel/Fax: (8621) 6219 1029

U I:=

RICHARD

åiËåîffi""?:ïåîÈåffi

i:;iry,î,îff

å',1

S.E. ¡rsra ano rne Pacnc

Terry Duckham/Asiapix Tel. 25729544 Fax. 2575 8600 e-mail: asiapix@hk.linkage.net website: www,webh k/asiapix/

JONES

\X/hat clo yctu clo tuhen 1totr. get a balf-a-dozen ex presidents at the bar? Talee a þhoto of couse. (Left to right) Philip Bouritxg. Peter Seicllitz, Hrtbeñ uctn Es, Paul Bayfield, Keitb Ricbbu.rg artd Steue Vines.

Video Cameraman / Editor News, Documentary, Corporate lù

Mobile: 9104 5358 Fax.2982 1758 e-mail: RFJones@biqfoot.com

Artyone r"egu.laflyfreqLrcixtitxg the FCC bar at hntchtime knous ubat Cbañes Weatheñll(l.eft) an/ Tony Neclclentcm ate soluing tbe ct"ossuord puzzle in d.oing th e

Infernafioîâl Heralcl Tlibune.

State Fund lnvestment Limited lmpofters of: Black Tower, Green Gold (German Whites) Cognac Moyet Chateau La Bourguette (Bordeaux Superieur) La Tour de La Bourguette, La Madelon (French Red)

Tel: 2891-9188 Fax: 2891-7914 E-mail: btilakoo@ netvigator. com

HAPPY SNAPPERS Crossed paths with some ex-FCCers on yourrecenttrip? Take ahappy snap. We'dlove to run it. Put the pic/pix with a nice long caption in The Coruespondent box in the basement bar. And please drop the editor an email or phone call to alert him. Thanks

EDITORS NEEDED - PHUKET, THAILAND In connection with continuing

These are nor positions which

rapid expansion since its launch

would appeal to individuals in

five years ago, our client, the Phuket Gøzette, requires a New s

of a resort lifestyle.

Editor and a Features Editor. Now published twice a month in hard copy and dailY on the web <www.phuketg azelte.net>, the Gazette's hard coPY frequencY will rise to weeklY next Year.

Reporting to the

Managing

Editor and assisted bY a team of three Thai researchers/reporters, the incumbents will 1) Plan the

content of each issue; 2) write their own stories; 3) liaise with and edit the work of a Pool of

twelve regular freelance contributors; and4) Place stories (their own as well as those of

WHO SAID THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH? The Correspondent requires freelance writers to

cover the Club's professional lunches. And you get paid for your story too!

Contact Saul Lockhart on tel: 2859 8070, fax:2858 54L3 or email: 100426.1233 @ comnuserve.com

freelancers) into the columns the newsPaPer.

Here uith httsband Ksés it't tbe bar.

semi-retirement orthose in quest

The book's out, 6ts you can see from, the big smile on Vaudine England's face. Tbe Quest of Noel Croucher: Hong Kong's Quiet Philanthropist ertded a two an.d a balf yearproject wbicb ittuolued but'tclred.s of irxteruieus it't. botlt Britain artd Hortg Kottg

Thai

language skills are not required.

In addition to reasonable cash compensation (on local terms), the successful candidates will

each have full-time use

company car, medical coverage, a bonus opportunity and the

satisfaction of contributing to a visibility local publication. fast growing, high

Please apply with full resume, stating current salary to:

China Recruit Management Rêorullñent Consu tânts

Híking hacks

The FCC is planning to team up with Hong Kong hiking guide and Club memberJoanne Bunker to set up biking backs. Joanne is an experienced guide with more than seven years hiking in Hong Kong under her belt. She runs her own walk group, BOOTS, and is a walk leader for the Y!øCA and other local associations. \øe are planning to organise a biking backswalk on the first Saturday of every month. The walks are aimed at the moderately fit, so even those members who do not stray too far from the confines of the bar should be able to make the odd yomp or two. The walks will cover some of the most scenic routes on Hong

Kong Island, in the New Territories, Outlying Islands, Macau

Qualified candidates, newsPaPer professionals aged 30-45' will be native English sPeakers; will place a high value on Precision,

technical accuracY and craftsmanshiP in their use of the

language; and will be hard driving and self-disciPlined'

and depending on member response

possibly

end an overseas hiking holiday. The yomps will usually 164 On Hing Building, 1-9 On Hing Ter-race Central, Hong Kong Or Fax To: 2530 142I or E-mail: <recruit

bennett-hk.com>

well-deserved meal in a good restaurant, or a packed lunch will be provided. The month's walk list will be posted on the Club's notice boards for interested members to sign on the dotted line. Queries? ContactJoanne via: Tel: 2575-7339, Fax: 2893-2486, E-mail: jbunker@netvigator.com.

with

Decernber 1998 THI

CORßXSP0NDDNI

FCC

wins one, losses ofte

R t3

I,f. .:"¡;l'-

Àii¿

Derek Currie doing bis bitfor Scottisb Nationalism.

A beautiful dLly

¿tt

KLli Sa KatL, but wbat about tbose bills?

Top left: It

LDúts ót. uinning combination;left: 'Nifty' hancls ouer tbe BOC tropby to Jt ùian lValsb; top right; Sbeng Sit'tg not only brottgbt tbe FCC team bome to uictory but also þicked up a 24 carat gold putterfor bis effotts

Photos by: Ray Cranbourne and Terry Duckham

Julian Walsh congratulates Gua.m's team return Julian.

ca.þta.in Dauid. Sablan on tbeir

uictory

nice plastic bag

1998 CHRISTMAS TAKEAWAY

Guam's James Nelson ctnd lakewood. caddies spent tbe d.ay irt deep cultural excbanges

Smoked Salmon (sliced) Norwegian

$ 75

Chicken Liver Parfait

$150 5009

2509

Roast Turkey with chestnut

Euen tbe lrisb baue tbeir day- DublinJack's uely oLUn Noel Smlttb belts it straigbt down tbe

Collection date: Time: Members Name:

$720 10 ke (L) $420 5.skg(S)

stuffing & gravy

I will pick up my order promptly on:

No: Signature on ordering:

$780 6.5kg

Honey Roast Ham

fainuay.

Signature on collection: Roast Sirloin Beef

After much inactivity it was a busy month for the Golf Society. Our friends from Guam were over for the return match u¡fertLl¡ately they took the trophy home again, but next time. . .. following our golf trip to Guam in March - and we did ímpress the visitors with the views and our ability to walk Lakewood andKat Sa Kau were the venues carts would have been a preferred option for our American friends. and yes we did bring home the üophy Then it was off to Thailand for the annual Bangkok Overseas Challenge - 33 Stapleford points. (there always has to be a first time). Our deep appreciation for the Sing Sheng's

$820 4 kg

with Yorkshire Pudding Mincemeat Tart with rum

butter

Christmas Pudding with brandy sauce

$140

8 Portions

$ 70 2509

Ordering date: Please order in person or fax at2868 4092 and a minimum of 4 days notice is required *No cancellations will be accepted*

FCCabsentmembers,nowBangkokbased,'Nifty'NevNicholsonandJohnLenaghanputtogetheragre ttournament with three games being played up in Kanchanaburi af Dragon Hill, Mission Hill and Rose Garden. THD CORRISPONDDNT Decernber' 1998

Decer¡ber 1998 THE

G0RRf,SPOIIIIENT

A monttrly portrøít of FCC ôrcepløceøbles

50 years at the FCC 1999 marks the 50th anniversary of th€ FCC

in Hong Kong

fffk-tr;ff Come along and meet old friends or just contemplate your navel over the next 50 years. ü++üù

Marvin Farkas Member since: A

Just after 003.

oe.

004.

Profession:

Millionaire Road Runner.

Nationality: Least likely to say: Most likely to say:

American. Drinks are on me. Do you have an unmarried granddaughter?

Pltotograpbed by Mørtín Merz