The Correspondent, October - November 2002

OCTOBER

P

HH

/

NOVEMBER 2OO2

It

N CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB, HONG KONG

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF T

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The Inaugural FCC Charity BalI

&

History on the W多lls

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TIl I THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS'

CL['B, HONG KONG 2 Lower AÌbert Road, Central, Hong Kong TeÌ: (852) 2527 7577 Fu: (852) 28ô8 4092 E-mail: <fcc@fcchk.org> Websi te:

President

<tw.fcchk.org>

C o h{TTNTS

cr

4 I

Letters & Announcemenls

Thomæ Crmpton

Fint Vice President

m the President

Lauie

Kevin Egan Second Vice President-Jim

-

Correspondent Member Governors Paul Bayfield, Brett M Decker (Hon. Sec ), Daniel Kubiske, Elaine Kurtenbach, Anthony Lawence, Tyler Marshall, Je

nniferJanin O'Neil, Ilaria Maria

4 I4EGM "ruaactivities

Sala

5 6

Jounalist Member Governors C P Ho, Francis Moriæty

Asociate Member Governors David Garcia, Marilyn Hood, Barry Kalb, Anthony Nedderman (Treasurer)

Golf & Prisoner at the Bar Point of Order

otography

7

Finmce Comittee Conumor: Anthony Nedderman

History on the Walls 22 Photographer ofthe YearAwards

Profesional & Entertaiment Comittee

Bob Davis

-

Convmor: Brelt M. Decker

Memberehip

Comittee

Cover Story

Hood

Conumor: Marilyn

Coretitution Comittee Conaenor: Kevit Egan

Media Telling Cambodia's Story 14 Luke Hunt Distance Learning 16 Kerry McGlynn

Houe/F&B Comittee Conuenor: David Garcia

Conu enor : Fr

-

Comittee

Freedom of the Press

ncis Moriarty

Club Speakers 18 Xinran Xue

Wall Comittee Cuconumu: Ilaria Maria Sala General Mmager Gilbert Cheng

The Correspondent O The Foreign Correspondents' Club,

Hong Kong

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Conamor: Pawl BaYfield

Editor: Diane Stormont t

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Prod,uclion: Terry Duckham

Obituary

Editorial Hongkongnow.com ltd Tel: 2521 2814 E-maiì : fccmag@hongkongn ow. com

China's Tortured Souls

-

25 Do Wop with Martha

Publicatioro Comittee

'i¡'

-

19 Internet Pitfalls

The Correspondent is published six times a yean Opinions expressed by witers in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Club

'-----^

Derek Davies

-

32

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Feline Famity Planning Reeves

\A¡hen in Paris...

-

Heinz Grabner FCC

32 Main Bar Renovation 33 Social

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Main Cover Photograph by Bob Davis

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vã THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

2OO2

From David Tuckeç Rio Tinto (BaIl Sponsor) Thanksvery much (on behalf of the b00 people who attended on Saturday night) for arranging such a splendid weekend. We had a ball. Martha was excellent

but full credit for unexpected surprises, the disco was also first rate. You must have given strict instructions for the play list only play good music! And more surprisingly they -did. Again many congratulations for an impeccable, inaugural FCC Ball.

From Paula Del,isleo Watson Wyatt Worldwide (Ball Sponsor) Congratulations on a very successful charity event.

The spirit in the room was incredibly special, truly a night to remember and we look forward to supporting many, many more like it.

NEW YEAR'S EVE

From the President

2OO2

Presidents in Paris, Keith Richburg (199798) and Tom Crampton slum it at the Ritz

Fellow Members,

A1 fresco dining in Mo Tat Wan

The FCC proudly presents

Sar4dt?e

*al/

Known as The Empress of Blues, bawdy, sexy, heavy-duty blues great, Sandra Hall "The Empress of Blues" from Atlanta, Georgia, will be the headliner for the Foreign Correspondents' Club New Year's Eve Party.

Sandra has been preaching, teaching

Wan on Lamma Island and discover Come to Mo Tat beautiful venue for al fresco dining Hong Kong's nrost and -qteat Pafiìes' on the beach, Cococabana offers a laid Located almost

style Cuisine and atmosphere' Enjoy back Meditenanean and balcony dining set against exotic sunset cocktails

ou

of wat'es' the soft sound

For reselvations please call 2328-2138

Hite, t0 teserve online or more Timetables, Boat

iifo'

Check out: www,toPtables'com'hk

Cubana 2869'1218 Bar Picante 2869-9631

and

vociferating the blues for the past twenty years. She currently tours with blues legend Ray Charles.

The great master himself B.B. King best sums up what Sandra is all about when he sang, "...it's hard to describe her, so I'd better not start now because I have a very weak hearl. You upsets me baby, like being hit by a falling tree, woman that's what you do to me". That's Sandra Hall, the Empress of Blues.

lost & Found A selection of items handed in to the FCC Offrce lost property...

A black hat with 2 wigs Book "Deadkidsongs by Toby Litt" Hong Kong Bar Association card

as

Avolleyball Book - "Lipstick & Some Stories" Black Giordano belt Cloth sample A magazine - "Parole" A pair of women's jumpers (black) THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

2OO2

We may have a region-wide reputation as a great place to have fun, but the primary purpose of the Foreign Correspondents' Club remains advocacy on issues concerning foreign correspondents and supporting freedom of expression. Both these roles are now coming [o the fore.

In early October we had a victory in advocacy with the unprecedented easing of visa restrictions placed on Hong Kong-based foreign correspondents by the People's Republic of China. This came after nearly six months of active lobbying in Hong Kong and Beijing led by the FCC and backed up with support from organisations including the American Chamber of Commerce as well as prominent individuals.

The new measures, detailed in a letter sent by the Hong Kong Chief Executive's office, include a streamlined application process, the dropping of sponsorship requirements for certain visits and a promise of increased co-operation from mainland authorities. Two journalists applying under the new system obtained their visas in less t}ran 24 hours. This compares with delays of more than two weeks under the old system. We welcome these changes and the increased level of co-operation from mainland authorities.

As for freedom of expression, The Foreign Correspondents' Club is gravely conce,rned about the impact anti-subversion laws sketche'd out in the consultation papers on Article 23 rnay have on journalists. The club will release a detailed position paper shortþ On a lighter subject, the club's first annual charity ball proved that you can do good while having fun.

The evening's music kicked off with a choir from the Po Leung Kuk orphanage and was followed by Motown legend Martha Reeves. Flown in direct from Detroit, Martha had the dance floor packed by the end of her fìrst song (not an easy feat in Hong Kong).

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\'EMBER

2OO2

Combining the sales of raffle tickets, the art auction and donations, we manage d to raise HK$800,000 to found the Foreign Correspondents' Club Scholarship Fund for worthy students from the Po Leung Kuk. Due to high demand for tickets, the event will be expanded next year.

While on financial matters, I am pleased to report

that

voting with their wallets

our

members

- renovated Main overwhelmingly approve of the newly Bar. Beverage sales in the Main Bar lounge have increased 41 percent compared with the same period lastyear, food sales have increased 24 percent and the number of members served increased by 34 percent.

Change can never occur

at the FCC without

controversy and - for the new bar - it took the form of an Extraordinary General Meeting on September 23.

Despite a technical tie-up, members had arr

opportunity to express their views and weigh the popularity of the proposed motion in a straw poll.

The positive impact of renovations has also been felt in the gym, where member usage increased 41 percent over September of last year, and in the new baker¡ which has been serving members with fresh baked goods for several months now. This, of course, brings me back to one of my favourite subjects: Promoting the FCC cooked breakfast as the best deal in town.

We welcome membership input and encourage participation in all aspects of the club. The most efficient manner of communication is to e-mail fcc@fcchk.org or you can call me directþ on my mobile phone: 9272-1617.

Sincerely,

ç,"-"r

omas Crampton

3

Prisoner at the Bar

EGM collaPses

By Ted Thomas

<

corþ com@hh. linhage. net>

Saul's Apostrophe A tragedy was narrowly averted a couple of weeks

it all came about from an unforgivable lapse in punctuation.

Unforgivable for one who earns his daily crust as a writer and ago and

hat is

it with

EGMs

It took

and the FCC? almost balf-a-dozen

to .get Y Y tries sinrPlY u-.io-å,. to the Mem'iiÎ9iT (lvl&As) ],.ãil;j;;of Associationchanges' ;;J io n.,, u'.,.'ons otherUolony r"ia oi,n."pn.ase "British surpritt- t: So it came as no EGMs Fcc ..;i; ä^ã"¿ that stal-us '

ii"?ã

to their star-crossed

23' try on SePtember the bY The motion, sPonsored ätt.ti" t"r¡ber of corresPondent the behest or a ;:;;.;-;t

;i ,;."pil

QrouPr rn.r.tt *i¿., rePresentativs members' urrãtiut"

i".i"¿i"-

a technicalitY' coìlaosedin '"'Ñ:;";;less

--

the EGM' called in u^..nd-"nt to the

. ;;;'ì;;" il;;;;^*rociadon

to establish

a Heritage Committee'

gave

members an opportunity to vent on the underlying sentiment behind the motion the controversial decision to re-design

the Main Bar. At the risk of oversimpli$zing the sentiments of the evening, it was noticeable that on the whole proponents of the motion disapproved of the redesign of the new Main Bar and felt

were generally

towards the

changes.

In the event, rhetoric was as far as things went. When member Charles Wetherill stood up and read out the section of the Club's existing M&As which stated that the FCC was not entitled to call an

EGM on M&A matters not previously approved by the

their views had been ignored in a rush to make changes as part of

Registrar of Companies, the EGM stuttered to a halt.

needed renovations.

Those who opposed the motion

twist. Wetherill was lambasted by

expressed a greater mix of opinions: Whether or not they approved of the re-design, they focussed much more on the practical and constitutional aspects of the motion to establish an extra level of bureaucracy within the Club. On the whole, however, they

broadcaster arrryay.

The poster advertising Saul Lockhart's farewell party

Golf Society

But not without an unpleasant

one member of the board for grandstanding and not bringing his observations to their attention

ahead

of the EGM. Wetherill,

however, brandished a paper trall, including, he said, e-mails

transmitted to the board that showed he had done exactly that.

I

O rî':î:Tfi,r;Tfiî* the previous week due to

the

constant rain. Sadly there were no Bloody Marys on the bus this time

so we arrived sober and without incident perhaps we should try this more- often. It didn't help the

golf too much, though, and the scores were variable.

Joint winners with

35

stableford points were Robin Swaffreld and Stephanie Downs

w,B klovers ftrr your Booklover Carcl

to savc money, and

followed closely by Akioka-san on 34 and Tony Dueno on 31.

Longest drive went to Ken Walker and nearest the pin to Mitch Davidson. Shot(s) of the day were a rather special double airshot by someone who asked that his identity be kept secret. The societies league starts in October,

and this year's sponsor

have the chance

.

is

Carlsberg, which may help us improve on last year's bottom place in the league.

Dates for other games, including the 2002 Richard Hughes trophy game, will be announced soon. FCCGS notices

to win grcat prizcs!

are sent out by e-mail and some get rejected as people change their email addresses. Please let me know of any changes so I can update the

records. ll¡rhour Cclrlrc

0ló0 lcl:

2166 9000

Julian Walsh

(iarrre*iry 'lt l: 2() I 5

Convenor FCCGS <

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBh,R/NO\T,MBER

2OO2

jþuakh@jþwakhco. com

in September

"drinks to member's account". Now as any added a postscript grammarian will tell -you that meant one member's account i.e. Saul Lockhart's account.

Had the offending apostrophe been placed one place to the right of the "s" Saul might have breathed more easily. The thought of Saul paying for all the drinks at his farewell party is of course unthinkable.

Lightning Waiting To Strike Bruce, not his real name, is a highly successful barrister. He is also a very popular and highly visible habitué of the Main Bar. Bruce is also a sensitive and some might say spiritual man who enjoys a glass or three of the cup that cheers.

As a man not unfamiliar with games of chance he does however have a firm belief in the inflexibility of the odds in life's universal gamble.

Having in mind the untimely passing away of the sainted Charlie Smith, who was taken from this vale of tears many years ago while in the middle of a movement in the end cubicle in the gent's at the FCC, Bruce is lengthening the odds on his own immortality.

Since that unhappy event Bruce always uses the same stall to go through the motions, so to speak, in the firm conviction that lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

The Main Bar Nobody could ever accuse me of knowing anything at all about interior design, but I was intrigued about one particular feature of the Main Bar décor.

About a dozen million-candlepower spotlights are trained on the white wooden louvered air conditioner intakes at the Bunker end of the bar. Is there something intrinsically beautiful, artistic or admirable about these slats of white wood or am I being a Philistine?

One member of the Board seems to like the illumination. It enables him to read his newspaper. Bugger everyone else That Gym Again What are we going to do with that gym once the beer bellies have subsided or the athletes have found other reasons to return to their slothful lifesryles and abandon physical exercise? \i\¡hy not a hairdressing salon and beauty parlour?

Judging by some of the wrinkled faces and baggy eyes, a high proportion of the more senior members could do with help in presenting an improved version of themselves to the world at large in the early mornings.

An Odour of Sanctity There is an odour of sanctity whenever a journalist or broadcaster gets the sack. It's never regarded asjustifiable and the howling pack (no doubt with its own vulnerability to sudden termination in mind) latches on to a crusade to demonstrate that the unfortunate lad or laddette who got the chop was being persecuted because of his outspoken views which "offended management, government or big business".

It may come as a complete surprise to some in our noxious trade that there really are some useless, lazy and untalented layabouts in our profession, and when the bosses finally latch on to it, they do what bosses are there to do and boot them out. So a little less universal outrage every time one of the brotherhood is terminated might not be out ofplace. I

>

THE CORRTSPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\IEMBER

2OO2

5

Crus Acrnrrrrns

H¡story 0n the Walls

Point of 0nden

By Robin Lynam

FCC member Peter Gallo missed the recent EGM, which, perhaps, was just as well ...

or Bob Davis,

am incensed, as I have a right

of the asinine cultural insensitivity

their original tiled floors, though

to be as a member in good standing under Rule 35(a)

perhaps they might attract a more

promulgated under Articles 89 to 94 of the Memorandum of

demonstrated by the Committee who must shoulder the blame for the wanton destruction of the old bar an act of cultural vandalism that -would shame a Taleban hard-

Association.

Iiner.

Despite a polite suggestion to several Committee members, my submission of a 62 page technical report, a strongly worded letter to

Consider the new light fittings.

One learned member assures me they resemble those of a New Orleans bordello, though I confess Ide[er to his experience, never having been in one myself. I did enquire whether he objected to the Committee's choice of supplier or whether he was concerned that

of the Club bylaws,

the President and an

as

ex-parte

injunction hearing before a Judge in Chambers last Sunday morning, absolutely nothing has been done about the ashtrays.

Quite apart from the fact the new air conditioning system may require me to suck it faster than belore, I am still having immense

difficulty resting my

16-gauge the cigarette ashtrays that

in have a groove barely 3/8" in diameter. I see no reason why the cross-section of a marble column from a Greek or Roman archaeological site cannot be cigars

fashioned into a perfectly

serviceable multi-purpose ashtray of universal appeal to smokers of cigarettes, cheroots and even cigarillos.

This is.just one more example

the girls in one of the

affluent and discerning clientele they did.

said

establishments were having to work

in the dark. This troubled him immensely and he appeared confused.

We must immediately replace these outrageous faux Edwardian lamps. We need a Heritage SubCommittee to ensure that the FCC lights always resemble those of a good old-fashioned Hong Kong bordello.

I

if

propose a traditional set of multi-coloured fluorescent tubes, such as illuminate the back streets of Mongkok and Shamshuipo!

Sadly, these places no longer boast

Luckily, it is not too late to acquire a genuine set of fluorescent bordello lights. I understand these are readily available from local suppliers, and for no extra cost, it is still possible

to get them with electrical wiring that simulates the standards of 1915. Such a quaint vestige of a bygone era should surely be encouraged, and, for the sake of historical authenticity, installed in our Main Bar without dela¡ regardless ofexpense.

And while I am on the subject, is the Committee aware of the massive support among the members for genuine ivory napkin ring holders?

They could surely arrange to have these supplied, and it would not require the slaughter of more

than, say, a dozen African at the

elephants, maybe frfteen most.

Let us ignore the irrelevancies and the nonsense! Rise up and demand that the fat cats on the Committee listen to reason!

I

THE FCC SHOP Looking for a souvenir of the Club?

Lighters Zippo Lighters Umbrellas Chinese Tea Set Postcards Wine glasses Name cardholders Luggage tags Key rings Disposable

BBC Tape

6

$5 $150-160 $100-200 $30 $3 each $36-79 $75 $60 $30

Ashtray Ties T:shirts

Cigarette boxes Bermuda shorts

Shirts Windbreaker Wallets

for the opening exhibition of the new Main Bar was a revelation.

"I found pictures I'd forgotten about, and things in pictures I hadn't realised were there," Davis observes.

"And of course a lot of things that were in the pictures aren't on those sites any more."

This is literally true of Murray featured in one House photograph taken in Central and since dismantled and rebuilt on the Stanley waterfront. But most of those old views have altered for the more usual Hong Kong reasons that something has been demolished altogether, or that something new has been built in front of them.

The 1982 picture of the stairs leading up to the Repulse Bay Hotel is notable for the absence of the and for its fine hotel pulled down weeks before Toda¡ of course, a it. hills behind of the view reconstruction of the old Verandah restaurant stands there, in front of an unusually ugly high-rise residential development. The hills, however, can still be seen through a hole in the middle of the building, put there supposedly on the advice of a fung shui consultant.

Some pictures are directly pertinent to the Club, particularly four views taken from the old Sutherland House premises in 1980, and a handover night shot that appropriately hangs in the area of the bar featured in the picture.

Other interesting images for those who know a little about local history include a suitably theatrical portrait of MilesJackson Lipkin, a flamboyant former member of the judiciary who was obliged to step

down from his position for spo,rting military campaign medals from campaigns in'which he had

$18

Lithograph Print of FCC

where he has lived for much of his time in Hong Kong, also features in his selection.

sorting

through his archi'r'es to select 66 pictures taken between 1971 and 1997

$160 $110 $800

not participated.

Equally notable are a picture of Hong Kong boy Bruce Lee with Golden Harvest boss Raymond Chow, and a harbour study featuring a junk under full sail, taken at a time when the presence of such a vessel did not have to be organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

$80

$110 $115

$ZfO

Davis's penchant for aerial photography

$125

(OlAilthe GinJoin¿s...) $2SO (PAL)/$350 (NTSC)

is

represented by some stunning views of Central and the New Territories, while his beloved Lamma Island, THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\TEMBER

2OO2

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\EMBER

2OO2

The exhibition mixes classic which he regards - with colour. Many as his speciality - look as though of the latter images

black and white

they could have been captured yesterda¡ until you take a close look at the details. Take one shot of a crowd gazing in at a fashion model through a department store window,

for example. It looks like a recent still from Beijing or Shanghai.

Actually it was taken at Daimaru in in 1976.

Causeway Buy "Some of the pictures look relatively new because I which was expensive, but the used Kodachrome so the colours absolute best thing at the time - pollution and haven't really faded, although with buildings crowding in on each other, the light in Hong Kong has changed," Davis reflects.

There is a distinct Bob Davis style common to all

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Clockwise from top /eff Lowering of the f lag, Handover at the FCC 1997;Cricket Club Central 1971; Kowloon Walled City 1991;Central from Blake's Pier, the old post office still stands, 1973; Shatin estuary now Shatin City, taken from the railway station, 1971

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the pictures which, though easy to recognise, is hard to defrne. It is a style that Davis believes has its basis in his interest in context.

"A lot of photographers when they travel want to shoot pictures of people, and get right up close to the subject. I want to see more of the place and the circumstances those people are in, and I always try to get that into a shot. Where they are is a big part of who they are, and I think that way the picture tells a storv". I

Opposite page, clockwise from top /eff: View of Central from Kennedy Terrace 1973; Hong Kong Club 1976; The stairway to the Repulse Bay .1982; Rickshaws, Hotel after being demoshed, pier Macau ferry 1973; The 100th Anniversary, Hong Kong Yacht Club 1984

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East

Asia as it was being transformed by 50 years of war and peace. But few other non-Asians contributed as much to the transformation as this short, chubby Welshman. His 25 years as editor of the Far Eastern Economic Reuiew saw the worth¡ but

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ponderously titled and barely profitable, Hong Kong weekly gradually develop into a highly regarded, politically influential, often-criticised but prohtable Asian regional publication.

-lhe Rzaiew became the most successful regional weekly an¡vhere in the world, and by the time Davies left in 1989 it had some 20 staff correspondents in a dozen bureaux in Asia and one each in the US and Australia. It was not as slick as Time or Newsueek or as glib as The Economisl, but its political reporting and its probing analysis of corporate and economic issues made it essential reading for business ând professional elites throughout southeast Asia.

Davies had a rare combination of keen intellect, fluent pen, pugnacious personality and sense of humour that made for good comradeship. He was the ideal man to lead a small but highly motivated group of journalists who worked mostly for professional satisfaction rather than their pay cheque.

His entry into journalism was itself a product of his independence. After National Service, Jesus College, Cambridge, and a stint with Reuters, he THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\'EMBER

2OO2

joined the Foreign Office and served tn

Hanoi and Vienna. There he met his future wife Shizue Sanada, a Japanese pianist.

British diplomats were not then allowed to marry Japanese, so he gave up his career to marry.

He moved back to journalism and to the Financial Times, frotn where he went to the R¿aiew, in which it had a stake, in 1962, becoming Editor two years later. The Rcuiew was not predestined to be a success. Englishlanguage regional publishing in Asia has seen many failures, and tb.e Reaieu's own star has faded since his retirement. So what was the secret of the increase in circulation from four fìgures in 1965 to 75,000 in 1990, with sales across numerous countries, 70 per cent of them to individual subscribers willing to pay full price for a quality product?

Two things made the Reuieu uniquely successful, and both came from Davies. First was a willingness to give writers their head. He believed in seeking out bright, inquisitive, energetic journalists and letting them get on with it. In the early days this could be a hit-and-miss business, since the magazine had to rely in many instances on local stringers, so the quality was uneven, to say the least.

But the best was very good, and even many of the poorer articles covered Asian countries and issues that other media ignored.

Success meant more staff, and bright young journalists began to aspire to work for t}:'e Reaiew. \ÀIhile Davies's laissez-faire attitude may sometimes have led to sloppy copy, the emphasis on putting resources in the field, rather than on copy editing, was highly productive. And correspondents preferred to defend what they had actually written, rather than have the homogenised product of a rewrite desk.

The second key was Davies's determination to print what the correspondents found, not what government or companies wanted. He never flinched from supporting correspondents under fire. He supported liberalism and democracy in broad terms but tried to avoid being ideological. -lhe Reuiew covered too many countries to believe in one theory of governance or economy, and Davies abolished regular editorials for this reason.

The

mag^azine suffered

frequentþ from having 11

tuî1,r torf; issues banned or pages torn o."tl But this i" "¡t"tt' correspondents did timl t" .pÏ"'ï;,rt^tiorr. It willingness to offend heightened it: ::l:]

äi.'i' ;;åin'i'äu'.åiìi.*'r

[ooK a generauy clru.Lar vrLYr "- ii.: ï:i'' With itS rå r"r-' -- r-,,1trrral its reputanon tloostcu rtr Vietnam, Vletnam, and also boosted Cultural tj!,]. coverage of events such as-,the,n the o Kong and ^no b Revolution confrontations rû 'i"*tä".* 1969 disturbances in MalaYsia'

-i,i

modus vivendi with Singapore which all but neutered the news coverage of that country.

Dow Jones and Davies were always

often outraged by his weekly personal column,

"Travellers' Tales", which combined pithy comments on events with reminiscences and humour.

Davies's numerous critics considered him selfcentred, irascible and at times ruthless in promoting his own interest. He sometimes fostered tensions within the offrce that were more divisive than creative in effect. He could give out criticism but was less than ready to absorb it, and the affection and respect that many inside and outside the company felt for the magazine did not always extend to the man.

But life was never dull. He wanted the staff and others around him to enjoy life, to eat well, drink well and enjoy robust conversation, serious or scatological. politicians, Hundreds of visitors to Hong Kong

ilten"tt

-

Moment

î 3."åïy',*"i; iJÏ

Dereh Daat'es

Reuiew under examines the Davies legacY' I

here were plenty of P:T;:ri'; ñ lnc incl--r:-LrereK Derek

- n 1979 thev (uPI's vícky President. Politicians, bu angered by the Rnieut's zero in on his rather obvi an overweight colonial language journalists

I I

-

resented his o -newspapers or br -''idnotlike to their

seekers

The puritanical, sel craven editors and execu' compete with him in jour

being outraged at the

c

humour. short-stay corres the evolution ofjournalis get an interview with Lee skinned autocrat, often g

Derek could be Pro after a long lunch or dr were also some times occ job offers which had to sobriety or his colleagues his aptitude with words as wel ability to be fun made him a valued afte an asset to any partY.

;;

rcc. r"

uneasy

bedfellows. The US media group was big and bossy and

Ti:' i:K, li",:,:i;,

of politicians and diplomats which meets once aye r to discuss regional issues.

Relations with his staff could be difhcult, and he was prone to be unpredictable. Reuiewjournalists might be

furious with him for an acid comment on a story or

or irrational editorial decision.

But

fellowship was almost always restored over the "Peoples'

Bottle", the whisky which appeared as the last pages were being put to bed, or by an invitation to a Sunday boat trip with his family.

Despite his 1979 defeat by Ms Wakefield, Derek remained an active member of the FCC and along with Donald Wise was instrumental in the club obtaining the Ice House. (Despite his often virulent criticisms of the Hong Kong government he enjoyed good relations with at least some members, including then governor Murray Maclehose, Financial Secretary Philip Haddon-Cave and of the ICAC. He made it to Jack Cate¡ the hrst head FCC president in 1987 and did a fivo-year stint.

He did bear some grudges but usually these were well earned and applied in particular to anyone who slighted his wife, Shizue. The verbal venom he coulcl display almost never translated into action. In 20 THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\'EMBER

good swimming. He was also proud of his Welsh ancestry, a good excuse for bibulous gatherings,

2OO2

Over the years since he retired, its content had, he believed, been dumbed down, its political coverage castrated by fear of advertisers and governments. He

was particularly saddened last year when

its

correspondent network, already much reduced, was merged with that of the Asian Wall Street JournaL The

without becoming the "professional Welshman".

He enjoyed good personal relations with many leading figures in the Hong Kong Government and among the foreign policy makers of South East Asia.

But others thought him a little beyond the pale and insufficiently diplomatic. Though he was the central figure in one of the most successful predominantly British enterprises in Asia, he never these seemed to be received any British honour reserved in Asia for dull -diplomats and some doubtfully honest bankers. He may have felt that this reflected modern Britain's dangerous aversion to risk. He was certainly irked by the decline of the magazine he had built.

identity of a rnagazine once notorious for its feiscy independence was submerged in Dow Jones, its editorial line a carbon copy of the Wall Street Journal's right-wing editorial pages. Davies was hurt and contemptuous. He knew that the Review had been an example and inspiration to many in Asia, at least in those countries where politics permitted, who were working to improve journalistic standards. It had been an integral part of the great Asian boom of 1955-95.

Derek divided his relaxed retirement between

with him, I can think of only one and that at the person unfairly frred by him He could be instigation of a scheming underling. masterful in confrontations but shied away from

even Hong Kong's ChiefJustice, Andrew Li, learned a few things there about debate and exposition. The

enigmatic Leo Goodstadt, deputy editor when I joined, later became head of the Hong Kong

them whenever possible.

government's think tank.

years of working

His style and humour were often better appreciated

by Asians than by westerners, particularly those of a missionary disposition. His knowledge and intellect were widely respected and for years he was a participant in the Williamsburg conference, a mostly Asian group

some late

businessmen and fellow journalists as well as his own enjoyed his unstinting hospitality. Often this staff took -the form of Sunday boat trips, usually to Po Toi, a small outlying island with a frne seafood restaurant and

and Derek was a f,rne leader but a poor manager knew it so he was usually willing to delegate. He could be vain but could spot sycophants a mile away. His reluctance to be ruthless meant that some employees survived despite themselves, and dismissals were almost invariably delegated. He could also swallow his pride and forgive and forget, as I know better than most.

After five years as Business Editor I resigned after a very public row on some sensitive internal issues. For a year we did not speak. Ãyear later he invited me back as his deputy.

The forgiveness streak was in part the influence of his wife, and of the family life, which provided him with a sense of security and stability that could not have come from his work or position. In the early days when his salary was miniscule, Shizue's earnings as a piano teacher were essential to educate the children. Later, she and their tr,vo sons and daughter were a restraint on Derek's natural tendency to excess. Shizue, from time

to time, had plenty to forgive as far as Derek's and did not flinch from behaviour was concerned saying so to friends. But the marriage survived.

Derek was a hne journalist but it wås his instincts as an editor and his ability to build a team that made the Rzuiew what it was. This was a small magazine which nurtured the early careers of a bel'y of distinguished people including writers such as the late David Bonavia

and the very much alive Ian Buruma, and financial

sector luminaries such as Gary Coull, Susumu Awanohara and Christopher Wood.

Hong Kong's tribune of democracy, Iegislator Emily Lau, was a prominent and very professional staffer, and THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\'EMBER

2OO2

London and a house near Nice. He died of liver cancer in Antibes on September 15,2002, aged 71.

He is survived by his wife, their two sons and a daughter.

I

The list of journalists who reached the upper

a long one. Many are now retired, a few are dead. Eloquent and elegant TJ.S. George from India and (the late) Mike O'Neill from New Zealand left to found a rival, Asiaweek. T}l'e late Denzil Peiris from Sri Lanka left to become founding editor of another now defunct weekly, South. echelons of the occupation is

Under Derek, the Reai,eu had more Asian it does now, including Shim Jae IIoon, Paisal Sricharatchnaya, Salamat Ali, Bobi correspondents than

Tiglao, K. Das, Arun Senkuttuvan and Ho Kwon Ping.

Four of the above did prison time for their reporting.

Today what international publication will risk even a few pages of airline ads, let alone its correspondents' freedom, for honest reporting?

-lhe Rzuieu then also harboured several other

refugees from oppression including cartoonist Morgan Chua and writer Mary Lee, both from Singapore.

Among the non-Asians, Robert Cottrell (Financial Timesin Moscow), Hamish McDonald (Sydnq Morning

Herald

in in

Beijing), Jonathan Friedland (Wall

Street

Los Angeles), Bruce Nussbaum and Mark Journal Clifford (Business Week in New York and Hong Kong respectively) and Patrick Smith (Bloomberg columnist and latest victim of Lee Kuan Yew's family values), are among those still active.

Derek did not always inspire loyalty to himself, but always to his publication. He could be a pain, but it was

exciting to work there and the results

in terms of

readers and impact were plain to see. \ÀIhat more can one ask of an editor? I 13

The Phnom Penh Post, which recently marked its 10th anniversary, has been aptly dubbed the greatest paper of the world's smallest countries T

Luke Hunt reports

o o

o

-

c

ichael Hayes arrived in Cambodia with his life savings of about US$50,000 and his

I c

)

then-wife Kathleen just as the United Nations poured into the Southeast Asian nation to oversee elections.

Armed rvith a royal seal from King Norodom Sihanouk, he founded the Phnom Penh Poü fron scratch, establishing over the course of the following decade a newspaper that enjoys a solid reputation for telling the truth while maintaining a sympathetic ear for the plight of this country's tragic history. But this reputation came at a price the assassination of several of his Khmer contemporaries, the collapse of his marriage and financial insecurity.

"Basically I've spent 10 years not getting paid to worry about money every day," he says with more than a touch of irony. "How this paper has survived financially is an absolute mystery to me."

Hayes was being modest. The secret of the Posf's

and success is largely due to Hayes's - talented journalists who ability to- attract young and were and are prepared to live on a shoestring and work their hearts out. In return, the paper has proved a valuable stepping stone to wider careers.

The likes of Leo Dobbs, Hurley Scroggins, Nate Thayeq Tom Fawthrop and scores of other seasoned journalists have spent time at the Posf which has earned praise from hear'yweight academics and commentators, including David Chandler, William Shawcross, Milton Osborne Peter Maguire and Craig Etchison.

Underscoring its reputation is a common focus on the obvious: the Khmer Rouge and how these ultraMaoists wiped out a third of their own population.

Ten years of covering what happened nearly a quarter of a century ago can prove tiresome, especially while a low-level civil war persisted and the nation's strongman, a poor euphemism for Prime Minister Hun Sen, clashes with royalty in a country consistently ranked among the most corrupt on Earth.

But Hayes and crew persisted to the point where the Posú emerged as a paper of record for one of the greatest mass killings of the 20th century, and for Cambodia's struggle to drag itself from the abyss.

"Press freedom since 1992 has meant a media freefor-all and we're extremely lucky we haven't seen more dead journalists," Hayes said between cigarettes.

"I am consistently amazed at the power of the printed word. And with so many skeletons in so many survival

14

Michael Hayes, owner and publisher oI |he Phnom Penh Post, sifts through his newspaper's 1Oth anniversary issue

closets here, journalists run the risk of stepping on a political landmine every day."

Throughout, the paper has had its lighter moments, stories that for anyone who has spent time here ring familiar truths. Hayes was once awoken by shouts at 2 am when a thief was discovered in the neighbourhood.

"The entire block of residents came out in their pyjamas armed with an AK-41 or some other weapon.

'IMe gave our guard a pistol and then asked for it back when we discovered he was using it for target practice next door. FIe came back and said 'No problem, gun doesn't work' and then put it to his head and pulled the trigger. Fortunatel¡ it didn't go off. A round was jammed." he civil war formally ended in 1998, and each

year since there have been slight signs of

improvement despite rampant corruption and a culture of impuniry that proúdes its own platform for violent crime, þchings and tin-pot

insurgencies.

Still, Cambodia has shown signs of quietening down, particularly since the violence-marred elections in February this year.

"I've heard expat journalists say peace and stability are boring. For me it's the most exciting piece of news to come out of Cambodia in 30 years," Hayes said.

And with that stability Hayes is again pressing the odds and thinking about an economic resolution. But how, he's not yet sure. "I daydream regularly about frnding a big box of cash so I won't have to think about money ever again. If I had a buck for every time I worried about finances I'd be a millionaire."

I

THE CORRESPOND[,NT OCTOBER/NO\¡EMBER

2OO2

removed from the day-to-day hurly-burly of politics in Hong Kong, but the stories I've read here are fairly balanced. They've explained what the government intends to do and detailed the concerns of the critics.

That sounds like a functioning free society to me.

It would also seem from this distance that my old colleagues in the Security Bureau and Justice

Distance er spinmeister, Kerry McGlynn, dor* by last Governor Chris ations machine from afar Hong Kong' which'

as

in avins spent half my life of the universe' knows is the centre

I returned to "öffit i-"gln. my surprise when Australia' or to isn't' it î"ti*ft" to ãiscover that is' SYdneY' Austlalia' ;"' ;;;..cise, --'^.^,i ai n ly ti ; .:: h st n dini, haf s cert or lwo' week :ïLï for a î:îf g tnî PaPer and elders mY to t t tried to in the involvecl s m^nY Yezrr .

r

a

t

overseas Hong Kong Government's

commrrnications

Now as an old hack, I know that many journalists carry an eggbeater in their toolbags, and that the visiting fireman has been known to take the odd flight of fancy.

But in my experience, by and large most journalists try to get it right. That's why my

advice to the people who make the decisions has always been to concentrate

,

on getting the policies and decisions right, and the PR will lollow.

i'l¡

People generally appreciate that

llrlr

governments are in the business of making

mornings at the

operatives would scan the

vernight from our overseas the world' A snaPPY rePort out the juiciest "bites" to was saYing about ld's Press

uas solemnþ acceþted. Aþþarently no one thought to ash why an Australian Ambassador would attend such a meeting.

Hong Kong people are pretty fly. They can tell the difference between real grass and astroturf and if the government can conl'rnce them that their freedoms are secure, half the PR battle is already won.

I

frnal product.

to be open

and

and I even the most sceptical audiences them the will give include the media benefit ofthe doubt.

Take the current hot button issue in Hong Kong: the dreaded Article 23 of the Basic Law

(8L23) which requires the SAR to pass anti-

subversion laws. This has been a timebomb ticking away ever since Beijing promulgated the Basic Law in 1990. In my view it was a political masterstroke to so publicly and languidly defer enactment of legislation on this explosive issue immediately after the handover. That was a good, well thought-out decision that generated great goodwill and PR (for both China and Hong Kong). Get the decisions right, and the PR will follow.

I mention BL23 because it's the only Hong Kong story that's made any splash in the blatts in Australia since my return in early August. I'm already too far THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\EMBER

2OO2

with the trickiest -and most controversial

a golden opportunity to show how adroitl¡ or otherwise, it has handled the transition. If it gets it selÊconfident and reassuring perspective.

The fact is that as a great international city, which has managed one of the most difficult constitutional and diplomatic segues in histor¡ Hong Kong must

Hong Kong' 16

detail that legislators, lawyers and editorial writers like to wrangle over. Being an open process, it would enhance the accountability process that will be essential in the battle to win hearts and minds.

This issue, handled correctly, also gives Hong Kong

repressive abyss.

damage control or limitation. If sincere and fair in their attempts to strike the right balance in the public interest,

r ,r-^-. ^rô r^ Ère sensitive senqifive to to be ikelY theY are or imagined' to look forward with clread to office when I would peruse the ared bY our team in the division. At the crack of

*During discussions on Hong Kong with senior British fficials in London, Patten joki,ngly introduced his new sþokesman, McGþnn, as the Austrct'Lian Ambassador This

public, and the international community, that Hong Kong is not staring down a potentially suppressive or

right, it will be a good platform on which to present the Hong Kong story to its overseas audience from a more

governments are seen

prosrammest:':.::iiJï'ffi:î.ï'iT.:'i[::îi:i --- -'rr^^ñ ìs nn excep

The more transparency in this process the better.

Alson Chan hit the nail on the head, as ever, when she suggested a "White Bill". This would contain all the

job is to convince the

difficult decisions and balancing

up in government different interests. Basicall¡ PR you find yourself engaged in daily

iil

åå{-{t

stands by comparison, the real

and negative news.

That's the way to win the beneht of the doubt, even issues. I might add ESPECIALLY in such situations, because it is in these situations that you need to be out in the market place of ideas, well armed with the facts and a credible story.

Hong Kong is such a magic place that the rest should take care of itself. In the last few weeks I've read a glowing, cheerleader interview with the laddish British author Tony Parsons (Man and Boy, Man and Wife), praising Hong Kong to the heavens and a hagiographic piece in Atlantic Monthly by PJ. O'Rourke.

As far as I know, neither of these guys came within a shout of GIS (although I did recognise some welltrodden "bull points" that we've always used to "sell" Hong Kong). This only goes to show that what makes Hong Kong tick is good enough in itself to get honourable mentions in the best of publications. I

Deprtment have done their homework in ascertaining what happens elsewhere in this politically volatile area of law. If the BL23 legislation

\Alhatever the reports, the coverage was Just not good enough for some, and was very bad for others.

"Why do the foreign media put such a negative spin on Hong Kong stories?" I would be asked.

Apart from the fact that the international reports would often pale in comparison to what was being said in the local Chinese-language media, I would usually falt back on the Keith Richburg dictum: there are no positive stories or negative stories, just positive news

no substitute for good policy-making reinforced by honest public presentation, articulate briefing, deep involvement in public debate and accessibility to the media.

keep itself on the radar screen as a place that can demonstrate it knows what it's doing and has a fìrm grip on all the issues, large and small, that need tackling to maintain its position as a key player in the region and on the wider world stage.

If it doesn't, the danger is that it will be seen as just another city in China, and not the special place that it and was designed to be by both the Sino-British is t Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. I'd like to see a stronger working relationship between the government and the resident correspondents in the SAR. I regret that I wasn't able to forge a closer relationship between the OJs, as we like to categorise overseas journalists, and some of my senior colleagues. That's a challenge for those who follow me at the Government Information Service (GIS).

I always advised my colleagues that we'll never get our message over by peddling PR pap (although it's always worth a try on a slow day). There is simply THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\'EMBER

2OO2

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lnternet P¡tlal ls lÌ

tl

The growth in popularity of the internet has increased demand for news from an international audience and created new opportunities for journalists. Stories written in Hong Kong can be accessed worldwide almost instantaneously. But this can lead to problems, as Jonathan Sharp discovered. he vast majority ofjournalists have embraced the

internet as an indispensable professional tool, even though some seasoned reporters do not agree that it is an acceptable substitute for a good, old-fashioned library or filing system. But how many are aware of the legal pitfalls lurking out there in cþerspace? Thus, the presentation at a Club luncheon

Xinran Xue hosted For eight mould-breaking ---^-^^^Ð years, Beiiine-born radio phone-in programme that be unflinching por trayal of what it me She has now written a compelling

by.fim .famison of law firm Clifford Chance on the present and foreseeable legal implications for journalists was an invaluable opportunity for those of us who have not fully taken on board the problems

a

,/

00 1,ears or more. "

s any visitor to China testihes, enormous strides have been made recentl¡ most spectacularly in freeing the economy from many of its Communist-imposed shackles and propelling it to a stage marked by what one commentator termed "cacophonous consumerism"' But as Xinran Xue told a Club Luncheon, in some respects the dead hand of the past remains firmly in control and remarkably little progress has been

ods' "

that the standard

male gave one who was man" housework the did ome, nd kePt her figure (an ot confined just to men in

v Revolution,

I8

Jamison, whose preserìtation was prepared for

discussion purposes only and should not be relied on as legal advice, expanded on howjournalists' exposure to

Iiability had changed and increased as a result of internet publications, as opposed to print copy of a newspaper or magazine. the legal term for Firstly he looked atjurisdiction the issue of where one can be sued. He noted that many print publications had a limited circulation outside the countries where they are printed. 'Your local papeq for example, is unlikely to be read in print copy by someone in New Zealand. But on the internet they often can read it before it hits the streets here. And if you defame a New Zealander in an online article, he or she can sue you in New Zealand, because the law in most countries says that publication on the internet takes place where an article is downloaded and read, rather than where it is written and uploaded.

after her talk, for men's definition of a e? At least two or three

who

London where she

was

ugger who tried to steal a anuscriPt of the book. She

"If I had lost the it," she saYs recreate to ied I wasn't sure "However, k. book.

ing the Cultural

than she thought about the position of Chinese women.

"I grew up in a big city, so when I went to r^rrral areas I was very shocked to find that the position of Chinese

90 minutes later.

e was asked

called her phone-in programme and sent avalanches over 200 a day. She followed up by visiting of letters .r,ictims of- p al abuse. It was a journey of , desPit.e herself

suffering

Visiting

uitable, the women were lood during their Periods, far awa¡ a woman would after month' "Her leaves

FIer new book The Good Women of China gives graphic, and often harrowing, glimpses into how the position of women, and male attitudes towards them, iemains barely changed, particularly in stretches of China as yet untouched by the pell-mell rush to modernity.

to access the internet, the problems are not going to disappear.

Jamison, who has 15 years of experience in media law, opened his presentation on a relatively entertaining note by citing instances where highly regarded journalists had been tripped up by embarrassing, but innocuous, hoaxes. He cited an article by IJS journalist Carl Cannon referring to the website TopFive.com which carried "The top 15 Chinese Translations of English Movie Titles." Theywere ajoke, but this did not stop broadcaster Peter Jennings reporting that the movie "Babe" was called "The Happy Dumpling-To-Be \Arho Talks and Solves Agricultural Problems."

Such hoaxes are "no big deal in the grand scheme of things, in that nobody got sued or lost any money," .famison said. "But it does show the sort of mindset that world-wide now able

g Hill, she noticecl that h their legs sPread aPart, re found out that, in the

achieved.

Her inspiration were tales told by women

involved in internet use to update ourselves. The thrust but of his address was: the internet may be a boon beware; and with an estimated half a billion people

¿ ç¿5s¿l attitude to to apply to the internet - circumstances, have information which could, in other expensive or damaging repercussions. " He gave the example of a fake press release purporting to be from US hardware manufacturer Emulex that said, among other things, that the company's CEO had quit and the company was being investigated for accounting irregularities. News services republished the "release", the share price slumped and more than US$2 billion was wiped from the firm's market capitalisation by the time the hoax was exposed seems

provoked

rr*"tÏ* *

cRowNw RELOCATIONS

ugh the extremes of feeling ooon

ut*

THE ..RRISp9NDEN-T

OCTOBER/NO\IENIBER 2002

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\'TN'ÍBER

2OO2

19

"This means that if you defame ten people in ten different countries, you could be sued in each of those countries...This is alarming enough in itself, but if the laws of defamation are different in each of those countries, it starts to get very expensive and very timeconsuming to defend all those actions."

I amiso I *ith ¡ | n*tta

defamation purposes, and can be sued in just the salle way as the original writer of the defamatory statement could be." As a result most ISPs take the line of least resistance and just pull the srte.

This can happen rapidly, Jamison said. "One o[

said the tn Hong

when the complaint was made."

problem

lU ,,.o.,g

a prrìr

Jamison also warned of the increased clanger- of having your communications interceptecl on the internet. He said that in Hong Kong the Chief' Executive, if he considered that the public iuterest required it, could order that any message carriecl ovet-

publication, time starts to run from the first day on which the defamatory material is published and stops six years later. But on the internet, publication takes place every time the story is downloaded. "If a story is uploaded on March

I

and read by someone on that date,

time starts running from that date. But

if it

rn1,

colleagues in London recently complained on behalf of a client about a message on a Hong Kong bulletin board, and it was taken down within 45 ninntes, even though it was the middle of the night in Hong l(ong

the territory's telecommunications infrastructure coulcl be intercepted and disclosed to his appointees. "I rlon't

is accessed

think you have to have overdosed on 'X-Files'

again on April 1, time starts running afresh. And so on, every time the story is downloaded and read."

tcr

conclude that there are probably very sophisticatecl monitoring procedures in place in a town like l-Iong Kong. This type of monitoring is now comrnouplace throughout the world, and is undoubtedll, on thc increase following the events of September 11 lastl'ear-."

Many jurisdictions require their- telecotns [() maintain an interception capability, so it is ltot it problem unique to Hong Kong. Jamison aclcled: "lt would be a great pity if the internet was sucldenll' ofÊ limits for communicating with your sources. Bnt sollre commentators believe that the only safe thirlg ttr commit to cþerspace is nothing at all." I

Jamison urged journalists: don't throw away )¡our notebooks at the end of a limitation period for print copy. "You must assume that you might need them

some time further in the future, and

make arrangements to store them safely in case you are called to account in three, fìve or even ten years' time."

A further problematic issue was the involvement of internet service prol-iders (ISPs) and their habit of pulling the plug on websites at the slightest complaint.

"By carrying a website or a newsgroup, or even a popup advertisement, ISPs make themselves publishers for

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--

lll'lR''l(f

':¿

Top Photographs Travel lfo g Kong The winning entries in the FCC Photographer of the Year Awards 2001 are on show at several venues around Hong Kong. Tbrry Duckhamreports he Foreign Correspondent's Club launched the awards for fìrst time in 2001 to recognise the photographic excellence achieved by

Hong Kong's photographers. Freelance photographer Chris Keenan narrowly won the title frorn Time Photographer John Stanmayer and SCMP photographer David Wong. Response to the awards was overwhelming with a total of 265 individual entries and over 1,200 images submitted. A total of 55 images from

division. A special Student Hong Kong Perspective Award has been created and is open to students from Hong Kong schools, and the Non-Professional division has been expanded and is open to members of participating Hong Kong camera clubs. Entries close on December 14,2002, and judging will take place inJanuary 2003.

"The FCC Photographer of the Year Awards are intended to become a regular

feature of the Hong Kong arts scene," explains POYA chairman Terry Duckham.

11 winning photographers are on show in the travelling exhibition.

The exhibition, which has attracted a great deal of interest and enquiries since it opened at the Hong Kong International Airport in September, has been to

Harbour City and Times Square in October and Kornhill Plaza and the British Council in November.

Plans are being made for the winning entries of the 2002 Awards to be exhibited at Hong Kong Station, the

Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Shatin Town Hall, as well as this year's venues, in 2003.

The 2002 Awards have been expanded and entries are now being accepted. New categories include a Digital Photography and Computer Imaging category in both the Professional and Non-Professional 22

FCC Photographer of the Year 2001 - Christian Keenan, Freelance Winner: Asia Magazine Feature Category Uyghur People of Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China

divisions; two new categories, City of Life and Beyond the Highrise, in the Hong Kong Perspective special category, and two new categories-, Perspectives in Time and Portrait of a Traveller, in the Non-Professional

"Hong Kong photographers have needed a nonpartisan medium to recognise their work, encourage high standards and create an awareness of photographic excellence in general. The FCC has risen to the challenge to provide that medium.

"The success of last year's awards was very encouraging and we are expecting bigger things this year. The travelling exhibition is a very important part of the awards and exposes the work to Hong Kong's general public and visitors as well as providing important recognition to the photographers themselves. It also encourages interest in photography and creates an awareness of standards. We hope to have

the exhibition on display at least at one venue each month throughout each year. This of course will depend on our ability to attract enough sponsors to

FCC Photographer of the Year Awards The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong (FCC) invites the professional photographers and photojournalists of Hong Kong, FCC members, members of Hong Kong photographic societies and students to submit their photographic works for consideration in the second FCC Photographer of the Year Awards.

This year's categories are; Professional - open to all professional photographers who are resident in Hong Kong or who are FCC members. . Asia . Hong Kong - SCMPcom Hong Kong News - Hong Kong Magazine features - SCMPcom Digital Photography and Computer - The Standard Corporate Hong Kong

-

Imaging

News

-Magazine features - SCMP.com Digital Photography and Computer Imaging

.

Hong Kong Perspective*

- Beyond the Highrise -

World City

Non-Professional - open to members from participating Hong Kong photography clubs and all FCC members and their families. . Hong Kong Perspective . Portrait of a Traveller . Landscapes in Time . SCMP.com Digital Photography and Computer

Imaging

- Beyond the Highrise -

World City

*

"Hong Kong Perspective" theme is co-sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourisnt Board and seeks to promote images that capture the unique qualities and character of Hong Kong.

SCMP Young Post Hong Kong Perspective** - open to Hong Kong students from participating schools.

- Beyond the Higtu'ise

-

World City

**

" SCMP Young Post Hong Kong Perspective" theme is co-sponsored by the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Tourism Board and seeks promote images that capture the unique qualities and character of Hong Kong. Students between the ages of 12 to 18 years from participating schools in Hong Kong may enter.

to

This year POYA 2002 will introduce a second principal award: as well as selecting the 'FCC Photographer of the Year', the POYA 2002 judges will also make the 'Photograph of the Year' award. Both series and single enffy images in both Professional and Non-professional divisions will be eligible for this award. Only one award will be made.

For enÍy forms and further informuto.r pl"ur" contact the POYA Secretary on 2521 I5iL or e-mail: poya@fbchk.org

support the staging of the exhibition at this level."

Principal sponsors, the Hong Kong Tourism Board

and Cathay Pacif,rc Airways, have been joined by the South China Morning Posf this year and they head the media sponsorship team of RTHK, The Standard and Apple Daily. Other prize sponsors include Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Fuji, Hutchison Telecom, Apple, Kodak, Polaroid and HeliHongKong. More information is available from the FCC on 252I I57I, poya@fcchk.org or at www.fcchk.org. I THE CORRTSPONDENT OCTOBER,/NOWMBER

2OO2

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0feration Gatnip r Feline Family Planning FCC animal-lovers gave up their Sunday to join SPCA volunteers to spay and neuter scores of feral cats living in and around the Hong KongJockey Club. Sally Brandon reports.

A group of

t had been a very long time since I'd seen 7:00 am on a Sunday morning! And, judging by the dazed looks on everyone else's faces, I was not alone. Yet it was at that ungodly hour on a srÌnny Sunday recently that I was not only awake, but out in public, frightening small children and other wildlife.

Coincidentally, the very reason for being semiconscious barely past dawn on a day of rest was

wildlife. Or, more precisely, feral cats. I had dragged myself out of bed that morning as a a major volunteer for Operation Catnip plank in the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (HK SPCA) brand new no-kill mission which aims to desex as many stray cats as possible.

-Despite sounding like a bizarre (and possibly illegal) gameshow, it is a much-needed attempt to manage the

stray cat population and prevent needless feline suffering. Although clearly not a lot of thought had gone into the suffering of the bleary-eyed humans! vets, veterinary assistants, and just We Catnippers plain cat-lov -were on our way to the Hong Kong .fockey Club stables at Shatin to ensure that the feline co-residents of some of Hong Kong's most expensive equine flesh would no longer suffer intolerable overcrowding in their luxuriant lodgings.

The HKJC stables have an estimated cat population in the hundreds and the ma.foos (grooms) had been tasked with capturing as many of them as possible. Not easy given that these are not so much your cuddly felines but more of the "one-step-closer-and-I'll-remove-your-eyeswith-my-razor-sharp-claws" kind of kitties.

Negotiations between the HKJC and the SPCA, the instigator of Operation Catnip, part of its Cat Colony Care Programme or CCCR meant that we had permission to turn a stable block in the Equine Hospital mercifully empty of Fairy King Prawn and his pals - into an upmarket M:eA*S>kH-q?e surgery.

On arrival, it was evident that others far more dedicated than us lot (despite our pride in having bravely conquered the sparrow-fart start) had been hard at work; all the necessary equipment was in place and neat notices were posted on the stable walls. It was also clear that, for someone at least, years of training at

24

endless PR receptions had fìnally paid off!

First stop was the Reception Area (name card or paw print); followed by the Weighing-in Area (the Weighing-up Area at PR dos); the General Anaesthetic area ("Chile red, please."); the Preparation Area (the ladies' loo) and, finall¡ the three stables set aside for surgery on the boys, the girls and the mums-to-be (near the bar, near the mirror and on the sofa). There was also a Recovery Room (aka the FCC and,/or Wanchai).

At this point, the air-conditioning was still providing

the cool, dry atmosphere that very fast \lIP horses clearly deserve. Flowever, the HKJC had taken advantage of the fact that the horses were not in residence to do running (no pun intended) repairs on the peripheral luxuries ... so the air-conditioning was

Mart a Reeves Motown Diva Martha Reeves wowed patrons at the inaugural FCC Charity Ball with a punchy performance that propelled everyone to their feet within seconds. The secret of her success, as an exhausted Daue Garcia discovered, is the result of a lot of very, very hard work.

But this lady also knows how to party hard, too. hursday: There I was, waiting impatiently for the call from Club President Tom Crampton saying

years old and won her first contest at 11. In her late teens she wanted to go pro but needed to somehow get her foot

that Martha's plane had arrived safely. FCC

through the door at Motown records.

She showed up for a sound test and Berry Gordy told her she was good and to come back to sing again.

But Martha was too clever for that line. She realised that she had to be on the inside to get anything done.

She learned that Berry was in need of a secretary and itjust so happened that Martha had training in this very held. So she showed up the next da¡ parked herself at the desk outside his offrce and started work.

Apparently he came out, saw her sitting there and said: "I thought you were a singer" "I arr'", she replied, "but

decided not to proffer their rump meekly to the approaching needlel One particular wide-eyed, brush-

Musical Director Allen Youngblood was also at in his case, sweating bullets. the airport We had- learned by e-mail the night before that Martha's musical director and guitar player had let her down at the last minute. He had accepted an invitation to play on someone else's album. Allen was now Martha's musical director. Not only th#t but he had to scramble to find a world-class guitar player to fill in.

Tom calls, all is well and Martha is waiting for her luggage. I head off to the Conrad Hotel, buy flowers and await the arrival of our diva and FCC entourage.

In comes Martha, all smiles, ready for a welcome drink. 'Jack Daniels and cranberryjuice is my poison," she declares before heading off to change.

After a few drinks, the diplomatic ping pong has settled down and Martha is like an old friend. She tells

continued on þage 28

us how she had been singing on stage since she was three

switched off for the mere humans!

As we grew accustomed to the early-morning light,

we were greeted by a sight usually confined to a parade of golf carts carrying loved - difference being and here's a ones. The only thought for the DB city fathers - that each little passenger was in a cage.

Hissing, spitting, sleeping or cowering, each cat was registered and given a sticky label for its cage and a matching one for its fur (note: sticky labels do not adhere well to cat fur). After being weighed, Fluffy or

Discovery B.uy

Fang was taken to the General Anaesthetic stable, which, thankfully, boasted a door of sorts. This came in mighty

handy when felines slightþ grumpy due to incarceration,

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\IEMBER

2OO2

THIì, CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\'EMBER

2OO2

you need a secretary."

And that was it, she hired herself. Later

she

managed to get the audition she needed and the rest is Motown history.

She gossiped about the girl groups and how rough itwas in those days to make any real money. Only a very few such as Diana Ross, managed to make the big

25

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THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\T,MBER

2OO2

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\T,MBER

2OO2

bucks, the rest just made money for Motown, but they

had fun. She said it was like being in a girls' travelling around singing and partying.

Martha reveals that she has just written and produced a new CD, "Home To You". She was quite proud of this and told us that she had written one song for her daddy, 'Watch Your Back", and one song for her momma, "Running For Your Love". club,

Now we come to Do Wop . . this is a refrain you often hear in 50s and 60s soul music. The singers used to .

stand on the street corners singing and Do Wopping' Martha explained that the lead singer would say to his group, "You either Do that song right, or I'm gonna Wop you upside your head!"

Martha declares she is hungry and we invite her to come to the Club for the Vietnamese evening. She loves the food and is the perfect lad¡ signing autographs and

talking to everyone.

Time to go home. The first rehearsal tomorrow is at noon. OK, one moreJack and cranberry. It's 2 a.m. and Allen and I are panicking about sleep. Finally Martha calls it a night, to our relief.

Friday: Martha spends the day shopping for everyone in Detroit. In the evening, we go for a junk trip to Lamma and then back to the FCC for drinks at the soft opening of the Main Bar. Martha promptly disappears into the throng tatking to everyone, trying in vain to buy drinks for her new friends.

It's 2 am once more. Tomorrow is the big

day'

Rehearsals start at noon. "Martha let's go home."

"No, I want to finish talking to all my new friends, the people here are just wonderful, I love them."

Saturday: At 7 a.m. (feels like 5 minutes since I went to bed) I arrive at the Conrad Hotel, venue for the ball, with Deborah Segal (our decorations committee

wonder woman) and a few others from the ball committee to help set up. Skip Moy has been there all night setting up the sound and lighting equipment. By 11 am the musicians and the two dancers arrive and start their own little tune-up.

Allen is nowhere to be seen ... llmmmm.

Martha sashays in at 11:45 all smiles and ready to go.

At noon she is on stage, ready to start, but there's still no Allen. A different Martha emerges. Not the smiling Jack and cranberry drinker we came to know and love

the evening before. Martha the professional

has

arrived. And the Do Wopping has begun. She those musicians through their paces and makes sure

tasks

they don't miss a beat.

Allen frnally arrives at72:30 and gets Do Wopped by Martha.The rehearsal lasts for four hours with Martha fine tuning everything and everyone. She e\/en teaches the dancers the 60s dance steps.

"Do you know how to boogaloo? OK, you just stand there and shake everything. Like this."

Martha proceeds to boogaloo all over; the girls quickly get the idea and join in. The musicians pick up the beat and. there they all are, having their own little party on stage.

28

Enough. Time to rest up and get ready for the evening. Martha sternly tells the musicians to be there precisely 30 minutes before the performance.

The Ball gets going at around 7 p^ ... all too soon 9.30 rolls around. The musicians and dancers (and Allen) are on their marks and ready to go. But where

is Martha? Celia my wife calls her room, no answer.

MuÈ. she is on the way down the lift...five minutes pass and Celia takes off for Martha's room. Panic sets in. What if she left? \A/hat if she went for a walk and got hopelessly lost in Hong Kong?

In walks Martha smiling and asks: "Are we ready to boogie?" It turns out that before every performance Martha does 15 minutes of meditation and unplugs her telephone. She tells the clancers that if the crowd doesn't start dancing by the second song, they are to go

out into the audience and drag them out. This turns out to be totally unnecessary. By the second song, the dance floor is packed. In fact, every spare space in or around the stage is occupied by dancing guests. Martha sings and dances like a teenager and so do the guests.

After the show, Martha heads off to her room, gets cleaned up, and returns to party with everyone until we are finally thrown out at 3:45 am.

Martha promises that she would come back anytime and would help up bring other Motown singers to put on a Motown review in 2004. Something to look forward to. I

0Fenatlon Eatnin

-

telino Family Plannin$

conti.nued, from þage 24

and the tailed kitty Houdini took off up the walls before being deftly captured in what volunteers looked like an oversize butterfly net .

Once unconscious, the lolling cats, covered in registration forms and those less-than-sticky labels, were gently carried to the Preparation Area. Here, the girls got the full spa treatment (their delicate tummies were shaved and bathed lovingly with great care) ... and the boys what they deserved (their balls were pinched and plucked as fast as possible with many comments that this was a process wasted on sleeping tom cats!

From then on, it was all highly technical and very medical, involving great skill and very sharp knives.

The end result of the fìrst Operation Catnip was that a total of more than 70 cats (an excellent start) were "done" in a little over four hours.

As the last of the groggy patients regained consciousness in the Recovery Room and were collected by their mafoos, we got stuck in to the excellent buffet lunch, courtesy of "Fat Angelo's", delivered and served personally by FCC thespian and restaurateur, Andy Chworowsky.

Mercifully, there was not a meatball in sight!

See

for

<www.sþca.org.hh> and click on the CCCP section feral cat initiatiue.

more details of the SPCA's

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER,/NO\EMBER

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\'Vhen in Parisooo Paris-based Garry Marchant, witkt a little help from visiting and resident FCC members, combs the French capital in search of the city's best wine bars. eet me at the Tartine," growled John Giannini, former FCC president. It was January 1999; we had just moved to Paris but he had already been living there for more than six months.

So we met there, on 24 Rue de Rivoli, in the 3rd arrondissement, the ancient Marais district. In that unpretentious but unprepossessing little place, we had a few ballons (large glasses) of Cotes du Rhone for a modest sum of francs (these were pre-euro days). Much later I learned that ahcionados consider the Tartine as one of the city's great wine bars.

Parisian bars à vin are generally small, old and well established (trendy places are ephemeral, and best many are borderline avoided), inexpensive and basic

Despite the clown theme, the bar has a commendable variety of wine and a varied menu.

At the quirky Le Coude Fou (The Foolish Elbow) at 16, rue Bourg-Tibourg (4th arrondissement), the walls are canvases of comical naive type paintings. One shows a snake in a tree with a glass of wine, tempting an Adam and Eve dressed only in strategically placed fig leaves. Another shows a man rowing aboat, nearly capsized by his jumbo lady passenger with a glass of wine who declares, "Plus legere qu'un bouchon. J'ai danse sur les flots." (Lighter than a cork, I bob on the waves.")

The rest of the Foolish Elbow is more understated.

Tables and the bar are made from dark oak crates that

once stored bottles, with the names of wine makers etched into the wood. In this friendly bar/restaurant,

seed¡ a desirable trait in -a bar. Most have a knowledgeable proprietor and a good selection of

inexpensive.

wines, many from small, Iesser-known wineries, often listed with chalk on blackboards. Most serve good, plain food. And they ooze atmosphere.

I returned to the Tartine to see why it rates so highly.

A recent lunch with FCC veterans Saul and Alison Lockhart, on their leaving-Hong Kong-for-good jaunt to Europe, and former president Sinan Fisek, based in Paris with AFP, got me thinking of wine bars.

With its marble-topped bar, battered fixtures, molded ceilings, nicotine-hued walls, toilet-type small-tile fl oors and menus hand-written on the huge wall mirrors, it harks back to inter-bellum Paris. Or so say those who experienced Paris in those faraway days.

Food is simple, but tasty (mainly namesake tartines, open-face sandwiches of ham, sausage, cheese or pate on slices of rough, dark country bread served with

isek, resident authority on the subject, thought a lunch with many wines at Le Griffonier, 8 rue des Saussaies (in the Bth), was best followed by more wine at another venue. So he led us to Le Rubis, at 10 rue du Marche St-Honore, which he claimed he had been patronising for 30 years. The red

small pickles).

The Tartine is also known for its colourful clientele,

old-time bohemians, moustachioed workers, and, sometimes, the late afternoon, ladies who lurch. Last time I was there, I bellied up to the bar next to a trio of shaggy fellows sipping reds in ahaze of Gitanes smoke.

A Tuareg walked in, like he had made a wrong turn somewhere in the Sahara and ended up in Paris. He was straight out of Beau Geste, with his long, loose green robes, floppy purple turban halfcovering his face - and a photographers' vest.

Over the years, I've happened on other fine wine bars, some traditional, others more eccentric. Le Clown Bar, 114 rue Amelot in the 1lth arrondissement, is like a local for the big Winter Circus arena next door, built in 1852. The Clown's curved zincbar is small, but there are tables at the back and on the sidewalk. The decor is

certainly cheerful and clownish, with Art Nouveau circus images, a faience mosaic of cavorting clowns, clown masks, figurines and vintage circus posters.

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER,/NO\tsMBER

2OO2

the proprietor lists a wide variety of wines,

many

awning above the door declares: 'Vins de proprieté, muscadet, Sancerre, Beaujolais, Bordeaux."

Making our way past customers standing around upturned wooden wine casks topped by red and white checked tablecloths, we went inside. The narrow room is small, the decor minimalist with strips of pink and white neon tubing curving along the ceiling, and booths lining one wall. The drink, not the decor, is the thing at the Rubis, one of the city's most famous wine bars, which is packed at lunchtime. Our post-lunch stopover there inspired me to explore the subject furthe¡ with Fisek as my guide.

So, early afternoon a few weeks later, our research starts at La Côte, 77 rue de Richelieu (in the 2nd), just

around the corner from the

,4FP

building. Although

it

has only been dispensing fine wines since 1991, La Côte

feels much older, with traditional mirrors, wood and tile, a zinc bar, old-fashioned gas lamps hanging from the ceiling and classic blackboard food and wine menus.

The short, energetic proprietor is a man of athletic prowess; for years he was the consistent winner of the

29

Paris waiters' race. Here Fisek starts us special, Julienas, a Beaujolars.

with the

day's

ur next stop, the nearþ Le Bougainville, at 3 rue de la Banque, is in the building where the French explorer and scientist died.

Fisek assures me it has had the same "decor" for decades: beige walls, green baq floor with toilet tiles, copious use of Formica, plastic and chrome, and a discostyle column covered with cheap little gold mirrors.

Regular clientele includes architects and journalists from nearby AFP, Reutersand LeFigaro offices. Tuesday at lunch, staff from the fabled satirical publication Canard Enchainé gather here.

A map of wine regions taped to the wall and a sign behind the ba¡ 'Vins du moment," hint at the modest establishment's appeal: it offers good but inexpensive wines, with many small local vintages not found elsewhere. So we start with a Quincy, a tasty white, for only 1.50 euros a glass, and move on from there to other whites and a few reds.

Moving south, our next stop, La Cloche Des Halles, 28 rue Coquilliere (lst arrondissement), is named for one of the bells that sounded the opening and closing Irma Ia Douce of the nearby Les Halles markets - with a ballon territory. Here we continue our research of light, red StJoseph from the Rhone River region.

By now it is well past 5 pm, so Fisek thinks we should have some lunch. The plate of charcuterie (cold cuts)

comes piled high with slices of ham, sausages, pate and

a slab of ham in jelly. Fortunately, there are no vegetarians on this resear-ch team.

From here, it is across the river and into the Taverne Henri IV, 13 place du Pont-Neuf (still in the lst).It is small, club-like and unassuming for such a select address right at the tip of the Ile de la Cite. It is also one of the city's oldest, best-known wine bars, in part because of the portly proprietor with his magnificenr moustache, now standing behind the cash register doing his accounting. According to Fisek, this place figures in French popular literature, as Inspector Maigret's office is around the corner, at the criminal police headquarters on the Quai des Orfèr'res. The Taverne bottles a selection of wines from the Beaujolais and Loire regions in its own cellars below the bar.

A few blocks away, La Palette, 43 rue de Seine (6th arrondissement) , is large¡ trendier, and more like a restaurant with many outdoor tables under trees and umbrellas. These are all occupied so we sit inside the smoky front room with its 1920's Art Deco motifs on the counter, battered zinc l¡ar top and swinging glass doors marked "Salle de Billiards" leading to a back room restaurant lined with bench seats.

A "local" for students and artists, this is a painterly kind of place, with used palettes thick with oils hanging above the bar. Our drink here is light-coloured, fizzy and three times the price of anything else so fa¡ so it must have been champagne.

4 taurar M

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Trade news ... free email trade alerts ... topical webcasts ... market profiles ... and much more. FAST. For further assistance, please contact : Kate Hotchkiss (tet : 2584 4518) Winnie Wong (tel : 2584 4390)

We Create Opportunity 30

-ãñ.æËHawftÊ Hong Kong Trade Development Council

THE CORRISPONDENT OcTOBER/NO\{EIvIBER 2002

(re37-2002) f,einz Grabner was the FCC Manager who oversaw the move from Sutherland House. It was Heinz who laid the culinary and marragement foundations that define the FCC's Ice Flouse Ag". Keuin Sinclai'r rePorts. hen Heinz Grabner was manager of the FCC between 1981 and 1993, he once remarked: "Ach, the members here, some of them want The Peninsula quality and food at dai pai dong prices." The amiable chef tried to oblige' GraÈn". was invariabll' good humoured' Even when pressure piled up as it did whenever the Club went through one of its frequent periorls

of turbulence' IJeinz, who was born in Salzburg in 1937, was a professional who rose through the demanding kitchen disciplines of his era' He did an apprenticeship at a Parisian hotel, and came to Asia to join Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels in 7962. He was f,rrst food and beverage manager at the Peninsula Hotel, then at Heinz Repulie Bay. He opened the Peak Tower and when the Hong Kong Hotel opened in 1969 with him as restaurants manager' he was already an Old China CulinarY Hand' I first met him in the mid-70s, when he was running the Kwun Tong Vocational Training School' It was an interesting place, and he helped pioneer hospitality education in Hong Kong, running the Hotel School that turned out front line workers' We chatted, watched students make beds, operate a mock hotel front office, then had lunch in the helP restaurant run bY H of some operate hool The a'v'uncular he dozen years a but after students, and teaching lvanted to get back into proper operations. The way he chose was through club management' FIe started at the FCC in 1981 - just in time to the Club take on the arduous task of steering through its move from Sutherland House to the Ice Flouse.

Fleinz loved a beer and ajoke. He was vastly amused by the members he served. He once remarked that he I'HE CORRESPONDENT OCTORER/NOVEMBER

2OO2

and Josephine Grabner with the late Derek Davies

really couldn't understand what it was that half the membership did to make a living.

Just as all reporters think they can own ancl edit a paper, all chefs believe they were born to start and operate their own restaurant. In both cases, most usually fail. Heinz succeeded.

In 1993, he left the FCC and opened La Placita, a Mexican-themed restaurant in Times Square in Causeway Bay. It was a large, up-market outlet that served all the usual cliché South of the Border dishes that the public demanded and proper Mexican cuisine to those who knew how to order it' The barman whipped up a mean Margarita and when FCC members were in the area, Heinz delighted in seeing them and talking about his years at the Club.

After retiring, lleinz and his wife, Josephine, relocated to Australia where they built a house just outside Perth. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He went downhill fighting all the way. Confined to a wheelchai¡ then to his bed, Heinz died on September 16. He is survived by his wife and son. I

3l

Main Bar Renovation

Gavin and Julia Greenwood's annual Brighton-Hong Kong gig was held amid showers on August 3 Around 50 people, most with Cheung

Chau and/or FCC connections, turned up Lell to right, Jake van der Kamp, Mike Rothschild, Steve Fallon, Julia and Gavin Greenwood, Tim Luard and Caroline Birch

Moments before demolition - identities fudged for blackmail purposes

Terry and friends turn

Some 30 people, including many FCC members, travelled to Terry Duckham's house in Puerto Galera to celebrate the 50th birthdays of Terry, Mitch Davidson and Susan de Luce over the weekend of October 26-27 From top left:Terry, his Mum, wife Aira and son James: Bob Davis cruising the beaches: Mitch Davidson on his banjo; Birthday boys and girls - Terry, Susan (second from left) and Mitch, Tony Taylor, Mum and Aira and birthday cake,

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First at the bar al the soft opening, Left to right: Peter de Krassel, Bob Davis, Hugh van Es, Keith ShakesPeare

32

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Quyen Van Trinh and the Red River Delta Band from Hanoi.

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

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THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\,IEMBER

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Skip Moy

33

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THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

Company Name: Address:

Telephone:

Fax:

E-mail:

Signature:

INFORMATION

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FCC Membership No:

Name:

ta wn¡tt¡eld Road, North Point, Hong Kong il"ntre,

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2OO2

For more information call or fax 2981 1177. * Minimum of 3

issues

THE CORRESPONDENT OCTOBER/NO\T,MBER

2OO2

35

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FCC Memben,

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Pol;ice

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Want to have your company logo fluttering on a flag at the top of Mount -Lveresti lvrourlL Everest? Ir If So' so, Contact contact lLìLì FCC member Mark Duncan, Duncan, or if you call his office, ask for Senior Inspector Duncan. o

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(Top) Holding the FCC flag on the summit of Eldorado peak in the Northern ascade mountajns (Left) lce climbing on the Coleman Gla er, Mt Baker, Wa.

Buttress, Squamish, British Columbia

or 12 years Mark has been an officer with the Hong Kong Police, bur now he has an ambition that may see him taking unpaid leave from his dayjob. The ambition was spawned in part by the evenrs of September 11, 2001. On that da¡ just as the hrst tower of the World Trade Center was struck, Mark landed at Phnom penh,s pochentong airport on a visit to study Cambodia's genocide sites. As Mark explains, it just happens that if you draw a line directly norf-h from the World Trade Cente¡ over the North Pole and carry on directly south you reach Pochentong airport.

But the 33-year-old Briton is driven by more than eerie coincidence. \¡\ihile in Phnom penh he saw the horrific legacy of Khmer Rouge rule, including beggars with limbs missing from land mine blasts. ,These guys get their support from donations from the U.S. and other Western countries, and I realised the rnorrey was going to be severely reduced because Americans would be donating to families of the 9,/11 victims. Thar was just a seed planted in my mind."

That seed has grown inro a project in which Mark, a trained mountaineer, plans to scale over the next four years the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, including of course Everest. The aim is to raise funcls for the Vietnam Veterans of

America Foundation (WAF) , a charity that Mark admires for its humanitarian work not just in Indochina but in disaster-hit areas arouncl the world.

"What they are trying to do is break the cycle of hatred. Now if somebody could do that between the Israelis and Palestinians, things would be a lor quieter in the world."

To fund the expeditions, Mark is putting his own money where his mouth is up to in life - cosrUS$170,000 savings (Everesr alone will US$65,000). All

donations are to be sent directly to the WAF. "What I am offering is: if companies are willing to part with money and donate it to the WAf'I wiil be huppy to take a small flag with their corporate logo to the top of these fairly serious mountains.,, He is also discussing taking a small banner bearing the Hong Kong dragon logo to each summit.

Mark says his biggest problem is credibiliry, even

though he has formidable fund-raising credentials,

having raised 500,000 pounds for walking 7,000 miles around Britain in 1989.

And where does the FCC figure in his plans? ,,I would like to take the FCC logo because, purely from

a selfìsh point of view, this will keep journalists interested and an excellent source of - point.that's publicity." Good I

Wmds byJonathan Sharþ

36

THE CORRESPONDI',NT OCTOßER,/NO\TMBER

2OO2

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