To Serve and to Lead [1 ed.] 9789888053629, 9789622099975

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Dr. Moira Chan-Yeung has over 40 years of experience in research and scholarship, having published 350 peerreviewed articles, numerous book chapters and several books.  A world authority on occupational asthma, she was instrumental in having it recognized as a compensable disease and setting up criteria for assessing respiratory impairment/disability in patients with asthma. She was given the Alice Hamilton Award for “Major and Lasting Contribution in Occupational Health” from the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the prestigious Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Thoracic Society in recognition of her contributions.   A student of the Diocesan Girls’ School, she studied physics and chemistry for three years in DBS before entering medicine in the University of Hong Kong (HKU). She returned to HKU in 1998 as Chair Professor of Respiratory Disease. Dr. Chan-Yeung is currently a Professor Emeritus of Medicine, University of British Columbia, an Honorary Clinical Professor of Medicine, HKU, and a consultant to the World Health Organization. 

The DBS story over the past 140 years tells us not just the school’s hard struggle to become one of the best in Hong Kong, producing many outstanding alumni who lead in the professions and actively serve the community. It is also a testimony to Hong Kong’s trajectory towards success as the most international city of China – a process in which education has played such an important part. — Anthony Bing-leung Cheung, President of The Hong Kong Institute of Education and Member of the Executive Council, Hong Kong The history of DBS has reflected an era of social change and educational development in Hong Kong. Throughout its 140 years, the school has encountered many major conflicts: between the school and the government, within the School Committee and between the school administration and the staff and/or students. The freedom, openness and tolerance in the school culture, as exemplified in the democratic way these conflicts were handled, are values that we, as educators, should promote. — Cheung Man Kwong, President of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union and Member of the Legislative Council, Hong Kong In this book, the history of DBS is seen in the context of the sociopolitical and educational settings in Hong Kong and beyond. At a time of rapid developments and heated debates, it is imperative that all educational workers, teachers and administrators alike, should have a clear understanding of why and how we arrived at where we are today. From this point of view, the book has a much greater value than just a school history. — Li Yuet Ting, Director of Education (1987–92), Hong Kong The authors have strategically and judiciously divided the material into a chronological section and a thematic one.The selection and use of sources and information by the authors is critical, meticulous and intelligent. They have achieved a good balance between the school old-timer’s sentiments and nostalgia and the historian’s more objective perspective. The book should appeal to past students and teachers of the school as well as the broader reading public; both general and academic readers will find good value in it. — Bernard Hung-kay Luk, Professor of History, York University, Canada

Hong Kong Studies / Education

Printed and bound in Hong Kong, China

Mr. Fung Yee Wang has a teaching/ administrative experience spanning the whole spectrum of formal education from primary school to graduate studies, having taught in the Chi Lin Primary School, the Diocesan Boys’ School, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for a total of 36 years. He was Sports Master at DBS, Warden of Old Halls at HKU and Head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at CUHK. Specializing in extracurricular activities, student activism and geographical education, and devoted to the teaching of Chinese at the secondary level, Mr. Fung has published about 100 articles and over 10 books and a prize-winning video in these fields. His textbooks on map reading and world atlas, first published in 1963 and 1975 respectively, were used by most secondary schools in Hong Kong and many in Macau.

To Serve and To Lead

To Serve and To Lead A History of the Diocesan Boys’ School Hong Kong

Fung Yee Wang and Chan-Yeung Mo Wah Moira

Hong Kong University Press 14/F Hing Wai Centre 7 Tin Wan Praya Road Aberdeen Hong Kong

© Hong Kong University Press 2009 Hardback ISBN 978-962-209-997-5 Paperback ISBN 978-962-209-998-2

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Secure On-line Ordering http://www.hkupress.org

Printed and bound by XXXXXX Ltd., Hong Kong, China.

Contents Foreword

vii

Preface

ix

Acknowledgements

xv

Part I

A Chronological View

1

1

Background

3

2

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

17

3

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

37

4

Resurrection (1941–61)

63

5

Striving for Freedom (1961–83)

93

6

Moving with the Times (1983–2000)

119

7

Meeting New Challenges (2000 to the present)

141

Part II Other Perspectives

167

8

Staff and Students

169

9

The Campus

195

10 School Life

215

11 Scholastic Activities

245

12 Extracurricular Activities

271

13 Old Boys, DSOBA and DBSPTA

303

14 Conclusion

329

vi

Contents

Appendix

341

1

School Committee Members

343

2

Senior Staff Members and Teachers

350

3

Senior and Second Prefects

369

4

Glossary of Abbreviations

374

5

Explanation of Terms

376

6

Chronicle of Events

380

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

383

Index

395

Foreword I am greatly honoured and privileged to have taken part in the publication of this book which is a detailed history of DBS from its inception in 1869 to the present day. The rich and diverse culture and history of the school has spanned three centuries and two world wars. We have seen Hong Kong rising to new peaks of economic prosperity as well as struggling through periods of financial and social uncertainty. Amid the vicissitudes of history, DBS has stood the test of time remarkably well in many ways. Spiritually, the devotion shown by its students, parents, teachers old and new, and alumni has no equal. Structurally, new edifices have sprung up, but the core and heart of the school remains as it has always been. It is true that we guard our proud traditions and heritage fiercely as icons from our past; but we have also sought ways to embrace the changes arising in a dynamic society. It is this duality of vision — keeping alive timeless values but being willing to look for, and contribute to, a better future that makes this school so special. I wish to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Lau Pak Hun for his generous donation towards the school history project. As only a fraction of his donation has been used, the remainder will be channelled to similar projects such as the school archive and e-archive, where the digitized version of this publication will be deposited after December 2010. In this connection, I appeal to all old boys and friends of DBS to donate any artifacts related to the school, particularly the first two issues of Steps, published in July 1934 and January 1935, which we have been unable to locate so far. I am also very grateful to Mr. Fung Yee Wang, one of my Chinese language teachers at DBS, and Dr. Chan-Yeung Mo Wah Moira for taking up this onerous task and bringing it to fruition. It is my hope that from reading this book, you will gain a greater insight into the school we so love, and also a fuller understanding of its role and place in the greater story of Hong Kong and the world.

Terence Chang

Preface The inception of the Diocesan Boys’ School (DBS) dates back to the very early days of Hong Kong, within 30 years of its becoming a British colony as a result of the First Opium War. The school’s development has been closely linked since with that of Hong Kong: just as Hong Kong has evolved from a fishing village into “Asia’s World City”, DBS has transformed itself from a small home and orphanage into one of the best schools in the region. Over the past 139 years, it has been known by several names: first, in 1870, as the Diocesan Home and Orphanage; then, in 1892, as the Diocesan School and Orphanage; and then, in 1902, as the Diocesan Boys School and Orphanage. The third headmaster, the Rev. William Featherstone (1918– 31), often used “the Diocesan Boys’ School” as the name of the school, for instance, at the school’s letterhead in 1919 and in his book The Diocesan Boys School and Orphanage, Hong Kong: The History and Records, 1869–1929 published in 1930. This name eventually became formalized. It is generally expected that a well-established school should publish its history at appropriate times, such as significant anniversaries or major turning points in the history of the school or of the place in which it is situated. After DBS published its history to commemorate its 60th anniversary, other similar schools — including Ying Wa College, St. Paul’s College, Queen’s College, Ying Wa Girls’ School and St. Stephen’s Girls’ College — did likewise. When Mr. James Lowcock was headmaster, the School Committee wanted to publish another school history on the occasion of its centenary and asked Mr. William Smyly to take up the task. Unfortunately, the resulting voluminous manuscript was not accepted for publication and was later deposited in the Hong Kong Public Records Office. Mr. Smyly was invited back to Hong Kong by the school in February-March 2008 to re-edit his work and that manuscript is now in the school’s archives. Another attempt at writing a history of DBS was made in the form of a leading article entitled “Tradition” in Perpetuation, a school publication to celebrate its 120th anniversary in 1989. Unfortunately, this article was riddled with serious factual errors in the names and dates of headmasters, of which the Rev. George She was one example; and this led to further confusion in subsequent school publications. For example, an article entitled “DBS – A 130 Year Legend”, which appeared in the 1999 edition of Steps, not only

x

Preface

inherited the old mistakes, but also committed new ones — such as mentioning of the Rev. George She’s name only in passing, without indicating the years of his service as headmaster. There is often a story behind any project and it seems appropriate to have the story of our involvement in preparing this book recorded here as it forms part of the school history. In 2004, I was involved, together with Bruce Chan of Class 57, Teddy Leung of Class 58 and Harold Wong of Class 65, in a project initiated by some old boys of Class 58 in commemoration of the Rev. George She. The resulting publication of A Tribute to Rev. Canon George She, Headmaster: 1955–1961, Diocesan Boys’ School, coupled with the frequent class reunion dinners held in the school in the new millennium, seemed to reignite an interest in recording our school’s illustrious heritage. This led Mr. Terence Chang, the current headmaster, to think of producing a book on the history of the school and establishing a school archive. I was persuaded to take up the history project as an organizer and facilitator in late 2004 and the proposal submitted in January 2005 was accepted by the School Committee. In the proposal, I made it clear that it would be advisable to commission the work to an outsider rather than to ask an old boy to do it in order to prevent bias and subjectivity. Dr. Ng-Lun Ngai Ha Alice, an educational historian and retired chair professor of the Department of History, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, was kind enough to accept our invitation on a voluntary basis. Initial preparatory work was started in April 2005 and Dr. Lau Yun Woo Thomas, an old boy and retired director of the Hong Kong Government Records Service, was invited to assist her. Unfortunately, Dr. Ng-Lun had to resign from the project in August on the advice of her ophthalmologist because of deteriorating eyesight. Dr. Anthony Sweeting, a retired professor of the Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), who had previously published two volumes on the history of education in Hong Kong, was then approached. He, too, was happy to accept our invitation but, most regrettably, he was found to have a serious illness soon after. Under such circumstances we asked Dr. Lau, who was willing to meet the challenge by writing the book in Chinese, to take on the project. However, Dr. Lau also resigned in June 2007 because of lack of time. At Mr. Chang’s insistence, I took up the project with the agreement of Dr. Chan-Yeung Mo Wah Moira, emeritus professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and honorary clinical professor of medicine in HKU, to be the co-author. Dr. Chan-Yeung was a student of the Diocesan Girls’ School who came to DBS for chemistry and

Preface

xi

physics for three years (Form 5 to Form 6 Upper) and my classmate. Her relationship with the school is unique in that her grandfather, husband, brothers and brothers-in-law were all old boys and her father had taught in the school. The information contained in this book was derived mainly from the following sources: (1) minutes of School Committee meetings from 1946 to the present; (2) the school magazine Steps from 1935 to 1940 and from 1947 to date; and (3) the Rev. William Featherstone’s history of the school. As all the school records before 1946, save for a few publications found in the HKU library or elsewhere, were destroyed completely during the Second World War, and those shortly after the war were rather sketchy, most of the information for this period came from Mr. Smyly’s unpublished history of the school and his timely interviews with several key people. According to Mr. Smyly, his re-edited manuscript still contains inaccuracies and may require further editing. In using these materials, we encountered several problems. The first was conflicting data, which occur frequently in Featherstone’s book. For example, the numbers of boarders and day boys for March 1928 are respectively: 118 and 176 on page 5; 91 and 181 on page 78; and 94 and 202 on page 90. The second difficulty was that the information is not specific enough, especially with regard to dates. For instance, when a source gives the “number for 1875”, the reader is left wondering whether this refers to 1874–75, the year 1875 or 1875–76. The Rev. W. Featherstone, in particular, was not consistent in this respect. The third problem was that the information is incomplete. Some issues of Steps are unpaged and others do not include a headmaster’s report; and the School Committee minutes also do not normally include all the reports of headmasters, or minutes of sub-committees. Finally, we were surprised to find that for the same period of time, individuals, committees, institutions, including the government, sometimes referred to the school by different names. The task of writing any history of DBS is challenging. Errors and mistakes cannot be avoided, especially since neither Dr. Chan-Yeung nor myself is a historian. As authors of this book, we constantly reminded ourselves that we should commit no obvious mistakes and make as few careless ones as possible. We wish to assure our readers that we have done our best to achieve this and to be thorough, objective and sincere in the preparation of this book. One of the difficulties in writing “current history” is that some stakeholders are still alive. Moreover, the possibility that some facts have yet to be disclosed makes evaluation more problematic. For these reasons, we are reluctant to mention any individual names of old boys who are still alive. Furthermore, the school has produced so many graduates who have contributed enormously in various fields over the years that to name only a few would be unfair to

xii

Preface

many others. However, as it is impossible not to mention names, we have taken great care to include only those whose contributions have been generally recognized, but we confess that in the process we have exercised a certain degree of personal judgement. This book is divided into two parts: Part I provides a chronological account of the history of the school; and Part II describes various aspects of the school’s history. In Part I, we have dealt fully with the primary division, established in 2004, in the context of the general development of the school, but it is mentioned only very briefly in Part II, as we believe that it is premature to review its development. The 139 years of the school’s history is divided into six periods: (1) 1869–1918; (2) 1918–41; (3) 1941–61; (4) 1961–83; (5) 1983–2000; and (6) 2000–08. These periods represent not only the eras of certain headmasters, but also stages in the development of the school, of education, and some of the social history of Hong Kong. From 1869 to 1918, the school had Mr. William Arthur (1870–78) and Mr. George Piercy (1879–1918) as the first two headmasters. While Mr. Arthur inaugurated the school, Mr. Piercy expanded it to such an extent that, before his retirement, the School Committee had started to plan for a new school campus. The second period (1918–41) encompasses the building of the new campus by the Rev. William Featherstone (1918–31), the setbacks which plunged the school into deep financial trouble, the miraculous revival of the school by Mr. Christopher Sargent (1932–38, later Bishop Sargent), the arrival of Mr. Gerald Goodban (1938–41) at the brink of war and finally the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong. The third period includes the school being used as a military hospital during the Japanese occupation and the re-establishment of the school after the war in 1946, with first Mr. Oswald Cheung and then Mr. John Monks as acting headmasters before the return of Mr. Goodban (1946– 55), who developed the school into one of the finest in the colony. The Rev. George She (1955–61), who succeeded Mr. Goodban, extended the reach of the school to boys from all walks of life. 1961 marked the beginning of the era after the government had successfully completed its seven-year primary school expansion plan. This ushered in a series of changes that had significant effects on the ethos, structure and operation of DBS. This period of accelerated development of education in Hong Kong ended with the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Education Panel visiting Hong Kong to conduct an overall review in 1981–82; and the report published by this panel in 1983 culminated in the formation of an Education Commission in 1984 to oversee and coordinate the development of all sectors of education. While Mr. James

Preface

xiii

Lowcock (1961–83) steered the school through the quagmire generated by the rapid expansion of education, Mr. Jacland Lai (1983–2000) nurtured carefully all aspects developed by his predecessors, and raised the school’s academic and extracurricular achievements to new heights at a time when local educators were increasingly concerned about quality in education. In the year 2000, with the start of the education reform movement, the school was strongly encouraged by the government to opt for the direct subsidy scheme (DSS). Mr. Terence Chang (2000–present) and the School Committee accepted this challenge and at the same time expanded the school by establishing a primary division and introducing other new facilities. While we have taken an analytical and chronological approach in Part I, we have tended to be more descriptive in Part II in which different areas such as the teachers, the support staff, parents, old boys, students, the campus, school life, the curriculum and extracurricular activities are discussed. We are fully aware of the unavoidable repetition in these two parts and we have tried to ensure that information that has been provided in detail in Part I is mentioned only briefly in Part II and vice versa. This history is published as part of the 140th anniversary celebrations of the school. For the general public, the book may provide an interesting perspective on the school and its interactions with our society over the past 140 years; for alumni, in addition to offering insights into the education they received in their formative years, it may bring back some happy memories of their schooldays; and for the current students, the book may help them understand the traditions of the school, its struggles and its response to challenges. It is our wish that the younger generations of DBS will be inspired by the achievements of its many personalities, particularly its headmasters, teachers and outstanding old boys, and learn from their dedication to uphold the fundamental guiding principles of DBS which are “to serve and not to be served” and “to serve and to lead”. Fung Yee Wang December 2008

Acknowledgements We would like to record here our most sincere gratitude to our four esteemed advisers — namely, Professor Ng-Lun Ngai Ha Alice, Professor Anthony Sweeting, Professor Luk Hung Kai Bernard of York University, Toronto (seconded to the Hong Kong Institute of Education as vice-president from 2003 to 2007) and Dr. Li Yuet Ting, former director of education in Hong Kong — who have guided us through the project. Professor Ng-Lun spent much time with us discussing the project and Professor Sweeting helped us to improve our manuscript even when he was confined to his sick-bed, and we deeply regret that he was unable to witness the publication of this book. Also, despite his moving back to Toronto from Hong Kong and the heavy workload awaiting him, Professor Luk managed to find time to read the manuscript, and his comments and those Dr. Li offered were most insightful and constructive. Our whole-hearted gratitude also goes to Mr. Gordon Loch, an old boy and former teacher of DBS, who took on the task of editing the manuscript zealously. His work was most thorough and expeditious. We are very appreciative of the concern and kindness of the three contemporary headmasters, Mr. Lowcock, Mr. Lai and Mr. Chang, who have spent time reading the manuscript, correcting errors and offering suggestions. In preparing this book, we have made use of some of the material collected by Dr. Lau Yun Woo Thomas, Mr. Chow Ka Kin Kelvin and Dr. Fong Wing Chung, and have received invaluable help from Mr. Donald Brittain, Dr. Lee Sui Ming, Mr. Henry Ching, Dr. Fung Man Yee Mary, Dr. Chan Siu Kay Bruce, Mr. Yu Fong Ying, Mrs. Lam Fan Kit Fong Fanny, Ms. Phyllis Lo, Mr. Kwok Chi Hung Peter, Mr. Wong Ping Hi Harold, Mr. Huang Yin Hanson, Mr. Lau Pak Ling, Mr. Chiu Tsz Kiu Jason, Dr. Chan Wai Shun Nicholas, Mr. Quintak Lee, Ms. Lam Siu Kit Mavis, Mr. Lau Chi To Kelvin and many others who generously sent us submissions and/or offered us interviews. We are also indebted to many individuals and institutions for granting us permission to reproduce some of the illustrations used in this book. Given below are the sources of the illustrations (please see Sources of Information, References and Footnotes for notation): Front endpaper @ British Crown copyright/MOD. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office

xvi

1.1

Acknowledgements

1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6

A Selective Collection of Hong Kong Historic Postcards (Hong Kong: Joint Publishing Co. Ltd., 1993), 128 Hong Kong The Changing Scene (Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1980), 119 Tam Siu Cheung and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University S-1962, 7 S-1952, unpaged S-1969, 26

2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8

F, opp. 40 F, opp. 8 F, opp. 28 S-12.1954, 16 Chan-Yeung Mo Wah Moira Sun, 4-5 F, opp. 80 S-60, unpaged

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12

F, opp. 40 F, opp. 24 DBS archives (a) F, opp. 96 (b) S-2002, 291 S-1957, unpaged S-7.1947, 8 S-7.1938, cover Wings (DBS Class 1: 1937), opp. 30 William Smyly S-7.1938, opp. 11 Kelvin Lau S-2004, 16

4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10

DBS archives S-1955, 2 George Kotwall S-7.1954, unpaged S-1961, cover DBS archives S-1956, 28 Fung Yee Wang Donald Brittain S-1961, 18

Acknowledgements

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6

S-1974, 10 Hanson Huang S-1982, 16 S-1973, 6 S-1969, 48 S-1970, 121

6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4

S-1991, 13 Kelvin Lau S-1994, 19 DBS archives

7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8

S-2002, 3 DBS archives DBS archives Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union Kelvin Lau S-2006, 28 l S-2005, C28 S-2004, 42

8.1 8.2 8.3

S-1959, unpaged Eric Yeung (a) S-1970, 125 (b) S-1978, 19 (c) Chan Man Kee (d) S-1978, C3 (e) Pang Kin Kee (f) S-1978, C5 (g) S-1968, 32 (h) S-1978, 139 (i) S-2008, 28 (j) Kelvin Lau

9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7

F, opp. 24 F, opp. 104 F, opp. viii S-1957, unpaged DBS headmaster’s office S-1970, 143 DBS archives

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Acknowledgements

9.8 9.9 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13

DBS archives Kelvin Lau Kelvin Lau Kelvin Lau S-1969, 62 DBS campus office

10.1 10.2

S-1959, 63 (a) DBS archives (b) S-1956, 17 (c) S-1972, front page (d) S-1966, 47 (e) S-12.1950, 21-22 (f) S-1962, 18 (g) S-1956, 17 (h) S-1956, 18 (i) S-1956, 18 S-12.1952, unpaged DBS archives Hanson Huang (a) Hanson Huang (b) DBS office (a) Lee Sui Ming (b) F, front page (c) DBS office S-12.1952, 29

10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7

10.8 11.1 11.2

11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6

F, opp. 132 (a) Anonymous (b) DBS office (c) DBS office Kelvin Lau S-1973, unpaged S-1966, 47 S-2005, 150

12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5

Henry Ching S-2006, 104 DBS archives S-7.1954, unpaged DBS archives

Acknowledgements

12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16

S-2000, 211 S-1958, front page S-1988, 115 S-1980, 60 DBS archives DBS archives S-1957, 52 S-1963, 67 S-1968, 92 S-2004, 331; S-1965, 12 (inset) DBS office

13.1 13.2 13.3

DBS headmaster’s office S-2003, 29 DBSPTA Newsletter, No. 7, 3

xix

Back endpaper The photo reproduced with permission of the Director of Lands. @ The Government of Hong Kong SAR. Licence No. 44/2008 To all the above mentioned individuals and institutions we wish to express our sincere thanks once again. Without their contributions this book could not have been written. Indeed, this publication is the result of a collective effort rather than that of the authors alone. However, as authors of the book, we must be held responsible for any of its shortcomings, be they the contents selected or the ideas put forward. It also goes without saying that the views expressed are those of the authors and do not in any way reflect the standpoint of the school or its officers. Fung Yee Wang and Chan-Yeung Mo Wah Moira June 2009

Background

Part I • • •

A Chronological View

1

2

To Serve and to Lead

Background

3

1 Background

Most readers of this book probably only have first-hand knowledge of the Diocesan Boys’ School (DBS) at its current location in Mongkok, but DBS has a long and illustrious history which has never been properly explored. The evolution of the school has been intimately tied to the history of Hong Kong itself, almost from the early 1840s when Hong Kong became a British Crown Colony as a result of the First Opium War. This volume not only tells the story of our school but also relates it to the changes within our society as a whole; and it is as much a chronicle of the territory’s past as it is a pointer to our future development. An understanding of how each generation at the school reacted to the demands imposed by a dynamic society should guide us in remaining relevant to the continued well-being of Hong Kong in the years to come.

Historical Setting In its early years, Hong Kong was a barren and rocky island of 80 sq km with a population of only around 5,000 and a less than welcoming climate. Despite these undesirable features, it was established as a British colony because of its excellent harbour. The early settlers from Europe were unaccustomed to the hot and humid summer, and in 1843, 24% of the garrison force and 105 European civilian residents died of “fever”, probably from prevalent infectious diseases such as cholera, smallpox and malaria.1 For the first two decades of its existence, the British government considered Hong Kong to be of value only as a political and strategic tool in its dealings with Imperial China and it had no intention of developing the island territory.

4

To Serve and to Lead

The official sent out to be the first governor of Hong Kong, Sir Henry E. C. Pottinger, was from the British East India Company, not from the Foreign Office, and it was made clear to him that his roles were: first, to act as a political negotiator with China; second, to protect British trade interests; and only third, to “govern” the territory which, given his background, he was probably not well equipped to handle anyway.

Education In the early part of the nineteenth century, the Chinese and British governments did not consider the provision of education for their subjects as their responsibility, leaving it in the hands of private citizens.2 Before the arrival of the missionaries, in Hong Kong, as in parts of China, there were already a few private schools, usually very small and generally called si-shus. A typical si-shu had just one teacher and about a dozen students, and the curriculum focused on basic literacy and the Confucian classics. Some mathematics and general knowledge might be taught, but not music, art or physical education.

1.1

A si-shu in the early 20th century

Background

5

In Britain at that time, besides grammar schools and public schools, there were also dame schools and private day schools, most of which were run by individuals, just as in the case of the si-shus in China. Very young children would go to the dame schools, usually run by housewives and seen as inefficient baby-minding establishments, while older ones went to private day schools of more varied standards,* where they were taught by schoolmasters mostly drawn from the very dregs of society.3 Public schools, once known as “free schools” because they were not as restrictive as grammar schools in their intake and operation, differed from grammar schools in three main respects: (1) they were spacious and wellequipped boarding schools; (2) they charged much higher fees; and (3) they emphasized the importance of sport and games for character training. Even so, the curriculum in these two types of schools was basically the same: boys studied “classics”, mainly Greek and Latin, and girls were taught “practical subjects” such as music and sewing. Through the work of several Education Commissions, the first of which was established in 1861, the school curriculum was broadened in the second half of the nineteenth century to include subjects such as English language, mathematics, sciences and humanities.4 The Industrial Revolution, which began in the mid-eighteenth century in Britain, helped to bring about an expansionist foreign policy which, while inflicting considerable hardship on other countries, led to the accumulation of wealth and improvements in the standard of living in the home country. In response to the call for mass education, the British government set up a Committee for Education in 1839, upgraded to the status of a Department in 1856, to determine the need for the government to assist, supervise and eventually provide schools.5 As a British colony, Hong Kong followed this policy closely. In 1847, as instructed by the secretary of state, the Hong Kong government provided a grant of 10 dollars a year to each Chinese village school and set up an Education Committee to monitor these schools.6

The Role of Missionaries The first missionary society to arrive in Hong Kong was the Morrison Education Society which transferred its school from Macau in 1842; and the Catholic

*

When the children reached school age, boys from upper-class families went to public schools, mostly controlled directly or indirectly by the Church of England, while girls were generally taught at home by a governess. Boys from less well-off families went to grammar schools, established as acts of charity, and girls to private schools.

6

To Serve and to Lead

Church, the London Missionary Society (LMS) and the Anglican Church soon followed. For example, the Rev. James Legge of the LMS, who later became a famous Chinese scholar and translator of Chinese classics, moved Ying Wa, the Anglo-Chinese College,† from Malacca to Hong Kong in 1843. Also, the Rev. Vincent Stanton of the Anglican Church came to Hong Kong in the same year and founded St. Paul’s College in 1849. When the Rev. George Smith, later Bishop Smith, of the Church Mission Society (CMS) was posted to China in the years 1844–46, he visited Hong Kong a few times and considered the island, which was reputed to be a base for pirates and thieves, unsuitable to be the centre for the CMS for a variety of reasons. For instance, he felt that, as the Chinese who lived on the island were mainly from the lower social class — such as servants, coolies, stonecutters and masons engaged in temporary work — their “moral and social character” was totally different from that of the people in the cities of northern China. The bishop also identified two other serious disadvantages: “European irreligion”, implying that he did not have the highest regard for the bulk of the European population on the island either; and the invidious police regulations for the Chinese who were seen as a “degraded race”.7 After becoming the bishop of Victoria in 1850, however, his views on Hong Kong gradually changed, although he noted that the last two disadvantages were still present at the time of his retirement. Meanwhile, in spite of Smith’s low opinion, the British government had already applied to the Anglican Church for a colonial chaplain to be sent to Hong Kong to care for the Europeans and to spread Christianity among the local people. The Rev. Vincent Stanton was appointed as the first colonial chaplain.8 In 1850, the Rev. George Smith arrived to take up his post as the first bishop of the Victoria diocese. He also served as a teacher at St. Paul’s College and was appointed permanent chairman of the Education Committee in 1852. The 1850s proved to be a difficult decade for missionary schools, mainly because of anti-British sentiments among the Chinese. In these circumstances, Bishop Smith and his committee, whose members were mostly churchmen, decided to use the village schools to promote the Christian faith rather than opening new Anglo-Chinese schools.9 In the second half of the 1850s, however, the missionaries began to see some light ahead. By the end of the decade, the Tai Ping Rebellion (1850– 64) had caused an influx of immigrants of a completely different socio-economic

†

Ying Wa College was founded in Malacca in 1818 by Robert Morrison of the LMS.

Background

7

status into Hong Kong. This, together with the addition of the Kowloon Peninsula to the colony after the British victory in the Second Opium War and the signing of the Peking Convention, brought the total population to about 120,000 in the early 1860s.10 For both businessmen and missionaries, this population increase raised expectations of greater opportunities. In addition, there was a change in British colonial policy resulting from the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The British government decided to exert direct control over the colonies instead of leaving them to the semi-officials of the East India Company. From then on, the Hong Kong government began to build its own schools and at the same time, the missionaries renewed their interest in establishing schools.11 When Sir Hercules Robinson took up his appointment as governor of Hong Kong in 1859, his role was quite different from that of his predecessors. By then, the British government had appointed a minister-resident in China to guard its trade interests and to supervise the consuls in other concessions in China, and Robinson’s duty was changed to governing Hong Kong only. Following in the footsteps of the government in the United Kingdom, he replaced the Education Committee with a Board of Education in 1860 and further upgraded it to a Department of Government Schools in 1865. Under Robinson’s governorship, the early 1860s saw a gradual transfer, completed by 1865, of the control of education in Hong Kong from the church to the government. Bishop Smith was forced to resign because of poor health and returned to England in 1864.12 From 1860 he had stopped attending the meetings of the Board of Education and the Rev. James Legge was appointed as acting chairman. As a nonconformist educator, Legge advocated education for its own sake and opposed the church’s hold on public education. Also, he was committed to promoting the teaching and learning of English as he saw the practical value of the language for the Chinese.13 He played a pivotal role in steering the development of education through the 1860s and his efforts soon bore fruit as two of the top schools in present-day Hong Kong were founded in this decade — Queen’ College, first known as the Central School from 1862 to 1889 and then as Victoria College from 1889 to 1894; and the Diocesan Boys’ School (DBS), known as the Diocesan Home and Orphanage (DHO) from 1870 to 1892, Diocesan School and Orphanage (DSO) from 1892 to 1902 and Diocesan Boys’ School and Orphanage (DBSO) from 1902 to the early 1930s. The Central School and the DSO, together with St. Paul’s College and St. Joseph’s College which were established in 1849 in 1875 respectively, became the four best-known educational institutions in Hong Kong by the end of the nineteenth century.14

8

To Serve and to Lead

It was Legge who proposed the establishment of the Central School as the model school in Hong Kong, with its headmaster also being the inspector of schools. Mr. Frederick Stewart, who was only 24 years old, was appointed to that dual position in 1862, and he went on to become a member of the Board of Education in 1864 and its permanent secretary in the following year. When the Board became a Department, he was appointed as its first head, while at the same time retaining his position as headmaster of the Central School.15

1.2

Hong Kong Island around 1870

DHO

1.3 Map of Victoria City around 1870, showing DHO (lebel added by the authors) and Central School

Background

9

The Anglican Church As in Britain, the Anglican Church played an important role in education in Hong Kong. It established the Victoria diocese in 1849 with its headquarters in Hong Kong, under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Victoria diocese then included the whole of China and Japan and the bishop’s mission was evangelistic. As the Victoria diocese grew, it was partitioned into several smaller ones, each with its own bishop. In 1872, it was first partitioned at the 28th parallel into the northern China diocese and the Victoria diocese in the south. Since then Japan, Fujian, Guangxi and Hunan, Guizhou and finally Guangdong and Guangxi left the Victoria diocese one by one, leaving behind only Hong Kong and Macau, and in 1949 the Victoria diocese was renamed “the diocese of Hong Kong and Macau”.16 During the nineteenth century, the Church of England had ceased to be a national church for English people only, due to the expansion of the CMS’s missionary work. Following the internationalization of Anglicanism, the Anglican churches in other countries became self-governing and independent, and in 1909 the Anglican Church of China (Chung Hwa Sheng Kung Hui ) was established.17 With the rapid population increase, the local church body felt that the bishop of Victoria should be less involved in missionary work in order to serve the needs of the local community better. When the diocese of Hong Kong and Macau was established, Bishop Ronald Owen Hall (1932– 66) and the bishops after him, John Gilbert Hindley Baker (1967–81) and Kwong Kong Kit Peter (1982–98), were able to focus their work on the diocese. In 1998, Bishop Kwong, the first Chinese bishop, was promoted to archbishop when the Anglican Church in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui ) became a province with three dioceses: Hong Kong Island, East Kowloon and West Kowloon. The Rev. Louis Tsui was elected bishop of East Kowloon. The Anglican Church has contributed greatly to education in Hong Kong by establishing many Anglo-Chinese schools. For instance, it founded St. Paul’s College in 1849 and took over the Fairlea School (founded in 1886 and renamed Heep Yunn School [HYS] in 1936) from the Society for Promoting Female Education in the East (also known as Female Education Society, FES) at the end of the nineteenth century.18 Also, Bishop Charles Hoare (1898–1906), who supported the idea of separating European and Eurasian from Chinese girls, established the Diocesan Girls’ School and Orphanage in 1900 at Rose Villas for European and Eurasian girls and let Chinese girls remain in the Fairlea School. In addition, St. Stephen’s College

10

To Serve and to Lead

was established for children of wealthier families in Bonham Road in 1903 before the present Stanley site was ultimately adopted; and St. Stephen’s Girls’ College and Preparatory School came into existence in 1906. In 1913, the Diocesan Girls’ School (DGS) moved to the present site in Kowloon. Also, St. Paul’s Girls’ College was founded in 1915 and became co-educational after World War II. During the post-war years, the seemingly tireless Bishop R. O. Hall opened many more Anglican schools in response to the needs of Hong Kong’s ever-increasing population.

From DNFTS to DHO The forerunner of DBS was a day-school for girls set up in 1858 by Mrs. Lydia Smith, the wife of the bishop. She turned it into a boarding school, naming it “Diocesan Native Female Training School” (DNFTS) when the FES agreed to send Miss Harriet Baxter, a lady of independent means, to organize and be superintendent of the school.19 The arrival of Miss Wilson, a teacher who was to be Miss Baxter’s assistant, enabled the school to formally open on 15 March 1860 before Baxter’s arrival.20 The school was governed by a Committee of Ladies, with Lady Robinson as the patron. As stated in its first annual report, the purpose of the school was “to introduce among a somewhat superior class of native females the blessings of Christianity and of religious training”.21 The students were trained to be school mistresses who could speak English and might become wives of graduates (native clergy) from St. Paul’s College.22 Miss Baxter set sail for Hong Kong in April 1860 but, on arriving, she decided not to take up the post23 and instead established her own schools for different classes.24 The vacant position was taken up by Miss Wilson (1860– 62),25 followed by Miss Eaton (1862–66),26 Miss Rendle (1866–67)27 and Miss Oxlad (1867–69).28 Eaton and Oxlad were paid by the FES, as they were its agents. The school had 15 girls when it was opened in 1860 and was temporarily housed in Albany Terrace. The student population reached 30 in 1863, the year in which it moved to a new building on the northeast corner of Eastern Street and Bonham Road. 29 The lack of progress thereafter was due to two main factors. Firstly, the Second Opium War had aroused strong anti-British sentiment which stopped local Chinese from sending their sons — let alone their daughters — to learn English. The boys were sent back to China for their education while the girls were either taught at home or received no education at all. After Miss Eaton was assaulted by a mob

Background

11

in December 1864,§ the School Committee decided not to make the teaching of English compulsory.30 Secondly, and enigmatically, as Dr. Frederick Stewart, inspector of schools, noted in his report for 1867, teaching English to Chinese girls had proved to be fatal for the girls’ character.31 Throughout the nine years of its existence, the school suffered from a number of setbacks, such as the unfavourable opinion of the local people, an insufficient number of students, financial difficulties and serious administrative mistakes. In 1861, the seemingly innocuous removal of the DNFTS from the Board of Education’s list of schools receiving financial aid and supervision — because it was a “Christian School and constituted differently from the Government Schools” 32 — had calamitous repercussions after the administrative blunder of dismissing Miss Eaton in 1864. There was an immediate outcry from the public demanding the resignation of the Committee of Ladies; and many letters were sent to the editor of the Hong Kong Daily Press to show concern,33 one of them threatening to stop subscribing to the school.34 This incident made the school very unpopular and further reduced morale, as well as financial support from the public. By November 1867 the financial situation of the school had deteriorated to such an extent that Miss Rendle’s engagement had to be terminated and the secretary of the Committee had to appeal to the newly elected bishop for assistance. Bishop Charles Richard Alford’s first reply was that he could give no immediate help, but after some deliberation he finally agreed to take up the matter.35 On 30 January 1869, the bishop issued a circular which said: “The education of Chinese girls in Hong Kong on Anglo-Chinese principles having been found undesirable, it is proposed to extend the benefits of the education given in the Diocesan Female School to a few such children (European,

§

The Daily Press reported that on the evening of Sunday, 6 December 1864, at around 8 p.m., Miss Eaton, when making her way home from the chapel, was attacked by a gang of ruffians armed with knives. “These ruffians overpowered the bearers of the chair, dragged Miss Eaton out of it and endeavoured to get possession of her watch. She, however, struggled violently and shrieked loudly for help. For several minutes she fought with her assailants, and as they were dragging her up the hill, she, with a determined effort, managed to free herself, and escaped to her home. No assistance whatever arrived notwithstanding her repeated cries for help.” As a result of this terrifying incident, Miss Eaton requested sick leave from the School Committee and this was approved on the same day. However, the subsequent turn of events was most unexpected. Despite obtaining approval for her leave, Miss Eaton dismissed the pupils on her own initiative. This angered the School Committee as a temporary replacement had already been arranged and a decision was then made to terminate the services of Miss Eaton, who later deeply regretted her action and apologized to the School Committee. Her apology was accepted and she was reinstated, despite objections from several committee members.

12

To Serve and to Lead

Eurasian and other children in necessitous circumstances) of both sexes … it is desired to conduct it generally on the principles of well known orphan asylum in England … it is proposed to open the Diocesan School for the purpose of an orphanage next midsummer …” 36 The appeal received a favourable response from the public and a new institution, later named the DHO, which eventually evolved into the present day DBS, came into being in September 1869.

Governance of DBS It is important to understand the relationship between DBS and the Anglican Church from the outset. As the name “Diocesan” implies, it is not strictly a missionary school. DBS is governed by the School Committee, not by the Anglican Church, although by tradition the bishop of the Victoria diocese presides over the committee. In this section, we explore the change in the membership of the School Committee and the history of its relationship with the Anglican Church.

The School Committee and its Chairmen The School Committee of DBS, chaired by the bishop of the diocese, is the legal body responsible for the school. Its powers as defined by The Diocesan School and Orphanage Ordinance of 28 May 1892 are to manage, administer and operate the school. The School Committee is responsible for: setting school policies; determining the mission and vision; the raising, management and allocation of funds; and managing public relations and cementing a relationship with the diocese, relevant government departments, external bodies and other educational institutes.37 The school and its committee were set up in 1869 when its predecessor, the DNFTS, could not continue due to financial difficulties. To ensure that the school could survive and take the right path, prominent members of society, including senior government officials, members of the church and important businessmen, were invited to join the School Committee. Two governors of Hong Kong, Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell and Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy, acted as patrons of the school from 1869 to 1872 and 1873 to 1875 respectively. From 1876 the Hong Kong governor was no longer a member of the School Committee; and when Chief Justice Smale left it in 1881, the support of the school by powerful political and military personnel virtually ended and the School Committee comprised mainly clergy and

Background

13

businessmen.38 William Keswick of Jardine, Matheson & Co Ltd. had a long and close association with the school, serving as honorary treasurer for 12 years (1869–72, 1877–80 and 1883–86) (see Chapter 2 for further details of his major contribution to the school). In 1921, the membership of the School Committee, which had been relatively small, increased to 21 and the headmaster was included for the first time due to the intensity of the work related to planning and fund-raising for the new campus. The composition of the committee also changed from the late 1910s: there were more professionals, such as Sir H. E. Pollock (1918–28, barrister), C. J. Alabaster (1918–23, barrister), Francis B. L. Bowley (1919– 21, solicitor) and R. Lowe (1921–23, chartered accountant). In its early years, most of the members of the School Committee were British, with only one or two Eurasians. The committee got its first Chinese member in 1929, but in 2008 only two out of the 16 members are nonChinese. Considerable changes in the membership of the School Committee took place in the mid 1960s: the Rev. S. Ridley, Oswald V. Cheung, E. P. Ho and L. Ip (better known as “Ip Lai”) joined the committee in that year, while Mr. Kwan Cho Yiu became its chairman after Bishop Hall retired in 1966 until the arrival of the new bishop. Chairing the School Committee gave the bishops considerable power in determining school policies. For example, Bishop Alford (1867–72) was responsible for closing the DNFTS and changing it to the DHO. Also, Bishop John Shaw Burdon (1874–97) almost succeeded in getting the FES in England to take over the DHO when Mr. William Arthur resigned in 1878. He and his two successors, Bishop Charles Hoare (1898–1906) and Bishop Gerald Heath Lander (1907–20), were more concerned with the development of St. Paul’s College. Bishop Charles Ridley Duppuy (1920–32), who had a greater interest in the DBSO, recruited the Rev. William Featherstone to be the headmaster after Mr. George Piercy’s retirement and chose the final design of the main building of the present campus. The influence of his successor, Bishop Ronald Owen Hall (1932–66), as outlined separately below, was even greater. Bishop Hall was, in turn, succeeded by Bishops Baker (1967–81), Kwong (1981–2000) and Tsui (2000 to date). In 1998, when Bishop Peter Kwong became the archbishop and primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and the Rev. Louis Tsui was elected bishop of East Kowloon where DBS is situated, Bishop Tsui should have automatically become the chairman of the School Committee but, to ensure a smooth transition, Archbishop Kwong continued to act as the chairman and Bishop Tsui as the vice-chairman until 2000. These two years covered what transpired to be a crucial period in the development of the school.

14

To Serve and to Lead

Bishop R. O. Hall Bishop R. O. Hall (1932–66) was the longest-serving bishop in Hong Kong. He was born in 1895 and died in 1975. He joined the army during World War I, after which he studied at the Oxford Seminary of Theology and was ordained. At the age of 37, he was appointed bishop of the Victoria diocese, which then covered much of South China and a population of 77 million. In 1940, he was decorated with the Order of the Precious Stone by the Chinese government in recognition of his unsparing efforts in organizing relief for refugees and medical supplies for the wounded. As the population rose rapidly from 0.6 million immediately after the war to 2.3 million by 1952, there were major problems in housing, hygiene, education and social welfare. The government, with limited resources, was unable to cope with these challenges and depended on voluntary organizations and churches to take over some of these responsibilities. Bishop Hall played a vital role in contributing to social welfare and education in the colony. For example, he established the Hong Kong Council of Social Service in 1947 to coordinate the growing number of voluntary agencies and led church social work in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also a pioneer across the whole spectrum of Hong Kong education, from primary to

1.4

Bishop R. O. Hall

Background

15

post-secondary. He founded 20 primary and nine secondary schools, mostly in the poorest areas of the community. He also started the Holy Carpenter Secondary School in 1965, the first vocational school in Hong Kong. Moreover, he was involved in the development of Chung Chi College, one of the three founding colleges of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).39 Despite his involvement in many different educational institutions and social services, he had a special relationship with DBS. Not only did he frequently speak at speech days, but he also came to the school chapel to confirm staff and students. As chairman of the School Committee, Bishop Hall was highly influential in shaping the development and educational philosophy of DBS in both the pre- and post-war periods. He was responsible for the appointments of Mr. Gerald Goodban, the Rev. George She and Mr. James Lowcock as headmasters in succession, each of whom left an indelible mark on the school. He identified two important educational principles for DBS. First, the school must be allowed to preserve its individuality: the tradition of complete bilingualism and acting as a bridge between the foreign and the local communities must be continued. Second, the school premises should be fully utilized after school hours on weekdays, as well as at weekends and in the summer holidays — not only for organized recreation but also to allow young

1.5 The field on a holiday morning in autumn, 1952

16

To Serve and to Lead

people to use them in the ways they wanted, as they needed places where their elders could “leave ’em be” and so ease the tension of examinations, long bus queues, over-crowded flats and the unending clatter of our crowded streets.40 When Bishop Hall retired after 34 years, the school named an open chapel after him in March 1969 to commemorate the “openness” of his administration. The new bishop, Bishop Baker, officiated at the ceremony of dedication.41

1.6

The Open Chapel

Governor Alexander Grantham referred to Bishop Hall as the “Red Bishop”42 because of his critical attitude to the government and his closeness to the Christian leaders in mainland China as well as his efforts to promote social work and establish schools for the children of workers in Hong Kong. He was a great Anglican who overcame ecumenical barriers and denominational prejudices and was the first Anglican bishop in the world to ordain a female priest, the Rev. Florence Tim-oi Lee, in 1944. The late Mrs. Joyce Symons of Diocesan Girls’ School described him as a “Christ-like” person.43

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

17

2 The School in the Making (1869–1918)

That Bishop Alford’s appeal issued on 30 January 1869 to open the DNFTS for the purpose of an orphanage “met with a liberal response”1 must be seen against the backdrop of dramatic developments in Hong Kong brought about by the changing political scene in China: the Taiping Rebellion, the Peking Convention and the “Self-Strengthening Movement”.

Sociopolitical Setting In the 1850s, with the Taiping Rebellion, refugees poured into Hong Kong from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. They came from a different social class and were wealthier than the earlier immigrants, bringing with them capital for trade and commerce, a pattern we shall see repeating itself in the next century. They intended to settle in Hong Kong and were keen to have their children educated, as shown by the rapid rise in the number of students in the late 1850s.2 The Second Opium War ended in 1860 with the signing of the Peking Convention with Britain and France which, in addition to the permanent cession of Kowloon to Britain, opened the interior of China to its merchants and missionaries. With British trade in China flourishing, Hong Kong became the focal point from which trade extended into the Mainland. As a result, the colony prospered and the increasing commercial and missionary activities required bilingual individuals with not only a good command of both English and Chinese but also a sound knowledge of both cultures. The Self-Strengthening Movement in China from 1860 to 1890 was similar to the Meiji Restoration of Japan in its intention to learn from the

18

To Serve and to Lead

West, but it was fundamentally flawed in that it focused only on certain practical aspects, first and foremost, guns and warships. However, it also established a number of specialist schools and called for young men who were competent in English to study science, engineering and medicine in order to set up factories and hospitals and to build, for example, arsenals, railways and dockyards. While the overall plan failed in its objectives, it did give an impetus to Hong Kong to develop education with a heavy emphasis on English.3 During the course of the nineteenth century, the people in Britain became much more concerned about the education of their children. Although the government adopted a non-intervention policy, from 1833 it began to give grants to educational societies to help children from the poorer classes. A grant-in-aid scheme was introduced in 1862 whereby government grants were given to schools according to the results of an annual examination of the pupils.4 The Forster Education Act, which required the state to set up elementary schools, known as board schools and supported by local taxes, was passed in 1870. It also required the government to subsidize the voluntary schools in providing education for all school-age children.5 The social climate in Britain no doubt encouraged some of the expatriates in Hong Kong to promote education in the colony. Bishop Alford’s proposal to turn the DNFTS into an orphanage was very sound strategically. After the Opium Wars, the Qing Empire was forced to make numerous concessions and to open ports to foreign powers for trade. These ports soon turned into melting pots for intermarriage, legalized or otherwise, usually between European men and Chinese women. Most of the large corporations at that time exercised a “10-year rule” for young men who ventured to outposts of the British Empire: the rule forbade their marriage until they had been away from home for 10 years.6 As a consequence, some Eurasian* children born out of wedlock became orphans without support when their fathers left the Far East. This phenomenon, common to all ports, was particularly prevalent in Hong Kong. The term “half-caste” (equivalent to zazhong in Chinese) used to describe these children reflected the disparaging attitude of both Chinese and Europeans. Bishop Alford’s proposal represented not only a bold attempt to address a social problem, but also a subtle appeal to the conscience of the expatriates as well as the local people.

*

For Eurasians, see Carl Smith’s book on Chinese Christians.

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

19

DHO under Mr. Monarch Burnside William Arthur (1870–78) When the DHO came into being in September 1869, its committee members were: Patron: Vice-patrons:

H. E. Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell H. E. Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Kellett H. E. Major-General H. W. Whitfield The Honourable Chief Justice Smale President: The Right Rev. Bishop of Victoria Vice-presidents: The Venerable Archdeacon of Hong Kong The Colonial Chaplain Treasurer: The Honourable W. Keswick Committee: Lt.-Col. R. E. De Butts E. A. Hitchcock, Esq. The Rev. J. Piper The Honourable J. B. Taylor Hon. secretaries: Robert S. Walker, Esq. Herbert Laurence, Esq. The social and political support given to the DHO at its inception was clearly demonstrated by the membership of this committee, which comprised key people in the government, the army, the church and the business community, with the governor as the patron. Their presence provided the new institution “with many guarantees of future success”.7 In a meeting on 18 January 1870, the committee resolved that the institution be called “The Diocesan Orphanage” and its objectives were: … to receive or place children of both sexes, sound both in body and mind, of European, Chinese and half-caste parentage, and such other children as may be deemed eligible by the Committee, as soon as they become capable of education; and to board, clothe and instruct them with a view to industrial life and the Christian faith according to the Church of England.

However, the name of the institution was changed to “The Diocesan Home and Orphanage” at the next meeting8 so that the “Home” could also take in children whose parents were able to pay towards the expenses of their maintenance. Mr. William Arthur was appointed master, and Mrs. Arthur matron, of the DHO in April 1870. When they took up their appointments in July, there were 23 boarders and a few European day scholars. Of the boarders, 14 were

20

To Serve and to Lead

boys (12 Eurasian and two Chinese) and nine girls (six Eurasian and three Chinese).9 Some of them were transferred from St. Paul’s College, which was again closed and was not reopened until 1876. 10 During Mr. Arthur’s headmastership of eight years, there was little growth in the DHO and in the year following his departure, there were still only 26 boarders (20 boys and six girls) and five day scholars.11

2.1 Mr. William Arthur (Signature from government archives; authenticity not verified)

Very little is known about the Arthurs. They took on a rather unpromising venture when they were appointed. The remuneration of $100 a month was apparently inadequate and Mr. Arthur had to supplement his income by acting as an organist in St. John’s Cathedral.12 In 1878, Mr. Arthur resigned from the post of headmaster, as his wife was in poor health, and joined the Central School as the second master; and in the early 1880s, he left the Central School and worked as the first clerk in the magistracy in Hong Kong from which he retired on 1 May 1900.13 He died in England in 1912.14 The children’s daily routine will be described in some detail in Chapter 10. Suffice it to say here that, by and large, Sundays were taken up with religious activities while Saturdays were free. From Monday to Friday, the children attended lessons in English from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. under Mr. Arthur, and were taught subjects generally embraced in a traditional English education. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the boys received instruction in Chinese from a native teacher.15

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

21

The governor, Sir Richard MacDonnell, as patron of the DHO, was very kind and helpful. For example, after an unusually large number of the children came down with fever in the summer and autumn of 1870, he allowed them to use the quarters at Stonecutters Island (now part of Kowloon) for recuperation, which may have started the tradition in later years of taking the children there to bathe. Also, in 1874, when the DHO needed money for repairs, he directed a sum of $200 from the colonial coffers for this purpose.16 As the fees paid by parents or guardians could not cover the expenses, the DHO depended on voluntary aid from wealthy, benevolent individuals, donations from large commercial firms and church offerings to balance the budget. In 1870, apart from fees, about $1,400 was required to cover its expenses.17 It was fortunate that in the first few years, the DHO was able to raise enough money to make ends meet, largely through subscriptions from the local community, with a fair amount of donations from treaty ports in the north. After the northern part of China, together with its donations, left the Victoria diocese in 1872, the financial situation of the DHO worsened. With no subscriptions being received from England, by 1874 the DHO derived its support solely from the local expatriate community.18 Twenty years later, when Chinese students accounted for more than half of the student population, the committee decided to appeal to the Chinese residents as well.19

The Crisis of 1878 The bishops of the diocese of Victoria belonged to the CMS, which raised funds for the evangelization of China. The DHO was established for a worthy cause, but its purpose was quite different from that of the DNFTS founded by Mrs. Smith, wife of the first bishop of the Victoria diocese, whose concern was female education. This might have been the reason why the church was reluctant to support the DHO with funds and did not provide teachers. This led to constant disagreement among the committee members on the financing of the school, with the church on one side and the business community on the other. At the close of the committee meeting on 17 December 1874, Bishop Burdon, who succeeded Bishop Alford in that year, speaking from the chair, declared that he reserved the right to make changes to the constitution of the DHO in the future, intimating that some change was necessary.20 In such an atmosphere, it was not surprising that Mr. and Mrs. Arthur considered leaving their positions, especially as Mrs. Arthur was already in poor health. On 8 March 1878, Mr. Arthur informed the committee that he had obtained “a vacant mastership in a government school, not on account of dissatisfaction

22

To Serve and to Lead

on his part but as Mrs. Arthur’s health would shortly necessitate a visit to England”.21 Following the resignation of Mr. Arthur, conflict surfaced between members from the church and the business community. In the next meeting on 26 March 1878, Bishop Burdon proposed altering the constitution of the DHO by excluding the admission of boys and by putting it under the care of the FES in England which, he hoped, would be willing to supply at least one or two of its agents to operate the school.22 The proposal was accepted by the FES in July and it appeared that the transfer would proceed accordingly. However, just at that time, William Keswick of Jardine, Matheson & Company, then honorary treasurer of the DHO, returned to Hong Kong. In the committee meeting of 17 July, he denounced the proposed change as an injustice to the subscribers who had for years given large sums to support the school as it was then constituted and to the class of children whom it was now proposed to exclude. He further challenged the power of the committee (and the bishop himself as its chairman) to give the school building to a society in England, believing that, if the proposed actions were taken, this would probably be disputed in the law courts. The meeting adjourned that day to allow more time for discussion.23 The bishop withdrew his proposed scheme on the following day, but he emphasized that it was inappropriate to have boys and girls boarding in the same school campus and that this problem had to be resolved soon. The committee rescinded the resolution of the previous meeting and discussed, instead, the immediate problem of filling the vacancy left by Mr. Arthur.24

2.2 Mr. William Keswick

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

23

The DHO was thus saved by Mr. Keswick — without him, there would not have been a DBS. A council member of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, William Keswick served on the DHO committee on three occasions, 1869–72, 1876–80 and 1883–86, and was its acting chairman in 1876. His singular and unfailing support for the DHO was unmatched.

DHO/DSO/DBSO under Mr. George H. Piercy (1879–1918) Mr. George Piercy, the third master in the Government Central School, who had also been engaged at one time as a private tutor in the Keswick family, was appointed unanimously by the committee to be the new headmaster of the DHO on 1 November 1878, subject to the condition that he should marry within six months so that his wife would then be appointed matron. On 29 March 1879, Mr. Piercy informed the committee that he would be married in a few days, after which he and his wife would take up their full duties at the home.25 According to Mr. J. L. Young Saye, Mr. Piercy was very strict and severe, demanding great discipline from his students. He had personally witnessed the headmaster, who was only five feet four inches, caning a six-foot student. As a devout Christian, every Sunday Mr. Piercy walked with the boarders along the tramway to St. Peter’s Church in Sai Wan to attend the morning service and along Caine Road to St. John’s Cathedral to take part in the evensong. He also required students to learn a collect by heart in the afternoon.26

2.3

Mr. George Piercy

(Signature not available)

24

To Serve and to Lead

Evolution into a Boys’ School 1879 proved to be a year of critical change in the DHO. On 31 May 1879, the committee resolved, with effect from the coming year, to stop accepting girls into the school as boarders and to start admitting a limited number of Chinese boys as day scholars.27 From time to time, there were urgent applications for the admission of girls into the DHO; and when such occasions arose, they were admitted as day scholars and Miss Johnstone of the Baxter Mission, who lived nearby, took them into her house as boarders. 28 An alternative arrangement was to lodge them in the immediate neighbourhood under the care of the Rev. J. B. Ost and Mrs. Ost,29 the former being a member (later honorary treasurer) of the committee. When Miss Johnstone accepted them into the Fairlea School in September 1892, all the girls were transferred there, thus completing the changing of the DHO into a boys’ school. In 1892, as part of an expansion programme, it was noted that in order to obtain the $5,000 building grant from the government for a new wing and to hold the piece of adjacent land donated by Mr. C. P. Chater, it was necessary to incorporate the chairman of the committee because the original trustees of the school property had left Hong Kong and could not be located, and the committee was not a legally constituted body.30 In the process the governor changed the name of the institution to the Diocesan School and Orphanage, which was again changed to the Diocesan Boys School and Orphanage in 1902.31 In the early days of Hong Kong, the locals sometimes referred to foreign organizations by their shape, so the first Chinese name for the school in Arthur’s time was .32 However, it was also common then to call an institution by the Chinese transliteration of its director’s name. For example, the newspaper China Mail, whose editor was Andrew Dixon, was commonly known as . Thus the school was frequently called because ( ) because Mr. Piercy walked with a Piercy was its headmaster or slight limp. As both names lacked refinement and were most unsuitable for a school, and because the pronunciation of in the Fuzhou dialect is quite — a name that forbids close to Piercy, the elegant Chinese name the school to be content with average or commonplace attainment — was eventually adopted,33 but was later further changed to .

Towards a Firm Financial Footing Mr. Piercy’s appointment coincided with a period of important developments in educational policy in Hong Kong. In 1878, the government took two major

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

25

initiatives in education. The first was the organization of an Education Conference, presided over by Governor John Pope Hennessy, and attended by Frederick Stewart (the headmaster of Central School), Ernest J. Eitel (a sinologist who later succeeded Stewart as inspector of schools) and six members of the Legislative Council. It declared that the learning of English in schools was of primary importance for the political and commercial interests of Hong Kong and resolved that all students in government schools be given five hours of compulsory English lessons and two-and-a-half hours of optional Chinese studies each day. The second was the revision of the grant-in-aid code introduced in 1873 to meet the needs of church schools.34 The school had already been placed under the grant-in-aid scheme in April 1878 before the arrival of Mr. Piercy. When the scheme, which was similar to that introduced in England in 1862, was first proposed by Mr. Stewart in 1873 to support missionary schools, it was not welcomed by either the Protestant or the Catholic churches because of its restrictive terms. For example, the conditions of the scheme included: (1) the school must have an average attendance of no fewer than 20 pupils; give secular instruction for not less than four consecutive hours daily and be open at all times to government inspection and be represented by a manager who was not a teacher and could communicate with the inspector; (2) the government would not interfere with religious instruction provided that the four consecutive hours of secular instruction were carried out; and (3) grants were to be paid according to the results of an annual examination on secular subjects conducted by the inspector.35 When the revised grant-in-aid code was officially enacted in 1879 with the terms “20 pupils”, “secular” and “consecutive” deleted,36 it became acceptable to the church schools. In the year 1877–78, the school presented 30 children for the examination and 26 passed, earning a total of $169.80.37 The introduction of the grant-in-aid scheme represented a positive move to expand and improve the education system in Hong Kong and it stabilized the financial situation of the school in subsequent years. The grant-in-aid code was further revised in 1904.38 The amount granted to each school was no longer dependent on the results of annual examinations but on an assessment of the school by the inspector of schools based on the suitability of instruction, the thoroughness with which it was given, the number and suitability of staff, and the discipline in the organization. The political development in China in the following years led to the formation of the Board of Chinese Vernacular Primary Education in 1911. This and the Education Ordinance subsequently passed in 1913 were, in essence, attempts to curb possible political activities, notably in the rapidly increasing number of private vernacular schools, caused by patriotic sentiments during

26

To Serve and to Lead

the nationalist revolution in China. The Education Ordinance required the registration of all schools, except government and military schools, and failure to do so was considered unlawful.39 Its enactment allowed the total number of schools and pupils to be enumerated for the first time in the history of Hong Kong and showed that there were 14 government schools, 50 missionary schools and 520 private schools with a total of 19,968 students.40 The DHO’s financial situation was greatly improved in the 1880s due to: (1) the revision of the grant-in-aid code; (2) the increase in school fees for those over the age of 15 years from $15 to $18 per month in 1885;41 and (3) an increase in enrolment. By 1913, the DBSO was in a sound financial state.

Expansion The enrolment had increased steadily over the 40 years of Mr. Piercy’s headmastership: 31 (26 being boarders) in 1879, 110 (59) in 1889, 193 (82) in 1899, 290 (90) in 1909 and 350 (100) in 1917 as compared to 560 in 1879 and 1,085 in 1909 in Queen’s College.42 The larger enrolment arose not only from the population increase, the demand for learning English caused by China’s Self-Strengthening Movement and the increasing need for compradors by foreign firms, but also from the growing reputation of the school. By the mid-1880s, within a few years of Mr. Piercy’s arrival, many old boys were promoted to positions of trust in the civil service, Chinese customs, docks, lawyers’ and merchants’ offices and stores or admitted to institutes of higher learning in the colony and ports along the coast of China.43 It became obvious by the mid-1880s that the original school premises built in 1863 for the DNFTS, with an area of about one acre, could no longer accommodate the increasing number of pupils and indeed boys had to be refused admission because of lack of space. In 1886, the committee started to consider expanding the school to receive more boarders and to improve physical education and the health of the students. Discussions were held about obtaining a loan for the erection of an entirely new building, but the committee finally settled for something more modest. A building fund was established for the addition of a new wing to the existing building; and as a temporary measure to ease overcrowding, the school rented a house in the vicinity for the new boarders in September 1889 at a monthly rate of $50.44 The construction of the new wing, funded by donations and government grants, was completed and occupied in September 1892.45 It provided a hall, two large classrooms and a covered playground on the lower floor and a large dormitory, and rooms for assistant masters and “apprentices” (old boys who continued to lodge and board in the school after graduation) on the upper floor.

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

27

School Life Several events with lasting effects on school life took place during this period. First, in the years 1886 and 1887, Hong Kong was badly hit by fever epidemics. All the students, except one, came down with fever, but fortunately no one died.46 Also, when the bubonic plague swept Hong Kong in 1894, although no student developed the disease, the school was seriously affected. It remained open, however, and special measures were taken whereby day scholars from infected areas were given the option of not coming to school at all or becoming temporary boarders free of charge.47 Again, in 1907, epidemics of mumps, measles and chickenpox broke out in the school, resulting in its temporary closure for 10 days.48 As infectious diseases were common at that time, the school began to pay special attention to hygiene and physical exercise, such as sea-bathing and games, to promote health. Second, in 1908, at the recommendation of the inspector, the academic year was changed to begin after the summer vacation rather than after Chinese New Year, which had been the custom for all schools in China, and to end at the start of the summer vacation.49 Third, the School Committee’s annual report in 1916 recorded the change of the name “monitors” to “prefects” from October that year. Prefects, selected from senior boys, were given badges and charged with the duty of helping the school to maintain discipline.50 The establishment of this system was an important milestone in the development of DBS and is discussed further in Chapter 10.

Scholastic Activities There is evidence that Mr. Piercy engaged an interpreter to explain the English lessons in Chinese to the smaller boys in the second half of the 1880s,51 but the school curriculum in his time was not documented. However, as the DHO was a contemporary of the Central School and the students took the same public examinations, it can be inferred that the two institutions had a similar curriculum, which did not differ much from that of the 1920s as discussed in detail in Chapter 11. In 1899, because of the rapid growth in student numbers, the government had to change the method for administering the annual examination for the award of grants to schools. Instead of the inspector going to individual schools to conduct examinations, all students assembled in the City Hall to take a written examination.52 The new grant-in-aid code introduced in 1904 gave schools greater latitude in their teaching methods. From then on, each of the four lower classes in

28

To Serve and to Lead

DBSO was divided into two streams: one for non-Chinese and the other for Chinese, the former having more time for arithmetic and other subjects and the latter spending more time on reading and explanation by a Chinese teacher. With the new code, grants awarded to schools were based on an assessment by the inspector of schools after unannounced visits. In June 1918, within two months of the retirement of Mr. Piercy, the inspector of English schools, Mr. E. Ralphs, came to examine each class. He praised the school for its highly satisfactory work and recommended that the highest grant be awarded.53

Academic Achievements The Cambridge Local Examinations, administered by the Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, which was established in 1858 with the aim of raising standards in education, were introduced in Hong Kong in 1886.54 In the following year, a boy named Southey, the first candidate from the school, entered the Junior Examination and passed with flying colours. Not only was he successful in all the subjects on which he was examined, but he also took the highest place among all Hong Kong candidates. Subsequently, other boys took the examinations with excellent results.55 The Oxford Local Examinations replaced the Cambridge Locals as public examinations in Hong Kong in 1889,56 but they were replaced in turn by the Matriculation and Junior Local Examinations of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) introduced in the academic year 1913–14; and the grant code was also revised in 1914 to encourage schools to take part in these examinations.57 From then on, the school, like most other local secondary schools, took these examinations instead of the Oxford Local Examinations. Between 1889 and 1914, boys from the school won 86 Senior and 250 Junior Oxford Certificates with many distinctions and honours;58 and between 1914 and 1918, the school turned out 44 matriculants, six with honours.59 The establishment of HKU in 1911 was the outcome of the combined effect of the red-brick university boom in Britain in the late nineteenth century and the late Qing reforms in the early twentieth century. The idea of establishing a university came from Governor Frederick Lugard. On 15 March 1910, he laid the foundation stone of HKU and incorporated the Hong Kong College of Medicine, founded by the CMS in 1887, as its medical faculty.60 The school gained a unique honour in 1914 when the university conferred its first degree on George Harold Thomas, an old boy of the school and a graduate of the medical faculty.61

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

29

Extracurricular Activities Having stabilized the school’s enrolment and finances by the mid-1880s, Mr. Piercy turned his attention to extracurricular activities, which was then an innovative approach to education as far as Chinese culture was concerned. This led to C. P. Chater † donating to the school a small piece of adjacent land62 but, because of its limited size, it soon proved to be inadequate and the school had to apply to the government for permission to use the sports facilities in various other districts. The students at that time had to go as far as Stonecutters Island or Lai Chi Kok for swimming and to use the playgrounds in Robinson Road, West Point or Causeway Bay for games such as cricket, football and tennis, which were the most popular sports of the day.63 The aptly named Mr. A. O. Brawn, recruited in 1900, infused the students with an enthusiasm for sport, particularly cricket and football. It took him only a year to create a very strong cricket team and, within four years, two unbeatable teams among schools in Hong Kong; and by 1908, the school was successful in matches against local cricket clubs as well. In 1910, both the senior and junior teams won the inter-school football tournaments. Tennis was then basically an intra-school activity and the 1909 school annual report recorded 23 entrants for the championship. Also, in the early years of the twentieth century, fives (a ball-game similar to squash but played with the hands) also became popular.64 The school also took part in aquatic sports, both boating and swimming. For instance, the school participated in the Hong Kong Regatta, an annual boat race held in December during the early 1900s, in which the crew, trained by an old boy, generally did well and won the schoolboys’ race in 1903.65 According to the committee report of 1910, about 60% of the boarders were able to swim.66 Apart from sports, there were very few other activities. The DSO had a drum and fife band, which survived intermittently for about a dozen years and finally ceased to exist in 1901 because of the lack of an instructor.67 For some years after 1904, the school annual report recorded Christmas gatherings of the boys and girls of the two Diocesan Schools for a picnic and an afternoon of various

†

Sir C. P. Chater was the longest-serving member of the School Committee in the history of DBS, having served it for a period of 51 years from 1874 to 1925. An Indian of Armenian descent born in Calcutta, he came to Hong Kong in 1864. He established the Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co. with Jardine, Matheson & Co. Ltd. and promoted the reclamation of land and the leasing of the New Territories from China. He was appointed a member of the Legislative Council in 1887 and the Executive Council in 1896 (see Hong Kong Dollar Directory (1927) Who’s Who in the Far East 1906/07, pp. 46–7).

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To Serve and to Lead

sports.68 Threatened by the outbreak of epidemics in the first decade of the twentieth century, the government encouraged schools to teach hygiene and organized inter-school competitions on the subject. A hygiene competition was considered an extracurricular activity at that time and the DBSO won it twice.69

The Retirement of Mr. Piercy Mr. Piercy submitted a letter to the School Committee in late 1904 requesting that he and Mrs. Piercy be allowed to live outside the school, but permission was only granted in 1909 after Mrs. Piercy resigned as matron.70 Mr. Henry Sykes, a knowledgeable and competent teacher who commanded the respect and admiration of all students in the school then took up the duties of resident master. Much of the academic achievement of DBSO students can be attributed to the dedicated teaching of Mr. Sykes. Mr. Piercy was fortunate to be assisted also by a number of other good teachers, including Mr. E. Ralphs, Mr. B. Tanner, Mr. A. O. Brawn and Mr. W. H. Viveash.

2.4

Mr. Henry Sykes

On 1 November 1917, the School Committee accepted Mr. Piercy’s resignation on medical grounds and decided to release him on 20 April 1918. Mr. Sykes, as the senior master, should naturally have stepped into the position, but he declined to be nominated as a candidate for the headmastership. An unwritten rule of the school since 1869 had been that a husband and wife team should fill the positions of headmaster and matron. As Mr. Sykes was a

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

31

bachelor and had no intention of getting married, an alternative arrangement had to be made. The School Committee, after considerable discussion, appointed the Rev. William T. Featherstone as the next headmaster. After resigning as headmaster, Mr. Piercy lived in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada until his death in 1941.

2.5

Mr. W. H. Viveash and his students in 1908

Some Notable Graduates Several alumni emerged from Mr. Piercy’s era as important political figures in the twentieth century. Dr. Sun Yat Sen, known as Sun Tui Chew ( ) in the school,71 studied in the DHO for only a few months in the fall of 1883 at the age of 17, but it was here that he encountered Western political ideas and became a Christian, which proved to be instrumental in and vital to his eventual revolutionary endeavours.72 He later led the revolution against the Qing Dynasty and became the founder of the Republic of China. Two of his

32

To Serve and to Lead

good friends, the Kwan brothers, King Leung ( ) and King Fai ( ), who risked their lives to support his noble cause, were also alumni of the school. In 1910, King Leung initiated the Society of “Cutting Hair, Not Changing Clothing”, advocating cutting the queue or “pigtail”, the symbol of Manchu domination, which was comparable to an act of revolution and carried a penalty of capital punishment. When the revolution finally ended, Sun left King Leung his medical equipment. The younger brother, King Fai, was a firebrand of the revolution and had planned an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Empress Dowager.

2.6

Excerpt from Dr. Sun’s biography

Mr. Frederick Southey, a brilliant student of the 1880s, was later charged with the responsibility for building the Beacon Hill Tunnel in the Hong Kong portion of the Kowloon-Canton Railway in 1906, the largest engineering feat in Asia at that time.73 Sir Robert Kotewall ( ) was educated first at the Central School and then at the DSO from 1894 to 1896. He was a successful businessman and served on the School Committee from 1929 and became its vice-chairman after World War II. In 1938, he was knighted for his numerous contributions to Hong Kong, including the promotion of Cantonese opera as well as serving on both the Legislative Council and the Executive Council. During the Japanese occupation, he was asked by the British government to promote friendly relations between the Chinese and the Japanese and to do his best to restore public order, preserve internal security and help the British military and non-military personnel who were imprisoned in the concentration camps.74 However, as a result of these actions, after the war he was vilified as a “Hong

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

33

Kong traitor”.75 Kotewall Road, situated in the mid-levels on the island, where Sir Robert built his family home, was so named to remind people of his contribution to Hong Kong.

2.7

Mr. Robert Kotewall

Dr. Li Shu Fan ( ), an old boy who graduated from the Hong Kong College of Medicine in 1905, was later appointed the first minister of health in the history of China and the chairman of the Yeung Wo Nursing Home, the forerunner of the Hong Kong Sanatorium. He was the president of the Diocesan School Old Boys’ Association (DSOBA) in 1938–39.76 Besides these illustrious names in politics, engineering, public service and medicine, DBS can also claim a world leader in Chinese philosophy and religious studies. Prof. Chan Wing Tsit ( ) was an old boy of the DBSO who was admitted in 1916. He attended the Lingnan University in Guangzhou (Canton), a common destination at that time for DBSO students; and after graduation, he went to Harvard University and received his Ph.D. in Philosophy and Chinese culture in 1929. He was the author of A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, an influential source for Asian studies, and of hundreds of books and articles in both English and Chinese on Chinese philosophy and religion. He was a leading translator of Chinese philosophical texts into English in the twentieth century. Finally, in any history of the school, the devotion of Mr. William Howard to his alma mater should be mentioned. He was head prefect in 1918–19, and later served as chairman of the DSOBA. During World War II, as an officer

34

To Serve and to Lead

in the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, he was interned in the Shamshuipo concentration camp. Following liberation, he became the chief executive of L. Dunbar & Co. Ltd. and later John D. Hutchison & Co. Ltd. He contributed on several occasions to Steps and Not Rigmarole on life during his school days and valuable photographs of the school and his classmates often accompanied his articles. He also established the Featherstone Scholarship for students in need.

2.8

Mr. William Howard’s testimonial

The School in the Making (1869–1918)

35

The Period 1869–1918: a Summary The DHO, a co-educational home mainly for Eurasian orphans, was inaugurated in 1869. Because of its dependence on donations and the lack of support from the church, it failed to grow. When Mr. Arthur resigned in 1878, the DHO could have resumed its original status as a girls’ school but for the timely intervention of Mr. Keswick. The appointment of Mr. Piercy as the headmaster coincided with the modification and revision of the grant-inaid code, which enabled missionary schools to receive more financial support from the government and meet an increasing demand for bilingual individuals locally and in China. These factors were vital for the survival of the school. The emphasis on physical education established a tradition of sports as extracurricular activities in the school. By the end of Mr. Piercy’s tenure, the DBSO was recognized as one of the best schools in the colony not only academically but also in sports; and its old boys were holding important and responsible positions in both the colony and across southern China. Together with his staff, Mr. Piercy established a solid foundation for the future development of the school.

36

To Serve and to Lead

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

37

3 Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

The Rev. William Featherstone was an Oxford graduate and a man of independent means. He was brought up in an England that was then undergoing a very significant shift in its political and social outlook, with the introduction of universal suffrage, legislations to improve working conditions and raising of income tax to pay for social programmes. He came to the East to work for the Missions to Seamen but was somehow diverted to the school by the new bishop of the diocese, Bishop Duppuy. Featherstone had been invited to organize the school’s scripture examination in 19141 and so was no stranger to the school when he was appointed headmaster by the School Committee on 1 November 1917. At the same meeting, it was also decided that a new site for the school should be found as soon as possible.2 When Featherstone took up his appointment on 1 May 1918, he found a school with high standards in scholastic activities, discipline and training, a measure of which can be seen in its being awarded the highest grant that year. Many of the old boys, who now occupied prominent positions in society, helped to enhance the school’s reputation by their high standing and their genuine affection for their alma mater.3 Although it was the school tradition to have a husband and wife team as headmaster and matron, Mrs. Featherstone did not become the matron of the DBSO but continued to work as a nurse in the Government Hospital next to the school. Also, the Featherstones did not live in the school, having built a house on Lugard Road on the Peak, which showed Mr Featherstone’s confidence that his staff were perfectly competent to run the school without always having the headmaster on call.4 Every morning, he walked down Hatton Path, reaching the school in about half an hour.

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To Serve and to Lead

3.1 Mr. William Featherstone

Featherstone’s tenure at the school coincided with a period of unprecedented change in China, with surging nationalism, nascent communism, strident student activism and a budding labour movement, all of which spilled over into Hong Kong. The most significant example was the May 4th Movement in 1919 which affected Hong Kong in general and its student body in particular.

Sociopolitical Setting During World War I the economy of Hong Kong flourished and by 1918 it had become one of China’s main gateways to the West. After the war, severe inflation and a rapid rise in the cost of living — due to the development of a war economy — without corresponding increases in pay hit the low-paid working class particularly severely. While this was the major factor causing mounting labour unrest, the influence of communism and the role of Comintern agents from the USSR from the late 1910s, an issue which has not yet been fully explored, should not be underestimated. Between 1920 and 1922, there were 42 strikes for higher wages. Most important, in 1922, local seamen went on strike and this led directly to a general strike involving 120,000 workers, which was then more than one-fifth of the total population. Towards the end of the strike, the colonial government stopped the train to

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

39

Guangzhou in order to prevent strikers from leaving Hong Kong, and so the strikers went on foot. Tragically, when they passed through Shatin, the police opened fire and killed five of them, which caused an outrage and led to further sympathy strikes spreading quickly and paralyzing Hong Kong.5 Later in Shanghai, on 15 May 1925, a Japanese officer in a Japaneseowned cotton mill killed a Chinese worker. This incident triggered off a demonstration on 30 May, involving the Chinese Communist Party which had been founded in 1921. When workers and students marched inside the International Settlement, then under British jurisdiction, the British police fired on them, killing nine and injuring dozens. These actions provoked an outburst of Chinese nationalism and anti-imperialism, especially towards the British. General strikes were called in Shanghai, in which about 100,000 people took part. Nearer to home, anti-British sentiment was inflamed further by another shooting incident on 23 June in Shamian, Guangdong, in which scores of workers and students were either killed or injured in a demonstration involving 100,000 people, including many from Hong Kong. This prompted a strike-boycott in Hong Kong which reached its peak in July, involving some 250,000 workers out of a population of 725,000.6 The strike-boycott organized by the United Front — an alliance of the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party formed in 1923 to end warlordism in China — had a devastating effect on Hong Kong: trade with Guangdong collapsed, share prices tumbled, land values plummeted and government revenue fell drastically. Imports and exports were reduced by 50% and the high court was handling over 20 cases of bankruptcy a day. The damage to the economy of Hong Kong was severe and DBS was not spared.

Mr. Featherstone’s Dream In response to the DBSO’s request for a site on which to build a new campus, the government proposed two sites in January 1918: one of ten acres near Yaumatei (now Mongkok) Station, where the school is presently located, and the other on the island west of HKU.7 It is easy to imagine how Featherstone, looking out from his home on Lugard Road, developed a great vision of building the most illustrious school in the Far East on the virgin hills of the Kowloon Peninsula. When the acting governor, Sir Claude Severn, a good friend of the school, met with the members of the School Committee on 19 November 1918, he explained that the government was prepared to grant a site of about 17 acres in Yaumatei to the school and to compensate it liberally for the present buildings.8

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To Serve and to Lead

It is not clear why the School Committee waited until 25 May 1920 to visit the site. Some members expressed doubts about its suitability as it was remote and surrounded by arable land used for horticulture and vegetable growing. But Featherstone noted that it had a railway station and main roads in close proximity and predicted that this would develop into an important residential area.9 He added that the site was on a hill above the level of the road, which meant that it could never be blocked in and that it would “always have valleys around it and get the breeze from all quarters”.10 Having travelled often up and down the China coast, Featherstone saw the need to build a spacious and well-equipped school, based on the British public school model, for pupils from all ports on the Chinese coast and Southeast Asia. In 1923, he recorded in his annual report that the government of Hong Kong had definitely given to the school, on certain conditions, 23 acres of land on three hills adjoining the railway station. He envisaged that the new school, with a large hall, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, several playing fields, a pavilion, a number of art rooms and workshops, a library and general equipment typical of a great public school in England, would set the standard for British education in the Far East. He also emphasized that the success of the school would be dependent on the goodwill, as well as financial support, from parents, guardians, old boys and friends.11

The New Campus The school had started the preparatory phase of building the new campus in 1921, directing its efforts to planning and fund-raising. A Fund-raising Committee was basically in place by that April, its membership consisting of: (1) all members of the Committee of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce; (2) the seven-member Sub-committee of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, appointed for the purpose of facilitating the new building project, plus any additional members nominated by the Chamber of Commerce; (3) all members of the School Committee; and (4) all members of the Cathedral church body, the Chinese church body and the vestry of St. Andrew’s Church, Kowloon.12 On learning from Featherstone that $37,000 had been raised for the new building and $11,000 for the endowment and on his recommendation, the School Committee decided on 9 September 1921 to apply to the government to increase the land allotment at Yaumatei to include a large playing field.13 As a result of Featherstone’s meetings and discussions with the Public Works Department, the allotment was increased from 17 to 23 acres, exactly the size that Featherstone had hoped for all along!

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

41

In a meeting on 18 April 1923, the committee decided to sell part of the old site at Bonham Road (about 6,000 sq. ft. @ $3) to the government for road improvements and the remaining part (about 39,000 sq. ft.) on the open market. No sooner had the decision been made than the property was sold at $11.50 a square foot.14 The plan then was to spend $600,000 on site formation and buildings as the committee thought that it would have no difficulty in raising this sum since the total revenue in hand already amounted to $574,544.*

3.2 Bonham Road campus in 1924

In early 1924 the original purchaser withdrew the offer but a new purchaser was secured,15 allowing the school to obtain a total of $95,000 from the defaulting purchaser.16 The selling price to the new purchaser was not disclosed in the committee minutes, but a figure of $481,000 was mentioned elsewhere.17 With a fair sum of money already in hand, despite a worsening economic situation, the committee decided on 11 February 1924 to press on and ask Lam Woo & Co. to start levelling the site at a cost of $150,000.18

*

The breakdown was: (1) sale of the old site, $466,000; (2) building fund raised $50,074; (3) building fund promised $21,470; (4) endowment fund $17,000; and (5) reserve funds $20,000 (Featherstone, pp. 62 and 112).

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To Serve and to Lead

Setbacks A series of unfortunate events followed. By the summer of 1925, Hong Kong’s economy had been severely affected by the labour unrest, but at its meeting on 14 August the committee made the difficult decision to continue with work on the new building, but to limit it to what was sufficient to start the school in February 1926, which meant that the third storey was not to be built for the time being.19 Worse was to come. The strike-boycott bankrupted the new buyer who was unable to pay the balance of $385,367 to close the sale of the old site in February 1926.20 Assuming that the figure of $481,000 quoted above for the property was correct, the school would have received another $95,633 from the second buyer, bringing the total amount of forfeited money to $190,633. This amount, however, was not enough to cover the actual loss arising from the drop in property values. Furthermore, in a prolonged period of economic depression, not only were new donations not forthcoming, but old pledges were not honoured even by prominent members of society. The school sank into deep financial trouble. Government advice was sought. In November 1926 the committee had to accept the government’s offer of $253,500 for the old site and in addition applied for a grant/loan of $175,000 which later turned out to be a loan only.21 This loan eventually led to the cession of the ridge adjacent to the site (later became part of Kadoorie Hill) to Mr. Kadoorie. Fortunately, during this period, Mr. Lam, the owner of the construction company, did not press for payments when they were due and it was his kindness that carried the school through these difficult times.22 The construction of the new campus was completed on time in 1926. On 29 January, the old school at Bonham Road was closed with a special thanksgiving service for the past and prayers for the future. Preparations to move soon started and it took place in late February. A few intrepid boys slept in the new building on 4 March and lessons began on 8 March, with 55 boarders and 223 day boys present. 23 Before the war, the old site was redeveloped to become the Northcote Training College; and from the 1960s, it was used by the United College of CUHK and now forms part of the Bonham Road Government Primary School.

Military Take-over “One woe doth tread upon another” is probably an apt description of the fate of DBS at this time. Sad news came in February 1927 that the new building

Argyle Street campus in 1926

43

3.3

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

44

To Serve and to Lead

had been requisitioned by the military for use as a hospital for the British Shanghai Defence Force, a British troop dispatched to Shanghai to protect its interests there at the height of the Revolutionary Army’s Northern Expedition, and the rent offered was $5,658.33 per month. This was not a negotiable offer as the military could have requisitioned it by emergency legislation and it was prudent to accept it. The school found temporary premises at the northeast corner of the intersection of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road (see Figures 3.4a and 9.4 on p. 45 and p. 200 respectively), the current site of the Mongkok Police Station, where it was housed for about a year.24 Although the temporary premises were satisfactory according to the school inspector, nearly 100 boys left the school and most of them did not return, a development which had a very adverse effect on the school’s reputation.

Return to the New Campus On 1 February 1928, the school finally moved back to the new premises, which had been vacated in the previous December. The top floor, not yet constructed at the beginning because of financial difficulties, and a corridor around the building had been added by the military. The school had to take over these structures at a cost of $29,400, although a compensation of $20,000 for the military use of the building was agreed upon, leaving the school to come up with $9,400 to settle the account. Moreover, the top floor was far from complete and had only a temporary roof, so another $40,000 had to be found immediately to install a permanent roof and alter the structure of this storey.25 More construction was necessary also to complete the dormitories, four rooms for resident masters and the lavatories. Overall, the period from 1922 to 1932 was very problematic for the school because of these deep financial troubles: the loss from the sale of the old site, the loss of students from the move to the temporary quarters due to the military occupation and the unexpected construction costs to complete the top floor all added to the debt. The government not only charged 8% interest on the loan but also frequently adopted an uncompromising stance on the time limits for repayment. Both Mr. P. S. Cassidy, a member of the School Committee, and Bishop Duppuy believed that the government might have had a hidden agenda — to use this opportunity to take over the new premises for the Central British School (earlier called the Kowloon British School and later renamed King George V School), which was situated on Nathan Road near St. Andrew’s Church in severely overcrowded premises.26 Featherstone might have had no inkling of the government’s motives, but even if he had, he was far too stubborn to yield. He was a man of strong

3.4(a)

3.4(b)

Rear view of the main building in Argyle Street campus showing the years of construction

Argyle Street campus in 1928 (on the left hand side of the picture is the temporary campus on Prince Edward Road) Entering a New Phase (1918–41) 45

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principle: his radical philosophy of education, as exemplified by his steadfastness in upholding the “no-prize” rule, would have raised the eyebrows of certain members of the community; his public comments could have displeased some policy-makers; and his aggressiveness in negotiations might have antagonized some senior government officials. For example, some of the remarks contained in his 1923 annual report resulted in a letter from the colonial secretary which led to the passing of the following motion by the School Committee on 11 February 1924: “The Committee desires the headmaster in future to confine his annual report to the actual work of the School.” According to Cassidy, the School Committee eventually realized that the school had two liabilities: the debt and Featherstone himself. While the financial liability could not be resolved immediately, the headmaster could be replaced. Thus pressure to dismiss Featherstone increased day by day.27

DBSO under Mr. William Featherstone (1918–31) Administration Featherstone was a man of great vision and vigour, as can be seen in his efforts to build the new school premises. His attempt to solve the problem of a persistent shortage of teaching staff by setting up a superannuation scheme in 1923 resulted in the English teaching staff agreeing to extend their contracts.28 He also spared no effort in trying to recruit new students from various parts of East Asia by visiting current students and their parents in Taiwan, Xiamen (Amoy), Shantou (Swatow) and the Philippines every summer from 1922 onwards to encourage the entry of fee-paying boarders.29 When he took up the headmastership in 1918, there were 100 boarders and 250 day boys.30 Four years later these numbers increased to 110 and 271 respectively. Boarders came from many different parts of China and Southeast Asia as a result of his visits.31 In his 1922 annual report, he also discussed the merits of sending British children to a school in Hong Kong as weekly boarders.32 Unfortunately, political and economic considerations prompted by the strike-boycott that lingered on for 16 months from the second half of 1925 and throughout 1926, coupled with educational concerns resulting from the moving of the school to temporary premises in 1927, caused the number of students to plunge by about 40%, with a total enrolment of only 227 in March 1927.33 In the following year the enrolment figures returned to 291 with 106 boarders and 185 day boys in October 1928. The breakdown of the student population then was as follows:34

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

Full fees/ Reduced fees/ Free

47

Asiatic/ Eurasian/ European Total

Boarders

76

06

24

072

31

03

106

Day Boys

139

41

05

146

32

07

185

Total

215

47

29

218

63

10

291

School Life As noted above, Featherstone advocated a “no-prize” principle and withdrew the school from competitive sports that involved prize-giving. From 1922, the school discontinued any form of prize-giving ceremony and, instead, there was a speech day with the following features: (1) short speeches by students on the school’s history, games, discipline and other features; (2) an exhibition of some of the students’ work; and (3) a demonstration of elementary physical drills and gymnastics. In 1921, in order to encourage as many boys as possible to participate in sport and other extracurricular activities, the school was divided into four houses, represented by different colours (blue, brown, green and yellow) for sports competitions and later for other activities as well, but it is uncertain whether being placed in a house was mandatory at this time. To Featherstone, physical activity was a very important aspect of a school’s work and he appealed to parents and guardians to help the school to expand its provision for indoor and outdoor physical exercise. Also, in the following year, he further developed the prefect system to help students improve their behaviour and enhance their self-respect.35 Between 1920 and 1923, he had devoted much of his attention to scholastic activities. When the school had finally settled into the new premises after a tumultuous period of several years, Featherstone made progress in improving the curriculum in 1928. He added general knowledge, hygiene and singing to the curriculum for all classes and, through the first two subjects, endeavoured to instruct the boys in manners, rules of conduct, deportment and demeanour with regard to clothes, appearance, and mental and physical fitness.36 In 1923, the DBSO set a record by winning both of the King Edward VII Scholarships awarded by HKU. The school continued to achieve good academic results even in the difficult period 1924–27. In 1928, of the 12 boys who matriculated, four were awarded honours and 10 joined the university in January 1929; one of them, D. J. N. Anderson, won one of the two King Edward VII Scholarships. Featherstone must have been very proud of the school when he wrote in 1929 that it had 32 boys at HKU at that time.37 During his time as headmaster, Featherstone had the keen support of Miss Goggin, an inspiring teacher of English turned devoted matron, the Rev.

48

To Serve and to Lead

A. J. S. Stearn and the Rev. H. du T. Pyner, who acted as headmaster on various occasions. He also recruited several old boys, namely T. S. W. Chan, J. L. Young Saye, A. G. F. Prew and N. H. F. Prew, to the teaching staff, all of whom played important roles in the development of the school. In celebrating its 60th anniversary, Featherstone stressed that DBS was “an institution where rich and poor, and boys of all nationalities, were educated together” and that, although it was a colonial church school, it had not received any subsidy from any society in England, but depended entirely on Hong Kong and other places in the Far East for support.38 Governor Sir Cecil Clementi, the HKU vice-chancellor Mr. W. W. Hornell and the honorary Dr. Robert H. Kotewall, a distinguished old boy, warmly supported the headmaster’s appeal to the old boys, parents and friends for liberal donations to the Diamond Jubilee Endowment Fund. In their speeches, Sir Cecil remarked that the school was for all social classes; Mr. Hornell praised the school for its excellent work; and Dr. Kotewall made special mention of the school’s pioneering work in sport and in the teaching of singing, as well as its policy, introduced in 1926, of making the study of Chinese compulsory for all pupils, irrespective of nationality.39 In his report for 1928, Featherstone mentioned that a Miss A. C. Benson had been appointed that December to help him compile a school history. He also reported that: he had postponed his leave back to England from 1929 to 1931; he would be living in the school from September 1929; and he was to sign a new agreement with the school for six years when his current contract expired.40

From DBSO to DBS It is unclear exactly when the school changed its name from the DBSO to DBS. In 1929, when the vice-chancellor of HKU and Dr. Kotewall addressed the school, they still called it the DBSO;41 but Featherstone referred to the school as DBS as early as 191842 and subsequently he tended to use this name whenever he mentioned the school, even in the Prospectus of December 1928.43 Both Bishop Duppuy in the “Foreword”, and Mr. Featherstone in the “Preface”, referred to the school as DBS in the school history, The Diocesan Boys School and Orphanage, Hong Kong: the History and Records, 1869 to 1929, published in 1930 and reprinted in 2007. All available issues of Steps, a biannual (later annual) school magazine first published in July 1934, also used DBS as the official school name. Unfortunately the first two issues of this publication are no longer extant.

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

49

Mr. Featherstone’s Departure Records show that the Rev. H. du T. Pyner was appointed acting headmaster in 1930 but, according to Cassidy, Featherstone went on leave in 1931. It is possible that while the appointment was made in 1930, Pyner actually took office in 1931. In Cassidy’s words, † He (Featherstone) had signed a new agreement for six years in November 1929, but in the event this agreement was never fulfilled. Featherstone was urging the Committee by letter and cable to resist the pressure of the Hong Kong Government but was unable to persuade the Committee to adopt his recommendations. The Committee insisted that the Headmaster should remain in England and ultimately suspended him. He then took passage by steamer to Hong Kong and it was not until he reached Singapore that he discontinued the voyage, the Committee having threatened to withhold his salary if he came on. It was a most regrettable situation and it nearly broke Featherstone’s heart.

On his return to England, Featherstone became the vicar of Hook44 and died in Surbiton, England on 13 November 1944.45 The ignominious end to his career at DBS was in stark contrast to the splendid legacy he left behind.

The Care-Taker Headmaster: Mr. H. du Toit Pyner (1931–32) As acting headmaster, the Rev. H. du Toit Pyner had no inclination to carry out any reforms, but he did make the school a cheerful place by planting trees all over the campus and laying out the gardens. He built the rockery in the

†

Much of the school’s history in the 1930s came from the unrivalled memory of Mr. P. S. Cassidy, one of the greatest and most devoted friends of DBS, in his interviews with Mr. Smyly in the 1960s because practically all the school records before the war were destroyed during the Japanese occupation. Mr. Cassidy was the executive director of John D. Hutchinson and Co. Ltd. and a member of the Port Executive Committee, Licensing Board Committee and Price Control Advisory Committee. He joined the School Committee as honorary treasurer in 1922, retired as vice-chairman in 1952 and was its honorary secretary for the greater part of the intervening years. Because of his incomparable knowledge of the school, successive headmasters from Featherstone to Goodban depended on him and often called on him for assistance and advice. He was always willing to help without regard to his own convenience; as Mr. Goodban once said, “He was never too busy to listen and never made his business an excuse for inaction or delay. The news of his approaching retirement was like that of impending bereavement.” (Steps – December 1951, pp. 3–5)

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To Serve and to Lead

southwest court and planted a rare species of camellia and picturesque palm trees in the northwest court §.

3.5

Speech Day in the early 1930s

DBS under Mr. Christopher Birdwood Roussel Sargent (1932–38) The School Committee recruited Christopher Sargent — who was born on 4 June 1906, educated at St. Paul’s College and St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge — as the new headmaster. On leaving university he served as an assistant master at Wellington School, England, for four years and was considered an extremely successful physics teacher.46 In 1932, at the age of 26, he accepted the headmastership at DBS. Bishop Hall recalled that when he arrived in Hong Kong, DBS had a debt of $145,000, a huge sum at that time. If the whole matter was not handled properly, the school would face the

§

It was probably not in the southeast court as Mr. Smyly recorded because, according to Dr. Lee Sui Ming, an old boy who joined the school in 1938, the palm was in the northwest court and one of the present authors, who entered the school in 1948, found that the southeast court was cemented and used for car parking.

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

51

danger of being taken over by the government to be used by the Central British School. The most urgent task for Sargent, therefore, was to solve the financial difficulties of the school,47 and being an intelligent young man with the determined mind of a shrewd entrepreneur, he began this task as soon as he became the headmaster.

3.6 Mr. Christopher Sargent

Saving the School With the full support of the School Committee, he succeeded in fulfilling his mission by tackling the problem in three directions. First, he appealed for donations and accepted the suggestion of Mr. John Fleming,‡ the honorary ‡

John Fleming joined the School Committee in 1926 after the strike-boycott when DBS was completely insolvent. He described the school’s financial situation at that time as follows in an interview: “There were no current funds — on the contrary there was a loan of some two lakhs at 9% raised to roof the building to make it habitable. (Authors’ note: a lakh is $100, 000. Fleming only gave a rough estimate; the figure of $145,000 given by Bishop Hall on p. 50 should be more accurate.) The loan had been taken over by the Hong Kong Government at a slightly lower rate of interest with Sinking Fund instalments which had to be paid or else … Finally, interest became overdue and Government pressed us hard. The Committee saved the school from extinction (this was no idle threat) by raising $15,000 among themselves as loans bearing no interest and repayable some time if ever the school fulfilled our hopes for it. I begged another $10,000 as free gifts. The Hong Kong Bank gave $5,000 of it when I told Grayburn of “Fleming’s Fantastic Debentures” taken up by the Committee … Anyhow we paid off the Government arrears …” (Smyly, “Topics”, pp. 16–17)

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To Serve and to Lead

treasurer of the committee, to ask every committee member to endorse an interest-free loan of $500, which was known as “Fleming’s Fantastic Debentures”. 48 Second, he sold the ridge east of the present-day drive to Kadoorie for $45,000 and successfully concluded a deal with the government whereby the latter would drastically reduce the school’s mortgage rate.49 Third, despite the economic depression at that time, he opened new classes, had new desks made and redecorated the school, painting it in creamy colours to make the building look new, light, fresh and airy.50 He raised the school fees but, as a result of the measures he had taken, classes filled up rapidly. Later, he continued Featherstone’s custom of visiting parents and old boys in different parts of China and Southeast Asia. Soon the reputation of the school, together with its income, went up by leaps and bounds. By the end of his tenure, the total enrolment reached 50951 and all the debts would be cleared by about 1940.

Mr. Sargent’s Other Contributions to the School Sargent was the first professional schoolmaster that DBS had as headmaster and he was excellent in both teaching and administration. With the assistance of those old boys who had joined the staff in Featherstone’s time, he restored the school to its former pre-eminence through his hard work, efficiency and attention to detail. He regained the confidence of the government and revived the DSOBA. In 1935, he re-established prize-giving on speech day, but did not change the name of the occasion. He also encouraged students and staff to publish. The school magazine was born in July 1934 as a biannual publication, but from 1955 it has been published annually. The first two issues did not seem to have a special name, but from the third issue, it was called Steps and was edited by the Rev. L. L. Nash.52 However, starting from the eighth issue (January 1938) the production of Steps was left completely to the students and it carried many Chinese articles expressing strong patriotic feelings. The July 1935 issue of Steps reported that the DBS best-seller English for Chinese Students by Mr. B. J. Monks and the Rev. D. I. Luard received special mention in the Journal of the Hong Kong Teachers’ Association as “a pleasantly produced little book to be welcomed by teachers of English”. The book was still used by both DBS and DGS into the 1960s and remained one of the most practical books in its field. The same issue of Steps also reported that Mr. Prew had produced a companion volume to his Practical Physics called Examination Questions in Physics and articles written by the staff of DBS — the headmaster, Mr. E. C. Thomas and Mr. J. L. Young Saye — also appeared in the teachers’ journal.53

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

3.7

53

The steps in the 1930s

According to Mr. Goodban, Mr. Sargent had a deep love of opera and taught the basic principles to those boys who were interested. Sargant even returned to England during his holidays by the Trans-Siberian Railway rather than leisurely by sea, as was the custom, just to be able to hear opera in Moscow and Berlin. He also conducted a programme on opera on Radio Hong Kong (now Radio Television Hong Kong) every Friday evening. Mr. Sargent’s keen interest in music laid the foundations for the musical traditions in the school.54

54

To Serve and to Lead

He extended the house system to cover senior and junior grades in various sports and, apart from music and sport, he also encouraged other activities such as gardening and scouting. Clubs and societies such as the Geography Society and Hobbies Club were formed with the stated purpose of conducting field excursions partly during school time.55 Mr. Sargent was ordained in 1934 in order to provide pastoral care to his pupils and was subsequently appointed assistant bishop (later bishop) of the diocese of Fujian (Fukien) in 1938.56 Regrettably, this forced him to resign from DBS. Sargent was described as a sharp-featured young man with a sharp tongue who did not suffer fools gladly. According to Mr. Monks, Sargent could be heard from the other side of the school shouting at masters and boys alike when he received answers that did not please him or if something he had asked for at a certain time had not been done. Mr. Monks also enjoyed his mischievous humour. On one occasion, Mr. Sargent found the night watchman asleep in a deck chair and he tied him to it without waking him and then rang the alarm bell! He was also known to drive a car fast and furiously, which terrified his passengers.57 A Chinese dinner party was organized by the old boys to bid farewell to Mr. Sargent on 22 November 1938. At the end of the dinner, Dr. Li Shu Fan, president of the association, praised him for “instilling into the boys that wonderful spirit of service and self-sacrifice and the development of a strong character which are such infallible hall-marks of a well administered school”.58 When he left Hong Kong for Fuzhou (Foochow) in December, he had a royal send-off with firecrackers in the Chinese custom of farewell, to frighten away evil spirits.59

3.8

Staff group photo, 1937–38

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

55

After leaving DBS, Bishop Sargent carried out a remarkable ministry in Fujian and the church there soon became an astonishing centre of spiritual life. His extraordinary life was unfortunately cut short when he contracted bubonic plague and died from pneumonia in Fujian on 8 August 1943.60

DBS under Mr. Gerald Archer Goodban in Pre-war Years (1938–41) Background Mr. Gerald Goodban was a graduate of Oxford University and, while there, he presided over the Student Christian Movement (SCM). After graduation, he worked as travelling secretary for the movement, before becoming a classics master at Bishop’s Stortford College, a public school in England founded in 1868 by a group of prominent nonconformists, with a campus more than six times the size of DBS. His years in the SCM had brought him into contact with many well known missionaries. At the age of 27, he was recruited by Bishop Hall to succeed Sargent whom he resembled in several respects — a professional schoolmaster, able, young and musical. He accepted the offer despite the fact that China was on the brink of war and the Japanese army was already camped on the border of Guangdong. He came because he was attracted both by the international characteristics of the school then and by its orphanage aspect, which appealed to his caring instinct. Mr. Goodban took up his appointment in DBS in 1938 and his fiancè, Mary, joined him about a year later. They were married at Christ Church and Mr. Cassidy acted as the master of ceremonies for the reception. As headmaster, Mr. Goodban often took the orphans out with him on holidays and looked after them as his own: he became their surrogate father.61 The school was in excellent shape in October 1938 when Mr. Goodban arrived. The standard of teaching and the level of academic achievement were high. Soon after his arrival, Mr. Goodban started to promote musical education further by organizing a gramophone circle for music-lovers and taking the lead in forming the Hong Kong Schools Music Association in 1940.62 In order to increase pupils’ interest in music, he organized concerts in 1941, which were very well attended. Because of the Japanese invasion of China, anti-Japanese sentiments and patriotic feelings were high in Hong Kong. In the first term of 1937–38, when Mr. Sargent was still the headmaster, the boys at DBS, led by Wong Cheong Kit, formed a “Shoe Polishing (later renamed Shining) Club” to raise money

56

To Serve and to Lead

3.9 Mr. G. A. Goodban’s wedding

3.10 Members of the Shoe Shining Club

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

57

for war relief in China and to propagate patriotism and nationalism.63 They went to various schools and accepted invitations to go to public gatherings anywhere in Hong Kong, including as remote a place as Sha Tau Kok, to polish shoes for donations or to deliver provisions to refugees.64 A charity concert was also organized on 9 April 1938, in which a Cantonese play entitled “The Scar of Nation” made some guests shed tears.65

The Student Strike Mr. Goodban’s arrival coincided roughly with the fall of Guangzhou. A little more than six months into his appointment, he faced his first crisis as headmaster. In May 1939, as all prefects had to leave school for the entrance examination to the university, Mr. Goodban followed the custom of appointing 18 temporary prefects, of whom 14 were Chinese. He selected Peng Ying Kiat, a student from Taiwan, as temporary senior prefect because he had the best qualifications, but at that time Taiwan was governed by Japan and Peng was technically a Japanese subject. Mr. Goodban consulted some of the teaching staff, including Mr. T. S. W. Chan, who was also Taiwanese, on the appointment of Peng, and they did not object. According to Mr. Goodban, the boys also did not raise any objections when they were consulted. However, afterwards they held meetings and presented an ultimatum to him that unless Peng was removed from the position, they would not be coming to school.66 Like all young men they lacked experience and failed to discuss their concerns with the headmaster beforehand. Had they raised the issue with him rather than presenting an ultimatum, he might have reconsidered his actions — but with this turn of events, Mr. Goodban felt that his authority was being challenged and that he had to stand firm. He warned the students that any absence from school would be considered as absence without leave, the consequence of which would be expulsion. Goodban’s firm stand provoked the students into organizing pickets to stop others from attending school, an incident which shocked Hong Kong. At this time, the Chinese media generally supported the students, praising their patriotism, while the English media supported the headmaster. The strike resulted in the expulsion of 40 students.67 After the war, Mr. Monks, as an observer of the whole affair, remarked that the stance taken by the headmaster might have been too rigid and that, if he had really thought the matter over and given way, he would have saved the school from experiencing the strike.68 An alternative solution could have been to appoint someone else as the temporary senior prefect but, at the same time, punish the students who had started the trouble.

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The Japanese Invasion By August 1941, the atmosphere in Hong Kong had become very tense. Several members of staff had to be absent from school to attend to military duties and a new timetable had to be drawn up. Mr. Goodban himself was also in training with the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps. According to Mr. Goodban, during the year, while preparations were made for the seemingly inevitable invasion, school life and social life were tense but continued as usual. The invasion of Hong Kong commenced on 8 December 1941 and the British troops abandoned the Kowloon peninsula within three days. During that fateful period, the small boys in the boarding school were looked after by the matron, Mrs. M. Hassard, assisted by an old boy named P. A. Waller. They remained at the school until 11 December when they were evacuated to Hong Kong Island, crossing the harbour under fire. Some of these small boys were alone in Hong Kong and were later interned in Stanley with Mrs. Hassard. The invasion of Hong Kong Island began on 18 December 1941. The fierce resistance put up by the British and Canadian infantry battalions and the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, which included many DBS staff and old boys, surprised the Japanese. The casualties from the seven-day battle from 18 to 25 December were heavy on both sides, with the final count on the British side as follows: 2,232 killed or missing and 2,300 wounded. The heavy casualties over such a short period of time in such a small battleground bear testimony to the intensity and ferocity of the fighting.69 Many DBS staff and old boys were killed in action or by execution in Hong Kong or abroad during World War II. These old boys are rightfully commemorated by the plaque in their honour inside the school’s main entrance. The 46 names recorded there do not include those who were missing; and more deaths were confirmed at a later date, including five old boys (Harold Brown, Cable Dalziel, Harry Joseph, Frederick Rapp and N. B. White) and four staff members (Conrad Brown, William Ford, Max W. Sayers and John R. M. Smith).70

Some Notable Graduates Three of the outstanding alumni from the Featherstone era were intimately associated with the history of Hong Kong and had dedicated themselves to the welfare of its people. They were Kwan Cho Yiu ( ), Kan Yuet Keung ( ) and Oswald V. Cheung ( ).

Entering a New Phase (1918–41)

59

3.11 The War Memorial Tablet

Sir Cho Yiu graduated from the DBSO in 1924 and in 1931 he was called to the bar in Lincoln’s Inn after reading law at London University and, having received his professional qualifications, he returned to Hong Kong. After the Second World War, he joined forces with Bishop Hall to form the Hong Kong Housing Society. He was a member of both the Legislative and the Executive Councils and was knighted in 1969 for his contributions to Hong Kong, which included the founding of CUHK and the chairing of various committees which were important for the livelihood and social life of people in Hong Kong, in areas such as corruption, gambling and the Hong Kong Festival. He started to serve on the School Committee in 1948 and became its chairman when Bishop Hall retired in 1966 until the arrival of the next bishop. On the morning of 7 December 1971, Kwan had a heart attack while the Executive Council was in session and died despite attempts at resuscitation. In his eulogy for Kwan, Governor Crawford Murray MacLehose said: “He always proffered fearless, frank and wise counsel and he worked tirelessly until the last.”71

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Sir Yuet Keung entered the DBSO as a student in 1924 and was a member of the School Committee from 1958 to 1968. In 1971, Kan succeeded Sir Cho Yiu as the senior member of the Executive Council. The policies of Governor MacLehose to improve housing, health care and education were successfully implemented in large part through Kan’s dedicated work; and his service to the community went beyond even this, as he was the chairman of both the Trade Development Council and the Consumer Council. In recognition of his numerous contributions, he was knighted in 1979. Sir Oswald, a brilliant DBS student, was admitted to the Faculty of Science in HKU in 1938, at the age of 16. After World War II, which interrupted his studies, he was offered a scholarship to study law at Oxford. He was pivotal in reconstituting the school in 1946 before he left for England that September. He also served his alma mater as a member of the School Committee from 1966 until his death in 2003.

3.12 Mr. Oswald Cheung

Immediately after the war, pilfering and theft were common and the young acting headmaster had to hire eight watchmen who arrested many petty thieves who were then taken into custody. Conditions in Hong Kong were so bad at the time that, had there been any room for petty thieves in prison, the chance of regular meals and a roof at night might have been anything but a deterrent. The acting headmaster spent a great deal of time in the magistrates’ courts. Magistrates, who had few punishments at their

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disposal, would listen to the evidence, hear the excuses of the defendants and then let them off with a lecture and a caution. Finally on the unofficial advice of a friendly inspector, DBS began to take its own measures. Night watchmen were instructed to lock up those arrested till they could be brought to justice, and the school was well-equipped with padded cells built by the Japanese during the war. On the following mornings, the headmaster offered the culprits the alternative of a scholarly caning or remaining where they were until he had time to take them to the police — an approach which gave the school a certain deterrent reputation among thieves in Hong Kong. In addition, large notices, similar to military ones, with “Beware of Fierce Dogs” in Chinese and English were put up, which acted as an even greater preventive measure. Parents visiting the school would sometimes telephone before they came to make sure that the dogs were locked up, and the young headmaster would assure them in all sincerity that he would see to it himself!72 As a senior member in Hong Kong legal circles, Sir Oswald was appointed member of the Legislative Council and Executive Council in 1970 and 1975 respectively. He held these positions until his retirement in 1986. Knighted in 1987, Sir Oswald was intimately involved in the Sino-British negotiations and accompanied Sir Edward Youde to London on many occasions. Another old boy that deserves mentioning is Dr. Ip Po Ting ( ), whose school years (1923–29) spanned all three locations of DBS. He witnessed the first morning assembly in the new school when Mr. Featherstone thanked Mr. Lam Woo for completing the building despite the school’s lagging behind in payment. After DBS, Dr. Ip went to MIT to study engineering. Over the years, he donated 40 million USD to Lingnan University, his wife’s alma mater, while living frugally. Dr. Ip celebrated his 100th birthday in 2007 before passing away the following year. Finally, Prof. Chan Pui Fang ( ), born in 1921, started his musical education when he studied in DBS under the headmastership of Mr. Sargent. In 1939, he was admitted to the Department of Composition at Shanghai National Conservatory of Music. His compositions of note included Symphony No. 1 “My Motherland” and Symphony No. 2 “Ode to Ching-Ming”. The latter was awarded second prize in the First Chinese Orchestral Music Composition competition in 1980 and in Chinese Classical Composition competition in 1993.73

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The Period 1918–1941: a Summary The era between the two world wars was one of the most important periods in the development of the school as at that time it not only acquired its present name and campus, but also its modern culture, identity and preeminence in Hong Kong. The campus is, in itself, a rare and precious endowment. Featherstone, a man of great foresight and vision, spearheaded the project of building a completely new school with playing fields on a site of 23 (now about 19) acres, in order to establish the most illustrious school in the Far East. The project might have been more successful if it had not been for a series of unforeseen events, which plunged the school into serious debt. His aggressive personality, avant-garde educational ideas and stubbornness must have antagonized some people. The government’s demand for repayment of a high-interest loan might have been an excuse for seizing the new DBS premises for use by another school. In addition to giving DBS its present campus, Featherstone established the house system and consolidated the prefect system — two traditions which are responsible for some of the characteristics of the graduates which are discussed in Chapters 10 and 14. The School Committee made a good choice in selecting Mr. Sargent, a brilliant young professional schoolmaster who was determined to save DBS. His eloquence, negotiating skill and entrepreneurial methods successfully lifted the school out of the financial mire within a short period of time. He revived the spirit of the school and re-established its excellent reputation. His short tenure of six years could be considered as a time of consolidation after a period of rapid expansion. Mr. Goodban, another professional schoolmaster, who shared the same ideals, succeeded him. Mr. Goodban had looked forward to bringing the school to a new stage of development, but his term was abruptly interrupted by the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong.

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4 Resurrection (1941–61)

Soon after the fall of Hong Kong on Christmas day 1941, the entire British population in the colony was arrested and put into concentration camps — officers in Argyle Street near DBS, other ranks in Shamshuipo and civilians, women and children in Stanley. Mr. G. Goodban and three other English members of staff, namely Mr. B. J. Monks, Mr. A. K. Crawford and Mr. G. G. Davies, were taken as prisoners of war and placed in concentration camps; and Mrs. Goodban and their first child, born on 23 December 1941, were taken to Stanley. Many prisoners were tortured and then killed; others suffered from malnutrition and died from illnesses; while some, including two masters from DBS, were sent to Japan for hard labour. Mr. Goodban and Mr. Monks were not well enough to be sent to Japan but joined labour units in Hong Kong. During the period of Japanese occupation, many people fled Hong Kong, reducing its population from 1.6 million to 600,000. Most schools were closed and student numbers shrank from 112,000 to between 4,000 and 7,000.1 DBS was turned into a military hospital. It is believed that most of the DBS teachers had left Hong Kong but Mr. Young Saye and Mr. Y. S. Chan stayed behind, with the former working as a cashier in the Star Ferry and the latter as a clerk and as a private tutor. Several DBS staff did not survive the war: Mr. T. S. W. Chan, the bursar, died at home in 1943 and Mrs. M. Hassard, the matron, died in the Stanley Internment Camp in 1945.

Sociopolitical Setting After the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945, the British government immediately sent a task force, led by Admiral Harcourt, to Hong Kong to

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reclaim British sovereignty and put the colony under military administration for eight months from 1 September 1945. The essentials, including order, food supplies and public health, were put in place very efficiently, and by the end of 1945 the situation had improved to such an extent that Hong Kong was reopened for trade and the banks were fully functional, though rice and fuel remained in short supply. In April 1946, Sir Mark Young recuperated sufficiently to resume his interrupted governorship, restoring civil rule and reintroducing the crown colony system of government on 1 May 1946.2 The reopening of DBS coincided roughly with the return of civil rule to Hong Kong. Young was remarkably forward-looking and far-sighted. On the first day of the return to civil rule, he declared that the British government was considering means by which the residents of Hong Kong, as elsewhere in the empire, would be given a fuller and more responsible share in the management of their own affairs. He began to implement a number of policies and reforms, but they failed to outlast his short term as the local Chinese elites did not support his plans and Sir Alexander Grantham, who succeeded him in 1947, also did not share his views.3 Moreover, the political situation in China was changing.

4.1 Speech Day in 1948

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Soon after the Japanese surrender, civil war broke out in China which eventually ended with the communists taking power in the Mainland and Mao Zedong proclaiming the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing on 1 October 1949. Later that month, the Chinese army reached the border of Hong Kong and, although the communists considered the treaties that led to the ceding of Hong Kong and Kowloon and the lease of the New Territories invalid, they wisely decided to maintain the status quo. This move proved to be strategically sound because, in return, Britain recognized the new regime on 6 January 1950. When the Korean War broke out in June of that year, China was forced by circumstances to help North Korea when the US army, sent in the name of the United Nations to support South Korea, reached the Chinese border in July. China was able to use Hong Kong to break the embargo imposed by the USA and the United Nations to serve its interests. Goods were imported, smuggled if necessary, and exported through Hong Kong. The civil war brought an endless stream of refugees from different parts of China into Hong Kong throughout the latter part of the1940s and early 1950s. The population of Hong Kong rose from 600,000 in 1945, when the Japanese surrendered, to 2,400,000 in 1955.4 This increase in population, which was due not only to the return of former residents and the influx of refugees but also to a “baby boom” after the war, created enormous problems in housing, hygiene, medical care and education. At first, the Hong Kong government took the view that the refugees would return to the Mainland once the civil war ended, but this did not happen. From the middle of the nineteenth century, Hong Kong’s economy was based on an entrepôt trade which was virtually stopped by the war and now drastically reduced by the embargo. As it could no longer depend on trade for its livelihood, the colony had to reinvent itself for survival. Before the Japanese occupation, Hong Kong had only some light manufacturing industries but the capital and technology brought by wealthy migrants from Shanghai helped transform it within a very short period into a city with flourishing industries, especially textile and garment manufacturing. The total employment in manufacturing rose from 5% in 1950 to 10% in 1960 and to 40% in 1980.5 During the 1950s and 1960s, Hong Kong focused on industries that did not require skilled labour. At this time, life was hard — living conditions were poor and overcrowded; education was not generally available; workers were paid by piece rather than by time; and working hours were long and safety standards low. However, despite the harsh working conditions, there were few complaints as people were far too busy just trying to make a living.

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Education in Hong Kong in the Immediate Post-War Years With the rapid increase in population after the war, enrolment in schools surged, almost returning to the pre-war level by March 1947, and rising further to 150,000 in 1950, 200,000 in 1953, 500,000 in 1960 and over 800,000 in 1964.6 This was made possible by the combined efforts of the Hong Kong government, voluntary bodies, public-minded individuals and enterprising businessmen.

Grant Schools There were four kinds of schools in Hong Kong: (1) government schools, financed entirely by government funds; (2) grant schools, which received support from the government to make up their budgetary shortfalls; (3) subsidized schools, which got a fixed percentage of their budgets from the government; and (4) private schools, for which there was no government funding. Grant schools were prestigious secondary schools run by churches or missions. They restarted their schools as soon as they could after the war and wanted as few directions from the government as possible. An enthusiastic ED, on the other hand, wanted to implement the revised grant code of 1940 and to ensure that the schools were held accountable for every dollar granted. Subsequently, a dispute arose between the ED and the grant schools, led by Bishop Hall, over the method of funding — a deficiency grant or a block grant. The ED preferred a deficiency grant, representing the difference between the approved income and the approved expenditure, an arrangement that would give the government the power to scrutinize every item of expenditure. Grant schools, however, wanted a block grant, as this would give them more freedom in their administration. The dispute eventually ended in a compromise.7 As the posts of headmaster and supervisor were combined in DBS, a common practice in grant schools at that time, Mr. Goodban often had to meet the director of education or his deputies on a very wide range of issues, which reduced the time and energy he was able to spend on the school. There was also a dispute over the power of grant schools to charge tong fai — school charges to be retained, used and controlled by the school — in addition to the tuition fees collected on behalf of the government, to cover expenditure not met by the ED. Bishop Hall tried hard to negotiate for less government control, but his attempts to replace the deficiency grant with a block grant were unsuccessful.

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In a letter8 addressed to the secretary of state for the colonies dated 24 November 1946, Bishop Hall made the point that managers of grant schools were not objecting on financial grounds, but to the increased interference and control by the government as they did not consider it possible or desirable to treat grant schools as if they were government schools. He even made a special trip to London in 1948 to meet with Sir Christopher Cox, chief adviser to the secretary of state for the colonies, and Colonel Thomas R. Rowell, director of education in Hong Kong. Sir Christopher agreed to a block grant made on a “per capita basis” and to the freedom of each school to charge tong fai, but insisted that the director could veto any major expenditure deemed unjustifiable. However, on returning to Hong Kong, Bishop Hall found that the ED interpreted the results of the meeting with Sir Christopher differently and revoked all the decisions made in London.9 Mr. Goodban was the founding secretary of the Grant Schools Council while Bishop Hall had a seat on the Board of Education. Mr. Goodban was Bishop Hall’s principal assistant in the campaign against restrictions under the terms of grant-in-aid code, which would undermine the independence of these schools. Catholic and Protestant schools in Hong Kong were often at loggerheads but, with the ED as a joint adversary, Anglican and Catholic schools found themselves on the same side and, with Mr. Goodban serving as secretary of the Grant Schools Council, the relationship between the two groups became more cordial than before. Mr. Goodban was much appreciated by the Catholic headmasters.10 Another source of conflict was circulars no. 19 and 20 on language policy issued by the government in August 1946. These circulars proposed that Chinese would be the medium of instruction in all subjects for classes up to and including Class 5 (now Form 2) and that the textbooks should also be in Chinese, while English would be taught as a second language. Many grant schools, led by Mr. Goodban, objected to this proposal. He argued that: (1) the Chinese government had recently asked schools to increase the amount of English teaching; (2) there was no prospect of getting enough suitable teachers and textbooks to make the scheme practicable; and (3) the character of the school would be changed if those whose mother tongue was not Chinese were segregated. The crisis was headed off when Colonel Rowell declared that the scheme was not intended to be mandatory.11

Education Ordinance and Regulations In 1952, the Legislative Council passed the “Education Ordinance and Regulations of 1952” to tighten the control of school personnel by empowering

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the director of education to refuse registration and even to take away licenses.12 This new ordinance was designed to control the private schools, some of which were concerned with profit only or, if they were associated with either the Mainland or the Taiwan government, too enthusiastic in spreading political propaganda. The ordinance would not normally affect DBS and similar schools, but Mr. Goodban found it irritating as any contravention could render one liable to a year’s imprisonment or a large fine.13

Expansion of Primary Education Mr. Edmund Burney, one of the inspectors of schools in the United Kingdom, visited Hong Kong in 1935 and published a report which included recommendations that the government should start developing primary education as soon as possible and reform the teaching of English strictly on a utilitarian basis. However, the government did not have the time to implement his recommendations fully before the Japanese invasion. The key result of this report was the founding of the Northcote Training College in 1939, which was renamed Northcote College of Education in 1967 and amalgamated with other institutions to form the Hong Kong Institute of Education in 1994. As soon as the rehabilitation of Hong Kong was underway, the ED had to deal with the problem of increasing demand for school places which resulted not just from the increased number of children but also the fact that the new Labour government in the United Kingdom had adopted the principle of equality of educational opportunity and strongly encouraged its adoption in the colonies.14 In July 1947, the Education and Cultural Sub-Committee of the Development Committee produced a report urging the government to provide education for all children permanently residing in Hong Kong.15 In October 1950, Mr. N. G. Fisher, chief education officer of Manchester, was invited to Hong Kong to study educational expenditure. Following the release of the Fisher Report in 1951, the government announced its intention of implementing most of its recommendations.16 Some of the recommendations — such as expanding primary education, combining the existing grant code and subsidy code in a single new grant code, based on either per capita or percentage grants, and encouraging the recruitment of expatriate teachers by improving their conditions of service — had a direct bearing on DBS.17 In the early 1950s, the government started to create primary school places and train primary school teachers. Many schools were built during this period, almost at a rate of one every two-and-a-half weeks! Each school building was utilized for double (morning and afternoon) or even triple (morning, afternoon

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and evening) teaching sessions. When the primary school expansion programme ended in 1961, the total increase in primary school places was 313,000, exceeding the original target by 131,000, but this was still inadequate to satisfy demand. It was not until 1971 that free primary education finally became available to all and the policy of compulsory education for children aged 6 to 12 could be adopted.18 Grantham Training College and Sir Robert Black Training College (which eventually became part of the Hong Kong Institute of Education) were opened in 1951 and 1961 respectively to produce the large number of teachers required. In the early period of the expansion of primary education, Bishop Hall took every opportunity he could to press for long-term planning, but at the same time he was prepared to cut corners, using tenement buildings as schools and recruiting unqualified people as teachers to ensure that as many children in Hong Kong as possible would benefit from educational opportunities.19 Assisted by the Rev. George She, who was then in charge of education in Sheng Kung Hui, Bishop Hall devoted himself to helping the workers in Hong Kong to set up their own primary schools.

Re-establishing the School Shortly after Mr. Goodban’s release, Bishop Hall met with him to consider the reopening of DBS, but the school buildings were still occupied by Japanese patients. In spite of his poor physical health, Mr. Goodban still managed to recover the pay for all expatriate staff for the war years, plus six months’ paid sick leave from the end of the war; and in addition, he obtained the grant due to the school for the last nine months of 1941. The Goodbans then left for England to recuperate, but decided that they would return to Hong Kong afterwards despite the hardships they had suffered during the war.20 Bishop Hall had initially hoped that Mr. Young Saye would be able to reopen DBS, but he was acting as the temporary headmaster of DGS, which was reopened in October 1945, and had arranged for the boys of Classes 1 and 2 from DBS to study there. As Mr. Goodban and Mr. Monks were unavailable, Bishop Hall appointed an old boy, Mr. Oswald V. Cheung, as acting headmaster of DBS. On 23 March 1946, the military officially handed DBS over to the acting headmaster, Mr. Cheung. According to his assessment, the school campus, though somewhat dilapidated, was not seriously damaged, and that the cost of repairs would probably amount to $60,000. However, with the exception of 40 desks, all the furniture had disappeared and, as an emergency measure, the

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government presented 160 desks as a gift, followed later by another 90. Also, Mrs. Goodban’s brother was able to obtain 200 desks donated by the Church of England School Board in Montreal, Canada and ship them to Hong Kong (many of them were still used in the school when the authors studied there). The school also applied to the government to have other furniture on loan. DBS reopened on 29 April 1946 for Classes 8 to 3. By May, there were 245 students and 20 teachers, five from the pre-war period (Y. S. Chan, N. H. Fok, S. K. Fung, P. K. Lau and S. S. Yu) and 15 new ones (12 full-time and three part-time).21 A modified 1941 curriculum was adopted and school fees were set at $28 per month, double the pre-war level. As Mr. Cheung was not a teacher and had not yet graduated from university, the ED questioned his qualifications for being an acting headmaster and his application for grant-in-aid status for the school was turned down. However, he worked hard to demonstrate how well he ran the school and handled all the circulars and notices sent out by the ED with care. Bishop Hall asked the director of education for an inspection, following which the school received a glowing report and the grant-in-aid status was restored.22 With Mr. Cheung leaving for England to study law, Mr. Monks, though far from fully recovered, returned in September to take over as acting headmaster at the request of Mr. Goodban. Mr. Monks arranged to have the dormitory reopened for boarders and organized the major repairs needed, including the installation of electric lighting and a telephone switchboard. By October 1946, the school was in good working order except for the playing field, which was badly damaged by an explosion on 2 January 1946.23 Mr. Goodban returned to Hong Kong in November 1946. While in England, he made a considerable effort to recruit new teachers, a task which proved to be difficult because the ED had not yet finalized their pay structure, and so he was unable to tell applicants the details of salary, accommodation and other fringe benefits. Another problem stemmed from his perception of, and concern for, age. He was over-sanguine about the prospect of engaging young and well-qualified men in England immediately after the war, which was probably why he did not renew the contract of Mr. E. C. Thomas.24

DBS under Mr. Gerald Goodban in Post-War Years (1946–55) The headmaster’s job at DBS in the post-war years was highly stressful. Living in the same premises as the boarders meant that Mr. Goodban was never free from responsibilities even after work or during holidays, unless he was away from Hong Kong. In those days, headmasters also had to teach up to 15

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periods a week on top of their administrative duties. The subjects Mr. Goodban taught included English language, English literature, history and scripture. Besides, he was also heavily involved in the work of the Grant Schools Council and the Hong Kong Schools Music Association.

4.2

Mr. Gerald Goodban

Administration Before the war, Mr. Goodban relied heavily on Mr. T. S. W. Chan’s advice and after it, he had the unfailing support of Mr. B. J. Monks and Mr. J. L. Young Saye. One of the most difficult problems confronting Mr. Goodban was the shortage of good quality teaching staff. Salaries were low and fringe benefits for teachers were limited compared with their counterparts in government schools. Graduate teachers in grant schools were graded as assistant masters with a salary equivalent to that of an assistant education officer, the starting grade for graduate teachers in government schools. While there was no prospect of promotion for assistant masters, assistant education officers could be promoted to higher ranks: they could become education officers and senior education officers as teachers in schools and, if transferred to the central

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office, might even become the director of education. As a result, a number of teachers, including some Europeans, tutored students privately to supplement their income. While making it a rule that masters must have permission for any outside work, Mr. Goodban also introduced the Provident Fund Scheme to ensure that the expatriate staff would lead a reasonably comfortable life after retirement. In this way, he managed to recruit several excellent expatriate teachers, including D. B. M. Board, Paul Du Toit and Donald Brittain, as well as two old boys, James Lowcock and William Jacobsen, as teaching staff. Very quickly, DBS became widely regarded as one of the best schools in Hong Kong.

From left to right Back:

(1) Ong (Assistant Bursar); (2) K. W. Chu; (3) M. C. Kwok; (4) S. K. Fung; (5) H. C. Hui; (6) L. K. Luk; (7) E. R. Cheung; (8) P. Du Toit; (9) E. R. Smith; (10) C. C. Lao; (11) T. M. Tsang; Middle: (1) H. Y. Tang; (2) S. S. Yu; (3) T. H. Chang; (4) Y. S. Chan; (5) D. J. Brittain; (6) S. G. Hemery; (7) Rev. S. T. Wu; (8) P. S. Lam; (9) S. F. Chu; Front: (1) J. L. Young Saye; (2) Mrs. Holmes (Secretary); (3) Miss Routledge; (4) Miss E. Hing; (5) G. A. Goodban (Headmaster); (6) Miss O. V. Brice-Tribe; (7) Mrs. I. Prew (Matron); (8) Mrs. D. Lee (Assistant Matron); (9) F. C. Whitfield. 4.3

Staff group photo, 1948–49

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However, this success created another difficulty — pressure from old boys and the Anglican clergy concerning admission practices. Mr. Goodban finally formulated the policy that the sons of old boys would be entitled to priority for admission provided that the applications, endorsed by the DSOBA, were properly filed and the applicants passed the entrance examination. This policy was approved by the School Committee in May 1953.25 After the war, the school took in many war orphans and children from broken homes. For example, in 1948, there were 27 free and 15 fee-reduction places out of a total of about 130 students in the boarding school, which was a heavy financial burden for the school. As considerable efforts were required to secure funding for these children, a sub-committee was set up in 1953 to assess the need of applicants for these places and it decided that the number of free places should not exceed 20% of the student number.26

Rehabilitation and Expansion Mr. Goodban spent the first few post-war years on improving the school’s facilities as almost no teaching equipment and furniture had been left. His immediate concerns included the acquisition of wall maps for classroom teaching, an epidiascope for the demonstration room, apparatus and materials for the laboratories, bookcases and books for the library, and a gramophone and a grand piano for the school hall. In addition, he had the school repainted and acquired sufficient furniture so that there was one desk for each pupil and a bed and a private cupboard for each boarder by 1947.27 In the following year, a new tuck shop was built; a major part of the playground was turfed; and a motorized mower was purchased. In 1949, a new dormitory was completed and a year later, when the ED introduced broadcast lessons into local schools, the school installed a wire recorder and a public address system to record and transmit the daily broadcasts to classrooms.28 In May 1947, the Gift Day Fund system was instituted whereby a small sum of money, usually ten to twenty cents, was collected from each student on a voluntary basis every Monday morning and the money collected was donated to needy organizations to be decided by a committee consisting of the headmaster and class representatives. Mr. Goodban explained that everyone ought to give something, voluntarily and regularly, for the many needy charities in Hong Kong.29 On 28 May 1949, the war memorial tablet, donated by the DSOBA, was unveiled by Mr. Henry Gittins, the oldest old boy at the time who had lost a son and two sons-in-law during the war, to honour the old boys of DBS who sacrificed their lives in the defence of their homeland. Bishop Hall officiated

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at the unveiling and dedication ceremony;30 and on 13 November, the refurnished school chapel was dedicated to Bishop Sargent and renamed the Sargent Memorial Chapel.31 When the above work had been completed, Mr. Goodban initiated a major building programme. On 19 February 1952, the director of education officially opened the Gymnasium Complex (see Figure 10.3 on p. 234), which comprised a gymnasium, an art room, a geography room and a music room; and, in addition, the construction of the headmaster’s residence (see Figure 9.5 on p. 203), situated on the current site of the primary division, was finished in the same year.32

4.4 P. T. display in the gymnasium in the early 1950s

The number of students had been increasing steadily in the early postwar years. By 1949, there were already 17 classes with 610 students and it was clear that a further increase was inevitable with the expansion of primary education in Hong Kong. Although Mr. Goodban, with his strong English public school background, preferred a smaller school to avoid the risk of weakening or even destroying the personal attention needed for students to learn effectively, he had to consider the needs of society.33 In 1954, Mr. Goodban began to plan another new building with classrooms on the vacant land at the top of the steps. The new building was to house the Primary 5 and 6 classes, making room in the main building for new secondary classes as by then there were three streams in only two classes and it was

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necessary to increase the remaining classes to three streams. An application was made to the ED for an interest-free loan for this purpose, but to the dismay of the School Committee, not only was the application rejected, but the ED also raised a series of sensitive issues relating to the Primary 5 and 6 classes in DBS.34 As noted earlier, one of the recommendations of the Fisher Report was the expansion of primary education. Such an expansion programme would require a somewhat uniform curriculum and a six-year course starting at the age of six, with Chinese as the medium of instruction. Accordingly, in September 1951, all schools had to rename their classes as recommended in the report with Class 8 as Primary 5, Class 7 as Primary 6, Class 6 as Form 1 and Class 1 as Form 6. The new model was slightly different from the pre-war one which divided the six years of primary schooling into four years of lower and two years of upper primary. Most of the Anglo-Chinese grant schools at that time had an eight-year curriculum, taking in students after Primary 4. These schools resisted the new government policy of six years of primary education in Chinese and many of them continued to recruit students into Class 8 until the 1960s.35 As a leading grant school, DBS struggled hard to keep its traditional practice, as will be seen in later chapters where developments in the primary division are considered.

School Life Mr. Goodban was a strict disciplinarian: students who did not behave themselves or dress properly were often put in detention after school or caned by him. He formally introduced school uniforms in September 1949 to foster a sense of community and to eliminate “exotic” or untidy appearance. For him, the new dress code aimed to “express both the man and the School, to be in fact simple, manly, unostentatious and serviceable”.36 He believed in providing an all-round education and paid a good deal of attention to art, music and physical training. In September 1948, he introduced a double lesson of art per week for Class 4 and below by reducing Chinese and mathematics by one period each. In those days, as there was only one singing lesson a week for the lower classes, the school did not need a full-time music teacher. However, after Mrs. Goodban, who taught both history and singing, resigned in 1948, Mr. Goodban tried to share one music teacher with DGS, as it was very difficult to recruit teachers on a half-time basis.37 When this failed, he had to teach the subject himself in the interim. Mr. Goodban’s enthusiasm for and efforts to promote music education benefited students of other schools as well as DBS boys. Not only did he start

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the popular Friday noon-time concerts which stimulated a great deal of interest in classical music among DBS boys, but on occasion he also performed publicly and helped the Hong Kong Schools Music Association to organize concerts for its members.38 Concerts were held regularly in the school hall for Kowloon students and in the Loke Yew Hall at HKU for students on the island. He also helped run the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, which was organized for the first time in April 1949, with 25 entries competing in the categories of piano, other Western instruments and choir-singing. Later, speech and Chinese songs were introduced and, within four years, the duration of the festival was extended to a week; and in 1954, the first external adjudicator was invited from England.39 In 1947, DBS re-established the house system and added a fifth one, the red house, to the existing four (blue, brown, green and yellow). Students who would like to participate in inter-house competitions were assigned to one of them and each house had a teacher as house master and a senior student as captain. The school also participated in various inter-school sports started or restarted after the war, with athletics, cricket, football, swimming and tennis being the popular sports in the school. From 1949, the houses were named mainly after the school’s past headmasters, i.e. Arthur (green), Piercy (blue), Featherstone (yellow), Sargent (red) and Sykes (brown).40 Mr. Sykes, though not a headmaster, was honoured by having the fifth house named after him41 for his contributions as a former senior master who had served the school extremely well and was loved by his students. Later, Goodban House (light blue) and Lowcock House (purple) were added to the list in 1956 and 2002 respectively. Apart from music and sport, the school also had other extracurricular activities such as chess, a Christian Union, drama, handicraft, library services, philately, quizzes, reading and scouting. In 1950, DBS entered and obtained the highest score in the first annual Radio Hong Kong Quiz Competition.42

From Mr. Goodban to Mr. She Mr. Goodban was the second professionally qualified headmaster in the history of the school and was regarded as outstanding by many people at that time. He was admired by Governor Grantham who at the 1948 speech day said: “I have met a great number of old boys from this school and I have come to have the highest regard for them and from them I have judged the school.” He then referred to his long friendship with an old boy:

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To him is credit due that this School should consistently turn out men of such character. Credit is due to the generations of boys, the staff, the headmaster — probably the most important of all — and the school committee. Between you all, you have created a tradition of turning out happy upright gentlemen.43

One of his colleagues, Mr. Brittain, had this to say about him: Gerald Goodban’s reserve was synonymous with his initials (GAG) which I used as a nick-name, and the appropriateness of the soubriquet was quickly appreciated and accepted by the ex-pat staff … A question would be raised at a boarding staff meeting asking for some sort of immediate ruling or statement of policy — but, out would come the pipe which would be lit and dragged into slow combustion. As an academic he was a clever man with an excellent memory, but not much good for decisive action … He seemed terribly keen and jumped at the idea of doing a course in crypto-analysis, so together we pored over the many procedures of coding and decoding, doing an evening every week and a weekend every month. When we took the exam, I was quite pleased with my result of 86%, but was absolutely floored by Goodban’s result of 98%!44

On 14 October 1953, Mr. Goodban submitted his resignation effective from the following October because his children had to return to England for schooling as one of them required special care which was not available in Hong Kong. Moreover, he was almost 45, an age after which finding a job in the United Kingdom was considered difficult. In accepting Mr. Goodban’s resignation, the committee also endorsed Lt.-Col. Dowbiggin’s proposal to furnish him with an air ticket should he find it necessary to go to England for a job interview as this would allow him to remain headmaster of the school for as long as possible.45 Mr. Goodban officially left the school in April 1955. On 13 November 1953, the School Committee met to discuss the appointment of the new headmaster. Mr. Goodban and Mr. Monks were not present as they preferred to be left out of the discussion. Bishop Hall, who chaired the meeting, reported that the names of Mr. Monks and Mr. Board, a former teacher at the school, had been submitted for consideration for the post, but his personal choice was the Rev. George She.

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In the discussion that followed, Lt.-Col. Dowbiggin* stressed that “whoever was appointed there must be, for the matriculation class, a young man of good Christian character between 28 and 32 years of age with an honours degree in science and mathematics plus five years of teaching experience in a good English boarding school”. He also mentioned that Mr. Monks wished to retire as soon as he was qualified for the staff provident fund and that the Rev. George She, if appointed, would have to cut his connections with many of his present interests in workers’ schools and would have to devote all his time and energy to the affairs of DBS. It was agreed that an approach should be made by the chairman to the ED to seek the approval of the Rev. George She’s appointment, subject to his qualifying, as an overseas trained master, with the same entitlement to home leave pay and passages as an expatriate teacher. In response to a question from the chairman about what would be done if the ED did not accept responsibility for paying for Mr. She’s leave and passages, Mr. Wong Ka Tsun and Mr. C. Y. Kwan agreed that they would undertake, on behalf of the DSOBA, to bear the expenses.† It was then noted that no appointment could be made at this point as the appointment of all teachers from England needed prior approval from the director of education. In view of this, the chairman proposed that the Rev. George She be invited to apply for the position of headmaster on the normal terms for grant school teachers after he had obtained his Diploma in Education in England.46 The minutes of the above meeting are considered at length here to show that the appointment of the Rev. George She as headmaster was controversial. According to Mr. Smyly, Lt.-Col. Dowbiggin strongly objected to his appointment and Mr. Goodban was also unhappy about it. Mr. Goodban had

*

†

Lt-Col. H. B. L. Dowbiggin was born in Ceylon and joined the Mercantile Bank of India in 1902. He came to Hong Kong in 1906 and served on the School Committee from 1918 to 1965 until his death at the age of 81. His long and devoted service to the school spanned five headmasters. Between 1954 and 1960, he was the vice-chairman of the School Committee. He was a member of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps and was awarded the OBE (Military) for making it a representative force. (HKDD, 1922: S–1966, p. 70) The School Committee minutes of 2 June 1955 recorded that the chairman amended the minutes of 13 November 1953 to read: “In response to a question from the Chairman as to whether the Old Boys would take responsibility for Mr. She’s passage from England to Hong Kong, Mr. Wong Ka Tsun assured the Committee they would do so; Mr. C. Y. Kwan supported him in this assurance.” However, Mr. C. Y. Kwan, at the following meeting held on 8 September 1955, pointed out that “neither he nor the late Mr. Wong Ka Tsun had any authority to give the undertaking on behalf of the Old Boys’ Association” and that “in fact neither he nor Mr. Wong Ka Tsun gave any such undertaking”.

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conveyed his view to the bishop privately in conversation and in a letter because he did not think it proper to make his position known to other committee members before the decision was announced. Bishop Hall’s determination to appoint the Rev. George She as the next headmaster was clearly contrary to the standpoint of other committee members. His view was probably based on political considerations and it was in line with the policy of the church. Around 1953, China was experiencing positive developments: its society was relatively stable; the Korean War had ended in a stalemate with the USA, which raised China’s confidence and its status greatly; and its economy was advancing. However, despite China’s reassurance that it would allow Hong Kong to retain the status quo for the time being, Bishop Hall foresaw that China would one day take over Hong Kong and felt it necessary to initiate the process of making the school an indigenous institution over a period of time, believing that a gradual transition of leadership from European to Eurasian to Chinese would be most appropriate. It was well known that the bishop had planned to train Mr. James Lowcock, an old boy who returned to the school as a science teacher in September 1953, to take over as headmaster from Mr. Goodban but, with the latter’s premature resignation, the bishop had to adjust his plan and asked one of his devotees, the Rev. George She, to act as caretaker of the school in the interim.47 Mr. Goodban left on 8 April 1955 and Mr. Monks took over as acting headmaster until the arrival of the new headmaster, the Rev. George She, who took up the appointment on 1 August 1955.

Financial Structure of the School In May 1955, Mr. Monks prepared a document on the financial structure of DBS for the Rev. George She who referred to it as the “Committee Handbook” and always had a copy of it on his desk. Some of its important points are summarized below.48

Income The School obtained its income from three sources: • Tuition fees that were surrendered to the ED in return for grant-in-aid for staff salaries, the maintenance of buildings and a host of expenses known as “approved expenditure”; • School charges (tong fai) which paid for expenditure that could not be partly or wholly recovered from the ED; and

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Boarding fees that paid for the running costs of the boarding establishment. The boarding fee was then $2,100 per year payable in 10.5 instalments.

The tuition fees and school charges were as follows: Class

Tuition fees ($)

School charges ($)

Total ($)

Primary 5 and 6

05

13

18

Form 1

24

18

42

Form 2

24

20

44

Form 3 to 6

24

22

46

Expenditure The expenses of the School were divided into three categories: • Block grant expenditure (met by the ED but controlled by the headmaster) which covered recurring expenditure necessary for the efficient running of the school, e.g. light, water, telephone, stationery and minor repairs; • ‘Approved expenditure’ (met and controlled by the ED) which included staff salaries, passages for expatriates, major repairs, equipment, furniture, etc.; and • Other Expenditure (met and controlled by the School Committee) which covered deficits, if any, and extra expenses. When grants controlled by the government were involved in any expense, three tenders were required, unless it was for goods and services that were not subject to competition. This irksome requirement led Mr. Goodban to opt for a block grant made annually to the school at $15 per student and an additional grant of $5,000 for sixth-form work, bringing the total to about $17,000. This resulted in the school receiving a smaller sum, but it saved a great deal of time over tendering and gave it some freedom in purchases. The school spent about $30,000 each year under the block grant at that time.

DBS under Mr. George Samuel She (1955–61) The Rev. Canon George Zimmern or Canon George She was born on 17 February 1904 in Hong Kong. His father died when he was young and he grew up in Sir Robert Ho Tung’s family into which his elder sister married. He entered DBS in 1914 and became a prefect. In 1921, he graduated from the

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school and, declining a prestigious scholarship to enter HKU, he opted to work in commercial firms for a period of seven years to learn about business, accounting and investment. He then attended the St. Augustine’s College, Canterbury, to read theology and several languages such as Greek, Latin, French and German; and in 1930, he transferred to Keble College, Oxford University, to study philosophy, politics and economics. He graduated and returned to St. Augustine College to take the necessary examination for ordination in 1933. In the following year he was called to the bar in Gray’s Inn, London, and returned to Hong Kong to practise as a barrister until the outbreak of the war. During this period, he was a part-time magistrate for juvenile crime and was active in church ministry. He chose the site of Christ Church with Bishop Hall and raised funds to build it; and he was also responsible for the building of St. Peter’s Church in Kowloon and founded the St. Peter’s Young Men’s Club and the Street Sleepers’ Shelter Society.49

4.5

The Rev. George She

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During the war, he was imprisoned and tortured for two months by the Japanese on a false charge of spying for the British. Immediately after the war, he worked with Kwan Cho Yiu to reorganize the magistracy, but as the church was very short-handed, he was ordained and assigned to assist Canon A. P. Rose in the cathedral. His legal knowledge helped Bishop Hall greatly in establishing social service agencies and the Hong Kong Housing Society, the latter being formed initially to deal with the tide of refugees pouring into Hong Kong in the post-war years. He also assisted Bishop Hall in setting up schools for the children of workers. Because of his ability to handle large sums of money effectively, he helped Bishop Hall to work out the financial policies of the Anglican Church after the war when the diocese was bankrupt. Sir Robert Ho Tung also placed his own affairs very largely in the Rev. George She’s hands.50 Even before he became the headmaster of DBS, he already had a long and distinguished career in social and education services in Hong Kong. Mr. She took up the headmastership in 1955 and resigned in 1961 for family reasons. Despite being headmaster for only six years, a relatively short tenure compared with those before and after him, his contributions were invaluable.

Administration Soon after he took on the role of headmaster, Mr. She moved his office from the second floor to the main floor, adjacent to the school hall, the general office and the staff-room to make himself more accessible to students and staff. He also centralized all the administration offices to improve efficiency, and reorganized the staff-rooms to enable the “outcast” Chinese language teachers, isolated in the elongated room behind the hall, to mix with other colleagues §, 51 In response to the growing number of students and the increasing complexity of management, he decentralized the school administration by setting up departments and appointing Mr. Lowcock as chairman of the Sports Committee (formerly known as Games Committee) and sports master for all extracurricular activities related to sport.52

§

In this reference (Steps, 1957, p. 10), the word Chinese was missing in the sentence “The former Staff Common Room for (Chinese) Masters was turned into a classroom for French studies”.

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4.6 The staff common room in the 1950s

He recruited a number of old boys as teachers and they played an important role in developing academic and extracurricular activities at DBS. In 1956, he appointed a Chinese language teacher, Mr. T. C. Chang, who had taught at the National South-West Associated University ( ) but did not speak Cantonese. This controversial decision was made not only because he had a high regard for this teacher, but also because he hoped to promote putonghua in the school. However, even in 2007, old boys of Class 1965 still argued over the pros and cons of this appointment. The first annual school fete (later called garden fete) was held on 17 December 1955, the preparations for which required close co-operation among teachers, students, alumni and parents, which cultivated a spirit of friendship and harmony. All the proceeds from the fete went directly to the Welfare and Amenities Fund to help less well-off scholars in various ways, including the provision of low-cost lunches, and to fund school amenities.53 Mr. She’s other innovations included the introduction of the candlelight service on 5 July 1957, symbolizing the passage of the flame of DBS from one generation to the next, never to be extinguished, and the changing of the speech day from July to December to avoid the discomfort of heat and sweat.54 It was moved again to January in the year 1987–88 by Mr. Jacland Lai.55

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4.7

The first school fete in 1955

Expansion In the 1950s, apart from financial constraints, the government had no desire to provide secondary education on a mass scale as it believed that this was not only unnecessary but might even lead to serious unemployment and social problems because the local industries then were mostly labour-intensive, employing unskilled workers. Thus the expansion of primary education during this period led to a bottleneck being formed in Form 1. Mr. She anticipated that an immense demand for education and school places would soon strike secondary schools, and so he worked hard to prepare for this “bulge” as soon as he took over DBS.56 The total number of students in 1956–57 increased from the previous year’s 690 to 841.57 At that time, Forms 1–5 had three streams while Lower 6 and Upper 6 each had two streams. As early as 1957, on the speech day, he said: “It is time to take an overall picture of education in the colony in which primary, secondary, university and technical education is reviewed, not separately, but as an integral whole.” He also stressed the need to expand secondary education as the population was young and the Chinese had always held education in high regard.58 In September 1960, the number of streams for Forms 1 to 5 was increased to four each, and when Mr. She left, the total number of students stood at 1058.59

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Improvement of the Campus Soon after he assumed office, Mr. She proposed a number of changes to beautify the campus and improve the utilization of space. One of these projects was the remodelling of the rock garden and the introduction of new plants to the campus;60 and another was the completion of the Science Wing in the summer of 1956, based on Mr. Goodban’s original proposal. This new science block, opened by Lt.-Col. Dowbiggin on 1 September,61 enabled the school to have separate laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology. The room originally used as the physics-cum-chemistry laboratory was converted to a spacious library and the adjacent day boys’ dining room was also enlarged to accommodate more students. As the number of students increased, new premises had to be built. In 1961, the Science Wing was extended and renamed the New Wing.62

4.8

The rock garden in 1956

School Life Mr. She was a soft-hearted headmaster who, because of his natural disposition and his professional experience as a lawyer and a magistrate, did not believe in punishing students, let alone caning them — for nearly a year after becoming the headmaster, he did not cane a student. This resulted in criticism from a teacher, who was an old boy, in a staff meeting,63 but school discipline did not seem to deteriorate under his leadership. In the second winter of his headmastership, the school organized a study tour to China led by the Rev. Theodore S. T. Wu, the school chaplain.64 This

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was an “ice-breaking tour” since it was taboo at that time for teachers and students in Hong Kong to visit communist China. Only the “patriotic schools”, such as Pui Kiu Middle School, had openly organized tours of this kind, and it showed how liberal the school was even in the middle of the Cold War.

From left to right: Jack Henderson (St Mark’s); Rev. Theodore S T Wu (DBS Chaplain); Don Brittain (DBS); Ms. Belinda Tillstone (DGS); Jimmy Lowcock (DBS); Paul Du Toit (DBS); Mrs. Jean Henderson; Norman Lo (a barrister, Jimmy’s cousin); Leo Birtwhistle (DBS). Not shown in the photograph is Mrs. Marion Wu (DBS). 4.9 Teachers’ visit to China in December 1956

During Mr. Goodban’s time, due to the relatively small number of students and teachers, the school could not afford to offer many school certificate and/ or matriculation subjects. To increase the choice of courses, the two Diocesan Schools operated joint classes and this tradition continued for at least two more years after Mr. She became the headmaster. In 1957 one of the two girls who came to study physics and chemistry scored distinctions in both subjects and was awarded a King Edward VII Scholarship. The question was raised whether she should be classified as a student of DBS, where she did two subjects, or of DGS, where she also did two subjects but did not gain any distinctions.65

4.10 Staff group photo, 1960–61

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In 1960, one year before Mr. She left DBS, 103 (90.3%) out of 114 boys who sat the Hong Kong School Certificate Examination (HKSCE) passed, earning a total of 50 distinctions, which was indeed a very high number at that time.66 Mr. She established Goodban House, the sixth house in DBS, and introduced the colours award for sports in 1955.67 He did his best to promote sport in the school, with athletics, swimming and football receiving special attention, and soon the school did well in both athletics and swimming in the inter-school competitions. Although DBS did not participate in the interschool football competition because some of the matches were held on Sundays, many friendly games were arranged with other schools.68 In April 1960, DBS became the first school to win the Governor’s Shield for athletics for five years running.69 He also built heavily on the solid foundation in music laid by his predecessors. For example, in 1956, some senior boys re-established the orchestra, which made its first public performance in 1957.70 Under Mr. Henry Li, the school won the Lam Chi Fung trophy for the Best Senior Choir in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival in 1957 and 1958; and in 1961, the school’s presentation in the acting class (open) for boys achieved 93 marks, then the highest mark ever awarded for the elocution section of the Music Festival.71 In 1960, Chinese instruments were purchased and classes were held, providing the basis for the Chinese orchestra to be formed.72 In 1961–62, a total of 226 boys received special tuition in vocals and instruments. Among them, 48 were taking lessons on Chinese music.73

The Retirement of Mr. She At a staff meeting held in October 1960, Mr. She announced that he would retire in the summer of 1961 and that Mr. J. Lowcock would succeed him. The School Committee had earlier agreed to his resignation and the appointment of Mr. J. Lowcock as the next headmaster. Many people did not understand his premature retirement. In 1965 Bishop Hall spoke on this issue during the annual speech day, commenting that the Rev. George She always regarded himself as a “caretaker” of the school and felt that Mr. Lowcock should follow in the footsteps of Sargent and Goodban — to be a young headmaster and take on the responsibility as early as possible so as to fully utilize his talents.74 On the occasion of the Rev. George She being appointed honorary canon of St. John’s College, in an address to DBS on 20 December 1960, Bishop Hall said:

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If as a Bishop of the Church I could do what I liked, I would establish a new Doctorate, a Doctorate of Christian Charity. The first award would go to your Headmaster, though I know he would say that any kind of honorific recognition of Christian Charity is abhorrent to such a holy and sacred thing. It is a man’s heart that is the final test of true manhood. Those of you, both staff and students, who have let your Headmaster infect you with his generous warm-heartedness will have found the most important thing that can be found in school, or Church, or in everyday life.75

After retirement, Mr. She went to Bristol, England, to join his family and worked as a schoolmaster in the city of Bath. Mrs. She had already returned to England earlier with their son because her mother had been ill for some time. He died at the age of 75 years on 19 November 1979 in a hospital in Bristol. It is not at all clear why Mr. She’s name was left out in Mr. Young Saye’s farewell speech given at the 1962 speech day76 and again in the essay “Our Headmaster: A Summary and a Eulogy”.77 In both the speech and the essay, all headmasters except Mr. She were not only mentioned but also commented upon in some detail.‡ Why these omissions had never been rectified is also a mystery. Mr. She’s name was not often heard after his retirement, resulting in the strange phenomenon that few teachers and students know about the existence of this headmaster who did so much for the school. It is quite possible that, even though a Eurasian, he identified himself more as Chinese, with a disposition that led him into conflict with a culture deeply embedded in an English tradition. He did not seem to get along particularly well with many expatriates and a few locally recruited teachers who had a strong English cultural background, and so his tenure as headmaster of DBS was not entirely smooth.78 For example, one of the rules in DBS since its inception had been that students had to speak English at all times in class except during Chinese lessons, but Mr. She often spoke in Cantonese, even in the morning assembly. This was not readily accepted by most expatriate teachers and even some local teachers as observed by Mr. D. J. Brittain, a geography master, who wrote: The Rev. George She, with all the ebullience of a Eurasian, was a completely different character: frequently noisy in his enthusiasm, and there were many

‡

Copies of letters between Mr. She and Mr. Young Saye were found scattered among Mr. Smyly’s documents stored in the school library in which there were heated exchanges over two administrative mistakes (in Mr. She’s view) committed by Mr. Young Saye in 1960: one as head of the Science Department and the other as acting headmaster. It is, however, uncertain that these were the real cause of the omissions.

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issues over which he would become quite impassioned, almost squeaking with excitement or strident with anger. I had no knowledge at the time of where in the ecclesiastical bag he came from or what his experience was. He appeared to be no great academic, and was often faced with difficulties in colloquial English and he would have his own pronunciations, but he was generous in his praise of work well done and I like him for his openness and easy approachability.79

In 2004, with a profound love and respect for Mr. She, many graduates of the Class of 1958 initiated a project to commemorate his humane character, leadership and contribution to DBS. With the approval of the School Committee, they raised funds to renovate the school chapel and install a handsome plaque there in his memory. The plaque was dedicated at a special service attended by Mr. Lowcock, Mr. Chang, and several former teachers and old boys in the chapel. Also, several alumni who had had the good fortune to be his pupils, worked together to produce a book entitled A Tribute to Rev. Canon George She: Headmaster 1955–61, Diocesan Boys’ School to commemorate him.

Some Notable Graduates Many alumni of the Goodban-She period were responsible for building postwar Hong Kong into today’s modern, dynamic “Asia’s World City”. They were involved in developing trade, industry, housing, education, health and welfare, as well as in providing entertainment and law and order for Hong ), founder of the Kong. Among them were Prof. Sir David Todd ( Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and renowned for his achievements in medical education and research; Prof. Thomas Chang ( ), who was considered for a Nobel Prize for his work on artificial cells; and Prof. Lo King Man ( ), who has written, produced, directed and designed over 150 operas internationally and was awarded the International Citation of Merit by the International Society of Performing Arts. Lastly, mention should be made of Suchart Javoisidha, a Thai student who studied in DBS after the war. He left in 1954 to further his studies in England and received a degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1962. He returned to serve in the Thai Government after graduation and later became the vice-minister (finance) in 2001 and vicepremier in 2004.

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The Period 1941–61: a Summary This era began with the war and re-establishment of the school after liberation from Japanese occupation. The key figures in the rebuilding of the school in the immediate post-war years included Mr. Oswald Cheung, Mr. Monks, Mr. Goodban and Bishop Hall. Both Mr. Monks and Mr. Goodban, despite suffering as prisoners of war, quickly resumed their positions and worked hard to reestablish the school and build it up to the pre-eminent position it holds today. Mr. Goodban was a professional schoolmaster and modelled the school after the British public school system. His educational philosophy of providing an “all-round education” was the guiding principle for his successors. He believed in a school that regards honesty, sincerity and integrity as virtues and discipline as its core and excels not only in scholarship but also in extracurricular achievements. Mr. Goodban’s contributions to education extended beyond the confines of DBS: his leadership in the struggle to gain a measure of freedom for grant schools and in the development of music education in Hong Kong will long be remembered. The Rev. George She was the first to call for an overall review of education in Hong Kong at a time when the government was interested only in providing mass primary education. His major contribution to DBS was to develop a more egalitarian ethos and to open it to less fortunate students who would otherwise not have had the opportunity of attending, thus highlighting the fact that the school was for students from all walks of life — a principle which should be passed on to future generations. At the same time, he kept the school in excellent physical shape and maintained a high standard of academic and extracurricular activities. He also practised the principle of ethnic equality within the school and introduced Chinese music and other extracurricular activities, thereby affirming the dignity of Chinese in the school’s culture. It is important and appropriate to acknowledge here the immense contributions of Bishop Hall during this period to the education and social and spiritual well-being of Hong Kong in general, to the economically disadvantaged and to the development of DBS in particular.

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5 Striving for Freedom (1961–83)

Mr. Sydney James Lowcock was the second old boy to take up the position of headmaster of DBS. He was born in December 1930 and entered DBS in 1946. His great grandfather, Henry Lowcock, was a founder of DBS and a member of the School Committee from 1874 to 1880. A graduate of HKU, Mr. Lowcock returned to his alma mater to teach in 1953. In 1961 when he was appointed headmaster of DBS, he was faced with multiple challenges in an era of rapid development in the basic structure of education in Hong Kong.

Sociopolitical Setting The period 1961–83 was highly significant in the social, economic and educational history of Hong Kong. The region was in a state of constant flux after the war, with civil war in China in the second half of the 1940s, the Korean War in the early 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. Reaping the benefits of the influx of capital and technology from China in the late 1940s as well as the sociopolitical uncertainties in China and Southeast Asia in general throughout the years, Hong Kong’s economy grew rapidly in the 1960s and really took off in the 1970s. By the 1980s, Hong Kong had emerged as one of the most important cities in Asia, with entrepôt trade, industry and tourism as its three economic pillars. The population grew at a rate of about one million each decade, rising from 2 million in 1950 to 5 million in 1980. The sojourner mentality of the people gradually disappeared with the closing of the border in the early 1950s and the refugees eventually became a settled population. The booming

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economy enabled the government to take steps to improve housing, health care and education. Despite the Cold War between the USA and USSR, the world on the whole was quite peaceful in the early part of the 1960s. In China, the Great Leap Forward Movement came to a close in 1960 and the country entered a relatively stable period of restoration. However, its southern border was not so quiet. The USA ventured into Vietnam in the mid-1950s, soon after the French had pulled out, to counter the Vietminh, and by 1964 it had become heavily involved in the Vietnam civil war. The 1960s was a decade of tremendous social change, led by young people around the world. It arose from the huge domestic problems in the USA, where the renewed struggle to end institutionalized racial discrimination, dovetailing with the unpopularity of the Vietnam War, triggered off the “Free Speech Movement” at the Berkeley campus of the University of California in 1964. This, further inflamed by the Cultural Revolution in China started by Mao Zedong in 1966, contributed to a worldwide student movement in 1968, with anti-establishment philosophies, the promotion of Green Peace ushered in by the onset of environmental awareness, and anti-Americanism as its main themes. This sea change in social values did not bypass Hong Kong. In the 1960s and 1970s, Hong Kong experienced significant social unrest, with a number of political demonstrations, industrial strikes and student protests. These expressions of fairly widespread social dissatisfaction, particularly the riots of 1966 and 1967, spurred the government to increase public spending in general and on education in particular in order to provide more opportunities for young people. The Star Ferry Riots in 1966 were started by a young man who protested against the raising of first-class fares by five cents from 20 cents to 25 cents for the cross-harbour ferry. Most of those subsequently arrested were between 16 and 20 years of age, many of them employed but in jobs with no prospect of advancement. The 1967 riots, however, were inspired by the Cultural Revolution in China and were organized by local communists. Students, mostly from “patriotic schools”, were involved in writing, disseminating and displaying inflammatory posters, in street demonstrations and in planting both real and simulated bombs. Of the many students arrested and sentenced, the most notable one was Tsang Tak Sing from St. Paul’s College who, in 2007, became Hong Kong’s secretary for home affairs. The 1967 riots eventually ended when the Chinese government reined in the local communists. The Hong Kong government was able to survive this traumatic period because it had the active support of the more influential

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sectors of the local community and the tacit approval of its silent majority; and from this experience it learned that, in order to govern well, it must “win the hearts and minds” of the people, which could be achieved only by responding to their opinions and needs and encouraging them to develop a sense of belonging. Thus, after 1967, the government started to give more freedom and responsibility to the people, and young people and students were encouraged to express their concerns and take an active part in social activities. Towards the end of the 1960s, some university and senior secondary students, stimulated by the worldwide student activism and influenced by expatriate teachers and foreign postgraduate students, began to criticize the government and to protest against the USA over the Vietnam War and Japan over the Diao Yu Tai issue. The 1970s was known as the “fiery decade” because of the rise of nationalism and the unceasing student activism and social movements. Some of these non-violent protests had far-reaching effects on the development of education in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, socio-economic and political developments proceeded in an orderly manner under British rule during the 1960s. When the 1970s arrived, Hong Kong, with the support of an increasingly educated workforce and efficient public services, began to emerge as a modern city with a solid industrial base, excellent trade networks, modern international banking, stateof-the-art telecommunications and other service facilities, as well as a vibrant domestically driven local economy. After the transfer of China’s seat at the United Nations to the PRC in 1971 and the visit of President Richard Nixon to Beijing in 1972, the lifting of the embargo on non-strategic goods to China increased Hong Kong’s economic development yet further. However, in the 1970s, the territory faced the problems which often arise in the early stages of economic prosperity — rampant corruption and disparity of wealth — and this induced a strong feeling of injustice and discontent among the people and added fuel to the fires of activism. Hong Kong was fortunate to have Sir Murray MacLehose (1971–82) from the foreign office as governor during this period. Sir Murray, a liberal, believed that a colonial government should provide housing, education and social welfare as basic services to its people. At this time, “new towns” (suburban communities) with housing estates, schools, public transport and other community services were set up in the New Territories. Also, extensive centres for sport and cultural activities were constructed in both urban areas and new towns to encourage Hong Kong citizens to widen their leisure activities and to cultivate their sense of belonging. In response to the call of student activists in the early 1970s, the governor set up the Independent Commission

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Against Corruption (ICAC) in 1974, a body which did much to enhance Hong Kong’s image in the business world. It was during these years that a “Hong Kong belonger” identity began to develop and was eventually established, coinciding with the evolution of the demographics of our population from one consisting mainly of refugees to one of local-born citizens.

Educational Development and Challenges to DBS Selection for Secondary Education The expansion of primary education in Hong Kong in the mid-1950s created a serious bottleneck in Form 1. In 1955 the government began to use the Joint Primary 6 Examination, which was instituted in 1949 for marking the completion of primary education, as a means of selecting students for secondary schools.1 Initially this had no effect on DBS because it recruited most of its Primary 5 students from the Diocesan Preparatory School (DPS). However, in the following year, when this examination was combined with the existing Special Scholarship Examination, those who aspired to a scholarship had to take the Joint Primary 6 Examination. This examination was renamed the Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE) in 1963.

The Donohue Scheme Mr. Peter Donohue, who succeeded Mr. Douglas Crozier as director of education in 1961, believed that although Hong Kong’s economy was thriving at that time, it could only afford to provide seven years of education for all, and there would still be a gap of one year before those finishing primary school could take up gainful employment, the legal age for which was 14. He therefore proposed to reorganize the structure of primary and secondary education in such a way that: (1) children would enter primary school at the age of seven instead of six; (2) the number of years of primary education would be reduced from six to five; and (3) after leaving primary school, everyone would have two more years of secondary education. The Donohue Scheme, which aimed at keeping children in school until 14, officially began in September 1963, but it was not accepted by the community and was called off in 1967.

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Marsh and Sampson Report (1963) and White Paper on Education Policy (1965) In February 1963, R. M. Marsh and J. R. Sampson of the Hampshire County Council were invited by the Hong Kong government to examine the educational needs of the colony, and to advise on the most economic way of fulfilling them. The report contained many proposals which were rather controversial and so the government had to appoint a working party (commission) to consider its implementation. This resulted in the publication in 1965 of a White Paper on Education Policy which recommended the provision of universal primary education by 1971, the reversion to age six for entry to primary schools and an increase in fees, together with an increase in the number of free places in secondary schools.2 The White Paper also recommended that teachers’ salary scales should be lengthened by lowering the starting points and raising the maximum points. This recommendation immediately caused a precipitous decline in student intake in the Department of Education at HKU, the School of Education at CUHK and the government colleges of education and eventually led to student protests and teacher strikes in 1972. As a result of these protests, the salary of teachers in aided and subsidized schools was improved considerably. Another consequence was the formation of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union in 1973,3 which developed later into a strong pressure group wielding considerable influence on local education policy. In the early 1970s, there were two other pressure groups concerned with education: the Educators’ Social Action Council and the Education Action Group, both involving DBS old boys. During this “fiery decade” many student activists chose education as a career, in order to promote a new ideology among the younger generation. A common feature of these young teachers was their keen interest in extracurricular activities, which they valued highly as an effective means of educating young people. As a result, extracurricular activities began to receive a great deal of attention in educational circles in the second half of the 1970s; and the secondary school principals’ Conference on Extracurricular Activities held in March 1983 added further impetus to this development. During the 1980s, extracurricular activities, especially student-initiated ones, made even bigger strides in DBS, which was already a leader in this area.

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White Paper on Secondary Education in Hong Kong over the Next Decade (1974) The economic and sociopolitical development during this period further strengthened educational planning. MacLehose was the first governor of Hong Kong to introduce the green paper system in formulating policies, whereby extensive public consultation was sought before issuing the “White Paper” which outlined the government policy for execution. The White Paper on Secondary Education in Hong Kong over the Next Decade was published in 1974, affirming the ultimate objective of providing a place for every child of an appropriate age who was qualified for and wanted a secondary school education. The target was to provide nine years of subsidized general education for all, with six years in a primary school followed by three years in a secondary school with effect from 1979. 4 However, Governor MacLehose caught everybody by surprise when he suddenly announced on 5 October 1977 that the target date would be advanced by one year (i.e. 1978) and “subsidized” would become “free”. This move was believed to be a response to the criticism by some European countries of Hong Kong’s poor labour policy.5

White Paper on the Development of Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education (1978) Having dealt with compulsory free junior secondary education, the government turned its attention to senior secondary and tertiary education. After yet more extensive public consultation, the White Paper on the Development of Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education was published in October 1978, recommending that 60% of the 15-year-old population should be provided with subsidized senior secondary places starting in September 1981, and increasing to 70% five years later.6 The system of selection and allocation of subsidized senior secondary places (i.e. Forms 4 and 5), known as the Junior Secondary Education Assessment (JSEA) and to be put into operation by 1981, was announced in May 1979. In this system, selection was based on internal assessments in a range of academic subjects scaled by the school’s performance in public examinations in the three core subjects of Chinese, English and mathematics.7 The period from 1961 to 1981 thus saw an enormous expansion of education in Hong Kong. The percentages of full-time students aged 12–16 years were 37%, 40%, 46% and 70% respectively for 1961, 1966, 1971 and 1976, and the 100% target was reached in 1981.8

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Amalgamation with DPS: First Attempt The expansion of primary education and the standardization of its structure posed a real threat to the existence of Primary 5 and 6 in DBS. As early as 1954, the ED had requested the school to either hand over Primary 5 and 6 to DPS, or to merge with it.9 On 12 March 1962, the School Committee decided to explore the possibility of obtaining a loan from the ED to build, at the foot of the school driveway, a 10- to 12-classroom one-session primary school with an adequate hall and several special rooms.10 However, in May 1962, the ED informed DBS that the decision could be delayed until 31 August 196211 because Donohue was planning to reorganize the structure of primary and secondary schooling. Unfortunately, in response to Mr. Lowcock’s formal proposal of 19 March 1964 to extend the primary section into a full two-stream one-session primary school, the ED indicated that there was a more urgent need to increase bisessional schools* in areas with inadequate primary places, and advised that although a proposal for a private one-session primary school with an interestfree loan would receive support, it would be wise to wait for the recommendations of the commission set up in 1963 to review the Marsh and Sampson report.12 When the commission decided in 1965 that 90% of the intake of Form 1 students in any government-aided school would have to come from candidates successful in the SSEE, there was no hope of DBS retaining its Primary 5 and 6 classes. Up to 1965, DPS had only five classrooms, with 33 students in each class from kindergarten to Primary 4. In response to the need for a larger number of Anglo-Chinese primary places in Kowloon, the Rev. Robin Howard, the vicar of Christ Church, pleaded for more places for the boys of DPS in June.13 In October, he went somewhat further, proposing to have two streams of Primary 1 to 4 for the school with students continuing in Primary 5 and 6 at DBS — a proposal which would require the rebuilding of DPS with an interestfree loan from DBS.14 However, as DPS had a long and strong connection with Christ Church, DBS’s responsibility in relation to Christ Church had to be clarified. The School Committee approached the Church of England trustees on 22 March 1966 to sub-let the property on which DPS stood to DBS, in which case DPS would be directly under DBS.15 When this proposal met with the approval of the trustees on 21 June 1966, an application was made to the government for such a transfer. On 14 October 1966, Mr. Lowcock received

*

Two schools using the same building: one in the morning, the other in the afternoon.

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a letter from the vicar of Christ Church stating that the Church Council had decided not to alienate itself from DPS; in other words, DPS could not become part of the primary section of DBS,16 thus shattering DBS’s hope of keeping the primary classes. The insistence of DBS on keeping the primary classes was related to its philosophy of providing an “all-round education”. Mr. Lowcock deplored the fact that children had to sit for the SSEE to get a secondary school place because, in preparation for this seemingly monumental examination, they were reminded again and again, both at school and at home, that they must devote themselves absolutely to this one cause and concentrate on book-work to the exclusion of all outside classroom activities. By having its own Primary 5 and 6, the children in DBS would not need to worry about this examination and therefore would be more able to enjoy the all-round education provided by the school.17 On 1 May 1967, the ED indicated to the school that the government would be willing to give DPS a substantial amount of capital aid and a subsidy of half of its recurrent expenditure if it was prepared to expand fully into a primary school with 12 classrooms as a joint project with DBS.18 The School Committee finally decided to close Primary 5 in 1969 and Primary 6 in 1970 on the recommendation of the headmaster19 and to bid farewell to the primary section which it had operated for so many years. It was not to be until the turn of the century that it was able to have its own primary section with a completely different format.

Government’s Tightening Control The development of education in Hong Kong came hand-in-hand with increasing government control over schools, especially grant schools. In 1940, there were 19 grant schools in Hong Kong and after the war, three more were instituted bringing the total number to 22.† All new schools built after 1960 were governed by the subsidy code instead of the grant-in-aid code.

†

The 22 grant schools are: Ying Wa College (1843), St. Paul’s College 1849), Diocesan Girls’ School (1860), Sacred Heart Canossian College (1860), St. Paul’s Convent School (1864), Diocesan Boys’ School (1869), St. Francis Canossian College (1869), St. Joseph’s College (1875), St. Mary’s Canossian College (1887), Ying Wa Girls’ School (1900), St. Stephen’s Girls’ College (1906), St. Paul’s Co-ed. College (1915), La Salle College (1917), Wah Yan College, Hong Kong (1919), Wah Yan College, Kowloon (1924), Maryknoll Convent School (1925), Marymount Secondary School (1927), St. Clare’s Girls’ School (1927), Heep Yunn School (1936), St. Mark’s School (1949), Methodist College (1958) and St. Paul’s Secondary School (1960).

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After the war, the government tried to enforce the revised grant code of 1940, replacing the existing capitation grant by a deficiency grant (see Chapter 4). This was strongly opposed by some grant schools, notably DBS, and the gradual tightening of control on grant schools by the government led to a continuous struggle between them. DBS lost its freedom to admit students from overseas after it was informed on 25 October 1968 that the ED had to be consulted first on such admissions.20 Mr. Lowcock was most unhappy about this ruling and criticized it at every available opportunity as it brought the international tradition of the school to an end. In the 1968–69 annual report, he emphasized the importance of not sacrificing quality for quantity in meeting the staggering demands of education in Hong Kong, as “schooling” is not “education”.21 A year later he summed up the situation thus: Since the war, grant-in-aid schools have had their freedom taken away from them gradually. First, the teacher-class ratio was cut without consultation with the schools. Then the freedom of selection of pupils was gravely curtailed, leaving the schools only 15% of discretion. The new code suggests that even the freedom to have a private income by charging a subscription should be cut … Our freedom is very precious to us; without it we cannot begin to offer the kind of education we believe in and strive to impart. 22

During the late 1970s, the ED worked towards a unified code-of-aid with no legal distinction between grant and subsidized schools; and, by the early 1980s, all public sector schools admitted their students, both primary and secondary, through the centralized allocation system, and each student in these schools received an equal share of the government funding for education. Mr. Lowcock felt that the government’s policy of having uniformity across all schools was wrong, a view similar to that of Bishop Hall who had written a letter to the secretary of state for the colonies 25 years earlier indicating that he did not believe it desirable to treat aided schools, such as DBS, as if they were government schools.23

Expansion of the Secondary Section The moving of Primary 5 and 6 to DPS at the end of the 1960s left room for expansion at the school, but this did not take place until 1976. The proposal of DBS to expand its secondary school section in September 1971 was denied by the government because Kowloon was over-subscribed in secondary academic places at that time and available public funds had to be devoted to expanding technical and vocational education at the junior secondary level.24

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The real change began in September 1976 when Form 1 grew from four to six streams. Of the 243 boys who entered Form 1 that year, 185 were guaranteed a place up to Form 5, and 58 were assured of a place up to Form 3 only. The government suggested that the two groups of students should be segregated, a policy in direct conflict with Mr. Lowcock’s educational philosophy. He insisted on blending the two groups as he felt that segregation would completely destroy the loyalty of the boys enjoyed by the school over the years. He held a strong belief that loyalty is earned, not assured: if we expect boys to be loyal to the school, their school must be loyal to them. More important, an atmosphere of suspicion and “hatred” created among the boys themselves would have a morally corrupting effect on both studentstudent and student-teacher relationships. He sought support from the School Committee to negotiate with the ED for DBS to add two streams of Form 1 on condition that when the first two additional streams had completed Form 3, the school would be allowed to add two Form 4 streams, and two more for Form 5 in the following year, even if this meant that these two Form 4 and Form 5 streams after September 1978 might have to be run as private classes charging full economic fees without aid from the government.25 He won the support of the School Committee. The 243 students were divided into six streams on a random basis in accordance with the practice of the school.26 It is of interest to note that in September 1981, of the 226 boys in Form 3 who took the JSEA in the summer when it was first introduced, all but three boys were allocated back to the school for their senior secondary education.27 In preparing this manuscript, the authors sent a questionnaire by email to a number of old boys who were in Form 3 in the early 1980s. There were three returns, all expressing similar feelings, with one of them saying: I remember when I was in Form 3, there were six classes, but when I was promoted to Form 4, there were only five classes. That meant that some 40 (Authors’ note: mostly caused by the newly introduced Overseas Education Allowance – see p. 105) of my classmates had left me. I could have been one of them. I was from DPS. My SSEE score was not good and I only qualified for three years of secondary school. I was originally sent to another school but DBS accepted me. I guess I was on probation for the next three years … I think there were three to five DPS students in the same situation … The school assigned us to A, B, C … class according to our abilities. I was not in the worst class. No one really mentioned the five versus three years. So I was not too concerned. Also, I didn’t know folks in the worst class. No unpleasant feeling … Eventually I got two As and one C in the School Certificate Examination … I think what was good was that the School did

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not divide students into three-year or five-year streams. We were not “labelled” from the start. We had a chance to receive the same attention and the same opportunity to move up. It was up to the student to create his own future (edited).

Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) In 1978, the highly competitive SSEE was replaced by the SSPA for the allocation of Form 1 places to primary school leavers. The new scheme led to “prestigious” schools, such as DBS, which were accustomed to admitting students from the top 5% to 10% of Primary 6 leavers, having to cope with students randomly assigned from the top 20% or even 40% (bands 1 and 2). Moreover, it was possible that, in one particular net, where the overall academic standard was not high, mediocre candidates would be pushed up to Band 1 just to make up the required number — and DBS was allocated a considerable number of such candidates. Mr. Lowcock believed in, and wanted the school to have, a well-mixed student population in terms of ability as well as socioeconomic background, and so did not seem to be very concerned about this issue, but his successor, Mr. Jacland Lai, considered it a major challenge.28 Mr. Lowcock was, however, very concerned about the students’ feelings towards the school and insisted that those who were sent to DBS must have made DBS their first choice, irrespective of their academic attainment. He was fighting a losing battle against the government’s SSPA scheme.

DBS under Mr. Sydney James Lowcock (1961–83) Mr. Lowcock was a “Mr. Goodban’s boy”. He served under Mr. She as the sports master, an important position at DBS which was occupied previously by Mr. Goodban himself, and was appointed headmaster when he “came of age” (see Chapter 4). When Mr. Lowcock took over DBS in 1961, it was in an excellent condition: there were six houses, 28 classes (two streams for Primary 5 and 6, four streams for Form 1 to 5 and two streams for Form 6 and 7), 1,096 students, of whom 101 were boarders, and 45 teachers. The academic results were good, with a pass-rate of 80% for the School Certificate Examination and 64% for the Matriculation Examination. The financial situation was also sound and the campus was beautiful and tidy. The entire New Wing, planned by Mr. Goodban and built during Mr. She’s term, was ready to welcome students in the new academic year in September 1961.

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5.1

Mr. James Lowcock

Administration In one of his speeches, Mr. Lowcock said: “Thomas Jefferson once spoke about American government. He said that the government that governs least is best. Least is best. With due appreciation for the overall guidelines, it seems to me that this can also be said of education.” 29 This laissez faire policy characterized Mr. Lowcock’s style of administration over the years. In his first decade as headmaster, he did decentralize further the administration by appointing Mr. L. Birtwistle as senior master, the Rev. I. Findlay as bursar, Mr. J. R. Locking as warden, Mr. W. Jacobsen as sports master, Mr. S. K. Tai as careers master and the Rev. E. Fisher as chaplain, and relax a number of rules, especially in the boarding school, to make life easier for the students. In 1963, when Hong Kong experienced a severe drought, he took the opportunity to replace the traditional white trousers with grey ones to reduce the laundry frequency and to increase the flexibility in changing uniforms between seasons.30 In order to reduce the cost of the blazer badge, he introduced a new simplified school badge in the year 1968–69, which

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was designed by the senior and second prefects, Henry Huang and Chan Woon Tong.§ The riots of 1967 resulted in the loss of 69 boys to public schools in England and preparatory schools in the USA, even though most of them did not want to leave DBS.31 The number of boarders also dwindled after 1968 because of the government’s restriction on admitting overseas students. From 1968 to 1970, the removal of the four primary classes led to a reduction in total student numbers. It should be noted, however, that DBS was the last grant school to lose its Primary 5 and 6 classes after fighting a losing battle with the government over a lengthy period of time. In the end, the school managed to obtain a not insignificant amount of compensation, which included full grants to build the “new” DPS at Christ Church and to change the boarders’ preparation room into a design and technology workshop. In the 1970s, the introduction of the government’s Overseas Education Allowance Scheme allowed many families to send their children abroad for secondary and higher education. There was a trend for boys to leave before they completed Form 5 to continue their studies in the United Kingdom. However, with two streams added to Form 1 in 1976–77 and in 1977–78, the total number of students returned to the 1968 level and the class structure of the school became asymmetrical until 1982–83. For some years between 1976 and 1983, there were six streams in Forms 1, 2 and/or 3, four or five streams in Forms 4 and 5, three streams in Form 6 and two in Form 7 (or Upper 6). In 1983, there were 1,168 students, an increase of 72 from 1961, but only 65 boarders. On 28 February 1969, DBS and its siblings, DGS and DPS, were formally reincorporated by three separate ordinances.32 Until then, they all operated under one ordinance, the Diocesan School and Orphanage ordinance passed on 28 May 1892. The main celebration of the centenary took place during the week 26 October to 1 November. It opened with a tea party which present and past staff and students were invited to attend. At dusk, the school premises were illuminated by floodlights and thousands of coloured bulbs, including a huge 5 feet x 40 feet neon sign “DBS – 100” on top of the main building. One hundred doves, imported from China, were released at the round-about in front of the main entrance to the school, but because they had been kept in the train for a long time, when they were let out, they did not fly but just walked around! This was followed by a special service of thanksgiving at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church. §

The headmaster in his address at the 1969 speech day said that the simplified version was designed by Hanson Huang (Steps, 1970, p. 24), but both Hanson Huang and Chan Woon Tong disputed this statement.

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5.2 Centenary issue of Olympus

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During this period, the school was open to the public to view exhibitions of students’ work in art, calligraphy, photography, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, electronics, school history, Chinese culture and Shakespearean England. There were also performances of both Chinese and Western music, film shows, demonstrations of judo, fencing, scouting, illustrated lectures on the art of Chinese boxing and demonstration tennis matches by the Davis Cup Squads. The highlight came with the “Cent-ametre” swimming drive for the Red Cross. A Form 5 boy named Victor Yung swam from 10:30 a.m. till 9:30 p.m. in order to raise the maximum amount of money. In the end, a total of over $80,000 was raised and all boys over the age of 16 donated blood that year.33 The week ended with the annual fete, and the centenary celebration ended with two further concerts performed in the City Hall in November.34

5.3 Blood donation in 1981–82

When Mr. She was headmaster, he often invited old boys to return to their alma mater to teach after their graduation. Mr. Lowcock had a number of old boys who were excellent teachers recruited by his predecessor or by himself. There were also other outstanding teachers such as Mr. P. K. Tao, who was not an old boy. Mr. Tao and his colleague, Dr. S. Y. Mak, had a great influence on the teaching of physics in DBS as well as in other schools in Hong Kong.

5.4

Staff group photo, 1972–73

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Mr. Lowcock, like his predecessor, placed a great deal of emphasis on the teaching and learning of the Chinese language and on its use for creative writing. In his first year of headmastership, he made a surprising move in the allocation of teaching duties: he did not replace a Chinese language teacher after his departure, but allocated the teaching duty to old boys, some of whom had not specialized in the subject — a decision which, though unusual, led some students, inspired by these enthusiastic young teachers, to later become scholars or promoters of Chinese culture.

Changes in the Campus In 1968 the New New Wing was completed, adding two laboratories and four classrooms to the school. A swimming pool was also built in 1969 using funds from an anonymous donor.35 There was no official opening ceremony but boarders first used the pool on 20 April 1969.36 In the same year, the tuck shop was expanded to include the adjacent room and hot food was served once again.37

Natural Hazards In the 22 years of Mr. Lowcock’s administration, Hong Kong suffered from a series of natural hazards such as typhoons, droughts and serious rainstorms. For instance, the academic year 1962–63 was ushered in by typhoon Wanda, the worst and wettest typhoon Hong Kong had had for many years, which caused very extensive damage to the trees at DBS, although the buildings were only affected to a limited extent. When the boarders returned to the school on 2 September, they had to spend the afternoon clearing the school drive, which was completely blocked by fallen trees.38 Hong Kong had always been subjected to the threat of water shortages,‡ and in May 1963 the supply of water was reduced to four hours in every four days. The drinking water fountains which were installed in the school during Easter were never given a chance to prove their worth and boys had to bring their own water to school. The school’s water consumption was reduced drastically to one-seventh of the normal level. To save water, boys were not required to wear the uniform for the first time since its introduction in 1949

‡

There had always been a race between the building of more reservoirs and the rise in water consumption by an increasing population. An agreement reached with the government of Guangdong Province for an adequate supply of water each year from the East River ended the routine of water rationing in Hong Kong in 1981.

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and the number of days boys could wear the same shirt and trousers became something to boast about.39 Just imagine the aroma in the classrooms especially after PE lessons! Also, only sandwiches were available for lunch and dinners were served on paper-lined plates. 1964 was an exceptional year for typhoons. Typhoons Ruby, Sally, Tilda and Dot hit Hong Kong, one by one, within a month starting on 5 September, leaving behind a great deal of damage and many deaths — but fortunately DBS was spared.40 Winter is normally a dry season for Hong Kong, but this was not the case in the year 1971–72. A major redecoration of the school was started in December, but could not be completed until March because of the unseasonal weather that winter and morning assembly had to take place on the lawn during this period.41 No sooner had the redecoration been completed than the rainstorms came in May, partly flooding the school. Also, serious damage was caused by a landslide which severed the newly replaced main water pipe in three places, making it irreparable. As the school had no water supply and the preparatory room was flooded, all boarders had to be sent home until the main water pipe had been replaced. The landslide also dumped a large quantity of mud on the backyard of Grand Court on Kadoorie Avenue. In addition to concerns about further landslides and the need to remove the mud, there were also worries about possible lawsuits of negligence by the owner of the building. The headmaster had to delay his trip to England for almost one month to deal with this emergency, but fortunately the owner of the Grand Court was an old boy and the school only had to bear the cost of removing the earth from his property.42 In 1975, typhoon Carmen swept over Hong Kong and, as a result, parts of the roof of the school hall became insecure and it had to be closed for repair. During this period, morning assembly again took place on the lawn until the end of the winter term,43 and there was no speech day that year and the prize-giving ceremony was staged on the lawn.

The 1967 Riots During the unrest in 1967, DBS set up a tight security watch. New fences were put up; street lamps were installed along the drive; and a guard house was constructed inside the front gates with an inter-com system connected to the headmaster’s residence. Regular night and dawn patrols by senior boarders, sometimes led by the headmaster, watched over the school during these months. However, the school carried on its daily routines unaffected by external

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events. The students were keenly interested in and concerned with what was happening but they remained calm at all times. When some “posters” were found painted on the school steps on 16 October, they were immediately covered with a thin coat of cement. A special squad of prefects and senior boys was on duty on the evening before and the day of the fete to prepare for any possible troublemakers.44 By the end of 1968, people were again allowed to do their early morning exercises on the school playing field, a move welcomed by many people living nearby.45 An article, “The Drive”, by a Form 4 student observed that some of the morning walkers came with snacks and newspapers, and even dogs, leaving litter everywhere.46

Scholastic Activities In September 1962, Mr. Lowcock increased the number of classes for Form 6 from two to three: in addition to one arts class and one science class, a Form 6 General was introduced, offering a one-year course to prepare students for universities in North America.47 In anticipation of the arrival of mass education and following global trends in education, he broadened the curriculum for Forms 1 to 5 in the 1970s by encouraging integrated studies48 and introducing new subjects such as design and technology, commercial and industrial art, economics and principles of accountancy.49 The integrated science course, originally a Scottish scheme based on “student-centred” and “discovery” methods, was first introduced in Form 1 in 1973; and a new set of syllabuses for physics, chemistry and biology in Forms 4 and 5 was developed later as a continuation of the project. Another new subject, social studies, which integrated history, geography and EPA (economics and public affairs), was started in Form 1 in 1975 and was later extended to Forms 2 and 3.50 In 1980, a continuous assessment programme for English language was arranged for Forms 1–3. Students’ abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing were continuously assessed and their average marks, accompanied by the teachers’ comments, were sent to the parents whose signatures were required and responses encouraged. This programme was intended to demonstrate to the students that language learning is a continuous process, not something to be “swotted up” for an examination, and to make students and parents aware of progress or the lack of it.51 Mr. Lowcock summed up his observations on parents’ change of perception over time: in the 1960s, most parents wanted their sons to enter the medical profession; and in the 1970s, they favoured the financial sector. He lamented

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the students’ loss of interest in history and literature, which forced the school to discontinue these courses in upper forms and to make arrangements for the few who were keen on these subjects to attend such classes in DGS.52

Extracurricular Activities Mr. Lowcock believed strongly that extracurricular activities could make a very significant contribution to developing a boy’s character, but that whether these activities could achieve the desired goals was very dependent on how they were administered and the attitudes of the participants and, above all, of the parents and society in general.53 He argued further in a speech: It is on the athletic field as much as in the classroom that boys experience the thrill of victory, the despair of defeat, laughter, sweat, luck and desperation. They learn to play to win. They also learn that sometimes playing the game is just as important as or more important than winning. They learn how to lose graciously if not happily. They learn teamwork cooperation among friends; they learn fair play towards the enemy.54

His emphasis on extracurricular activities can be readily demonstrated in an article entitled “Our Headmaster” by Mr. J. L. Young Saye (pen-name Jayell), who wrote: In his early days, the H.M. took in hand two of his best boys, Chinese and old fashioned, book-worms both, and showed them there were other things besides books; they ultimately became top-flight athletes under his care, and went on to capture all sorts of honours at the University. On another occasion, a group of superb students applied for entrance to his Upper Six Form; they were loaded with distinctions and credits from a lower level examination. But our H.M. was positive that they would benefit more at another specialized school, and he told them so, giving them his own personal recommendations. And he could do this at a time when schools were scrambling for good examination results.55

On 24 January 1969, he organized a round-the-school race for the whole school as a centenary event,56 which led to the introduction in subsequent years of the annual “Apple Race”, so-called because the prizes were apples and apples only. However, its frequency was eventually reduced to once every two or three years. The aim of the race was to promote athletics among the students while the choice of apples as prizes was to enable the winners to share their awards with others. 57

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5.5 Round the School Race (predecessor of the Apple Race) in 1969

He also established the renowned DBS timing squad which, throughout the years, received numerous invitations for assistance in time-keeping at athletics and swimming meets. DBS received nothing but praise for the boys’ excellent discipline and exceptionally high standard of work. The timing squad proved to be “a jewel of the school”. Mr. Lowcock was an inspiration to all sports-minded boys and his contribution to school sport received due recognition when he was awarded an MBE.58

5.6

Timing squad at work in the late 1960s

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During Mr. Lowcock’s tenure, musical activities in the school also made great strides due largely to the hard work of Mr. H. H. Chang, a science master, and Mr. T. L. Kiang, an engineer-turned-musician. Mr. Chang organized not only the string orchestra for the school but also a music promotion society in 1962 to enhance music appreciation. Lunch-time concerts were resumed initially once a week, and later twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and many masterpieces were played throughout the year.59 Mr. T. L. Kiang succeeded Mr. Henry Li as music master in 1962. During his 28 years in DBS, Mr. Kiang built the foundations for the brilliant musical achievements of the school and expanded the categories in which it participated in the Schools Music Festival. He taught many talented and outstanding musicians, including the school’s current maestro, Mr. Ronnie Cheng. Up to this time, the school had produced only serious plays in English. Mr. Lowcock had considered producing one in Chinese ever since he became headmaster and had tried to press young teachers to help him realize his dream. After several failures, he finally succeeded in getting Mr. Y. W. Fung to take up the task. A Greek tragedy “Antigone” was staged in the City Hall on two successive evenings in March 1968, with 95% occupancy. Afterwards, the Chinese Student Weekly, an influential paper in educational circles, rated it highly and Rediffusion Television (now ATV) invited the team to help produce a special 30-minute programme on the play.60 The Olympus ( ), a monthly news-sheet founded by a group of boys and teachers in December 1963, was first published in the following January. It was discontinued in 1973, but revived in 1978 with the new title Not Rigmarole ( , see Chapter 12).

The Retirement of Mr. Lowcock During the latter part of his time as headmaster, Mr. Lowcock was in poor health although this did not jeopardize the smooth running of the school. His laissez faire philosophy had resulted in the emergence of a team of highly conscientious teachers, led by Mr. William Jacobsen and Mr. Jacland Lai, and many able students who helped to run DBS. The announcement of Mr. Lowcock’s retirement on 8 March 1983 came as a shock and sorrow for both the staff and pupils. Two petitions for him to stay, one organized by senior boys and another in the form of a letter with 800 signatures, were submitted to the bishop, unfortunately to no avail.

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Mr. Lowcock was loved by many students, especially those who had personal contact with him. He often helped poor students financially and did so discreetly to maintain their self-respect. In his residence, he set aside an air-conditioned room furnished with couches and equipped with a set of expensive turntable and speakers, over 100 records and several hundred books. There was an understanding, although not in the form of an explicit invitation, that boys could go there whenever they wanted to. He also left $1,000 worth of painting equipment in this room which had become self-perpetuating without rules, accounting or administration.61 His pay, as headmaster of a grant school, was not much better than that of an average teacher and his generosity left him with virtually no savings when he retired. With contributions from the DSOBA, the school and, in particular, a large sum from Dr. Pau Wing Iu Patrick, a home was bought for him in the New Territories, where he regained his health and has lived quietly since.62 Many of the students who received financial help from Mr. Lowcock never forgot his timely assistance and, after they had established themselves, sent him cheques to express their deep appreciation of his care and concern. He used the money to set up a “Happiness Fund” to continue the good work of giving financial assistance to needy students, but this fund came to an end in the late 1990s when government tightened up audit regulations and the balance was transferred to the Gift Day Fund Account.63 Based on his considerable experience in DBS from 1960 to 1966, Mr. Smyly once said: His strange power was to inspire and to charm, and this was felt equally by the newest boy from a resettlement area and by his colleagues on the staff. He was there and available to them all, and 24 hours a day. He sensed what a teacher could do almost before the teacher knew he could do it himself. Lowcock had a magic sense of knowing how well a young teacher could do what he had never done before, setting him the task, and letting him get on with it. And for new boys too he had an unerring feel for potential, picking out winners and high flyers very early in their school life; and often finding something that even the most unlikely boys could do outstandingly well.64

This last comment was perhaps the secret of Mr. Lowcock’s success.

Some Notable Graduates DBS had two outstanding brothers among the students in the 1960s: Prof. Huang Kin Henry ( ) of Class 67 and Mr. Huang Yin Hanson ( ) of

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Class 68. They were both senior prefects and were awarded scholarships to study in the USA. Henry, majoring in biology, became a scientist whose research on rapid gene sequencing technology placed him among the top scientists in the world; and Hanson read law at Harvard University and became well known soon after graduation. Hanson was invited to Beijing in the late 1970s, initially to teach and later to draft laws on international trade and investment. He left Beijing in the early 1980s, but on hearing that the Chinese government was unhappy that he had taken with him certain documents he had drafted (which had been cleared by the authorities), he returned to China to clarify his position and was arrested. In 1983, he was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for spying, initially jailed in Qincheng prison and subsequently transferred to Beijing under house arrest. When the Chinese government decided to put him on “parole”, he refused and declared that he would not leave the house unless the court reversed the verdict. He finally won the case in 1989 and returned to Hong Kong in 1992 without a trace of bitterness. During his imprisonment, Mr. Lowcock had written to Deng Xiaoping on his behalf without success. Throughout the years of house arrest, he had not ceased to serve the country, giving advice to all senior government officials who came to consult him on legal matters.65 On two separate occasions, 15 years apart, he made the same remark to one of the authors of this book — that this was but a small price some individuals had to pay for trying to bring about a major social change. Some of his students now rank among the top leaders in China. The school’s emphasis on extracurricular activities perhaps led some students and alumni to develop into well known artists. For example, Mr. George Lam ( ) became a famous pop singer from the 1980s and ) is generally perceived to be the Mr. Wong Kee Kwan ( most popular political cartoonist in present-day Hong Kong. Many old boys of the 1960s have been very active in politics and public service in recent years. Several have served on the Executive Council and/or the Legislative Council. In 2008, two were elected members of the National People’s Congress, PRC, and at least seven were appointed as members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

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The Period 1961–83: a Summary This era was an exciting and challenging period in the educational history of Hong Kong with numerous changes being implemented by the ED to cope with the rapid increase in the student population. Mr. Lowcock did his best to cope with all the new demands and became a constant voice reminding the government — which was aiming at providing equal opportunities in education for all — that while this policy was ideal, it should not be achieved at the expense of the quality of education. During his tenure, though DBS lost its primary classes it gained an equivalent number of secondary school students, but it no longer had the freedom to choose its own students or admit international students. He was steadfast in striving for freedom in the management of the school and in upholding the tradition in DBS of providing an “all-round education” for young people. Extracurricular activities flourished during his term, especially in sport: indeed, it was excellence in extracurricular activities, particularly sports, that continued to distinguish DBS from other schools in the territory.

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6 Moving with the Times (1983–2000)

Having received Mr. Lowcock’s letter of resignation, the School Committee immediately set up a search committee for a suitable successor. It was decided that the candidate should be “a youngish man, certainly a graduate and a practising Christian and probably an Anglican”. The position was advertised locally and internationally, as an overseas appointment was not precluded.1 When the advertisements failed to attract suitable candidates, the search committee invited Mr. William Jacobsen and Mr. Lai Chak Lun Jacland, the two serving deputy headmasters, to apply, and both responded. In the end, the School Committee decided to offer the appointment to Mr. Lai2 and a year later Mr. Jacobsen was appointed headmaster of S. K. H. Li Ping Secondary School.3 Mr. Lai became the headmaster in the academic year 1983–84. Mr. Lai received most of his secondary school education at DBS. After graduating from HKU, he returned to his alma mater as a teacher in 1962. His deep-rooted associations with the school ran through his entire family: all his brothers were old boys; his wife was a former teacher at the school; and their two children went to DGS and DBS. During his tenure, he worked quietly, assiduously and co-operatively with the authorities in meeting the numerous challenges arising from the education reforms initiated by the ED to try to improve the quality of education.

Sociopolitical Setting By the early 1980s, Hong Kong was approaching the limits of labour-intensive industrialization. When China and other parts of Southeast Asia began to

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6.1

Mr. Jacland Lai

develop, Hong Kong had to diversify its economy and introduce more sophisticated industries. The labour-intensive manufacturing industries were moved southwards to Southeast Asia and northwards to the Pearl Delta and beyond, leaving room for industries that required more skill, such as quality printing, to develop. This period saw a steady decline in the contribution of the manufacturing sector to Hong Kong’s gross domestic product (GDP) while the finance and service sectors grew rapidly. By the second half of the 1980s, it became obvious that these “new economies” required workers with a higher level of education and technical skill. By 1997, about 5 million workers in China were employed by Hong Kong companies4 as an intricate and mutually beneficial economic nexus had developed between Hong Kong and the Mainland. The thorny issue of the expiry of the New Territories lease in 1997 was always present, but seldom openly discussed. Matters started to come to a head when an official visit by MacLehose to Beijing in 1979 initiated the process that eventually led to formal negotiations between Britain and China on the future of Hong Kong. In December 1982, anticipating the changes to come, and in preparation for the negotiations, the National People’s Congress

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passed a new constitution with an article amended for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, providing for the establishment of “special administrative regions” when necessary. The negotiations, formally started in July 1983, showed no sign of progress in the first nine months. It was not until April 1984 when the British no longer insisted on the retention of sovereignty after 1997 that they moved forward. This eventually led to the 1984 Joint Sino-British Declaration, which stated that the status quo would remain until 1 July 1997 when the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region would be established under the PRC; and that “one country, two systems” would be maintained for at least 50 years. Though some people in Hong Kong expressed reservations, the majority accepted it and looked forward to building a future on the basis of the Joint Declaration. When the Tiananmen Incident occurred on 4 June 1989, Hongkongers reacted with a mixture of anger, fear and despair: their confidence in China and Hong Kong’s future was shattered by the manner in which the Mainland authorities handled this situation. Family after family began to seek migration to countries such as Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore — in fact to just about anywhere they could secure a new passport! The impact of the Tiananmen Incident on Hong Kong also resulted in: (1) 50,000 key people holding essential positions in Hong Kong and their dependents being given UK citizenship; (2) the hastening of the process of democratization of Hong Kong by the British; and (3) the government’s introduction of a Bill of Rights in 1990, incorporating provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as applicable to Hong Kong.5 Christopher Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, who took office in 1992, was a political heavyweight. As chairman of the British Conservative Party, he had played a crucial role in steering it to victory with John Major as the prime minister. Dissatisfied with the way in which the previous administration had handled policy on Hong Kong and China, Major asked Patten to take up the governorship hoping that he, as a politician, would handle the volatile political situation in Hong Kong with a surer hand. In order to win the support of the people after the Tiananmen Incident, Patten tried to increase the degree of democratization by proposing a number of reforms before 1997 that were not forbidden by the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, but they were to prove completely unacceptable to the Chinese government. The social and political tensions created by these efforts are still being felt in this decade. In response to the lessons learned from the Tiananmen Incident, the Chinese government adopted a lower profile and concentrated on its economic

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development. People were given more freedom in their daily lives and critical comments were tolerated as long as they were limited to chitchat and not put into writing or translated into action. These measures led to a considerable improvement in the livelihood of the people within a few years. The boycotts imposed by Western countries were lifted one after another, and China emerged as the “factory of the world” in the 1990s and its GDP consistently grew at a rate of about 10% a year. By 1997, the year of the handover, the people of Hong Kong had regained their confidence and the territory’s economy picked up again. As one of the largest trading centres in the world, its GDP per capita was comparable to that of Britain at the time of the transition. The economic meltdown in Southeast and East Asia towards the end of the year caught everyone by surprise, including the newly “elected” Chief Executive, Mr. Tung CheeWah, and the last two years of the millennium witnessed Hong Kong plunging into a deep recession.

Educational Development and Challenges to DBS The demographic, economic and political changes in Hong Kong in the previous three decades had resulted in the rapid development of educational policies. For example, the government started to implement the provision of nine years free and compulsory education for all in 1978; and, through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it invited an International Panel of Visitors to conduct an overall review of the education system in Hong Kong in 1981. After visiting the colony twice and meeting with people from various professions, the panel submitted a report entitled “A Perspective on Education in Hong Kong”, which was released in 1983. The OECD report suggested that Hong Kong should: (1) establish a comprehensive language policy for the education system; (2) improve the quantity and quality of the teaching service; (3) relieve the strain of the present examination system on both teachers and students; (4) diversify educational opportunities available beyond Form Upper 6; and (5) build up a standing capability for conducting research, to analyse and formulate policy options, and to plan developments. In the following year, the government instituted the Education Commission (EC) to coordinate the development of education at different levels and to give advice on educational policies.6 In the early 1980s, there were only two universities, HKU and CUHK, each with about 4,500 students. Following the English tradition, HKU was a

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three-year university admitting students who passed the A-level examination after a two-year matriculation course whereas CUHK adhered to the Chinese pattern, offering four-year university degrees and admitting students who passed the H-level examination at the end of a one-year matriculation course. The expansion of higher education arose partly from the increasing demand from secondary school graduates, but it was also driven by the urgent need for highly educated and skilled workers in a great variety of fields caused partly by the loss of human resources through emigration in the late 1980s. There was a strong public call for more universities, more students and more new courses in order to curb the trend of school-leavers going abroad to further their studies. As a result, by the mid-1990s, Hong Kong had 10 degree-granting institutions, eight under the University Grants Committee, plus the Open Learning Institute (later University) of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, giving students a much greater variety of choices in higher education. Increasing academic interaction also took place between Hong Kong and the Mainland with the exchange of staff and students at the tertiary and, especially, the postgraduate level.7 At the same time, the decline in the number of schoolchildren due to successful family planning, the migration of families overseas and tighter border immigration control enabled the government to pay greater attention to the quality of education. From 1984 to 1997, the EC systematically reviewed in depth various parts of the system and issued seven reports, known as the Education Commission Reports (ECRs), covering a range of issues with the above aims in mind. While not all these reports and their recommendations were to have any immediate or direct effects on DBS, some of them — which resulted in a shift in the government’s thinking — did pose challenges to the school and caused it to change significantly.

ECR1 (1984) The “fiery decade” of the 1970s under the governance of MacLehose had turned Hong Kong into a much more liberal society than before. By the early 1980s, Hong Kong citizens found themselves in the peculiar situation of having a great deal of freedom but not much democracy, which they expected to increase with time — a sentiment which the OECD members sympathized with and endorsed in their report. In response, the EC’s first report concentrated on the JSEA system for allocating Form 4 places. As the system was considered to be unfair and have adverse effects on students and the curriculum, the EC followed the advice of the OECD panel and recommended its abolition in

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1991.8 Mr. Lai, in summing up the effects of the first four reports on the school in a speech delivered on the speech day on 16 January 1996, maintained that the JSEA had very little effect on DBS as it had been able to retain at least 95% of its Form 3 students for progression to Form 4.9 Around the time of the publication of ECR1, there was a movement to promote school extracurricular activities. The government took this opportunity to try to foster social awareness among students and to promote civic education in schools through these activities. As the government’s intention was to embark on democratization in Hong Kong after the SinoBritish negotiations so as to build as strong as possible a safeguard for the way of life of its citizens, schools were encouraged to set up student unions and to develop civic consciousness among students. After years of de-politicization of the curriculum, this “about turn” led to the ED issuing a pamphlet entitled “Guidelines on Civic Education in Schools” in August 1985 to help promote democratization. These developments brought about significant changes in schools, including DBS: for the first time, it became politically acceptable to discuss politics in school. Following a speech on “Education and Democracy in Hong Kong” by Prof. C. Y. To* of CUHK on the speech day in 1985, 10 two articles on civic education appeared in the 1989 issue of Steps, one by a student11 and the other by a teacher;12 and more articles by students on politics and democracy were published in the magazine after the turn of the century. Besides being more politically conscious, students in Hong Kong also showed a greater interest in extracurricular activities in general and in public speaking and debating in particular. Mr. Lai mentioned in one of his annual reports that the number of student-initiated clubs in DBS had escalated from 23 in 1984 to 41 in 1991.13 In the 1990s, DBS students participated in the Hong Kong Model United Nations, an event organized by the Island School, which attracted many delegates from schools in different parts of Asia, Europe and North America. In the simulated United Nations General Assembly, students acted as representatives of specific countries, and this required them not only to be knowledgeable about current world affairs, but also to present their cases logically, clearly and concisely, as well as think on their feet in the debates. In 1995, the school team was selected as one of the five best delegations;14 and in the following year, out of more than 40 delegations, DBS came second after the team from China.15

*

The editor of Steps had the name of the speaker wrong.

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ECR2 (1986) In the summer of 1984, CUHK launched the Provisional Acceptance Scheme (PAS) whereby places were offered to Lower 6 students based on their Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) results, provided that they did reasonably well in the H-level Examination that year. The director of education criticized this scheme in April 1985 as it created wastage in Form 7 places in many Anglo-Chinese schools16 and HKU responded in November 1985 by approving proposals to lengthen its first-degree courses to four years. In DBS, the loss of some good students after Lower 6 did affect the smooth running of the daily routines, especially the organization of extracurricular activities. Mr. Lai must have been very frustrated when he made the following remarks in a speech delivered at the speech day on 19 December 1986: Undoubtedly, this is a manifestation of the autonomy the university enjoys. The Chinese University also enjoyed full autonomy in introducing the PAS to cream off the high-flyers from secondary schools. Now one interpretation of HKU’s decision would be that it sets out to win back some of the brightest pupils that have been channelled into the Chinese University through the PAS.17

Faced with this problem, the EC proposed extensive changes in sixthform education in the ECR2. The EC did not feel it necessary to change the secondary and tertiary structure from 5–2–3 to 3–3–4, believing that the sixth form should be a self-contained educational experience as it had real value for those students who did not proceed to university. A working party was set up in 1988 to look into the matter and it recommended that: (1) a uniform twoyear sixth form course should be adopted in all types of secondary schools; and (2) a new examination, the Advanced Supplementary Level (AS-level), to be taken at the same time as the A-level examinations, should be introduced. The new AS-level scheme, which aimed to widen the scope of studies in Form 6, took effect from 1992.18 To meet this new challenge, the school replaced the one-year Lower 6 General with a two-year Form 6 Science in 1989 so that, by 1990, there were two science classes and one arts class each for Lower and Upper Form 6. Form 5 boys welcomed this arrangement as their chances of pursuing matriculation studies at the school and, hence, entry into the local tertiary institutions, were greatly increased.19 This change was in line with the government policy. In September 1992, following the recommendations of ECR2, DBS introduced AS-level subjects into the sixth-form curriculum. In addition to

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the two compulsory subjects, the Use of English and Chinese Language and Culture, all boys were required to take two AS-level and two A-level subjects instead of just three A-level subjects in the two-year matriculation course. In the same year, DBS accepted an invitation from the ED to start the A-level Computer Science course and the AS-level Computer Applications course, with extra computers being installed20 for this pilot project.

ECR3 (1988) The educational scene in Hong Kong changed along with the political situation after the signing of the Joint Declaration in 1984. Up to this point the “patriotic” schools in Hong Kong had been treated quite differently by the government because of their political inclination. They had to remain as private schools, no matter how good they were and they had no hope of receiving any subsidy from the government; but in November 1985, these schools started to look for an alternative situation which would permit them to receive subsidies while maintaining their independence.21 At that time there were three main types of private secondary schools: (1) the non-profit-making schools, which received indirect assistance from the government and were being converted by stages to fully aided status; (2) the independent schools, including those with “bought places”, which were entirely self-financed; and (3) the “international” schools, which did not follow the local curriculum as they catered for students wishing to continue their studies overseas. The government had been “buying places” from some of the independent private schools in order to provide sufficient places for all students. As the government intended to phase out the “bought place scheme” completely by 2000 and, at the same time, the demand for international school places was growing, there was a need to help the independent private schools to develop in a rapidly changing society.22 To solve these problems, the EC, in its third report, proposed the introduction of a new direct subsidy scheme (DSS) for independent private schools which had attained a sufficiently high educational standard. The idea behind this scheme was to encourage the growth of a strong private sector by giving it maximum freedom in curriculum development, the fees charged and the student intake, while providing subsidies. Although it was primarily intended for independent private schools, to which the “patriotic schools” belonged, international schools and aided schools were also eligible.23 It is of interest to note that Singapore had conceived of a similar idea in the mid1980s and had put it into practice successfully in the second half of the decade.

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Both the Subsidized and the Grant Schools Councils advised their members against changing to the DSS, considering the package offered to be “unattractive and incomprehensive”. At the time when DBS was invited to join the DSS, one of the School Committee’s major concerns was the upward trend in student migration overseas. Moreover, by becoming part of the DSS, the school would be solely responsible for the maintenance of the buildings, grounds and slopes and partly for the teachers’ salaries and provident fund at a time when many of them had reached the top of their pay scales. A careful calculation of the income and expenditure for the following six years based on the school joining the DSS showed that there would be a large annual deficit. The School Committee, therefore, declined the offer, even though the representative from the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) assured the School Committee that all the restrictions laid down in the ED circulars on the DSS were negotiable.24

ECR4 (1990) The recommendations of ECR4 centred on curriculum development, but the report also dealt with behavioural problems in schools. The EC recommended that corporal punishment be abolished.25 As caning had been an established tradition in DBS and was seen as an effective punishment because it called for the personal attention of the headmaster, the School Committee asked the headmaster to “write to the Commission expressing the Committee’s opposition to the proposed abolition of punishment with particular reference to our tradition of caning”.26 However, the Executive Council declared on 10 September 1991 that corporal punishment in all schools in HK was illegal, thus ending the tradition of caning in DBS.27

ECR5 (1992) The fifth report was devoted to a single topic “The Teaching Profession”. It recommended the establishment of a new “Institute of Education”, which was welcomed by Mr. Lai as he believed that this would provide further opportunities for in-service training of the teaching staff and there would be more qualified teachers in the profession. He further pointed out that as a result, the school had four additional teachers in the years from 1992 to 1996, thus enabling it to provide the students with a wider choice of subjects and better support services such as guidance, counselling and school-based induction programmes.28

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ECR6 (1995) The sixth report focused on a strategy for enhancing language proficiency in Hong Kong and discussed, for example, the expatriate English teacher scheme, benchmark qualifications for language teachers, the extension of putonghua teaching to all schools and the medium of instruction in secondary schools29 (for long a contentious issue).The report aroused considerable public debate in the pre-handover period, but had little immediate effect on DBS.

ECR7 (1997) ECR7, which came out shortly after the handover, was entitled “Quality School Education”. The major recommendations, which formed the basis of subsequent education reforms, included: (1) setting goals for education and developing indicators for self-evaluation and comparison among schools; (2) putting in place a quality assurance mechanism, both internally by individual schools and externally by the ED; (3) providing funding flexibility to facilitate school-based management and to make the DSS attractive to aided schools; (4) providing incentives to encourage quality school education by offering awards to outstanding schools and individuals and setting up support units in the EMB; (5) raising the professional standards of principals and teachers by setting up a General Teaching Council and encouraging principals and teachers to continually improve themselves; and (6) implementing related reforms pertaining to, for example, curriculum development and assessment methods. The EC also recommended that the government should devolve as much administrative and financial authority as possible to all schools and encourage school-based reforms. A new education reform movement, which started in the USA in the 1980s and spread worldwide in the 1990s, was part of the neo-liberal agenda of “marketization” in a post-industrial economy, and Hong Kong had become involved in this movement when it instituted the EC in 1984. The seven reports produced by the EC in the years 1984–97 not only pointed to the direction of reform, but also outlined its procedures. The scale and speed of education reform increased dramatically after 1997. Even as early as 1998, Mr. Lai, along with many other principals, complained that the new initiatives based on the EC reports left little time for school administrators and teachers to consider and respond to them. The issues he cited included the banding policy, the DSS scheme, the school management initiative (SMI) and the medium of instruction (MOI) policies. In a speech delivered on 16 January he said:

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What is most disturbing lies with the inconsistency in implementing policies the ED is pursuing. On one hand, the ED encourages schools to make decisions of their own based on what is best for their own students. On the other hand, it exercises its full authority over its education partners on MOI, deciding the fate of all these schools and ending their traditions.30

Amalgamation with DPS: Second Attempt The government’s tightening control on school management since the 1960s and the advent of mass education in the 1970s, coupled with the more egalitarian approach to the allocation of secondary school places, placed considerable pressure on both DBS and DPS. The SSPA affected both schools as DPS graduates might not be able to get into DBS while DBS had to admit students who might not be compatible with the ethos of the school. Notwithstanding the failure of the first attempt to amalgamate in the mid1960s, a new effort was made in the 1990s in response to the changes ushered in by the various Education Commission Reports. On 8 February 1996, the School Committee was informed that DPS had for some years wanted to add an extra stream of Primary 1–6 to its present 12class school and that permission had been granted by the ED to phase in one additional class per year for a six-year period to achieve this aim. The DPS Council had planned to build additional classrooms but it lacked the land on which to expand as the trustees of the Church of England had decided not to assign further land to DPS. One possible solution was to move DPS to DBS. The School Committee, in agreeing to this arrangement, made it clear that: (1) the existing DPS management would be responsible for all the expenses of moving DPS to the DBS site; and (2) DPS would have to become part of DBS, meaning that DPS would be managed by the DBS Committee.31 This decision by the DBS Committee was probably based on the view of Bishop Peter Kwong who was opposed in principle to any arrangement by which separate schools shared the same site and would, therefore, not allow two schools on the DBS site.32 However, the bishop’s view was not made known clearly at that time. Mr. Lai, as supervisor of DPS, wrote to the ED on 7 March 1996 about the above intention, applying for funds to cover the capital costs of the new school building. On 8 May 1996, the DPS Council asked Mr. Lai to advise the DBS Committee that it would be wise to let the council continue to exist even if in name only, and that on taking over, the DBS Committee should be prepared to re-employ all DPS staff on the same terms of service.33

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A DPS Redevelopment Sub-Committee, which included its supervisor and the headmistress, was formed under the School Committee and held six meetings between 3 July 1996 and 6 January 1997. At the School Committee meeting on 18 February 1997, the following reports were noted: (1) the general plan of the new DPS building was submitted to the Buildings Department on 30 October 1996; (2) having heard from the ED on 27 November 1996 that it had no objection in principle, another letter was sent on 2 December 1996 to ask for permission to hold fund-raising activities; (3) C. Y. Kwan and Co. would clarify any legal matters with the government; and (4) the DPS Council wished to be informed promptly of any decisions or developments relating to the proposed relocation of DPS.34 Between 18 February and 5 June 1997, many developments took place in the DPS Redevelopment Sub-Committee and in the DPS Council. The former met twice, setting up an account for funds raised and targeting July 1999 as the month for the completion of the new school. A lawyer was then appointed to represent DPS in legal matters related to the project but, in the process, the DPS Redevelopment Sub-Committee appeared not to have paid sufficient attention to point 4 of the minutes of the School Committee meeting mentioned above. The DPS Council also met twice. During the first meeting on 15 May 1997, the chairman raised the following issues for discussion: the future of the land, the proximity of the new school to Christ Church, the future of the DPS Council, the structure of the new school, the sub-committees and the effect of fund-raising on the school’s reputation. Although the land issue was the crux of the problem, the feelings of the council members were also of paramount importance. The piece of land on which DPS sits was owned by the Church of England and was divided into three parts in the 1970s, with DPS occupying the centre and the vicarage and Christ Church on either side. There was a fear that once DPS was moved to DBS, the school building and the land might be taken back by the government, given to another voluntary body and/or be used for quite different purposes, thus causing difficulties for the church. In addition, many members did not want to lose the school and were unhappy about the way the matter was being handled. At its second meeting on 4 June 1997, the following motion was moved by the chairman and duly seconded, but voting was deferred until 17 June 1997 pending the decisions of the Church of England trustees, the Christ Church Council and the DBS Committee: That this Council suspends the project to relocate and develop DPS, including all fund raising activities related thereto, pending consideration

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and resolution of questions relating to the future of the land assigned to DPS, the future role of the Church in the life of the school, and the proposed dissolution of DPS as a separate body, and pending the full and express authorization of any such relocation and development by this Council.35

On 5 June 1997, the Rev. Michael Simpson (vicar of Christ Church, chairman of the DPS Council and a member of the DBS Committee) informed Bishop Louis Tsui in writing that a substantial proportion of the members of the council disagreed with the proposed move to DBS partly on the grounds that some basic questions had not been resolved, but “the principal reason for unhappiness with the project is the manner in which sub-committees have been functioning, plans have been made, publicity given and funds raised, at very high speed and without due process of consultation with the controlling body, the DPS Council itself”. He then went on to explain: … in spite of the Council having given an initial approval in principle for the project, there has been no specific approval of the formation and constitution and membership of the Redevelopment Sub-Committee … nor of the formation and membership of the Fund-Raising Committee … I cannot admire the seeming contempt for the authority of the DPS Council, or the arrogance which appears to presume that the Council will rubberstamp anything the Redevelopment Sub-Committee or the Fund Raising Committee does and which is reported at some later date.36

The DPS Council finally decided to suspend the relocation project on 17 June 1997. It was most unfortunate that a co-operative project which was meant to cement together two sibling schools should end up in this way. Although Bishop Tsui, acting chairman (later chairman, see Chapter 1), remarked towards the end of the meeting that the whole issue was a domestic one, within a small area of the diocese, and expressed the hope that, with love, mutual respect and forgiveness, it would eventually be settled amicably by all parties concerned, the DPS Council issued a strongly worded statement in January 1998. Mrs. Sylvia Cheung resigned from the position of headmistress of DPS after this.37 Meanwhile, during this same period, the government was increasing its efforts to encourage aided schools to take part in the DSS by introducing much more attractive terms. In October 1998, the headmaster had three meetings with the representatives of the EMB and the ED to discuss the government’s offer of building a primary school within the DBS campus. On 10 November 1998, the School Committee agreed in principle to accept the government’s offer, subject to: (1) the slopes near the chosen site being

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structurally sound (to be determined by a detailed investigation); (2) the project being wholly financed by the government (except for the cost of furniture and equipment); and (3) the lease being open to legal modification. The School Committee appointed a former senior prefect, Mr. Thomas Chow, as the architect and formed a sub-committee to monitor the project.38 The formal application, together with architectural drawings, was forwarded to the ED via the EMB on 29 December 1998 and the Preliminary Project Feasibility Study Report for a 24-classroom primary school was sent to the ED on 25 October 1999. Based on this report, the ED replied on 10 November 1999 that a sum of $129.31 million had been granted and asked the school to proceed with the project. As the new primary school (now called “division”) was to be part of DBS, modification of the lease was not necessary,39 and so DBS was finally set to have its own primary division in the new millennium.

DBS under Mr. Lai Chak Lun Jacland (1983–2000) Administration During the period of Mr. Lai’s tenure, because of political instability in Hong Kong, there was a high turnover of teachers and students. Despite this, the number of students crept up from 1,168 in 1983 to 1,353 in 2000, but the number of boarders declined further from 65 to 36, reflecting the paucity of international students resulting from the government policy introduced in the late 1960s. To boost school morale, Mr. Lai worked very hard to establish more scholarships, prizes and awards for achievement in both scholastic and extracurricular activities, and by 1995 there were 65 internal scholarships for 80 recipients.40 Although increasing affluence allowed many parents to send their children on study tours to North America or England to experience different cultures and improve their English language skills, not all parents could afford to do so. Therefore, from 1988, the school provided funds and nominated boys to participate in competitions, training courses or leadership camps in different parts of the world.41 In 1999, for example, several students were awarded free trips to the Mainland, Japan, Romania and the USA, with the selection based on various qualities such as ability, achievements or leadership, or all three.42 There has always been a tradition of closeness, co-operation and harmony between the school and the parents, a tradition which was enhanced by the

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introduction of the school fete in 1955 by the Rev. George She. However, there had never been any formal occasion when parents were invited to the school to meet with the teachers until 12 January 1993, when a “Parents’ Day” was organized for the first time, with a participation rate of 88.6%, demonstrating the parents’ keen support.43 The school celebrated its 130th anniversary with a Home-coming Concert in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 16 July 1999. In this event, guest performers from DGS, DPS, HYS and Good Hope School were invited to participate in the mixed choirs. It ended with Wagner’s Tannhäuser overture presented by the chorus and the full orchestra, while the six house banners with the school crest in the middle were flying at full mast.44

The Campus In May 1984, DBS signed a three-year agreement with the Hong Kong Cricket Association by which, in exchange for its use of the school field on Saturdays and occasional Sundays, the association would be responsible for maintaining it.45 As this agreement was of mutual benefit, it was renewed annually until August 2000. In 1985, the resurfacing of the tennis courts, with a generous gift from the DSOBA, was completed;46 and in 1986, the school was re-wired and the school drive reconstructed.47 Finally, in the summer of 1989, the old basketball court and the car park area in front of the tuck shop were also resurfaced and part of the steps leading to Prince Edward Road, which had been steadily and seriously deteriorating due to the leakage of sewage pipes underneath, were rebuilt.48 From the summer of 1988 onwards, no fewer than seven developers showed interest in re-developing the DBS site. Numerous meetings with these developers were convened, but they led to nothing, the major obstacle being the “plot ratio” (floor area per unit land area), which the government fixed at 0.6, considerably lower than what the developers had hoped for.49 In the early 1990s, as construction in neighbouring areas produced a great deal of noise and inconvenience, the school had to install airconditioning. By way of compensation, in 1994, Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation offered to pay the cost for that part of the school closest to the railway.50 By September 1995, the whole school, including the hall and the dormitories, was completely airconditioned at a cost of $5.3 million,51 and the ED granted permission for the school to collect a specific, annual air-conditioning fee of $400 per student.52 Other major repairs carried out during Mr. Lai’s tenure included the reroofing of the front wings of the main building in March 1995 and the

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repainting of the whole school in June of the same year. As the government paid for these repairs, they were carried out by government-appointed contractors, who were handed the impossible task of completing the work on all schools within several weeks in the summer. The work at DBS was not completed until November.53 Also, with the aim of preserving the grandeur of the main building, its façade was given “a face-lift” and the lighting in the hall was redesigned in 1997.54

6.2

The hall with new ceiling lights and House banners

Scholastic Activities As soon as he took over the reins, Mr. Lai re-introduced the mid-year examination, which had been discontinued by his predecessor, for all classes except those sitting for public examinations.55 In September 1984, the ED gave DBS 12 Apple IIe computers to start a course on computer studies and, in March 1985, IBM offered 20 IBM PC1 computers and educational software to enable the school to embark on the DBS–IBM partnership programme.56 The language laboratory, planned in Mr. Lowcock’s time, which allowed the teacher to communicate with 24 students individually and each student to listen to his own recorded voice, was completed for use in January 1985.57

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The library had undergone several major refurbishments over the years. From 1989, it was partitioned into the “book” section and the “reading and studying” section, and was managed by a trained teacher-librarian, assisted by a full-time assistant librarian and a group of student librarians. In 1997, the library, which was equipped with a photocopier, a bookbinder and a laminator, housed 8,000 books, teaching aids, educational tapes and CDs.58 Recognizing the significant role of art and design in daily life, the school brought the course on art, design and technology up to the HKCEE level in 1998. Boys taking this course helped to design the DBS garden fete logos and participated in art, design and sand sculpture competitions. A Form 4 boy won the Grant Schools Council Logo Design Competition that year.59 The year 1999 may be considered the point at which DBS entered the age of information technology (IT) when computer-generated report sheets replaced the blue report books and the initial stage of IT installation took place.60 Staff development days were introduced into local schools in the 1980s and became fairly common in the early 1990s. DBS organized its first staff development day in December 1999 when a senior lecturer from the Institute of Education was invited to conduct a workshop on “Teacher appraisal” as part of the quality education and school-based management the ED encouraged schools to adopt.61 During Mr. Lai’s term, DBS achieved excellence in scholastic work as well as in extracurricular activities. Before 1983, the percentage of students passing the HKCEE fluctuated between 75% and 85%; but after 1983, it was between 85% and 95%, and in 2000, DBS achieved a 100% pass-rate for the first time in its history (see Graph 11.3). An increasing number of students received distinctions in various subjects each year in both the HKCEE and the A-level matriculation examination which, in turn, led to more DBS students being accepted into top universities worldwide. Also, their performance at university often brought honour to the school and their teachers. In 1990, two boys performed very well at Stanford University and were given the honour of inviting their secondary school teachers who were “most influential in guiding them during the formative stages of their academic careers” to the award luncheon;62 and in 1994, the teacher of another boy at Cornell University was invited to attend a two-day reception and seminar.63

6.3

Staff group photo, 1993–94

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Speech Day in the late 1990s

Extracurricular Activities Extracurricular activities continued to flourish under Mr. Lai’s administration: student-initiated clubs multiplied during this period as there was a keen interest in activities beyond sport and music, such as debates, elocution and drama. In the year 1990–91, DBS obtained 18 firsts, nine seconds and 15 thirds in the Annual Schools Speech Festival.64 The self-edited student newspaper Not Rigmarole and the annual magazine Steps exemplified students’ continuing strong interest in publishing, and in 1985, Steps was named the best school magazine of the year by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).65 In sport, the effect of re-introducing school colours in 1991 was obvious as, a year later, DBS won the Omega Rose Bowl (now known as BOCHK Bauhinia Bowl) for being the overall champion in inter-school sports competitions for the first time in 18 years; and then the school went on to win six more times in the following seven years.66 In 1994–95 the school not only won all the three most prestigious titles — namely swimming, athletics and the Omega Rose Bowl — but also emerged as the champion in lifesaving, volleyball and basketball.67 Finally, in 1997–98, the school scored a double grand slam in swimming and athletics as well as wining five out of 10 Division 1 championships.68

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In music, the School Chinese Orchestra was the only overseas group invited to perform at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on 29 September 1996 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the British Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech. The audience was highly impressed by the sound of the Chinese instruments and the way they were played and the school received many letters of congratulations. After this performance, the students had the opportunity to visit many places in England and France, all funded by the School Committee.69 DBS had received major honours in music over the years but in 2000 it achieved even more, with the orchestra, choirs and ensembles together winning 14 titles.70

The Retirement of Mr. Lai Mr. Lai retired in 2000 after holding the position for a period of 17 years. Assisted by Mr. M. Rosario, Mr. C. S. Mak, Mr. T. L. Kiang and Mr. C. K. Yung, he followed the same direction as his predecessors and led DBS to new heights in both academic and non-academic pursuits. On 24 September 1983, about two months after he became headmaster, he said at the DSOBA: DBS has the tradition of relating a Christian education to the ever changing life of our community. Based on the principle of “To serve and not to be served”, DBS has produced many community leaders, who, in one way or another, have helped to shape Hong Kong as it is today. Secondly, DBS has been offering students opportunities to grow in their own way into the very best, in both academic and non-academic pursuits … Thirdly, there is an openness in DBS on the part of the teachers — a quality that fosters a sense of trust among parents and students alike … Lastly, the deep sense of loyalty and love that students, both past and present, have for their School, is unparalleled and is the envy of many … I intend to preserve all these traditions that have made DBS unique.71

Mr. Lai kept his promise to preserve all the traditions and also the campus, which had remained essentially unchanged over the years. Despite the dwarfing of the school by new surrounding developments, and the virtual loss of the vista from the school on top of a hill, he was unperturbed. According to Mr. Edward Wan, the honorary treasurer of the School Committee, Mr. Lai was very careful about how he spent the school funds. To maintain a school campus of such a size with slopes on all sides had been expensive and it was not easy to obtain funding from the government for repairs. Mr. Lai patiently

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conducted major repairs to several parts of the school building to keep it functional. These virtues of conservation and of “not borrowing’ in a period of economic and political uncertainty, while wise, had left the campus looking its age despite its inner vibrancy.

A Notable Graduate The school has produced many excellent musicians in its history, but so far the most outstanding violinist of international repute among the old boys is Mr. Lee Chuan Yun (Li Chuanyun ), whose talent was nurtured in Mr. Lai’s era in the 1990s. After listening to Li in March 2004, Ruggiero, the violinist maestro, concluded: “If China wants to have a great violinist, they have one … This boy should have a great career. He has a fantastic violinist capability … He’s got all the requisites.”72

The Period 1983–2000: a Summary This era covered the tenure of Mr. Lai and coincided with the time at which the government was changing its educational policy from an emphasis on increasing quantity to improving quality, without loosening its restrictions on grant schools. With the steady hand of Mr. Lai at the helm, DBS sailed smoothly through these challenging times. Mr. Lai’s devotion to DBS, his perseverance and his compassion for the students gained him wide respect in both the school and wider educational circles in Hong Kong. It was during this period that the school’s performance in academic and extracurricular activities reached such a high standard that it became confident in its ability to meet new challenges outside Hong Kong. At the end of his tenure, the school was poised to enter the new millennium and to make a historic change.

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7 Meeting New Challenges (2000 to the Present)

With the turn of the millennium, DBS entered a new stage of development as Mr. Chang Cheuk Cheung Terence took over as its ninth headmaster in August 2000. He had served as headmaster in three other schools (Po Leung Kuk 83 Directors’ College, 1984–87; Po Leung Kuk Tang Yuk Tien College, 1987–88; and Jockey Club Ti-I College, 1989–2000) before returning to his alma mater. He received his B.A. from HKU, Diploma in Education from CUHK and M.Ed. from Harvard University. Being the headmaster of his alma mater has been a real challenge for him as he has presided over some of the most profound and exciting changes in the school in a period when Hong

7.1

Mr. Terence Chang

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Kong was hit hard by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, troubled by the government’s intention to introduce a national security bill and faced with unprecedented educational reforms.

Sociopolitical Setting The three decades of continuous growth with its new policy of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” (pragmatic socialism) that straddled the new millennium saw China rising to become a major economic and political power. In the past, people in Hong Kong viewed the Mainland as something of a backwater, but this soon changed after the turn of the century when Hong Kong had to seek help from the motherland to improve its economy. Hong Kong fared poorly for the first few years after the handover in 1997, with the economic meltdown in East and Southeast Asia that year persisting into the new century. Adding to the misery, in the spring of 2003, Hong Kong found itself the epicentre of the SARS epidemic which started in the Mainland, arrived in March and spread rapidly to many parts of the world. The travel advisory against Hong Kong and the Mainland publicized by the World Health Organization because of the epidemic sent not only the tourist industry but also virtually all economic activities in Hong Kong into a tailspin. While Hong Kong citizens were still struggling, in June 2003 the government unwisely tried to push through a National Security Bill, which was proposed based on Article 23 of the Basic Law. As the legislation would have given the Hong Kong government very broad powers of political control in the special administrative region, it was denounced by democrats as limiting people’s freedom of assembly and speech. The prolonged economic recession, the hardship during the SARS epidemic and the inappropriate handling of the National Security Bill drove more than half a million people onto the streets on 1 July to protest against the government’s poor administration and to vent their frustration. In order to reinvigorate Hong Kong’s economy after the SARS epidemic, the Chinese government immediately introduced the individual travel scheme which eased the restriction on Mainlanders visiting Hong Kong, and signed the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement to make it easier for Hong Kong companies, including those owned by foreign enterprises, to access the Mainland market. These measures, together with the improvement in the economies of East and Southeast Asia and the replacement of Mr. Tung Chee-Hwa by Mr. Donald Tsang as the chief executive in March 2005, finally lifted Hong Kong out of the economic recession that had lingered since the

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end of 1997 and enabled it to start to recover. In addition, the measures brought about progressive economic and social integration between Hong Kong and the Mainland. The Hong Kong government changed its attitude from disinterest to eagerness for economic co-operation with the Pearl Delta region and movement of people across the border in both directions. As a result, intermarriage became a common phenomenon and the influence of the Mainland on the internal affairs of Hong Kong also increased. As Hong Kong once again entered a period of economic prosperity, the society was able to devote more resources to education. DBS received generous donations from old boys as well as from the community at large.

Educational Development and Challenges to DBS Although the population of Hong Kong had been increasing, the proportion of those below 15 years of age fell gradually from 23.1% in 1986 to 20.9% in 1991, 18.5% in 1996, 16.5% in 2001 and 13.7% in 2006.1 This led to a decreasing demand for school places. The Primary 1 admission was reduced from 67,000 in 1997 to 51,000 in 2006 and will decrease further as only 45,000 were born to local mothers in 2003. Thus, for the first time in the history of Hong Kong, schools had to be closed and teachers made redundant.2 Soon after he took office as the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Tung Chee-Hwa appointed Leung Kam Chung Anthony, an executive councillor, to take special responsibility for education. Mr. Leung became chairman of the Education Commission in April 1998; and at about the same time, Mr. Tai Hay Lap was appointed chairman of the new Working Group on Pre-primary and Universal Basic Education while Professor Cheng Kai Ming became the chairman of the Working Group on Post-secondary Education. In October 1998, Mrs. Law Fan Chiu-fan Fanny, previously director of the chief executive’s office from January to July 1997, was appointed director of education. These four individuals became Tung’s team for formulating and implementing the education reforms. In his first policy address, Tung said that the EC would review the overall aims of education and the way they related to the nature and duration of the various stages in the system, from pre-primary to tertiary level, and would also review issues concerned with the curriculum and methods of assessing academic achievement. He also announced that the government would facilitate expansion in the private sector by increasing subsidies to DSS schools, providing school buildings to interested bodies and granting land to nonprofit-making schools at a nominal premium on a trial basis.

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During the period between 1998 and 2000, preparations were made for the reforms. For example, the EC published the following documents: “Aims of Education”, “Framework of Education Reform”, “Learning for Life” and “Excel to Grow”; and in April 2000 the government announced that, in future, teachers of putonghua and English would have to pass several benchmark tests, rather than being assessed “once-in-a-lifetime”.3 While laudable in intent and sweeping in scope, not everyone viewed these developments positively. For example, in May, Professor Lau Siu-Kai of CUHK, who later became the head of the Central Policy Unit (the Hong Kong Government’s “think-tank”), warned that the reforms were too ambitious and the support needed from frontline workers had not been secured to produce a culture conducive to effective change4 — but his words were not heeded. Recommendations for the reform were submitted in September 2000 and Tung endorsed all of them. They were grouped into seven key areas: (1) curriculum; (2) language education; (3) support for schools; (4) professional development; (5) admission mechanisms; (6) assessment mechanisms; and (7) an increase in educational opportunities. Immediately after his policy address in October, which may be considered as the official declaration of the launching of the much-debated education reforms, a series of innovative measures were introduced. Some of these were highly controversial, such as reducing the number of bands from five to three in the SSPA, increasing the proportion of principals’ discretionary places from 10% to 20% and encouraging schools to adopt a “through-train” mode. The “through-train” mode allows a primary school to transfer its graduates directly to its linked secondary school without going through the central allocation process, but only schools that satisfied certain conditions laid down by the EMB were allowed to do so. As the system should lead to closer collaboration between the linked primary and secondary schools — thereby enhancing continuity in the curriculum, instructional methodology and students’ personal development — the nurturing of students was perceived to be more effective, but it might also lead to a rush for places in these “elite” primary schools. The primary division of DBS, for example, received 1,833 applications for 150 places in Grade 1 when it first started in 2004.5 Before the official launching of the education reforms, the government had already published a booklet entitled “Medium of Instruction: Guidance for Secondary Schools” affirming that schools must teach all classes in Chinese from September 1998 and only schools that could prove that their students and teachers had a high enough English standard could apply for exemption. In the first year of implementing this policy, only 114 out of a total of over 400 schools were allowed to use English as the medium of instruction and

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they became known as EMI (English as the medium of instruction) schools.6 Many schools which failed to gain exemption faced a huge decline in applications for Form 1 places. Between 2000 and 2006, schools were faced with yet more new initiatives, leaving practically every teacher and professional educator in a state of frustration and despair. Two highly respected principal inspectors at the ED were found guilty of fraud because, under pressure of time, they did not follow strictly the procedures for tendering laid down by the government. Some reform measures proved to be overambitious, ill-timed and poorly delivered, and they created considerable anxiety and an enormous amount of extra work for school teachers. As a result, there were severe cases of “burn-out”, and several teachers committed suicide as a result of stress. While there was no question about the good intentions behind the reforms, their execution left much to be desired. In the end, the reform measures created more problems than they had set out to solve. Consequently, many parents would rather send their children to DSS schools, private international schools or even overseas schools if they could afford it. In 2007, the president and vice-president of the Hong Kong Institute of Education accused Dr. Li Kwok Cheung Arthur (secretary for education) and Mrs. Fanny Law (permanent secretary for education) of pressurizing them to dismiss some of their colleagues who had openly criticized the education reforms. A Commission of Enquiry was set up by the government to investigate these allegations; and when it found that Dr. Li and Mrs. Law had to a certain extent acted inappropriately,* they left the civil service.7 With their departure, the tide of reform started to ebb gradually. From the turn of the century, the government started to use a “carrot and stick” approach to coax some schools to become DSS schools: the carrot was more resources and freedom, and the stick, more restrictions. By joining the DSS, schools would receive a substantial grant from the government, only slightly less than what they had been receiving as aided schools; and yet they would be allowed to charge a substantial fee and be given much more freedom in curricular and administrative matters, including student admission. To lure

*

The current Secretary for Education, Mr. Michael Suen, announced in September 2007 that the government would be seeking a judicial review of one aspect of the Commission’s conclusions –– the way to communicate with the universities in the future. The hearing took place in October 2008 in the Court of First Instance. The judgement, released on 13 March 2009, as interpreted by many, including the press, was that Mrs. Law had not breached academic freedom, but lawyers, legislators and academics thought otherwise. (SCMP, 21.03.2009)

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DBS into joining the DSS, the government offered the school the gift of a luxurious primary division (see Chapter 6). Thus, this aspect of the education reform changed DBS completely, turning it into a DSS school and a school with both primary and secondary divisions, thereby altering the characteristics of the student population. This new scenario is still in play and the full effects of these changes on the ethos of the school have yet to be determined.

The Primary Division The architect of the new primary division was Thomas Chow, an old boy of Class 1975. Because Mr. Chow’s firm had been opened only recently, the government objected and indicated in a letter that it would only grant approval to take up aided school projects to architectural firms with at least three years’ experience. The school explained that the project was not contracted to Mr. Chow’s firm but to the well known Taoho Designs Architects Ltd. which employed Mr. Chow to take charge of the project.8 The DBS primary division project subsequently won the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Medal in 2005.9 By May 2001, the architect had completed the design and a Fund-raising Committee was formed, with $22M to be raised to cover the cost of furniture and equipment and for other “above-standard” items.10 In November, when the site formation had been completed, the architect estimated that the building would be ready for operation in September 2003.11 Unfortunately, disused tunnels were discovered under the site,12 delaying the opening of the primary division for one year. The topping-out ceremony was held on 7 January 2004 on the school playing field, with Bishop Tsui and the Hon. Tommy Cheung as the guests-of-honour, and the building was ready for occupancy in May. Meanwhile the application for the primary division to join the DSS was approved in principle on 4 August 2003.13 As the primary division was scheduled to start in September 2004, the search for a headteacher began in 2003 and led to the appointment of Ms. Phyllis Lo, initially for a period of three years. She took up the position on 15 September 2003, designed the curriculum and attended a 10-week course at the University of London from 13 January to 29 March 2004. She also established initial contacts with 12 British schools, including Eton and Rugby14 and staff recruitment started in April 2004.15 The new primary division has a capacity of 30 classes, instead of 24 as originally planned. Classes commenced in September 2004 and the opening ceremony, officiated by Mr. Tung Chee-Hwa, took place on 28 January 2005.

Meeting New Challenges (2000 to the Present)

7.2

Ms. Phyllis Lo in front of the new primary division building

7.3 Primary division opening ceremony on 28.01.05

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In the first year of its operation, there were 18 classes of 30 students each, with a class structure of 5–4–4–2–2–1, i.e. five classes at Grade 1 and one class at Grade 6. There were 1,833 and 1,680 applicants for the five Grade 1 classes and the other 13 classes respectively, and written examinations and/or interviews were held and students with potential in sport and/or music were invited to demonstrate their talents before a special panel. The class structure changed to 5–5–5–5–2–2 in the following year and finally to 5–5–5–5–5–5 by September 2007. Following the secondary division’s tradition, the students were assigned randomly to the seven houses. The annual school fee was $38,000 in 2008, payable monthly in ten equal instalments. In the year 2004– 05, 26 students applied for assistance and they were all granted fee remission ranging from 25% to 100%. In the same year, the Mini Steps came into being.16 The primary division and its headteacher went through an evaluation exercise between 13 and 19 March 2005 conducted by a team of three, the Rev. Ross Royden, a member of the School Committee (chair), Mr. Li Yuet Ting, former director of the ED and Mr. Michael Naish, an experienced UK educator with expertise in school evaluation. It is most unusual that such an exercise should be conducted in just half a year of the division coming into being. The team, however, reported that the primary division had made a very good start and was functioning well; all systems were working efficiently, the management was effective, the staff were committed to their work and the boys were happy.17 The addition of the primary division resulted in DBS ending its academic linkage with DPS and becoming a DSS school. At a meeting on 14 November 2003, the School Committee anticipated that the linkage between the two schools would be gradually phased out within the next seven years as all the boys in the DBS primary division would move on to its secondary division on the “through-train” system.18 The EMB required all primary and secondary schools operating in a “through-train” mode to comply with the following principles: they should have (1) the same philosophy and aspirations for education; (2) more Secondary 1 places than Primary 6 graduates; and (3) the same mode of financing.19 Since the DBS primary division was built under the DSS financial arrangement, the secondary division had to join the DSS if the two divisions were to be linked together to form a “through-train”. The most tempting reason for both divisions to adopt a “through-train” mode was that the Grade 6 students in the primary division would not need to go through the central allocation process while the secondary division would be free from being allotted students who might not fit in to the ethos of DBS.

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Changing to the DSS On 4 October 2002, the School Committee unanimously made the historic decision to change the status of DBS from aided to DSS with effect from September 2003.20 The application was officially accepted by the EMB in March 2003.21 Thus DBS became the third Anglican school to join the DSS after St. Paul’s College and St. Paul’s Co-educational College. DBS had declined the EMB’s offer to change to DSS status in 1991 because the terms were not attractive. As the response from schools had been poor, the ED revised the scheme in 2000, extending it to primary schools,22 and organized promotional activities to convince target schools to join. Following a meeting hosted by the ED for this purpose on 17 October 2001, Mr. Chang presented the results of a feasibility study on the DSS to the School Committee on 20 November 2001. In it, he pointed out that the revised DSS package was more attractive and it might be appropriate to reconsider the issue. Mr. Wilfred Kam, a member of the School Committee and an accountant, found the five-year projection, based on the financial structure under the DSS, to be viable and sound. The School Committee then formed an ad-hoc committee to solicit and consolidate views from stakeholders. A consultation paper was issued in January 2002 in the name of the School Committee, in which the proposal to change the status of the school to DSS was outlined, with details on the current situation of DBS, the advantages and other implications and the conversion timetable — and interested parties were urged to send in their views on the issue by 22 February 2002. When St Paul’s College and St. Paul’s Coeducational College changed to DSS, there had been no controversy, but in DBS the proposal led to a prolonged and heated debate among students, teachers, parents and old boys which lasted for almost a year. Some students and most teachers fought fiercely against the proposed change throughout 2002, fearing that it would deprive children from less well-off families of the opportunity to attend DBS and change its “education for all” tradition. Students wrote articles to newspapers, offered interviews to reporters, put up posters in school and posted articles on websites. One of these posters contained an essay entitled “On Direct Subsidy Scheme” which imitated the essay “On the Six Kingdoms” by Su Xun, a famous essayist of the Song Dynasty, and mocked the school for joining the DSS; and it was later posted on a website and quoted by some newspapers. In response, the headmaster invited the author of the article, a Form 7 student named Ho Koon Lam, who was most critical of the change, to make a 10-minute speech in the assembly on 6 February, and he was interviewed by the media on the

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7.4

A teacher’s article on DSS published in the PTU News

same day. Teachers also held meetings, signed petitions and wrote articles to the media opposing the proposed change. Mr. Ching Cheung Ying published an article in the monthly newspaper of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union criticizing the proposal. 23 In addition, 62 out of 66 teachers sent a signed petition to the School Committee in February 2002. The DSOBA held a meeting to discuss the issue during which Mr. Gordon Loch, an old boy and a former teacher at the school, delivered an eloquent speech against the proposal, but more participants were in favour of it. DBS had also invited 1,400 parents to respond to a questionnaire on this matter, and the school reported that over 30% objected and over 60% agreed or were neutral24 — a finding that was criticized as biased, as it grouped “those agreed and those neutral” together. Moreover, the return-rate for the survey was low, only 21.4%. The question remained: what percentages of respondents and non-respondents were actually in favour of the change to the DSS?

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In the process, Chang did his best to persuade and appease the teachers and students. He wrote an article entitled “Why Direct Subsidy Scheme?” which was published in the SCMP on 16 March 2002, and he took every opportunity to make his views known to the students, teachers, parents, old boys and the general public through the media. In the article, he explained that: (1) the school would not discriminate against poor students but would establish an effective mechanism to assist them after becoming a DSS school; (2) the concept of “equality” should not be misinterpreted as “equal treatment without discrimination”; (3) the preservation of the tradition of continuous pursuit of both holistic education and excellence would be difficult if the school did not join the DSS; and (4) the change to the DSS would enable teachers to rise to the challenges of the rapidly changing society. The debates proved to be very fruitful, with both sides beginning to understand and appreciate the other side’s viewpoint and a compromise was eventually reached. These debates and consultations led the ad-hoc committee to produce a “Consolidated Paper on the Diocesan Boys’ School Joining the Direct Subsidy Scheme” which included the following points: (1) to enhance the benefits for teachers; (2) to set up a School Management Committee consisting of the headmaster, a deputy headmaster, two teachers elected by the teachers, a School Committee member, the financial controller and a parent nominated by the Diocesan Boys’ School Parent-Teacher Association (DBSPTA); (3) to set up a staff appeal panel; (4) to reduce the maximum annual school fee from $60,000 to $38,000; and (5) to increase the number of scholarships and ensure that no student would be denied admission to DBS just because of inability to pay the school fees. Since the change of status would have considerable social, political and financial implications, the following steps were taken on 29 November 2002 at 3:30 p.m. in announcing the decision: (1) the School Committee met with all teachers to disclose its decision; (2) the school informed the director of education of the committee’s decision by fax; and (3) the school invited the media to attend a press conference in the school hall at 5:50 pm by telephone or fax.25 On 7 December 2002, the SCMP reported that many teachers were still unhappy about the decision, fearing that the school would become socially exclusive, favouring the rich. In a closed-door meeting attended by 59 teachers, 49 voted against the change, two abstained and eight supported it. A few days later, a Form 5 DBS student published an article in a local newspaper, calling for an “armistice” and blaming the education reforms for causing all the trouble.26 These year-long debates, which were carried out with mutual respect, eventually subsided and ended amicably and life in DBS carried on in the

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same orderly manner as usual. An important point that Mr. Chang did not mention during the debate, but which was probably on his mind, was that the DSS status would allow DBS to admit non-local students, a feature of the school up to the late 1960s and one which many old boys had always hoped would return. The School Committee later published a report in Steps, saying: This is a historic choice for DBS. Its success will hinge upon the participation and support of old boys, parents, the teaching staff and students. The scheme can provide DBS with more autonomy and freedom, which is beneficial to the overall long-term development of the School. Undoubtedly, sustained by a history of over 130 years, we have sufficient experience and strength to reach new heights. However, we are not complacent about our achievements. We believe that the DSS can realize the full potential of the DBS spirit and that combined with the efforts of teachers and staff, the School will make further advances in the coming years.27

The establishment of the primary division and the change of the school’s status to DSS increased the size and complexity of the school. To cope with the new situation, the School Committee established sub-committees for specific functions, the most important of which was the School Management Committee, which monitors closely the use of funds provided by the School Committee to cover extra expenses or “above-standard” equipment as well as the implementation of school policies. Other sub-committees included: (1) an Audit Committee to oversee the school funds and budget; (2) a Consultative Committee to communicate with teachers, parents and students; and (3) a Fund-raising Committee responsible for bringing in donations to finance various school projects. As the School Committee played a pivotal role in setting the direction and charting the new course of development for the school, it is worthwhile to record its membership (old boys*) during this period: Chairman and School Supervisor: The Rt. Rev. Louis Tsui (Bishop) Headmaster (and Hon. Secretary): Mr. Terence Chang* Hon. Treasurer: Mr. Edward Wan* Mr. Ip Lai* Sir Oswald Cheung* Members: Mr. Robert Kwok* Mr. John Lee The Hon. Tommy Cheung* The Ven. Paul Tsang

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Mr. Rin Lee* The Rev. Paul Tong* The Rev. Ross Roydon The Hon Justice Pang Kin Kee* Mr. Moses Cheng Mr. Wilfred Kam* Mr. Selwyn Chan* Following the EMB’s approval for DBS to join the DSS in March 2003, the School Committee formed a DSS Transition Working Group (TWG) comprising representatives from the School Committee, teachers, the DBSPTA and the DSOBA to oversee the transition. The TWG had eight core members — three School Committee members, three teachers, one parent and one old boy — and it met four times between April and August, considering issues such as: the organization and operation of the School Management Committee; letters of pledge; admission guidelines; the operation of the staff appeal panel; staff medical benefits; staff appraisal; and a staff bonus scheme.28 Under the TWG, the transition was smooth, despite the heated debates of the previous year.

DBS under Mr. Chang Cheuk Cheung Terence (2000–present) Finance The change to DSS status in the new millennium tripled the school’s income and prompted the School Committee to embark on an expansion programme in an unprecedented way with several huge construction projects. Table 7.1 shows that the school’s income increased dramatically from less than $5,000 (estimation: $1,250 x 4) in 1870 to about $388,000 in 1962–63 — which, unlike the other budgets, did not include expenses such as staff salaries and capital expenditure which were met by the government — and then to almost $200 million in 2007–08. Even after taking into account inflation and student numbers, the actual increase in income and expenditure is still very substantial.

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Table 7.1

Income and expenditure in three different periods

Income and expenditure statement for the first quarter of 1870 (28 students, 23 being boarders) — from Featherstone’s book (p. 18) Expenditure Maintenance

Income $458

Balance brought forward

$785

Wages

135

Donations

100

Salaries

186

Subscriptions

150

Balance

471

Fees for pupils

215

1,250

1,250

Budget for 1962–63 (1099 students, 100 being boarders) — from school record Expenditure

Income

Recurring: fixed

$80,140

Fees (after remission)

Recurring: variable

229,550

Donations

2,000

Rent from staff quarters

6,000

Catering surplus

4,000

Non-recurring

77,960 $387,650

$359,750

Reserve fund

15,900 $387,650

*As a grant school, all salaries and most of the capital expenditure pertaining to the day school were paid for by the government Income and expenditure statement for 2007–08 (2,272 students, 31 being boarders) — from DBS Finance Office Expenditure

Income

Capital expenditure

$67,024,966

Government subsidy

$71,375,338

Staff salary & MPF

91,724,659

Fees (after remission)

55,066,086

Teaching expenses

8,041,822

Others

19,857,265

Others

32,611,861 $199,403,308

Reserve fund

53,104,619 $199,403,308

The Campus Throughout the years of his tenure, Mr. Chang has been occupied with repairs, alterations, renovations and new construction. The 80-year-old school building required significant maintenance work to keep it at a functional level, let alone a really modern standard, but he is not the kind of headmaster to be satisfied with just standard provision. As the number of boarders and resident masters decreased, some of the dormitories and staff quarters were used for other purposes. This process had been going on for some years, but was more marked after Chang took over.

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The headmaster’s office was moved to a much more spacious and well-equipped room on the top floor, originally used as staff quarters, while his secretary was housed in the matron’s old office adjacent to it. At the same time, the school office was extended and modernized with new equipment.29 A year later, the infrastructure for IT development was completed; and the students’ dining rooms, music practice room, school library, editorial room and staff resource room were also renovated.30 In 2002, two dormitories were converted to classrooms for Upper 6S and Upper 6M (with two mathematics courses but no biology course), the garage was converted to a drama storeroom and a sports development office, and many special rooms were either renovated or repaired.31 When some old boys of Class 1958 read about the institution of Lowcock House as the seventh House in 2002,32 they asked: “Why Mr. Lowcock and not the Rev. George She?” — as they felt that the latter had been unfairly overlooked. Following a lively discussion on the internet, they eventually came up with the proposal of naming the school chapel the “George She Chapel”. The School Committee received this proposal warmly33; however, owing to unforeseen difficulties, this was later modified to a memorial plaque instead. A special evensong service and dedication ceremony took place in the chapel on 7 November 2004.34 At the same time, over 30 former teachers and students contributed personal reminiscences and eulogies which were collected in a book entitled A Tribute to Rev. Canon George She: Headmaster 1955–1961, Diocesan Boys’ School. The Rev. George She was the only headmaster among the first six who did not have a house named after him, and also the only one to have been commemorated in a book of tributes. In the process of building the primary division, a large egg-shaped boulder was excavated, which interested Martin Tam, an old boy, a School Committee member and a veteran architect. On his suggestion, a working group was set up in 2005 to consider making a monument out of the rock. The group, involving several architects and a professional designer, met more than 10 times before finalizing the design, which consists of the rock, a tree and a shallow pond, on one side of which the four Chinese characters for wood, ) are inscribed as a school motto, as suggested rock, cloud and water ( by Hanson Huang, an old boy. According to him, the square pond with curved wood insets immersed at each corner represents the ancient Chinese concept of “spherical heaven and square earth”( ) and the wood insets incorporate by reference a cross, an acknowledgement of the school’s Anglican roots. Another old boy, Fung Yee Wang, was asked to write a passage in Chinese to expound on these four characters. The passage, endorsed by the working

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7.5

Monument with school motto

group, is inscribed in a plaque displayed at the throughway between the rock and the primary division building; and it encourages students to have the determination and will-power to be as stout as wood and solid as rock, to view any temporary failure and frustration as lightly as clouds and water and, later in life, to pursue their aims with determination like hard wood and foundation rock and regard fame and fortune as but wandering clouds and flowing water. The opening ceremony for the monument took place on 3 February 2008, with the donor, an old boy named Leung Tim Chiu Richard, the headmaster and several old boy members of the School Committee officiating. The completion of the primary division building in 2004 at a cost more than $130M represented the first significant change in the school campus in the new century. Because there were so many projects going on simultaneously, in 2003 the School Committee set up a Campus Office to coordinate the school’s major repairs and new projects.35 These projects included: 1. The School Improvement Project (SIP; also known as the New New New Wing) was completed by February 2005, providing a multimedia language centre, and several laboratories and classrooms, all equipped with “above-standard” facilities. According to Mr. Chang, the building cost of this project was $44M and was paid for by the government while the school paid the furnishing cost of $14M from donations in order to equip the building at a standard higher than the EMB could provide.36

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2.

3.

4.

5.

157

A new track, named “Chi Track”, was completed in early 2006 at a cost of $5M, paid for by Wong Chau Chi Charles, an old boy of class 1982, with the opening ceremony being held on 26 February.37 The Sports and Dormitory Complex, which includes student bedrooms and staff quarters, a swimming pool and a basketball court, was completed in spring 2008 and its architect, Mr. Thomas Chow, again won the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Medal for the year for this project. An old boy of Class 1958, Lee Tak Yee Samuel, donated $70M out of the total cost of $120M, while the remaining $50M came from donations from other old boys and members of the community. The new centre, with a capacity for housing about 220 boarders, is another ground-breaking innovation as it makes it easier for DBS to recruit non-local students and to run student-exchange programmes with the Mainland and other parts of the world. In 2008, a Pavilion was built in the northwest courtyard as a dining room for students and guests. The new structure is made almost completely of glass and cost $6M. With the introduction of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme and the expansion of the school, three new buildings will be erected, namely the Auditorium Building, the IB Building and the Car Park Building. The Auditorium Building will occupy the site of the former gymnasium complex and will include an auditorium with approximately 900 seats, a drama theatre, a student activities centre, a squash court and an area for table-tennis. The IB Building will be built at the northern end of the main building and will consist of classrooms, special rooms, laboratories, a library and a chapel. The Car Park Building will be located at the northeast corner of the field and will have about 80 parking spaces. The design stage has commenced and the project is scheduled for completion in 2011.38

School Life Mr. Chang has introduced many reforms to improve the management and internal communication of the school as well as new programmes to strengthen the students’ knowledge base and widen their vision. He is very fortunate to be supported in the day-to-day running of the school by teachers such as Mr. M. Rosario, Mr. Ronnie Cheng, Mr. P. L. Lau, Mr. C. K. Yung and Ms Phyllis Lo and numerous senior students. In 2000, to improve communication among the administration, teachers and students, the school provided a notebook computer to every teacher and

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an e-mail account to every student. Another measure introduced to improve communication with students was the establishment of the DBS Student Council on 14 September 2001 with a two-tier committee structure: the General Committee and the Executive Committee. The General Committee consists of student representatives from various organizations in the school while the Executive Committee comprises elected Form 6 students. The council is an independent advisory organization acting as a communication channel between the whole student body and the school administration through collecting students’ opinions on school affairs and reflecting them to the school.39 The Diocesan Boys’ School Parent-Teacher Association (DBSPTA) was inaugurated on 28 October 2000, with Dr. Lui Siu Fai, an old boy, as the first chairperson. The DBSPTA’s mission was to promote understanding between parents and teachers with a view to improving the welfare of the students. A surprisingly high number of parents (521, equivalent to 39%) joined the PTA in its first year.40 Mr. Chang initiated a number of exchange programmes with schools in Hong Kong, the Mainland and foreign countries, involving both the primary and secondary divisions. In 2001–02, DBS exchanged students with four local schools — Jockey Club Ti-I College, Belilios Public School, La Salle College, and St. Stephen’s Girls’ College. The exchanges usually involved no more than nine students and, in each case, lasted for three days. In September 2001, a 17-year-old student from Sweden was accepted into Form 6 for a year through an International Student Exchange Programme; and in October, nine more such students from Europe who were studying in other schools in Hong Kong came to DBS for three days. All of them were surprised at the freedom DBS boys enjoyed, as they had a preconceived idea that schools in Hong Kong are conservative. Students in DBS found these exchange programmes interesting and informative, enabling them to learn more about other schools and cultures.41 DBS and the Jingshan ( ) School in Beijing became sister schools in October 2004 through an arrangement by the EMB. In December of the same year, the students and teachers of DBS visited the Jingshan School and, in return, its students and teachers visited DBS in January 2005.42 Since then, similar arrangements between DBS and schools in the Mainland have become commonplace, and DBS students have also attended summer camps and participated in competitions in the Mainland. On 18 January 2002, Chang made another innovative move by inviting Marcus Chi, a Form 2 student, to read the bible on speech day;43 in the following year he invited Deacon Lee, a Form 6 student, to talk about the school trees;44 and in the next year, he asked three Form 1 and two Form 4

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students to speak on “Fifteen years from now”.45 Inviting students to give a speech on speech days has become a tradition again after a break of more than “three score and ten” years. When asked about this by the authors, Mr. Chang was surprised to find out that this had been done during Mr. Featherstone’s time in the 1920s.

7.6 A boy giving a speech on Speech Day

School life was interrupted in the spring of 2003 when Hong Kong was hit hard by the SARS epidemic. All schools in Hong Kong were closed from 29 March to 21 April for Form 3 and above, and to 27 April for Forms 1 and 2. DBS followed the instructions and guidelines set out by the EMB very closely and took every possible precautionary measure to safeguard the health of students after the resumption of classes.46 DBS celebrated its 135th anniversary with a Home-coming Concert on 2 July 2004 at the Grand Hall in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre with a capacity audience of 3,600. Guest and alumnus performers included Patrick Dunn, George Lam, Lee Chuan Yun, Nancy Loo, Karen Morris and students of DGS and HYS. The anniversary celebration dinner was also held at the Grand Hall on 27 November 2004, and was attended by over 1,800 guests. During the dinner, $3 million was raised to support the School Improvement Project.47

Scholastic Activities The staff development programme, first conducted in 1999, has become a regular and increasingly frequent feature. From 2003, there have been three

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staff development days per year, the first in late August being a joint venture of the two divisions and the other two, usually in December and June respectively, organized separately for each division. The programme for staff development days includes visits to leading secondary schools outside Hong Kong, group discussions, talks by experienced educators and school administrators, workshops and seminars. For example, on 27 August 2004, talks were given by members of the School Committee to increase the transparency of its management of the school.48 The staff development day on 25 August 2005 was devoted to discussions among teachers of the two divisions to bridge the gaps in the curriculum between primary and secondary to facilitate the smooth running of the “through-train”.49 The IB programme, which the school had decided to adopt as an alternative programme for senior students in 2009, was the focus of the staff development day on 24 August 2006, with Mr. Craig Boyce, diploma co-ordinator of the Chinese International School, being invited to share his experience with the teachers.50 The school began to study the feasibility of introducing the IB programme in January 2006. This programme, which was started in Switzerland in 1968 and has now been adopted by many schools throughout the world, is a comprehensive and challenging two-year course (at Grades 11 and 12) that covers a wide range of academic subjects, including languages, mathematics, sciences, humanities and the arts. It prepares students for university studies and demands the best from both motivated teachers and students. After visiting some local institutions which offer this programme, the headmaster led a delegation, consisting of School Committee members, teachers and a parent who was an experienced educator, to Melbourne in April to study how it was conducted in five well known Australian boarding schools.51 The beginning of the millennium also saw further improvements in the infrastructure required for IT. By June 2000, in addition to being provided with a notebook computer, all teachers had been trained through a basic course in IT; by August, a television set had been installed in each classroom, making it possible for teachers to link their notebook computers to the television; and by November, the local area network with 130 broadband internet access points had been completed in the school.52 DBS changed from a five-day to a six-day cycle timetable in September 2001 to accommodate the growing number of subjects and avoid the problems caused by the uneven distribution of holidays and unforeseen disruptions. A ninth period, used for talks and presentations to broaden the students’ perspectives, was also added to the timetable on Wednesdays. Practically all schools in Hong Kong had previously adopted a five-day cycle system following

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the days of the week until the late 1960s. However, from the 1970s, more and more schools changed to a six-day or even seven-day cycle system, but DBS had stayed with the five-day cycle until the arrival of Chang. Unhappy with the change, a student submitted an article to Steps, saying that this new cycle system hindered students’ progress in certain subjects where lessons became less frequent and that the addition of the ninth period on Wednesdays intruded into their after-school lives. He also complained that he was unable to memorize the timetable properly, especially as regards the day after long holidays.53 However, the results of a survey conducted by the authors in early 2008 showed that practically all the teachers welcomed the change. A continuous assessment scheme was also introduced in September 2001 to incorporate the results of work during the term into the final grades, a change which means that students have to pay more attention to their studies during the term, which was a departure from the school tradition that only examination results counted. While the scheme benefits some students as they are forced to keep up with school work, other students consider it disruptive to their own schedules. For instance, a Form 3 student observed: “As they are regularly assessed, students have to study according to a fixed schedule. They can no longer choose their own desirable times for studying and attending activities … As a result, students tend to spend more time on schoolwork to achieve the best results they can, and eventually neglect or ignore their extracurricular activities.”54 Because the Hong Kong education system will be changed from 6–5–2–3 to a 6–3–3–4 system in 2009, the 2006 cohort of Form 1 students will be the first batch to study under the new academic structure. In its 2007 Prospectus, DBS made it clear that it would follow the Education Bureau (EDB) guidelines and require students to take four core subjects (English, Chinese, mathematics and liberal studies) and select three from 11 other subjects.55 DBS students have continued to do well academically. From 2000–01 to 2007–08, the pass-rate in the HKCEE was 85% to 100% and students on average scored 4.9 distinctions and credits (A to C) each year. For the three main subjects, English, Chinese and mathematics, the percentages of students awarded distinctions or credits were 50.0%, 35.8% and 68.1% respectively. In the A-level examination, the pass-rate (or university admission rate) ranged from 70% to 100% and the average number of distinctions and credits (A to C) students gained was 2.58. For the two compulsory subjects — Use of English and the Chinese Language and Culture — the percentages of students getting distinctions or credits were 55.7% and 25.2% respectively.56

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Extracurricular Activities The outstanding performance in scholastic activities was mirrored in the extracurricular area. After 2000, students continued to do extremely well in both sport and music, as well as in other areas such as speech, debating, publications and visual art. In 2004–05, the school obtained a “capitation enhancement grant” to engage a tutor to train the students, improving the results in the Speech Festival; and in the same year, the boys also came first in the Inter-School Debating Competition in which 64 schools took part.57 The publication of an anthology of Chinese essays by students, old boys and teachers called Jirang Ji ( ) was inaugurated in 2003, and one of English essays by students named Inspiration in 2004, both of which have since become annual features. Also, in 2001, Fong Sheung Lam of Upper 6 was named by the SCMP as “Student Visual Artist of the Year”.58 In sport, DBS has always paid most attention to athletics and swimming and has almost always dominated these two competitions. However, as these are only two of the 16 sports contributing to the overall results, the school often came second to La Salle College in the Bauhinia Bowl (known as the Omega Bowl before 2002) Award. Over the years, many DBS students have been selected to represent Hong Kong in international youth or open competitions in swimming, badminton and volleyball.59 In music, the school has excelled in all three major areas: Chinese and Western instruments and choirs. Since the turn of the century, DBS has won the Director of Education Trophy for the Most Outstanding School every year and has captured most of the titles for group events with extremely good results. For example, the school orchestra scored 98 marks in 2003–04; the senior mixed choir (with DGS) and the treble choir, 96 in 2004–05; the junior mixed choir (with DGS), 96 in 2005–06; the senior school band, 97 in 2006–07; and the senior choir, 95 in 2007–08.60 The school participated in the first Choir Olympiad (also called Olympics) held in 2000 in Linz, Austria, and won the Gold Diploma in the senior boys’ category.61 Also, in the 2nd Choir Olympics held in Busan, South Korea in 2002, both the boys’ choir and the mixed choir (with DGS) won the silver medal.62 The school continued to participate and excel in international competitions in the subsequent years: it came second in both the youth and male choir categories at the 59th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales in 2005; first in the youth male choir category at the 4th Choir Olympics in Xiamen, China, in 2006; first in the youth choir category at the 5th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival and Competition in

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Wernigerode, Germany, in 2007;63 and first in the youth male choir category in the 5th World Choir Games in Graz, Austria, in 2008.64 The Chinese orchestra also made its debut appearance in the Mainland in the 3rd Beijing Youth Chinese Orchestra Competition in 2005 and won first place in both the ensemble and full orchestra categories. It again won in both the intermediate orchestra and the full orchestra categories at the 4th Beijing Youth Chinese Orchestra Competition in 2007.65

7.7

The three buskers performing in Europe

Of special note was that the headmaster took three musicians playing the pipa, erhu and violin from the junior forms to Switzerland, Holland and France for an 11-day music tour in July–August 2004 where they acted as voluntary buskers in several cities with a view to widening their experience in music, promoting Chinese instruments and demonstrating the possibility of weaving together Chinese and Western music.66 Since 2005, trips to the Mainland, the United Kingdom and other countries have also been organized every year for students in the primary division to take part in study tours, sport camps, art camps, science camps, etc. during the long holidays and many students have taken part in these activities.67

7.8

Staff group photo, 2003–04

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The Period 2000 to the Present: an Observation The new millennium began with the school making major changes. In response to the call for a “through-train” mode of education and incentives offered by the EMB, DBS built its own primary division and simultaneously took a historic step in changing its status from the aided school it had been since 1878 to a DSS school. These two measures were taken to remove restrictions imposed on the school as well as to restore its distinctiveness, which had been lost with the introduction of the unified code of aid in the 1970s. Moreover, the change enabled the school to develop and implement its own curriculum and to provide a better “all-round education” to boys starting from their tender years — a dream of all the past headmasters. Like the Rev. William Featherstone, Mr. Chang is proving to be a headmaster of vision and vigour. He has also been fortunate in that the timing of the numerous expansion projects was indeed propitious. In this extensive building programme, Mr. Chang has the full support of the School Committee, old boys, parents, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the general public and the government, whose current policy is to give strong support to elite schools. Changes are necessary and desirable after years of conservatism. However, DBS has been a grant school for over a century, serving families from all sections of society. The move to DSS status is a major change which is likely to have very significant effects on the school. Already there is a shift in the socio-economic background of the students to the middle and upper-middle class, a narrow segment of the community. While the School Committee has pledged to continue with the school’s tradition of not refusing admission to any student on the basis of financial difficulties, it is still too early to assess the full impact of the DSS on this tradition and on the spirit of “education for all walks of life” and the principle of “equal educational opportunities”. In addition, the effects of other major reforms carried out by Mr. Chang on the traditions and ethos of the school will only be felt in the years ahead. Nevertheless, these changes mark the beginning of a new era for the school.

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Staff and Students

Part II • • •

Other Perspectives

167

8 Staff and Students

In this chapter, we attempt to give a fairly detailed account of a few of the school’s teachers and non-teaching staff. We regret that we have been unable to describe more of them due to limitations of space. In 1869 the DHO had 23 boarders and a few day scholars under the supervision of a headmaster and a matron, but today DBS is one of the biggest schools in Hong Kong with a full complement of 13 grades (12 grades from 2009–10), a teaching staff of 177 (71 for primary and 106 for secondary) and a student population of 2,272 (900 for primary and 1,372 for secondary) in 2007–08. From September 2008, its boarding capacity will be increased to 220. Graph 8.1 shows the growth of the teaching staff and the student body in the secondary division over these 139 years.

Teachers The DHO had only one teacher, the headmaster Mr. Arthur, and the matron, Mrs. Arthur in 1870, several months after it was established; and, in the short-term, the school did not grow as it was completely dependent on donations and the church did not provide any teachers. When Mr. Piercy took over as the headmaster, there were only 31 pupils, and so the workload could be handled readily by him and his wife.1 Today, with a student population of around 2,300, the number of teaching staff has risen to about 180.

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Graph 8.1 The number of students and teachers in the secondary division over the years (data for the years 1930–40 mostly estimates)

Teacher-student Ratio In 1882, when the number of pupils increased to around 50, another teacher, Mr. W. J. Lyle, was recruited; and as the DHO continued to expand, the number of teachers increased to 12 in 1906, 18 in 1910 and 23 in 1916, maintaining a teacher-student (T-S) ratio of about 1:20. Graph 8.1 shows that towards the end of Mr. Piercy’s era, the school had a very favourable T-S ratio, probably too low for it to be cost-effective. When the Rev. William Featherstone took over as headmaster in 1918, there were 24 full-time and six part-time teachers and 350 students, with the T-S ratio decreasing to 1:13. He made a small reduction in the number of teachers and redeployed a certificated master as a member of the non-teaching staff. At the peak of the financial crisis in 1926, the number of teachers was reduced to 14, bringing the T-S ratio back to 1:202 — a ratio which, by and large, was maintained over the 70 years from 1870 to 1940.

8.1 Full school in 1918

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After the Second World War, with the enrolment continuing to rise, the number of teachers gradually increased to 38 in 1956–57, 40 in 1960–61, 46 in 1979–80 and 61 in 1990–91. As a grant-in-aid school, the T-S ratio was fixed by the government. At first, it was kept below 1:22, but in the 1970s the situation declined rather rapidly as the number of schools in Hong Kong multiplied. For example, around 1980, it went up to 1:26, but it improved again in the second half of the 1980s and returned to about 1:20 in the 1990s. The change in status to a DSS school has enabled DBS to have a lower T-S ratio, which stood at 1:13 in 2007–08, when the total number of teaching staff in the secondary division rose to 106, of whom four were graded as teacher/teaching assistant and one as teaching assistant.

Gender, Ethnicity and Qualifications of Teachers The distribution of the teachers by gender, ethnicity and qualifications in the secondary division is shown in Graph 8.2. As can be seen, there were major fluctuations in these respects before 1910 because of the small number of teachers involved. In the nineteenth century, very few women were engaged in paid work, including the teaching profession, but in the twentieth century more women became teachers: between 1910 and 1930, about a quarter of the teachers in the school were women. After World War II, as more and more women left the home to join the workforce, the number of female teachers in DBS grew gradually — a phenomenon which increased in the 1990s due to the stringent government policy on teachers and Hong Kong’s growing economy which led more young men to enter business and finance as their professions. In 2007, about 46% of the teachers at DBS were women. As the development of bilingualism was an important objective of schools in Hong Kong, it was necessary to have native English-speaking staff to teach English, but the colony’s harsh climate and unfavourable working conditions made it difficult to recruit such staff in the early days. In an effort to solve this problem, expatriate staff were given higher salaries than local staff, as well as additional benefits; and both Mr. Featherstone and Mr. Goodban tried to improve the welfare of staff by introducing, respectively, a superannuation scheme by insurance in 19233 and a group insurance scheme in 1950.4 As early as 1870, a Chinese teacher was engaged on a part-time basis to teach Chinese in the afternoon, but the first full-time Chinese certificated master (CM), Chiu Ho Ping, was not hired until 1886.5 The proportions of the teaching staff of different ethnic background fluctuated from the 1890s, but by 1920 the proportion of Chinese had risen to 50%; and after the Second

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Graph 8.2 Changes in gender, ethnicity and qualifications of DBS teachers in the secondary division from 1870 to 2007

World War, this percentage increased further, reaching about 90% in the 1980s. Today, more than 95% of the teaching staff are ethnically Chinese. DBS did not have trained teachers in its early years as teacher training was a new development in the nineteenth century. While there were a few university graduates on the staff before World War II, the first teacher with a university degree and some training in teaching was Mr. Chan Ye San (Y. S. Chan) who joined DBS after graduating from HKU in December 1934.6 In the 1930s, there were some teachers with professional training but without a university degree, Mr. B. J. Monks being an example. Graph 8.2 shows that qualified teachers (appointed as AM before World War II; with degree or teacher training between 1946 and 2000; or with both after 2000) grew steadily from 40% in the early 1950s to almost 100% today.

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Old Boys as Teachers Mr. T. S. W. Chan was the first old boy to return to DBS as teacher,7 joining the staff in 1920, and he was followed by Mr. J. L. Young Saye, Mr. A. G. F. Prew and Mr. N. H. F. Prew in 1924.8 These teachers were invaluable for the functioning and development of DBS. Soon after World War II, Mr. J. L. Young Saye and Mr. F. C. Whitfield returned to the school to teach. Mr. K. H. Lo (later C. C. Lao) and Mr. M. W. Wong joined the teaching staff in 1947, followed by Mr. J. Lowcock in 1953 and Mr. W. Jacobsen in 1954. Mr. She strongly encouraged old boys to join the teaching staff, and old boys who returned to teach during his administration and in the 1960s included Messrs. S. K. Tai, Ernest Wu, Henry Ching, Thomas W. T. Chow, William S. Q. Wang, Timothy W. H. Ha, Joseph Y. S. Tai, John W. Y. Lit, S. K. Wong, Y. W. Fung, K. Y. Cheng, Jacland C. L. Lai, H. C. Lai, K. Fok, Peter K. K. Tsoi, David S. C. Lee and David L. T. Zee. Some information on a sample of teachers is given below.

Selected Teachers* Mr. H. Sykes (1898–1920) Students loved and respected Mr. Henry Sykes because of his genuine interest in them. He was always fully engaged with the school and the boys, both during and after school hours, and left behind a much deeper impression on pupils than did Mr. Piercy who focused on administration and had less contact with students. W. J. Howard, one of his students, was of the opinion that Mr. Sykes had served the school indefatigably and raised the standard of its work to as near to perfection as was humanly possible at that time. He recalled: It was nothing unusual for him to teach physics, chemistry, history, geography, arithmetic, algebra, grammar, English literature, book-keeping, biblical knowledge, map-drawing and, in fact, any other subjects that might be forced on him by the absence of some other master. I recall vividly the

*

The years in parentheses mainly refer to academic years: 1898–1920 means from 1898–99 to 1919–20.

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occasion when the specialized shorthand master severed his connection with the School at short notice, and as another teacher in that new-fangled subject was not easy to obtain, Mr. Sykes immediately familiarized himself with the work by studying at night and within a short while was able to teach his pupils, resulting in our passing our examination in both theory and speed shorthand … He was the School organist, and led the choir boys prior to each day’s work. He sang in the old St. Peter’s Church choir at West Point on Sunday mornings. He tried his hand at meteorology, watching the nimbus clouds at the Peak through his pair of binoculars before deciding whether or not to send the boys away on their long walk to St. John’s Cathedral on late Sunday afternoons. His forecasts were generally correct …9

Mr. Young Saye, also a student of Mr. Sykes, remembered him as follows: Boys feared and respected him and when he glared at you over his spectacles and muttered “boy, boy, boy”, even the strongest was known to quake. But underneath a forbidding exterior he was an extremely kind man. Many times each night, he would go around the dormitories and tuck in the blankets of small boys with turbulent dreams.

When Featherstone first went on leave to look for teachers in England, the School Committee asked the Rev. A. J. S. Stearn to be the acting headmaster rather than Mr. Sykes, who had assumed that position twice before when Mr. Piercy was on leave. Hurt by this decision, Mr. Sykes left the school before Mr. Featherstone’s return, and no one has been able to contact him since.10

Mr. T. S. W. Chan (1920–42) Mr. Thomas Chan, a Taiwanese old boy who was awarded a Diploma in Commerce by HKU, was recruited by Mr. Featherstone in 1920 and became the senior master and bursar when Mr. Sargent became the headmaster. In addition to looking after finance, he was an important advisor to two headmasters. Mr. Goodban also relied on him a great deal on administrative issues and he was supportive of Mr. Goodban’s decision to stay firm during the student strike in 1939. Mr. Chan died during World War II11 and was missed greatly by Mr. Goodban in the post-war years.12

Mr. E. C. Thomas (1920–42) Mr. Thomas joined the school when Mr. Featherstone was headmaster. He was one of the more permanent teachers among a constantly changing staff and gave Featherstone much needed support. He taught mathematics and

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geography and was described by one of the old boys as “Mr. Chips”, the hero of a famous novel published by James Hilton in 1934, which was about the life and work of a zealous teacher. Mr. Thomas devoted himself tirelessly to the welfare of the boys, but after World War II, Mr. Goodban did not reappoint him because of his age.13

Mr. J. L. Young Saye (1924–63) Mr. Young Saye retired in 1963 and passed away on 10 November 1990 at the age of 89. Born in 1901 in New Zealand, the fifth of 10 children, he was enrolled in DBS in 1914 and studied electrical engineering at HKU. On 8 December 1941, when the Japanese attacked Hong Kong, Mr. Young Saye was the first to report back to the school to ensure that those boys who returned were sent home safely. At the end of the war in 1945, he became the acting headmaster of DGS and in 1947, when a new headmistress of DGS arrived, he returned to DBS.14 Henry Ching of Class 1951 had this to say about his former teacher and colleague: J. L.Young Saye was held in high esteem by many DBS boys, and by many DGS girls whom he also taught. He was widely regarded as being a good teacher who knew how to explain his subject (chemistry) in simple terms. However, some (including myself) found it difficult to learn from him, as he did not suffer fools gladly. It took a brave boy to ask him questions, or to admit to not understanding anything, for fear of being made to look extremely foolish in front of the whole class by a cutting, sarcastic response. It was best, with J. L.Young Saye, to keep silent. But he was a dedicated cricketer, and I learned much from him in that field.15

Mr. B. J. M. Monks (1931–57) Mr. Monks was a certificated teacher from Australia who came to Hong Kong in 1931 with the intention of starting a Sunday newspaper but he was recruited by Mr. P. S. Cassidy soon after his arrival to teach geography and English in DBS. He married Miss E. Turbett, a DGS teacher, in 1939. He was the acting headmaster whenever Mr. Goodban was on leave. During the Second World War, as a member of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, he fought as a gunner in Ap Lei Chau and was interned at Shamshuipo with Mr. Goodban. His profound devotion to DBS can be seen in his taking the first available plane to Hong Kong when asked by Mr. Goodban to re-establish the school, despite the fact that he had not yet fully

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recovered. He arrived on 27 August 1946 to reopen the boarding school and ensure that it ran as smoothly as possible before Mr. Goodban’s return in October. After serving the school for 20 years, he retired on 12 December 1956 and returned to Australia. He later took up a teaching appointment in Borneo where he stayed for three years before accepting the wardenship of Hong Kong House in London at the invitation of Mr. P. S. Cassidy.16 In his submission, Henry Ching wrote: John Monks from Melbourne was widely respected. He taught me English for a number of years, and passed on to me a good grasp of grammar and the intricacies of parsing and analysis. He had an intuitive ability to know when criticism was constructive and when praise was encouraging. He was a patient man, not given to losing his temper.

The Rev. L. L. Nash (1933–38) The Rev. L. L. Nash, born in Australia and a graduate of St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge, arrived in Hong Kong in 1933 to be the school chaplain and an English teacher. In the latter capacity, not only was he a strict grammarian who encouraged writing logically, but he also opened the minds of his students to the beauty of English literature. He was the first editor of the Steps magazine and organized the first Hobbies Exhibition, which was a feature of the life of the school in his time. Besides helping Mr. Sargent to restore discipline and morale, he also instilled a sense of scholarship among the students so that, by the time he left in 1938, the school had re-established its pre-eminent position in Hong Kong. For eight to nine months in 1935, he acted very successfully as headmaster when Mr. Sargent was on leave. He returned to Australia in 1938 and in 1961 he was appointed by the Archbishop of Melbourne as a canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne.17

Mr. Y. S. Chan (1934–74) Mr. Chan Ye San (nicknamed “Fay Chan”) started teaching in DBS immediately after his graduation from HKU in December 1934. Because of his long service, some of his students in the 1960s and 1970s were children of his former students.18 Initially he taught geography, English, translation, history and biblical knowledge, but later he became the geography master. Two of Mr. Chan’s signature quotes were “One hundred more days you will have your examination” and “The earth is round”. While the latter was being said, a perfect circle was drawn on the blackboard. The boys were impressed!

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To arouse patriotic feelings among the students during the Japanese invasion, Mr. Chan suggested the plot of a play “The Lady’s Affair” and produced it when the students organized the Double Ten Concert on 9 October 1937, a fundraising event for medical relief in China. The concert was held in the school hall and a total of $1,586.05 was raised.19 During the Japanese occupation, he worked as a ward clerk in La Salle Hospital and as a private tutor.20 Mr. Chan wrote two books: The Weird and the Fantastic on ghost stories and Chinese Art of Self-Defence, on martial arts. Mr. Chan’s career after his retirement from DBS proved to be quite exciting! He was appointed chaplain of Kau Yan Secondary School and later a martial arts director for the film industry. To crown his career, he became the Shi Fu (martial arts teacher) for female movie stars. His hobbies included repairing radios and motor cars.

Mr S. T. Chan (1936–42; 50–56; 70–82) Mr. Chan Sik Tim was one of the very few teachers of his time who specialized in physical education and he served DBS on three separate occasions. He first joined the staff in 1936–37; and after the war, he was seconded from the ED to DBS from 1950 to 1956 at the request of Mr. Goodban. During these years, he devoted himself to the development of the school’s athletics and gymnastics with, according to his son, Chan Pak Ming of Class 1964, Mr. Lowcock as his understudy. Because of their friendship, Mr. Chan was invited to be the school bursar in 1970, a post he held until 1982. Mr. Chan was awarded an MBE for his contribution to sport in Hong Kong.

Mr K. W. Chu (1940–75) Mr. Chu’s surname in Chinese was , normally transliterated as Chui or Tsui in Cantonese. Mr. Chu, commonly known to the students as “Bok Bok Tsui”, was born in 1911 in Hong Kong. He started teaching in DBS in 1940 when most teachers of the Chinese language still wore the traditional cheongsam (long gown). As a full-time teacher of Chinese, his monthly salary was $60 before the war. Although he taught for only 16 periods a week, the job was not easy as some classes had 50 to 60 boys and so had to be held in the school hall. At that time, each class was divided into two streams for Chinese studies — one for boys with a higher Chinese literary standard, and the other mainly for non-Chinese and overseas Chinese with a lower level of proficiency. He retired after 35 years of service in 1976 (actually about 30 years if the war years are not counted). “Bok Bok Tsui” was fondly remembered for his fantastic stories.21

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The Rev. S. T. Wu (1947–60) The Rev. Theodore S. T. Wu joined DBS in 1947. He was an Anglican minister but, unlike a typical scripture teacher, he did not tell many stories about Christ’s life in class and was never seen carrying a bible. Instead, he discussed religion as a philosophy, explained the views of different denominations and defended the Anglican Church’s doctrines. He encouraged his students to be free-thinkers, to form their own ideas about religion and about God, both in the classroom and in examinations. In fact, most students felt that he was sympathetic to the communist regime in China. He was very close to Bishop Hall and, as the school chaplain, he was in a position to select and recruit possible future leaders of Sheng Kung Hui from the students in the senior forms. These students received encouragement to join the Anglican Church through his intervention and induction.22 He taught history to Form 4 in 1953–54 and, in the final examination, set a compulsory question which carried 60% of the marks, asking the students to write an essay on how everlasting world peace could be achieved. Two prizes, presented by Mr. Du Toit, were given to the students based on their examination results: the first to the one who advocated the spread of the teaching of Confucianism and the second that of communism. The Rev. S. T. Wu, probably instructed by Bishop Hall, also organized a trip for teachers from DBS (and a few from other Anglican schools) to China in 1956, the first official visit by teachers from a publicly financed school in Hong Kong to the Mainland after 1949.23

Mr. P. E. Du Toit (1947–57) Mr. Paul Du Toit’s place in the history of DBS is secure. He joined the staff as a teacher of history and English in May 1948, a critical time in the postwar re-establishment of the school. He was remarkably versatile and the school enjoyed the benefits of his wide-ranging interests. As a deep and genuine lover of music, he gave gramophone recitals in the hall during lunchtime, and he could also draw and paint with enviable facility. His versatility was matched by his energy and he tackled all the tasks and responsibilities which came his way with cheerfulness and efficiency. For example, he designed the layout and decoration for the tuck shop, and for many years his colourful and humorous murals livened up its walls. His manual skills extended to carpentry as well, with the sets and scenery for the production of “The Pirates of Penzance” being constructed under his direction and, indeed, largely by him.

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One of his favourite hobbies was motoring. For example, he won much applause from a crowd of boarders when he demonstrated backing up the whole of the school drive at high speed without applying the brakes.24 As the founding father of the Hong Kong Motor Sports Club, he was invited to Macau on 12 May 1954 to give advice on the organization of a treasure hunt, but he ended up helping to organize a grand prix25 in which he took part and came second! The grand prix has since become an important annual event in Macau which adds to its attraction as a tourist centre. To commemorate his contribution, the government of Macau made a small sculpture of his head which is displayed at the entrance to the Grand Prix Museum at the Macau Tourist Centre.

8.2

Mr. Paul Du Toit’s sculpture in Macau

As Mr. Du Toit had remarried, when he, while on leave in Australia, heard that Mr. Brittain had to resign (see below), he decided to stay behind in Sydney after leave. Being an outstanding and stimulating teacher, his resignation was a serious blow to both the school and Mr. She. The news that he passed away at a relatively young age in the mid-1960s saddened all those who knew him. In an obituary, Mr. Y. S. Chan wrote: He came of Swiss parentage, but he was educated in England, and when the war came, he joined the Royal Air Force … His friendliness struck you at once as springing not from a superficial amiability but from an open heart and genuine interest in other people, which was deeply rooted in him, a sincere humanity … In DBS, with its mixtures of races and creeds, this was a great asset.26

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Mr. D. J. Brittain (1948–57) Mr. Donald Brittain designed the geography room in DBS, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, and as a geography teacher he was very much admired and respected by his superiors, contemporaries and students, but he was forced to resign in 1957 after teaching in DBS for nine years. Mr. Brittain was very active in organizing extracurricular activities, especially in music and drama: he was the school representative in the Hong Kong Schools Music Association and the founder of the Amateur Dramatics Club, which did much to promote the school’s drama activities.27 The last play he produced was “Journey’s End”, staged in the school hall in January 1957, which is remembered well by many old boys.28 Mr. Brittain had an unhappy marriage and his wife left to return to England. After his divorce, he became engaged to a teacher in DGS but, upon learning this, Bishop Hall intervened and asked Mr. Brittain to choose between his second marriage and staying at DBS. Bishop Hall considered that expatriate members of DBS staff held a position similar to a clergyman in terms of responsibilities and required of them the highest standards of selfdiscipline and sense of public duty.29 Bishop Hall’s attitude reflected the views of the Anglican Church at that time — a time when Princess Margaret could not marry a divorcee. DBS therefore lost two of its most valuable staff within a few months.

Mr. Y. T. Kwong (1949–78) Mr. Kwong first joined DBS in 1949 as an art teacher. As he had majored in landscape architecture at university, he was invited to redesign the rock garden for the school when Mr. She was the headmaster. Mr. Kwong is a gifted artist who has held many international exhibitions and is noted for his technique and clever use of colours. He left DBS in 1978 to join the Department of Fine Arts at CUHK. After his retirement, he emigrated to Canada and now lives in Vancouver. Old boys will remember him for his call “Stand!” announcing the entrance of the headmaster during the morning assembly.

Mr. W. Jacobsen (1954–84) Mr. William Jacobsen bade farewell to DBS in the summer of 1984 when he became the headmaster of S. K. H. Lee Ping Secondary School in Kwai Chung after teaching in DBS for 30 years. An old boy, he joined the staff of DBS in

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1954 as an English teacher, and he also taught history and geography to junior forms. In 1971, he was appointed senior master and became a member of the School Committee. Mr. Jacland Lai wrote: “Behind a warm and affable exterior lies a man of strong convictions, wholly unbiased, unwavering in the defence of his belief. Always unassuming, he goes about his work quietly, efficiently, with a high degree of tolerance, a great sense of humour and a superb display of dedication.”30

Mr. H. Li (1957–63) 31 One of Mr. Henry Li’s students, Peter Kwok of Class 1965, wrote: Mr. Henry Li, nicknamed “Kiang Sze Lo” (Mummy-corpse), was appointed as the head of the music department in 1957 and was one of the most formative music masters at the school, with many students learning to play musical instruments during his time. Mr. Li organized concerts with a balanced programme in which the teachers, their pupils and some of the leading soloists and musicians in Hong Kong had an opportunity to take part. These monthly concerts attracted a regular audience of local teachers of music. In his music class, students could not recall seeing any hint of a smile, even around the corner of his lips. The job of a music teacher at DBS was not easy in those days as these classes were stress-free for students, with no examinations and no pressure from class rankings in the Blue Book. Traditionally the music lesson had been a hymn-singing lesson in DBS. As it was hymn after hymn ... and more hymns for a bunch of restless, mischievous boys, it did not take long for a few of the rowdies to incite the typical DBS classroom hyperactivity. Mr. Li had a challenging task to make the lessons exciting to the students. Besides hymn-singing, Mr. Li had also tried to teach music appreciation through the understanding of music architecture. He explained some basic forms in music composition, including the simple A–A–B–A format, by showing students examples using that old vinyl record player with the anaemic speakers by the sidewall of the music room. He also touched on music history by talking about famous musicians. Mr. Li left the school for the United States in December 1962.

Mrs. J Bromfield (1959–84) When interviewed by a student, Mrs. Bromfield said: “Teachers are not paid to be liked. Their job is to teach and not to be everybody’s friend. Literature is to be read: to analyze, to comprehend and to examine the ways and forms by which others express their thoughts, views and ideas; and to study the

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structure and the use of language.”32 Mrs. Bromfield, with the help of a few parents, made all the costumes for the school’s first opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” in 1962, as well as for the Chinese play “Antigone” in 1968.

Mr. W. T. Chow (1960–69) Mr. Thomas Chow Wai Tong was a DBS graduate of 1954. Even though he taught in DBS for only nine years, he is fondly remembered by many old boys as an excellent geography teacher whose lessons were most enjoyable. Also, his passion for and excellence in football made him the ideal football coach. Because of his extensive involvement in extracurricular activities, he was genuinely liked by all students. In 1964, together with a number of Form 6 students, he formed the Rural Service Group. Once a month, he would lead a group of 20 to 30 students to a village in the New Territories to carry out work for the villagers, such as building footpaths, repairing equipment, writing letters, caring for the aged and playing with the children. He left the school in 1969 to join TVB. He is still very active in social service work and as a consultant and trainer in the tourist industry. He travels extensively and takes every opportunity to participate in old boys’ gatherings around the world.

Mr. T. K. Hong (1960–87) Mr. Hong was a sincere and humble man and his influence on his students was inestimable. He wrote a book about his uncle entitled (Kang You-wei and the Hundred Day Reform). After retiring in 1987, he emigrated to the United States in 1990. When he began to have health problems towards the end of 1999, a group of physicians, alumni of DBS, formed a medical team to look after him, showing the close relationship between DBS teachers and students.

Mr. T. Lee (1960–78) Mr. Thomas Lee was fondly given the name “The Cartoon Man” by his students because he looked like the cartoon character “Mr. Magoo”. He was one of the most widely travelled teachers in the school. After fighting in the Korean War on the side of the Americans, he returned to live in Hong Kong rather than in the United States. When interviewed by a student, he said: “I’m not an exciting person … I have just finished a whole decade of service

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at DBS, but I never considered myself a teacher here. I’m just a tourist, like some of the new teachers here, they just seem to come and go …”.33 Despite his claim to be a “tourist”, not a teacher, Mr. Lee taught in DBS for a period of 18 years until his retirement. The wanderer had found his home in the school! He is now living in Cape Town, South Africa.

Mr. G. M. Beau (1961–72) Mr. Georges-Marius Beau, son of the last French governor in Vietnam and a French teacher at DBS, passed away in Hong Kong on 22 March 1994. His French pupils wrote in Steps: “Monsieur Beau will always be remembered by his ‘French’ boys as a teacher of great experience who was completely at home in the classroom. His lessons were characterized by spontaneity, humour and infectious enjoyment. When the chief cook left at short notice (note: he was actually dismissed – see Chapter 10), Monsieur Beau volunteered to take over the job without hesitation. Both boys and teaching staff took great delight in his French cuisine — the only regret was that the lunch break was too short, as French cuisine is meant to be enjoyed, and not to be rushed.”34

Mr. K. Y. Cheng (1961–85) Mr. Cheng enrolled in DBS as a pupil in 1935. Later he returned as a teacher until his untimely death in May 1985. He often remarked that DBS was his home away from home. Mr. Cheng insisted on wearing short trousers in the summer and hence his nickname “Mr. Short Pants”. His explanation for his summer attire was that it prevents excessive sweating.35 His affection for his pupils is fondly remembered. Stephen Tang of Class 1965 wrote: He graduated from university in Guangzhou but he had an exceptional skill in the English language. It was the first time in my life that someone really taught me basic English grammar from step one. He was methodical and organized. Mr. Cheng was also very humorous. He always filled our classroom with laughter. … He was one of the very few teachers who invited us to his quarters on the top floor for pops and cookies. He fined us 10 cents every time we spoke Chinese. … He also supervised the Photographic Club of which I was a member. You could always feel his warmth and enthusiasm whenever you met him outside the school.

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Mr. S. K. Wong (1961–64) 36 Mr. Wong Siu Kit had made a deep impression on many of his students, including Patrick Ho Chi Ping of Class 1966, who wrote: Siu Kit first taught me Biblical Knowledge in Form 2. He was a thin man who wore a padded Chinese robe in winter. When he walked into the classroom one afternoon in 1962, no one noticed until, with the touch of a poet, he asked the class if anyone had any belief in life. He opened my eyes and my mind to a bigger and better world of enlightenment during my formative years at DBS. Later, he became my class-master and taught English. Several years later, the school put together a Greek tragedy “Antigone” in Chinese, translated by Siu Kit. He, a senior prefect in 1955–1957, came back to teach in the school, and left again to read for his doctorate. I next met up with Siu Kit in 1991 in my surgery when he came to me for treatment of an eye condition. Our lives have crossed at different points with roles changed and varied. Towards the end of 2007, I received news that he had been very sick and had passed away. I lost the idol of my youth and Hong Kong, a scholar.

Mr. T. L. Kiang (1962–90) Maestro Kiang was instrumental in the development of music in DBS and the story of how he became the music teacher has often been discussed. Mr. Kiang graduated in civil engineering from Fudan University, Shanghai, but he had studied music for interest in middle school and played the piano, flute, violin and harmonica. After he came to Hong Kong in 1949, he worked as a clerk but also held a part-time job as a composer with the Great Wall Studio. At that time, Mr. Henry Li, music master, was preparing the musical “Amahl and the Night Visitors” and invited Mr. Kiang to help. Later, Mr. Li resigned and recommended Mr. Kiang to take his place. Mr. Lowcock immediately agreed, and the contract was signed when the two met for the first time without any application on Mr. Kiang’s part or any formal interview. With his appointment, Mr. Kiang began his career of 28 years of teaching in DBS.37 When he came to DBS in 1962, the boys were not as enthusiastic about music as they are now. The brilliant results that DBS achieved over the years were due to the hard work of Maestro Kiang. Mr. K. Sei, one of his students and later a colleague, wrote on the occasion of Mr. Kiang’s retirement in 1990: During the span of 28 years, he has led our boys to numerous triumphs at the Music festival. There is no denying his untiring effort and contribution

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towards the school. Mr. Kiang is a jolly good fellow — placid and easygoing, and particularly impresses others with his generosity.

Mr. J. Lai, the headmaster then, also expressed his dismay: “How does one fill the void left by the Maestro of such versatility!”38

Mr. Y. S. Wang (1962–82) Mr. Thomas Wang was a first violinist of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and, while not a full-time teacher at DBS, he was responsible for cultivating musical talent in the school. In 1962, when he first arrived in Hong Kong, he helped Mr. Henry Li to train the students and to prepare for the Christmas opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, and he continued to help the school for 20 years until 1982. Recalling his best music students at DBS, he said: Peter Kwok Chi Hung (Class 1965) won a prize after only one year of learning to play the violin. … Kwok was followed by Patrick Ho (Class 1966) who was very talented and obtained the highest honours after three years of practice, beating his opponent, a veteran of 10 years. Patrick Ho also won the highest award at that time, the “Commercial Radio Scholarship Prize”. … However, the best student was Ivan Chan, who left DBS for the Curtis Institute of Music at the age of 13 in the early 1980s.39

Mr. Y. F. She (1968–85) Mr. She, an alumnus of the New Asia College renowned for his calligraphy, poetry-writing and profound knowledge of Chinese literature, headed the Department of Chinese. A specialist in the triple jump, he was also in charge of the DBS athletics team and the Piercy House. As advisor to Steps, he gave the name Ji-Si ( ) to the Chinese section of the school magazine in 1974. In 1985, Mr. She took up a teaching post in the Chinese Department of CUHK. He was regarded as a legendary figure by his boys.

Mr. P. K. Tao (1968–84) Mr. Tao graduated from CUHK and had a master’s degree from the University of Leeds. He headed the Department of Physics and was the coordinator for science subjects. After school hours, he often sat in the laboratory and prepared the equipment for the next day’s science classes. He designed equipment for the classes to suit the needs of the students and supervised them and the laboratory assistants in building the equipment and assembling electronic

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modules. By building circuits and systems, students were able to understand electronics better (see also Chapter 11).40

Mr. C. K. Yung (1973–present) Mr. Yung joined DBS in 1973 and has served three headmasters, Mr. Lowcock, Mr. Lai and Mr. Chang. Mr. Yung’s philosophy is “to educate and not to teach”. He thinks that students in the 1970s and 1980s had a great capacity for self-learning, especially in extracurricular activities, contending that most of them were independent, motivated and self-driven, and knew how to solve problems themselves. Mr. Yung is a well-recognized volleyball coach in Hong Kong and trained the DBS team from scratch to become a powerhouse in the sport within a few years.41

Mr. C. S. Mak (1980–2003) Mr. Mak began his teaching career in 1980 as a geography teacher in DBS and was promoted to deputy headmaster in 1987. Despite deteriorating health, Mr. Mak continued to perform his duties in every possible way but finally succumbed on 27 December 2003. In DBS, he was regarded as “the big brother who stayed behind after school and talked with students about everything” and “was able to call his students by their names, and knew clearly which class they belonged to, which subjects they had chosen and what their favourite hobbies were”. He loved to spend time creating new teaching methods. He was admired for his support to the school, particularly through photography, and he was always present in the Wan Chai Stadium, holding his camera and carefully recording the efforts of the students: he shouted and cheered with his students as if he were one of them. The geography lessons and the field trips he led probably made the deepest impression on his numerous students. To them, the passing of Mr. Mak meant the loss of an inspiring teacher; and to his colleagues, it meant the loss of a genuine friend and a competent leader.42

Mr. R. Cheng (1989–present) Mr. Ronnie Cheng is an old boy who returned to teach music when Mr. Kiang retired. As a student in DBS, he participated in many extracurricular activities such as debates, time-keeping and tennis in addition to being a pianist, singing in the choir and playing percussion in the school orchestra.43 Hiroko Uchimoto, a student, wrote:

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… He is the quintessential conductor in other ways as well: we must learn to sing in good English … We must not be “cool” when singing the school hymn, we must get eight hours of sleep, be prompt, attentive, and smart, enunciate our consonants, and think about nothing else. This is the law according to Ronnie.44

Mr. Cheng left for the United States to further his studies in music in 1993, and in 1995 he returned to the school as the music master and was promoted in 2006 to the post of deputy headmaster. He was married on 27 December 2005 in the school hall with a musical accompaniment by the school orchestra — another first in the school’s history!

Non-teaching Staff There had been no clerical staff in the school until the arrival of Mr. Featherstone. After he took over, he immediately redeployed one of the certificated masters, Mr. Sung Pat Tat, as a clerk and promoted him to the position of bursar three years later. The school would not have been able to operate so smoothly over the years without the devotion of the non-teaching staff, including the bursar, the matron, the librarian, office workers, laboratory assistants, cooks, laundry ladies, janitors and security guards. There were a number of exceptional individuals that DBS was fortunate to have over the years.

Selected Non-teaching Staff Mr. F. Mak (1923–71) Mr. Mak Fook (“Ah Fook”) was often seen carrying a tray around the school and all the teachers were eager to see him every day at about 10:30 a.m. Born in Hong Kong, he started to work in DBS as a young boy in 1923. In an interview, he said that in the 1920s and 1930s there were Indian, Japanese, English, German, Thai and American students, in addition to local Chinese. He recalled that when he first came to DBS, there were numerous burglaries and the conditions in the school were not very satisfactory, but they had improved tremendously and he could see that there would be greater improvements in the future.45

Staff and Students

(a) Mr. F. Mak

(b) Mr. F. Kwok

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(c) Mr. M. K. Chan

(f) Mr. T. Pang

(e) Mrs. L. Pang (d) Mr. C. Chan (g) Mr. S. N. Ma

(h) Mr. S. Lam

(i) Ms. V. Cheung 8.3

(j) Mr. C. W. Tang

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Mr. F. Kwok (1940s–70s) “Old Log” Mr. Kwok Fai, the skinny old man who ran the tuck shop, was a legendary figure in the school. He retired in the 1970s after serving in DBS for about 30 years. Throughout this time he never made a mistake in an order he served or the change he gave. Even when the place was packed with students at recess, he worked in an orderly and efficient manner. He treated everyone in the same way, irrespective of their positions — service without words.46 He will be remembered for his silence and the thickness (or rather thinness) of his sandwiches.

Mr. M. K. Chan (1950–2000) Mr. Chan Man Kee became an office assistant in DBS in 1950 and retired in 2000, having served four headmasters over 50 years and witnessed the growth of the school over half a century. His wife and elder brother served in the canteen for more than a decade and his two sons are both old boys. He was responsible for typing and filing all the office documents as well as registering outgoing and returned books in the library. Before his retirement, he was fully responsible for the printing of teaching materials and examination papers.47

Mr. C. Chan (1951–80s) Mr. Chan Chor started as a janitor at DBS in 1951. Because he was a carpenter by training, his work included repairing desks, chairs and bookshelves. He was most enthusiastic in helping to make the sets for the play “Antigone”.48

Mrs. L. Pang (1955–89) Mrs. Laura Pang joined the DBS family as the secretary to the headmaster in 1955 and retired in 1989. She was secretary to four principals, Goodban, She, Lowcock and Lai, and earned the title “grandma” because of her seniority, her sense of humour and her happy-go-lucky personality. She was loved and respected by many. She told her son, an old boy and a high court judge, that the happiest moment in her life was when she learned that he was appointed member of the School Committee.49

Mr. T. Pang (1963–90s) Mr. Pang Tak, or “Boss Pang”, joined DBS in 1963. He was the chief technician

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responsible for the biology and physics laboratories and made a major contribution to the Integrated Science Project initiated by Mr. Tao in the 1970s. Mr. Pang was extremely serious in his work ensuring that all the rules and regulations were correctly and meticulously observed in the laboratories. Because of his seriousness and his insistence on rules and regulations being observed, some students found it difficult to get along with him, but he was a keen supporter of the school and before each school fete he devoted much time to designing and making interesting items for sale.50

Mr. S. N. Ma (1966–90s) Mr. S. N. Ma, the assistant librarian, took up his post in the school in 1966. Mr. Ma had a considerable interest in history, especially Chinese history, and loved to teach adults English. In addition to Chinese and English, he was also fluent in several other languages and dialects.51

Mr. S. Lam (1968–77) Mr. Lam Sang, the telephone operator, was physically handicapped and already confined to a wheelchair when he joined DBS in 1968. However, he had a cheerful personality, which will always be remembered by the boys. He was a great enthusiast for school activities, especially athletics and volleyball. He left DBS in 1977 and passed away the following year.52

Ms. V. Cheung (1981–2000) A Eurasian proud of her descent, Ms. Vivian Cheung’s father and brothers (Oswald being one of them) were all DBS boys. Though without formal qualifications, she had obtained a good deal of nursing knowledge through her experience in helping the Chinese army during the war, which enabled her to perform the duties of a matron most competently and efficiently. After serving the school for 20 years, she retired in 2000.53 One of her duties as matron was to give medical care to boys, ranging from taking body temperature, calming frightened patients, cleaning up and dressing wounds and providing first-aid to sending them to hospital if needed. Her other duties included organizing receptions at school functions such as the speech day, the garden fete and blood donations. Her working hours were irregular as they were not limited to school hours but she never complained.

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Mr. C. W. Tang (1976–present) Mr. C. W. Tang, having served the school for over 30 years, is currently its chief technician in charge of the laboratories, responsible for their maintenance as well as helping students to set up experiments during classes. He is an expert in Shi-wan pottery and he makes angels and Buddhas. Because of his love of art and culture, Mr. Tang also acts as an honorary guide in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre during weekends.54

Students There were only about 28 students in the DHO when it started in 1869. The enrolment gradually increased to 381 in 1922 and 509 in 1941; and when the school restarted after World War II, its enrolment soon reached 620 in 1949 and surged to over 1,100 in the 1960s. In the late 1960s, DBS lost its primary students and the total number dropped slightly for a short period before it increased again to reach 1,400 in the 2000s (see Graph 8.1). The addition of the primary division in the new millennium brought in more students, raising the total number to about 2,300. When the DHO was first established, it was co-educational with 23 boarders, 14 boys and nine girls, and a few day scholars. However, after 1878, it was gradually turned into a boys’ school, with the girls being removed in stages — first the boarders and then the rest — and the process was completed in 1892 when the Fairlea School was opened to the girls of the DHO.55 One of the characteristics of DBS had been the international nature of its student body. In 1869, of the 23 boarders, only five were Chinese56; in 1893, of the 109 students, 59 were Chinese and 50 were non-Chinese; and in 1922, the school had 381 students: 258 Chinese, 95 Eurasians, 10 Portuguese, eight English, six Indians, two Greeks, one Dutch and one Thai. The boarders came from many different places: Xiamen (Amoy 16), Taiwan (12), Guangzhou (Canton 9), Manila (9), Hanoi (4), Penang (2), Bangkok (1), Haikou (Hoihow 1), Jiangmen (Kongmoon 1), Korea (1), Macau (1), Sandakan (1), Shanghai (1), Singapore (1), Tianjin (Tientsin 1) and Tokyo (1).57 In 1924, the student body of the DBSO included students who were American, British, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Jewish, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Thai.58 The tightening of government control on grant schools’ admission of international students led to the virtual absence of international students and a decline in the number of boarders. While there were still 7–15% of nonChinese in the student population in the 1950s and 1960s, the figure fell to

Staff and Students

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3–4% in the following three decades and dropped further to less than 2% in the new century. Whether the change to DSS status will enable the school to re-establish its cosmopolitan character has yet to be seen. There is still a hurdle to cross as the government has not yet formulated a positive policy on the granting of student visas to primary and secondary school children from China (including Taiwan and Macau). In the early days, the DHO was an orphanage and, with few exceptions, the students were boarders. Later, however, with an increasing demand for bilingual individuals in Hong Kong, the number of day boys increased, overtaking that of boarders in the 1890s. In the first few decades of the twentieth century, about one-third of the students were boarders, and so Mr. Featherstone planned accommodation for 150 boarders and 300 day boys on the new campus. For about 20 years after the war, the number of boarders remained between 100 and 110 but, by 1970, the number had dropped to around 60 after the government tightened control on the admission of international students; and it further decreased to around 40 in the second half of the 1990s (see Graph 8.1). There has been a misconception that DBS is a school for the wealthy, even though it was never intended that this should be the case. The DHO was started as a home for Eurasian and European orphans and free boarding for these children had been the general practice from the beginning. As the DHO prospered and the number of students increased, it gradually changed in nature from an orphanage to a fee-paying school. Over the years, the proportion of students who are orphans or from very poor families has been decreasing, but the practice of offering free or fee-reduction places to the less fortunate has never ceased (see Chapter 10). In 1889, for instance, of the 59 boarders, eight were free and 17 paid reduced fees; and of the 51 day scholars, five were free and 16 paid reduced fees.59 Economic prosperity and the emergence of small nuclear families in Hong Kong in the 1980s changed the socio-demographic background of the students in DBS. The school had fewer students from either end of the socio-economic spectrum and the change to DSS status in 2003 further narrowed the social background of students who now come mainly from the middle and uppermiddle classes.

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9 The Campus

Since its establishment, DBS has been located in three places. In addition to the old campus on Hong Kong Island and the current one in Kowloon, there was a third site which most people may not know about — the temporary location at the northeast junction of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road in Kowloon where the school was accommodated for about a year when the military requisitioned the new campus for use as a hospital in 1927.

1869–1926 At its inception in 1869, the DHO was housed in the campus built in 1862 for the DNFTS (a site currently occupied by the Bonham Road Government Primary School). It stood at the northeast corner of the intersection of Eastern Street and Bonham Road, occupying an area of about one acre (see Figures 1.3 on p. 8 and 3.2 on p. 41). Mr. Piercy’s first impression of the school was that it was “far out of town, the roads were lonely and dangerous, without motors, rickshaws, or even Sikh police”.1 The old school building faced considerable problems even in its early years. For example, in 1874, it suffered some damage from a typhoon, requiring repairs costing $400. In the year 1876–77, a survey was carried out by the Surveyor General’s Department which reported that unless the building underwent extensive repairs, it would be completely unsafe in the event of a typhoon as nearly all the woodwork had been destroyed either by termites or dry rot. Fortunately, the $1,500 needed for the repair work was covered by donations from the local community and Fuzhou.2 By 1885–86, the school’s reputation had been enhanced to such an extent

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that applications for admission frequently had to be refused due to lack of space. In order to accommodate more students, the school made some alterations to allow for six more beds. The number of students had increased from 55 in 1884–85 to 125 in 1888–89, including an increase in the number of girls from the coastal ports. The Rev. and Mrs. J. B. Ost of the CMS who lived in the neighbourhood took the girls under their care while they went to school at the DHO. In addition, in the following year, the school rented the nearby Priory Lodge at $50 per month for the boarders as a temporary measure.3 The suggestion that land should be procured and a loan obtained to erect a new school building was rejected by the School Committee because of difficulties in raising sufficient funds; and instead, it was agreed that a new wing be built on the east side of the school. Its construction was started in 1891 and completed in 1892 for occupation in September, with the grant-inaid scheme contributing $4,200 to the building costs and the school raising $4,855 to pay for the remaining expenses.4 The new wing provided excellent accommodation for classrooms and dormitories, with convenient lavatories and bathrooms. There was a large airy dormitory with rooms for the assistant masters and “apprentices” (old boys) upstairs, as well as a spacious hall and a covered playground underneath, which was very useful during the wet season. When the old premises were rearranged, there were rooms for storing shoes, lamps and linen, as well as a carpenter’s shop, a library and a “hospital” (probably a couple of beds for sick boys). The “hospital” was seldom occupied by patients and was used mainly for the reception of former students who regularly came to spend weekends with their old friends.5 In 1899, a tennis court was built on the lower terrace and the old kitchen quarters were removed from the playground, which gave more space for football and cricket. Two fives courts, which were the only ones available in the colony and were greatly appreciated by boys and masters alike,6 were added in 1903. By 1903, parts of the school buildings were in constant need of expensive repairs, having been built over 40 years before. On 15 December 1904, Mr. Piercy recommended to the School Committee that a new and larger school should be constructed, rather than a new wing being added to the present building, but on 2 March 1905 the committee decided not to enlarge the school.7 In 1912, a new up-to-date laboratory was built at a cost of $7,850 on the site of the fives courts. In the following year, the DHO lost the playing field at West Point although the government later provided a new, but smaller, one for the school at the west end of the town in West End Park. Between 1915 and 1918, there was no proper practice ground for football and cricket,

The Campus

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and very often the boys had to walk from the school on Bonham Road to Causeway Bay to play in a larger field, which was clearly a most unsatisfactory situation.8 It was not until after Mr. Piercy submitted his resignation on 1 November 1917 that the School Committee finally came to the conclusion that a new campus was necessary and began to search for a suitable site.9

9.1

Upper ground of Bonham Road campus

9.2 Quadrangle of Bonham Road campus

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The New Campus After the government confirmed that the 23 acres of land at Mongkok had been granted to the school in 1923, Messrs Little, Adams and Woods, the school architects, were asked to produce the plans they had prepared three years before. Although Featherstone favoured the architects’ plan for a building with four courtyards surrounded by cloisters, Bishop Duppuy, chairman of the School Committee, decided on the “military design”, submitted by Mr. Scott. The latter plan included a hall for 800, classrooms for 450 students and accommodation for 150 boarders and six resident masters. Within 20 years of its completion, the school was twice taken over as a military hospital, possibly because of the suitability of its design — one wonders whether the school’s fortunes might have been different if the first architectural plan had been adopted.

1926–41 The old building on Bonham Road was closed on 29 January 1926. When the school reopened at the new campus on 8 March, the work was far from being completed (see Figure 3.3 on p. 43). The dormitories, dining room and kitchen were ready, but the offices and the school hall were not; the water supply came only from a well and a connection to the main water system did not take place until the following year; the road leading to the school was a temporary one and not until May 1926 could a car be driven right up to the entrance; and the scaffolding for the building came down only in June of that year.10 Towards the end of the year, the school was finally more or less in shape to receive visitors, and several distinguished guests were invited, including the governor, Sir Cecil Clementi; the director of education, Mr. Alan E. Wood; the lord bishop of London, the Right Rev. A. F. W. Ingram; his personal friend, Mr. O. A. Blyth and his chaplain, the Rev. H. C. Thomas — all of whom praised the new campus.11 However, on 6 February 1927, the military authorities expressed their intention of using the new school buildings as a military hospital for part of the British Shanghai Defence Force12 and the school had to agree to let them take over the new buildings with effect from 1 March. Temporary accommodation in tenement houses at the northeast corner of the junction of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road was chosen by Featherstone on 28 February, the rental for which has not been recorded, and the school

9.3 Architectural sketch of Argyle Street campus

The Campus 199

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moved in on 1 March. The director of education, who visited in May, found the temporary premises very satisfactory, except that there was no covered playground and the arrangements for science teaching were not convenient.13

9.4 Temporary premises on Nathan Road

After the military left at the end of 1927, DBS moved back to the new campus on 1 February 1928. Although the military occupation had been short, some structures had been added, such as the second floor (see Figure 3.4 on p. 45), a quarter-master’s store, a linen store, enclosed verandahs and a shed, for which the school had to pay $9,400, thereby further increasing its debt to the government (see also Chapter 3).14 According to a report by a medical officer who conducted an inspection of the campus in June 1928, the dormitories were very well set out and ventilated. They were large rooms with plenty of air space and cross-ventilation, which were considered much better for health and supervision than small private cubicles for one or two boys. The classrooms had low windows and ample cubic space per boy. The medical officer suggested, however, that improvements might be made in the drainage system for the whole site and that there should be two doors in each large classroom instead of one to give more ventilation in hot weather.15

The Campus

201

The school spent a considerable amount of money on the construction of paths, channels and drains in 1928. In the next year it concentrated its efforts on improving the top floor added by the military which had a temporary roof, and this storey was subsequently used mainly by the boarding school. In late January 1929, work was started to improve the small boys’ dormitory situated on the top storey of the East Centre Wing at a cost of $7,445 and, on its completion in early April, it had a bathroom, a permanent roof and a verandah. Other building work carried out at about the same time included the construction of a large dormitory of 160 feet by 29 feet, four masters’ rooms, two small rooms for general use on the top floor of the North Block and a new lavatory on the top floor in the centre of the building which had five shower baths, two bathrooms, 24 basins and two service basins, all with hot and cold water supply. By mid-1929, half of the top floor was made permanent but the rest was still temporary in nature. According to the original plan, there should be a flat on the top floor of the centre front block and a clock tower adjacent to it, but these were never built (see Figure 9.3). 16

1941–46 The Campus after the War During the war, the Japanese used DBS as a hospital. When the war was over, Mr. Young Saye visited the school with Lt. W. Stokes of the Royal Navy on 26 December 1945 and, in his report published in Steps in July 1947, he found that the school building, which housed some 800 Japanese patients, nurses, doctors and servants, was clean and well looked after. He continued: The roof has just been gone over recently, and does not leak … the electric wiring everywhere looked old and patched-up … The whole of the science laboratory has been turned into a large kitchen, black with soot, with large communal boilers built in it, each set in large concrete structures. Other parts of the School building are intact, and fairly clean. The H.M.’s flat is used as nurses’ quarters; the tuckshop is the medical office … The only furniture left in all the rooms are a few old tables … a few chairs … No blackboards or desks were visible. Two brick walls, about nine feet high each, were built across the quadrangle containing the rock garden (with the pond dry) and these enclosed a space for the mental cases … All the land behind the tennis court, west of the path leading to the steps, has been converted into vegetable patches … The football field is rather more

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hollowed out … There were six graves in the field … These graves were dug just after the Japanese surrender … The Japanese interpreter told me that these graves would be removed before they evacuated the building.17

The Explosion on 2 January 1946 The Japanese occupation also affected the school campus in other ways. At 8:40 p.m. on 2 January 1946, there was a major explosion in a tunnel near the school drive, which had been used by the Japanese to store large quantities of cordite and other explosives. The explosion blew open the rear of No. 117 Argyle Street, where three members of the household were buried in the debris, and the rear portion of No. 121 also collapsed, trapping a young servant. In what was a devastating scene, heavy masonry was strewn around and smoke could be seen for miles. The explosion, which was heard all over Hong Kong and Kowloon, shattered windows in the vicinity and even broke some in Hong Kong Island.18 Volunteers, nearby Royal Air Force and commando units, police officers and service officers took part in the ensuing excavation. Mr. Monks, who was in the voluntary excavating party, thought that the tunnels went into the bank under the school field and that ammunition and petrol were stored there, but the ammunition could not be seen as it might be in bays. As they dug, large chunks of the roof fell and thudding sounds could be heard all along the tunnel, but they all came out alive. These tunnels under the playing field were to continue to plague the school in later years.19

1946–2000 Rehabilitation of DBS Through the hard work of the two acting headmasters, Mr. Oswald Cheung and then Mr. Monks, the school was in reasonably good working order by October 1946 when Mr. Goodban returned, but it took Mr. Goodban a few more years to restore it fully to its former shape. In 1948, the war memorial tablet (see Figure 3.11 on p. 59) was unveiled and the school chapel was renamed “Sargent Memorial Chapel”.20 The tuck shop, redesigned by Mr. Du Toit in September 1948, was much more comfortable than the one in the early 2000s and was probably the best school tuck shop in Hong Kong at that time. It also brought the school extra income for various purposes such as buying equipment for sports activities.

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Gymnasium Complex and Headmaster’s House 1952 DBS underwent several phases of expansion over the years after World War II. A new complex (see Figure 10.3 on p. 234) consisting of a gymnasium, a music room, a geography room and an art room was officially opened in 1952. At the ceremony, where Mr. Douglas J. S. Crozier, the director of education officiated, the school gave an impressive display of physical training exercises (see Figure 4.4 on p. 74) under the direction of Mr. S. T. Chan.21 The construction of this new complex was made possible by an interest-free loan from the ED and the DSOBA raised $10,000 for the purchase of extra equipment. At about the same time, the headmaster’s residence, a detached house on the far side of the playing field, was completed. This site is now occupied by the primary division.

9.5

Headmaster’s House

Rock Garden 1955 When Mr. She, with his keen interest in gardening, took over the school in 1955, he immediately saw the potential for improving the rock garden and instructed Mr. Y. T. Kwong, the art teacher, who was trained as an urban and landscape designer in the United States, to redesign it and supervise the construction work. When completed, it turned out to be very aesthetic, adding to the splendour of the school campus (see Figure 4.8 on p. 85).

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Science Wing 1956 Mr. Goodban planned the Science Wing to be built on the west side of the main building. The construction, which commenced after the arrival of Mr. She, was completed in 1956 and opened by Lt.-Col. H. B. L. Dowbiggen on 1 September.22 It included three laboratories, one for each science subject, as well as a small library and three storerooms.

New Wing 1960 The 1960s witnessed an expansion of the school to accommodate the rising student population. The New Wing (see Figure 9.6 on p. 206), which was completed in November 1960, had an additional first floor for the Science Wing to house seven new classrooms and provided other facilities such as a small gymnasium, a library, a changing room, lavatories, four new staff quarters, a demonstration room equipped with built-in speakers for recorded concerts and language work and an exterior projection window for film shows.23 The library, which had a seating capacity of 72 and housed about 5,000 books, (the including a new set of encyclopedias and a complete set of Twenty-four Histories), was used by the sixth form during class and open to all at lunch-time and after school until 6 p.m. Many boys stayed behind after school to do homework because their home conditions were not conducive to study.24

The Hole in the Playing Field in 1964 The story of the hole in the playing field has fascinated many students over the years. In 1964, after a series of typhoons, a large hole about six feet in diameter suddenly appeared on the far side of the field between the two sandpits, one of which was near the site of the swimming pool and the other above the junction of the school drive and the road leading to the primary division. As the hole was very deep, and turned to one side before disappearing, Mr. Lowcock, the then headmaster, thought that it must have something to do with the tunnels and storage of ammunition during the war. It is of interest to note that the labour for the excavation of these tunnels came from the prisoner-of-war camp in Shamshuipo where Mr. Goodban and Mr. Monks had been interned. Both of them had spent time digging tunnels under their own playing field! According to Mr. Monks, all ammunition in the tunnels under the field would have been removed by the army and the tunnel leading in from the drive towards the headmaster’s house was filled by

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experts from the Public Works Department. He did not think that there was any danger of another explosion as extensive work on clearing and filling the tunnel had been carried out though, unfortunately, there is no record of this operation in the Public Works Department. Prof. S. G. Davis of HKU, who was also interned as a prisoner of war, remembered that there were two openings in the tunnel system, one from Argyle Street and the other from the school drive, perhaps near the pump house.25

New New Wing, Open Air Bishop Hall Chapel and Swimming Pool 1968–69 The New New Wing next to the old tennis court was inaugurated officially in September 1968, adding four classrooms, a preparatory room for biology and two laboratories for physics and chemistry for Form 6. It was given this name because the New Wing had been finished only a few years before. Its covered playground was converted into an open chapel dedicated to Bishop R. O. Hall in a ceremony at which Bishop Gilbert Baker officiated on 23 March 1969. In 1969, a 25-metre fan-shaped swimming pool (see Figure 9.6 on p. 206) was built using funds donated by a parent and next to the pool were three barbecue pits. 26 In the same year, the school extended the tuck shop to the adjacent room, doubling its size to match the increase in student numbers; and, apart from serving cold drinks, snacks and sandwiches, simple hot food such as fried noodles was reintroduced to the menu.

The Steps All old boys have fond memories of the steps (see Figure 3.7 on p. 53) leading from Prince Edward Road to the school. In the school magazine, which was named after these steps, they were lavishly displayed from many angles over the years. The total number of steps was a matter of debate. Although Steps 1964 (p. 87) claimed there were 193, most old boys did not agree, with many insisting there were 188 or 189. After 1989, the number was reduced to 176 and today, after the construction of the Sports and Dormitory Complex, the number stands at 182. In 1989, some of the steps collapsed because of soil erosion underneath caused by a leakage from the sewage pipes. The government contractor cordoned off the whole area to carry out the rebuilding, but when the work was finally completed, Mr. Lai was most unhappy with the poor workmanship and the reduction in the number of steps.27

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9.6

Aerial view of the school in 1969

9.7

The drive in the late 1920s

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The Drive A footpath along the drive to the school campus was built in September 1961 for the safety of pedestrians. During the riots of 1967, street lamps were installed along the drive and a watchman’s hut was built at the gate to improve security, but when everything returned to normal in the following year, the security hut became superfluous and was demolished.28 In 1991, the alumni raised a handsome sum of money for the installation of an elaborate gate at the entrance to the driveway. However, because of government restrictions and the high cost of construction, only a simple gate was built and the remaining funds were used to refurbish the floor of the gymnasium.29 Extensive work was carried out on the slope on the Kadoorie side of the school drive in 1998 because serious surface run-off had occurred on this slope over many rainy seasons. To prevent a dangerous landslide, trees were cut down and the slope resurfaced. The period of renovation lasted for threequarters of the academic year and during this time, as one lane of the drive was closed, the traffic situation was chaotic and it often took a car more than 15 minutes to pass through the traffic lights.30

Policy Constraints The tightening of control on grant schools by the government from the 1960s caused DBS significant difficulties in terms of maintenance and development. The school was constrained in many ways, especially in budgeting and tendering. Applications had to be made to the government for any major repairs, let alone the construction of new buildings, and the process was complicated and sluggish. By the end of Mr. Lai’s administration, despite his efforts to undertake major repairs in various parts of the campus, it still appeared dilapidated.

2000 to the Present At the turn of the century, as Hong Kong emerged from a period of economic depression, DBS entered a new stage of development. Before his retirement, Mr. Lai had started to negotiate with the government for the building of the primary division after the DPS had finally decided not to integrate with DBS. The building of the primary division, almost totally financed by the government, was a prelude to the school changing to DSS status. The change

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of status led to many large-scale constructions, including the School Improvement Project (2005), the Chi Track (2006), the Sports and Dormitory Complex (2008), the Pavilion (2008), the IB Building, the Auditorium Building and the Car Park Building (the last three to be completed in 2011), which have been outlined in Chapter 7.

9.8 Primary Division

9.9

School Improvement Project

The Campus

9.10

Sports and Dormitory Complex

9.11

Pavilion

209

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9.12 Former garden

Use of the Campus In a crowded urban setting such as Hong Kong, it is rare for a school to be endowed with such a generous and spacious campus. The school has always been looked upon by the boarders as their home and by the day boys as their second home. As noted in Chapter 1, in one of his addresses to the school, Bishop Hall encouraged pupils to utilize the grounds fully both during and after school hours and at weekends. Over the years, apart from letting the hall to educational bodies for concerts, competitions or public examinations, the school also allowed some public institutions to borrow or rent the school grounds for special events. For example, in 1950, permission was given to the Hong Kong Automobile Association to make use of the school grounds and the approach road for a car rally in August during the school holidays. Mr. Du Toit played an active part in arranging this event, which was believed to be the first motor rally in the Far East.31 The playing field was also used by the Kowloon Welfare Society on 20

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February 1950, with hundreds of children, parents and relatives attending; and All Saints’ Church and the Scouts also held events in DBS in that year. In addition, the Christian Union often held parties at DBS for children from various Sunday schools during Easter and Christmas, at which lunch was often provided,32 and during the Christmas of 1960, nearly 600 children from the St. Thomas Sunday School came for a full-day programme.33 During Mr. Lowcock’s era, people were allowed to do their early morning exercises in the school playing field, which was appreciated by many elderly people who lived nearby.34

Campus Flora Crann Bethadh, a book on the flora of DBS, was edited by the DBS Environmental Studies Society editorial board and published by Hong Kong High Technology Limited in 2005. It gives a full account of all the trees found on the campus, which had been grown and nurtured on the hill by staff and students of DBS since the time of Featherstone. Pyner, in his capacity as acting headmaster before the arrival of Sargent, had trees planted all over the hill and at the same time designed and constructed the gardens. He built the Rock Garden in the southwest court and laid out the ornamental palm trees, which were presented to the school by old boys from Taiwan, in the northwest court. In 1935, Mr. Sargent invited Mr. Twemlow of the Botanical and Forestry Department to inspect the school grounds and to advise on their improvement.35 After the war, Mr. Goodban and Mr. She did their best to restore and improve the school environment. For example, Mr. Goodban turfed the field and was very concerned about the lawns; and Mr. She, who was keen on gardening, redesigned and reconstructed the Rock Garden and brought in new plants. During the centenary year, Mr. Lowcock planted over 1,000 flowering plants, including jasmine and hibiscus.36 The flora on the DBS campus are well known for their variety and rarity. Some of them cannot be found in Hong Kong outside the school campus, and at times even the Botanical Garden has requested samples from the school. Mr. Mark Pawson, a biology teacher from England who joined DBS in 1961, was astonished at the variety of vegetation: in the school grounds, there are, for instance, palms, pines, creepers, cactus, broad-leaved trees, flowering trees, bamboos and shrubs — in short, practically every kind of botanical creation from every climate is represented. The trees found in DBS and their locations are given in the following table and map (Figure 9.13).

212

No. 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

To Serve and to Lead

Name in English Chinese Acacia Bamboo Palm Bauhinia Blakeana Buddha’s Belly Burmes Rosewood Calamondin Camel’s Foot Tree Camphor Tree Candlenut Tree Chinese Banyan Chinese Hackberry Chinese Red Pine Common Red-Stem Fig Cotton Tree Dragon Juniper Elephant’s Ear Flame of the Forest Frangipant Tree Golden Trumpet-tree Grapefruit Hinoki Cypress Honduras Mahogany Horsetail Tree Jacaranda Lebbeck Tree Lemon Longan Loquat Madagascar Almond Mango Norfolk Island Pine Oak Orange Papaya Pond Spice Queen Crape Myrtle Rose-apple Spider tree Sweet Gum Sweetsop Tong-oil Tree Weeping Fig White Orchid Tree

Name in

furniture

Usage as wind breaks for landscaping the floral emblem of Hong Kong as green fences making musical instruments and fruits edible beautifying urban areas making medicinal oil and chests providing shade helping wasps to fertilize as wind breaks making medicine and dye fruits edible making cushion and pillows beautifying urban areas as structural timber ornamental making five flower tea providing shade fruits edible as wind breaks making furniture as poles and beams ornamental making medicine fruits edible fruits edible fruits edible ornamental fruits edible for shipbuilding charcoal fruits edible fruits edible making furniture as timber making fruit juice and wine beautifying urban areas making medicine and gum fruits edible making oil clipping hedges making perfume

The Campus S&D IB SIP MB NNW NW SW PD

Sports and Dormitory Complex IB Building School Improvement Project Main Building New New Wing New Wing Swimming Pool Primary Division

(in progress)

(in progress)

(planned)

9.13

213

Trees found in DBS and their locations

214

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School Life

215

10 School Life

As noted in earlier chapters, the DHO gradually evolved from a co-educational boarding institution with a few day boys to a boys’ school mainly for day students, the proportion of boarders in the school being 88% in 1870, 38% in 1900, 39% in 1930, 12% in 1960, 5% in 1990 and 3% in 2008 (not counting the Primary division). Although the proportion of boarders dropped significantly over the years, they had an influence on the school far beyond their numbers in terms of its social ethos and they set, to a very large extent, the tone of its subsequent development. Dr. Bruce Chan of Class 1957 likened them to “the mortar that bound the bricks together to form the DBS community” and said that they, as a group, under the strong influence of expatriate teachers, spread the British ethos to the rest of the student population through their daily interactions.1

Records and Reminiscences 1870–1925 The school year in the old days was not divided into terms or semesters.2 At first it started after Chinese New Year but, in 1908, the inspector of schools recommended that the school year should begin and end at the summer vacation.3 Mr. J. F. Howard, a student at the school from 1886 to 1894, recalled: There were a little more than 100 students, most of them being boarders. There were not many day students, and these were mostly Chinese. The Chinese students wore short coats and had queues (pigtails) … There were

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also some girl students, who came to the boys’ school to study together with the boys. These girls came from Fairlea, a school for girls, which was not far from the boys’ school. The headmistress of this girls’ school was Miss Johnstone … The students of the school were dressed in English or European style, and some were dressed in Chinese short coats.4

Racial mix was an issue in the provision of schooling in Hong Kong even in the last century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, many people, sometimes including the bishop, still opposed strongly having Chinese and Europeans in the same school; and for this reason, separate schools had been set up for the Chinese, such as St. Stephen’s College in 1903, and for the Europeans, such as the Kowloon British School in 1902. On 30 January 1901, Bishop Hoare said at the DSO annual prize distribution that he did not believe it was good for the two races to be educated side by side in the school5 and that this practice should be changed. His speech left many people wondering about the future of DSO: would it be turned into a school for Chinese or for Europeans, and what would happen to the Eurasians for whom the school was founded? It is ironic that, a quarter of a century later, the school boasted about the diverse nationalities of its student population and today old boys lament the loss of this feature since the 1970s. The Rev. William Featherstone wrote in 1921: “The attendance during the recent strike was good and boys of all nationalities worked together well.”6 The early twentieth century still saw Hong Kong schools suffering badly from absenteeism. For example, the average attendance rate at DBSO was 62.5% in 1902 and 70.8% in 19077; and for Queen’s College (formerly Central School and Victoria College) it was 66.6% in 1904.8 This was probably why the government included a clause on the average attendance when the grantin-aid code was introduced in 1873. The attendance rate at DBSO gradually improved in the following years to 91.9% in 1922.9 Mr. Chan Ting Fong, the grandfather of one of the authors, who left the school in 1908, submitted an article to Steps in 1956 which commented: When I was seventeen, I first entered the school. It was then divided into seven grades. In the year when I was promoted to class five I left school and engaged myself in business. At that time Mr. Piercy was still the headmaster. My form master was Mr. William Viveash … There were some lady teachers too. Among them were Mrs. Tuxford and Mrs. Arnold. The headmaster was a very strict disciplinarian. English was the only spoken language allowed in school. The punishment for mild offences against school rules was to receive a black mark before the public while that for a serious offence was a caning by the headmaster. In the morning, all students assembled for morning prayers, and afterwards they went to their respective

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classrooms. Everything was in good order, and no one dared to make any noise. The tuition fee was reasonable enough and there were no other charges. At first it was only $2.00; later on it was raised to $10.00, but the raise was applied to new boys only. I paid $8.00 a month, but there were still many who paid $2.00 only. As for Chinese, it was an easy subject; only the lower classes had one lesson a day. The only Chinese teacher then, a Mr. Ma, was serving as a part-time teacher with a salary of $10.00 a month. The school building was narrow and the ground was small. It is not to be compared with the present school premises.10

When Mr. B. Pasco, an old boy who studied at DBSO from 1906–14, visited the present campus in July 1947, he said: We were much struck by the beauty and spaciousness with which the school was laid out, in marked contrast to the cramped and somewhat dingy premises of the old Diocesan School on Bonham Road, with which some of us oldtimers were once so familiar. Things have certainly changed since our day, and for the better. We noted the tables being prepared for dinner, everything spic and span, and flowers (just think of it, old-boys!) on the table. In the kitchen we saw ham and pressed beef being cut, with tomatoes, salad and fruit, ready for the boarders. We saw the boys ready for roll call and their evening bath in dressing gowns. In our time it was different. Our food, though ample in quantity, was in quality and service spartan by comparison, and I don’t think that amongst the 100 odd boarders in our time we could have raked up a single dressing gown for Wednesday and Saturday bath nights, let alone for the daily “under the tap” sponge down.11

Also, Mr. William J. Howard, who studied in the school from 1911 to 1919, wrote in 1986: The school at that time was a puritanical one. Discipline was strict. As boarders we had to attend numerous church services. The senior boys had first to attend communion at St. John’s at 6:50 a.m. on a Sunday morning. There was a long walk from the school which was then situated in Bonham Road at its junction with Eastern Street. This entailed rising before the normal reveille bell sounded at 6:00 a.m. It was usually the Rev. William Featherstone, M.A. (Oxon), who was headmaster of the school, who officiated at that early morning service. He had a melodious voice which was well suited for the sung Eucharist. On returning to school after communion, all the boys, including the very young ones, had to march to St. Peter’s Church in Sai Ying Pun for

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the 11 a.m. matins service. St. Peter’s at the time was situated at the site where the Western Police Station now stands. The site also contained a Seamen’s Home. In days of old many ships berthed at West Point and the sailors attended the services there … The school supplied two rows of choir boys. Henry Sykes, the assistant headmaster, often filled the role of organist. Between 2 and 4 p.m. on Sundays, the boys had to learn the collect of the day and a portion of the gospel by heart for repetition to the master on duty. The gospel was easier to learn than the collect which, although shorter, was more difficult to master. Then followed a short rest after which the boys, with the exception of the very young ones, had to proceed to St. John’s for the 6:30 p.m. evening service. On returning to school after evensong, after the long walk, the boys had to attend a final service held in the School Hall by the Master on duty. They were then permitted to retire to their dormitory at 8:00 p.m. Meals were frugal.12

Mr. Young Saye described the meals for boarders in 1915 as follows: •

•

• •

Breakfast — as much porridge, bread, tea, and water as they want; one spoonful of jam, one egg (fried or boiled), and on the porridge a dot of milk and a spoonful of brown sugar. Tiffin — stewed or minced steak (leg of chicken or pork or lamb cutlet on Sunday, very small) and any amount of rice, tea or water; most coveted luxury was soy sauce. Sunday afternoon tea — two soda biscuits 2”x 2”. Evening tea at 6:15 p.m. — plenty of bread, pat of butter and spoonful of jam or treacle.

Tiffin for day boys was $4 per month, nothing on Wednesdays. It consisted of one plate of minced steak or meat balls, one small pancake with syrup and plain tea.13

When interviewed, Mr. E. S. Cunningham, who entered DBSO in 1919, mentioned that the Bonham Road campus was quite small. It had a block of two-storey buildings for both classes and dormitories with two playgrounds and a slope at the back. There was a football pitch and a concrete tennis court on the upper and lower ground respectively. In the early 1920s, there were only 300 to 400 boys in the school, with around 100 of them being boarders. However, despite the lack of facilities, the students appear to be very happy, playing the three major sports in the school at this time: football, tennis and cricket. The curriculum then, which included English, mathematics, mechanics, physics and biblical knowledge, was quite different from that of the 1970s; and

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as there were no clubs or societies, after school students just played whatever games they wished and did their homework. On Sunday mornings, they went to church and in the afternoons they had scripture lessons.14 Dr. Ip Po Ting, who joined the school as a boarder in 1923 and was a prefect in 1929, recalled that there was a choice of either Chinese or Western meals which were served by waiters wearing white trousers. Once the choice had been made, this would normally be for the whole year, though some students swapped their meals from time to time.15 Finally, Mr. Yee Tak Wah, who was admitted to DBSO in 1925 and returned to China to fight against the Japanese during the war, said that on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Rev. W. Featherstone used to rent a steamboat to take all boarders to Stonecutters Island for sea-bathing in the summer months.16

1926–41 The school Prospectus for 1928 stated that each boarder had a small locker in the dormitory, a wardrobe locker in the locker room and boxes etc. in the box room. The prefects would inspect all dormitories and small lockers after breakfast on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and on Saturday morning there was also an inspection of the locker room and box room. It also noted that Wednesday was a half-holiday and Saturday a wholeholiday. On Saturday boarders had, for example, preparation, private lessons and boot parade from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and in the afternoon they were given leave until 6 p.m. On Sunday morning, at 9:45 a.m., there was a service in the school hall, after which the boys could attend local churches or have free time in the school. In the afternoon, there was a scripture and letter-writing session; and after tea, at 4:45 p.m., the boarders could either go to church or take a walk.17 The school also invited the organist of St. John’s Cathedral to come to teach hymn-singing in the first two periods on Thursday mornings when senior classes (1–4) attended the first period and junior classes (5–8) the second one.18 Mr. Y. S. Chan, who joined DBS in December 1934, observed that the school was enveloped in what he called a “Colonel Blimp” atmosphere, which was not confined to the old regiment of expatriates. Some Chinese teachers were also influenced by it and did not regard their Chinese colleagues as equals.19 Dr. Lee Sui Ming, who studied at DBS in the late 1930s, had this to say about language:

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Except in the Chinese classes, students were allowed to use only English, with 10- cent fines imposed for first infractions. I had never heard a word of Cantonese spoken outside the classroom. This exemplifies the atmosphere of strict discipline at the school, and explains why, in their level of proficiency in English, DBS graduates stood head and shoulders above the others.

This practice of speaking only English in school clearly had been the secret of DBS’s success as a school for bilingual students.20

1946–96 After World War II, there were still only four-and-a-half days of school each week and Wednesday afternoon was a holiday, but this was changed to five days of schooling in the 1950s. Each school day started with the morning assembly, a short service lasting from 10 to 15 minutes, for all students in the school hall. It usually started with a hymn, a prayer and a passage from the Bible read by a prefect; and this was sometimes followed by a short sermon during which the headmaster explained the meaning and relevance of the lesson or preached on a related subject. The Rev. George She did so most frequently, followed by Mr. Goodban and Mr. Lowcock, but during Mr. Lai’s headship, this function was frequently performed by the school chaplain. The assembly ended with announcements. Mr. Pan Kee Sui, Alexander, of Class 1951 recalled in his submission: Due to Bishop R. O. Hall’s recommendation, we [he and his brother] both entered DBS in 1947 as boarders. We enjoyed it so much that we did not want to go home when holidays came … I was head prefect for the boarders. We went to Winnipeg in Canada in 1951, leaving behind many happy memories: swimming trips, forming our own softball team, rubbing some of the boys’ buttocks at night after they had been caned by the headmaster. The victim had a choice of a thin or thick cane. The punishment was carried out after lights out in the dormitories. Pillow fights were popular especially when there was a typhoon. Mr. Goodban’s distinct pipe odour usually presented itself before his arrival.21

Dr. Bruce Chan entered DBS at Form 3 in 1954 and matriculated in 1959. The following is an extract from his detailed account of school life at DBS in those days: As colonial subjects, we were particularly deferential to the British headmaster and the expatriate teachers who, in addition to their authority as teachers, also carried with them the authority of the ruling class. However, our frequent

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interaction with these native speakers of the English language had the general effect of raising the level of our English speaking and listening skills. Furthermore we learned much more about British culture and norms of behaviour via our contacts with them than we could have done from books alone. Thus the presence of the British faculty and the Eurasian students working and living on campus gave the school a decidedly Western flavour. Another feature copied from the British model was the house system … Senior teachers (usually expatriates) were responsible for supervising the houses. Each year, under the direction of the house masters, house captains and other assistants, the houses competed for the various prizes in athletics and ball games and other team activities. The house system was designed to foster friendly competition, group loyalty and group identity. On the whole this worked quite well. Nevertheless, there was almost no effort made to educate students about the history of their own house or of the school.

In Mr. She’s time, a committee was set up to govern the boarding school with the headmaster as chairman, the bursar as secretary and the matron and resident masters as members. In August 1960, the committee decided that some current measures should be strictly enforced and new ones introduced to improve discipline, viz. 1.

2.

With regard to the preparation session: (a) The Duty Master, assisted by only one prefect, must remain with the boys throughout the entire period. (b) The boys must do their homework on their own. If they have no more homework to do, they should revise and not write letters or read magazines or comics. (c) A set form of Evening Prayers, to be compiled by the Headmaster, should be read during each preparation session. With regard to “lights out”: (a) The Duty Prefect must be present between the bells for “lights out”, must not turn off the lights before every boy is in bed and should continue to patrol for 5 more minutes after “lights out”. (b) Boys found out of bed without good cause after ‘lights out” will be punished.

As soon as Mr. Lowcock took over the school in 1961, he immediately abolished some of the above measures. The duty master no longer sat with the boys during the preparation session and only two prefects were left in the boarders’ preparation room. Life during weekends and holidays improved considerably as students efficiently organized film shows, with films borrowed from the United States Information Service. Mr. J. R. Locking also introduced cycling and mountain-climbing, while Mr. J. M. Pawson and Mr. W. J. Smyly

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hosted parties during the Christmas and Easter vacations. The Thai girls from DGS, sisters of Thai boys in DBS, were often invited to help prepare mildly spicy Thai food for the gatherings and to enjoy themselves afterwards with the boys in music, games and dancing.22 Mr. J. R. Locking was appointed to the newly created post of warden to oversee the boarding school in 1962. During the year, outings were greatly encouraged. An arrangement was made for the school and Mr. Locking to share the cost of renting a 23-inch television which was used by him at home on weekdays and by boarders in the demonstration room on weekend evenings, an arrangement which to some extent solved the problem of weekend entertainment.23 High-table dinners were organized every Sunday evening when parents and guests were invited to dine with the warden, the chaplain, duty masters and the whole boarding school. Dessert and coffee were served by the prefects in the headmaster’s house after dinner. These occasions provided an opportunity for the students to learn some social etiquette, including the proper dress code.24 Mr. Iu Pui To of Class 1964 remembers that in the early 1960s the boys were allowed to go home only on the last weekend of each month, but this rule was later relaxed. Tea was served to boarders at 4.00 p.m. every day and supper at 7.00 p.m. Confirmation classes were held for boys wishing to become Christians. On Sundays boarders attended morning service at Christ Church at 10.00 a.m., after which they attended Sunday school. Evening service was held at the school chapel at 6.00 p.m. for boys who returned to school early.25 Mr. Hanson Huang, who entered DBS in 1961 and was head prefect in 1969, recounted his experience as a boarder. He found that everyday living was regimented according to a schedule and that the Western meals served, while nutritious, were at times unsavoury. In 1966–67, the boarders staged a “revolution” and boycotted the meals and, as a result, the head chef was fired and the kitchen taken over by the boarders. Many factors triggered off this incident, but it was due chiefly to successive meals of “rubbery” chicken and desserts of “overnight bread pudding” caused by a corrupt kitchen manager. When the kitchen was taken over, Form 5 and 6 students were responsible for the meals, with the help of Mr. Beau, the French teacher and a gourmet cook. To prepare a curry dish, boys had to start at 4 a.m. to shred orange peels. Fortunately the school hired another chef within two days! Hanson had kept a number of animals including chickens, snakes, rats, owls, squirrels, fish, turtles and cats in the dormitory. Upper Form 6 students needed rats, which cost about $5 to $6 each, for dissection in the biology laboratory and it made great financial sense to have the animals “home-

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grown”. However, these ventures turned sour. When the chickens grew up, they squawked even with a tight ring around their necks and one day a chicken did so continuously during morning assembly — and for this insubordination, it paid with its life, ending up as chicken congee. At one time, boarders kept dozens of cats on the roof, but one of the boys developed hepatitis and, as cats are carriers of the virus, the Department of Health removed them all from the school. Given a free hand by Mr. Lowcock, Hanson introduced a number of reforms to improve school life which included: closing the prefects’ office before the matriculation mock examination instead of before the summer holidays, to reduce the pressure on the prefects; and removing some outdated prohibitions on, for instance, reading martial art novels and comics, and listening to radios in the dormitory. However, if boys read comics during the preparation session or if their radios disturbed others, they would be punished.26 In the year 1971–72, the school was scheduled to have a major repair and redecoration programme from the beginning of the Christmas holidays to the end of the Chinese New Year holidays, but progress was held up due to persistent bad weather. As a result, for several weeks, the boys had to have their morning assembly on the lawn outside the laboratories. Boarders have always been active in extracurricular activities through which they learn to co-operate, to serve and to lead. Proportionately more boarders than day boys were club chairmen, house captains and leading sportsmen. Mr. Tsim Kok Chi, head boarder prefect in 1973–74, remarked on boarding life: The aim of the boarding school is not only to provide accommodation for those who want to stay in school, but also to provide the education which is most essential in life —to learn to live and get along with others, no matter how diverse their opinions or background might be … I remember the headmaster once said, “Books only provide us with one-third of education, the other two-thirds are in the actual participation in life.” I think the boarding school is exactly the place which provides us with most, if not all, of this other two-thirds.27

In Mr. Lowcock’s time, playing cards in school was not at first allowed. In the early 1960s, many students had asked a teacher, who was a good bridge player, to form a bridge club, but the headmaster did not entertain the request. However, this rule was relaxed in 1968 when the school, in response to a call from the government, started to organize summer activities for its students to keep them off the streets. A bridge club was finally formed in 1977 when Mr. Lowcock was on leave.

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It may be noted in passing that an old boy, Choy Kwok Hung Patrick of Class 1962, as chairman of the Hong Kong Bridge Association, organized the historic 1981 Hong Kong Inter-City Championship in which teams from the Mainland and Taiwan participated. This first international encounter of Chinese from both sides of the Taiwan Strait earned him the recognition of the Chinese leaders to the extent that he met Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping and other politburo members at the bridge table. In 1998, Patrick became the vice-president of the World Bridge Federation as well as of the International Mind Sports Association. As such, he managed to obtain the approval of the International Olympics Committee and the Chinese government to hold the first World Mind Sports Game in Beijing in October 2008, which included chess, bridge, wei-chi, draughts and Chinese chess. In 1980, with only 63 boarders, the prefect system was dismantled in the boarding school. Duty masters again supervised the two-hour preparation session in the evening, giving the boys professional teachers to turn to for assistance with their homework. There had been a marked improvement in discipline within the boarding school. The senior boarders’ dormitory was turned into a preparatory room for junior boarders and a colour television was installed for use on Sunday evenings and from 6 to 8 p.m. during weekdays.28 Many people believe that DBS students had been required to use English as the medium of conversation, even among themselves, within the school compound and that this rule was rescinded only after 1994. It should be pointed out that one of the authors of this book was a student at the school from 1948 to 1957 and a teacher between 1961 and 1968, and he never witnessed such a practice in operation.

1997–2008 School life in the late 1990s is captured in the following passage by an anonymous author in the 1998 issue of Steps (pp. 196–97): After roll-call and a period of hustle and bustle in classrooms, all the boys assemble in the hall for one of the daily rituals dating back to the days before the war — the morning assembly. The format of assembly has remained unchanged over the years … Hymn singing is a delightful way to start the day, though the following readings and speeches are often punctuated with coughs and sneezes … Some teachers, preferring the more pedantic approach to teaching, conduct a lesson with students listening attentively — or very often disregarding diligently — while others encourage an atmosphere of open discussion in the classroom, often sparking off debates and disagreements.

School Life

Generally, homework is not assigned very frequently and tests are few and far between … [During] the speech festival and music festival … the poor old teachers … are often greeted by a sight of only a few students in the classrooms, with others going to competitions or rehearsals. Meanwhile, orators are busy reciting their verses, musicians are busy memorizing their music, and of course, the rest are celebrating at the news of another free lesson! … arguably the greatest tradition of all time would be the daily tuckshop scramble during recess. Hundreds of boys crowd into the tuckshop in [a] race for the limited number of fish balls, dim sum and sausage rolls available there … Recess is also a gathering for the numerous meetings of clubs and societies, which always seem to have so much to discuss. In the beginning of the school year, numerous club committees seem to conglomerate in the hall with the common aim of prowling for unsuspecting Form 1 or 2 boys and blessing them with mandatory membership to their respective clubs and societies. After two or more lessons comes lunch … . As the bell rings and the classes are dismissed, there is a massive outflow of boys onto the Drive and the Steps, eagerly “going down the street” (as it is known) for lunch at KFC or various steak restaurants. For those who have to go back early and need a quick lunch, MacDonald’s is probably the one and only choice.

10.1 The crowded Tuck Shop at recess

225

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For the members of the Orchestras and Choirs, lunchtime is nonexistent … . Assembling for rehearsal in the hall, music room, or demonstration room, these poor souls devote all or at least two or three of their lunchtimes per week to rehearsals, practising the same parts of music over and over again without any rest. The field, basketball courts and covered playground become a place of vitality and energy during lunchtimes, and many enthusiastic lower form boys enjoy various ball games … The lessons that follow lunch all too often pose problems for the boys staying awake … . A few boys with endurance manage to stay awake, but most succumb to natural body rhythm for an afternoon nap. It is often said that school does not begin for many boys until the afternoon bell rings at ten past three. … the beginning of a tremendous array of extracurricular activities, ranging from sports teams training to further orchestral rehearsals … Six o’clock is the closing time of the school to all extra-curricular activities, and as the sun sets over the slowly quieting DBS, boys start to pack their bags and depart, leaving the boarders with a vacated campus to do whatever they like … . Prefects, who normally adhere to normal school hours, are sometimes kept back at school to carry out various duties, such as the making of the banner for inter-school sporting functions or the school newspaper … . It is the end of a day in school in DBS.

The school changed to a six-day cycle timetable in 2001 to ensure that no lesson would be missed because of poor weather conditions or public holidays. Initially some students were unable to memorize the timetable properly and had problems in figuring out what would be the next day after long holidays, but they gradually adjusted to the new cycle system and found it acceptable. From 2007, there have been 30 classes in the primary division, five each for all the six grades, and 38 classes in the secondary division, six each for Forms 1–5 and four each for Forms 6 and 7. The class size at each level is as follows: Primary 1–6, 30 students per class; Forms 1–3, 38 students per class; Forms 4–5: 36 students per class; and Forms 6–7: 30 students per class.29 In the same year, the school hours also changed to start at 8:10 a.m. and end at 3:35 p.m., with 10 periods of 35 minutes each. After the morning bell, there are four periods before recess (20 minutes), followed by three periods before lunch, which lasts for 70 minutes; and after lunch there are three more periods. For one period each day in the afternoon, which is devoted to reading, every student has to read a book and log what he has read. As the periods tend to be short, some subjects are often given combined periods for the higher forms.

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Morning assembly takes place on all days except day 2 of the six-day cycle. On day 1, it starts at 8:40 a.m. and lasts for two periods as there are often guest speakers; on days 3–6, it starts at 9:20 a.m., lasting for one period. On days 1 and 3 it is for the whole school; but on days 4 and 5 it is for Forms 1–3 and on day 6 Form 1 only. The school and boarders’ routine throughout the years is summarized in Table 10.1 below, using the years 1871, 1928, 1961 and 2003 to represent the four periods outlined above. Table 10.1 School and boarders’ routine 6 am

1871

7 am

Walking Out

8 am

Free Breakfast

9 am

Free

10 am 11 am

English School

Noon 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm

Free Dinner Free Chinese School

1928 Sleep Reveille

1961

2003

Sleep

Sleep

Preparation

Wake-up Breakfast and Inspection Morning Assembly

Rise Breakfast and Inspection

Breakfast and Matron’s Parade Morning Assembly

Lessons 1–3 Recess 20 mins Lessons 4–7 (All lessons 35 mins each)

Lessons 1 – 40 min Lessons 2 – 40 min Lessons 3 – 40 min Recess – 20 min Lessons 4 – 40 min Lessons 5 – 35 min Lessons 6 – 30 min

Lessons 1–3 Recess 20 mins Lessons 4–6 (All lessons 40 mins each)

Tiffin (-210)

Lunch

Lunch

Lessons 7–8 (40 mins each)

Lessons 8–9 (All lessons 35 mins each)

Lessons 7–9 (40 mins each)

4 pm Games 5 pm Play, etc.

Games

Games (Tea at 4 pm)

6 pm Shower

Tea 7 pm 8 pm

Shower Dinner

Tea Preparation

Preparation and Baths (in shifts)

9 pm 10 pm 11 pm

Evening Meal

Preparation Preparation

Lights Out (7 pm for small boys)

Lights Out (8:45 pm for small boys)

Free Lights Out (9:30 pm for small boys)

Dormitory Inspection Lights Out

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(a) The bell, 1960s

(b) Morning chores, 1950s

(c) Unusual morning assembly, 1971–72

(e) Games after school, 1950s

(d) A biology class in session, 1960s

(f) Lining up for shower, 1960s

(g) Dinner time, 1950s

(h) Preparation session in the evening, 1950s

(i) Sweet dreams, 1950s

10.2 School and boarders’ routine

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School Fees There is no record of a clearly defined scale of fees charged by the school until the publication of the December 1928 Prospectus. On 16 March 1871, the committee accepted two day scholars and charged them $1 per week each, but ruled that the fee payable should be decided by the committee case by case.30 The Annual Report for 1872–73 stated: “The Orphanage has charge, however, of some children who are maintained entirely by charitable contributions. The minimum figure for the keep, etc., of a child is $12.50 per month.” 31 As an orphanage, which was dependent on contributions and donations and had no self-financed boarders and only a handful of day scholars, the DHO obviously had not given much consideration to the issue of fees in its early days. In 1879, as more Chinese boys wanted to study in the DHO as day scholars, it was decided that they should be charged a fee of no less than $2 a month.32 In 1883–84, boarders who were not orphans were charged a fee for tuition, board, clothing, medicine and washing: $12.50 per month for boys under 12 years of age and $15 per month for older boys.33 In 1885, the fees were raised to $18 for those above the age of 15, the rationale for this decision by Mr. Piercy being that Chinese boys who could afford to learn English at that age must belong to rich families and ought to pay the whole cost of their education.34 As noted earlier, in 1908, the tuition fee for day scholars was raised to $10 a month, but some students still paid only $2 a month.35 Overall, during the tenure of Mr. Arthur and Mr. Piercy, fees were charged in a haphazard way, with a fixed scale only being established after Mr. Featherstone became headmaster. The 1928 Prospectus spelled out clearly the fees to be charged, as follows:36 Boarders:

Day boys:

Entrance fee School fee (including tuition and board) Games, lunch, picnic, locker and laundry fees Extra for holidays Entrance fee School fee Games and locker fees

$10 once only $520 per year $40 per year $2 per day $10 once only $160 per year $10 per year

It is interesting to note that the combined salary for Mr. and Mrs. Arthur in 1870 was $100 a month; for a watchman $4 in 1869 and $6 in 1878; for a gardener $2 in 1878 and $3 in 1898; and for a cook $6 in 1878 and $10 in 1898.37

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When the school reopened in May 1946, the acting headmaster, Mr. Oswald Cheung, set the monthly fees at $28 for Classes 3 and 4, $24 for Class 5, $20 for Class 6 and $16 for Classes 7 and 8; and on 15 August 1946, the School Committee decided that the current rates should remain in force until the end of 1946 when the matter would be reconsidered.38 It was not until 8 August 1950, however, that the committee decided that the maximum full fees plus charges for DBS should be raised to $460 per annum payable in 10 instalments.39 The monthly school charges in the 1950s were: $46 for Forms 3–6, $44 for Form 2, $42 for Form 1 and $18 for Primary 5–6. They rose steadily in the following years, but when nine years of free and compulsory education was introduced in 1978, the annual school fees for Forms 1–3 dropped from an average of $600 in 1977–78 to $100 across the board in 1980–81. In that year, the fees for Forms 4–5 and Forms 6–7 stood at $820 and $1,020 per year respectively. The boarding fees were set at $200 per month after the war and, though they were raised in stages to $360 per month in 1974–75, this did not cope with the skyrocketing prices. As the number of boarders decreased in the 1970s owing to the lack of international students, half of the places in the boarding school were offered to boys in senior forms whose home environment was not conducive to working to the best of their abilities. These boys were aided by contributions from school funds and private donations raised among old boys, parents and friends.40 Due to continued inflation, the boarding fees were raised again in subsequent years and reached $925 per month in 1984.41 Under the DSS scheme, in 2007, the school fees per year for the secondary school were as follows: Forms 1–3, $28,000; Forms 4–5, $33,000; and Forms 6–7, $38,000. For the primary division, school fees were $38,000 per annum for all classes. The boarding fees were $5,000 a month. A fee remission scheme is available for those who need assistance to ensure that no student is denied admission to DBS solely because of financial need.42 Such a scheme has been in existence since the school started. Because of the increasing number of students requesting fee remission and the financial burden to the school associated with it, the School Committee discussed the issues of boarding and fee remission on 19 February 1925 and made the following resolutions:43 (1) Applications from Eurasian scholars for vacancies in the School should receive prior consideration. (2) The claims of candidates for free places should be submitted to a Subcommittee consisting of the Headmaster and/or second master and two members of the General Committee.

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(3) No Eurasian candidate should be refused, provided a vacancy exists and the Sub-Committee is satisfied that the candidate could look for no financial support from relations. (4) As far as possible such candidates should be taken as boarders. (5) In view of the strain on the school finances entailed by the maintenance of the free scholars, it is desirable that the proportion of free boarders should not exceed 25% of the total boarders, and any applications for vacancies, when that proportion is reached should be referred to the General Committee. (6) The Headmaster should be left to use his own discretion in waiving fees for needy Eurasians and European day boys, to the extent of 50% of the full amount payable.

Of the principles listed above, those referring to fee remission were largely adhered to over the years. In October 1928, out of 106 boarders, 24 were free and six paid reduced fees; among the 185 day boys, five were free and 41 paid reduced fees; and in November 1950, of the 127 boarders, 26 were free and 13 paid reduced fees, and, of the 487 day boys, 48 were free and 17 paid reduced fees. The reduced fees on average were equivalent to half fees — in other words, the boarding school and day school lost about 21% and 12% of their revenues respectively as a result of the fee remission scheme in 1950. The corresponding figures for 1967 were 17% and 15%. Table 10.2 summarizes the loss of revenue through the provision of free or fee-reduction places in DBS over the years. In 2007, the loss of revenue from fee remission was reduced to 8% for boarders and 5% for day boys. (The figures for 2007 include the primary division and are rough estimates only because the status of the school was changing from aided to DSS and the rate of reduction varied from student to student.)

Table 10.2 The loss of revenue over the years resulting from free or fee-reduction places Year

Boarding (%)

Day (%)

1889–90

28

25

1928–29

25

14

1950–51

21

12

1967–68

17

15

2007–08*

08

05

* Including the primary division

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Hygiene, Health and Medical Care A system of medical examinations for school children was introduced in 1918. The ED made it a condition for entry to any government or grant school that pupils should pay a medical subscription equivalent to a month’s school fees.44

Pre-War Years In general, boarders in the school were always in better health than day boys. The boarders were taken regularly to Stonecutters Island for bathing and many learned how to swim there. Moreover, the matron and masters were careful about hygiene in the school and few boys caught any illness despite the prevalence of infectious diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, influenza, bubonic plague and malaria in Hong Kong from the 1880s to the early 1900s. To promote hygiene, it was introduced as a subject in 1905 for all junior forms and Governor Matthew Nathan presented a shield to be competed for, as an extracurricular activity, by teams of pupils from different schools based on the results of a written examination.45 All boarders had a medical examination once a year and the school building was inspected twice a year. The report of the inspection conducted by Dr. B. C. Wong on 15 June 1928 was very thorough even by present-day standards. It started with a description of the situation: The total number on the Register was 269, of whom 94 were boarders. There were present 240 boys, of whom 82 were boarders. Four boarders were in hospital, one with typhoid fever which was most probably contracted during the Whitsuntide holidays; there have been no other cases. Another boy was convalescing from diphtheria and the remaining two had influenza … Three boarders were in the Dormitories with temperature.

Dr. Wong laid down rules for boarders regarding sickness as follows: 1. If a boy felt sick he must report through a prefect to the matron at once. His temperature should be taken and he should be sent to the dormitory. If it appears to be serious he must see a doctor at once. 2. If a boy continued to feel sick for 24 hours he must see a doctor or go home. Sometimes 36 hours would be allowed if dosed by the matron.

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He made similar rules for day boys. If they were sick, the class teacher should send them to the headmaster who should determine whether to send the boy home, to the matron or to a doctor. Dr. Wong also inspected the school premises and recommended that there should be two large doors for each classroom to allow cross-ventilation. He also proposed that the bathrooms and washing space should be fitted properly and the whole of the site should be drained effectively as soon as possible. Finally, he noted that the recommendations made by Dr. Thomas at the last health inspection had been adopted and 75 new beds and mattresses had been supplied; and that each boy had his own locker. Overall, he was very impressed by the general routine of the school, its fine airy buildings and situation, and the great attention paid to the health of the students.46

Post-War Years The programme of medical examinations was restarted in 1947. Boarders were examined twice a year and day boys once a year by a medical officer, during which their weight and height were measured. The school also appointed a dental officer who reported to the parents on the condition of each boy’s teeth. The most consistent finding was concerned with the poor state of the children’s eyesight and teeth but parents did not take any notice even when reports were sent to them.47 The government extended the Schools Medical Health Service to all schools in 1950,48 and in the following year, 271 DBS boys took the opportunity to join the scheme.49 However, as some students did not renew their membership subsequently, the School Committee decided on 22 February 1955 to contribute $5 each towards the $15 required to join the service in order to encourage them to continue. Unfortunately, the ED had to stop accepting new members with effect from September 1955.50 As early as 1952, UNICEF sent a mobile unit to DBS to conduct chest x-ray examinations on the students.51 On 11 February 1957, the unit came to screen all boys over 13 years of age and three boys were found to have tuberculosis and were immediately hospitalized for treatment.52 Government nurses also came at regular intervals to give inoculations against typhoid and diphtheria.53 From 1959, because of the high rate of tuberculosis in Hong Kong, all new boarders were required to have a chest x-ray and a thorough medical examination before admission.54

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10.3

Chest X-ray outside the gymnasium in the early 1950s

Religious Activities As an Anglican school, religious activities had always been part of school life, especially during its early years. In the past, each school day began with a morning assembly and all the school’s major activities started with a prayer. In today’s more lax spiritual environment, only meetings of the School Committee still open with a prayer. Both Mr. Piercy and Mr. Featherstone were religious men: Sundays were preoccupied with worship from morning to evening, as vividly described by Mr. W. J. Howard. Church attendance on Sundays was mandatory for boarders. During the building of the present campus, Mr. Featherstone specifically requested a school chapel; and when Christ Church was built in the late 1930s, the boarders attended Sunday service at Christ Church once a month and went to the school chapel on the remaining Sundays.55 After World War II, religious activities in the school were rather minimal. Instruction on the Anglican faith was not compulsory; and teachers were not compelled to attend morning assembly though they had to be present for notices. In 1949, the school chapel was refurnished and dedicated to Bishop Sargent as the Sargent Memorial Chapel. Bishop Hall conducted two dedication services: one for the boarders and one for the day students. The boarders’ service was arranged as a dedication to all aspects of school life and the different activities were symbolized by the presentation to the bishop of

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various representational objects: a basket of books and some science equipment for study; a football and a tennis racket for games; a violin and a model aeroplane for music, handwork and art generally; a garden spade and a brush for manual service; and the Holy Communion vessels for worship and giving. The second service began with the traditional ceremony in which the bishop knocked on the door with his staff before entering.56

10.4 Christian witness, worship and work in the chapel

Evening services were held in the chapel for the boarders and special services with hymns and sermons in Cantonese for servants were also held each day. Speakers at the school services included the chaplain, Mr. Goodban, some of the school teachers and visitors from other churches.57 In the 1950s, when the Rev. Theodore S. T. Wu was the school chaplain, baptisms and confirmations were recorded in the annual reports of the headmasters. For example, the bishop confirmed 13 boys and three members of the staff in March 1958, and 39 boys and two staff members in March 1959.58 Also, several old boys were ordained later on. The Rev D. C. Ellis made drastic changes to the school chapel after he became chaplain in 1966. The Victorian blue curtains and brassware gave way to bare wood and iron, which was symbolic of a movement throughout Christendom at that time to strip away the non-essentials and return to the

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bare simplicity of the early church. In 1969, an open chapel was dedicated to Bishop R. O. Hall.59 The Rev. D. C. Ellis and all his successors in the first half of the 1970s did not stay for more than two years and, from 1973 onwards, there were no longer chapel notes in Steps. When the Rev. N. P. Lai became the school chaplain in 1974, he started the Christian Fellowship which had several Bible study courses for various age groups and prayer meetings every week, with guest speakers sometimes being invited. The Christian Fellowship differed in nature from the Christian Union (see Chapter 12), the former’s main aims being: (1) to spread the teaching of Christ; (2) to increase the membership; and (3) to lead a life of fellowship amongst the community,60 and these activities have continued to the present day.

School Flag and House Banners The school has a flag and each house has a banner, but they do not seem to play any signigicant role in school life, nor do the students seem to show much concern for them. The flag was introduced by Mr. Lowcock for a major event organized by the Sheng Kung Hui in the late 1970s and the banners, by Mr. Lai in the mid-1980s for the DSOBA’s annual ball. 61

School Hymn The school hymn below came from the poem “The Children’s Song” with the first, fourth and last stanzas removed. The poem, written by the 1907 Nobel Laureate for literature Joseph Rudyard Kipling, was included in Puck of Pook’s Hill published in 1906. Mr. Featherstone seemed to like this hymn very much and in his history of DBS he recorded that it was sung during the service at the cathedral to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the school, and that during the singing six boys carried copies of school records to the sanctuary’s entrance where they were taken by the dean and laid upon the altar.62 This hymn was apparently sung during important school occasions but did not become the official school hymn until the time of Mr. Goodban. Father in Heaven who lovest all. Oh help Thy children when they call; That they may build from age to age, An undefiled heritage.

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Teach us to bear the yoke in youth, With steadfastness and careful truth; That, in our time, Thy Grace may give The Truth whereby the Nations live. Teach us to look in all our ends, On Thee for judge, and not our friends; That we, with Thee, may walk uncowed By fear or favour of the crowd. Teach us the Strength that cannot seek, By deed or thought, to hurt the weak; That, under Thee, we may possess Man’s strength to comfort man’s distress. Teach us Delight in simple things, And Mirth that has no bitter springs; Forgiveness free of evil done, And Love to all men ’neath the sun! Below is the school song, printed on a pre-war school Christmas card, a photocopy of which was found in an unclassified file kept by Mr Hanson Huang containing correspondence between Mr. Lowcock and Mr. Smyly. The photocopy is marked 1934.

10.5 The school song

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A senior student named (Liang Qiao Wei) translated the song and published it in the July 1935 issue of Steps. Actually, it is more a rewrite than a translation, using the theme of the school song but the style of the then natioinal anthem of China.

The song was sung at speech days and alumni meetings in the last few years before the war, 63 but not after it. The dates mentioned above suggest that it was probably introduced in 1934 but later replaced by the school hymn, the exact reason for which is unknown. There are two possibilities: (1) the music was lost during the war; and (2) Mr. Goodban preferred the hymn to the song.

School Uniform The 1928 Prospectus did not require the boys to dress in uniform, but they were advised that all clothing should be as simple as possible, such as khaki or white shorts and shirts, with collars attached and dark or light grey flannel suits. A more liberal supply might include a school blazer, a school cap, a school hat band, white suits, etc. in the summer and medium-grey suits, sweaters, pants and vests in the winter.64 Proper school uniforms were introduced in September 1949 by Mr. Goodban to foster a sense of esprit de corps. There were two sets of uniforms, one for the winter and one for the summer,65 viz.

Winter Shoes Trousers or shorts Socks or stockings Belts Shirts

Black or brown leather Grey flannel Grey or dark blue Not encouraged; if worn, of plain natural colour and plain buckle White, sleeves long or short

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Pullovers Jackets Chinese gowns Scarves Ties

239

Optional; if worn, collarless, plain, and either grey or dark blue Optional; if worn, must be a blue blazer, with or without the school badge on the pocket Dark blue Not allowed indoors Optional; if worn, must be the school tie

Summer Shoes or sandals Trousers Shorts Socks (with trousers) Socks or stockings (with shorts) Belts Shirts Badge Pullover Jacket

Black or brown leather White White or dark blue White To match shorts As above White. The type to be worn outside the trousers is permitted. Same as for winter As above Optional; if worn, either plain white or blue blazer.

At all times at least one of the following must be worn: school tie, metal badge or blazer-badge. The school tie was designed by Ernest Ma of Class 4 (Form 3), who won the 1949 School Tie Design Competition.66 In the 1960s the supplier made a mistake, resulting in some students wearing a school tie with stripes pointing to a wrong direction.

(a) wrong direction 10.6

The school tie

(b) right direction

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The original design of the school badge was very complicated and the crest was difficult and expensive to engrave. A simple metal badge, with only the letters DBS engraved in a circle, was therefore introduced before the war. 67 Afterwards, Mr. Goodban adopted the original design for both the metal badge and the blazer badge. As the newly introduced blazer badge cost as much as an ordinary blazer itself even in the 1960s, not many boys wore it. For this reason, the school badge was simplified in 1968–69. Students were shown three new designs from which to choose and the outcome was decided by a general poll (see also Chapter 5).

(a) 10.7

(b)

(c)

The school badges: (a) pre-War II; (b) post-War II and (c) post-1969

Until 1963, students were required to switch summer and winter uniforms on specified dates, but this was problematic as the transitional periods often caused a great deal of discomfort. The severe drought in the summer of 1963 inspired Mr. Lowcock to replace the white trousers with grey ones made of new materials so as to reduce the laundry frequency, thereby cutting down on water consumption, and making it easier for students to switch their summer and winter trousers in transitional periods. As a result, the practice of having winter and summer uniforms vanished.68

School Rules and Punishments The school rules must have been drawn up before or soon after the school came into being and students must have been punished for their violation. Mr. Piercy mentioned school rules with reference to the prefect system,69 but the actual school rules were not documented in the school calendar until 1957. The rules were then grouped into six sections: (1) forbidden; (2) out of bounds; (3) the hall; (4) physical training; (5) absence from school; and (6)

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prefects. As time passed, these rules have become more elaborate and a seventh section on “lateness” has been added. Punishment for breaking school rules has been a way of life in DBS. Before the abolition of caning in 1991, apart from suspension and expulsion, which were extremely rare, there were three basic types of punishment: copying lines or school rules, detention and caning. Both teachers and prefects could administer the first two forms of punishment, but canings could only be meted out by the headmaster to all students and by the warden to the boarders. Teachers tended to ask students to copy lines such as “I must not talk in class” or “I must hand in my homework” and some teachers had the habit of asking the offenders to write 1,000 lines. In response, practically all students developed the art of writing with five pencils simultaneously and some set up “lines banks” for mutual support. Prefects tended to ask the offenders to copy the school rules once or twice only. However, in terms of maintaining discipline, it appears that, even in the 1960s, prefects seemed to be more effective than many teachers. Two detentions in a row automatically led to caning, which could also be carried out if teachers or prefects recommended it for an offence they considered serious. Since the 1980s, prefects can no longer give detention. Smacking, more of an outburst of anger than a punishment, was sometimes delivered by some teachers for misdemeanours even in the 1960s. Mr. Monks, Mr. Young Saye and Mr. E. R. Cheung were the worse “offenders”. Mr. Monks had a predilection for the back of the head and, in general, the delivery was not too hard. Students dreaded Mr. Young Saye’s outsized hands and fingers, but it was Mr. Cheung’s smacks that could lead to tears. Caning had been an established tradition since the founding of the school and provided some glorious moments for old boys at reunions as they felt honoured to be reminded that they were the “king of the C-A-N-E” during their good old days!70 There are many stories associated with caning. For example, Dr. Ip Po Ting described his caning experience at the hands of Mr. Featherstone when he was sent outside the classroom by a Chinese teacher for using “bad language”: when “Dai Yen” (Featherstone) made his regular rounds and saw him, he was caned once on each palm.71 However, Mr. Hui Yin Kun’s story is a little different. He was sent outside the classroom by his teacher on an errand when Mr. Goodban happened to pass by. Without asking about the “crime” committed, the headmaster led him to his office and offered him a choice of canes. Hui was not given a chance to explain72 and Mr. Goodban unknowingly became the Keate of Eton who flogged by mistake all the students sent to him for instruction as confirmation candidates in the early nineteenth century. 73

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10.8

Waiting to be caned

However, the headmasters had different philosophies on caning. Mr. She did not believe in corporal punishment as his experience in the Juvenile Delinquent Court had shown him that physical punishment did not work, and therefore he did not carry out this school tradition. In a staff meeting, he was criticized by an old boy for his inaction, leading to a heated debate on the merits of caning. Afterwards, he was seen carrying a cane when he inspected classes in school. For some masters, the return of the cane represented the restoration of the DBS spirit, but for Mr. She it was a setback, as he believed in educating and influencing children in more subtle ways.74

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Mr. Smyly’s observation in this regard is rather interesting: Lowcock believed in Sin, and in Atonement, and in the cane … At DBS, it is explained to somewhat sceptical small boys, who might prefer to feel guilty if they were given the choice, that a few strokes of the Headmaster’s cane will wash them whiter than snow … So it had become customary for all boys sent to the Headmaster’s office during lessons to be caned, by their own choice on hand or bottom, but they are begged by the Headmaster not to explain why they have been sent to him or what they have done wrong. This way they atone for whatever it is they are being punished for and save the headmaster the need to make a pointless little sermon, and their sin really is forgotten because it was never known.75

Prefects It is not known when the school began to have monitors, but they were there before 1916. Starting from October 1916, the monitors, made up of senior boys, were called “prefects” and were given badges of office. Until recently, they were appointed by the headmaster. The duties of prefects in 1929 were: • To set a good-all-round example, in and out of school hours; • To keep a high tone in the school; • To instruct new boys in school rules and customs; • To suppress all unsportsmanlike actions and words; • To train themselves and others, in strength of character and in mind and body, to be men.76 The authority of the prefects has always been clearly enshrined in the school rules. The school calendar for 2007–08 states: Prefects are leaders of students. They are acting under the Headmaster’s instructions and with his authority to keep order in the School. Prefects have the authority to punish offenders by an initial imposition of not more than 100 lines. They are required to report more serious offences to the Headmaster. The Headmaster will not excuse any boy, who disregards a proper order from a prefect or speaks insolently to him or in any way obstructs him in carrying out his duties. Appeals against punishment given by a prefect can be made through the discipline masters if valid reasons exist. However, no complaint will be entertained if the boy concerned has not treated the prefect with proper respect.77

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Unlike prefects in other schools who are only allowed to jot down the names of those who have broken the school rules and leave them to the discipline masters for further action, prefects at DBS have a much more complex and authoritative role. Not only do they act as disciplinarians but they also act as student leaders who take a major part in organizing school activities.78 Over the years, there has been considerable debate about, and changes in, the authority and appointment of prefects. The direction of change has been one of giving them less power and greater transparency in their appointment — when Mr. Lai was in office, the system of appointment was changed to one of “recruitment”. After the results of the HKCEE were released, the school sent graduating students a prefect application form. The prefects’ board consisting of current prefects was responsible for interviewing the applicants and the list of potential candidates was then forwarded to the headmaster for approval. The method adopted for choosing the head prefect and the two second prefects has also changed. First, the prefects nominate potential candidates among themselves and the senior teachers cast their votes to decide the head prefect. Then the selected head prefect picks the two second prefects from the prefects’ list approved by the headmaster.79 The junior prefect system was introduced in 1999–2000 in anticipation of the implementation of the 3–3–4 system. Junior prefects are selected from Form 4 students as assistants to the prefects and are trained to be future prefects, but they do not have the power to punish.80

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11 Scholastic Activities

In this chapter, the scholastic activities of DBS are grouped under four periods for discussion, using the years 1913, 1941 and 1983 as demarcating lines. The first is chosen because of the enactment of the Education Ordinance and the introduction of the Matriculation Examinations (in the academic year 1913– 14); the second because of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong; and the third because of the publication of the report “A Perspective on Education in Hong Kong” by the International Panel of Visitors. These events all exerted an enormous influence on the development of education in Hong Kong in general and DBS in particular.

1869–1913 Administration When Mr. Arthur took over the DHO in July 1870, he did not seem to be too concerned with the issue of the academic year or the student reports as there were only about 28 students. At that time, the beginning of the academic year probably coincided with the arrival of the headmaster — summer in the Arthur era and spring after Mr. Piercy took over, as seen by the dates and contents of the annual reports. For convenience, it was later moved to coincide with the Chinese New Year holidays as there were more and more Chinese students studying in the DHO. However, from 1908, on the recommendation of the inspector of schools, it was changed yet again to begin and end at the summer vacation.1 Although the DHO was an orphanage, it also performed an educational

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function, its objective being to provide commercial education to its students. In the first few years, it was staffed by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur with the assistance of a part-time Chinese teacher. Mr. Arthur taught English and general subjects from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; and while the boys studied Chinese with the part-time Chinese teacher from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the girls learned needlework from Mrs. Arthur. The girls also received religious instruction in the afternoon.2 With a small student population and essentially only one teacher, it is obvious that all the students were put into the same room, rather than divided into classes, and were taught in turn by the teacher individually or in groups. For five days a week, they were taught whatever the teacher felt was important and suited to their standard. If Mr. Arthur followed in the footsteps of Miss Eaton in 1863, he would have taught them spelling, reading, writing and simple mental arithmetic.3 Mr. Piercy was the third master in the Central School before he succeeded Mr. Arthur as the headmaster of the DHO in 1879.4 By 1866, the Central School had already developed into a fully-fledged school with a preparatory class and Class 6 to Class 15 and a student population of 211 which grew to 560 in 18796 when the DHO had only 31 students.7 Naturally, whenever there was an opportunity, Mr. Piercy applied to the DHO the experience he had gained at the Central School. By 1886, the DHO enrolment rose to almost 100 and the teaching staff increased to three. The initial success of the school was based on its bilingualism and the business community was eager to employ its graduates. In his 1892 report, the inspector of schools wrote: St Joseph’s College and the Diocesan School also continue to distinguish themselves by the alacrity and success with which they have responded to the call of the Colony for a distinctly commercial education, and by the great attention they bestow on the subjects trenching upon a secondary education in their special classes of scholars … .8

Curriculum and Instruction There is no record of the curriculum of the DHO, but it was reported that the boys were given “a wide and liberal education well fitting them for professional, commercial and clerical careers”. 9 In 1891, laboratories were built in the North Wing as the school was receiving more academically inclined students.10 Also, in 1900, Latin was introduced into the curriculum but was withdrawn in 1914 in favour of sciences such as chemistry, electricity and magnetism after an excellent laboratory was added in 1912.11 It is of interest to note that

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even though the governor had advocated the teaching of chemistry and electricity as early as 1867, sciences were not introduced into the curriculum of Central School until the turn of the century to replace Latin, taught there since 1889.12 In 1905, drawing was taught to the three lower classes in the DBSO while hygiene was added for Classes 3 to 7.13 A number of special lectures on the United Kingdom, its dominions and colonies and some hygiene topics were given between 1907 and 1909, using lantern slides borrowed from outside institutions.14 When the grant-in-aid code was revised in 1904, there was room for more flexibility in what was taught. Each of the lower classes was divided into two sets: A set for non-Chinese and B set for Chinese. The A set spent more time on arithmetic and other subjects which European and Eurasian boys found difficult, and the B set on reading and explanation by a Chinese teacher.15 Records related to the curriculum are not available for the DBSO before 1913, but it is likely that, though lagging somewhat behind, the subjects taught did not differ very much from those in Queen’s College. The following table showing the total number of boys examined in various subjects in specific years in Queen’s College gives some insight into the curriculum in those days. Table 11.1 Total number of boys examined in each subject at Queen’s College before 191316

English to Chinese

1881

1885

1889

1907

301

379

676

0771

Chinese to English

301

379

676

0171

Grammar

172

312

547

1085

Geography

144

253

477

1085

Composition

083

127

360

0771

History

030

075

143

0322

–

075

143

0557

Algebra

–

075

143

0557

Mensuration

–

025

024

0118

Latin

–

–

117

–

General intelligence

–

–

083

0034

Shakespeare

–

–

024

0034

Trigonometry

–

–

017

0014

Hygiene

–

–

–

0771

Book-keeping

–

–

–

0118

Geometry

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Academic achievements By the mid-1880s, in addition to satisfying the needs of the business community, some students were aiming for higher education. In 1888, two former students graduated from the Viceroy Li Hung-chang’s Medical School in Tientsin and two others took the first two places in their first-year examinations at the Hong Kong College of Medicine.17 In 1887, for the first time, the school entered a candidate, F. Southey, for the public Cambridge Local Examinations which had been introduced in Hong Kong in the previous year. His success surpassed everyone’s expectations as he not only passed all the subjects but was first among the Hong Kong candidates; and, in the following year, four more boys from the DHO took part in this examination and all of them passed. In the Belilios Medal and Prize Examinations, Southey came third in 1888 and first in 1890. He also won the Hong Kong Government Scholarship of £200 a year for four years, which included passage to and from England, to study practical engineering at the Crystal Palace and he later became the engineer who built the Kowloon Railway Tunnel beneath the Lion Rock. 18 As mentioned in Chapter 2, the Oxford Local Examinations replaced the Cambridge Local Examinations in 1889, and the DHO candidates continued to perform well in these new examinations. The Hong Kong Government Gazette of 1891 reported that a total of 12 certificates were issued in that year based on the results of the Oxford Local Examinations, six each for the junior and senior divisions. For the junior division, the DHO gained three (with two distinctions in biblical knowledge), St. Joseph’s College two and Victoria College (formerly Central School) one; and for the senior division, St. Joseph’s College obtained three, the DHO two (with one distinction in English) and Victoria College one.19 In 1911, the school enrolled 51 students in the upper school (classes taking public examinations) and entered 37 for the Oxford Local Examinations, of whom 34 passed (eight in the senior grade, seven in the junior and 19 in the preliminary) and several gained honours. On that occasion, the director of education wrote: The same good work is reflected in the Upper School, where some very striking successes were obtained in the Oxford Local Examinations. The very rare distinction of a second class honours was obtained in the Senior Division. Out of 9 honours obtained in the Colony, 6 were won by this school. The proportion of passes (34) to pupils in the Upper School (51) is very satisfactory.20

The results of the Oxford Local Examinations from 1889 to 1914 are summarized in Graph 11.1. Mr. Piercy commented as follows on these results

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249

in the 1912 annual report: “These show that the School is second to none in the Colony, and ought to tend still further to increase the number of scholars, as they show that the School is undoubtedly giving a most thorough and successful education.”21 18 16 14

Ŕ Ŧ ů ŪŰ ų ġŐ Ź ŧ Ű ų ť ġō Ű Ť Ţ ŭġņ Ź Ţ Ů Ūů Ţ ŵŪŰ ů

ŋŶ ů ŪŰ ų ġŐ Ź ŧ Ű ų ť ġō Ű Ť Ţ ŭġņ Ź Ţ Ů Ūů Ţ ŵŪŰ ů

12 10 8 6 4 2

1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914

0

Graph 11.1

Number of DHO/DSO/DBSO boys passing the Oxford Local Examinations between 1889 and 1914

1914–41 Administration Hong Kong did not have an integrated school system before the First World War. Schools like Queen’s College and DBSO had seven grades, with Class 7 as a preparatory grade. An eight-year system gradually developed in Anglo-Chinese secondary schools after the establishment of HKU in 1911 while the Chinese schools followed in the footsteps of their Mainland counterparts, especially those in Canton, and adopted a 6(4+2)–3–3 primary and secondary school system after 1927.22 By 1928, the DBSO had clearly developed into a fully-fledged AngloChinese school with eight classes and a student population of almost 300.

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In the late 1920s, the weekday mornings began with an assembly in the school hall at 8:48 a.m. Lessons started at 9:00 a.m. and finished at 2:50 p.m. for Classes 8 to 6 and at 4:10 p.m. for Classes 5 to 1, with recess from 11:00 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. and a lunch break from 1:05 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. There was no school on Wednesday afternoons. Table 11.2 shows the curriculum for Classes 8, 5 and 1 in 1929. Class 8 had 34 periods a week while Classes 5 and 1 each had 42 periods a week. The English curriculum for lower grade students consisted of reading, conversation, writing, dictation, spelling and grammar; and as students advanced through the years, they graduated to writing essays and letters. While drawing and singing were included in the curriculum for all classes, physical education was not, mainly because there were no suitable teachers of the subject. To solve this problem, the government started to hold physical training classes for teachers at the Technical Institute in 1929.23 Table 11.2 Subjects taught and their number of periods per week in selected classes at DBS in 1928 Subject

Class 8 (P5)

Chinese

Chinese

English

Conversation 3 15 Composition 4 Copy writing and Dictation 4 spelling 2 Reading 6 Grammar 2 Reading 5 Transcription 3

French Mathematics

Arithmetic

Class 5 (F2) 4 Chinese

Class 1 (F6) 5 Chinese

5

14 Composition 3 Dictation 1 Grammar 1 Listening 3

8

– French

2

–

5 Arithmetic

5 Algebra 2 Arithmetic 1 Geometry 2 Trigonometry 2

7

Science

Object Lesson

3 Science

3 Chemistry 4 Physics 4

8

Humanities

Geography 2 Scripture 2

4 Geography 3 History 3 Scripture 3

9 Geography 3 History 2 Scripture 3

8

Others

Drawing 2 Singing 1

3 Drawing 2 General 1 Singing 1

4 Book-keeping 2 Drawing 2 General 1 Singing 1

6

Total

34

42

42

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According to Dr. Ip Po Ting, students were streamed according to their standard of English in the days of Mr. Featherstone. Class 8 was divided into three small streams, A, B and C, based on English proficiency: those with no prior knowledge were placed in the C set and, as their English improved, they would be advanced to the B or even the A set. In Class 6, there was only one set. Dr. Lee Sui Ming, who entered DBS in 1938, recalled: The classes began with Class 8 and rose to Class 2, the graduating class. At every level except Class 1, the classes were divided into two streams: A and B. Class 1 was equivalent to the pre-collegiate level where students were specially prepared for university matriculation. The school year was divided into two semesters with the first beginning in September and the second in January. Chinese and mathematics were taught according to the students’ levels of proficiency. Cheating in examinations was absolutely forbidden with the expulsion of those who violated this rule …

Before 1923, there is no record of how often the school sent out reports to parents and what they were like. In that year, Mr. Featherstone introduced a new system of school reports with four parts: (1) a report on English work; (2) a report on Chinese work; (3) a postcard with instructions in both English and Chinese, asking parents or guardians to post the card acknowledging receipt of the reports; and (4) a letter from the headmaster on holiday tasks etc. About 85% of the cards were returned.24

Curriculum and Instruction By the time Mr. Piercy retired, the curricula for upper classes already included subjects such as physics, chemistry, history, geography, arithmetic, algebra, grammar, English literature, book-keeping, shorthand, biblical knowledge and map-drawing, in addition to English and Chinese.25 His successor, Mr. Featherstone, not only built the current school campus, but also did a great deal to improve its curriculum and teaching. In 1922, Chinese was made a mandatory subject for Classes 8 to 5; and boys also had the opportunity to study Chinese in Classes 4 to 1 if they wanted to. He introduced a large number of books on mechanics, composition, grammar and religion that year, and in the following year he tried to improve the teaching of religion and hygiene throughout the school.26 The syllabus for Class 8 to Class 1, with the exception of the Chinese language, was included in the 1928 Prospectus.27 As this syllabus is among the earliest for secondary and senior primary classes published in Hong Kong, it is summarized below.

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11.1

Science laboratory in 1926

English The syllabus for Classes 8 to 3 consisted of conversation, spelling, dictation, reading, writing and grammar. • Reading was based on a number of readers with increasing difficulty. • Conversation was based on the readers, local objects and places and a conversation book. • Writing was based on Vera Foster’s Medium Series; dictation and spelling from the readers. By Class 3, students were expected to write narratives, essays and letters, and to paraphrase. • The syllabus for grammar increased in complexity from learning how to form simple sentences in Class 8 to analysis and paraphrasing of complex sentences in Class 3. • Repetition from Class 7 onwards was from the Hymn Book, Prayer Book and the Bible. For Classes 2 and 1, reading included Shakespeare’s plays and newspapers while writing consisted mostly of essays and letters.

Scholastic Activities

Arithmetic Class 8: Notation and numeration; the four simple rules; mental arithmetic. Class 7: The four rules applied to English money; calculation in Chinese money; reduction of money; Avoirdupois and Troy weights; lineal and square measures. Class 6: Weights and measures; dollars and cents. Class 5: Vulgar fractions; factors; LCM; HCF. Class 4: Decimals; rectangular areas and volumes of rectangular solids. Class 3: Approximation; ratio and proportion; simple problems; square roots. Class 2: Percentages; interest; discount; shares and stocks; exchange; areas and volumes. Class 1: General revision. Mathematics Class Class Class Class

4: 3: 2: 1:

Algebra. Algebra and geometry. Algebra, geometry, plane trigonometry and mechanics. As above.

Object-lessons and Hygiene Class 8: Fish, birds and animals; food; clock; buildings; local places; body care and manners. Class 7: As above, but more objects. Class 6: As above, but more objects, including fruits, shops, games, cinema, etc.; roads, transport, water supply and hospitals of Hong Kong. General Knowledge and Hygiene Class 5: Hotels, theatres, post office, bank, telephone, newspaper, games, sports, police, fire brigade, dairy farm, market, railway station and rules of the road. Class 4: Town planning, housing, etc.; British trade and the Far East; public buildings, e.g. law courts, churches and temples; rules of the road, use of the telephone, the police, fire brigade, insurance and lifesaving; motor car, gramophone, wireless, photography, means of communication, printing, thermometer. Class 3: The government of Hong Kong and its departments; the government of England and the British Empire; British trade and the Far East; public buildings, social services, town planning, housing, etc.; the mercantile marine, the navy, the army and the air force. Class 2: Refer to work done in Classes 3, 4 and 5; questions; debates. Class 1: As above.

253

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In addition, care of the body, manners, rules of conduct, deportment and demeanour, clothing, appearance and mental and physical fitness were taught in classes. Science Class Class Class Class Class

5: 4: 3: 2: 1:

General experiments; physics. Physics. Physics; chemistry. Physics; chemistry; inorganic chemistry. As above.

Geography Class 8:

Class 7:

Class 6:

Class 5: Class 4: Class 3: Class 2: Class 1:

Plan of school and neighbourhood; cardinal points; geography of Hong Kong and Kowloon; map drawing — Hong Kong, China and generally of the world. General geography of Hong Kong, Kowloon, the New Territories and of Kwongtung Province; day and night; the seasons; map drawing — China and generally of the world. General geography of the world and particularly of China; trade routes from Hong Kong; latitude and longitude; oceans; tides; sun and moon. Asia; the atmosphere, winds, typhoon, rain, etc. Map drawing — countries and trade winds. North America and the Southern Continents; causes which determine climate. The earth, its shape and movements; season; day and night; latitude and longitude; time. Principles of geography and principles of physical geography. Principles of geography and general geography of the world; Asia — east of the longitude of Calcutta; principles of physical geography.

History Class 8: Class 7: Class 6: Class Class Class Class

5: 4: 3: 2:

Dates and stories with regard to Hong Kong, China, England and the world. As above. Outstanding dates and events as above, the British Empire and the world. As above and the Far East. As above with special attention given to the period 1689–1837. As above with special attention given to the period 1837–1901. English history 1689 to1837; an introduction to world history.

Scholastic Activities

Class 1:

255

English history 1689 to 1901 with special reference to European and world history; political history added.

Scripture Class Class Class Class

8: 7: 6: 5:

Class 4: Class 3: Class 2:

Class 1:

Lord’s Prayer; Ten Commandments; Creed; Bible Stories; Hymns. General instructions in Services of Morning and Evening Prayers. Line Upon Line, Part 1. Line Upon Line, Part 2; The Catechism; General instruction in the Services for Holy Communion, Morning and Evening Prayers. Life of Jesus; St. Mark’s Gospel; Ministration of Baptism and the Order of Confirmation. The Acts of the Apostles. Outline of Scripture History; General instruction for Litany and the Solemnization of Matrimony. Esther; St. Matthew Gospel; General instruction in Church services in the Prayer Book and with regard to the Church Calendar. Comparative religion.

Drawing Class Class Class Class

8–6: 5: 4: 3–1:

Simple objects; general; map drawing. Simple objects; freehand; model and science equipment. Freehand; model and science equipment. Freehand; model, geometrical and science equipment.

In addition to the above, French was available after Class 5. In Class 2 and Class 1, book-keeping was offered. In singing lessons, songs and hymns for church services were taught.

All instruction in DBS has been in English, except for Chinese lessons, and the school has developed a tradition of reaching a high standard in English. This has been due to its teachers, particularly Mr. Monks who published two textbooks: English for Chinese Students (with Mr. Luard) and Learning English. The first of these became a best-seller as it was very useful for the teaching of English. It was used not only in DBS but also in other schools in Hong Kong, Singapore and East Africa even up to the late 1960s.28 During a conference on language learning organized by HKU on 12 April 2008, some speakers — all well known Hong Kong language scholars — lamented the fact that the book is no longer used in schools for teaching English grammar. There was a minor change in the curriculum in 1935 when Mandarin was added to upper classes.29 Before World War II, most of the teachers of the Chinese language wore cheongsham to school and taught in a very traditional

256

To Serve and to Lead

way, which was normally rather dull. As a result, the students tended to fool around during Chinese lessons and paid no attention to what the teachers said. On one occasion in 1940–41, a Chinese teacher, unable to tolerate this any longer, held a naughty boy upside down; and Mr. Hui Yin Kun reported this incident to Mr. Goodban. As Hui’s action angered the Chinese masters, he was not given the prize according to the usual practice even though he came first in Chinese that year; and he was also criticized for “lack of good behaviour” in the end-of-year report.30 As an Anglican school, religious instruction has received special attention in DBS throughout the years, with scripture being taught as part of the curriculum. In 1928, the teaching of religion became more relevant by making general reference to the church calendar, the services and the history of the church and, in the higher classes, by adopting a comparative approach.31

Academic Achievements The Oxford Local Examinations gave way to the Matriculation Examination after it was introduced by HKU in 1913–14. From then on, DBS followed the government regulation and entered all boys in Class 1 for the Hong Kong Matriculation or Senior Local in December and July and those in Class 2 for the Junior Local in July every year.32 Figure 11.2 shows the number of students from DBSO who passed these examinations from 1914 to 1929. Unfortunately nearly all the records for the period from 1930 to 1941 were destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, but an issue of Steps published before the war indicated that in 1934–35, 26 passed the School Certificate

No. of Students 25

Matriculation

Senior Local

Junior Local

20 15 10 5

Graph 11.2

Number of DBSO boys passing the Matriculation and Local Examinations between 1914 and 1929

1929

1928

1927

1926

1925

1924

1923

1922

1921

1920

1919

1918

1917

1916

1915

1914

0

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Examination (taken by students in Class 1 from 1935 and those in Class 2 from 1937) and 31 were successful in the Junior Local Examination.33 In 1938–39, the school won three scholarships in the Matriculation Examination, including a King Edward VII Scholarship, bringing the total number of DBS boys winning this esteemed scholarship from 1919 to 1939 to at least nine, the figure between 1919 and 1928 being eight.34

1946–83 Administration After World War II, the school operated in much the same way as before. School started at 8:25 a.m. and finished at 3:35 p.m., with morning assembly from 8:25 a.m. to 8:40 a.m., recess from 10:40 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and a lunch break from 1:00 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. There were six periods in the morning and two in the afternoon. At first, there was no school on Wednesday afternoons, but this practice was discontinued at the turn of the decade. The 600-odd students were grouped into eight grades (from Class 8 to Class 1) with two streams each. In September 1951, the classes were renamed so that Class 8 became Primary 5, Class 6 became Form 1 and Class 1 became Form 6; and, from 1954, Form 6 was lengthened to two years while the degree courses at HKU were shortened by one year. To cater for the many DBS boys who went to North America to further their studies, Mr. Lowcock introduced a new one-year course to Lower 6 called Lower 6G (general) in 1962, but it was dropped in 1989 to encourage students to do their undergraduate studies in Hong Kong. In the 1940s and 1950s, when DBS had no more than three streams per class, the students in each grade were first divided according to their attainment in English language, with the high achievers assigned to the A set and the low achievers to the C set for all subjects except Chinese and mathematics. The students changed sets during Chinese and mathematics lessons in accordance with their academic achievements in these subjects; and so, while some students stayed in the same set for all classes, others might have to change classes for Chinese and/or mathematics lessons. This set system had several advantages as it reduced the stereotyping of students, boosted their confidence and self-respect and made teaching much easier, but it presented difficulties in arranging the timetable and the movement of students between classes caused a disturbance.

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During the 1960s, as the number of streams for each form increased to four, the method of streaming had to change. In the new system, the students were first divided into two groups based on their overall academic achievements. The first half was then sub-divided into A and B according to their attainment in the English language and the second was also sub-divided in the same way into C and D. Setting for Chinese and mathematics lessons was discontinued, and from then on the hustle and bustle during the change of classes disappeared. In the 1960s, the double promotion system, which had existed in DBS for years, was also abandoned. Under this system, many students, especially those who were exceptionally able and/or slightly older than the average, had gained double promotion once, twice or even three times during their time in DBS. The record in this regard was held by a boy in the 1950s who was promoted directly from Primary 5 to Form 1 and spent only half a year in each grade from Form 1 to Form 4, using only three years to complete six years’ work: he spent a full year in Form 5, studied arts subjects in Lower 6, switched to science in Upper 6 and ended up as a medical student at HKU. He was by no means a “bookworm” — on the contrary, he was an excellent bridge player and all-round sportsman, winning Hong Kong Open Doubles title in tennis while he was still a student at DBS. Until 1956, DBS issued hand-written reports on student progress. After the war, there were two reports on foolscap paper each year, one in January and the other in July, showing the marks in individual subjects as well as the student’s position in each subject within the whole class; and there was no need for parents to acknowledge their receipt. In an effort to keep a more complete and permanent record of each student’s progress, in 1956–57 Mr. She introduced the “Blue Book” system, in which each student had a blue book that recorded all his achievements and weaknesses; and, while these records were normally kept in the school, after the term examination marks had been entered, the students were permitted to take them home to show to their parents. This was usually done twice a year, but for some years they were issued three times or just once, depending on the school’s policy on the number of term examinations to be held each year. The blue books were replaced by computer-generated reports in 1999.

Curriculum and Instruction No official overall curriculum for secondary schools was issued by the ED until well into the post-war period. The Education Ordinance was amended in 1948 to empower the director of education to exercise control over the curriculum and the curriculum materials used in schools.35

Scholastic Activities

(a) pre-1956 11.2

Student report: pre-1956; 1957–1998 and post-1999

259

260

To Serve and to Lead

(b) 1957–1998 11.2 Student report: pre-1956; 1957–1998 and post-1999 (continued)

Scholastic Activities

(c) post-1999 11.2

Student report: pre-1956; 1957–1998 and post-1999 (continued)

261

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When Mr. Goodban re-established the school after the war, he probably followed the traditional curriculum offered by English public schools similar to the one published in the 1928 Prospectus. The subjects included English language and literature, Chinese language and literature, mathematics, history, Chinese history, geography, physics, chemistry, scripture (later renamed biblical knowledge), physical training (physical education), drawing (art) and singing (music). Because of the excellent relationship between DBS and DGS and the need for co-operation, in the 1940s and 1950s the two schools offered different subjects in the upper classes (usually Class 1/Form 6) to serve students from both schools. For example, DBS boys went to DGS for Chinese language and literature, English literature, world history, biology and pure mathematics, and DGS girls came to DBS for physics, chemistry and geography. The subjects offered and the number of students involved varied from year to year. This collaboration basically ended in 1957 when both schools had more students and acquired adequate resources for expansion. The teaching of Chinese had for long been a problem for the school. In 1946–47, Mr. Goodban tried to improve the situation by appointing a young and energetic Chinese master, Mr. T. H. Chang, a new graduate from the National South-West Associated University, to head the Chinese panel, but unfortunately no immediate progress was observed. At this time, boys who aimed to follow a career and/or live in future outside Hong Kong were allowed to take “lower Chinese”, but many still failed at both the School Certificate and Matriculation examinations. As this had an adverse effect on the career prospects of the boys, in 1955 the school decided to replace it with French.36 Since most of the teachers of Chinese subjects did not speak English, they were housed in a separate common room and consequently had very little contact with the rest of the teaching staff. It was an unwritten rule that they should knock on the door and wait for permission to enter the general common room where the spoken language was English. This segregation among DBS staff reflected the appalling situation prevailing in the colony at that time, but for DBS this changed when Mr. She became headmaster in 1955. He merged the two common rooms into one.37 In 1956, Mr. She made a bold move by appointing Mr. T. C. Chang38 — a scholar who had taught at the National South-west Associated University and who had also served in the Foreign Ministry of the Nationalist Government as a diplomat in Australia — to teach Chinese in DBS. However, as he could not speak Cantonese, the medium of instruction for Chinese language and history, many students found it difficult to understand his lessons. Nevertheless,

Scholastic Activities

263

he got on well with the students and they respected him, and the conscientious ones learned the subject as well as some putonghua. In the mid-1960s he left DBS to join CUHK from which he retired as reader and head of the Department of History. Noting that the teaching and learning of Chinese had not improved over the years, Mr. Lowcock, on becoming headmaster in 1961, tried to change this situation in a rather unorthodox way. He asked the three old boys who joined the teaching staff that year to teach some Chinese lessons, irrespective of their subject specialisms, his rationale being that maintaining classroom discipline and students’ interest was more important than knowledge of the subject. Mr. Lowcock’s approach was quite successful, and also had an unexpected effect. In 1963, two of these three old boys, joined by one of their former teachers, attempted to reform the teaching of the Chinese language in Forms 1–3. The plan included: (1) giving teachers a certain degree of freedom in the choice of materials as readers; (2) not confining the teaching of the language to explaining and annotating the readers; (3) teaching some basic grammar and introducing comprehension in the teaching of Chinese; and (4) encouraging outside reading. However, after several meetings, one of which was held in the headmaster’s residence, in which there were heated arguments, the proposal was aborted as no consensus could be reached.39 Those who opposed the intended reform were mainly concerned about an adverse reaction from the government, a worry which was theoretically unfounded. At this time, schools in Hong Kong basically had a free hand in designing their curricula, but they had to follow the syllabuses prescribed by the public examination boards when they prepared their students for these examinations. For Form 3 and below, at least in theory, schools were free to teach whatever they considered to be appropriate. In 1972, the ED set up a Curriculum Development Committee (CDC, renamed the Curriculum Development Institute, CDI, in 1992) to oversee the development and revision of all curricula being implemented in Hong Kong schools. While all its published documents stated clearly that its role was only advisory, in practice, all schools taught more or less the same subjects and followed closely the curricula recommended by the CDI. It is ironic that about 20 years later when the ED tried to introduce a similar reform in the teaching of Chinese, it also encountered strong opposition from the traditional teachers, though this time for a different reason. A major change in the curriculum took place during Mr. Lowcock’s era. With an increasing number of students admitted, and in anticipation of the establishment of mass education, he broadened the curriculum in the early 1970s. For example, he started to offer principles of accountancy in Form 6

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11.3 Library in the present decade

in 1971 and Form 4 in 1972;40 and he also introduced commercial and industrial art in 1972 for nine Form 3 boys, and extended it to Form 4 in the following year as it had proved to be very successful.41 Following the global trend, integrated studies and practical subjects were advocated by the newly established CDC in 1972.42 As one of the pilot projects, it organized an integrated science course, with physics, chemistry and biology topics being closely interwoven so that the general principles running through science as a whole were stressed. This course, originally a Scottish scheme based on student-centred and discovery methods, was first introduced in Forms 1 and 2 at DBS in 1973. The new approach involved students carrying out as much practical work as possible, with three of the four science periods each week being conducted in the laboratory. In the process, the teacher started by leading a discussion aimed at helping the class to find a method for tackling a specific problem and then worksheets with instructions for experiments were handed out and the class started to search for the answers. Afterwards, the teacher would lead another discussion to allow the class to discover the correct answers and conclusions — they were not given to the students in advance. This discovery method of teaching required the students to think and react continuously, and they learned by formulating hypotheses through discussion, followed by experimenting, measuring and reassessing their

Scholastic Activities

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hypotheses in the light of experimental results. This new approach, in which the teacher acted merely as a guide to student learning, was welcomed by the students who were keen on the “do-it-yourself” laboratory work.43 The chief architect of this highly successful project at DBS was Mr. P. K Tao, one of the most outstanding teachers DBS has ever had. The new curriculum required new equipment that was produced by his colleague, Dr. S. Y. Mak, and they both contributed significantly to the teaching of physics in DBS and throughout Hong Kong.

11.4

Mr. P. K. Tao conducting an integrated science lesson in the 1970s

Academic Achievements During this period, the academic achievements at DBS, as measured by student performance in the HKSCE/HKCEE and HKU Matriculation Examination, were on the whole satisfactory. Graph 11.3 shows that, before 1983, the HKSCE/HKCEE pass-rates generally fluctuated around 80%; and, while the matriculation rate was low at the beginning, it soon rose to around the 70% mark.

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Graph 11.3 Results of the HKSCE/HKCEE and HKU Matriculation Examinations

1984–2008 Administration There were few changes in the school’s routine during Mr. Lai’s period as headmaster. Despite the fact that most secondary schools in Hong Kong had switched to a six-day or even seven-day cycle system by the 1980s because of the increase in the number of subjects in the curriculum, DBS continued with the traditional five-day cycle in timetabling. Also, although many schools had by then given up daily morning assembly for the whole school because of the large number of students, DBS chose to maintain the tradition by squeezing all students into the hall. However, changes were necessary in the new millennium. Today, the six-day cycle system is being used and the morning assembly is no longer a daily event for the whole school but follows a complicated arrangement (see Chapter 10). However, according to Mr. Chang, it is possible that when the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme is introduced and the new buildings are completed, these two traditional practices may be reinstated.

Scholastic Activities

267

Mr. Lai devised a new system for streaming the students in lower forms during the 1980s. The students were first divided into two groups according to their overall results. With six streams per grade, the first half went to sets A, B and C and the second half to D, E and F. The A set took the best onethird in English; the B set included the best half of the remaining two-thirds in Chinese; and the rest went to the C set. The other three sets, D, E and F, were streamed randomly. Mr. Chang made minor changes to this system by replacing overall results with the combined results of the three major subjects — English, Chinese and mathematics — and named the six classes “D”, “J”, “M”, “P”, “S” and “T” (D for David; J for John; M for Moses, P for Peter, S for Samuel and T for Timothy) to avoid any undesirable labelling. In upper forms, the students were streamed according to subjects. Today, DBS holds two internal examinations a year for Forms 1 to 4 and Lower 6: the mid-year examination in December and the final examination in June. For Forms 5 and Upper 6, there is only one internal examination a year, the mock examination, in April and March respectively. As noted earlier, as regards reporting, the “Blue Book”, which had been used for 43 years, finally gave way to computer-generated reports in 1999.

11.5

Public examination in the 1960s

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Curriculum and Instruction In the 1970s and 1980s, Hong Kong’s economic development led to the introduction of several new subjects, such as design and technology, accounting and computer studies, in the basic secondary school curriculum. DBS has followed this change very closely: today, for Forms 1 to 3, the subjects taught include English, English literature, Chinese/French, mathematics, integrated science, putonghua, geography, history, Chinese history, computer literacy, design and technology, religious studies, library studies (only Form 1), visual arts, music and physical education.

11.6

A computer class in the present decade

All students in Form 5 are expected to take nine subjects in the HKCEE, and the top 10% of the class can apply to add a 10th subject, but students may also apply to drop one subject if they are not confident enough to take nine subjects. The subjects offered in different streams of Form 5 are shown in Table 11.3. For Form 6, apart from the two compulsory subjects — (1) Use of English and (2) Chinese Language and Culture — most students take three A-level subjects, but some take two A-level and two AS-level subjects. All have to attend music and physical education lessons. The subjects to be taken by different streams of Form 6 students in 2007–08 are listed in Table 11.4.

Scholastic Activities

Table 11.3

269

Subjects offered to different streams of Form 5 students in 2007–08

Form 5-Science

Form 5

Form 5

Commerce

Arts

5 Physics

Economics

Economics/ business

6 Chemistry

Geography

Geography

7 Biology

Commerce

Principles of accounts

Computer and IT

Commerce

One of the following: principles of accounts/ physical education

One of the following: history/ physical education/ visual arts/ design and technology/ putonghua

A

B

C

D

1 English 2 Chinese/French 3 Mathematics 4 Religious studies

8 Additional mathematics 9 Economics One of the following: computer and IT/ principles of accounts

Economics One of the following: geography/history/ design and technology/ physical education/ visual arts/ principles of accounts/Chinese history/ putonghua

Table 11.4 Subjects offered to four different streams of Form 6 students in 2007–08 Stream Arts (1 stream:A) Science (3 streams: B, C, D) Group Arts

Pure Science Med. Science Maths Computer (for B, C & D) (for C & D) (for C & D) (for B)

A-1

Use of English

A-2

Chinese language and culture

A-3

Geography or Accounts

Physics

Biology

Physics

Physics

A-4

Economics Business studies

Chemistry

Chemistry

Applied maths

Computer study

A-5

History or Chinese history or 2AS: Mathsstat + Computer study/ IT

Pure maths

Physics or Pure maths Pure maths 2AS: Maths-stat + Computer study/IT

Maths=mathematics; Stat=statistics; IT=information technology; Med.=medical

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Academic Achievements Graph 11.3 on p. 266 shows that the academic attainment of DBS students has improved since the 1980s, with the HKCEE pass-rates frequently rising above 95% and occasionally reaching 100%. The HKU matriculation rates have also improved, but to a lesser degree, with an average of 75–80% in the past quarter of a century. During this period, the school has had students who scored eight or more distinctions in the HKCEE or gained admission to esteemed universities in Hong Kong, the Mainland and around the world.

Extracurricular Activities

271

12 Extracurricular Activities

DBS is well known for its extracurricular activities which form an integral part of its deep-rooted “all-round education” philosophy. While education is incomplete without extracurricular activities, it should be stressed that such activities do not in themselves automatically lead to character training or result in an all-round education — their effectiveness rests on the way in which they are handled.

Development of Extracurricular Activities from 1869–1941 Sports Activities In the early days of the school, sports activities were considered important mainly from the standpoint of health. The annual report of 1885 recorded that the boys were frequently taken to Stonecutters Island to learn to swim because of its positive effect on health.1 In 1916, Mr. Piercy considered sport to be vital for the development of esprit de corps in the school.2 When Mr. Featherstone decided not to award any prizes for swimming in 1919 and athletics in 1921 and forbade students from competing in games where they had to register with a league in 1922,3 he was probably concerned about the impact of extracurricular activities on character training and development. As the school had no playing field of its own in the Bonham Road campus, in 1885 an application was made to the government for a “squatters’ licence” to use part of the land on the north side of the school as an extended playground to improve the health and physical education of the students.4 Even this, however, did not completely solve the problem and, in his annual

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reports in the ensuing years, the headmaster more than once deplored the fact that the school was a long distance from suitable places for swimming and ball games. In response, the government in 1896 and again in 1898 improved the land near Robinson Road at West Point, for use for sports activities by nearby schools, including St. Joseph’s College, Victoria English School and the DSO.5 In 1900, the DSO also improved the playground to the north for cricket and football, and constructed a tennis court on the lower terrace.6 Coaching for sports probably began in 1901–02 after the arrival of Mr. A. O. Brawn, who trained the boys in cricket and football. Under the care of Mr. Brawn and an old boy named A. J. Mackie, sports activities flourished in the school, with strong teams being fielded in cricket, tennis, football, fives and boating. The DBSO topped the Hong Kong Schools’ Football League for the first time in 1906 and its cricket team, besides winning all its matches against the other schools, was also successful in those against adult club teams such as the Craigengower Cricket Club in 1908.7 When Mr. Brawn left the DBSO in 1909 and was succeeded by Mr. W. H. Viveash, enthusiasm for and success in games continued unabated. In the ensuing years, the school continued to excel in cricket, athletics, swimming, football, tennis and fives.8 In 1913, the DBSO lost the old playing field at West Point and the government later provided it with a new, but smaller, one at the west end of the town in West End Park. From 1915, Mr. Piercy more than once expressed his concern that there was no proper practice ground for football and cricket; and both he and Mr. Featherstone mentioned the need for cricket and football as a means of fostering a group spirit among the boys. The absence of proper playing fields for football and cricket led to an increase in the popularity of tennis and volleyball.9 Mr. Featherstone was an idealist who discouraged the use of prizes as an incentive for effort and strongly opposed participation in any competitive sports aimed at prize-winning. He lamented the encouragement of “professionalism” by the leagues, resulting in many of those who were generally good at games becoming “pot-hunters”, and the lack of a “sporting spirit”, as exemplified by the failure of teams that had no chance of winning first or second places to complete their programmes of matches. Therefore, as mentioned earlier, from 1922 he did not allow students to take part in the leagues, but encouraged them to play friendly matches with other schools and directed their attention to intramural (intra-school) competitions. He introduced the house system whereby the school was divided into four houses, each designated by a different colour, for house sports, etc.10

Extracurricular Activities

273

The school report for 1928–29 included individual reports on football, tennis and cricket by the masters in charge, namely Mr. E. C. Thomas, Mr. T. S. W. Chan and Mr. J. L. Young Saye respectively, showing that these were the three major sports in the school at that time although the number of other sports was increasing.11 While this continued to be the trend during the 1930s, the sports reports in Steps suggest that cricket emerged as by far the most popular sport in DBS. In this then biannual publication, cricket reports took up four to 10 pages in every issue, while reports on other popular sports such as swimming, football, basketball and volleyball were given only two to four pages each. The less popular sports, including athletics, table-tennis (then called “pingpong”) and boxing, occupied only half a page or less in alternate issues. It was not until the school had a new campus on the current site that the boys could enjoy having their own playground. From then on, sporting activities developed further — for example, with increased student interest in this area, the school won the Governor’s Shield for athletics in both 1934 and 1935. In spite of rejoining the league competitions, DBS continued to have friendly matches with other schools, including Anglo-Chinese ones such as La Salle, St. Stephen’s and St. Joseph’s as well as Chinese ones such as Lingnan and Yuek Chi. For cricket, the opponents included well-established clubs as well as other schools.12 At that time, Hong Kong was desperately short of physical training teachers, but DBS was fortunate to have the services of Mr. S. T. Chan and Mr. M. C. Kwok from the mid-1930s. In an article published in Steps, Mr. Chan said: “Recreative exercise, such as all school games, sports and pastimes are undoubtedly valuable in moulding characters and frames of youths. But they lack one important element: they fail to produce uniform and harmonious development.” He then added that it was harmful to take exercise recklessly without guidance and supervision.13 When Mr. Goodban became headmaster in 1938, he was very satisfied with the health of the boys which he attributed to the physical training classes.14

Music Activities Although Mr. Arthur and Mr. Sykes were organists and Mr. Featherstone had a melodious singing voice, music was not an important extracurricular activity in the school until Mr. Sargent’s time. The drum and fife band, started in 1890, became proficient by 1895 under Mr. S. Cornell and Mr. E. Ralphs, but it was short-lived, being discontinued in 1901 after both masters left.15 It was Mr. Sargent who initiated the musical tradition in DBS. He organized gramophone evenings in the school and invited a friend to the

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school once a week to teach boys hymn-singing.16 He encouraged students to hold the Double Ten Concert on 9 October 1937 to raise money for a War Relief Fund in China;17 and in the same year he started a music group with 50 members who met every week during the hobbies hour to learn singing and appreciation of classical music, including operas and symphonies. The group was also encouraged to perform in the Hobbies Exhibition.

Other Extracurricular Activities A scout master himself, Mr. Sargent was keen to encourage students to participate in scouting activities and to develop various hobbies. He set aside a piece of land for small boys to grow tomatoes and a room each for scouting, hobbies and the geography society. The school also organized a Hobbies Exhibition every year for stamps, coins, butterflies, black-and-white drawings, water-colour paintings, photographs and models. In later years, debating, nature study, various forms of art, Chinese hobbies, handicrafts, physical training, map-making and Chinese chess were eventually added to the list of hobbies.18 In 1937, a very special club called the Shoe Polishing (Shining) Club was formed after China formally declared war on Japan. The club members went to other schools and public gatherings to polish shoes for people and the money raised was donated to the War Relief Fund.19

Development of Extracurricular Activities: 1946–2008 School-Initiated Activities Extracurricular activities in DBS developed dramatically after the war. As soon as the school was reopened in April 1946, Mr. Oswald Cheung, the acting headmaster, immediately organized football matches for the boys, although only a small part of the field could be used because there were tunnels which had yet to be filled. In the academic year 1946–47, football, basketball, tennis, softball and swimming competitions were organized and other activities such as picnics, camping and a Christmas party were also held. The school magazine Steps was published again in July 1947 after a lapse of six years. 20 The house (often called “club” before and immediately after World War II) system was revived in 1947–48, and the number was increased from four to five, the fifth being the red house. Up till then, house membership had been voluntary but as the number of students joining the houses was not as

Extracurricular Activities

275

large as he had hoped, Mr. Goodban tried hard to encourage every student to belong to one of them. In September 1949 these five houses were officially called “houses” and named after the four former headmasters, with the addition of Mr. Sykes.21 At that time, all students who wished to play any games were required to join a house, but joining was still not compulsory. Although the field was not fully restored, practically all sports undertaken before the war were resumed in 1947–48. The Piercy Challenge Shield, presented by Mr. Arthur Piercy,22 president of the Old Boys’ Association, in memory of his father, was introduced in that year for the house which gained the highest percentage of points in the inter-house competitions in swimming, football, basketball, athletics and tennis.23 Other sports were added to the list in later years. A great deal of emphasis had been placed on cricket when Mr. Piercy and Mr. Goodban headed the school; and in Mr. Goodban’s time, the field was often used exclusively for cricket practices and matches even though only a very small percentage of students participated in it. In 1950, a Thai student named Pairat Bencharit conducted a survey to find out the sports his fellow students liked best, with the following results:24

12.1 A cricket match in 1951

Table 12.1 Class

Popularity of different sports among students in 1950

Athletics Basketball Cricket Football Swimming Tennis

Total

8 (P5)

6

9

3

30

30

1

79

7 (P6)

20

13

1

21

18

0

73

6 (F1)

2

17

0

31

24

5

79

5 (F2)

3

0

0

34

27

0

64

4 (F3)

0

20

0

14

72

30

136

3 (F4)

2

14

2

10

20

12

60

Total

33

73

6

140

191

48

491

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To Serve and to Lead

Mr. Goodban was a music lover and a cellist and naturally he promoted music in both DBS and the Hong Kong educational circles. He was instrumental to founding the Hong Kong Schools Music Association in 1940 and the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival in 1949, both of which were important vehicles for promoting music among local students. Under his influence, about one-third of the DBS boys joined the Hong Kong Schools Music Association in the post-war years. This Association presented inexpensive concerts by renowned local musicians several times a year, at DBS for Kowloon schools and at HKU for Hong Kong schools.25 In the first half of 1949, the school bought a grand piano and, jointly with DGS, appointed Mr. S. G. Hemery, a fully qualified music teacher from England. Despite his short stay of little more than a year, Mr. Hemery’s contribution was very significant. For instance, he founded the Diocesan Schools Choral Society in September 1949 and held weekly practice sessions for the mixed choir, alternatively in DBS and DGS. The mixed choir soon gave concerts in both schools, made its debut appearance in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival in 1951 and presented “The Pirates of Penzance” in 1952. The choir also won the title in the Music Festival for the first time in 1954. Mr. Goodban’s attempt to organize a school orchestra in 1953 failed, owing to the small membership and the lack of wind and brass players,26 but his wish was eventually realized in Mr. She’s time. It is no exaggeration to say that Mr. Goodban laid the foundation for music in the school. Given his background, Mr. Goodban tried to introduce to DBS the kind of extracurricular activities commonly found in public schools in England. Thus, apart from sport and music, other activities sponsored by the school in the 1950s included handicrafts, model-making, art, drama, photography, scouting, camping, picnics, dancing and chess, and this pattern remained unchanged until the mid-1980s. Mr. She followed the tradition established by his predecessors, but because of his “Chinese orientation” he was inclined to give more emphasis to activities that met the needs of local Chinese students. Also, as he had no personal preferences in extracurricular activities, he not only promoted sport and music but also gave due attention to other kinds of activities. While Mr. She encouraged all sports, athletics and swimming received more attention. During his tenure, more boys were seen playing football and, although cricket was still considered an important sport, it was getting less time in the playing field. Also, he expanded the house system from five to six, adding a new house, the Goodban House, in 1956. Unlike Goodban who had himself held the key position of sports master and chairman of the Sports (Games) Committee, with the responsibility for

Extracurricular Activities

277

co-ordinating all extracurricular sporting activities, Mr. She assigned the job to Mr. Lowcock, who was also asked to take charge of athletics. Under Mr. Lowcock, who was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about athletics, DBS quickly emerged as one of the strongest schools in these events. In the area of music, Mr. She not only established the school orchestra in 1957 but also organized classes on Chinese instruments in 1960 and formed Chinese instrument groups in the following year, paving the way for the establishment of a Chinese orchestra at a later date.27 Monthly concerts were held on the first Friday of each month, at which guest artists were invited to perform together with the boys, and record concerts were given in the demonstration room every weekday during lunchtime. In addition, a Drama Committee which included both teachers and boys was formed on 21 July 1956. It was chaired by Mr. Brittain, who was succeeded by Mr. Peter Whittle in 1957, and the first inter-house drama competition was organized in February 1958.28 As headmaster, Mr. Lowcock continued to spare no effort in promoting athletics, thereby attracting more students to the track and field after school and occasionally causing difficulties for other activities. In 1968 he instituted the Centenary Shield which was to be awarded to the house with the highest combined scores in the two major sports, namely athletics and swimming, leaving the Piercy Shield for minor sports.29 There were, however, some very dedicated colleagues — such as Mr. T. L. Kiang, who filled the vacancy left by Mr. Henry Li30 — who did their best to keep some balance in the school’s extracurricular activities. While none of the music teachers before Mr. Li stayed for more than two years, he and Mr. Kiang served the school for over five years and almost 30 years respectively, establishing a strong music tradition at DBS. Mr. Lowcock also tried hard to promote drama and Chinese cultural activities in the school. During the early years of his headmastership, the Chinese instrument group grew to become a fully-fledged orchestra and achieved distinction in the Schools Music Festival. A Drama Shield donated by Mr. Richard Clarke, a School Committee member, was introduced in 1963 for the annual inter-house drama competition.31 A Greek tragedy in Chinese was staged in March 1968 in the City Hall. From the time of Mr. Lowcock, the school’s cultural performances were no longer confined to the school hall but were at times presented to the public in the most prestigious venues in Hong Kong. With a solid foundation and a well-established tradition of sports and music activities in the school, Mr. Lai devoted himself to nurturing their development, and during his term, the accomplishments of DBS in these

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areas reached new heights. For example, the School Chinese Orchestra was invited to perform in London in 1996 (see Chapter 6) which heralded the school’s participation in international competitions.

Student-Initiated Activities Prior to the 1980s, few schools in Hong Kong paid much attention to extracurricular activities. After a two-day conference on extracurricular activities organized jointly by the ED and CUHK for secondary school principals in March 1983, the ED began to encourage schools to help students organize more such activities. So far most of the extracurricular activities in DBS had been initiated by the school and run jointly by teachers and students. However, in the 1930s, some clubs, such as the hobbies clubs, had been started and run by students and there were more than a dozen of them in the 1970s; and, encouraged by the increased emphasis being given to studentinitiated activities, such clubs developed further in DBS in the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years, these clubs have usually been categorized into five groups: (1) sports; (2) arts; (3) hobbies; (4) academic; and (5) service, including philosophy and religion. Table 12.2 shows their growth in DBS over the 60 years from 1946 to 2005, with a sharp increase in the 1980s.

Table 12.2 Average number of clubs initiated and managed by students between 1946 and 2005 Type

1946–55 1956–65 1966–75 1976–85 1986–95 1996–2005

Sports

—

0.1

02.7

03.6

06.2

06.0

Arts

0.2

1.9

05.7

07.3

07.4

07.6

Hobbies

1.0

1.3

02.0

04.9

06.4

08.2

Academic

—

1.5

02.7

05.8

12.7

11.9

Service, etc.

0.2

1.3

01.5

03.0

04.1

04.1

Total

1.4

6.1

14.6

24.6

36.8

37.8

These clubs were established, discontinued or revived over time depending on the students’ interests. Table 12.3 shows that clubs that have existed in the school in the past 40 years include chess and philately in the hobbies category; meteorology and geography in the academic category; and library service, scouting, photographic teams (formerly “clubs”), a timing squad and the Christian Fellowship (formerly “Union”) in the service category.

Extracurricular Activities

279

The advent of the twenty-first century saw further developments in extracurricular activities in DBS under the headmastership of Mr. Chang. In the past decade, the number of activities has been increased; and the standard of performance in sport, music and other areas has been raised to such an extent that the school was ready for challenges outside Hong Kong. There was a major reshuffling of clubs and societies in the new millennium. Many sports and arts clubs have been abandoned or absorbed into the establishment. For example, judo and English drama, which had existed for more than 40 years, disappeared from the list in Steps 2008; and other sports clubs with more than 10 years of history which met the same fate include volleyball, badminton, sailing, fencing and baseball. Arts clubs such as the photographic club and the audio-recording club, on the other hand, have changed their functions to become service teams for the school, while some hobbies clubs have shifted their emphases and been reclassified as academic clubs. Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the number of clubs started and run by students, especially in the service category. Table 12.3 shows the situation in 2007–08, with the differences between Tables 12.2 and 12.3 being due chiefly to the factors mentioned above.

Table 12.3

§

Student-initiated-and-managed clubs and societies in 2007–0832

Category

Activity (year formed; current membership)§

Sports

Orienteering Club (1990; 113) Golf Club (2000; 33) Chinese Martial Art (2002; not specified)* Waterpolo Club (2003; 20)

Arts

Design and Technology Club (1970; 112) Chinese Music Club (1977; over 80) Chinese Drama Club (1981; not specified) Art Society (1988; 90)* Film and Video Society (2000; 315)* Modern Music Club (2001; 150)*

The clubs marked with an asterisk had existed before and the years in brackets represent their years of revival. From 1989, Steps has had a section entitled “External participation”, listing the names of students representing the school in various joint school activities. In 2007–08, 52 students were involved. The first issue of Not Rigmarole was published in 1978, not 1974 as stated in S–2008 (see S–1978, 92).

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To Serve and to Lead

Table 12.3

(Continued)

Category

Activity (year formed; current membership)

Hobbies

Chess Club (1950; 170) Stamp (Philately) Club (1962; 271) Bridge Club (1977; 143) Magic Club (2004; 183)

Academic

Meteorological and Geographical Society (1935; 274) Astronomy Club (1970; 303) Electronic and Computer Society (1970; 167) Chinese Society (1973; over 200) Mathematics Club (1986; 753) Chinese History Society (1987; over 200) English Society (1987; 504) History Society (1988; 361) Business Studies Club (1990; 272) Learners’ Fraternity (1992; 137) French Club (1994; 40) Science Society (1996; 182) Ocean and Voyage Society (2000; 375) Putonghua (2000; 80) Environmental Studies Society (2001; 167) Mathematics Olympiad Team (2003; 32) Olympiad in Informatics Team (2003; 20) Japanese Culture Club (2005; 88) Science Team (2005; 26) Aviation and Transportation Club (2006; 119)

Service, etc.

Library (1935; 28) Scouts (1935; 31) Venture Scouts (1935; 12) Photographic Team (1938; 21) Timing Squad (1966; 17) Christian Fellowship (1971; 25) Business and Promotion Department (1972; 22) Not Rigmarole (1978; 14) Audio and Visual Team (1979; 26) Publications Department (1979; 6) Careers Office (1983; 28) Social Service Society (1983; 253) Sports Injury and First-Aid Squad (1991; 21) Computer and Technical Support Team (2000; 20) Hong Kong Award for Young People (2000; 55) IT Working Group (2000; 7) Student Guidance Team (2000; 30) Civic Education Group (2002; 15) UNICEF Group (2007; 11)

Extracurricular Activities

281

Sports Activities from 1946 Onwards Since the resumption of the Inter-School Athletics Competition in 1947–48, DBS has never failed to participate. It also competed in swimming, basketball, football and table-tennis when they were reintroduced in the following year. However, in finding that these competitions were at odds with its routine, the school pulled out of all competitions except athletics in the years 1949–51 — but from September 1951 onwards, DBS took an active part again in most of the inter-school competitions. Under Mr. Goodban, DBS was more concerned with inter-house rather than inter-school activities, the general feeling then being that it was more satisfying to see students enjoying games than winning trophies. While Mr. Goodban was rather selective in choosing events for students to enter in the inter-school competitions, Mr. She encouraged students to participate in as many as possible and do their best to win. He asked Mr. Lowcock to be responsible for training for athletics and Mr. S. K. Tai for swimming and both of them worked very hard to make DBS one of the top schools in these two sports.

12.2 Inter-house athletics in the present decade

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To Serve and to Lead

12.3 Inter-house swimming in the present decade

Mr. Lowcock was “the father of track and field” in DBS: during his term as headmaster, the school’s performance in track and field was legendary, with his approach to training allowing athletes to realize their full potential, and it continues to excel in these events today. The success of William Hill, who represented Hong Kong in the Tokyo Olympics, was an example: on 16 October 1964, he ran the 200 metres in 22.6 seconds, which was similar to his usual speed and was acceptable, but not very good. However, on the following day, he completed the 400 metres in 48.7 seconds, a new personal best for him. For a secondary school student with a poor spine to finish 400 metres in less than 49 seconds would probably be a superb result in any part of the world.33 The DBS Timing Squad, founded by Mr. Lowcock and well known in Hong Kong for its efficiency and accuracy, has often been responsible for timing at important athletic and swimming competitions in Hong Kong. Each September, a throng of fresh-looking but anxious boys put themselves through tedious reaction-time tests with stop-watches so that they could be included in the Timing Squad. After a period of training and instruction, the selected trainees were put to work alongside the “veterans” in athletic and swimming meets; and soon these trainees themselves would become “veterans” and the recruitment exercise would start again in the following September.34

Extracurricular Activities

283

12.4 Inter-school athletics in the mid-1950s

12.5 William Hill in the inter-school 800m race in the mid-1960s

After Mr. Lowcock became headmaster in 1961, all new boys were randomly assigned to one of the six (now seven) houses for inter-house competitions. In inter-house sports competitions, besides trophies or shields for individual sports, as noted earlier, there were two other shields, the Centenary Shield for the combined results of major sports and the Piercy Shield for the minor sports. The major sports were athletics and swimming,

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while the other sports which involved fewer competitors were categorized as minor sports. The sports included for the Piercy Shield varied from year to year. In 2007–08, they included badminton, basketball, football, handball, table-tennis, tennis and volleyball. Table 12.4 shows the number of years in which each house was awarded the Piercy Shield (from 1947–48 to 2007–08), the Drama Shield (from 1957– 58 to 2007–08) and the Centenary Shield (from 1968–69 to 2007–08). The Drama Shield is included in Table 12.4 just for convenience and is discussed elsewhere in this chapter (p. 293). Table 12.4 The number of years in which each house was awarded the Piercy Shield, the Drama Shield and the Centenary Shield over a period of 60, 50 and 39 years respectively Year

Piercy Shield

Drama Shiel

CentenaryShield

A F G L P Sa Sy A F

G L P Sa Sy A F G L P Sa Sy

2006–08

1 0 1 0 0 0 0

1

1

0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

2001–05

2 1 0 0 0 1 1

2

0

0

0 1 2 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1

1996–2000 2 1 1 – 0 0 1

0

0

1

– 0 4 0 1 4 0 – 0 0 0

1991–95

0 0 0 – 0 5 0

0

4

0

– 0 0 1 0 2 0 – 0 3 0

1986–90

0 3 0 – 0 1 1

0

2

1

– 2 0 0 0 0 3 – 0 2 0

1981–85

0 2 0 – 1 2 0

0

0

2

– 1 1 1 0 1 4 – 0 0 0

1976–80

0 0 1 – 0 4 0

4

0

0

– 1 0 0 0 2 3 – 0 0 0

1971–75

0 2 2 – 0 0 1

2

0

0

– 0 3 0 0 3 0 – 0 2 0

1966–70

0 2 2 – 0 1 0

2

2

0

– 0 1 0 0 0 1 – 0 0 2

1961–65

1 0 0 – 4 0 0 1.5 0 0.5 – 1 2 0

1956–60

0 0 0 – 4 0 1

1951–55

1 0 – – 3 1 0

1947–50

0 0 – – 0 0 4

1947/8 – 2007/8

7 11 7 0 12 15 9 13.5 10 4.5 0 6 15 2 4 12 11 0 1 8 4

1

1

0

– 0 2 0

Note: Goodban House was instituted in 1956 and Lowcock House in 2002.

In inter-school sports competitions, DBS did not fare very well at first — in the first half of the 1950s, it was strong only in athletics, badminton and tennis. Then the results in badminton declined but those in athletics and tennis improved. While maintaining its position in the latter two sports since then, the school became a stronghold in swimming in the early 1960s, life-saving in the early 1970s, table-tennis in the late 1980s and badminton,

Extracurricular Activities

285

basketball and fencing in the mid-1990s. Cross-country running and volleyball also had some glorious moments in the past 50 years or so. In the new century, DBS has been performing well in nearly all sports except cross-country, football and handball. For many years in the second half of the twentieth century, DBS did not take part in the Inter-school Football Competition because the matches were held on Sundays.

12.6 Inter-school swimmers at the turn of the century

Table 12.5 on p. 286 shows the overall results of DBS in all inter-school sports competitions since the Second World War. The term “overall” refers to the total for A, B and C grades, and for sports that do not produce an overall result, the A grade result has been used. Also, where a sport has two or more divisions in the A grade, only the position in the first division has been counted. For example, if a team plays in the second division, as was often the case with the football team, no matter what its final position was, it is considered as unplaced. If a knockout system is used in a competition, only the champion and runner-up are placed unless there was a play-off for third place. In the year 1965–66, the Omega Rose Bowl was instituted, to be awarded to the school with the highest total score in all the inter-school competitions. (It was renamed the BOCHK [Bank of China, Hong Kong] Bauhinia Bowl in

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2002–03.) Schools were divided into three categories: boys’ schools, coeducational schools and girls’ schools. Because DBS had tended to concentrate its efforts on the two major sports, athletics and swimming, sometimes to the neglect of certain minor sports, it did not fare very well in the overall results and often came second to La Salle College in the competition for the Bauhinia Bowl. Table 12.5 2007–08)

Results for DBS in inter-school sports after the war (1947–48 to

Competition (year*)

First

Second

Third

Unplaced

Total

Athletics (1947)

38(62)**

18(30)

Badminton (1951)

08(15)**

16(29)

2(3)0

3(5)

61(100)

4(7)0

27(49)

55(100)

Basketball (1948)

07(13)**

Cross-country (1957)

09(19)**

10(18)

1(2)0

38(68)

56(101)

4(8)

8(17)

27(56)

Fencing (1963)

10(48)**

48(100)

05(24)

3(14)

03(14)

21(100)

Football (1948) Handball (1997)

00(0)**

1(3)

0(0)0

28(97)

29(100)

00(0)**

01(10)

0(0)0

09(90)

10(100)

Hockey (1975)

02(20)**

02(20)

1(10)

05(50)

10(100)

Life-saving (1971)

21(75)**

07(25)

0(0)0

0(0)

28(100)

Softball (2000)

03(38)**

03(38)

0(0)0

02(25)

08(101)

Squash (2000)

00(0)***

03(38)

2(25)

03(38)

08(101)

Swimming (1948)

28(52)**

13(24)

4(7)0

09(17)

54(100)

Table-tennis (1948)

10(18)**

06(11)

3(5)0

37(66)

56(100)

Tennis (1951)

31(54)**

19(33)

3(5)0

4(7)

57(99)0

Volleyball (1960)

07(18)**

07(18)

4(10)

21(54)

39(100)

Rose/Bauhinia Bowl (1965)

16(37)**

25(58)

2(5)0

0(0)

43(100)

* Academic year in which the school first participated in the competition ** The non-bracketed number is frequency; the number in brackets is percentage.

Music Activities from 1946 Onwards The musical tradition was carefully cultivated and promoted by Mr. Goodban after the war. Assisted by Mr. Du Toit and Mr. Hemery respectively, he started the Friday lunch-time concerts and, in cooperation with DGS, the Diocesan Schools Choral Society to promote musical activities in the two schools. The Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, which he had helped to establish, provides an opportunity for schools to compete and learn from each other. It has grown rapidly over the years and it is now a very diverse and

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eagerly awaited event which lasts for several weeks each spring and includes many categories and types of music for individuals, groups and schools. Since 1950–51, with the exception of 1955–56 when the school was forced by circumstances to take a low profile in music,35 many boys have participated in the festival each year, as individuals and/or as representatives of DBS. Table 12.6 shows the major festival events in which DBS has taken part over the years. There are no extant records of the number of musical categories in which DBS students took part each year. The 2008 Steps reported that students came first as individuals in 24 categories, second in 16 and third in 14, while the school as a whole came first in 12 categories, second in nine and third in five in 2007–08, as follows: First: (1) Chinese Orchestra; (2) Er-hu Ensemble; (3) Senior Orchestra; (4) Senior String Orchestra; (5) Senior Choir (Chinese); (6) Senior Choir (Foreign – formerly called “English”); (7) Senior Mixed Choir (Chinese); (8) Senior Mixed Choir (Foreign); (9) Intermediate Mixed Choir (Foreign); (10) String Ensemble (Team A); (11) Woodwind Ensemble (Team B); (12) Madrigal (Team A). Second: (1) Pi-pa Ensemble; (2) Intermediate Choir (Chinese); (3) Intermediate Mixed Choir (Chinese); (4) Treble Choir (Foreign); (5) Junior Mixed Choir (Chinese); (6) Junior Mixed Choir (Foreign); (7) Diocesan Schools Choral Society; (8) String Ensemble (Team B); (9) Brass Ensemble (Team B). Third: (1) Wind Orchestra; (2) Intermediate Choir (Foreign); (3) Woodwind Ensemble (Team A); (4) Brass Ensemble (Team A); (5) Madrigal (Team B). As life in Hong Kong was still very difficult in the immediate post-war years, not many students could afford to learn a musical instrument and so it was difficult to promote music activities. The strategy Goodban adopted was to encourage students to sing and at the same time develop their interest in music. DBS entered only the Treble Choir, the Senior Choir and the Senior Mixed Choir (with DGS) in the festival in 1951. The first two choirs won the championship in their first appearance; and although the Senior Mixed Choir was unplaced that year, it secured the second place in 1953 and captured its first winning title in the following year. The school also entered the Intermediate Choir in 1953, but it did not fare as well as the other choirs at the beginning. When Chinese categories were introduced in the late 1950s, the Senior Choir, followed by the Senior Mixed Choir, participated in them intermittently at first and regularly after 1973 and 1998 respectively. The Intermediate Choir also began to participate in this category in 1974. Between 1973 and 1992, the Senior Mixed Choir in fact participated in the festival .

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Table 12.6 Results of DBS in Hong Kong Schools Music Festival after the war (1948–49 to 2007–08) Class (year*)

First

Second Third Unplaced

Total

School Orchestra (1957)

39(75)** 12(23)

1(2)

0(0)

Senior String Orchestra (1960)

34(71)** 11(23)

3(6)

0(0)

48(100)

Chinese Orchestra (1962)

22(51)** 14(33) 06(14)

1(2)

43(100)

Chinese Chamber Orchestra (2001) 01(17)

52(100)

3(50) 02(33)

0(0)

06(100)

28(51)** 10(18) 12(22)

5(9)

55(100)

Senior Choir (C) (1954)

25(63)** 13(33)

1(3)

Senior Mixed Choir (E) (1951)

15(52)** 07(24) 04(14) 03(10)

29(100)

Senior Mixed Choir (C) (1964)

10(59)** 04(24)

17(101)

Senior Choir (E) (1951)

1(3) 0(0)

03(18)

40(102)

Intermediate Choir (E) (1953)

21(46)** 05(11) 09(20) 11(24)

46(101)

Intermediate Choir (C) (1974)

12(39)** 12(39)

2(6)

05(16)

31(100)

Inter. Mixed Choir (E) (1990)

08(67)** 02(17)

1(8)

1(8)

12(100)

Inter. Mixed Choir (C) (1993)

05(45)** 06(55)

0(0)

0(0)

11(100)

Treble Choir (1951)

18(40)** 14(31) 05(11)

8(18)

45(100)

Junior Mixed Choir (E) (1999)

03(30)** 05(50) 01(10) 01(10)

10(100)

Junior Mixed Choir (C) (2000)

06(67)** 01(11) 01(11) 01(11)

09(100)

* Academic year when the school first participated in the competition ** The non-bracketed number is frequency; the number in brackets is percentage E = English; C = Chinese

only four times, singing twice each in the English and the Chinese categories. Since the turn of the present century, DBS choirs have consistently taken part in the festival with very pleasing results. In 2000, the Senior Choir made its debut on the international scene by participating in the First Choir Olympics held in Linz, Austria, and won the Gold Diploma in the senior boys’ category. Thereafter, the school joined forces with DGS to take part in more international choir competitions, including some subsequent Choir Olympics (see Chapter 7). In the second half of the twentieth century, other than with DGS, DBS had also sung in mixed choirs with Good Hope School, Kowloon True Light Middle School, Heep Yunn School and Pooi To Middle School, but the present century has seen the two Diocesan schools working together most of the time. It is of interest to note that since 2005–06 some alumni of DBS, DGS and HYS have grouped together to take part in the Senior Choir Open Class in the name of the Diocesan Choral Society and obtained excellent results: they came second in 2005–06, first in 2006–07 and second in 2007–08.

Extracurricular Activities

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Having achieved some success with choral singing, Mr. Goodban started to promote instrumental music. The participation of several DBS boys in instrumental competitions in 1953 sparked the idea of forming a school orchestra,36 and Mr. Y. C. Niu, the music teacher, was asked to take on the task at the beginning of the academic year 1953–54. It started with only 15 members, and there was a shortage of wind instruments, especially brass.37 In the following year, the school had to accept that enthusiasm alone, a few fiddles and one French horn could not make an orchestra.38 The orchestra was revived in December 1956 through the initiative and hard work of three students: chairman Paul Yeung (now Young), the honorary secretary David Lee and the conductor Lo King Man. The orchestra, with around 18 members, was the first of its kind in Hong Kong schools. In March 1957, it made its first appearance in the Music Festival and won the title unopposed 39 and it has grown steadily ever since, with its membership exceeding 80 in some years. The school also started string and brass classes for interested students and a string orchestra was formed in 1960. It competed successfully against its own school orchestra in the festival, but the latter regained the title in the following two years. By 1963 a new category of “string orchestra” was opened in the festival, which saved the two DBS orchestras from competing against each other. Today, in Western music, the school has a school orchestra, a philharmonic orchestra (with DGS), a string orchestra, a wind orchestra, a junior orchestra, a school band and ensembles of various instruments;40 and in Chinese music, it has a Chinese orchestra, a Chinese chamber orchestra and a number of instrument ensembles.41

12.7

School orchestra in the 1950s

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Until the arrival of Mr. Henry Li in 1957, DBS did not have a music teacher who remained for more than two years. Mr. Li was one of the most formative music masters in the history of DBS. With his encouragement, many students learned musical instruments and in 1960–61, Mr. Li introduced monthly concerts on the first Friday of each month when guest artists, including some leading local soloists, were invited to the school to perform with DBS musicians. These monthly concerts attracted a regular audience of local music teachers and one of the concerts featured a Chinese orchestra conducted by Mr. Lui Yuen Pei, a master of Chinese music. After this concert, Chinese music became a “hit” and well known musicians visited the school to coach the boys on various Chinese instruments,42 leading to the formation of a Chinese orchestra in 1961–62 and the Chinese Music Society in September 1966. After Mr. Kiang succeeded Mr. Li in December 1962, for the first 20 years he concentrated on choral music, leaving instrumental music to Mr. Thomas Wang, a part-time violin teacher. However, when Mr. Wang stopped helping the school directly in 1982, the responsibility for training the school orchestras also fell on Mr. Kiang’s shoulders. By the time of his retirement in 1990, the school’s reputation in music had already become well recognized. He was succeeded by an old boy, Mr. Ronnie Cheng, who is now a deputy headmaster.

12.8 School orchestra in the 1980s

From the early 1960s, more school concerts were performed in public venues. For instance, in July and November 1969, four centenary concerts were held in the City Hall, three Western ones at the Concert Hall on 10 July and 14–15 November, and a Chinese one at the Theatre on 25 July.43 With the opening of the Cultural Centre in Tsimshatsui in 1989, it has become possible for DBS to hold its concerts in Kowloon. Since Mr. Lai introduced the first “end-of-term concert” on 13 July 1990 in the Cultural Centre, it has

Extracurricular Activities

291

become a tradition of DBS to hold one such concert (sometimes for two evenings) every July which serves as an annual retrospective for the students as well as a home-coming for old boys. The Home-coming Concert sometimes takes place in the school hall but more often in the city’s concert halls. On 2 July 2004, to celebrate the school’s 135th anniversary, it was held in the Convention Centre with a capacity audience of 3,600.

12.9 Chinese orchestra in the late 1970s

12.10

Senior mixed choir (with DGS) in the present decade

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To Serve and to Lead

DBS launched itself into the national and international arena in music through its Chinese Orchestra in September 1996 and its choirs in the new millennium. The former has since won several prizes in national competitions and the latter in the Choir Olympics and other international competitions.

12.11 Senior boys’ choir in the present decade

Other Major Extracurricular Activities from 1946 Onwards Drama Drama is another area of extracurricular activities to which the school has devoted a good deal of attention because of its educational value. In the postwar period, English plays were staged from time to time, the first large-scale production being the opera “The Pirates of Penzance”, which had a cast of 59 and was performed in the school hall on four consecutive evenings in early 1952. It was a joint venture with DGS, with Mrs. Nancy O’Connell (a DGS teacher) as the producer, Miss N. M. Edwards (a DGS teacher) as the music director, Mr. Paul Du Toit (a DBS teacher) as the stage manager and Mr. Royston Mason (a DBS teacher) as the business manager, and DBS made a profit of more than $4,000 from it. The production was considered a triumph as it was something that no school in Hong Kong had ever attempted before.44 The production of a Chinese play called “Mother and Son” by Form 4 students in 1955–56 prompted the idea of forming a drama society, which eventually gave birth to the Drama Committee in July 1956. The committee had planned to produce two plays, one in English and one in Chinese, but only the English play “Journey’s End” was produced by Mr. Brittain. In July

Extracurricular Activities

293

1957, another English play “Teahouse of the August Moon”, organized by Form 6 Upper and produced by Mr. Whittle, was performed in the open air beside the tennis courts. Since 1957–58, there has been an annual interhouse drama competition and the results are entered for the Drama Shield (see Table 12.4 on p. 284). This competition has gone a long way to raising the students’ interest and creativity in the performing arts.45

12.12

‘Journey’s End’ in 1957

In December 1962, a musical “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, which was staged in the City Hall, created quite a stir in the local musical circles. It was produced by Mr. Smyly and Mr. Kiang acted as the Negro King. A letter to the editor about this performance was published in the SCMP, which read: At long last, Hong Kong music loving public got a dose of operatic treat with full orchestral accompaniment at Hong Kong City Hall on Christmas Eve. Credit goes to the Diocesan Schools for the pioneering efforts in bringing about, for the first time in the music history of Hong Kong, Gian-Carlo Menotti’s popular one act opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors.

A music critic also wrote: The school orchestra, conducted by Mr. Thomas Wang, did not open too well, but later achieved some lovely moments in this particularly beautiful little score … The staging was well done … The little dancers played their parts with a charming mixture of joy and diffidence … The costumes were gay, but not too ornate … This was enjoyable Christmas entertainment, in the right spirit, and much credit is due to the performers and coaches.46

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12.13

‘Ahmahl and the Night Visitors’ in 1962

Mr. Lowcock had the idea of performing a play in Chinese and on 7 and 8 March 1968 the Greek tragedy “Antigone” (in Chinese) was performed in the City Hall. Preparatory work started in the summer of 1967, with Mr. S. K. Wong (an old boy and former teacher) as the translator, Mr. T. L. Kiang (a teacher) as the composer and orchestra conductor, Mr. Y. W. Fung (a teacher) as the producer, Mr. J. Lowcock (an old boy and younger brother of the headmaster) as the stage director, Mr. K. M. Lo (an old boy) as the set designer, Mrs. J. Bromfield (a teacher) as the costumes designer, Mr. K. C. Law (a teacher) as the stage manager and Miss C. Choy (a teacher) as the business manager. In addition, Mr. Y. T. Kwong (a teacher) designed the programme cover and Mr. C. Chan (a staff member) helped to make the set. About 100 students and a few parents were involved in various ways, including acting, playing in the orchestra, making the set and costumes, helping in publicity and preparing the programme. Four of the cast were recruited from DGS. The performance was a great success and the school made over $1,000 after expenses. Afterwards, Rediffusion Television invited the school to help produce a 30-minute special programme on the play and the Chinese Student Weekly, an influential paper in education circles, rated it highly. Such a grand performance from the efforts of one school is rare even now.47 Yet another innovative activity took place in 2008. For three evenings from 14 to 16 April, the Imperial Granary Edition Kun Qu Opera from Beijing was invited to DBS to perform “The Peony Pavilion” for the school and its

Extracurricular Activities

295

12.14 ‘Antigone’ in 1968

guests in the school hall. Kun Qu, listed as one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2001, is valued not only for its riveting synthesis of drama, singing and dancing, but also for the literary refinement of its poetic libretto. The school hoped that through this event the younger generation would gain a better appreciation of our cultural heritage.

Speech Elocution, including verse-speaking, prose-reading, public speaking and debating, has always been an important part of extracurricular activities in DBS. Many students have participated in these activities and obtained enviable results over the years. Since the separation of the Speech Festival from the Music Festival towards the end of the 1970s, speech-related activities flourished in the school and Steps began to devote a special section to speech in the early 1980s. The 1980s and 1990s witnessed a flurry of speech activities, including the publication of articles in Steps on “The Science of Speaking”, “The Art of Conversation”48 and “The Quality of a Good Speaker”.49

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Publication The school magazine Steps, founded as a biannual and bilingual publication in July 1934 by Mr. Nash, is an official DBS publication which provides news about the school to the public and is a means of communication between teachers and students. The first issue was called the DBS Magazine Vol. 2 (No. 1) because the editor believed that a school like DBS “ought to have a school magazine” and “attempts have been made before to have one and we do not know why they were discontinued, so this will be volume two, number one”.† The magazine was renamed Steps in its third issue in July 1935, with the editor noting: Nothing in life is worthwhile unless it is gained through effort. As they strain up to the heights of knowledge, we hope that every DBS boy will remember the parable: at the top of the steps of life there is always something worthwhile, and our job is to get there.

The magazine was suspended during the war and re-established in 1947. At first it was edited by teachers, assisted by students. In the first post-war issue published in July 1947, the Editorial Committee consisted of three teachers (B. J. Monks, E.R. Smith and T. H. Chang) and 10 students. However, since 1967, the role of teachers has changed from editors to advisers and today the magazine, with about 500 pages (65% English; 35% Chinese), is edited by about 30 students under the supervision of one teacher and three advisers. Steps became an annual publication in 1955–56 and was given a Chinese name , meaning “collective thoughts”, on the recommendation of Mr. Y. F. She in 1974. In 1985, it was named the “best school magazine in Hong Kong” by the SCMP. The content of Steps has evolved over the years. From 1947 to the late 1960s, the magazine typically contained an account of the speech day; the headmaster’s report; a prize list; notes on teachers and old boys; detailed reports on the day school, boarding school and various activities, including interhouse and inter-school competitions, particularly sports; an old boys’ section; and articles by students. In general, the earlier magazines consisted of about 100 to 150 pages, with few pictures and small print on thin paper. The English and the Chinese sections were separated by advertisements. †

Please see William Smyly’s History and Records of the Diocesan Boys’ School, vol. 2, Year-by-Year, 67.

Extracurricular Activities

12.15 Editors of Steps 2004 (Inset: Mr. L. L. Nash, founder of Steps 70 years ago)

297

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In the 1970s, however, the headmaster’s report became much shorter and at times was not included; and reports on certain activities might also be missing, and news from old boys dwindled. From 1984 onwards, the headmaster’s report became a regular feature again, but his speech delivered on the speech day was not published. While the contents of the magazine have remained the same, musical activities have received more coverage and the emphasis in reporting extracurricular activities has shifted from internal to external participation. The magazine has become considerably thicker and is printed in full colour on high-quality paper with a large number of photographs. However, from 1980, despite its being more voluminous, there was a dearth of news about old boys and/or teachers, current or past, except for an occasional obituary. From the early 1980s, the Chinese section of Steps was gradually expanded to include reports on clubs and the results of both intra- and inter-school competitions; and from 1990, it published interviews with old boys who were well established in their respective professions, initially one interview at a time. The number was increased to two a year in the new century and in 2006 (Schoolmates). all these interviews were put together as an anthology called A monthly paper, Olympus, was founded by three teachers, Y. W. Fung, S. K. Wong and K. Y. Poon, in January 1964.50 The rationale for creating this paper was to strengthen communication within the school, to develop the students’ knowledge about newspaper publishing and to increase their interest in reading. The masters acted as consultants only; editing and other practical work were the responsibility of the students. The editor-in-chief of the first issue was Mak See Sing Joseph. A few years later, after the departure of its founders, Olympus faced the problem of a lack of good-quality articles submitted by students. As a result, it gradually declined from a monthly to a bimonthly and then to an irregular publication and was finally discontinued in 1973.51 A group of Lower 6 students petitioned the headmaster in October 1977 to allow the revival of the school paper and approval was quickly granted. Its primary purpose was to provide students and staff with a forum in which to discuss current issues in the school and current affairs affecting DBS. The new paper, named Not Rigmarole, came out in February 1978.52 The Prefects’ Board was responsible for editing, but because of the lack of manpower, other students were often invited to take part in its publication. In the beginning, Not Rigmarole was in English only and it was not until May 1979 that a Chinese section was added.53 Because of financial and other constraints, it was published irregularly and the number of pages per issue also varied from 10 to 16. It is now printed in colour.

Extracurricular Activities

Steps (From 1934)

Featherstone’s DBS History (1930)

(From 2004)

Not Rigmarole (From 1978)

Crann Bethadh (2005)

(2006)

12.16

Illuminations (From 2006)

Selected school publications

299

Olympus (1964–1973)

Inspiration (From 2004)

Mini Steps (From 2006)

300

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Christian Union/Fellowship The Christian Union was formed in 1954 to promote Christian fellowship and understanding among its members and to collaborate with similar unions in other schools in organizing conferences and other activities.54 Apart from regular weekly meetings held on Fridays after school with talks, discussions and games, there were also occasional joint meetings with unions from other schools such as DGS and HYS and an annual summer conference for youth groups. From the very beginning, under the leadership of Mr. Lowcock and some senior students, members of the union and some girls from DGS took an active part in teaching the boys and girls English in St. James Settlement, running the St. Thomas’ Sunday school in the Shek Kip Mei area, organizing parties for children in resettlement areas, paying visits to St. Christopher’s Home in Tai Po and giving English lessons to the school janitors.55 In the 1960s, similar activities were organized in other parts of Hong Kong when girls from HYS became involved.56 In 1967, the Christian Union was replaced by a new body called “Christian Activities” developed by the school chaplain, the Rev. David Ellis, the main objective of this change being to involve the whole school in Christian activities. Three meetings were organized in the early part of the year and there was a concert of folk hymns before Easter, to which other schools were invited. As a result, more DBS students took part in the various projects for underprivileged children or in Sunday schools.57 In addition, a very loosely organized Bishop R. O. Hall Society, which aimed to deepen its members’ concern for others, was formed in 1967 for the staff and more mature students with or without any religious affiliation. The society ran a series of meetings, addressed by stimulating speakers, in the headmaster’s house during the year.58 However, there was a rather abrupt change in the 1970s with fewer and fewer reports of religious activities in Steps.

An Observation Following the tradition of English public schools, DBS has a long history of emphasizing the importance of extracurricular activities as a means of education. Piercy reckoned that sports were helpful in improving students’ health through exercise and in fostering esprit de corps and the ability to cooperate with others through teamwork during competitions. Also inherent in sports is a sense of fair play and, while not mentioning it explicitly,

Extracurricular Activities

301

Featherstone probably had this in mind when he introduced various measures for administering the school, particularly in sport. As an idealistic educator, he did his best to discourage the idea and practice of “professionalism” and “pot-hunting”. When Mr. Sargent and Mr. Goodban were at the helm, music was promoted and the practice of prize-giving for sport and music competitions was resumed, but the winning of titles in competitions was not emphasized and often only reported rather subtly in Steps. Explicit and clear reports of competition results began in Mr. She’s time, and this trend has became more and more prominent over the years. Today, one can, unfortunately, get the impression that the winning of titles is the ultimate aim of taking part in inter-school competitions. While winning competitions is important, it is not the aim or the reason for participating. To win a competition gains the respect and friendship of opponents, who in turn should receive reciprocal respect. Through sport, young people should learn the value of teamwork, respect for authority and the pursuit of excellence, as well as the need to make quick decisions, play fair, overcome unfavourable conditions and lose gracefully. The development of this spirit is more important than winning titles in the context of school education and both losing and winning competitions are important for cultivating esprit de corps and a sense of fair play. The authors are also concerned that nowadays not many students stay behind after school to play in various parts of the campus, which are either quite empty or occupied by school teams for training. Where are the students who do not excel in sport but enjoy playing various ball games or simply running around in the field? It would be a pity if extracurricular activities only become conduits for the students and the school to pursue glory rather than a means for students to have fun and be educated.

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Old Boys, DSOBA and DBSPTA

303

13 Old Boys, DSOBA and DBSPTA

Old Boys Most old boys of DBS have a feeling of closeness to the school — a tradition which stems from the fact that it started as an orphanage with a very small number of students, mostly boarders. During Mr. Piercy’s time, especially in the late nineteenth century, most of the students were Eurasians and Europeans who chose to remain in Hong Kong and found employment in the civil service, docks, lawyers’ and merchants’ offices, and stores. As Hong Kong was a small place and the school was their second home, it is easy to understand why they would frequent their alma mater and spend the weekends with their old friends when they had the time.1 When Mr. Featherstone took over as headmaster, DBS had already become very cosmopolitan. In 1919, the Rev. A. J. S. Stearn, the acting headmaster, wrote: Wherever one travels in this part of the globe, one finds Diocesan Old Boys, occupying important positions, and cherishing in their hearts a true affection for the old school which has given them a sound education with which to face the world.

All three headmasters after Mr. Piercy were keen to make DBS an international school: Mr. Featherstone and Mr. Sargent visited various places in Southeast Asia in the summer to recruit students and Mr. Goodban was attracted to DBS by the range of nationalities in the student body. Some foreign students returned to their homelands after graduation and there were also local graduates who went abroad to work or further their studies, and so in this period DBS old boys could be found in various parts of the world —

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but wherever they were, they always remembered and loved their alma mater. At the 1935 speech day, for example, Mr. Sargent praised the old boys in Manila for their “unsolicited and very substantial donation towards the Orphanage expenses”.2 The authors of this book asked the DSOBA to help provide information about the old boys’ locations and work, but with little success. They also used email to try to obtain information from old boys individually as well as asking the class representatives to collect such data from their classmates, but again the responses were not very satisfactory: only the representatives of Classes 1955 and 1967 managed to provide information on almost 90% and 50% of their classmates respectively. It should be noted that some of the survey results presented in Table 13.1 did not come directly from the old boys concerned and the figures include recently deceased old boys. Despite the fact that only 50% of Class 1967 was covered in this survey, some trends can be seen by comparing its results with those of Class 1955. For example, a higher percentage of Class 1967 stayed in Hong Kong; and a smaller percentage was engaged in academic work and research, with more entering finance and business, the latter finding being in line with Mr. Lowcock’s observation (see Chapter 5). Much of this change was caused by the decline in the number of old boys who studied, and later practised and/or taught, medicine in North America. Contrary to the general belief that DBS has been a stronghold for the promotion of colonialism in Hong Kong, many students and alumni have not only felt but also expressed very strong support for local, nationalistic and patriotic sentiments throughout the 139 years of the school’s existence. Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the Kwan brothers were good examples in the early days; and in the 1930s, many old boys went to universities in China, notably Lingnan University in Guangzhou. Also, when the Japanese invaded China, the students’ patriotism was evident in the number of articles on the subject in Steps, the forming of the Shoe Polishing Club, the organizing of fund-raising concerts and the staging of a strike. During World War II, more than 55 staff and alumni sacrificed their lives in defending Hong Kong; and after the war, DBS alumni continued to return to China for their tertiary education, even in the post-1949 years. In 1954, for example, as many as 12 school leavers, out of a total of 105, took the joint university entrance examination in Guangzhou to seek admission to a university in China.3 Among them was Chan Ho Cheung, the top student of his class, who finally entered a prestigious university in China. Also, in January 2008, two old boys were elected as members of the National People’s Congress and seven were appointed as members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, all for five-year terms.

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Table 13.1 Location and occupation of old boys 1955* Location

1967*

N

%

Hong Kong

40

44.0

46

59.0

China (including Taiwan and Macau)

01

1.1

12

15.4

Other parts of Asia

04

4.4

04

5.1

Australia

05

5.5

01

1.3

Africa

00

0.0

00

0.0

Europe

04

4.4

01

1.3

Central and South America

01

1.1

00

0.0

North America

N

%

36

39.6

14

17.9

91

100.1

78

100.0

Occupation Academic/research

10

11.6

02

2.6

Accounting/finance/insurance/management

12

14.0

24

31.2

Agriculture/fisheries/mining

00

0.0

01

1.3

Commerce (entrepôt trade/wholesale/retail)

12

14.0

05

6.5

Education (kindergarten/primary/secondary)

06

7.0

01

1.3

Food/entertainment/tourism/transport

07

8.1

04

5.2

Information technology/journalism

01

1.2

10

13.0

Law

01

1.2

02

2.6

Manufacturing industry

01

1.2

08

10.4 6.5

Medicine/health care

11

12.8

05

Public service and administration

09

10.5

01

1.3

Real estate/designing/surveying/engineering

16

18.6

10

13.0

Social welfare/pastoral care

00

0.0

00

0.0

Sports/performing arts

00

0.0

00

0.0

Unclassified

00

0.0

04

5.2

86

100.2

77

100.1

* Total number of students in each class: 1955=99; 1967=155.

DSOBA The idea of founding an Old Boys’ Association occurred to Mr. Piercy as early as 1914 and several old boys were invited to meet with him one evening to consider setting up a DSOBA. Mr. Henry Gittins and Mr. Wai Po Cheung were appointed as the first joint honorary secretaries, but nothing happened afterwards and the association died in infancy.4

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Pre-War Years As there were about 180 old boys living in Hong Kong in 1920, Featherstone considered that the time had come for the school to form an alumni association. The DSOBA was established in early 1921, probably on 1 February as planned, but it was not very active during that year5 and there is no record of its activities, possibly because the school was too preoccupied with the construction of the new campus or because the records were destroyed during the war.

DIOCESAN SCHOOL BOYS’ FAREWELL DINNER TO H. SYKES ESQ. Kam Ling Restaurant, Hong Kong, 10th April 1920. Ho Ping Narn Kwok Ying Kwong Wong Chun Fuk Chau Kit Nin Tan Tiong See Young Miau Khoen A. Zimmern Ho Ping Wing Wong Ching Yau H. Sykes K. Tyson H. L. Stainfield G. Zimmern D. V. Lopes Chan Lung She Im Chui Chung R. Lee Chan Hau Tak Tan Tiang Hok W. Zimmern J. P. Jones

13.1

Farewell dinner to Mr. Sykes (caption as on the photo)

It may be safely assumed that Mr. Sargent, who took up the post of headmaster in 1932, was instrumental in reviving the association, realizing that old boys are vital to the school. When he addressed the DSOBA on 23 February 1935, he said:

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307

The School has a right to be proud of its old boys when they do well, and you have the right to be proud of your old school. So long as we have a large body of interested old boys, I shall know that we are on the right lines and need have no fear for the future.6

He also mentioned in the association’s 17th annual general meeting and dinner on 26 February 1937 that the first annual dinner of the revived association had been held four years ago, suggesting that the year of its revival was 1933 and that it might have been dormant, but not dissolved, between 1921 and 1933.7 An entry in the December 1935 issue of Steps reported that there were 99 members in 1933, 66 in 1934 and 89 in 1935.8 It is not certain who the DSOBA presidents were in 1933 and 1934 as there are no records for these two years. The first record of the association’s activities appeared in Steps in July 1935, which shows that — not counting the patrons and the headmaster, who acted as the ex-officio vice-president — the committee consisted of 16 officers and members: a president, a vicepresident, an honorary treasurer, an honorary secretary and 12 general committee members. The president for that year was Mr. J. M. Wong9 who, as the DSOBA president, also became a member of the School Committee. Records show that at first the association’s activity was limited to an annual general meeting and dinner, but later other activities were included, such as a “Smoking Concert” on 14 March 1936 to welcome the headmaster on his return from leave,10 a tea party on 28 July 1937 to welcome the Class 1 graduates11 and a dinner party on 22 November 1938 to bid farewell to Mr. Sargent and to welcome Mr. Goodban.12 The 1937 committee, under Mr. Peter H. Sin, raised $2,000 to set up a Sykes Scholarship and did a great deal of work to promote the association and help the old boys. It encouraged old boys to join the association by drawing their attention to the benefits they would obtain by being a member, viz. 1. Privilege of participating in the social and sporting activities which are arranged from time to time. 2. Privilege of wearing the old boys’ tie, obtainable from the Hon. Secretary or the Treasurer at $2.50 each. 3. Securing temporary monetary help under the Mutual Aid Fund in case of necessity. 4. Receipt of the school magazine Steps published at least twice a year. 5. Receipt of the Annual Report of the Association. 6. Receipt of the Handbook of the Association — “Constitution and List of Members”.

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In his notice to members, George She, secretary of the Mutual Aid Fund and Employment Bureau, stressed that the association existed to protect, by collective action, the material wealth of its members and the fund was to promote esprit de corps among old boys and to help the school. He then appealed to the 300 members of the association to support the scheme by contributing generously and informing him of any vacancies for office assistants, reporters, typists, bookkeepers, etc.13 Following the revival of the association in Hong Kong, old boys abroad also started to organize themselves. On 3 November 1934, nine old boys in Manila held a dinner party and made plans for something more permanent and a donation of $180.98 was collected for the school at the end of the dinner.14 Also, on Friday 18 March 1938, 16 old boys participated in the first general meeting and dinner of the newly formed Lingnan University branch of the DSOBA which ended with the school song.15

Post-War Years Not very long after the war, the DSOBA was re-established with Mr. B. C. Randall as president and two sub-committees were formed: one on the war memorial and the other on membership. Membership was open to any old boy who had completed two school terms and the subscription was $5 per year and $50 for life. A war memorial tablet was donated by the DSOBA to commemorate the old boys who had sacrificed their lives for Hong Kong. Under the leadership of Mr. Randall, the DSOBA redefined its objectives as follows:16 1. To foster and maintain contact between old boys of the school; 2. To promote and encourage social intercourse among them; 3. To further the interests of past and present members of the school; 4. To establish, maintain and conduct a social club for the accommodation of members of the Association and to provide club premises and other conveniences and generally to afford to members all the usual privileges, advantages and conveniences of a social club; 5. To establish, promote, or assist in establishing or promoting, mutual aid, benefit and insurance funds for the benefit of any members of the Association or their dependents; 6. Generally to take all steps calculated to advance or protect the interests of the members of the Association. The committee members visited the school on 13 May 1947 as guests of the headmaster and the July 1947 issue of Steps, the first after the war, devoted 13 of its 51 pages in the English section to the news of old boys and the

Old Boys, DSOBA and DBSPTA

309

DSOBA; and for some time every issue of Steps gave some space to news about old boys and/or the DSOBA. However, this feature started to fade in the mid-1950s, first as regards news about the DSOBA and then about old boys. For instance, in 1968, there was only one photograph of old boys and this section disappeared altogether in the following year. The DSOBA, with strong support from the school, had 233 members at the end of 1948, of whom 100 were life members, many of them living outside Hong Kong;17 and within two years, the membership rose to 350.18 In 1952, the annual subscription was raised to $10 and life membership to $100.19 The work of the DSOBA in the immediate post-war years is summarized below: 20 1. The erection of a tablet at the school to perpetuate the memory of all those old boys who paid the supreme sacrifice in their defence of the colony. 2. The donation of a sum of $8,000 to the school to provide additional amenities to the less fortunate students of the school. 3. The donation of a sum of $10,000 towards the purchase of equipment for the school gymnasium. 4. The creation of sundry scholarships, including the P. S. Cassidy Scholarship. 5. The award annually of two scholarships to two students each in Forms 1 and 2 and a donation of $100 annually for school prizes. 6. The award of prizes annually to such students at the discretion of the headmaster. 7. The holding of an annual dinner and such other functions yearly as may arise to promote social intercourse between members. 8. The distribution to the members free of charge of the school magazine Steps, twice yearly. 9. The presentation to the school of a number of Challenge Shields for sports and other activities by members of the association. Records show that the DSOBA was very active in the late 1940s and the first half of the 1950s. Apart from mobilizing members to care for the school, monthly luncheon and annual activities such as a cocktail party, general meeting and dinner, as well as supper and a dance with the Diocesan Old Girls’ Association, were organized. The enthusiasm of old boys in Hong Kong also led those in Taiwan to form a Taiwan Branch of the DSOBA. At the inaugural meeting on 2 April 1953, 30 old boys took part, including Peng Ying Kiat, the acting senior prefect whose appointment sparked the student strike in May 1939.21 At the DSOBA’s annual general meeting on 26 March 1953, Mr. Kwan Cho Yiu spoke about the difficulty which some old boys experienced in getting

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their sons into DBS, which led to an open letter to old boys from Mr. Goodban in which he addressed their concerns and promised that, within lawful limits, he would continue to exercise preference in favour of those who were sons of old boys. He also pointed out that out of a total of 600 boys, 76 were the sons of old boys and 134 were their relatives.22 After 1955, Steps mentioned very little about the DSOBA, but news of old boys continued to take up a good deal of its space every year until the 1960s. Between 1962 and 1978, with the exceptions of 1964 and 1967, news of old boys and the DSOBA totally disappeared from Steps. However, in 1964 it published a list of 387 life members of the DSOBA with contact addresses, and in 1967 it had several entries about old boys. For example, it reported the formation of a Montreal branch of the DSOBA with 46 members and a TransCanadian DBS club with 23 members from Toronto and potentially over 100 throughout Canada; and it also carried a circular from the DSOBA to its members, noting that because HKU had raised its matriculation fee from $150 to $270 in the last two years, more than half the boys in Upper 6 had trouble in meeting the cost and had tried to take up private coaching. To help solve their problem, the DSOBA donated over $2,500 and set up a Matriculation Fees Fund.23 The DSOBA did not stop functioning completely in the 1960s. Although there is no record of its activities during this period, one of the authors of this book remembers that in the first half of the decade there were annual meetings held in prestigious hotels every spring, with some prefects and all the teachers being invited to participate in the banquet after the meeting. The occasion was normally attended by 70–90 old boys and about a dozen teachers, some of whom were also old boys.

Disintegration and Revival After 1969, the DSOBA disintegrated mainly because of lack of enthusiasm and drive, but also partly due to the fact that the association was not officially registered. In 1978, a group of old boys made an attempt to revive it and got it underway in the summer.24 The DSOBA was registered and incorporated in August 1979 and, since then, it has had its own office and a full-time secretary. Within 18 months, a total of 700 members were registered and on 31 March 1980, a new slate of officers was elected for a two-year term and a newsletter was published for the first time in April 1980.25 From 1980 onwards, Steps published news of its activities and/or that of old boys, but the latter disappeared again in the late 1980s. The newly revived DSOBA also encouraged overseas old boys to set up

Old Boys, DSOBA and DBSPTA

311

local branches to facilitate contact and to provide assistance to new arrivals. The old boys in England were the first to answer the call. They established a branch on 21 March 1981, setting an example for others to follow and there are now also branches in Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto.26 On the retirement of Mr. Lowcock, the DSOBA held a retirement dinner to honour him and some money was raised to contribute to his accommodation (see also Chapter 5). 27 The DSOBA has been actively involved with the school fete over the years and it also organizes social functions such as dinners, luncheons, annual balls and swimming, and tennis and badminton tournaments for local old boys and their families. One of the favourite haunts of the DSOBA from 1985 to 2005 was the race-box at Shatin, which was open for these 20 years to all old boys, whether or not they were members of the Jockey Club.28 This venue was quite popular at first, but interest in racing and the use of the race-box gradually declined and the lack of patrons led to cancellation of this arrangement.29

13.2

DSOBA in School Fete 2002

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Table 13.2

Some major events organized by the DSOBA since 1985

Year Event

Reference

1985 Raised $340,000 towards resurfacing the school’s tennis court

Steps 1986, p. 13

1988 Raised $102,000 for construction of the school gate Steps 1988, p. 16 for the Prince Edward Road entrance to the steps Steps 1996, p. 17 1991 Held a class reunion dinner in the school hall and class representatives set up for 14 class-years

Steps 1991, pp.14–15

1994 Raised $240,000 as donation to the school

Steps 1994, pp. 13–14

1996 Sponsored the costumes for members of the Chinese orchestra to perform in London on 19 September 1996 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the British Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech Donated a motorized roller to improve the school field

Steps 1997, p. 5

1997 In co-operation with the school, organized an English course in August for incoming Form 1 students which, because of its popularity, was repeated in the following years Officially launched a home page on 1 October at http://dsoba.org.hk

Steps 1998, pp. 20–21

2000 Raised $220,000 to improve the school

Steps 2001, p. 38

2003 Established a Caring Fund for former DBS teachers who required financial assistance Initiated the prominent old boy speaker series

Steps 2004, p. 24

2004 Continued to organize the University Day, which was introduced the previous year, for old boys to provide insights into the application process and adapting to life overseas Organized a mentorship programme for boys who had recently left the school to provide them with a helping hand in various occupations

Steps 2005, pp. 19–20

2005 Donated the Sir Oswald Cheung Scholarship to one junior and one senior form student who had made the most academic improvement during the school year

Steps 2006, p. 22

2006 Donated $85,000 to the school as scholarships and in support of various activities

Steps 2007, p. 21

2007 Donated over $80,000 to the school in support of its various functions

Steps 2008, p. 12

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313

The membership of the DSOBA soon increased to over 1,000 in the 1980s, and fluctuated between 1,000 and 1,500 in the following quarter of a century. In 1986, the association published a Membership Directory, which was revised in 2000, showing the place of residence, correspondence address, hobbies and occupations of the 1,151 members, of whom 1,032 were local and 119 overseas, categorized according to the year of their taking the HKSCE/ HKCEE. At the end of 2008, the total membership increased to 1,611.30 Over the years, the DSOBA has been very supportive of the school and has raised considerable funds for it as well as sponsored a number of activities. Some of these events from the 1980s onwards are highlighted in Table 13.2.

DBSPTA The Diocesan Boys’ School Parent-Teacher Association has a relatively short history compared with the DSOBA. It was established on 14 October 2000 when a Standing Committee consisting of 15 members was formed: 10 elected parents, two teachers elected by the teaching staff, two teachers appointed by the headmaster and the headmaster himself. The office-bearers of the PTA were elected from this committee, and the first president was Dr. Lui Siu Fai, an old boy. The objectives of the DBSPTA are: 1. To promote home-school co-operation and better home-school relations; 2. To facilitate communication and exchange of views in matters of mutual concern; 3. To foster a concerted effort in improving the welfare of students. Its ultimate goal, however, is to help DBS students in their education and the process of growing up, to prepare them for the twenty-first century, and also to make further advances in DBS for the new century in Hong Kong and beyond. The inauguration ceremony — at which Mrs. Fanny Law, the then secretary for education and manpower, and Bishop Tsui officiated — took place on 28 October 2000 when over 650 parents and teachers attended. After touring the school, the parents had the opportunity to discuss their children’s education with their form teachers. During the first year, the Standing Committee met with teachers and some of the school prefects to understand their needs and they also established contact with the DSOBA for collaborative projects such as career experience

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day and fund-raising activities. A “Teacher Appreciation” lunch was also organized. Generous donations were made by parents for upgrading the school facilities and implementing new initiatives.31 The DSOBA and the DBSPTA co-sponsored the Home-coming Concert of 2001 and the funds raised were used to support the new library. The two organizations were invited by the school to co-chair the fund-raising campaign and finally a sum of $77 million was raised to provide additional funding for the new primary division and to upgrade some of the existing school facilities.32 The parent-members of the Standing Committee were placed in a difficult and delicate role in the process of DBS joining the DSS. They understood the difficulties, potential problems and the concerns of all parties and it was their wish to support the ultimate aim of improving the school and the education of their children, and to assist in the discussions in an appropriate manner. In order to achieve these aims, they met with Bishop Tsui on 6 March 2003, which led to some changes in the school’s approach to negotiating.33 During the past few years, the DBSPTA has also organized several activities to raise funds for the improvement of the school, including the following: 1. The 10km Fund Run each year when parents and their sons take part.34 2. The school fete, for which it sets up several events each year, e.g. a book corner selling books and CDs, a health corner providing check-ups and consultations, a green corner selling plants, a goods corner selling handbags donated by parents and a tea corner with discussion forums in 2001.35 3. The ‘Chinese Bowl Dish Dinner’ held at the OGC Golf City on 20 September 2002 when $300,000 was collected for the school.36 4. The raising of funds to establish a scholarship to commemorate Mr. C. S. Mak, the deputy headmaster, in 2003.37 5. The ‘DBS 135 Anniversary Dinner’ held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 27 November 2004 when close to $3 million was raised for the school.38 6. The ‘Always Lam in Concert’ held at the Hong Kong Coliseum on 19 November 2005, which raised $400,000.39 In addition to fund-raising activities, the DBSPTA has organized field trips to different parts of Hong Kong to provide learning opportunities for both parents and their children and to bring the families closer together. Seminars have also been organized for the benefit of parents, such as a discussion of “the 3+3+4 curriculum” in 200640 and another on “The schoolbased assessment, the reform of the new academic system, and sharing of learning strategies from academically excellent students” in 2007.41

Old Boys, DSOBA and DBSPTA

13.3

315

DBSPTA in School Fete 2006

In 2005, the DBSPTA was reorganized to accommodate the newly instituted primary division. At present, under the Standing Committee there are two executive committees: one with 20 members for the primary division and another with 16 members for the secondary division. The Standing Committee consists of 17 members: eight each from the two executive committees and the immediate past president. The eight members are: the chairperson, two vice-chairpersons, two secretaries, a treasurer, an elected teacher representative and an appointed teacher representative. The chairperson of the secondary division acts as the chairperson of the Standing Committee.

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Reminiscences The following contributions, submitted by old boys or obtained from other sources, are arranged according to the contributors’ seniority as indicated by the year in which they took the HKSCE/HKCEE; and, where this information is not available, their year of entering and/or leaving the school is used.

Wai Po Cheung (left in 1912) My fondest memory of Mr. Piercy was that many of my contemporaries grudgingly accused me – undeservedly I thought and still think – of being one of his “godsons” (in the Chinese sense of the word). I say with confidence that Mr. Piercy never had a favourite. I was in the same form as his youngest son Harold and in school he received the same treatment as any other day boy.42

B. Pasco (1906–14) … and few, if any, of us old boys, but look back on our old school except with affectionate remembrance and gratitude, feelings which are in no small measure linked with the memory of our late revered and respected headmaster, Mr. George Piercy and Mrs. Piercy, who to many of us were more than father and mother, and with Mr. H. Sykes, our old housemaster (“Old Bill”, behind his back) whose very look struck terror into the transgressor and rebel, but who proved such a guide, philosopher and friend to many of us then and later.43

Robert H. A. Lapsley (entered in 1929) William Lapsley was found dead on the Wanchai waterfront,44 leaving behind three sons, Henry, Robert and Frank, estimated at the time to be six, five and four years of age. They were recommended by the bishop of Hong Kong to be cared for at DBS. All received their education at DBS … The youngest, Frank, died of plague at the age of 16. The oldest, Henry, was taken by pirates when the steamship “Sunning” was boarded in 1929. Robert (my father) … sent my brother and me to DBS at the ages of six and eight … At first we were very lonely and wanted to run home, but eventually we settled down in the small boys’ dormitory, enjoyed roller-skating in the grounds and learned to swim during launch picnics.

Sir David Todd (entered in 1938) … Then came Mr. Goodban, a superb headmaster. Mrs. Goodban was the ideal headmaster’s wife and they were particularly attentive to boarders. I

Old Boys, DSOBA and DBSPTA

was first in the small boys’ and later the middle boys’ dormitory. Memorable were the musical evenings in their home, where he played the cello and she the piano. They had a fine collection of records, which were used to introduce us to the wonders of classical music. It would be hard to find more caring and kind people. One day we were on a hike to Lion’s Rock and on the way down I fell, sustaining abrasions and a twisted ankle. Mr. Goodban promptly drove me to Kowloon Hospital with Mrs. Goodban holding me close and reassuring me that there was no serious injury. The wounds were dressed and an anti-tetanus injection given. I was nine years old but can still vividly remember the occasion … In 1948 I started medical studies at the University of Hong Kong. One day a hostel-mate from Singapore and I went for a stroll on the Peak. As we approached the section of the road looking over the University, two thugs with rocks attacked us, probably attracted by my Brownie camera. We fought back and sustained head wounds. Then who should come along but Mr. and Mrs. Goodban. What a Godsend and were we glad to see them! They kindly drove us to the Central Police Station where statements were given and then on to the casualty department of Queen Mary Hospital. Fortunately, the injuries were minor. This was the second time they tended to my wounds! The robbers ran off, without the camera … . He was an excellent teacher and role model and I owe both of them a lot. They are remembered with much gratitude and great affection.

Henry Ching (Class 1950) Our first year at DBS was miserable. The place was too big and there were far too many boys. We felt very lost … Most of the pupils at the school were day boys, but there was a large number of boarders. The distinction between day boys and boarders was very real. The dormitories and certain other parts of the school, for example, were out of bounds to day boys, and day boys were discouraged from staying on after school hours. I remember one occasion when about 10 of us were engaged after school in a rowdy softball game on the playing field. The headmaster soon appeared and somewhat sarcastically asked if we had no home to go to — we were not slow in removing ourselves. The headmaster, Gerald Goodban, exercised a tremendous influence over some of us, but he was a man of varied interests, and these tended to be reflected in his attitude towards the boys in his school … . I had a love for English literature and was a keen if incompetent cricketer. Both, in the headmaster’s reckoning, were worthy of human endeavour. So we got on reasonably well … . Indeed, looking back on my days at DBS, I have to confess that I had such a great respect and admiration for Gerald Goodban that he became my role model in many ways, and much of my thinking was coloured by what I saw in him … .

317

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DBS was a Church of England school. We sang hymns at assembly every morning, hymns that we spent much time learning and practising at singing classes. We also had scripture classes, in which we read the Gospels and great effort was put into making us familiar with Jesus stories. Looking back, I feel that it was a great pity that no effort was made, even in the senior classes, to encourage us to discuss Christianity at a more philosophical level, to try to understand what it was all about, and to be aware that the Gospels were open to more than simple literal interpretation. It was more like Sunday school for older children.

John D. Hsu (left after Form 3 in 1952) What I would like to say about DBS is that, even though I only spent two years there, I have very fond memories of the institution, its grounds and especially its teachers. I don’t remember the names, but in my class, two were especially outstanding and memorable — our teacher of mathematics who started us in geometry, and our teacher of geography. I also remember that being an outsider and joining the class in “mid-stream”, I at first got into a lot of fights with my schoolmates and had to see the principal for “DC” (detention class) with the threat of being expelled. I was very glad to have been accepted by the class and able to participate in many sports later on.

Lai Chak Lun, Jacland (Class 1955) When Lo King Man was studying for his School Leaving Examination at DBS, he entered “Music” as an additional subject. To take music as an examination subject, there was a requirement that the candidate must name an instrument for his practical test. Lo King Man chose the French horn. Hong Kong in the mid-50s was known as a cultural desert. There was no City Hall or a professional orchestra. The ED, in the absence of an Examination Authority, eagerly looked for a qualified French horn examiner. Finally the conductor of the Police Band was recommended and invited by the ED to be the examiner. This gentleman wrote back to thank the Director and mentioned in his letter that he actually knew of a better qualified French horn examiner and that person was none other than Lo King Man himself!45

Cheng (now Chang) Sze Wang (Class 1956) During our time at DBS, we were transformed, with varying degrees of success, into scholars. We were informed of the importance and rectitude of fair play, of integrity, a certain degree of tolerance and self-effacement and a sense of belonging; we also assimilated the fortitude to maintain an even

Old Boys, DSOBA and DBSPTA

keel through the vagaries of life. The days I spent in DBS are among the happiest that I have experienced, and being a DBS boy was among the most unexpected, undeserved but important breaks in my life.

Lawrence Kotwall (Class 1956) Many good friends (classmates) turned out to be exceptionally successful professors in Canada and the US and became very selfless Christians helping China in its growth, which I only found out in the Class of 56 reunion I attended in Toronto in 2005. None I know became money-grabbing millionaires. Mr. Goodban was good, strict and taught us to appreciate music in those early days. However, the Rev. George She gave DBS its HK soul and gave locals a sense of self-respect and cared for the poor students. DBS campus was better than my English one but left to rot by some masters later which pained a lot of us. Photographs of the poor state were taken years ago for the DSOBA annual ball. We had a good mixture of Chinese, Eurasian, Thai and Indian students; the poor and rich played together at DBS. I miss DBS of that era.

Howard Un (Class 1956) Mr. George She was the complete opposite of Mr. Goodban, easily approachable, and often openly communicated in both English and Cantonese … Mr. D. J. Brittain was particularly outstanding as a geography teacher who could make complex subjects simple to comprehend and learn.

Chan Siu Kay, Bruce (Class 1957) As a teacher, the Rev. George She was charismatic in the classroom and projected his personality forcefully. Whatever the subject at hand, he made students feel his knowledge and passion for it and carried them along. Teaching history, he made past events and personalities come to life and showed how they had shaped the present world. He also taught scripture with historical and moral insight. Despite being an Anglican priest, the Rev. George She showed great respect for Chinese traditions, and tolerance for other religions. Many students recall with relish how he used down-toearth humour to instil the principles of good living. Being Eurasian, he was thoroughly bicultural and completely at ease in both languages. Typically, he would disarm his audience by switching from English to Cantonese, often at a crucial moment, and “wrapped his nugget of insight in a cheeky colloquialism”. The Rev. George She had that rare gift of being able to make us laugh and yet still revere him as a headmaster — we directly sensed his personal authority and kindness.

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Mr. S. J. Lowcock, a newly graduated teacher of physics, was entirely different in disposition. Of Parsee-Eurasian heritage, he was a lanky, bespectacled man with short curly black hair and a bushy moustache (for which feature he was nicknamed “Har Gau Lo”); and he had a relaxed demeanour, which was mirrored in his leisurely giraffe-like amble. Mr. Lowcock was a well-rounded person possessed of a keen interest in sports, literature, drama and current affairs. His sense of humour was acute, but he was too fond of the sarcastic put-down that could reduce a student to a pygmy. As a teacher, he was good at expounding the principles of heat, light and sound and his delivery was attractively conversational. Because of his young age and easygoing manner, the boys treated him like an elder cousin and they often got away with liberties that they would never have been able to take with more senior and stricter instructors. What also endeared him to many students was his active promotion of athletics and coaching of students who showed potential. In cultivating such students, however, “Har Gau Lo” created an inner circle of favourites around him, often to the detriment of showing equal treatment to all. That he continued to operate in this manner after he became headmaster was all the more unfortunate.

So Sing Cho (Class 1962) DBS is one of the cornerstones in the successful development of Hong Kong and I am sure it will continue to be so in future. The spirit will fly even higher.

Brian Connorton (Class 1963) Seeing Rodney To win the 1961–62 Inter-Schools 110 hurdles enthused me to take up athletics and I can recall Theodore Hwang teaching me how to do a sprint start; I usually managed to keep up with him for the first one and a half metres! I remember running with Victor Yang and William Hill in the inter-school cross country at Stanley and later in the around HK Island relay race, a very painful experience.

Lee Sum Ping (Class 1963) I felt proud to be amongst a group of teachers and students who were positive, progressive and confident. I had the distinct feeling that I was swept up amongst a determined, indefatigable group of people to move forward and the momentum was palpable throughout my years in DBS. There was a clear identity to who you were, where you were going and why you were doing the things you were doing. There was a strong sense of unity, of

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citizenship, of spontaneous mutual support. I must say that I miss that spirit and attitude.

Chan Sik Wo, Robert (now Chen Sek Woh, Class 1964) I treasure fond memories of time spent at DBS. I was certainly no high achiever academically or athletically, but it seemed that we had a lot of fun, did not have to work too hard, and all managed to do well in public exams. … a testament to the quality of instruction and education at DBS. The camaraderie and school spirit instilled in us in the late 1950s to early 1960s will forever be in our hearts.

Chow Chi Man, Steven (Class 1964) Back in the early 1960s, the student body was very international as we had about 20 boarders from Thailand. There were also students from the UK, US, Taiwan, Cambodia, India and Malaysia. Boarders were very isolated from the outside world then. We were permitted to leave the school every Saturday morning and return before 6 p.m. on Sunday — in time for the chapel service. On most Sunday evenings, the Rev. Ernest Fisher, the chaplain, would invite some of us to his apartment to watch TV (Rediffusion, black and white) and Mr. S. J. Lowcock, the headmaster, would on many occasions join the Sunday dinner with the boarders together with some parents. I became a boarder prefect at the beginning of the second term in Form 4. Boarder prefects then had a duty to accompany these guests to Mr. Lowcock’s home and serve sherry. Mr. Lowcock left a lasting influence on many of us. He taught us physics in Form 3. Aside from introducing jazz, the Charleston and Peanuts to us, he was very generous with his canvas and paints as I used to paint with him on some weekends. To this day, he still remembers a painting that I did — a view from his house.

Allan Lai (Class 1964) It seemed there was the existence of a DBS spirit among us. We talked and acted differently from students from other schools. We did not only study, but exposed ourselves to all kinds of activities. In short we were not nerds … And I think this was an important foundation for the building of a better and more fulfilling life for many of us.

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Szeto Kwok Chu, Alfred (Class 1964) Our DBS days were fun and memorable, as evidenced by old boys’ reunions when we seem to have so much to talk about. DBS boys are liberal, freethinking, thinking outside the box, multi-tasking, confident, loud but fun, sometimes lovable brats. Yet, I do hope that DBS boys are considered as fair and charitable. The high school that I picked for my three children is somewhat like DBS. I try to install in them the DBS spirit of a liberal, allround and outside-the-box mental attitude while also, of course, doing much sport and music.

Kwok Chi Hung, Peter (Class 1965) I was desperately serious when I made my frantic call for help from HKU’s Loke Yew Hall. Our school quartet was there to play a movement from Haydn’s Quartet #32, “The Bird”. I arrived only to find I didn’t have my music. Upon receiving my distress call, my roommate, Victor Yeung Chanhung, volunteered without hesitation to rush the music cross-harbour to my rescue. What a relief! Even if it was just a short-lived one … No, I did not have the heart to tell Victor that he brought the wrong score!! Only the quartet members knew how I improvised. That night after the concert, I stopped by the headmaster’s house before returning to my dorm room across the field. We all chuckled when I mentioned the reaction from Ronald Ng (our former head prefect, himself a violist, and the event organizer at HKU that evening) when he noticed how I deliberately and defiantly placed my music score upside down on my stand after our foursome was introduced on stage! In DBS, growth and development potential are plentiful, in the classroom, in the field, in the pool, on the stage … Did we consciously pick, choose … and take those opportunities? Or were we just caught in the undertow of tradition, our DBS tradition!? That night at HKU, grow I did; Haydn’s Bird flew high, despite its broken wings! I finally felt I had become a small, small part of our celebrated tradition; the spirit was in me … yes, especially after that drink offered to me by Mr. Lowcock!

Lai Cheong Fai, Sean (Class 1965) DBS was a towering institution in blending pragmatic British tradition with free-thinking and innovation. The morning assembly, the prefect system, the inter-house competitions, the uniform code, etc. together instilled a sense of discipline and a competitive spirit. During the brainstorming sessions in the upper forms, Mr. Lowcock challenged us to think critically, to dare break away from conventions and to tread unknown

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territory. Those themes seemed to resonate during our college and professional years, be it a medical school, a law school or a Ph.D. programme. In DBS, the broad emphasis on music (such as orchestras, choirs, bands), athletics and various sports BESIDES scholastics were crucial in shaping the future “movers” and “shakers” of society, whereas most other schools in Hong Kong in the 1960s focused primarily on academic accolades. We are much indebted to DBS, especially her diverse roster of excellent Chinese and Euro-American teachers, for an all-round education that prepared many of us well for successful careers in the past few decades. The challenge to DBS in the future is how to adapt her proven educational programme beyond well-roundedness to better meet society’s evolving demands for leadership, compassion and creativity in her students.

Ho Chi Ping, Patrick (Class 1966) Significant memories during a young man’s formative years when he found his identity and formulated his first outlook on life … DBS taught me how to become a Chinese gentleman.

Lai Sing Cheong (Po Law), Paul (Class 1969) I made many friends and learned how to overcome challenges and difficulties. I learned the meaning of teamwork through choir, orchestra and soccer. And it was in Form 4 in Mrs. Kennedy’s history class that I had my first meaningful foray into critical thinking. DBS is truly my “mother” school because she — along with many other teachers — nurtured me.

Ko Leung Hung, Alex (Class 1971) As far as the DBS Athletics Club is concerned, earning a gold medal must depend on self-reliance in terms of training, and not on outside assistance. We require of an athlete moral qualities of humility, reverence, self-restraint and courageousness, in addition to outstanding performance in track and/or field events. Only then is he a truly outstanding sportsman.

Kwong Ming Hong, Albert (Class 1971) Mr. Farrington was my favourite teacher. During one summer, the school organized summer activities and I joined a carpentry class led by Mr. Farrington. He was so good at it. He was also the only class teacher ever to invite me to his flat, which was on the first floor of the New Wing. And of course, he was a really good teacher of mathematics.

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Once during a summer vacation my brother and I walked up the steps and were robbed by two men, and we reported this to the office. After some chasing, one was caught and the other escaped. The person who was caught was brought to Mr. Lowcock. We were so scared of the robber at that time, but Mr. Lowcock had no fear of him. He just reprimanded him and let him go. That has left me with a very good impression of my headmaster. I was at DBS for nine years, starting from P5. I went back home for lunch, so I went up and down the steps twice every day, non-stop for all these years. As I am getting past 50 now, I need to remember how walking up and down the steps in those years has helped to build up my body.

Kwok Chi Sing, Lloyd (Class 1974) The boys always liked to assign nicknames to teachers and to each other. Most of the renditions were good-natured but some were downright nasty and mean, usually reserved for the unpopular teachers. A few teachers were very good but many never should have been on the staff. Lowcock was a character! He had a regal look, tall and debonair. To be one of his favoured boys brought many perks and privileges.

Chung Ting Yiu, Robert (Class 1975) I can never forget the late Mr. P. K. Tao, who was the teacher in charge of the DBS Astronomy Club, of which I was the chairman in F4 and F6 Lower. Mr. Tao was such a nice teacher, friend and advisor. He gave us complete freedom in organizing our activities, and gave us tremendous support when we needed it. He was a kind man and a wonderful teacher … Sorrow struck me when I heard of his departure from this world, but I am very sure that a kind man like Mr. Tao will always live among the heavenly stars, which he helped me to recognize … Had I not been trained in DBS, I do not know whether I could have survived the Polling Incident of 2000,* or other unfortunate times in my life.

*

In the summer of 2000, Mr. Chung made the allegation that he had been subjected to political pressure from the Chief Executive through the Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU to discontinue his public opinion polls. A Threemember panel headed by Justice Noel Power was set up to investigate his claims, leading to the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

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Ko Man Fu (Class 1978) I once attended one of Mr. Hong’s Chinese history classes (I did not take that subject but was asked to attend on another classmate’s behalf). He wrote notes on the blackboard for a long time and everyone in the class moved his table-chair combo set forward bit by bit without any noise. When Mr. Hong finished writing and turned around, he found himself surrounded by table-chair combo sets and could not move.

Fung Ka Shun, Samuel (Class 1980) Our Chinese teacher usually came extremely late for lessons and we had to wait for at least 20 minutes. The whole class wanted to make a point. One fine day, we decided to hide at the back of the classroom pretending that we were not there … we hid behind the desks, switched off all the lights and locked the door. We waited and waited … finally, we could hear our teacher coming … instantly, we all became very quiet and crawled behind our desks, breathing slowly … The teacher arrived at the door and tried opening it in vain. All he could do was to look through the tiny window of the classroom door, but he couldn’t see us. He tried turning the door knob, but couldn’t unlock the door. He must have been very puzzled. For a good five minutes he was peeping through the glass panel on the door and banging the door while all of us were hiding behind the desks, gasping silently, crouching patiently in the darkened classroom. After what seemed to be a very long time, our Chinese teacher walked away. As soon as he was away, we switched the lights back on, opened the door and seated ourselves behind the desks as if nothing had happened. The teacher came back, but the look on his face told us that he was very surprised indeed to see us seated, this time with small grins on our faces. He quickly started the lesson without saying a word about the incident. Deep in our heart, we all knew that he must have understood that we had made a point; for the remainder of the term our Chinese teacher was never late again.

Chan Yiu Mo, Michael (Class 1984) I was particularly thankful to Dr. P. K. Tao, my physics teacher who always encouraged students to pursue a career in basic science. It was such a shock to find out that some teachers, including Dr. Tao, have recently passed away, all in their prime … I am still upset at the “semi-official” rule that we were not allowed to play soccer in the field whereas the cricket team could practice on the same field.

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Manoj Panjabi (Class 1984) It is good that so many of my ex-classmates are doing so well. One tends to feel very proud when one sees successful doctors, lawyers and accountants from DBS. DBS to me was not only a place for study but where I learnt that to be successful there is more to study — for example, sports and extracurricular activities that build up your leadership qualities so that the moment you step out into the real world you are more focused … One aspect of a good school is … while Form 5 friends from other schools were talking about the work they were going to do after Form 5, students in DBS talked about which university they were aiming for. It is this positive mindset that they are going to pass the Form 5 Certificate and be successful.

Chiu Tsz Kiu, Jason Felix (Class 1988) Age and history do not make a school old. Rather, it helped build 140 years of exquisite tradition and heritage. In a sense, DBS is actually getting younger in appearance with the award-winning buildings erected over the last half decade. And the spirit of DBS is becoming stronger with passion radiating from her boys. Embarrassing but true, I must confess that I could not fully appreciate the spirit of DBS until after my graduation. To me, the spirit of DBS is very personal. It is the feeling that everyone is proud of the school and fellow students. It is the sense of achievement, the excitement of camaraderie and the overall contagious atmosphere. This very spirit is what sets DBS apart from other schools. Regardless of vintage, all old boys of DBS, including myself, possess such a spirit in a special place in our hearts. No school can afford to just look at the past, and DBS is no exception. We focus on tomorrow and we wish to make DBS an ideal place for personal growth and having the same exhilarating experience we had. Let’s call for generous patronage to DBS in terms of money, time and advice from the old boys. Together, we will keep DBS young, spirited and simply magnificent for the next 140 years.

Leung Si Ning, Sydney (Class 1989) School life at DBS was one of the most memorable times in my life. Being able to be who we are and develop our skills with the full support of teachers and staff was another experience that most of my non-DBS friends never experienced in their secondary education. The curricula (both academic and extra) of DBS provided me with both a solid foundation to move on to the next stages of life and at the same time afforded me an opportunity to develop the skills I need most in life: leadership, creativity and desire to excel.

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Yip Chi Yan, Christopher (Class 1992) I remember reading a quote from Steps that has deeply influenced my perspective on life: “Being a DBS boy is not about winning all the time but to start over when we fall.” This has become my daily motto ever since.

Siu Ming Hon, David (Class 1993) In primary school (not DPS), I felt useless as my academic results were subpar. DBS showed me that there are other pathways to success by offering a wealth of opportunities, in music and sport and other equally worthwhile pursuits. To me, school life in DBS is about adventures: maximizing one’s exposure, trying one’s hand at new things that seem to be just beyond one’s limits. It is also about failing, and trying again. Most important, it is about school spirit — the unquestionable faith in and loyalty to the school, to the boys, to yourself.

Leung Cheuk Yin, Kenny (Class 1997) I felt proud to be in the swimming team. We practised in the morning starting at 6:45 a.m. at the school swimming pool and went back to class in a hurry at 8 a.m. five days a week. Our team had special permission to have lunch during morning break and swim again at lunch time. Our hair was often wet all day … DBS allows her students to explore themselves and helps to develop their potential and strengths by giving them freedom, space and choice in making their decisions. It is important to educate us to be men and to take responsibility for what we have chosen and done.

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14 Conclusion

The school has undergone a metamorphosis since its inception 139 years ago. This chapter gives an overview of its evolution over the years in response to both political and socio-economic developments in Hong Kong and the changes it has had to make to continue to be successful and relevant to society. The school’s educational principles and changing values, as well as the characteristics of its graduates, are also assessed.

Evolution of the school The school had humble beginnings and its historical development was not always smooth. Serious problems and conflicts threatened its existence from time to time but luckily they were all resolved satisfactorily.

From an Orphanage to a Boys’ School The forerunner of the school was the DNFTS, founded by Mrs. Smith, wife of the first bishop of the diocese of Victoria, due to her enthusiasm for female education and for the introduction of British culture and religion to Hong Kong. Her efforts failed mainly because of cultural incompatibility and lack of relevance to the society at that time. The DHO, which succeeded the DNFTS, was proposed by Bishop Alford in 1869, his aim being to solve a social problem created largely by the foreign firms by providing lodging and schooling for the Eurasian orphans, mostly children born out of wedlock, which was then common in Hong Kong and other ports in southern China. The mission of the DHO was to turn these children into faithful Anglicans and industrious workers.

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Conflicts arose between the church and the business community over support for the DHO soon after it was established. At that point, the church did not believe in spending money collected for evangelistic purposes on an institution for “half-castes”. As a result, the DHO failed to thrive under its first headmaster, Mr. Arthur, and when he resigned in 1878, Bishop Burdon, who succeeded Bishop Alford in 1874, tried to change it back to a girls’ school. However, the school was preserved after strong opposition from Mr. Keswick — a partner of Jardine Matheson & Co. and the honorary treasurer of the School Committee — who challenged the legality of giving the rights to the school to the Female Education Society. This conflict ended with Mr. Keswick taking an active role in recruiting the next headmaster, Mr. Piercy. The increase in demand for bilingual proficiency in Hong Kong and China for politico-economic reasons, together with the introduction of the government’s grant-in-aid scheme, enabled the school to thrive and expand. Under the headmastership of Mr. Piercy, the DHO rapidly turned into a school rather than an orphanage: it changed its name to the DSO in 1892 and then the DBSO in 1902 to reflect its nature more closely. By producing graduates to satisfy the needs of the society at large, Mr. Piercy gained the support of the business community and the government; and being a devout Anglican, he had the blessing of the church as well. Mr. Piercy established an excellent reputation for the school, not only in Hong Kong but also in southern China, and laid a firm foundation for its future development.

Preparing the Ground for an Anglicized Public School When Mr. Piercy retired, the School Committee brought in Mr. Featherstone, a man of great foresight with a liberal and progressive attitude towards education. He set about realizing his dream of building the most illustrious school in the Far East modelled on the British public school system. While he managed to obtain 23 acres of land from the government and to build the present campus, he placed the school in heavy debt from losses incurred in the sale of the old site and the cost of constructing the new campus because of the strike-boycott of 1926. The requisitioning of the new campus by the military for use as a hospital for the British Shanghai Defence Force in 1927 added to the misfortune. Serious conflicts arose between the headmaster and the government over the new school campus which almost resulted in the closure of DBS. Featherstone was uncompromising in negotiating with the government and refused to give up any of the school land to pay off some debt, and this finally led to his dismissal by the School Committee for fear of losing DBS — a very tragic ending.

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Mr. Featherstone did not have time to put in place the elements of an English public school in DBS before he was forced to resign. Nevertheless, he secured the physical requirements and prepared the ground for his dream school. During his tenure, from being an orphanage, the DBSO evolved into a boys’ school which he often referred to as “the Diocesan Boys School”.

Developing as a Public School Mr. Sargent, who succeeded Mr. Featherstone in 1932, did his best to save DBS from financial distress and develop it along the lines of an English public school. He negotiated successfully with the government to reduce the mortgage interest by selling part of the present-day Kadoorie Ridge to repay a portion of the loan and eventually paid off the debt by raising funds from members of the School Committee and increasing the school’s income. With his English public school background as both a student and teacher, he paved the way for a liberal allround education in DBS. He started the school’s traditions in music and various extracurricular activities, such as a Hobbies Exhibition and various clubs and societies. Being a professional schoolmaster, he restored the school to its former pre-eminence in a very short time. Unfortunately, his career at DBS ended prematurely in 1938 when he responded to God’s calling to become a missionary in Fuzhou and died there, as a young bishop, during a plague. It was the next headmaster, Mr. Goodban, another professional schoolmaster, who established the English public school traditions in DBS. Mr. Goodban’s vision for the school and the kind of boys it would produce can be found in his last speech day address in 1954 when he spoke about the task of a Christian school, saying: … there is a heavenly Treasure to be sought … This Treasure is an end in itself. It cannot be discovered by science, cannot be obtained by purchase, cannot be defended by the sword. Science, in the vulgar sense of applied science, is a means to an end … The present vogue for science is natural enough, but an uncritical respect for its achievements only leads to a fatal confusion between means and ends. And the same is true of wealth and power. The task of the Christian school is therefore a superhuman one. It must aim not merely to make its teaching of first-rate quality, so that the boys [and] the Government get what they might call value for their money, … good jobs and good citizens; but to revolutionise the meaning of what is a good job or a good citizen; to fit its boys not merely to accept a conventional place in our half-crazy world, but to play a part in making it more sane and healthy; to think about their careers not merely, or even primarily, in terms

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of material rewards, but of how they can serve the glory of God and the needs of mankind; and make a due return for all they have received. It must try to impart a vision of education as not something which you can acquire or buy, or copy down and learn by heart, but something which you catch like an infection, something which is exacting, worshipful and compelling; which forbids you to trifle with truth, or confuse what is truly good with what is merely respectable; something which lies beyond the petty details of classroom and school routine, and beckons you on, as the mountain-top lures on the climbers and justifies the daily grind upwards1

While the school was on track to become a prototype English public school in Hong Kong through his and his predecessors’ untiring efforts, Mr. Goodban regrettably had to resign early to return to England because one of his children required special education which could not be provided in Hong Kong. His philosophy of an “all-round education” was adhered to by his successors in the decades to come. During his tenure, Mr. Goodban had his share of disagreements with the ED in his role as the founding secretary of the Grant Schools Council and the principal assistant of Bishop Hall. However, despite fighting for freedom in education, he maintained a good relationship with the ED officers as he was sincere and diplomatic, and therefore, his struggle with the government did not have any ill-effects on the school and indeed enhanced its reputation. It is well known that Governor Grantham, despite being wary of the “Red Bishop”, was an admirer of Mr. Goodban who built post-war DBS into one of the best schools in Hong Kong.

Evolving into a Grammar School Mr. She took over the school when the population of Hong Kong was increasing rapidly by about a million each decade. He anticipated the demand for more secondary school places and, in his short tenure of six years, responded to this by increasing the school enrolment by more than 60% and opening DBS to the less privileged. In doing so, he inadvertently changed the character of the school from an English public school to a grammar school. He considered himself just a caretaker of the school until Mr. Lowcock became the next headmaster. Despite his achievements, Mr. She’s time at DBS could not have been a happy one for several reasons: his English wife had to attend to her ageing mother in England; and there were cultural conflicts between him and some of the expatriate teachers and a small number of the highly Westernized Chinese staff. As a result, after he left, he was “forgotten” by the school until only recently.

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The expansion of primary education and the standardization of the educational system in Hong Kong in the 1960s resulted in DBS losing its primary classes at the end of the decade. At about the same time, the government announced that all publicly financed schools were not allowed to admit non-local students. This led to the disappearance of the international character of its student population, a distinctive feature of DBS, along with a dwindling number of boarders. Mr. Lowcock, himself an old boy who was handpicked by Bishop Hall to be the next headmaster, was loyal to the school and devoted to the boys. He was deeply influenced by Mr. Goodban’s philosophy of liberal education, and over the years he expounded on the importance of extracurricular activities for an all-round education. Mr. Lowcock also objected strongly to the government’s tightening of its control over grant schools in financial and admission policies. However, his objections were largely ineffective and, with the government’s policy that every child should have an equal opportunity for education, DBS had to accept all the students assigned to it through the central allocation system. DBS would by then have acquired the features of an English grammar school had not Mr. Lowcock endeavoured to emphasize and expand extracurricular activities in the school, especially in sport, music and drama, in which it was unmatched by any other school in Hong Kong — measures which preserved the distinctiveness of DBS. Unfortunately, in the latter part of his career, Mr. Lowcock suffered from poor health and had to resign prematurely despite being so well loved by his boys.

Seeds of Discontent and Winds of Change In the 1980s, as the pressure on school places lessened due to tighter immigration control and better family planning policies, the government was able to implement a number of measures to improve the quality of education. Under Mr. Lai, the first Chinese headmaster, DBS coped well with these changes. By following the direction taken by his predecessors and working patiently and quietly over the years, Mr. Lai led the school to new heights in both academic and non-academic pursuits. By and large, there was little disagreement between the school and the government during his administration; and, restricted by the code-of-aid, the Lowcock–Lai era, spanning almost 40 years, was a prolonged period of consolidation. Towards the latter part of Mr. Lai’s administration, several events occurred that sowed the seeds of the subsequent major changes in the school. First, the DBS campus had deteriorated badly due to lack of funds for carrying out repairs, and this situation could not be rectified as long as it remained a grant

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school because of the government’s firm control. Any major renovation, let alone expansion, would be an impossible dream. Second, the relationship between DBS and DPS had soured to such an extent in the 1990s that the school wanted to have a primary division of its own. Third, in the late 1990s, as the government aimed to build a strong private school sector and increase the international standing of local schools, it made every effort to lure the elite schools into joining the DSS, giving them considerable funding to develop and at the same time imposing few restrictions on their educational policies. DBS had little choice about becoming a DSS school.

Moving towards Becoming an Americanized Private School The challenge of changing to a DSS school was readily accepted by the new headmaster, Mr. Chang, an old boy who received part of his education in the United States. Soon after he arrived, the primary division was built. By accepting the government grant to build the primary division and by deciding to establish a “through-train” system, in 2003, DBS took a historic leap — to become a DSS instead of an aided school. In addition, Mr. Chang initiated a series of other changes, including the introduction of the Student Council, the Parent-Teacher Association and finally, in 2009, the IB programme. He broadened the students’ perspectives by organizing local, national and international student exchange programmes and by sending them abroad to participate in international camps and competitions, notably the Choir Olympiad. The first decade of the twenty-first century will be remembered as a period of unparalleled expansion for DBS. Numerous building projects have been completed and more are still underway. Mr. Chang’s huge building programme was mounted in a much more favourable sociopolitical and economic climate than in Mr. Featherstone’s time, as it occurred when the government wanted to attract elite schools to join the DSS and Hong Kong had just recovered from a prolonged economic recession. The expansion programme was achieved through mobilizing people who were, in one way or another, linked to the school. In 2009, with a teaching staff of about 200, a student population of nearly 2,300 and a boarding school that can accommodate as many as 220 boarders, the school celebrates its 140th anniversary, resplendent in a 19-acre campus with new buildings equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. After the war, Mr. Goodban’s role as headmaster involved being both an administrator and a teacher. However, since then the duties of the headmaster have become much more complex and diverse. The enrolment of students

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has more than tripled, and this has been accompanied by a very substantial increase in staff. The number of internal and external activities has also escalated, with fund-raising as one of Mr. Chang’s main functions. In short, the role of the present-day headmaster has come to resemble that of a president of a college or a CEO of a big organization, and in its style of operation the school has acquired the features of an American private school.

From Scarcity to Plenitude? With its standards improving steadily, and the economy of Hong Kong advancing rapidly, the school’s enrolment and resources have increased very significantly over the past 139 years, particularly after it joined the DSS. In its early years, the school encountered enormous financial difficulties: in 1870, it had only about 28 students and an income of less than $5,000 and it was totally self-financed, with expenses being met largely by donations. The situation improved somewhat after joining the grant-in-aid scheme in 1878, in which year the school received a government subsidy amounting to $169.80. Although the grant-in-aid code was improved later and by the 1960s expenses were largely met by the government, the school still had a very tight budget as it was allowed to charge the students only a limited amount of tong fai to meet the deficit. On such a budget, expansion was out of the question and even maintenance was problematic. It was not until after the beginning of the present century, when the school decided to join the DSS, that its finances improved by leaps and bounds. The new scheme allows it to continue to receive a substantial subsidy from the government and to charge students an “economic” fee. In 2007–08, the school had nearly 2,300 students and an income of almost $200 million, which enabled it to expand and put in place an extensive building programme not seen since the time of Featherstone. However, we must not forget the lesson we have learned in the past that fund-raising, on which the building programme is based, is dependent on the economy, a downturn of which may have dire consequences for the school.

Characteristics of Old Boys — Products of a Liberal Christian Education DBS graduates are characterized by self-confidence; working and playing hard; a sense of freedom and yet a high sense of responsibility; and individualism and yet a strong collective team spirit. These characteristics are believed to be the natural products of the school’s philosophy of providing an all-round

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education, thereby giving students plenty of opportunities to realize their potential in both academic and non-academic pursuits; and they arise also from the spiritual values of the school and the esprit de corps of the students. Of the many distinguished graduates of DBS over the years, an impressive number have become leaders in society and/or their fields of specialization, but they have not featured among the wealthiest in Hong Kong, let alone the world. This phenomenon may reflect the values embedded in the school’s educational philosophy. For example, in a speech delivered to old boys, Mr. Sargent stressed that education should aim to produce people who had a glowing vision and a lasting inspiration in their hearts, and who would never judge their jobs by money alone, but would be filled with a desire to serve. On the same occasion, Bishop Hall also made the point that old boys should set an example as self-sacrificing citizens so that the current students would follow in their footsteps when they went out into the world.2 “To serve and to lead” has become the guiding principle and ultimate aim of education in DBS. This tradition has been exemplified by the contributions of old boys such as Robert Kotewall, Kwan Cho Yiu, Kan Yuet Keung and Oswald Cheung. In addition to these exceptional men who contributed to Hong Kong over the years, many DBS graduates have helped to form the very fabric of our society and are leaders in their respective fields, including architecture, the civil service, commerce, education, engineering, entertainment, finance, information technology, law, medicine and politics. They have all contributed to Hong Kong’s growth from a trading post to a leading commercial and financial centre, and indeed our alumni’s influence has not been confined to Hong Kong but has been worldwide. Old boys have also been very willing to serve their alma mater when called upon to do so. For instance, in the early days, Mr. A. J. Mackie helped to train the boat’s crew for the regatta in 1903,3 and Mr. T. S. W. joined the teaching staff in 1920,4 followed by Mr. J. L Young Saye, Mr. A. G. F. Prew and Mr. N. H. F. Prew in 1924.5 Also, in 1929, Dr. R. H. Kotewall, Mr. Y. T. Chau and Mr. J. M. Wong became members of the School Committee.6 In addition, wealthy old boys such as Mr. Chan Kai Ming donated scholarships to the school;7 and more recently, many old boys have donated generously to the school’s building programme. From the mid-1950s, all the headmasters and most of the deputy headmasters were old boys. Also, more and more alumni have become members of the School Committee: over half the current committee members are old boys, some having served for more than 20 years. While it is gratifying to see that so many of them are willing to serve their alma mater, overinvolvement of old boys in this regard may not be in its best interests in the

Conclusion

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long run as “new blood” is important for its future well-being and healthy development.

Changing Values In the early years, being an Anglican school, religion was part of school life and biblical knowledge was an important subject in the curriculum. In the days of Mr. Arthur, Mr. Piercy and Mr. Featherstone, attendance at Sunday services and evensongs was mandatory for boarders. Mr. Sargent’s deep concern for young people led him to be ordained so that he could provide pastoral care to his students; Mr. Goodban emphasized the spiritual rather than just the physical aspects of life in preparing students to face the world; and Mr. She, who provided pastoral care to many people, including his students, and, together with the school chaplain, took on the responsibility for evensong services for boarders held on weekdays. The great spiritual and moral force behind Sargent, Goodban and She was, of course, Bishop Hall, who dominated the policy and direction of DBS by virtue of his devotion to social justice and education rather than his power as chairman of the School Committee. His heavy involvement in other religious, educational and social work did not deter him from addressing the school on speech days and confirming staff and students in the chapel. Despite his adherence to the tradition of not trying to convert students to Christianity, Christian values were naturally instilled into them through lessons and school activities. Bishop Hall retired in 1966 and, since the 1970s, religious activities have diminished. The daily evensong for boarders became a weekly event and the tradition of starting the school day with the morning assembly attended by all students for hymn-singing and praying together disappeared in the new millennium. These changes probably reflect the social trends in Hong Kong and other parts of the world, where secularism dominates education. The 1960s and 1970s saw a greater emphasis on an all-round education and criticism of competition in examinations which was viewed in the school as a “battle ground for survival”. Extracurricular activities carried out in an appropriate manner were deemed to be the best way to develop young people’s character. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was keener competition among schools not only on the academic front but also in the extracurricular arena. Some schools, including DBS, utilized the places left at their discretion to recruit boys with special talent in music and sport. As the change to DSS status allows the school to admit such students without any restrictions, it has

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progressively cultivated in its students a strong competitive spirit aimed at becoming “the best of the best” in all endeavours, and so the vacuum created through the loss of spirituality has been gradually filled by another spirit, a spirit of aiming for success and achievement.

The Way Forward Mission statements were not fashionable in the earlier days. For example, in the 1928 school Prospectus, Mr. Featherstone merely wrote: “The School has always been well known throughout the Far East for its high standard in general work, in discipline, and in results in examinations.”8 However, the 2007 Prospectus includes a statement which reaffirms that DBS aims to provide a liberal education based on Christian principles, and to fulfil this aim the following objectives, based on Mr. Goodban’s educational philosophy, were identified: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6.

7.

To offer a well-balanced education for the development of the whole person through effective means and agreeable strategies To maintain the well-established school traditions To evolve a unique cultural identity To help students acquire creative and critical thinking skills To provide opportunities for the development of good character based on Christian principles. And students are expected to have the following qualities: trustfulness, a sense of responsibility, fairness and considerateness To cultivate self-respect and self-esteem through relevant activities so that each student can be a man of integrity, discipline, devotion, industriousness, courage, and gratitude To promote multiple intelligence so that students can fully maximize their talents.

One of the traditions at DBS is the presence of a strong group spirit among the students, irrespective of race and socio-economic background: they study and live together happily and harmoniously and enjoy a sense of belonging and brotherhood in the school. This spirit has enabled them to perform well in both scholastic and extracurricular activities. While students should be encouraged to strive to achieve their best and not to settle for mediocrity in any activity so as to live up to the school’s Chinese name, they should be aware of other values, as emphasized by Bishop Hall and Mr. Goodban, such as openness, love, compassion, generosity,

Conclusion

339

forgiveness and hope. In education there is a place for spirituality as it contributes to people’s capacity to seek out more compassionate virtues and draws them towards acts of altruism in the process of building a harmonious society. It should be remembered that DBS has always been a school for both the rich and the poor, and for children of all nationalities. For this tradition to be preserved, the DSS status must operate in tandem with the principle of “education for all”, a guiding tenet of its founding fathers, notably the Rev. William Featherstone. Another tradition is bilingualism. Over the years, Hong Kong has played a pivotal role in bridging East and West and DBS old boys have participated in this process. Concomitantly, DBS developed from being an orphanage for Eurasians into a school with a distinctive international character, attracting students from China, Southeast Asia and India, as well as overseas Chinese from many parts of the British Empire such as Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies. To varying degrees, these students adopted Westernized values and ways of life. Mr. Hsu Shih Ying, a former Chinese ambassador to Japan, pointed out on the 1939 speech day: In the past, the school was acting under the principle of transmitting the Western arts and studies to the East, and at present, she takes it as her duty to project the national elements of China to the foreign world … Not only has she benefited humanity and civilization, but also given to international relationship[s] much benefit and assistance.9

It is imperative to strengthen the bilingual character of the school to achieve this aim and to inculcate a global vision so that its graduates can play a leading role in serving Hong Kong, China and the world in their own unique way. We hope that the Diocesan Boys’ School will maintain its traditions and remain an educational institution that truly caters for children of all nationalities and from all walks of life. It should continue to provide an appropriate milieu for moulding young boys during their formative years into individuals with a strong will “to serve and not to be served”, an ethereal regard for power, wealth and fame, and a spirituality of compassion to love “all men ’neath the sun”.

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Staff and Students

341

Appendices

*

• • •

*

The lists of School Committee members in this appendix and of staff members in Appendix 2 are based on Featherstone’s book for the period before 1930 and on school calendars for the period after 1950. For the intervening years, we have drawn on scattered information which we have gathered and assembled from various sources. In compiling these lists we adhered to the principle “better be deficient than swell the total”. There will undoubtedly be omissions because of our endeavour to exclude unauthenticated information.

Appendix 1 School Committee Members

One of the characteristics of the School Committee was that its membership did not seem to have a fixed term. Members were elected to, and could leave, the committee at any time, or take leave for an extended period and resume their membership later. Also, there had been occasions in the past when substitutes were appointed temporarily during the leave of absence of members, but the names of these substitutes are not included in the list below although they might be found in the minutes. The years given in the list are the first and last years (calendar years before 1950 and academic years, according to the school calendars, thereafter) in which individual members served the committee. For example, the list shows that Col. Dowbiggin was a member from 1920 to 1966, but this includes years when he was not in Hong Kong; and Sir Cho Yiu passed away in December 1971, but his service to the committee is still considered to end in 1972, meaning the academic year 1971–72. Question marks are put against the years of service of those whose membership began or ended in the period 1930–50 where the accuracy of the information cannot be ascertained: question marks before and after a year mean that those concerned might have served the committee earlier or later than that year respectively. Over the years, some members have changed their titles and where they are included in the list they represent their last titles before resignation. The abbreviations used are as follows: C stands for chairman, HS for honorary secretary and HT for honorary treasurer, and the dates after these abbreviations represent the years in which they held these posts. For example, Bishop Alford was chairman from 1869 to 1972, Mr. Aucott was honorary secretary from 1910 to 1914, and Mr. Cassidy was honorary treasurer from 1922 to 1924 and honorary secretary from 1926 to 1950.

Name Ackroyd E. J. Ainsworth T. W. Alabaster C. G. Alexander W. H. Alford C. R. (Bishop) Anderson D. Angus Andrew Archbutt G. S. Armstrong F. H. Armstrong J. H.

Year 1886–94 1927–28 1918–23 1872–75 1869–72 (C) 1940–42 1956–59 1926–36 1910–12 1940–59

344

Appendix 1

Name Armstrong-Wright A. T. Atkinson J. M. Aucott E. F. Baines H. W. (Rev.) Baker J. G. H. (Bishop) Barma H. T. Barrow J. Barton J. Beach Canon (Colonial Chaplain) Beaumont T. (Rev.) Beith B. D. F. Bird S. G. Blaker C. Blaker D. J. R. Bone E. J. (Major) Bosanquet D. I. Bowley F. B. L. Braddon H. E. Brown J. J. G. Brunker (Major-General) Burdon J.S. (Bishop) Byrne G. T. Carrington John W. (Sir) Cassidy P. S. Cautherley G. H. Chan R. Chan S. Selwyn Chang T. Chater C. P. (Sir) Chau Yue Teng Cheng M. Cheung O. V. (Sir) Cheung Tommy Y. Y. Cheung U Pui Ching Henry Choi Tony Chou John M. C. (Rev.) Chow T. (Rev.) Chung J. Y. L. (Ven.) Clarke Fielding (Sir) Clarke R. C. Cobbold R. F. (Rev.) Cock E.

Year 1973–82 1906–10 1915–22 (HT 10–14) 1935–38? 1966–81 (C) 1963–81 (HS 66–78) ?1935–36? 1901–12 (HT 09–10) 1869–72 1958–59 1929–30? 1893–95 1927–58 1968–72 1925–28 1950–52, 59–61 1900–21 (HT) 1870–83 1970–78 1869 1874–97 (HS 76–78) 1921–30? 1896–2001 1922–52 (HT 22–24; HS 26–50) 1946–55 1998–99 2002–04 2000–present 1874–25 1929–34? 2001–present 1958–59; 66–2004 1982–present 1954–55 1969–79 (HT 77–78) 1996–98 1968–79 2005–present 1963–68 1891–95 1954–72 (HT 57–72) 1892–1901 (HS) 1927–42

Appendix 1

Name Compton A. H. Cooper F. A. Cox J. S. Crawford D. R. Davy C. W. (Col.) Davys E. (Rev.) De Butts (Lt. -Col.) Dodwell G. M. Dowbiggin H. B. L. (Col.) Duppuy C.R. (Bishop) Evans D .M. E. Fayrer J. (Lt. -Col. Sir) Featherstone W. T. (Rev.) Findlay Ian (Rev.) Fleming J. Fok Andrew Fong S. Forster L. France J. H. (Rev.) Fung C. W. Gillard G. V. (Rev.) Gittins S. V. Goodban G. A. Goodman W. M. (Sir) Gordon L. W. Gould T. J. (Justice) Grey (Archdeacon) Griffith H. G. H. (Rev.) Groves W. L. (Rev.) H. du T. Pyner (Rev.) Ha K. W. Hall R. O. (Bishop) Halward N. V. (Rev.) Hamilton A. R. Hewett E. A. Higgs J. R. (Rev.) Hitchcock E. A. Ho E. P. Hoare C.J. (Bishop) Holman J. T. (Rev.) Holyoak P. H. Hong Choy G. Howard Robin (Rev.)

Year 1915–36 (HT 15–19) 1891–96 1882–84 1878–82; 85 1923 1877–78 1869 1921 1918–66 1920–32 (C) 1975–90 1909 1918–31 1957–60 (HS) 1929–47 (HT 46–47) 1959–60 2004–06 1929–36? 1901–08 1991–98 (HT 97–98) 1981–87 1957–58; 70–87 1946–55 1894–03 1973–80 1954–58 1869–75 1916 (HS) 1880 1930–34? 1964–65 1932–66 (C) 1926–51 1984–87 1901–12 (HS & HT 01–08; HS 10–11) ?1934–38? 1869–72 1966–77 (HT 72–77) 1901–05 (C) 1920 1913–17 1968–78 1960–66 (HS 61–66)

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Appendix 1

Name Year Humphreys H. 1899–2021 Humphreys J. D. 1891–96 Ip L. 1966–2005 Irving J. J. Bell 1886–88 (HT); 94–01 Jackson Thomas (Sir) 1884–89; 93–01 Jacobsen W. 1981–91 (HS) Jennings W. (Rev.) 1879–89 (HS) Johnson A. B. 1886–96 Johnson F. Bulkeley 1880–83 (HT) Johnson F. T. (Rev.) 1901–11 (HS & HT 01–08; HS 10–11) Jones N. (Rev.) 1988–92 Kam C. Y. 1951–52 Kam Y. M. 1999–2005 Kan Y. K. 1958–68 Kellett Henry (Sir, Vice-Admiral) 1869–71 Kendrew J. A. 1952–56 Kennedy Arthur Edward (Sir) 1873–75 Kennedy-Skipton G. S. 1928–30? Keswick J. ?1933–34 Keswick J. J. 1888–94 (HT); 98–00 (HT) Keswick W. 1869–72 (HT); 76–80 (HT 77–80); 83–86 (HT) Kidd R. Hayward (Rev.) 1872–75 (HS); 78–79 Kinloch John (Sir) 1959–63 Knight P. L. 1921 Kotewall L. C. 1970–2001 Kotewall R. H. (Sir) 1929–49 Kwan Cho Yiu (Sir) 1948–72 Kwok Chan 1957–67 Kwok R. C. 1978–present Kwong P. (Archbishop) 1981–2000 (C) Lai J. 1983–2000 Lam C. C. 2004–present Lam C. H. 1974–86 Lam S. H. 1968–74 Lander G. H. (Bishop) 1907–20 (C) Latimer W. H. 1946–54 Lau W. F. 1965–66 Laurance Herbert 1869 Leach J. Dickson 1960–68 Lee J. W. 1987–present Lee R. 1997–present Leefe L. N. 1913–19 Leung F. K. S. 2004–present

Appendix 1

Name Lindsay G. R. (Rev.) Lockhart J. H. Stewart Lowcock H. Lowcock S. J. Lowe A. R. Lui Frederick L. C. MacDonnell Richard Graves (Sir) MacEwen A. P. MacHardy A. B. (Lieut) Marden J. L. Marsden S. E. (Rev.) Marshall J. R. Mellor B. Miller K. A. Monks B. J. M. Moorsom L. H. Moyle H. Copley (Rev.) O’Malley E. L. Ormsby R. D. Osborne E. Ost J. B. (Rev.) Palmer C. Pang Kin Kee (Justice) Parr E. V. D. Pasco B. Pattenden W. L. Phillipo George (Sir) Piercy A. Piper J. (Rev.) Pollock H. E. (Sir) Powell T. B. (Rev.) Rahman S. A. L. Randall B. C. Reynolds D. B. (Rev.) Ridley Simon (Rev.) R. O. Hall (Bishop) Rogers W. W. (Rev.) Rose A. P. (Canon) Roydon Ross (Rev.) Russell D. O. Sargent C. B. R (Bishop) Scott M. H. B. Shadwell Charles (Sir)

Year 1924–26 1893–2001 1874–80 1961–83 1921–23 1995–96 1869–72 1878–90 1872 1960–84 1977–81 1980–84 1963–75 1967–72; 77–97 (HT 78–97) 1950–56 (HS) 1870–72 1912–26 (HS 12–23) 1881–86 1898–2000 1901–07 1884–89 (HS 85–87; HT 88–89) 1891–2001 2001–present 1921–22 1955–56 1910–30 1884–88 1948–50 1869–72 (HS 71–72) 1911–36 1924 (HS) 2007–present 1940–61 1913–15 1966–70 1932–42 (C) 1927–30? 1939–52; 57–61 2000–present 1921–30? 1940–42 1923–24 1871–74

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348

Appendix 1

Name Year Sharp Edmund 1870 (HS); 76–83 She George. (Rev.) 1934–61 Shenton W. E. L. (Sir) 1929–35? Sidebotham S. F. (Rev.) 1970–77 Simpson W. Michael (Rev.) 1992–2000 Sin P. H. 1934–37 Slade H. W. 1899–2008 Smale John (Sir) 1869–80 Smith C. C. 1870–78 Smith C. G. 1947–66 (HT 53–57) Smith C. P. (Rev.) 1949–53 Smith N. L. 1921–26 (HT 21–22) Smith T. Sercomber 1896–2005 Snowden (Justice) 1876–79; 82 Stabb J. 1910–19 Stone L. B. 1958–59 Swann Dean (Very Rev.) 1927–34 Talbot T. (Rev.) 1871 Tam T. F. Martin 2003–present Tan Victor 2006–07 Tang Yau Ting 1956–57 Taylor Eric Stuart (Sir) 1927–28 Taylor J. B. 1869 Temple F. S. (Very Rev.) 1953–59 Thompson C. E. (Rev.) 1909–11 Thomson Ross 1918–19 Thornhill A. B. (Rev.) 1909 Tien P. S. 1990–92 Tong P. (Rev.) 1999–present Trueman R. (Rev.) 1955–61 Tsang P. (Ven.) 1981–2005 Tsui Louis (Bishop) 1996–2008 (C 00–08) Turner A. 1901–12 Vine P. A. L. 1970–2001 Wade R. H. R. 1924 Walker R. S. 1869 (HS); 73 Walter John 1886–87 Wan E. Y. H. 1978–present (HT 03–present) Wang K. 1985–95 Way H. C. B. ?1935–36? Weall T. G. 1926–30 Whitfeild H. W. (Major-General) 1869–74 Whittall James 1872–75 (HT)

Appendix 1

Name Williams E. H. (Justice) Wodehouse H. E. Wong C. Y. Wong J. M. Wong Ka Tsun Wong Kam Fuk Yang H. C. Young-Herries M. A. R. Zimmern W.

Year 1936–53 1878 1950–51; 60–67 1929–42 1952–54 1929–31? 1992–95 1955–57; 61–70 1961–62

349

350

The Diocesan Boys’ School: 1869–2008

Appendix 2 Senior Staff Members and Teachers

One of the problems we encountered in compiling this list is that some teachers taught in the school for only a short while and, in these cases, the school does not have detailed records. The years given in the list are therefore the years when individual teachers served in the school, irrespective of the duration of their service. For the period before 1930, the years refer to calendar years; after 1950, to academic years; and between 1930 and 1950, to academic years as far as possible, e.g. Miss Halley was matron in the calendar year 1920; Mrs. C. James taught in the calendar years 1920–24; Mr. J Almeida taught in the academic year 1965–66; Mr. J. S. Anderson taught in the academic years 1970–71 to 1976–77. The list does not indicate the length of time a teacher taught in the school within the year: all it shows is that the teacher taught in the school in the specified calendar or academic year(s). The voluntary service of Mrs. M. Shann provides a case in point. The list shows that she was the matron in the academic years 1945–47, but she actually served the school for only 10 months: she joined the staff in May 1946 and left in March 47. However, most of the staff members did serve the entire academic years. The school does not normally consider a member of staff to be a newcomer if he/ she rejoins it after interrupting his/her service for a year or two because of leave or resignation. The same approach is adopted in compiling this list. All involuntary interruptions of service, such as during World War II, and voluntary ones of less than two years, are ignored. Thus the list shows that Mr. Ronnie Cheng’s service spans the period from 1989 to the present day, although he was away from 1993 to 1995. Over the years, some members of staff have changed their titles and/or positions while working in the school. For example, Mr. may have become Dr.; Miss may have changed to Mrs.; and a teacher may have been promoted to headmaster. In the first case, the latest title is used; in the second case, the maiden names are retained and the newly acquired names given in parentheses; and in the last case, the new positions and the years held are in parentheses. For example, Mrs. R. Andress joined the school after she was married; Miss Brice-Tribe became Mrs. Brotchie while teaching in the school; and Mr. Lai joined the teaching staff in 1962 and became headmaster in 1983. Their Chinese names are included if available.

Appendix 2

351

Name

Year

Name

Year

Abbas E. K.

1962–64

Blaynay W.

1894–98

Almeida J.

1965–66

Board D. B. M.

1947–53

Anderson J. S.

1970–77

Bohr P. R.

1972–74

Andress R. (Mrs.)

1938–39?

2004–present

Armour (Miss)

1905–09

Boniface Bernadette (Ms.)

Arnold A. (Mrs.)

1897–2011

Bough A.

1923

Arthur William

1870–78 Headmaster

Bower A.

1921–25

Bowes (Mrs.)

1950–51

Arthur (Mrs.)

1870–78 Matron

Braga L. W. (Mrs.)

1948–49

Brand (Mrs.)

1917–18

Au Anita C. H. (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Brass R. B.

1967–68

Au K. L. ) (

2004–06

Brawn A. O.

1900–09

Brett (Mrs.)

1911–13

Au Peter ) (

2007–present

Brice-Tribe (Mrs. Brotchie)

1948–50

Au R. (Miss)

1969–73

Brittain Donald J.

1948–57

Au Yau Wong

1921–22

Bromfield Jane (Mrs.)

1959–84

Audley (Mrs.)

1913–14

Brown Conrad

Austen (Miss)

1905

Brown J. Duncan

1907–08

Bailey Neil L.

2004–present

Brown P. L.

1904–08

Baker J. (Mrs.)

1955–56

Cadogan-Edwards G. E. 1950–55

Baker P. W.

1955–57

Chain G. (Mrs.)

Ball M. (Miss)

1928–30?

1959–61 Matron

Chan (Mrs.)

1946–47?

Bancroft Sylvia (Miss) ?1934–41?

?1941–42

Barclay J. R.

1894–95

Chan A. (Mrs.) ) (

1992–present

Barlow W. C.

1891

Chan C. K.

1957–58

Barnes William G. F.

1924–25 1961–72

Chan C. Y. Mark ) (

2004–present

Beau G. M. Beau G. W.

1971–74

Chan Chung Ming

1918–19

Benson A. C. (Miss)

1928–30?

?1937–38?

Beyer Alana (Ms.)

2006

Chan Chung Wan ) (

Birtwistle L.

1951–72

Black (Mrs.)

1916–17

Chan Clairine (Ms.) ) (

2003–04

352

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Chan Danny (Ms.) ) (

2006–07

Chan S. D. ) (

1983–88

Chan E.

1990–91

1963–69

Chan E. (Miss)

1968–75

Chan Siu Yu ) (

Chan Eric ) (

2003–present

Chan Sin Sek

1923–24

Chan T. S. W.

Chan J.

1926–27

1920–42 (Bursar 28–42)

Chan J. ) (

1998–present

Chan V.

1998–99

Chan W. (Miss)

1971–74

Chan Jessica (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Chan W. C. James.

1960–61

Chan K. P. (Miss)

1967–68

Chan W. H. (Mrs. Tai) 1982–90 ) (

Chan K. W. (Dr.) ) (

1995–present

Chan Wing Chiu ) (

1958–60

Chan K. W. (Ms.) ) (

2005–present

Chan Y. (Miss) ) (

1997–99

Chan Lily (Ms.) ) (

2004–05

Chan Y. S. ) (

1934–74

Chan Lok Haw

1925

1991–94

Chan M. C. (Miss) ) (

1988–present

Chang C. H. ) (

1982–86

Chan Millie (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Chang T. C. M. ) (

1953–65

Chan N. K. (Mrs. Chong) ) (

1968–88

Chang H. H. ) ( Chang Terence ) (

2000–present Headmaster

Chan Patience (Ms.) ) (

2004–05

Chang T. H. ) (

1946–82

Chan Phyllis J. (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Chang T. C. ) (

1956–66

Chan S. (Miss) ) (

1990–94

Chau C. C. ) (

1983–present

Chan S. C.

1938–42

2007–present

Chan S. T. ) (

1936–42; 50–56; 70–82 (Bursar 70–82)

Chau Carine (Ms.) ) ( Chau Chung U

1910

Chau S. Y. (Miss)

1984–85

Appendix 2

353

Name

Year

Name

Year

Cheang H. C. (Mrs.)

1955–58

Cheung N. (Mrs.)

Chen K. C.

1949–56 Bursar

1971–81 Matron

Cheung Oswald V. ) (

1945–46 Acting headmaster

Cheung S. P. (Miss) ) (

2001–present

Cheung V. (Miss) ) (

1981–00 Matron

Cheung W. K. (Ms.) ) (

2003–present

Chen S. L. (Mrs. Yiu) ) (

1974–80

Chen Wendy. (Ms.)

2005–07

Cheng C. (Miss) ) (

2000–present

Cheng C. M.

1981–82

Cheng Gordon

1964–66

Cheng K. Y. ) (

1961–85

Cheung Wing Ngok ) (

1938–39

Cheng P. ) (

1992–present

Chiang Grace (Ms.) ) (

2005–07

Cheng Ronnie ) (

1989–present

Chiang K. C. ) (

1990–98

Cheung B. (Miss)

1986–87 1984–91

Chiba Shamima A. (Miss)

1975–81

Cheung B. S. (Miss) ) (

Chin Park, Thomas

Cheung C. H. ) (

2003–present

1945–47 Bursar

Ching C. H.

1940–42

Cheung C. L. ) (

2002–present

Ching C. Y. ) (

1984–present

Cheung C. M.

1989–90

Ching Henry

1958–60

Cheung Chung Foo

1927 1946–55

Chiu Beatrice (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Cheung E. R. Cheung Gloria (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Chiu C. A. (Ms.) ) (

1998–present

Cheung Hon Cha

1912–17

Chiu Cheung Po

1918–21

Cheung Ivan.

2006–07

Chiu Ho Ping

1886–88

Cheung L.

1968–69

Chiu Kau Chau

1924–25

Cheung L. (Mrs.) ) (

1984–present

Chiu N. (Mrs.) ) (

1988–96

Cheung M. K.

1989–90

2004–07

Cheung Matthew ) (

2006–08

Chiu Perla (Ms.) ) (

354

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Cho K. W. ) (

1993–present

Chu K. W. ) (

1940–75

Choi A. (Mrs. Cheng) 1978–92 ) (

Chu K. Y. (Ms.) ) (

2003–present

Choi (Choy) N. M. ) (

1982–present

Chu N. F. (Miss) ) (

1985–89

Chow E. T. ) (

1958–73

Chu S. F. ) (

1947–51

Chow H. Y. ) (

2006–07

Chu Vivian (Mrs.) ) (

2004–present

Chow K. (Mrs.) ) (

1969–77

Chu W. H. ) (

1988–92

Chow May (Ms.) ) (

2005–06

Chui Eva (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

?1946–47

Chuk M. (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Chun Kit

1912–14

Chung C. M. ) (

1970–83

Chung Chung Pat

1911–12

Chung Susanna (Ms.) ) (

2005–present

Chung T.

1992–93

Co C. P. ) (

1984–87; 2001–02

Connor E. (Mrs.)

1920–22

Cooke Howard S.

1891–94

Cooper (Miss)

1907–08 1902–04

Chow M. C. Chow W. M. (Miss) ) (

2000–present

Chow Wai Tong Thomas ) (

1960–69

Chow Y. W.

1966–67

Choy Camorie (Mrs. Ann) ) (

1968–72

Choy J. (Mrs.) ) (

1974–92

Choy K. N. (Mrs.)

1947–48

Choy K. I. ) (

2004–05

Choy S. (Miss)

1973–75

Cooper C. R. S.

Chu F. Y. (Miss) ) (

2002–present

Cooper Elizabeth (Ms.) 2004–06

Chu K. L. ) (

1981–88

Chu K. W. ) (

1988–90

Corp. May

1914–16

Crawford A.

1931–42

Cubbit (Mrs.)

1949–51

Dalrymple D.

1968–70

Davies G. G.

1937–42

Appendix 2

355

Name

Year

Name

Year

Davies (Mrs.)

1916

Fletcher G. I. (Mrs.)

1952–53

Davis G.

1918–19

1963–64

de Souza G. (Mrs.)

1970–71

Fok Kwong ) (

Dillon M. (Miss)

1924–26

1932–47

Dixon L.

1926

Fok N. H. ) (

Dobinson (Mrs.)

1915–16

Fong K. I. ) (

1983–91

Drummond (Mrs.)

1906

Fong L. (Mrs.)

1974–84

Du Boe R.

1950–60 1947–57

Fong T. H. ) (

2004–06

Du Toit P. E. Dwight A.

1957–61

Ford T. F.

1916–20

Dwight F. (Mrs.)

1960–61

Ford William

?1941–42

Ebrahim M. (Miss)

1974–75

Forster (Mrs.)

1910

Echols J. D.

1961–63

Foster (Mrs.)

1912–13

Edwards (Miss)

1950–51

Frampton G. R.

1898–00

Elliott (Mrs.)

1909–13

Fung C. P.

1979–80

Ellis David C. (Rev.)

1965–69

Fung Hui

1920–26

Falconer

1885–86

2007–present

Fan S. C. ) (

2002–04

Fung James ) ( Fung Mien Chai

1886–88

Farrington Robert G.

1966–86

1937–66

Featherstone William (Rev.)

1918–31 Headmaster

Fung S. K. ) ( Fung Siu Yin ) (

1960–63

Fung Yee Wang ) (

1961–68

Garrod (Mrs.)

1915–17

Ghafur R. (Miss) ) (

1999–present

Giddy (Mrs.)

1912

Goggin (Miss)

1907–20? (cf. F: 54) (Matron 16–20?) 1916–19; 23–25

Felicity M. (Miss)

?1937–38

Feng B. T.

1947–48

Fiddes E. (Miss)

1918–38

Findlay I. (Rev.)

1957–61 Bursar

Fisher C. T.

1963–65

Fisher Ernest W. (Rev.) 1960–65 Fisher J.

1925–27 Bursar

Fisher J. William ) (

1978–97

Goodall (Mrs.)

356

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Goodban Gerald

1938–55 Headmaster

Heron D.E.? K.F.? (Mrs. Hamilton)

1930–36

Goodban M. (Mrs.)

1947–48

Heywood G. S. P.

1934–38

Grimes

1903

Hiekie (Miss)

1914–15

Gu Grace (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Hiller C. (Ms.)

1958–61

Gul P. (Mrs.)

1990–present

Gul S. (Miss)

1995–99

Ha Wing Ho Timothy ) (

Hing E. (Mrs. Du Toit) 1948–57 Ho A. (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

1960–68

Ho B. T. M. ) (

1977–85

Haigh D. C. (Mrs.)

1976–79

1999–06

Hall E. M. (Mrs.)

1960–61

Ho C. (Miss) ) (

Hall H. S.

1905–07

Ho Cheung Hon

1920–22

Hall T. W.

1890–91

Ho D. (Mrs.)

1969–70

Halley (Miss)

1920 Matron

Ho Eve (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Hancock E. (Mrs.)

1924–25

1977–88

Hankins Robin (Miss)

1965–67

Ho H. ) (

Hanwright (Serg.-Major)

1913–14

Ho J. (Miss) ) (

2001–02

Harris H. (Mrs.)

1956–68

Ho L. H. (Ms.)

2004–05

Harris P. (Mrs.) ) (

1993–97

Ho M. W. ) (

1993–present

Hassard M. (Mrs.)

1929–42 Matron

Ho Nelly (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Hau T. (Mrs.) ) (

1998–2000

Ho S. ) (

2001–02

Hayes H. H. M.

1919–20

Ho Sammy ) (

2007–present

Hayward (Miss)

1912 1885–86

Ho Sheeta (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Hayward (Mrs.) Hazeland Frank

1877–78

Ho T. S.

1970–77

Hemery S. G.

1948–50

Ho W. M.

1985–87

Heron D. E. (Miss)

1928–30?

Ho W. N.

1974–77

1928–30?

Ho W. Y. (Miss) ) (

1989–91

Heron K. F. (Miss)

Appendix 2

357

Name

Year

Name

Year

Ho Winnie (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Ip Kam Sam

1921–22; (Bursar 1925)

Hoh E. (Mrs.)

1925–28

2004–present

Hon Pat (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Ip Pauline (Ms.) ) (

2004–05

Hong T. K. ) (

1960–87

Ip Vivian (Ms.) ) ( Iu P. S.

1969–70

Hore S.

1908–12

Jackson H.

1902–04

Horth C. E.

1899

Jacobsen W.

1954–84

Hu Irving T.

1957–58

James C. (Mrs.)

1920–24

Hu Kun Chi

1916–21

Johnson (Mrs.)

1909–11

Huang May (Ms.) ) (

2004–06

Jones C.

2000–04

Jones E.

1917–18

Huang Y. C.

1936–38

Jones J. R.

1964–66

Hughes G.

1971–73

Jordan L. (Mrs.)

1924–25

Hui Chui Ping (Ms.) ) (

2007–08

Kam K. (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Hui H. C. ) (

1946–61

Kan Kennis (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Hui K. H.

1945–46

Kennedy M. (Mrs.)

1966–69

Hui S. D. ) (

1977–04

Ki Yam Yu

1924–26

?1939–42

Kiang T. L. ) (

1962–90

King (Mrs.)

1912

Ko D. (Miss)

1968–69

Ko Grace (Mrs.) ) (

2005–present

Hulse A. J. Hung Doreen (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Hung Jamie (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Hunt S. S.

1921–25

Hunting P.

1964–65

Ko H. Y. Fanny (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Hutchings (Mrs.)

1913–17

Ko Siu Shang

1906

Im W. K. ) (

1987–present

Koh I. (Miss) ) (

2002–03

Ip Chun Nam

1893–00 2005–08

Koo K. H. ) (

1992–95

Ip Joe (Ms.) ) (

358

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Koo Pak Lai ) (

1928–38

Lai Cathy (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Kun J. (Ms.) ) (

1993–present

Lai Hip Choi ) (

1964–69

Kwan A. (Ms.) ) (

2000–present

Lai H. Y. ) (

1986–present

Kwan Fat

1920–22

Kwan W. F. ) (

1998–01

Lai Chak Lun Jacland ) (

1962–2000 (Headmaster 83–00)

Kwan W. S. ) (

1989–93

Lai M. (Miss)

1994–95 1974–81

Kwan W. Y.

1996–97

Lai N. P. ) (

Kwok Andrew ) (

1979–81

Lai S. (Ms.) ) (

2003–present

Kwok Andrew P. ) (

2005–present

Lai W. S. ) (

1990–96

Kwok D. ) (

1980–98

Lai Y. W. ) (

1990–present

Kwok M. C. ) (

1937–50

Lam A. (Miss) ) (

1995–97

Kwok Matthew ) (

2006–present

Lam C.

1981–83 2006–present

Kwok Nancy (Mrs. Davis)

1947–50

Lam Cabriel (Ms.) ) (

2004–06

Kwok Shirley (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Lam Cici (Ms.) ) (

1993–94

Kwok Stephen ) (

2007

Lam G. ) (

2006–present

Kwok W. K.

1979–82

Lam K. ) (

Kwong E. E.

1937–39

1998–present

Kwong S. K. (Ms.) ) (

2003–06

Lam L. K. (Miss) ) (

2004–present

Kwong Yiu Ting ) (

1949–78

Lam M. L. (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Ladd G.

1925–26

Lam Mavis. (Ms.) ) (

Lai C. (Mrs.)

1994–95

Lam P. S. ) (

1946–61

Appendix 2

359

Name

Year

Name

Year

Lam P. Y. ) (

1990–present

Lau K. L. ) (

1985–91

Lam W. H. ) (

1979–89

Lau K. W.

1964–67

Lau P. K.

1930–46

Lamb J. D.

1970–74; 77–88

Lau P. L. ) (

1977–present

Lamsom (Lamsam) K. (Mrs.)

1975–84

Lau Ping Ki

1894–95

2006–present

Lau T. L. ) (

1975–76

Lau W. K. ) (

1981–83

Lang Philip (

)

Langley (Mrs.)

1912–13

Lao C. C. (Lo Ka Hing) 1947–61 ) ( 2005–present

Lau Y. L. ) (

1996–present

Lao Ting Ting (Ms.) ) (

1916–17

Law Carrie (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Larard B. E. Larner R. (Ms.)

1955–58

2004–present

Lau Alexandria (Mrs.) ) (

2006–present

Law Ivy (Ms) ) (

1951–62

Lau Alice (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Law J. N. ) ( Law K. C.

1967–70

Lau Anthony ) (

2004–07

Law L. T. ) (

1919–41

Lau Cherry (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Law T. (Miss)

1962–64 Matron

Lau Din Cheuk ) (

1945–46

Lawrence E. (Mrs.)

1960–61

Lawson D.

1972–73

Lau E. (Mrs.) ) (

1977–85

Leary R. H.

1967–70

Lau H. F. (Miss) ) (

1981–92

Lee C. O. (Mrs.)

1945–46 1984–87

Lau H. S. ) (

1961–62

Lee C. K. ) ( Lee Chiu Yin

1955–56

Lau Jackie (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Lee D.

1957–60

1987–present

Lee S. C. David ) (

1965–67

Lau K. I. ) (

Lee E. (Miss)

1987–90

360

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Lee H. Y. ) (

2004–05

Leung J. (Mrs. Ng) ) (

1978–93

Lee Josiah S.

1891–94

Leung K. Y.

1945–46

Lee M. K. ) (

1975–presesnt

Leung K. C.

1966–67

Leung K. P.

1989–90

Lee P. (Miss)

1981–82 2004–present

Leung Karen (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Lee Quintak ) (

1965–68

Leung L. K. ) (

2004–present

Lee Richard

Leung Marina (Ms.) ) (

2006–08

Leung P. K.

1960–61

Lee R. Lee S. (Mrs.) ) (

?1936–38? 1984–85

Lee Seen

?1946–47

Lee S. F. ) (

1985–89

Leung S. H. Roy ) (

1961–65

Lee S. H.

1962–64

2004–present

Lee S. L. ) (

1979–84

Leung S. L. ) (

2001–present

Lee S. L. (Miss)

1964–67

Leung S. W. (Miss) ) (

Lee S. T.

1989–90

2002–present

Lee S. Y.

1968–69

Leung S. Y. ) (

Lee Thomas ) (

1960–78

Leung Shiu Kuen

1917–18 1988–present

Lee V. G.

1967–68

Leung T. K. ) (

Lee W. L. (Mrs.) ) (

1997–present

Leung W. H. (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Lee Yvonne (Ms.) ) (

2005–06

Leung Y. H.

1962–70 2004–05

Leong C. (Mrs.)

1922–24

Li Andy ) (

Leong D. (Miss) ) (

1991–95

Li Betty (Ms.)

2004–06 Bursar

Leung H. (Mrs.)

1963–70

Li Chi Hing

1923–24

Leung H. W. (Mrs.)

1989–91

Leung I. (Ms.) ) (

1996–00

Leung Po Chiu

?1937–38?

Li C. T.

?1946–47

Li H. C. ) (

1981–91

Appendix 2

361

Name

Year

Name

Year

Li H. K.

1973–74

1960–64

Li Henry ) (

1957–63

Locking J. R. ( )

2006–present

Li J. (Miss) ) (

1999–2000

Lok Monique (Ms.) ) (

1969–88

Li K. W. ) (

1978–80

Loo S. N. (Dr.) ) (

Li Pat

1906–07

Lowcock James ) (

Li S. L. ) (

1986–89

1953–83 (Headmaster 61–83)

Loxton B. A. (Mrs.)

1976–77

Li W. H. ) (

1988–93

Lu Chi Po

1908–20

Lu Cho Hang

1907–08

Lim A. (Miss)

1945–46

2006–present

Ling S.

1939–42

Lu Mabel (Ms.) ) (

Lit Wai Yu John ) (

1961–64

Luard D. I. (Rev.)

1932–37 1992–present

Liu C. H. (Miss)

1964–67

Lui K. W. ) (

Liu Livia (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Lui Nina (Mrs.) ) (

2004–08

Liu N. M.

1957–60

2003–04

Liu Susan (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Lui P. W. ) ( Lui Wai Leung

1916–20

Liu V. (Mrs.) ) (

1993–98

Luk Chan Sun

1922–24 2006–present

Liu W. T. ) (

1963–70

Luk Fionna (Ms.) ) ( Luk Kwai Lin

1922–23

Lo M. ) (

1995–present

Luk L. K.

1946–51

Luk Lun Po

1922–23

Lo Jack ) (

2007–present

Lum R.

1980–82

Lo P.

1968–69

Lun Dionne (Ms.) ) (

2004–05

Lo Phyllis (Ms.) ) (

2003–present Headteacher

Lun K. Y. ) (

1968–02

Loch Gordon ) (

1977–80

Lund-Lack E. I. (Mrs.) 1956–68 Lung K. L. ) (

1967–85

362

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Luong Manh

2006

Mills A. C. (Sergt.)

1929–30?

Lupinell Lionel

1888–90

Mills A. F.

1912–13

Lye W. J.

1882–87

Mo T. K. (Miss)

1962–63

Lyth J. G. (Mrs.)

1919–20

Mo Thomson

1989–90

Ma C. K. ) (

1984–89

Mok James ) (

2004–present

Ma Fanny (Ms.) ) (

2005–08

Mok Sidney ) (

2006–present

Ma Marina (Miss) ) (

1961–64

Mok W. L.

1956–57

Monks B. J.

1931–57

Ma Shiu Tau

1904–10

Moody

1918–19

Ma Sung Ku

1910–19

Mooney P.

1922–23

Macbeth I.

1964–69

Moore P. A. (Miss)

1973–74

Machell William

1887–90

Moran Peter

2006–present

Mackey (Mrs.)

1923

1961–62

Maher R.

1960–61

Morris Alan ) (

Mak B.

1972–74

Morrison Marc M

2004–06

Mak C. S. ) (

1980–04

Nash L. L. (Rev.)

1933–38

Newton (Mrs.)

1949–50

Mak S. Y. (Dr.) ) (

1973–76

Ng C. H. ) (

1991–94

Mak Wai Ping, Eliza (Miss) ) (

1990–03 Bursar

Ng C. K. ) (

1985–88

Manners W. H.

1896–98

Ng Chung Sing

1922–23

Mao S. Y. (Dr.) ) (

2000–01

Ng J. (

1972–87

Marsh (Miss)

1924–25

Mason F.

1923–35

Mason R.

1950–52

Massey (Miss)

?1937–38

)

Ng K. (Miss)

1970–71

Ng K. K. ) (

1987–present

Ng K. M. ) (

1985–present 1994–present 1969–70

Massey F. (Miss)

1923–25

McLean J. (Mrs.)

1974–75

Ng K. S. ) (

Meech D. (Ms.) ) (

1992–01

Ng K. W.

Appendix 2

363

Name

Year

Name

Year

Ng Michelle (Ms.) ) (

2005–present

Pawson J. M.

1960–64

Pennell W. V.

1913–15

Ng Ming Lun ) (

1963–64

Perkins E. (Miss)

1920–24

Ng Natalie (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Perkins G.

1910–15

Phillips H. L. (Rev.)

1958–61

Ng P. L. ) (

1961–62

Phillips R.W.

1956–57

Pierce E. A.

1918

Ng S. L. ) (

2005–pressent

Piercy George

1878–18 Headmaster

Ng Vicky (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Piercy (Mrs.)

1879–2009 Matron

Ng Victor

2005–06

2004–present

Ng Wing Ho ) (

2003–04

Po May (Ms.) ) (

1985–00

Po Penny ) (

2007–present

Ng Y. C. (Miss) ) (

1962–67

Niu Y. C.

1953–55

Poon Koon Yui ) (

Noble

1904–06

Poon M. (Miss)

1921–30

Ong W. S.

1947–50 Bursar

Poon Sui Fung

1926–30? 1994–96

Ong V.

1991–92

Poon W. K. ) (

Or W. L. (Ms.) ) (

2005–present

Poon Y. D.

1917–18

Prew A. G. F.

1924–42

Osborne G. R.

1918–19

Prew I. (Mrs.)

Osborne P. ) (

1994–present

1946–56 Matron

Prew N. H. F.

1924–25

Owen E. O. (Mrs.)

1949–50

Priestley C. T.

1959–63

Pak T. K. ) (

1986–90

Pun T. W. (Dr.) ) (

1962–63

Pang W. C. (Dr.) ) (

1990–06

Pyner H. du T. (Rev.)

Pao D. (Miss) ) (

1985–88

1920–32 (Acting Headmaster 31–32)

Parkes J. H.

1918–19

Quie H. (Mrs.)

Paters W.

1915–16

1956–59 Matron

364

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Rainer G. H.

1919–20

Simpson (Mrs.)

1910–11

Rakesh Chandni (Mrs.) 2004–present

Sin Ping Kwan

1907–10

Ralphs E.

1895–96

Sit

1909–10

Reynolds F. W. J.

1918–19

1972–74

Richard S. P. (Dr.)

1992–93

Sit Victor ) (

Ring M. E. (Mrs.)

1920

1997–98

Rodd H.

1919–20

Siu A. (Mrs.) ) (

Roebuck J. W. (Rev.)

1953–54

Siu C. M. ) (

1964–65

Rosario M. ) (

1981–2008

Smirnoff G. (Mrs.)

1964–71 Matron

Rosenthall D. (Rev.)

1940–42

Smith E. R.

1946–51

Rosser (Miss)

1918–19

Smith J. R. M.

1939–42

Routledge C. L. (Miss) 1948–49

Smyly W. J.

1960–65

Sapper Clarke

1916–18

Snuggs E. T.

1900–01

Sarcher-Waller P.

1975–79

Snuggs (Mrs.)

1900–01

Sargent Christopher

1932–39 Headmaster

So Ming Yuen

1923–25; 28–30?

Sarrazin T.

1996–00 1945–46

So Stephanie (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Sayer K.

So T. M. ) (

1992–present

Sayers M. W.

?1941–42

Seed B.

1968–79

Sei Kenneth ) (

1968–98

Soo Q. C. ) (

1967–68

Seto K. Y. ) (

2004–05

Sourd J. M. ) (

1993–present

Shann C. B. (Rev.)

1945–47

Southerton R. C.

1913–15

Shann M. (Mrs.,)

1945–47 Matron

Stapleton C. I.

1946–47

Stearn A. J. S. (Rev.)

1919–22

Shaw J. A.

1927–30?

Stradmoor N.

1926–27

Shaw (Mrs.)

1920–21 Matron

Street J.

1918–19

Sung Chi Yau

1888–90

She Dorothy (Mrs.)

1956–59

Sung Pat Tat

Shuen Felix ) (

2007–present

1917–24 (Bursar 22–24)

Sykes H.

1898–20

Appendix 2

365

Name

Year

Name

Year

Sze M. M.

1988–89

Thompson J.

1916–18

Sze W. L.

1989–92

Thomson T. C. (Dr.)

1893–94

Tai C. ) (

1998–present

Thomson T. C. (Mrs.) 1893–94 Thomson (Mrs.)

1914–15

Tai Cherry (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

To C. K. ) (

1983–85

Tai P. M. (Miss) ) (

1974–88

To M. (Mrs.) ) (

1992–present

Tai S. K. ) (

1956–67

To P. (

1997–98

Tai T. C. ) (

1987–93

Tong C. M. (Ms.) ) (

2005–present

Tai Y. S. Stephen ) (

1961–63

Tong R. (Miss)

1947–48

Tam Simone (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Trafford D.

1920–30

Tribble (Mrs.)

1946–47

Tan L. H. ) (

1998–present

Tsang Connie (Mrs.) ) (

2007–present

Tang H. Y.

1946–57

2007–present

Tang H. Y. (Miss) ) (

2002–present

Tsang Crystal (Ms.) ) (

2005–present

Tang How Chou

1900–06

Tsang M. M. Mimi (Ms.) ) (

Tang K. K. ) (

1961–64

Tsang Ting Ming ) (

1946–56

Tang M. S. ) (

1996–97

Tsang Wisdom ) (

1993–95

Tang R. (Mrs.) ) (

1995–97

Tse A. ) (

1990–03

Tang S. Y.

1957–60 1985–88

Tse C. K. ) (

1991–present

Tang W. (Miss) Tanner B.

1896–99

1970–73

Tao P. K. ) (

1968–84

Tse Chiu Ming (Miss) ) (

1977–93

Thomas E. C.

1920–42

Tse C. S. ) (

Thomas M. E. (Mrs.)

1947–48

Tse K. L. ) (

1988–94

Thomas P. K. (Mrs.)

1978–82

)

366

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Tse L. (Miss) ) (

1990–99

Wan C. Y. ( )

1988–present

Tse M. C. (Mrs. Tso) ) (

1985–present

Wan Ronald ) (

2005–06

Tse Maple (Ms.) ) (

2007–present

Wan Y. H. Edward ) (

2003–present Bursar

Tse S. (Mrs.)

1982–90 Bursar

Wan H. N. Sady (Ms.) 2006–present ) (

Tse Sau Tin

1910–16

Wan Lai Chun

1918–20

Tsoi Cheung For ) (

1935–37

Wan O. (Ms.) ) (

2004–07

Tsoi Kwok Kwan ) (

1964–68

Waung William ) (

1960–61

Tsui B. ) (

1998–present

Wearn P. (Mrs.)

1972–74

Wei K.

1963–65

Tsui Ken ) (

2007–present

Wei M. (Mrs. Lai) ) (

1964–78

Tsz Do Chiu

1892–93

Wei P. (Miss)

1950–52

Tsze Tin Tseung

1927–28

Whitcombe M. G. S. (Rev.)

1969–72

White (Miss)

1913–19

White Brett E.

2004–present

Whitfield F. C.

1937–54

Whittick F. G.

1900–01

Whittle Peter J. F.

1956–60

Wilkin J.

1918–20

Williamson P.

1965–66

Wilson C. E.

1916–18

Tuxford Clarissa (Mrs.) 1906–15 (Matron 09–15) U Kwan U

1913–14

Vessoona (Mrs.)

1924–25

Viveash A.

1908–15

Viveash W. H.

1908–15

Walden M. C. (Mrs.)

?1939–42

Walker Harries (Mrs.)

1913 Matron

Walker M. T.

1958–60

Winfield (Mrs.)

1916–21

Wall (Mrs.)

1911–12

Wishart (Mrs.)

1914–15

Waller C.E. (Mrs.)

1921–29 Matron

Witchell (Miss)

1915

Wong A. (Mrs.)

1967–76

Walton (Mrs.)

1934–35 1965–70

Wong Arnold ) (

1956–64

Wan Shiu Bun Bobby ) (

Wong B.

1978–84

Appendix 2

367

Name

Year

Name

Year

Wong B. (Miss) ) (

1994–98

Wong M. (Miss)

1971–76

1997–present

Wong Rebecca (Mrs.) ) (

1956–68

Wong C. P. ) (

Wong S. H.

1956–60

Wong C. W.

1989–90 1965–68

Wong S. K. ) (

1978–90

Wong C. Y.

Wong Catherine (Ms.) 2007–present ) (

Wong Shan ) (

2007–present

Wong Cherry (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Wong Siu Kit ) (

1961–64

Wong D.

1975–76

Wong Sheung Lam

1922–23

Wong Daisy (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Wong Shu Yuen

1916–17

1988–present

Wong W. F. (Mrs.) ) (

1982–present

Wong E. I. K. ) (

2004–present

Wong W. M. (Miss) ) (

2002–03

Wong Edward ) (

2006–present

Wong W. Y. ) (

1961–73

Wong Jennifer (Ms.) ) (

1990–91

Wong W. Y. ) (

1976–92

Wong K. (Miss) Wong K. (Ms.) ) (

2003–05

Wong Winnie (Ms.) ) (

2005–present

Wong K. C. ) (

1990–95

Wong Y. T. (Miss) ) (

2002–present

Wong K. L.

1956–58

1990–present

Wong K. L.

1985–86

Woo C. ) (

Wong K. L. ) (

2006–present

Woo H. L.

1957–60 2006–present

Wong K. L. (Ms.) ) (

1986–present

Woo Joanna (Ms.) ) ( Wreford (Mrs.)

1910

Wong Kai Leung

1922–25

2004–05

Wong Kaing Wo

1907–08

Wu Amanda (Ms.) ) (

Wong Kenneth ) (

2006–present

Wu C. S. ) (

2003–04

Wong L. M. (Mrs.)

1939–42

1957–60

Wong Man Wah

1947–48

Wu Ernest ) (

368

Appendix 2

Name

Year

Name

Year

Wu J. L.

1952–53

Wu K. Y.

1984–85

Yiu Kiu. Kwan (Miss) ( )

2000–03 Matron

Wu Marion (Mrs.)

1955–57

2007–present

Wu Sheng Te Theodore (Rev.) ) (

1947–60

Yiu Violet (Ms.) ) ( Young C. S.

1955–60 1924–63

Yan Mandy (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Young Saye J. L. ) (

2001–02

Yan S. F. (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Yu A. ) (

2004–05

Yap S. T. ) (

1980–89

Yue Joanna (Ms.) ) (

1991–present

Yau

1908–09

Yu K. K. ) (

Yeung R. ) (

1999–2000

Yu S. S. ) (

1941–56

Yeung W. S. ) (

2003–present

Yue T.

1971–72

Yuen A. W. P.

1923–24

Yick Agnes (Ms.) ) (

2005–present

Yuen H. N. (Ms.) ) (

2004–present

Yin Cherry (Ms.) ) (

2006–07

Yuen J. (Ms.) ) (

2003–05

Yin P. J. ) (

1954–55

Yuen Ka Li (Ms.) ) (

2006–07

Yip Alvis ) (

2005–06

Yuen Lowell. (Ms.) ) (

2006–present

Yip C. H. ) (

1979–84

Yuen S. Y. (Ms.) ) (

2003–07

Yip E. (Mrs.)

1982–84

Yuen Tsoi King

1927–30

Yip Emily (Mrs.) ) (

2003–present

Yung C. K. ) (

1973–present

Yip K. ) (

1988–present

Yung K. M. ) (

1978–82

Yip Luke ) (

2003–05

Yung T. ) (

1951–53

Yip Y. K.

1976–81

Zee D. ) (

1965–67

Staff and Students

369

Appendix 3 Senior and Second Prefects

The prefect system, introduced by Mr. Piercy in 1916, was consolidated and improved by Mr. Featherstone in the 1920s. Featherstone appointed two groups of prefects, one for the day school and another for the boarding school, each led by a senior prefect, assisted by a second prefect. The system has undergone changes over time, but the pattern remains basically the same. Because the records for the period 1930 to 1950 are largely destroyed, it is not certain whether the empty cells in these years reflect the real situation or are caused by lack of information. For the academic year 1945–46, the school operated for only about three months in 1946, starting from the end of April. The two senior prefects were appointed in early May. Day School Year

Senior

Boarding School Second

Senior

Second

1920–21 Kor Bu-lok 1921–22 Prew A. G. F.

Kam Cheung-fai

Prew A. G. F.

Wong A.

1922–23 Mooney P.

Yuen Kwok-huen

Mooney P.

Wong Ching-tung

1923–24 Wong Ching-tung Lau Po-yee

Wong Ching-tung Yau Yik-kai

1924–25 Woo Hing-tak

Ladd G.

Yau Yik-hing

1925–26 Ladd G. S.

Chung Yee-wing

Yau Yik-hing

1926–27 Dixon L. R.

Wong Kwong-yan Dixon L. R.

Jackson H.

1927–28 Chan Leung-chi

Anderson D. J. N. Wee Chai-eng

Waller P. A.

Ladd G. S.

1928–29 Anderson D. J. N. Ma Chiu-chong

Wee Chai-eng

Waller P. A.

1929–30 Ma Chiu-cheng

Lee Ian-to

Yeung Kwok-leung

Kwan Wing-hong

1930–31 Prata A. M. 1931–32 Kan Po Chi 1932–33 Wong Sik Hon 1933–34 Wong King Sing 1934–35 Prettejohn John

Prettejohn John Ong Cheng Su Hulse A. J.

1935–36 Lui Kwai Wing

Chang H. Dudley J.

370

Appendix 3

Year

Senior

Day School

Boarding School Second

Senior

Second

1936–37 Kaan Che Wan 1937–38 Ip Yee

Kann Wah Tuen

1938–39 Lyen David

Wong Cheong Kit

1939–40 Mazuza E.

Mazuza E.

1940–41 Leung Ki Kai 1941–42 Kenneth Ho

Tsang Ki Yim

1945–46 Lai Sik Bun

Lim Collin

1946–47 Lai Sik Bun

Lim Collin

1947–48 Tan Ronald

Ng Cheuk Fun

Tan Ronald

1948–49 Ng Cheuk Fun

Yu Ho Ming

Wong Sik Man

1949–50 Cheung D.

Li Franklin

Pairat Bencharit

Tai Siu Kay

1950–51 Ching H.

Pan Alec

Pan Alec

Ho Cho Man

1951–52 Cheng Man Ching Choy Michael

Chang Thomas

1952–53 Cheng Man Ching Kent Gerald

Ho Po Kwai

1953–54 Wai Tsang Wing

Cheng Jay

Chan Wai Leung

1954–55 Cheng Jay

Stewart Henry

Chan Wai Leung

1955–56 Wong Siu Kit

Shea Dennis

Yip Luke

1956–57 Wong Siu Kit

Shea Dennis

Brumwell Bevan

1957–58 Tsang Reginald

Brumwell Bevan Mayne Ronald

Brumwell Bevan

1958–59 Fisher William J.

Leung Koon Chor Fisher William J. Goodair John

1959–60 Yeung Po Lim

Goodair John Lau Josiah

Goodair John

1960–61 Pau Wing Iu

Chadd Thomas

Chadd Thomas

Goodair John

Kaan Sheung Shun 1961–62 Chan Ho

Fu Hung

Chaloemtiarna Thip

1962–63 Wahab Reginald Michael

Yu Yu Hei

Fang Shu Tung Leslie

1963–64 Ng Ting Yee Ronald

So Sing Cho

Fang Shu Tung Leslie

1964–65 Yang Hung Ping Victor

Mak See Sing Joseph

Chou Benjamin

1965–66 Chou Benjamin

Tam Man Keung

Chiu Kai Wing Herbert

1966–67 Kosolcharoen Peter

Kwok Chi Hung Peter

Chiu Kai Wing Herbert

Appendix 3 Day School Year

Senior

371

Boarding School Second

Senior

1967–68 Lam Man Ho Maurice

Ho Chi Ping

Huang Kin Henry Vincent

1968–69 Huang Kin Henry Vincent

Chan Woon Tong Huang Yin Hanson

1969–70 Huang Yin Hanson

Yeung Hung Yiu

Li Man Wan William

1970–71 Kotewall Robert

Cheung Leung

Lau Hon Tung James

1971–72 Lau Ka Pun David

Tang Hon Chung Robert

Lau Hon Tung James

1972–73 Lai Cham Fai

Chan Sheung Wai Chien Karl Fung Charles Prettejohn Michael

1973–74 Lui Lap Tei Andrew

Yau Chan Ban Lee Wai Wo Stephen

Tsim Kok Chi

1974–75 Au Si Wing Albert

Fong Chi Wai Alex Lau Chi Ming

Willis Paul Denis

1975–76 Cheng Chi Tak Kingsley

Tse Ka Fai Albert Wu Ka Shing Wahab Abu Bakar Bin

1976–77 Chow Tak Nin Thomas

Chung Ting Yiu Robert Butt Aaron

Tang Tze Leung D.

1977–78 Yiu Francis

Barma Aarif Lam Benny

Tang Tze Leung D.

1978–79 Kung Chun Fai Frederick

Lee Chai Ning Gary

Suen Tai On

1979–80 Ng Tien Yue Alan

Chung Tsz Leung Julian

Li Kwong Chi

1980–81 Tung Tat Chiu Michael

Lau Hoi Yee John

1981–82 Shek Yan Kit Raymond

Cheung Jackson Wong Man Kee Danny

1982–83 Mok Cho Leung Davie

Au Wing Yip Gordon

1983–84 Barma Hussein Tyebjee

Wong Lok Foo

Second

Wong Si Cho Joseph

Chien Hoi Fung Karl F.

372

Appendix 3

Year

Senior

Day School

Boarding School Second

1984–85 Lau Harvey

Jacobsen William Keith Mony Chi Cheong Peter

1985–86 Leung Yat-Wah Lewis

Cheung Dickson Li Shiu–Ki Ernest

1986–87 Lee Kwo Hang Felix

Siu Shing Shun Nelson Ng Man Wai Stanley

1987–88 Wan Chai Tong Joseph

Wong Joseph Francis Jacobsen Anthony Paul

1988–89 Chan Yue Hung Henry

Liauw Chung Ping John Tang Yu Ming Nelson

1989–90 Ho Frederick

Chan Andy Cheung Leo

Senior

1990–91 Tse Bun Benjamin Chung Man Kin Patrick Lai Hok Leung Raymond 1991–92 Yeung Ping Kuen Ivan

Chong Ngai Keung Johnny Pang Chiu Chi George

1992–93 Chan Joon Sun Johnson

Tsui Sui Ming Barry Yang Heng Yan Jeff

1993–94 Chan Wai Yin Jammy

Cheuk Chung Hong Byron Wong Sun Kit

1994–95 Lau Lik Wah David

Kang Alan Chan Yeuk

1995–96 Tsang Tak Fai Alby

Chung Sing Fook Rudy Fong Tung Shing Anthony

1996–97 Ho Yu Hin Eric

Chan Hung Chiu Kingsley

Second

Appendix 3 Day School Year

Senior

Boarding School Second Lee Sze Ming Derek

1997–98 Lau Wing Kei

Ieong King Hang Thomas Wong Yu Tsang Alex

1998–99 Kwok Yuk Lun Alan

Law Hok Yin Anson Leung Chi Wah Jimmy

1999– 2000

Chan Kai Cheung Wan Hiu Man Jeff Simon Ko Ka Fai

2000–01 Lung Donald Andrew

Wong Hei Sunny To Chun Man

2001–02 Mak Chu Kay

Tsang Kwok Bun Yuen Ho Hay Emmanuel

2002–03 Leung Hong Wang Lee Kenny Yip Kim Wai 2003–04 Teoh Yuen Chun Jeremy

Suen Yiu Tung Sun Ho Chau

2004–05 Hon Chung Hei

Ng Hann Yann Isaac Suen To Lam

2005–06 Man Ho Yin

Cheung Chi Hang Cheung Hoi Kwan

2006–07 Chow Yun Sang Sunny

Lo Kwun Hin Lam Lai Shun

2007–08 Leung Kin Tak

Yim Yu Ho Lai Kam Kwan

Senior

Second

373

374

Appendix 4

Appendix 4 Glossary of Abbreviations

AAT A-level AS-level CDC CDI CMI CMS CUHK DBS DBSO DBSPTA DGS DHO DNFTS DPS DSO DSOBA DSS EC ECR ED EDB EMB EMI FES GDP HKCEE HKSAR HKSCE HKU H-level HYS IB ICAC IT

Academic Aptitude Test Advanced Level Advanced Supplementary Level Curriculum Development Committee Curriculum Development Institute Chinese Medium of Instruction Church Mission Society Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Diocesan Boys’ School Diocesan Boys’ School and Orphanage Diocesan Boys’ School Parent-Teacher Association Diocesan Girls’ School Diocesan Home and Orphanage Diocesan Native Female Training School Diocesan Preparatory School Diocesan School and Orphanage Diocesan School Old Boys’ Association Direct Subsidy Scheme Education Commission Education Commission Report Education Department Education Bureau Education and Manpower Bureau English Medium of Instruction Female Education Society (Society for Promoting Female Education in the East) Gross Domestic Product Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Hong Kong School Certificate Examination University of Hong Kong, The Higher Level Heep Yunn School International Baccalaureate Independent Commission Against Corruption Information Technology

Appendix 4

JSEA LMS MOI OECD PAS PRC SARS SCM SCMP SMI SSEE SSPA TWG UNICEF USA USSR

Junior Secondary Education Assessment London Missionary Society Medium of Instruction Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Provisional Acceptance Scheme People’s Republic of China Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Student Christian Movement South China Morning Post School Management Initiative Secondary School Entrance Examination Secondary School Places Allocation Transition Working Group United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund United States of America Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

375

376

Appendix 5

Appendix 5 Explanation of Terms

1.

Terms related to the allocation of places to secondary schools

The expansion of primary education in the mid-1950s caused the government to use the Joint Primary 6 Examination, instituted in 1949 to mark the completion of primary education, as a means of selecting students for secondary schools in 1955. Prior to that, a Special Scholarship Examination for Primary 6 Students had already been instituted in 1952. These two examinations were combined in 1956 and renamed the Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE) in 1963. In the 1970s, the SSEE was severely criticized by liberal educators for distorting the primary school curriculum and being too competitive. It was replaced by the Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) system in 1978. In the SSPA system, individual schools had control of only a very limited number of Secondary 1 (Form 1) places, called “discretionary places”, the majority being allotted centrally by the government based on school nets, parental choices, students’ bandings and their random numbers. The banding was based on the internal assessments of students whose aggregate term marks for Primary 5 (second term) and 6 (first and second terms) were scaled by the performance of the school in a centrally administered Academic Aptitude Test (AAT). All Primary 6 students in the same school net were ranked, based on their scaled scores, and divided equally into five “bands”. While the number of students in each band was the same within each school net, the number in each band differed among schools depending on their students’ AAT results. The banding of an individual student was determined by his or her internal assessment results as scaled by his or her school’s AAT results. Band 1 students (the top 20%) were allocated a place first, followed by Band 2, then Band 3 and so on for the other bands. For students in the same band, the order in which their choices (parents’ choices) would be processed was based on their computer-generated random numbers. Hong Kong was divided into a number of school nets drawn up basically according to the administrative districts. Generally speaking, all primary school leavers were allocated to secondary schools within the same district that their primary schools belonged to, but some secondary schools — including DBS, prior to joining the DSS — served primary schools from several nets. A similar method, known as the Junior Secondary Education Assessment (JSEA), was used to allocate subsidized senior secondary places to Secondary 3 leavers when the nine-year universal education scheme was fully implemented in 1981.

Appendix 5

2.

377

Terms related to education policy-making and administration

An Education Committee was set up in 1847 to monitor the Chinese village schools receiving a small grant from the government. It was replaced by a more powerful Board of Education in 1860, which was further upgraded to a Department of Government Schools in 1865, later known as the Education Department (ED). Headed by a director, it functioned as a branch of the government secretariat. In 1983, this branch was also charged with the responsibility for human resource planning and was renamed the Education and Manpower Branch. It was then headed by a secretary, to whom the director of education reported. After 1997, the branch was called the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB). In 2003, the Education Department was merged with the bureau; and since then it has been headed by a politically appointed secretary, assisted by a civil servant carrying the title of permanent secretary. In 2007, the EMB released its responsibility for manpower planning and was renamed the Education Bureau (EDB). It has been the government’s policy to institute an Education Commission as an advisory body from time to time to help it formulate educational policies. Over the years, three such commissions have been formed: the first in 1880, the second in 1964 and the third, which still exists, in 1984. Since the 1970s, it has been the general practice of the government to first issue a consultative paper, called a Green Paper, for public discussion before producing a policy paper, a White Paper, for implementation.

3.

Terms related to the educational structure in Hong Kong

After World War II, there were two types of schools in Hong Kong. The Anglo-Chinese schools, then commonly known as “English schools”, of which DBS was one, followed the English tradition and offered an eight-year curriculum, with Class 8 as the lowest class and Class 1 as the highest. There were also Chinese schools which followed the Chinese (originally American) system and offered a twelve-year course, with six years of primary (P1 to P6), three years of junior middle (JM1 to JM3) and three years of senior middle (SM1 to SM3) education. Some of these schools still followed the nomenclature used before the war and referred to the first four years of primary school as Lower Primary and the last two years as Upper Primary. Chinese students usually completed the Lower Primary before joining an English school at Class 8. In 1951, the government restructured the educational system whereby all primary schools offered a six-year curriculum taught in Chinese and Anglo-Chinese secondary schools offered a 5+1 curriculum taught in English. The new names for these classes were Primary 1 to 6 for primary schools and Form 1 to 6 for secondary schools. In the mid–1950s, a Form 7, initially called Upper 6 with Form 6 as Lower 6, was added to the secondary schools. The government started to use the term “Secondary” instead of “Form” in the 1980s, but many schools preferred not to make any change. The 5+2 structure for secondary schools will change in 2009, when the 6+3+3+4 system is

378

Appendix 5

adopted for all schools, irrespective of whether they are Chinese or Anglo-Chinese ones. DBS used “Grades” to name the primary classes at the start and adopted the same for Form 1 in 2006. The rate of change for the secondary division is one grade a year and the whole process will be completed in 2011. Age 6 7 8 9 10 DBS before 1950 C8 DBS after 1951 P5 DBS after 1970 DBS after 2011 G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 Chinese schools P1 P2 P3 P4 P5

4.

11 C7 P6

12 C6 F1 F1 G6 G7 P6 JM1

13 C5 F2 F2 G8 JM2

14 C4 F3 F3 G9 JM3

15 C3 F4 F4 G10 SM1

16 C2 F5 F5 G11 SM2

17 18 C1 F6 F7 F6 F7 G12 SM3

Terms related to school leaving and university entrance examinations.

The Cambridge Local Examinations were introduced to Hong Kong in 1887, but were replaced by the Oxford Local Examinations in 1889. The latter had three levels: Senior for Class 1, Junior for Class 2 and Preliminary for Class 3. The University of Hong Kong Matriculation Examination, introduced in the year 1913–14, gradually replaced the Oxford Local Examinations. This examination also had three levels: Class 1 took Matriculation or Senior Level and Class 2 took Junior Level. Eventually the Senior Level was dropped and the Junior Level replaced by the English School Certificate Examination. In the first half of the 1950s, when the matriculation course was extended to two years, the Matriculation Examination included two levels: the Advanced Level and the Ordinary Level, but the latter ceased in 1966. For a major part of the 1950s and 1960s, there were three local public examinations for Anglo-Chinese secondary school students in Hong Kong: A-level for Form 6 Upper (F7), O-level for Form 6 Lower (F6)and the English School Certificate Examination for Form 5. Although the five-year English (actually Anglo-Chinese) secondary schools and the six-year Chinese middle schools had existed side-by-side in Hong Kong since the 1920s, there was only one public examination for school leavers, the Hong Kong School Certificate Examination (renamed the Hong Kong English School Certificate Examination in 1961), which was administered to the English school graduates, before 1952. In that year, the Hong Kong Chinese School Certificate Examination was introduced. Starting from 1965, with the completion of the change in the structure of Chinese middle schools to 5+1, this examination was taken at the end of the fifth year, followed by a Higher Level examination a year later, the latter being administered by CUHK as its entrance examination. In 1968, the two “School Certificate Examinations” were renamed “Certificate of Education Examinations”. They were combined in 1974 as the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE). The Hong Kong Examinations Authority, which was established in 1977 (and was renamed the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority in 2002), took

Appendix 5

379

over these examinations one by one as follows: HKCEE from the ED in 1978, H-level from CUHK in 1979 and A-level from HKU in 1980. In 1992, the H-level was replaced by the AS-level (Advanced Supplementary Level).

5.

Terms related to types of schools

Schools in Hong Kong can be classified by (a) their medium of instruction into Chinese medium of instruction (CMI) schools and English medium of instruction (EMI) schools or (b) by their mode of finance and governance into government schools (financed and managed by the government), aided schools (financed by the government but managed by voluntary bodies), DSS schools (recurrent expenditure dependent on both government subsidy and school fees) and private independent schools (recurrent expenditure dependent on school fees only). Chinese and English schools have co-existed in Hong Kong since the arrival of Ying Wa College in 1843. Today, about three-quarters of the secondary schools use Chinese as the medium of instruction at junior secondary levels and one-quarter use English. The grant-in-aid code was introduced in 1873 to offer some financial aid to voluntary schools. It has since been revised several times with a view to increasing the government’s involvement in their finance and management. After World War II, grant schools were basically fully supported by public funds, but they were still permitted to charge the parents a fee, known as tong fai, to facilitate their management. The subsidy code, implemented soon after the war, was intended to promote vernacular education at the primary school level, but it was revised in 1956 to include secondary schools. After 1960, all new primary and secondary schools were built under this code. Thus, for a period of time, there were two types of aided secondary schools, the grant schools and the subsidized schools. The grant-in-aid code and the subsidy code were finally unified in 1973; and from then, apart from government schools, all schools in the public sector were subvented under the code of aid. In the late 1950s, as only a very small proportion of secondary schools were publicly financed and most of the students in private schools came from rather poor families, the government accepted the supervisor of New Method College Mr. Wilson Wang’s recommendation to offer “scholarships” to some students studying in private schools. In 1978, the government wanted to provide nine years of free and compulsory education to all, but there were insufficient places in public-sector schools. So, instead of offering “scholarships” to some, it bought places in selected private schools for all who were eligible. By 1988, secondary education in Hong Kong had developed to such an extent that the need to buy places from private schools was disappearing. To encourage the growth of a strong private sector offering more educational choices for parents and students and to enable good private schools to survive, the government introduced the direct subsidy scheme (DSS) in 1991. A DSS school is not only awarded a substantial recurrent subsidy on a per capita basis but is also permitted to charge parents an “economic” fee and is given much more freedom than an aided school in discharging its duties.

380

Appendix 6

Appendix 6 Chronicle of Events

Year Outside the school

In the school

1842 Ceding of Hong Kong to the British 1843 Arrival of missionaries and Ying Wa College 1860 Cession of Kowloon, Peking DNFTS established Convention; Start of Self-Strengthening Movement in China 1862 Central School founded 1869

DHO founded, replacing DNFTS

1870

Arthur became headmaster

1873 Grant-in-aid code introduced 1878

DHO joined grant-in-aid scheme; Arthur left; Bishop Burdon versus Keswick

1879

Piercy took over; no more new girls as boarders

1886 Cambridge Local Exams introduced to HK 1887

DHO first took part in Cambridge Local Exams

1889 Cambridge Local Exams replaced by Oxford Local Exams in HK 1892

All girls left; DHO renamed DSO

1902

DSO renamed DBSO

1908 All schools in HK begin to start and end the academic year at the summer vacation 1910 China became a republic; HKU established 1913 First Education Ordinance passed in HK

Appendix 6

Year Outside the school

381

In the school

1914 First World War began; HKU Matriculation Exams introduced 1918 First World War ended

Piercy retired and Featherstone took over Planning to build the new campus: two pieces of land offered

1921

House system introduced; DSOBA formed

1923

Building of new campus at present site started

1925 Strike-boycott in HK began 1926 Strike-boycott in HK ended

Moved to new campus

1927

Campus taken over by military as hospital; School housed in temporary premises

1928

School returned to new campus

1930

Publication of school history (1869–1929)

1931

Featherstone left; Pyner as acting headmaster

1932 Bishop Hall arrived (retired in 1966)

Sargent arrived

1934

Steps first published

1938

Sargent resigned; Goodban became headmaster

1939

Student strike over acting senior prefect issue

1941 Japanese occupied HK (till 1945)

Campus taken over by Japanese as hospital

1946

Cheung reopened DBS; Goodban returned

1947 Inter–school sports competition resumed

House system revived; Piercy Shield introduced

1949 PRC established; HK Schools Music Festival started 1950 Fisher’s Report published 1952

Gymnasium Complex and headmaster’s house built

382

Appendix 6

Year Outside the school

In the school

1955

Goodban left; She took over; Annual school fete introduced

1956

Science Wing built

1961

Science Wing extended and renamed New Wing; She resigned; Lowcock appointed headmaster

1963 Marsh and Sampson Report published 1966 Star Ferry riot in HK; Cultural Revolution in China (till 1978)

First attempt to amalgamate with DPS

1967 Left wing riot in HK 1968

New New Wing completed; Loss of freedom to admit non-local students

1969

Swimming pool built

1970 Primary section closed 1978 Nine years of universal education introduced

DSOBA revived after a decade’s dormancy

1983 OECD Report published

Lowcock resigned; Lai appointed

1984 EC formed (seven reports published up to 1997); Sino-British Declaration 1991 DSS introduced 1996

Chinese Orchestra invited to perform in London

1997 HK returned to China

Second attempt to amalgamate with DPS

2000 Education reforms officially commenced

Lai retired; Chang took over; DBSPTA formed; First Choir Olympics in Linz

2003

Changed to DSS status

2004 Primary division inaugurated 2005

School Improvement Project completed

2008

Sports and Dormitory Complex completed; Pavilion completed

2009 HK education system to become 6–3–3–4

IB programme to be introduced; Construction of Auditorium and IB Building to begin

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

383

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

Both footnotes and references are used in this book. While footnotes, with symbols, are used to explain points in the text, references have numbers in superscript and are used to indicate the sources of information. Footnotes are located at the bottom of the pages on which they occur. References are given in this section. This section first lists the sources of information, together with their abbreviations, and this is followed by the references for each chapter. The sources of information include publications, documents, unpublished manuscripts, submissions, interviews, personal correspondence and website materials. References to sources of information are given below chapter by chapter, using abbreviations, e.g. (S: 1.1951, 41) means page 41, January 1951 issue of Steps; (S: 1978, C3) means page 3, Chinese section, 1978 issue of Steps; (F: 12) means page 12 of Featherstone’s book; (DBS-M: 12.7.1997) means minutes of School Committee meeting held on 12 July 1997.

Sources of Information Publications CM CSD Curtis DBS-C DBS-P (P) DBS-P (S) DBS-R (P) DBSPTA-N ECR Endacott

F

China Mail (incomplete) Census and Statistics Department, Population Census/Bi-Census, 1986–2006 (HKSAR Government) Curtis, S. J., History of Education in Great Britain, 7th ed. (London: University Tutorial Press, 1967) DBS, Calendar (incomplete) DBS, Prospectus for Primary Division (undated; obtained in 2008) DBS, Prospectus for Secondary Division (undated; obtained in 2008) DBS, Report of the Primary Division DBSPTA, Newsletter Education Commission Reports 1–7 Endacott, G. B. and She, D. E., The Diocese of Victoria, Hong Kong: A Hundred Years of Church History, 1849–1949 (Hong Kong: Kelly and Walsh, 1949) Featherstone, William, The Diocesan Boys School and Orphanage,

384

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

Fung GS

HKDP HKET HKMM

HKPO HKPTU HKT Ho Huang Lindsay Luk Millennium Ming Pao Newsome Ng-Lun

NR Paton

SCMP S Smith Sun

Hong Kong: the History and Records, 1869 to 1929 (Hong Kong: Diocesan Boys’ School, 1930) Fung Yee Wang, “Education”, in Joseph Cheng (Ed.), Hong Kong in Transition (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1986) GS Editors (Ed.), A Tribute to Rev. Canon George She, Headmaster: 1955–1961, Diocesan Boys’ School (Hong Kong: Diocesan Boys’ School, 2004) Hong Kong Daily Press: Letter to the editor , 26.11.2002 Hong Kong Economic Times Hong Kong Museum of Medical Science Society, Plague, SARS and the Story of Medicine in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2006) Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Programme of Li Chuanyun Plays Prokofiev, 13–14, 06.2008 , Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, PTU Monthly 01.07.2002 Hong Kong Telegraph (incomplete) ( Ho Chi Ping, P. 2005), 80 Huang Yin, H. ( 1992 ) Linsay, O., The Battle of Hong Kong 1941–1945: Hostage to Fortune (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2005) Luk Hung-kay, A History of Education in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Lord Wilson Heritage Trust, 2000) DSOBA Vancouver chapter, Diocesan Boys’ School: 130 Years of Proud Tradition — 1869–1999, Millennium Commemorative Issue, 3 , 12.12.2002 Ming Pao Newsome, P., The Macau Grand Prix: 50 years of Motor Sport (Surrey: Water Mark, 2003) Ng Lun Ngai-ha, Interactions of East and West: Development of Public Education in Early Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 1984) Not Rigmarole (DBS publication: irregular), 2.2002 Paton, D. M., The Life and Times of Bishop Ronald Hall of Hong Kong (The Diocese of Hong Kong and Macau and the Hong Kong Diocesan Association, 1985) South China Morning Post (incomplete). Steps (DBS publication: bi-annual before 1955 and annual thereafter; incomplete; C means Chinese section) Smith, C. T., Chinese Christians: Elites, Middlemen, and the Church of Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1985) ( Sun, Lily Sui-fong 2003)

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

S1 S2 Tsang KW

Tsang

385

Sweeting, Anthony, Education in Hong Kong, Pre-1841 to 1941: Fact and Opinion (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1990) Sweeting, Anthony, Education in Hong Kong, 1941 to 2001: Visions and Revisions (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2004) Tsang Kwok-wah, A Study of Bishop R. O. Hall’s Contribution (1895–1975) to Hong Kong Education and Social Welfare ( ) (M. A. thesis submitted to the University of Hong Kong in 1993) Tsang, Steve, A Modern History of Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2006)

Documents DBS-M ED-C ED-R EMB-CM FES-R FES-M GBB HM-R Lai-PA LET-ED LET-Hall LET-HM LET-R LET-S1 LET-S2 MEMO-HM NOTE-HM/ED

DBS, School Committee minutes (incomplete) Education Department, Circular on DSS Education Department, Annual Report, 1900 Education and Manpower Bureau, Circular Memorandum, No 194/ 2003 Female Education Society, Annual Report (incomplete) Female Education Society, minutes, 13.2.1862 Government Blue Book, on ‘Diocesan Native Female Training School for boarders’ (HK: 1861) Headmasters’ reports in School Committee minutes (incomplete) Speech delivered by Mr. Jacland Lai during speech day, Personal Archives (incomplete) Letter: Education Department to headmaster of DBS Letter: Bishop Hall to School Committee, 28.01.1956 Letter: Headmaster to School Committee, 17.06.1967 Letter: The Rev. Simon Ridley to headmaster of DBS, 14.10.1966 (DBS-M 01.11.1966) Letter: The Rev. Michael Simpson to Bishop Kwong, 05.06.1997 Letter: The Rev. Michael Simpson to DPS Council, 25.06.1997 Memorandum of headmaster of DBS to School Committee, 11. 05.1972 Notes of meeting between headmaster and members of the Education Department on 14.05.1964, attached to School Committee minutes of 11.06.64

Others INFO INT Smyly-1

Information supplied by individuals Interview of individuals Smyly, William, History and Records of Diocesan Boys’ School: Headmasters (stored in Archives Room, DBS).

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

386

Smyly-2 Smyly-3 Smyly-4 SUB

Smyly, William, History and Records of Diocesan Boys’ School: Year by Year (stored in Archives Room, DBS). Smyly, William, History and Records of Diocesan Boys’ School: Topics (stored in Archives Room, DBS). Smyly, William, History and Records of Diocesan Boys’ School: Interviews (stored in Archives Room, DBS). Submission by individuals

Websites http://sunzil.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/44/4401566.pdf www.dbs.edu.hk www.hksmsa.org.hk www.hkssf.org.hk www.nationalarchives.gov.uk www.yishujie.com

References Chapter 1 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 25. 28. 31. 34. 37. 40. 43.

HKMM: 2 Curtis: 150 S1: 181–4 Ng-Lun: 161 Ng-Lun: 37–42 Endacott: 117–21 FES-R: 1861 Smith: 207–8 GBB: 1861 F: 97 S1: 227 HKDP: 21.12.1864 S: 2003, 14 S: 1966, 7 S: 1975, 12

2. 5. 8. 11. 14. 17. 20. 23. 26. 29. 32. 35. 38. 41.

Ng-Lun: 19 Ng-Lun: 34 Endacott: 9 S1: 149–53 S1: 146, 243–4 Endacott: 134–5 FES-R: 1861 CM: 06.07.1865 FES-M F: 14 & 93–4 S1: 151 F: 1 & 96–9 F: 127–31 S: 1969, 26–8

3. 6. 9. 12. 15. 18. 21. 24. 27. 30. 33. 36. 39. 42.

Curtis: 195–6 Ng-Lun: 26–7 Ng-Lun: 28–9 Endacott: 33 Ng-Lun: 44–6 ED-R F: 14 FES-R: 1864 F: 97 F: 95 HKDP: 10–23.12.1864 CM: 04.02.1869 Tsang, K. W.: 48–61 Paton:, 188

Chapter 2 1. 4. 7.

F: 1 Ng-Lun : 19–22 F: 16–7

2. 5. 8.

S1: 192 Ng-Lun : 35 F: 99

3. 6. 9.

Ng-Lun: 79–80 Smyly-3: 83 F: 19

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 25. 28. 31. 33. 35. 38. 41. 44. 47. 50. 53. 56. 59. 62. 65. 68. 71. 73. 75.

S1: 210 11. F: 24 12. F: 99–100 HKT: 7.5.1900 14. F: 48 15. F: 20 F: 101 17. F: 17 18. F: 21 F: 31 20. F: 101 21. F: 101 F: 102 23. F: 102 24. F: 103 F: 103 26. Smyly-1: 4 27. F: 103 F: 104 29. F: 27 30. F: 30 F: 30 & 132 32. S: 2006, C75–8 S: 12.1947, 6; 1963, 11 & 2005, C43–8 34. Ng-Lun: 61 Ng-Lun: 55 36. S1: 211 37. F: 23 Ng-Lun: 62 39. Ng-Lun: 103–13 40. Luk: 39 F: 104 42. F: 49 & Ng Lun: 165–6 43. F: 25–6 F: 28 45. F: 31 46. F: 26 F: 33 48. F: 40 49. F: 41 F: 46 51. F: 26 52. F: 34 F: 37 & 51 54. S1: 212 55. F: 27 S1: 213 57. S1: 345–6 58. F: 45 F: 145 60. Ng-Lun: 121–30 61. F: 45 F: 27 63. F: 12–3 64. F: 36–41 F: 37 66. F: 42 67. F: 36 F: 40 69. F: 41 70. F: 41 & 107 F: 4 & 155 72. Sun: 6–7 F: 29 & www.nationalarchives.gov.uk 74. Lindsay: 222 S: 7.1949, 59–61 76. S: 2.1939, 40–1

Chapter 3 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 25. 28. 31. 34. 37. 40. 43. 46.

F: 44 Smyly-4: 19 F: 109 F: 65 F: 111 F:62 F: 115 F: 65 F: 77–8 F: 61 F: 59 F: 90 F: 81 F: 77 F: 207 S: 7.1947, 11

2. 5. 8. 11. 14. 17. 20. 23. 26. 29. 32. 35. 38. 41. 44. 47.

F: 109 Tsang: 88–9 F: 110 F: 63 F: 112 F: 4 F: 116 F: 68–9 S: 12.1951, 4–5 & 1966, 5 F: 59, 70 & 76 F: 60 F: 57–9 & 86 F: 6 & 9 F: 6–8 Smyly-1: 16 S: 1966, 5-7

3. 6. 9. 12. 15. 18. 21. 24. 27. 30. 33. 36. 39. 42. 45. 48.

F: 53–4 Tsang: 92–4 F: 60 F: 110–1 F: 113 F: 113–4 F: 116–9 F: 117–8 S: 12.1951, 4–5 F: 49 F: 78 F: 78–9 F: 6–8 F: 51 S: 7.1947, 8 Smyly-1: 22

387

388 49. 52. 55. 58. 61. 64. 67. 70 73.

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes Smyly-4: 33–4 S: 7.1935, 3 S: 7.1935, 17 S: 2.1939, 40 S: 1981, 13 S: 2.1939, 32–4 Smyly-1: 38 INFO-Ching, Henry www.yishujie.com

50. 53. 56. 59. 62. 65. 68. 71.

Smyly-4: 116 S: 7.1935, 9 S: 2.1939, 1 & 2.1940, 7 Smyly-2: 81; DBS-C: 9.1951-1.1952, 36 S: 7.1938, 11–3 Smyly-2: 85 SCMP: 07.12.1972

51. 54. 57. 60. 63. 66. 69. 72.

S: 2.1940, 7 S: 1981, 12 Smyly-1: 26 S: 7.1947, 11–2 S: 1.1938, 17 Smyly-4: 83 Tsang: 124 Smyly-2: 132

Chapter 4 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 25. 28. 31. 34. 37. 39. 42. 45. 48. 51. 53. 56. 59. 62. 64. 66. 69. 72. 75. 78.

S2: 142 2. Tsang: 138–41 3. S2: 142 5. Tsang: 162 6. S2: 144 8. S: 1971, 5–6 9. Smyly-1: 40 11. S2: 143 12. Smyly-2: 206 14. Luk: 66 15. S2: 163 17. S2: 200–1 18. S2: 140 20. Smyly-4: 40 21. Smyly-4: 40 23. SCMP: 3.1.1946 24. S: 7.1954, 33 26. DBS-M: 23.7.1953 27. S: 7.1950, 6 29. S: 7.1947, 16 30. S: 12.1949, 25–7 32. S: 7.1952, 7 33. DBS-M: 22.11.1954 35. Luk: 67–68 36. S: 12.1949, 10–1 38. S: 12.1949, 20 & Smyly-1: 31 www.hksmsa.org.hk 40. S: 12.1949, 14 41. S: 7.1951, 8–9 43. S: 12.1948, 14 44. DBS-M: 14.10.1953 46. DBS-M: 13.11.1953 47. Smyly-3: 76–82 49. GS: 12–3 50. S: 1957, 10 52. S: 12.1947, 20 & 1958, 6–7 S: 1956, 26 54. S: 1958, 5 55. S: 1958, 5 57. S: 1958, 6 58. S: 1962, 4 60. S: 1956, 12 61. S:1961, 1 63. GS: 35–7 S: 1957, 26 & SUB-Brittain, Donald 65. S: 1962, 5 67. S: 1957, 11 & 44 68. S: 1961, 1 70. S: 1957, 38–42 71. S: 1960, 24 73. S: 1962, 20 74. S: 1961, opp. 1 76. S: 1963, 11–2 77. GS: 34 –7 79. GS: 34–5

Tsang: 141–8 S2: 142–3 Smyly-4: 44–8 S2: 164 S2: 197 Luk: 66 S: 7.1947, 1–6 Smyly-2: 129 S: 12.1948, 10–4 S: 7.1949, 14–6 S: 12.1954, 4 S: 7.1949, 18–9 DBS-M: 24.6.1949 SUB-Brittain, Donald S: 1966, 5–7 GS: 12–3 Lai-PA S: 1958, 5 S: 1957, 18 S: 1958, 9 S: 1957, 11 S: 1959, 10 & 1962, 6 S: 1966, 5–7 S: 1983, 136

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

389

Chapter 5 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 25. 28. 30. 32. 35. 38. 41. 43. 46. 49. 51. 54. 57. 60. 63. 65.

Luk: 72 2. S2: 251 3. S2: 247 S2: 265 5. Luk: 92 6. Fung: 307 S2: 323 8. Luk: 73 & 91 9. LET-ED: 21.7 & 19.11.54 DBS-M: 12.3.1962 11. HM-R: 18.6.1962 12. NOTE-HM/ED: 14.5.64 DBS-M: 17.6.1965 14. DBS-M: 19.10.1965 15. DBS-M: 22.3.1966 LET-R: 14.10.1966 17. S: 1965, 3–4 18. LET-ED: 1.5.1967 LET-HM: 17.6.1967 20. LET-ED: 25.10.1968 21. S: 1970, 1 S: 1971, 9 23. S: 1980, 7 24. S: 1973, HM Report LET-HM: 22.11.1974 26. S: 1977, 6–7 27. HM-R: 17.11.1981 S: 1986, 12 29. S: 1976, 10 1964, 2 & INT-Lowcock, James 31. S: 1968, 7 S: 1970, 2 33. INT-Lowcock, James 34. S: 1970, 2–4 S: 1969, 7 36. S: 1969, 32 37. S: 1977, CS, 2 S: 1964, 2 39. S: 1964, 2 40. S: 1965, 20 S: 1972, 1 42. MEMO-HM: 11.5.1972; S: 1973, 7 & INT-Lowcock, James S: 1975, 10 44. S: 1968, 14–5 45. S: 1969, 31 S: 1973, Literary Section 47. S: 1963, 2 48. HM-R: 13.8.1975 S: 1974, 11 & INT-Lowcock, James 50. HM-R: 13.8.1975 HM-R: 4.3.1980 52. INT-Lowcock, James 53. S: 1965, 7 S: 1976, 10 55. S: 1983, 136 56. S: 1969, 31& 48 INFO-Lai, Jacland 58. S: 1983, 135 59. S: 1964, 28 S: 1968, 92–3 61. Smyly-1: 90 62. In Mr. Lowcock’s words INFO-Lai, Jacland 64. Personal correspondence Huang, Hanson

Chapter 6 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 24. 26. 29. 32. 35. 37.

DBS-M: Add, 3.3.1983 2. DBS-M: 1.6.1983 Tsang: 175–9 5. Tsang: 247–50 S2: 377 8. ECR1: 23–5 S:1986, 170–71 11. S: 1989, 193 S: 1998, 17 14. S: 1996, 138–9 S2: 381 17. Lai-PA Lai-PA: 16.1.1996 20. S: 1993, 11–2 S2: 395 23. ECR3: Chapter 4 DBS-M:17.9.90; 7.2.91 & 1.5.91 DBS-M: 21.1.1991 27. HM-R: 28.5.1992 ECR6: Chapter 4 30. Lai-PA LET-S2 33. DBS-M: 6.6.1996 DBS-M: 5.6.1997 (App) 36. LET-S1 DBS-M: 4.7.1997; 23.9.1997 (App) & 10.11.1998

3. 6. 9. 12. 15. 18. 21.

DBS-M: 19.3.1984 Fung: 310 Lai-PA S: 1989, 210–5 S: 1997, 129–30 S2: 394–5 S2: 382

25. 28. 31. 34.

ECR4: Chapter 8 Lai-PA: 16.1.1996 DBS-M: 8.2.1996 DBS-M: App 18.2.1997

38. DBS-M: 10.11.1998

390 39. 42. 45. 48. 51. 54. 57. 60. 63. 66. 69. 72.

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes DBS-M: 12.11.1999 S-2000: 31 S: 1985, 8 S: 1990, 7 DBS-M: 8.2.1996 S: 1997, 2 S: 1985, 8 S: 2000, 30–31 S: 1994, 12 www.hkssf.org.hk S: 1997, 1–2 HKPO

40. 43. 46. 49. 52. 55. 58. 61. 64. 67. 70.

S: 1996, 14 S: 1993, 12 S: 1986, 13 DBS-M: 21.1 & 1.5.1991 DBS-M: 1.6.1995 S: 1984, 12 S: 1999, 16 S: 2000, 30 S: 1991, 13 S: 1995, 16 S: 2000, 176–7

41. 44. 47. 50. 53. 56. 59. 62. 65. 68. 71.

INFO-Lai, Jacland S: 2000, 31 S: 1987, 10 DBS-M: 16.1.1995 S: 1996, 15 S: 1985, 8 S: 1999, 15–16 S: 1991, 13 S: 1987, 10 S: 1998, 16–7 Lai-PA

Chapter 7 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 25. 28. 31. 34. 37. 40. 43. 46. 49. 52. 55. 58. 60. 61. 64. 67.

CSD: 1986-2006 Tables 2. SCMP: 1.7.2007 3. S2: 567 S2: 569 5. DBS-R (P): 11.2003 6. S2: 524 SCMP: 23.6.2007 8. DBS-M: 8.2.1999 9. DBS-R (P): 4.2005 DBS-M: 24.5.2001 11. DBS-M: 20.11.2001 12. DBS-M: 28.11.2002 DBS-M: 14.11.2003 14. DBS-R (P): 4.2004 15. DBS-M: 14.11.2003 DBS-R (P): 10.2005 17. DBS-R (P): 4.2005 18. DBS-M: 14.11.2003 EMB-CM 20. DBS-M: 4.10.2002 21. DBS-M: 6.6.2003 ED-C 23. HKPTU 24. HKET DBS-M: 28.11.2002 26. Ming Pao 27. S: 2003, 14 DBS-M: 14.11.2003 29. S: 2001, 25 30. S: 2002, 17 S: 2003, 17 32. S: 2003, 64–5 33. DBS-M: 14.11.2003 S: 2005, 17 35. S: 2004, 20 36. S: 2005, 17 S: 2006, 18 38. INFO-Chow, Thomas 39. S: 2002, 17 S: 2001, 35–7 41. S: 2002, 284–5 42. S: 2005, 17 S: 2002, 19 44. S: 2003, 19 45. S: 2004, 29–31 S: 2003, 17 47. S: 2005, 21 48. HM-R, 23.11.2004 HM-R: 4.11.2005 50. HM-R: 28.11.2006 51. S: 2006, 19 S: 2001, 25 53. S: 2002, 275 54. S: 2002, 279 DBS-P (S): 16 56. DBS-P (S): 15 57. S: 2005, 16–7 S: 2002, 16 59. S: 2002, 16 & S-2007, 18 S: 2004, 246–7 62; 2005, 222–3; 2006, 229–31; 2007, 241–3 & 2008, 245–6 S: 2001, 25 62. S: 2003, 218–22 63. DBS-P (S): 23 www.dbs.edu.hk 65. DBS-P (S): 23 66. S: 2005, CS, 28–35 DBS-R (P): 4.2004 onward

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

391

Chapter 8 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 22. 25. 28. 31. 34. 37. 40. 43. 46. 49. 51. 54. 56. 59.

F: 2 2. F: 132–7 DBS-M: 23.5.1950 5. F: 133 F: 55 8. F: 63 Smyly-1: 7 11. S: 7.1947, 8 Smyly-2: 129 14. S: 1991, 16–7 Smyly-4: 119 17. S: 1965, 12–3 S: 1.1938, 60–62 20. S2: 101 SUB-Young, Paul 23. S: 1957,26 Newsome: 11 26. S: 1965, 13 S: 1957, 28 & 50 29. LET-Hall: 28.1.1957 SUB-Kwok, Peter 32. S: 1978, 23 S: 1994, 222 35. S: 1978, 23–4 & 1985, 197–8 S: 1990, 168 38. S: 1990, 170 S: 1978, 25 41. NR: 2.2002 (Chinese section) S: 1990, 170–1 44. S: 1992, 227–8 Ho: 80 47. INT-Chan Man .Kee INT-Pang, Laura and K.K. S: 1978, C4 52. S: 1978, 139 NR: 2.2002 (Chinese section) F: 19 57. F: 59 F: 28

3. F: 61 6. S: 1979, 142 9. S: 1958, 20–1 12. Smyly-4: 102 15. SUB-Ching, Henry 18. S: 1969, 23–4 & 1970, 126 21. S: 1970, 126-7 24. INFO-Chung Siu Huen 27. S: 12.1949, 20 30. S: 1984, 73 33. S: 1970, 129 36. SUB-Ho, Patrick 39. INT-Wang, Y. S. Thomas 42. S: 2004, 18 45. S: 1970, 125 48. S: 1978, C3 50. S: 1978, C4–5 53. S: 2000, 28–9 55. F: 48 58. F: 64

Chapter 9 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 19. 21. 24. 26. 29. 32. 35.

F: 48 F: 28–9 & 105–7 F: 107 F: 69 F: 70 & 117–8 F: 91 Smyly-3: 84–7 S: 7.1952, 7 S: 1963, 4 S: 1969, 7, 26–8 & 54–5 S: 1992, 11–2 S: 1957, 31–3 Smyly-2: 74

2. 5. 8. 11. 14. 17. 20. 22. 25. 27. 30. 33. 36.

F: 22–3 3. F: 26–8 F: 31 6. F: 37 F: 13 9. F: 109 F: 67 12. F: 67 & 70 F: 77 15. F: 84 S: 7.1947, 5–7 18. SCMP: 3.1.1946 S: 7.1949, 14–6 & 12.1949, 25–7 S: 1957, 18 23. S: 1961, 1 & 1962, 5 S: 12.1947, 8 & Smyly-3: 84 INT-Lai, Jacland 28. S: 1969, 7 & 30–3 S: 1998, 204 31. S: 7.1950, 8 S: 1961, 9–10 34. S: 1969, 31 INT-Huang, Hanson

392

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

Chapter 10 1. 4. 7. 10. 12. 14. 17. 20. 22. 24. 26. 28. 31. 34. 37. 40. 42. 45. 47. 50. 53. 55. 57. 59. 61. 63. 65. 68. 71. 74. 77. 80.

SUB-Chan, Bruce 2. INT-Ip Po Ting S: 1959, 47 5. S1: 47–8 & 272 F: 36 & 40 8. S1: 217 S: 1956, 100 11. S: 7.1947, 44 http://sunzil.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/44/4401566.pdf S: 1979, 140 15. INT-Ip Po Ting F: 220 18. F: 69 &125 SUB-Lee Sui Ming 21. SUB-Pan, Alexander S: 1962, 18 & INFO-Lowcock, James INFO-Lai, Jacland 25. SUB-Iu Pui To INT-Huang, Hanson & S-1969, 34–5 S: 1980, 11 29. DBS-P: (S), 11 & (P), 17 F: 20 32. F: 103 F: 104 35. S: 1956, 100 F: 99 & 121 38. DBS-M: 15.8.1946 S: 1974, 11 & S-1977, 7 41. S: 1984, 16 DBS-P: (S), 29 & (P), 27 43. F: 114–5 F: 40 46. F: 83–5 S: 7.1950, 6 & 12.1950, 7 48. S2: 163 S: 1957, 11 51 S: 12.1952, Photo Section S: 1960, 8 54 S: 1961, 2 S: 7.1949, 21 56. S: 12.1949, 25–7 S: 12.1948, 25 & 7.1949, 21 S: 1967, 16–7 & 1969, 26–8 INFO-Lai, Jacland 62. F: 9 S: 1.1938, 5; 7.1938, 3–4 & 2.1940, 6 S: 7.1949, 18–9 66. S: 1979, 95 INT-Lowcock, James 69. F: 138 INT-Ip Po Ting 72. INT-Hui Yin Kun GS: 35–7 75. Smyly-1: 92 DBS-C 2007/08, 61 78. S: 2002, 33–5 INT-Lau Pak Ling

3. 6. 9.

F: 41 F: 56 F: 59

13. Smyly-2: 35 16. INT-Yee Tak Wah 19. S: 1979, 142 23. S: 1963, 22 27. 30. 33. 36. 39.

S: 1974, 15 F: 99–100 F: 25 F: 206 DBS-M: 8.8.1950

44. S1: 347 49. S: 12.1952, 10 52. S: 1958, 7

58. S: 1958, 22 & 1959, 21 60. S: 1979, 73 64. 67. 70. 73. 76. 79.

F: 206–8 SUB-Lee Sui Ming INT-Lai, Jacland Curtis: 128 F : 138 INFO-Lai, Jacland

3. 6. 9. 12. 15. 18.

F: 92 NL: 165 F: 2 S1: 226 & 332 F: 37 F: 27–30

Chapter 11 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16.

F: 41 F: 103 F: 2 F: 3 F: 38 S1: 332

2. 5. 8. 11. 14. 17.

F: 20 & 122–3 S1: 207 S1: 261 F: 45 F: 40 F: 27–8

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes 19. 22. 25. 28. 30. 33. 36. 39. 42.

S1: 261 T.C.Cheng, in S1: 458 S: 1958, 20–1 S: 1957, 27 & INFO-Lai, INT-Hui Yin Kun S: 12.1935, 2-3 S: 1957, 10 Millennium S2: 262

20. F: 42–3 21. 23. S1: 352 24. 26. F: 58 27. Jacland 29. 31. F: 79 32. 34. F: 150–1 & S: 2.1940, 7 35. 37. S: 1957, 10 38. 40. S: 1974, 11 41. 43. S: 1973, before Sports Section

393

F: 43 F: 61–2 F: 209–18 S: 12.1935, 11 F: 46 S2: 162 S: 1958, 6 HM-R: 13.3.1973

Chapter 12 1. 4. 7. 10. 13. 16. 18. 20. 23. 25. 28. 31. 33. 36. 39. 42. 45. 46. 49. 52. 55. 56. 57.

F: 26 2. F: 46 3. F: 104 5. F: 11 6. F: 11, 36–7 & 41 8. F: 12 & 42–3 9. F: 57 11. F: 86–7 12. S: 7.1938, 28 14. S: 2.1940, 8 15. S: 1.1938,16 17. S: 1.1938, 60–2 S: 7.1938, 14–24 & 2.1940, 15–7 19. S: 7.1947, 1 & 19–30 21. S: 12.1949,14 22. S: 12.1948, 12 & 7.1949, 34 24. S: 12.1949, 20 26. S: 7.1954, 8 27. S: 1958, 16 & 29 29. S: 1969, 87 30. S: 1964, 8 32. S: 2008, 113–76 & C142–65 INT-Hill, William 34. S: 1996, 14 35. S: 7.1953, 6–9 37. S: 7.1954, 8 38. S: 1957, 38–42 40. S: 2007, 202–43 41. S: 1961, 11 43. S: 1969, 159 44. S: 1956, 37; 1957, 50 & 1958, 29 S-1963, 66–8 47. S: 1968, 92–3 48. S-1994, 128 50. S: 1964, 32 & 100–1 51. S-1978, 92 53. S: 1979, 85 54. S: 1956, 22–3; 1957, 31–3; 1958, 31 & 1959, 24 S: 1961, 9–11; 1966, 15–8 & 1979, 98 S-1967, 16–7 58. S: 1968, 12–3

F: 13 & 57 F: 35 F: 12 F: 13 & S: 1937 to 1940 F: 34 & 36 S: 1.1938, 17 S: 7.1953, 59 S: 7.1950, 48 S: 1960, 24 & 1961, 11 S: 1964, 3–4 S: 1957, 38 S: 12.1954, 13 S: 2007, C124–9 S: 7.1952, 6 & 11–2 S: 1986, 94–5 S: 1979, 97 S: 1955, 10

Chapter 13 1. 4. 7. 10. 13.

F: 31 S: 7.1947, S: 7.1937, S: 7.1937, S: 7.1937,

39 36 35 34–8

2. 5. 8. 11. 14.

S: 12.1935, 9 F: 56–7 S: 12.1935, 46 S: 7.1938, 3 S: 7.1935, 60–1

3. 6. 9. 12. 15.

INFO-Chow Wai Tong S: 7.1935, 60 S: 7.1935, 59–60 S: 2.1939, 40–1 S: 7.1938, 3–4

Sources of Information, References and Footnotes

394 16. 19. 22. 25. 28. 31. 34. 37. 40. 43.

S: S: S: S: S: S: S: S: S: S:

7.1947, 39–41 7.1952, 43–4 7.1953, 58 1980, 121 1986, 15 2001, 35–7 2002 onward 2004, 27 2006, 25 7.1947, 45

17. 20. 23. 26. 29. 32. 35. 38. 41. 44.

S: 7.1949, 58 S: 7.1952, 43–4 S: 1967, 119 S: 1981, 141 S: 2005, 19 S: 2002, 29 S: 2002, 29 S: 2005, 21 S: 2007, 25 HKT: 22.2.1882

18. 21. 24. 27. 30. 33. 36. 39. 42. 45.

S: 12.1950, 51 S: 7.1953, 57 S: 1979, 140–1 S: 1984, 179 INFO-DSOBA DBSPTA-N: 3, 7.2003 S: 2003, 30–1 S: 2006, 24–5 S: 7.1947, 40 SUB-Lai, Jacland

2. 5. 8.

S: 7.1937, 36 F: 63 F: 205

3. 6. 9.

F: 37 F: 121 S: 2.1940, 10

Chapter 14 1. 4. 7.

S: 12.1954, 5 F: 55 F: 109

Index

395

Index

A-level, 123, 125, 126, 135, 161, 268, 374, 378, 379 AS-level, 125, 126, 268, 374, 379 Alabaster C. J., 13 Alford Charles Richard, 11, 13, 17, 18, 21, 329, 330 All-round education, 75, 91, 100, 117, 165, 271, 323, 332, 333, 336, 337 All Saints’ Church, 211 “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, 183, 185, 186, 293 Anderson, D. J. N., 47 Anglican Church, 6, 9, 12, 82, 179, 181 Anglican Church in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui), 9, 13 Anglican Church of China (Chung Hwa Sheng Kung Hui), 9 “Antigone”, 114, 183, 185, 190, 294, 295 “Apple Race”, 112, 113 Arthur House, 76, 284 Arthur, Mrs., 19, 21, 22, 169, 229, 246 Arthur William, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 35, 76, 145, 169, 229, 245, 246, 273, 275, 330, 337 Auditorium Building, 157, 208 BOCHK Bauhinia Bowl (see also Omega Rose Bowl), 137, 162, 285, 286 Badge, school, 104, 239, 240 Baker J. G. H., 9, 13, 16, 205 Basic Law (and Article 23), 121, 142 Baxter Harriet, 10, 24 Beau Georges-Marius, 184, 222 Belilios Medal and Prize Examination, 248 Belilios Public School ( ), 158

Bencharit Pairat, 275 Benson A. C., 48 Bishop R. O. Hall Society, 300 Bishop’s Stortford College, 55 Block grant, 66, 67, 80 Blue Book, 182, 258, 267 Blyth O. A., 198 Board D. B. M., 72, 77 Board of Chinese Vernacular Primary Education, 25 Board of Education, 7, 8, 11, 67, 377 Bonham Road Government Primary ), 42, 195 School ( Bought place, 126, 379 Bowley Francis B. L., 13 Boyce Craig, 160 Brawn A. O., 29, 30, 272 British East India Company, 4 British Shanghai Defence Force, 44, 198, 330 Brittain Donald, 72, 77, 86, 89, 180, 181, 277, 292, 319 Bromfield Jane, 182, 183, 294 Brown Harold, 58 Brown Conrad, 58 Burdon John Shaw, 13, 21, 22, 330 Burney Edmund, 68 Calendar, school, 240, 243 Cambridge Local Examinations, 28, 248 Caning, 23, 61, 85, 127, 216, 241, 242 Car Park Building, 157, 208 Cassidy P. S., 44, 46, 49, 55, 176, 177, 309 Catholic Church, 25 Centenary, 105, 106, 107, 112, 211, 290

396

Index

Centenary Shield, 277, 283, 284 Central British School (see also Kowloon British School and King George V School), 44, 51 Central Policy Unit, 144 ; see also Central School ( Victoria College and Queen’s College), 7, 8, 20, 23, 25, 27, 32, 216, 246, 247, 248 ), 189, 190 Chan Chor ( ), 304 Chan Ho Cheung ( ), 336 Chan Kai Ming ( ), 189, 190 Chan Man Kee ( Chan Pui Fang ( ), 61 ), 178, 203, 273 Chan Sik Tim ( ), 321 Chan Sik Wo, Robert ( Chan Siu Kay Bruce ( ), 215, 220, 319 ), 153 Chan Siu Wing Selwyn ( Chan T. S. W., 48, 57, 62, 71, 174, 175, 273 ), 216 Chan Ting Fong ( Chan Wing Tsit (Tsip; ), 33 ), 105, 371 Chan Woon Tong ), 63, 72, 173, 177, Chan Ye San ( 180, 219 ), 325 Chan Yiu Mo, Michael ( ), Chang Cheuk Cheung Terence ( 90, 141, 149, 151, 152, 153, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159, 161, 165, 187, 266, 267, 279, 334, 335 ), 114 Chang H. H. ( ), 83, 262 Chang T. C. ( ), 72, 262, 296 Chang T. H. ( Chang Thomas ( ), 90 Chater C. P., 24, 29 Chau Y. T., 336 ), 318 Cheng (Chang) Sze Wang ( ), 174, 184 Cheng K. Y. ( ), 143 Cheng Kai Ming ( Cheng Kay Yen Ronnie ( ), 114, 157, 187, 188, 290 ), 153 Cheng Moses ( Cheung E. R., 72, 241

Cheung Oswald, V. (±i∂¯∞∂), 13, 58, 60, 61, 69, 91, 191, 202, 230, 274, 312, 336 ), 131 Cheung Sylvia ( Cheung Vivian ( ), 189, 191 ), 146, Cheung Yu Yan Tommy ( 152 ), 158 Chi Marcus ( “Chi Track”, 157, 208 Chinese Chamber of Commerce, 40 Chinese Communist Party, 39 Chinese Medium of Instruction (CMI), 374, 379 Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, 116, 304 ), Chinese Student Weekly ( 294 Chinese University of Hong Kong ( ), 15, 42, 59, 97, 122, 123, 124, 125, 141, 144, 181, 186, 263, 278, 374, 378, 379 ), 150 Ching Cheung Ying ( Ching Henry ( ), 174, 176, 177, 317 Chiu Ho Ping, 172 ), 326 Chiu Tsz Kiu Jason Felix ( Choir Olympiad/Olympics, 162, 288, 292, 334 ), 321 Chow Chi Man Steven ( Chow Tak Nin Thomas (architect ), 132, 146, 157, ), 174, Chow Wai Tong Thomas ( 183 ), 294 Choy Camorie ( Choy Kwok Hung Patrick ( ), 224 Christ Church, 55, 81, 99, 100, 105, 130, 131, 222, 234 Christian Fellowship/Union, 236, 278, 280, 300 ), 72, 178 Chu K. W. ( Chung Chi College ( ), 15 ), 324 Chung Ting Yiu Robert ( Church Mission Society (CMS), 6, 9, 21, 28, 196

Index

Church of England Trustees, 99, 130 Circulars No 19 and 20, 67 Clarke Richard, 277 Clementi Cecil, 48, 198 Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), 142 Cold War, 86, 94 ), 68 College of Education ( ), 16, 64, 69, 76, Grantham ( 332 ), 42, 68 Northcote ( ), 69 Sir Robert Black ( Colonial Secretary, 46 “Colour”, school, 137 Comintern, 38 Committee for Education, 5 “Committee Handbook”, 79 Committee of Ladies, 10, 11 Conference on Extracurricular Activities (1983), 97, 278 Connorton Brian, 320 Cornell S., 273 Cox Christopher, 67 Craigengower Cricket Club, 272 Crann Bethadh, 211, 299 Crawford A. K., 63 Crozier D. J. S., 96, 203 Cultural Revolution, 94 Cunningham E.S., 218 Curriculum, 4, 5, 27, 47, 70, 75, 111, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 143, 144, 146, 160, 165, 218, 246, 247, 250, 251, 255, 256, 258, 262, 263, 265, 266, 268, 314, 337, 376, 377 Curriculum Development Committee/ Institute (CDC/CDI), 263 Dalziel Cable, 58 Dame schools, 5 Davies G. G., 63 Davis S. G., 205 De Butts R. E., 19 Deficiency grant, 101 Deng Xiaoping (

), 116, 224

397

Department of Government Schools, 7, 377 Diao Yu Tai, 95 Diocesan Boys’ School and Orphanage ), 7, 13, 23, 26, (DBSO; 28, 30, 33, 35, 37, 39, 46, 47, 48, 59, 60, 192, 247, 249, 272, 330, 331 Diocesan Girls’ School (DGS; ), 9, 10, 16, 52, 69, 75, 86, 100, 105, 112, 119, 133, 159, 162, 176, 181, 222, 262, 276, 286, 287, 288, 289, 291, 292, 294, 300 Diocesan Home and Orphanage (DHO), 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 31, 35, 169, 170, 192, 193, 195, 196, 215, 229, 245, 246, 248, 329, 330 Diocesan Native Female Training School (DNFTS), 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 21, 26, 195, 329 Diocesan Old Girls’ Association, 309 Diocesan Orphanage, 19 Diocesan Preparatory School (DPS ), 96, 99, 100, 101, 102, 105, 129, 130 Council, 129, 130, 131 Redevelopment Sub-Committee, 130, 131 Diocesan School and Orphanage (DSO; ), 7, 12, 23, 24, 29, 32, 105, 272, 230 Diocesan School Old Boys’ Association (DSOBA), 33, 52, 73, 78, 115, 133, 138, 150, 153, 203, 236, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 317, 319, 321, 323, 325, 327 Caring Fund, 312 Employment Bureau, 308 Matriculation Fees Fund, 310 Membership Directory, 313 Mutual Aid Fund, 307, 308 Diocesan Schools Choral Society, 276, 286, 287 Diocese of Hong Kong and Macau, 9 Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS), 126, 127, 128, 131, 143, 145, 146, 148, 149, 150,

398

Index

151, 152, 153, 165, 172, 193, 207, 230, 231, 314, 334, 335, 337, 339, 374, 376, 379 Director of Education, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74, 78, 96, 125, 143, 151, 162, 198, 200, 203, 248, 258, 377 Dixon Andrew, 24 Donohue Peter, 96, 99 Double Ten Concert, 178, 274 Dowbiggin H. B. L., 77, 78, 85 Drama Committee, 277, 292 Drama shield, 277, 284, 293 Drum and Fife Band, 29, 273 Du Toit Paul E., 49, 72, 86, 179, 180, 202, 210, 286, 292 Dunn Patrick, 159 Duppuy Charles Ridley, 13, 37, 44, 48, 198 Eaton, 10, 11 Education Action Group, 97 Education and Cultural Sub-Committee to the Development Committee, 68 Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB), 127, 377 Education Bureau (EDB), 161, 377 Education Commission (1965), 97, 99 Education Commission (EC; 1984), 5, 122, 123, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 143, 377 ECR1, 123, 124 ECR2, 125 ECR3, 126 ECR4, 127 ECR5, 127 ECR6, 128 ECR7, 128 Education Committee, 5, 6, 7, 377 Education Conference, 25 Education Department (ED), 66, 67, 68, 70, 73, 75, 78, 79, 80, 99, 100, 101, 102, 117, 119, 124, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 145, 148, 149, 178, 203, 232, 233, 258, 263, 278, 318, 332, 377, 379

Education Ordinance (1913), 25 Education Ordinance and Regulations (1952), 67 Educators’ Social Action Council, 97 Edwards N. M., 292 Eitel Ernest, 25 Ellis David C., 235, 236, 300 English for Chinese Students, 52, 255 English Medium of Instruction (EMI), 145, 379 Esprit de corps, 238, 271, 300, 301, 308, 336 Examination Questions in Physics, 52 Executive Council, 29, 32, 59, 60, 61, 116, 127, 143 Extracurricular activities, 29, 35, 47, 76, 82, 83, 91, 97, 112, 116, 117, 124, 125, 132, 135, 137, 139, 161, 162, 181, 183, 187, 223, 226, 271 , 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 281, 283, 285, 287, 289, 291, 292, 293, 295, 298, 299, 300, 301, 326 ,331, 333, 337, 338 Sports, 157, 180, 205, 208, 209, 213, 224, 271, 272, 278, 279, 280, 281, 305 Athletics, 76, 88, 112, 113, 137, 162, 178, 186, 191, 221, 271, 273, 275, 276, 277, 281, 283, 284, 286, 320, 323 Cricket, 29, 76, 133, 176, 196, 218, 272, 273, 275, 276, 317, 325 Football, 29, 76, 88, 183, 196, 201, 218, 235, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 281, 284, 285, 286 Swimming, 29, 40, 76, 88, 107, 109, 113, 137, 157, 162, 205, 213, 220, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 281, 282, 283, 284, 286, 311, 327 Tennis, 29, 76, 107, 133, 157, 187, 196, 201, 205, 218, 235, 258, 272, 273, 274, 275, 284, 286, 293, 311, 312 Music 4, 5, 53, 54, 55, 61, 71, 74, 75, 76, 88, 91, 107, 114, 137, 138, 139,

Index

148, 155, 162, 163, 179, 181, 182, 185, 186, 187, 188, 203, 222, 225, 226, 235, 262, 268, 273, 274, 276, 277, 279, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 292, 293, 295, 301, 312, 317, 318, 319, 322, 323, 331, 333, 337 Choir, 76, 88, 133, 138, 162, 163, 175, 187, 218, 226, 276, 287, 288, 291, 292, 323, 334 Orchestra, 88, 114, 133, 138, 162, 163, 186, 187, 188, 226, 276, 277, 278, 287, 288, 289, 290, 292, 293, 294, 312, 318, 323 Drama, 76, 137, 155, 157, 181, 276, 277, 279, 284, 292, 293, 295, 320, 333 Publication, 48, 52, 97, 124, 162, 229, 245, 273, 280, 295, 296, 298, 299 Fairlea School (see also Heep Yunn School), 9, 24, 192, 216 Farrington Robert, 323 Featherstone House, 76, 284 Featherstone, Mrs., 37 Featherstone William, 13, 31, 34, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 58, 61, 62, 76, 154, 159, 165, 170, 172, 175, 188, 193, 198, 211, 216, 217, 219, 229, 234, 236, 237, 241, 251, 271, 272, 273, 299, 301, 303, 306, 330, 331, 334, 335, 337, 338, 339 Fee remission, 148, 230, 231 Fees, boarding, 80, 230 Fees, school, 26, 52, 70, 151, 229, 230, 232 Female Education Society (FES), 9, 10, 13, 22, 330 Findlay I., 104 Fisher N. G. (and Report), 68, 75 Fleming John, 51, 52 ), 174 Fok Kwong ( ), 162 Fong Sheung Lam ( Ford William, 58 Forster Education Act, 18

399

Free school, 5 Free Speech Movement, 94 ), 325 Fung Ka Shun Samuel ( ), 114, 155, 174, Fung Yee Wang ( 294, 298 Garden Fete/School Fete, 83, 135, 191 General Teaching Council, 128 Geography Society, 54, 274 Gift Day Fund, 73, 115 Gittins Henry, 73, 305 Goggin, 47 ), 133, 288 Good Hope School ( Goodban Gerald, 15, 49, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 62, 63, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 85, 86, 88, 90, 91, 103, 172, 175, 176, 177, 178, 190, 202, 204, 211, 220, 235, 236, 237, 238, 240, 241, 256, 262, 273, 275, 276, 281, 284, 286, 287, 289, 301, 303, 307, 310, 316, 317, 319, 331, 332, 333, 334, 337, 338, 339 Goodban House, 76, 88, 276, 284 Goodban, Mrs., 63, 70, 75, 316, 317 Government school, 7, 11, 21, 25, 26, 66, 67, 71, 101, 377, 379 Governor’s Shield, 88, 273 Grammar school, 5, 332, 333 Grand Court, 110 Grant-in-aid/grant code, 25, 26, 27, 28, 66, 67, 68, 100, 101, 335, 379 Grant school, 66, 67, 71, 75, 78, 91, 100, 101, 105, 115, 127, 135, 139, 154, 165, 192, 207, 232, 333, 334, 379 Grant Schools Council, 67, 71, 127, 135 Grantham Alexander, 16, 64, 69, 76, 332 Great Leap Forward Movement, 94 Guangzhou, 33, 39, 57, 184, 192, 304, Guidelines on Civic Education in Schools, 124 H-level, 123, 125, 379 ), 174 Ha Wing Ho Timothy ( ), 13, 14, 15, Hall Ronald Owen ( 16, 50, 51, 55, 59, 66, 67, 69, 70, 73,

400

Index

77, 79, 81, 82, 88, 91, 101, 179, 181, 205, 210, 234, 332, 333, 336, 337 Harcourt Admiral, 63 Harry Joseph, 58 Hassard M., 58, 63 ; see also Heep Yunn School ( Fairlea School), 9, 100, 133, 159, 288, 300 Hemery S. G., 72, 276, 286 Hennessy John Pope, 25 Hitchcock E. A., 19 ), 185, 323 Ho Chi Ping Patrick ( Ho E. P., 13 ), 149 Ho Koon Lam ( ), 80, 82 Ho-Tung Robert ( Hoare C. J., 9, 13, 216 Hobbies Club/Exhibition, 54, 278, 279 Holy Carpenter Secondary School ( ), 15 Home-coming Concert, 133, 159, 291, 314 Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts ), 123 ( Hong Kong Automobile Association, 210 Hong Kong Bridge Association, 224 Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE), 125, 135, 161, 244, 265, 266, 268, 270, 313, 316, 378, 379 Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, 40 Hong Kong Chinese Chamber of Commerce, 40 Hong Kong College of Medicine ( ), 28, 33, 248 Hong Kong Council of Social Service, 14 Hong Kong Cricket Association, 133 Hong Kong Daily Press, 11 Hong Kong Government Gazette, 248 Hong Kong Housing Society, 59, 82 Hong Kong Institute of Architects Medal, 146, 157 Hong Kong Institute of Education ( ), 68, 69, 145 Hong Kong Model United Nations, 124

Hong Kong Motor Sports Club, 180 Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, 97, 150 Hong Kong Regatta, 29 Hong Kong School Certificate Examination (HKSCE), 88, 265, 266, 313, 316, 378 Hong Kong Schools’ Football League, 272 Hong Kong Schools Music Association, 55, 71, 76, 181, 276 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, 76, 88, 276, 286, 288 Hong Kong Teachers’ Association, 52 Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, 34, 58, 78, 176 ), 183, 325 Hong T. K. ( Hornell W. W., 48 House system, 47, 54, 62, 76, 221, 272, 276, 284 Howard J. F., 215 Howard Robin, 99 Howard William J, 33, 34. ), 34, 49, 318 Hsu John D. ( ), 339 Hsu Shih Ying ( ), 115 Huang Kin Henry ( Huang Yin Hanson ( ), 105, 115, 116, 155, 222, 223, 237 ), 241, 256 Hui Yin Kun ( Hygiene competition, 30 Hymn, school, 188, 236, 237 IB Building, 157, 208, 213 Illuminations, 299 Imperial Granary Edition Kun Qu Opera, 294 Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), 96 Industrial Revolution, 5 Infectious disease, 3, 27, 232 Ingram A. F. W., 198 Inter-school Athletics Competition, 281 International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme, 157, 160, 208, 213, 266, 334

Index

International Mind Sports Association, 224 International Panel of Visitors, 122, 245 ), 13 Ip Lai ( Ip Po Ting ( ), 61, 219, 241, 251 Inspiration, 113, 162, 269, 299, 336 ), 222 Iu Pui To ( ), 174 Jacobsen William ( Japan, 9, 57, 63, 95, 132, 274, 339 Jardine, Matheson & Co Ltd, 13, 29 Javoisidha Suchart, 90 Jingshan School, Beijing ( ), 158 ), 162, 299 Jirang Ji ( Jockey Club Ti-I College ( ), 141, 158 Johnstone, 24, 216 Joint Primary 6 Examination, 96, 376 Joint Sino-British Declaration, 121 “Journey’s End”, 181, 292, 293 Junior Secondary Education Assessment (JSEA), 98, 102, 123, 124, 376 Kadoori, 42, 52, 110, 207, 331 ), 149, 153 Kam Wilfred ( ), 58, 60, 336 Kan Yuet-Keung ( Keble College, 81 Kellett Henry, 19 Kennedy Arthur Edward, 12 Kennedy M., 323 Keswick William, 13, 19, 22, 23, 35, 330 ), 114, 138, 182, 185, Kiang T. L. ( 186, 187, 277, 290, 293, 294 King Edward VII Scholarships, 47, 86, 257 King George V School ( ; see also Kowloon/Central British School), 44 Kipling Joseph Rudyard, 236 ), 323 Ko Leung Hung Alex ( Ko Man Fu ( ), 325 Korean War, 65, 79, 93, 183 ), 32, 33, 48, Kotewall Robert ( 336

401

Kotwall Lawrence, 319 Kowloon British School (see also Central British School and King George V School), 44, 216 Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, 133 Kowloon Railway Tunnel, 248 Kowloon True Light Middle School ), 288 ( ), 13, 58, 59, 60, Kwan Cho-Yiu ( 82, 309, 336 ), 32 Kwan King Fai ( ), 32 Kwan King Leung ( Kwok Chi Hung Peter ( ), 182, 186, 322 ), 324 Kwok Chi Sing Lloyd ( Kwok Fai (“Old Log” ), 189, 190 ), 358 Kwok M. C. ( ), 152 Kwok Robert ( Kwong Kong Kit Peter ( ), 9 ), 323 Kwong Ming Hong Albert ( ), 181 Kwong Yiu Ting ( ), 100, 158, La Salle College ( 162, 286 ), 321 Lai Tak Chung Allan ( ), 322 Lai Cheong Fai Sean ( ), 174 Lai Hip Choi ( Lai Chak Lun Jacland ( ), 119, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 132, 133, 134, 135, 137, 138, 139, 174, 187, 205, 207, 220, 236, 244, 266, 267, 277, 290, 333 ), 236 Lai N. P. ( ), Lai Sing Cheong Paul (Po Law; 323 Laissez faire, 104,114 Lam Chi Fung Trophy, 88 ), 116,159 Lam George ( ), 189, 191 Lam Sang ( ), 41, 42, 61 Lam Woo ( Lander G. H., 13 Lapsley R. H. A., 316 ), 144 Lau Siu-Kai ( Laurence Herbert, 19

402

Index

Law Fanny ( ), 143, 145, 313 Law K. C. Stephen ( ), 294 Learning English, 26, 256 Lee David, 289 ), 158 Lee Zhao Jun Deacon ( ), 152 Lee John ( ), 152 Lee Rin ( Lee S. C. David ( ), 174 ), 50, 219, 251 Lee Sui Ming ( ), 320 Lee Sum Ping ( ), 157 Lee Tak Samuel ( ), 183 Lee Thomas ( ), 16 Lee Tim-oi Florence ( Legge James ( ), 6, 7 Legislative Council, 25, 29, 32, 61, 67, 116 ), 327 Leung Cheuk Yin Kenny ( ), Leung Kam Chung Anthony ( 143 ), 326 Leung Si Ning Sydney ( ), 156 Leung Tim Chiu Richard ( ), 139 Li Chuan Yun ( Li Henry ( ), 88, 114, 182, 185, 186, 277, 290 ), 248 Li Hung Chang ( Li Kwok Cheung Arthur ( ), 145 ), 33, 54 Li Shu Fan ( ), 148 Li Yuet Ting ( Liang Qiao Wei ( ), 237 ), 273 Lingnan School ( ), 33, 61, Lingnan University ( 304, 308 ), 174, 361 Lit Wai Yu John ( ), 90, 289, 318 Lo King Man ( Lo Phyllis ( ), 361 ), 150 Loch Gordon ( ), 104, 221, 222 Locking J. R. ( London Missionary Society (LMS), 6 London Society for the Promotion of Female Education in the East (see also FES), 9 ), 159 Loo Nancy ( Lowcock Henry, 93 Lowcock House, 76, 155, 284

Lwocock Jack, 294 ), 15, 72, 76, 79, Lowcock James ( 82, 86, 88, 90, 93, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 107, 109, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 134, 155, 174, 178, 185, 187, 190, 204, 211, 220, 221, 223, 236, 237, 240, 243, 257, 263, 277, 281, 282, 283, 284, 294, 300, 304, 311, 320, 321, 322, 324, 332, 333 Lowe R., 13 Luard D. I., 52 Lugard Frederick, 28 ), 158 Lui Siu Fai ( Lui Yuen Pei ( ), 290 Lyle W. J., 170 Ma Ernest, 239 ), 189, 191 Ma S. N. ( Macau (Macao), 5, 9, 121, 180, 192, 193, 305 MacDonnell Richard Graves, 12, 21 Mackie A. J., 272, 336 MacLehose Murray, 59, 95 Magazine, DBS (see also Steps), 137, 274, 296, 307, 309 Major John, 121 ), 187 Mak C. S. ( ), 188, 189 Mak Fook ( Mak S. Y. ( ), 362 ), 298 Mak See Sing ( ), 65, 94 Mao Zedong ( Marsh and Sampson Report, 97, 99 Mason Royston, 292 Matriculation Examinations, 28, 80, 103, 123, 125, 126, 135, 245, 256, 257, 262, 265, 266, 270, 378 May 4th Movement, 38 Medium of Instruction (MOI), 67, 75, 128, 144, 145, 262, 379 Meiji Restoration, 17 Messrs Little, Adams and Woods, 198 Mini Steps, 148, 299 Missionaries, 4, 5, 6, 7, 17, 55 Missions to Seamen, 37

Index

Mongkok Police Station, 44 Monks John, 52, 54, 57, 63, 69, 70, 71, 77, 78, 79, 91, 173, 176, 177, 202, 204, 241, 255, 296 Morris Karen, 159 Morrison Education Society, 5 “Mother and Son”, 292 Motto, school, 155, 156 Naish Michael, 148 Nash L. L., 52, 177, 296, 297 National Peoples’ Congress, 116, 120, 304 National Security Bill (see also Basic Law), 142 New New New Wing (see also SIP – School Improvement Project), 156 New New Wing, 109, 156, 205, 213 New Wing, 85, 103, 109, 156, 204, 205, 213, 323 New Wing, DHO, 26, 196 Niu Y. C., 289 ), 114, 279, 280, 298, Not Rigmorale ( 299 O’Connell, Nancy, 292 Olympus ( ), 106, 114, 298, 299 Omega Rose Bowl (see also BOCHK Bauhinia Bowl), 137 Open Air Bishop Hall Chapel (Open Chapel), 205 Open University/Learning Institute of / Hong Kong ( ), 123 Opium War I, 3 Opium War II, 7, 10, 17 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 122, 123 Ost J. B. and Mrs. Ost, 24, 196 Overseas Education Allowance Scheme, 105 Oxford Local Examinations, 28, 248, 249, 256, 378 Oxlad, 10

403

), 220 Pan Kee Sui Alexander ( Pang Kin Kee ( ) ), 189, 190 ), 189, 190 Pang Tak ( Panjabi Manoj, 326 Parent-Teacher Association, DBS (DBSPTA), 151, 153, 158, 303, 305, 307, 309, 311, 313, 314, 315, 317, 319, 321, 323, 325, 327, 334 Pasco B., 217, 316 Patriotic school, 86, 94, 126 Patten Christopher, 121 ), 115 Pau Wing Iu Patrick ( Pavilion, 40, 157, 208, 209, 294 Pawson Mark, 211 Peking Convention, 7, 17 ), 57, 309 Peng Ying Kiat ( Peony Pavilion, 294 Piercy Arthur, 275 Piercy George, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 35, 76, 169, 170, 174, 175, 186, 195, 196, 197, 216, 229, 234, 240, 245, 246, 248, 251, 271, 272, 275, 277, 283, 284, 300, 303, 305, 316, 330, 337 Piercy House, 76, 186, 284 Piercy, Mrs., 30, 316 Piercy Shield, 275, 277, 283, 284 Piper J., 19 Pirates of Penzance, 179, 276, 292 Pollock H. E., 13 ), Pooi To Middle School ( 288 ), 298 Poon K. Y. ( Pot hunting, 301 Pottinger Henry E. C., 4 Practical Physics, 52 Pragmatic socialism, 142 Prefect, 27, 33, 47, 57, 62, 80, 105, 111, 116, 132, 185, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 226, 232, 240, 241, 243, 244, 298, 309, 310, 313, 321, 322 Prew A. G. F., 48, 174, 336 Prew N. H. F., 174, 336 Primary Division, 4, 75, 132, 144, 146,

404

Index

147, 148, 152, 155, 156, 163, 165, 192, 203, 207, 208, 213, 226, 230, 231, 314, 315, 334 Private school, 4, 5, 26, 66, 68, 126, 334, 335, 379 Provident Fund Scheme, 72 Provisional Acceptance Scheme, 125 Public school, 5, 40, 55, 74, 91, 105, 158, 262, 276, 300, 330, 331, 332 Pui Kiu Middle School (∞ˆπ¥§§æ«), 86 Pyner H. du T., 48, 49, 211 ; see also Queen’s College ( Central School and Victoria College), 26, 216, 247, 249 Radio (Television) Hong Kong /RTHK, 53, 76 Ralphs E, 28, 30, 273 Randall B. C., 308 Rapp Frederick, 58 Rendle, 10, 11 Ridley S., 13 Riots (1966 or 1967), 94, 105, 110, 207 Robinson Hercules, 7 Robinson, Lady, 10 Rock Garden, 49, 85, 181, 201, 203, 211 Rosario M, 138, 157 Rose A.P., 82 Rose Villas, 9 Rowell T. R., 67 Royden Ross, 148 Rules, school, 216, 240, 241, 243, 244 St. Andrew’s Church, 40, 44 St. Augustine’s College (Canterbury), 81 St. Catherine’s College (Cambridge), 50, 177 St. James Settlement, 300 St. John’s Cathedral, 20, 23, 175, 219 ), 7, St. Joseph’s College ( 100, 246, 248, 272 St. Paul’s Coeducational (Girls’) College ), 149 (

St. Paul’s College ( ), 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 20, 50, 94, 100, 149 St. Peter’s Church, 23, 87, 175, 271 St. Peter’s Young Men’s Club, 81 ), 9, St. Stephen’s College ( 216 St. Stephen’s Girls’ College ( ), 10 St. Thomas Sunday School, 211, 300 Sampson J. R., 97 Sargent Christopher, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 61, 72, 74, 76, 88, 175, 177, 202, 211, 234, 237, 273, 274, 301, 303, 304, 306, 307, 331, 336, 337 Sargent House, 76, 284 Sargent Memorial Chapel, 74, 202, 234 Sayer Max W., 58 School Committee 11, 12, 13, 15, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 37, 39, 40, 44, 46, 49, 50, 51, 59, 60, 62, 73, 75, 77, 78, 80, 88, 90, 93, 99, 100, 102, 119, 127, 129, 130, 131, 132, 138, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155, 156, 160, 165, 175, 182, 190, 196, 197, 198, 230, 233, 234, 277, 307, 330, 331, 336, 337 Ad-Hoc Committee on DSS, 149, 151 Audit Committee, 152 Consultative Committee, 152 Fund Raising Committee, 40, 131, 146, 152 Management Committee, 151, 152, 153 Staff Appeal Panel, 151, 153 Transition Working Group, 153 School Improvement Project (SIP), 156, 159, 208, 213 School management initiative (SMI), 128 ), 298, 299, 318 Schoolmates ( Science Wing, 85 Scott, 111, 198, 264 Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE), 96, 99, 100, 102, 103, 376, Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA), 103, 129, 144, 376 ), 185 Sei K. (

Index

Self-Strengthening Movement, 17, 26 Setting (see also streaming), 3, 12, 17, 38, 46, 63, 82, 93, 115, 119, 128, 130, 142, 152, 210, 258, 305, 311 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), 14, 142, 159 Severn Claude, 39 Shanghai, 23, 39, 44, 61, 65, 165, 185, 186, 192, 198, 330 ), 15, 23, 69, 76, 77, She George ( 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 91, 103, 107, 133, 155, 174, 180, 181, 184, 186, 204, 211, 220, 221, 242, 258, 262, 276, 277, 281, 301, 308, 319, 332, 337 ), 186, 296 She Y. F. ( Shoe Shining (Polishing) Club, 56 Si-shu, 4, 5 Simpson Mary (see Mrs. Goodban) Simpson Michael, 131 ), 307 Sin Peter H. ( Sino-British Negotiations, 61, 124 ), 327 Siu Ming Hon David ( Smale John, 12, 19 Smith E. R., 72, 296 Smith George, 6, 7 Smith John R. M., 58 Smith Lydia, 10, 21, 329 Smoking Concert, 307 Smyly William, 49, 50, 51, 78, 115, 221, 237, 243, 293, 296 ), 320 So Sing Cho ( Society of ‘Cutting Hair, Not Changing Clothing’, 32 Song, school, 237, 238, 308 South China Morning Post (SCMP), 137, 145, 151, 162, 293, 296 Southey Frederick, 28, 32 Speech Day, 15, 47, 50, 52, 64, 76, 83, 84, 88, 89, 105, 110, 124, 125, 137, 158, 159, 191, 237, 296, 298, 304, 331, 337, 339 Sports and Dormitory Complex, 157, 205, 208, 209, 213

405

Sports master, 82, 103, 104, 276 Sports/Games Committee, 82, 276 Squatters’ Licence, 271 Stanton Vincent, 6 Stearn A. J. S., 48, 175, 303 ), 34, 48, 49, 52, 53, 74, 82, Steps ( 88, 94, 105, 111, 124, 133, 137, 148, 151, 152, 166, 177, 184, 186, 201, 205, 216, 224, 225, 236, 237, 256, 273, 274, 279, 287, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 304, 307, 308, 309, 310, 312, 324 Stewart Frederick, 8, 11, 25 Stokes W., 201 Streaming (see also setting), 258, 267 Street Sleepers’ Shelter Society, 81 Student activism, 38, 95 Student Christian Movement (SCM), 55 Student Council, 158, 334 Student-initiated-and-managed Clubs and Societies, 279 Student report, 245, 259, 260, 261 Subsidized school, 66, 97, 101, 379 Subsidized Schools Council, 127 Subsidy code, 68, 100, 379 Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited, 133 / Sun Tui Chew/Sun Yat Sen ( ), 31 Sung Pat Tat, 188 Sykes Henry, 30, 76, 174, 175, 218, 273, 275, 278, 306, 307, 316 Sykes House, 76, 284 Symons Joyce, 16 ), 322 Szeto Kwok Chu Alfred ( ), 143 Tai Hay Lap ( Tai Ping Rebellion, 6 ), 104, 174, 281 Tai S. K. ( Tai Y. S. Joseph ( ), 174 ), 155 Tam Martin ( ), 189, 192 Tang C. W. ( Tang Hon Chuen Stephen ( ), 184 Tanner B., 30 ), 107, 186, 191, 265, Tao P. K. ( 324, 325

406

Index

Taylor J. B., 19 Teacher-student ratio, 170, 172 “Teahouse of the August Moon”, 293 Thomas E. C., 48, 52, 70, 175, 273 Thomas George Harold, 28 Thomas H. C., 198 “Through-train” mode, 144, 148, 165 Tiananmen Incident, 121 Tie, school, 239 Timing squad, 113, 278, 280, 282 ), 124 To C. Y. ( ), 90, 316 Todd David ( Tong fai, 66, 67, 79, 335, 379 ), 152 Tong Paul ( Training College (see also College of Education), 42, 68, 69 ), 142 Tsang Donald ( ), 152 Tsang Paul ( ), 94 Tsang Tak Sing ( Tsoi Kwok Kwan Peter ( ), 174 ), 9, 13, 131, 146, 152, Tsui Louis ( 313, 314 Tuck Shop, 73, 109, 133, 179, 190, 202, 205, 225 ), 122, 142, Tung Chee-Hwa ( 143, 146 Turbett E., 176 Tuxford, Mrs., 216 Twemlow, 211 Typhoon Carmen, 110 Typhoon Wanda, 109 ), 319 Un Howard ( Uniform, school, 75, 238 ), 42 United College ( United Front, 39 United Nations, 65, 95, 124 University Grants Committee, 123 ), 28, University of Hong Kong ( 39, 47, 48, 60, 76, 81, 93, 97, 119, 122, 125, 141, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 205, 249, 255, 256, 257, 258, 265, 266, 270, 276, 310, 317, 322, 324, 378, 379 Vernacular school, 25

Victoria College (See also Central School and Queen’s College), 7, 216, 248, Victoria diocese, 6, 9, 12, 14, 21 Vietnam War, 93, 94, 95 Viveash William H., 30, 31, 216, 272 Wai Po Cheung, 305, 316 Walker Robert S., 19 ), 138, 152 Wan Edward ( ), 379 Wang Wilson ( ), 186, 290, Wang Y. S. Thomas ( 293 War Memorial Tablet, 59, 73, 202, 308 War Relief Fund, 57, 274 ), 174 Waung S. Q. William ( Welfare and Amenities Fund, 83 White N. B., 58 White Paper, 97, 98, 377 Education Policy (1965), 97, 377 Secondary Education in Hong Kong over the Next Decade (1974), 98 The Development of Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education (1978), 98 Whitfield F. C., 72, 174 Whitfield H. W. 19 Whittle Peter, 277, 293 Wilson, 10 Wong B. C., 232 ), 55 Wong Cheong Kit ( Wong J. M., 307, 336 Wong Ka Tsun, 78 ), Wong Kee Kwan ( 116 ), 174, 185 Wong Siu Kit ( Wood Alan, 198 World Bridge Federation, 224 World Mind Sports Game, 224 World War I, 14, 38, World War II, 10, 32, 33, 58, 60, 172, 173, 174, 176, 192, 203, 220, 234, 255, 257, 274, 304 ), 85, 86, Wu S. T. Theodore ( 179, 235, 320 Yee Tak Wah (

), 219

Index

Yeung (Young) Paul ( ), 289 Ying Wa College ( ), 100 ), 327 Yip Christopher ( Youde Edward, 61 Young Mark, 64 ), 23, 48, 52, 71, Young Saye J. L. ( 72, 112, 174, 176, 273 ), 273 Yuek Chi School ( ), 138, 157, 187 Yung C. K. ( ), 107 Yung Tai Sing Victor ( ), 174 Zee L. T. David ( Zimmern George Samuel (see also George She), 80, 306

407