Child of a Bygone Era by Peter Hunt WPS’53 Austin Macauley 2021
C
Book Review
hild of a Bygone Era is a delightful summary of the early life of Peter Hunt (the author) who grew up partly in Hong Kong and partly in England.
Born in Brighton in 1940, he experienced the German bombardment during the Second World War before leaving for Hong Kong in 1947 where his accountant father had been posted. The book contains 60 small chapters summarising his early experiences in pithy detail and including some charming photographs of the old Hong Kong. As a resident in Hong Kong for 37 years, I found much of what he wrote of those times quite fascinating. He left Hong Kong in 1967 after an internship as a journalist and newsreader, presumably just before the 1967 riots (as they are not mentioned), and the Hong Kong world he describes is very different even to the reviewer’s experience some 17 years later. The 70’s were clearly a time of significant change. The grey, rationed and bleak life he experienced in England post-Second World War is in stark contrast to the colonial life he enjoyed some 7,000 miles away with its exclusive private clubs, facilities and servants. The short sharp chapters maintain the reader’s keen interest throughout as the story moves quickly from event to event. Many of the clubs’ locations and buildings mentioned in the story still exist today and for the current local Hong Konger it is very much a step back in time. Peter Hunt spent his early years at Worth junior school before moving on to Downside, where he completed his secondary education. He enjoyed his life in both schools, though it is clear that he missed the pampered Hong Kong life whilst at school, and the rigours of boarding school took considerable adjustment. Used to having servants pick up his clothes where they fell, at his first night at school he was told in no uncertain terms to pick up his clothes from the floor and to fold and store them in his bedside locker! No doubt, he also had to make his bed.
Another issue which stands out from the book are the immense difficulties encountered in travelling by aircraft from England to Hong Kong and back, which in the 40s and 50s would take several days, and at some expense. Accordingly, for some of his less urgent summer trips Peter travelled by ship and/or remained in England in rented accommodation during short school holidays with his mother on her regular visits. Of course, these days a non-stop 11 hour flight is taken for granted. I enjoyed the book and I found many of the Hong Kong elements fascinating as a comparison between then and now, and could readily relate to the quality of life then as a bygone era. Nick Bodnar-Horvath C’72
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