since 12^th June, 1999

• HKUAA UK Inauguration Meeting

To mark this occasion, stalwarts gathered on June 12 at the Residence of the Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, HKU alumna Ms Sandra Lee. Dr Alan Birch, her husband and former teacher, taught for many years at the University in the Department of History.

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The University was represented by Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheng Kai-ming, and Ms Bernadette Tsui, Director of the Development & Alumni Affairs Office.

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UK-based alumni and former University staff, such as former Registrar Mrs Alleyne, have been long active in maintaining strong connections with HKU; one look at a photo of the members of the Exco will tell you. Others include Lawrence Low whose brother, Gordon, is presently chairman of the Melbourne HKU Medical Alumni Association.

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Attending guests observed a minute's silence during the inaugural reception which coincided with the funeral of Mrs Grace Huang, wife of former Vice-Chancellor Dr Rayson Huang, held in Hong Kong on the same day.

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• Honorary Fellowship Ceremony on 2nd Dec, 1999

At the recent Hong Kong University Honorary Fellowships Presentation Ceremony in December, Ms Irene Man, currently President of HKUAA UK chapter, and Professor Peter Geoffrey Willoughby, also from the UK chapter, were honoured. 

The Honorary Fellowships were first instituted in 1995. The Programme was set up for two important purposes. Firstly, it is to acknowledge thanks to those who have made significant contributions to University, and secondly, these awards are a means of reaffirming the links between town and gown.

The only woman who was honoured in 1999 was Ms. Irene Man, who is currently President of HKUAA UK chapter. 

Irene graduated from HKU in 1968 in BA (Economics), and spent all of her career in marketing, working for multi-national companies, and then setting up her own marketing consultancy, with clients covering a wide field. Throughout her career, she has always served the advertising and marketing industry in the area of education. 

In addition to her full time work, she has always found time for her Alma Mater and served as the President of the HKU Alumni Association. She also served on the Committee on the Ninth Decade & Beyond and helped organize the 80th Anniversary Celebrations, in particular the Grand Finale, Expo 2001, which attracted an audience of around 200,000. 

She is now 'retired' and is based in London. Though she now spends a great deal of time travelling, diving and skiing she is still keenly interested in alumni networking. She makes it a point to attend meetings of alumni chapters, in Vancouver or Toronto or Singapore. She has also become President of the HKU Alumni Association, the United Kingdom, which was formally established in June 1999, adding its eleventh overseas chapter to the alumni network.

The next member of the HKUAA UK chapter to receive the Honorary Fellowship in absentia was Professor Peter Geoffrey Willoughby

Professor Willoughby received his undergraduate and postgraduate education at the University of London where he took the Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws degrees in 1958 and 1960 respectively.  Sadly, he passed away in January 2000. He will be missed by friends and members of HKU.

He joined the University of Hong Kong in 1973 as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Law and in the following year was appointed Director of Professional Legal Education in that Department. In 1975 he was appointed the Second Chair of Law.

Professor Willoughby was instrumental in developing the programme for the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws, a professional qualification for the practice of law. The Department of Professional Legal Education was established in 1984 and he became the first head and professor of the department. In working out the programme for the PCLL he sought to link together the two stages into which the study of law can be divided - the academic and the professional; his aim was to produce a continuum without the sharp division that sometimes exists between these two stages of legal education. 

Professor Willoughby has lectured publicly, published a number of books and also written extensively for leading law journals on many aspects of the law, particularly in the fields of Company Law, Conveyancing and Revenue Law. He resigned from the Chair of Professional Legal Education in 1986 and is as successful in the private sector now as he was in academia.  The Honourable Dr T. L. Yang formally presented the awards.

• Millennium/ Chinese New Year Celebrations

The Executive Committee has organised an exciting get together on Saturday, 22^nd January 2000 to celebrate the eve of Chinese New Year in the new Millennium.  The event was held at the Zen Garden Restaurant at 15-16 Berkeley Street, London W1. It comprised a talk by Ms Sandra Lee on ‘the political, social and economic outlook of Hong Kong in the new Millennium’, a Chinese banquet and the showing of the movie ‘City of Glass’ starring Leon Lai Ming, Shu Qi, and produced and directed by two award-winning HKU graduates.

Sandra Lee, a HKU graduate, is the Director General of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office and the most senior official representing the HKSAR Government outside Hong Kong.  As part of her duties, she travels widely in the UK, Eastern Europe, Russia and Scandinavia. She would have just returned from meetings in Hong Kong at the time of our gathering, so it was an opportune moment for us to hear her talk and to ask questions about Hong Kong.

The film ‘City of Glass’ was produced by Alex Law (BA1976) and directed by Cheung Yuen Ting (BA1973), both of whom have produced films that had previously won international awards. This is a story of youth and memories of a past which includes life at Lady Ho Tung Hall. Set amidst the turmoil of the seventies and uncertainty of the nineties, the film captures many traditions of life at HKU.  This beautiful film is guaranteed to take you on a nostalgic journey to the University we know.  HKU was the sponsor when the film premiered last year in Hong Kong.  The film is in Cantonese with English subtitles.

For this special occasion, we have chosen as the venue the stylish Zen Garden Restaurant in Mayfair, which is just a minute’s walk from the Ritz. It is renowned for its outstanding cooking, excellent service and elegant setting.

• The Gilded Dragon exhibition at the British Museum

The Executive Committee had also arranged an outing to the exhibition "Gilded Dragons: Buried Treasures from China's Golden Ages" at the British Museum. The date of the outing to the exhibition was Friday, 4th February (Chinese New Year Eve), starting with a special lecture at 11 a.m. in one of the Museum's seminar rooms. We hoped that the viewing of the sensational Gilded Dragons exhibition would be an auspicious way to see off the year of the Rabbit.

By our special request, the exhibition's curator, Carol Michaelson, presented an illustrated lecture giving fascinating insights into the sophisticated and exotic lifestyle of the Tang dynasty (AD 618 - 906).  The exhibits included many treasures that had never before been displayed outside China. Many of these were spectacular discoveries of the last three decades. On show were gold, silver and gilded objects buried in tombs, illustrating how the peoples of the Tang Dynasty lived. There were also jewellery and precious artefacts offered to Buddhist temples by devotees, dating back to the eighth century.

As a token of appreciation, the Association made a moderate donation to the British Museum.

• HKUAA AGM 2000 on 3rd June

Two healthcare-related talks were delivered during lunch at the Phoenix Palace Restaurant in Central London.

Mr Christopher Liu, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon, spoke to thirty HKU alumni regarding corrective surgery for short-sightedness and cataract - common eye conditions affecting the young and the old. The audience had the opportunity to ask the expert specific questions on indications, risks and after-care. The Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday, 3rd June 2000 at China City Restaurant, London China Town. Minutes of the last A.G.M., the President's report, and the Treasurer's report were circulated.

• Lunch with Professor Y. C. Cheng, Vice-Chancellor

We had the honour of having Professor Cheng at a lunch meeting on the 16th July 2000 at China City Restaurant. The VC delivered an informative and insightful speech on the development of the University in the New Millennium. Reporters waited outside the venue to interview Professor Cheng on a newly erupted debate in Hong Kong.

• Wine Tasting and Lunch on 25th November 2000

An exquisite fine wine tasting was held on Saturday, 25 November 2000, starting at noon. The venue was Cassia Oriental at 12 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1X 5HG. Opened early this year, it is a fusion (Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai & Japanese) restaurant with a designer nouveau-plush look.

Mr Christopher Burr, MW (Master of Wine), guided us through a selection of top Bordeaux reds of the outstanding 1990 vintage, including Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Haut Bages Liberal, Clos du Marquis and Phelan-Segur. Mr Burr is one of the top wine experts in the world. He was head of the international wine department of Christie's until March 2000 when he founded uvine.com, a stockmarket-styled electronic fine wine exchange. We were very honoured to have him because, as chairman of uvine.com, he seldom conducted wine tastings now.

• Weekend Function in Manchester - 21st/22nd April 2001

In response to members' requests that we organised an event outside London, and with enthusiastic support from Alumni in Manchester (led by Dr Horatio Wan), we have organised a weekend event in Manchester on 21st/22nd April. Members and guests made their own way to Manchester, and made their own arrangements for overnight accommodation as appropriate. Over Saturday and Sunday in Manchester, the Association hired a mini-bus and provided free transport for the 21 members and guests who registered for the 2-day programme.

• Private Viewing of French Painting at the Royal Academy of Arts - 8th September 2001

By special arrangement with the world-renowned Royal Academy of Arts, members were given an exclusive viewing of the special exhibition of masterpieces of French painting "From Ingres to Matisse" on 8 September 2001. Drawn from the outstanding art collections of two Baltimore institutions, the Walters Art Museum and The Baltimore Museum of Art, the paintings were rarely seen outside America. The exhibition curator Mary Anne Stevens gave a talk to HKUAA members and guests on the exhibition in the galleries before they were open to the public. The visit to the Royal Academy was followed by lunch in London China Town. Altogether 35 members took part in the day's event.

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• Visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew - 6th October 2001

The HKUAA-UK organized a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) at Kew on Saturday, 6th October 2001. A special visit was made to the Herbarium which is not open to the public, courtesy of Dr. Tim Utteridge, an HKU PhD. graduate who now works there and the Seed Bank of the RBG Kew.

Dr. Utteridge gave us a brief history of the RBG Kew and the Herbarium. The vast numbers of cabinets and cupboards store over 7 million specimens while fifty thousand specimens arrive annually at Kew for processing of which thirty thousand were added to the collection. We were introduced to the identification and naming of newly discovered plants.

After the Herbarium, an official guide of the RBG Kew took us through the Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory. The programme ended with lunch at the cafeteria in the Gardens and enjoyed by all.

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• Chinese New Year - Year of Horse Celebration - 9th February 2002

There were 52 members and guests participated in this traditional Chinese New Year celebration lunch at the China City Restaurant. We showed videos of the Grand Reunion Dinner, the highlight of the 90th anniversary celebrations of HKU, held in Hong Kong in December. Old friends of HKU, including Lady Youde, also attended this lunch.

• Weekend function in Scotland - 8th/9th June 2002

Following on the successful outing to Manchester last year, our highlight of the year was the excursion to Scotland in June 2002, which Professor Sally Stewart helped organized. It was a wonderful treat as we were invited by our fellow alumnus and past Chancellor Lord David Wilson, to have drinks at his house in Edinburgh, followed by a Chinese meal. Both Lord Wilson and Lady Natasha were most hospitable. 28 members and guests also attended a lunch hosted by the Stewarts in their beautiful Scottish home in Crieff and everybody had a most enjoyable weekend.

• Luncheon talk by Mr. Joseph Yam - 4th July 2002

A lunch in July at the China House, at which Mr. Joseph Yam, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and a HKU graduate, gave an enlightening talk on the economy and the future of Hong Kong.

• HKUAA UK AGM 2002 - 2nd November 2002

The Annual General Meeting was attended by 38 members, 4 spouses and 18 guests. The Chairman's report and the Treasurer's report were circulated.

The Chairman announced that having been President of the association for three years, she would step down as President, but would continue to serve on the committee. The new President would be elected at the first meeting of the new Executive Committee, but as a consensus had been reached among committee members, she introduced Ms Maureen Wong as the new President.

After lunch, Irene Man gave a presentation of her expedition to Antarctica. It was very well received.

• International Joint Function - 2nd-3rd July 2004

The International Joint Function of the Hong Kong University Alumni Association (HKUAA) held in the United Kingdom this year, where we have an active and lively chapter.

There was a two-day core-programme:

      July 2nd – Reunion Dinner

·        Reunion Dinner at the Four Regions Restaurant (Chinese food), County Hall, London.

July 3rd, Saturday – Outing to Oxford and Shakespeare Country

·        A full day excursion to see the famous countryside outside London: Cotsworld, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon .

      Oxford – historic university City of Dreaming Spires going back to 1249, with visit to colleges including Christ Church, the grandest of all the colleges and home to Oxford’s cathedral. Many of the scenes in the Harry Potter feature films are shot in locations of the College.

Stratford-upon-Avon – traveled through the unspoiled beauty of the Cotswold Hills, enjoyed the picturesque little town of Woodstock before arriving at the delightful market town where Shakespeare was born, to get a taste of his life, work and times.

Warwick Castle – a stunning example of an English castle, where you can experience history through its imposing ramparts, haunted towers, magnificent State Rooms and the height of Victorian innovations.

      July 3rd, Saturday – Closing dinner

·        The closing dinner was held at the Phoenix Palace Restaurant.

• HKUAA UK AGM 2004 -  November 2004

The Annual General Meeting took place in Mrs. Carrie Lam, Director General of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. The Chairman's report and the Treasurer's report were circulated.

The committee proposed two members, Chris Li and Carol Chan, to join the committee. The motion was passed.

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• Chinese New Year - Year of Rooster Celebration - 29th Jan 2005 

The Annual General Meeting took place in Phoenix Place Restaurant at Glentworth Street. We began with a presentation on the Galpagos Islands which given by Ms Irene Man, former HKUAA president, adventure traveler and experience diver.

Ms. Irene Man shared with members a beautifully produced underwater video, which recorded and captured the memorable moments of her fourth dive trip to the Galapagos islands. She provided the commentary on her exciting encounter with reef sharks, hammerheads, turtles, manta rays and whale sharks the length of a long bus.

• Luncheon Talk by Mrs. Carrie Lam and Mr. Eric Ho -  16th Apr 2005

The Luncheon Meeting took place at New Loon Fong Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown. Dim Sum refreshment was provided. We are delighted to have two fellow alumni, Mrs. Carrie Lam and Mr. Eric Ho, to be our speakers at the next luncheon meeting.

Mrs. Carrie Lam, Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London, gave a talk on the current economic and political situation in Hong Kong, especially on the governance of Hong Kong since 1997 and how Hong Kong has emerged from the bursting of the asset bubble, the economic restructuring and the SARS epidemic.

Mrs. Carrie Lam joined the Hong Kong Government as an Administrative Officer upon graduation from the University of Hong Kong in 1980. Whist in the government service, she attended a one-year Diploma Course in Development Studies in the University of Cambridge in 1981-82 and received a Fulbright Fellowship on attachment to a US federal agency in 1988. In the 1990s, she spent almost seven years in the Finance Bureau involved in budgetary planning, expenditure control and the government’s capital works programme. She was appointed the Director of Social Welfare in August 2000 managing a HK$30 billion welfare portfolio. Her three-year tenure as the Director of Social Welfare coincided with a period of high unemployment and severe fiscal deficit in Hong Kong, highlighting the need for ensuring the financial sustainability of a social security safety net for the disadvantaged. Before taking up the position of Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, Mrs. Lam was Permanent Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands (Planning and Lands).

We are also honoured that Mr. Eric Peter Ho, CBE, was available to introduce his recently published memoir of Hong Kong’s governance from 1950 when he joined the civil service to when he retired in 1991. He was a member of the HK Legislative Council from 1977-87, and a member of the Executive Council from 1985-87. He served as Secretary for Social Services (1977-82), Secretary for Trade and Industry (1983-87) and as Chairman of the Public Services Commission (1987-91).

Mrs. Carrie Lam, Mrs. Carrie Lam and Mr. Eric Ho, Mrs. Maureen Wong

HKUAA Members and guests

• Oxford Trip - 20th August 2005

We had a lovely summer day in the historical university city of Oxford. The trip started with a guided tour by a Oxford postgraduate student, Ms. Mitsuko Watanabe, to the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, one of the oldest public museums in the world.

After Dim Sum Lunch in Paddyfield Chinese Restaurant, we continued our trip to Christ Church College, the largest college in Oxford where many of the scenes in the Harry Potter feature films were shot, followed by a brief walk through the famous Oxford historic buildings including the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera, Bridge of Sighs in Hertford College, Sheldonian Theatre and the famous Magdalene Bridge.

Christchurch, Bridge of Sighs

• Lunch with Lord and Lady Wilson at Peterhouse, Cambridge University - 8th October 2005

The Governor of Hong Kong from 1987 to 1992 and former Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, Lord David Wilson of Tillyorn invited HKUAA  to lunch at Peterhouse where he is currently  the Master.

After lunch in the college, Lord and Lady Wilson took us for a walk around Peterhouse, showed us the Court of Corpus Christi, the famous King’s College Chapel, the picturesque river at the back of Trinity, and Trinity Court and Fitzwilliam Museum. The walk was about an hour and the function ended with tea at Peterhouse.

• Chinese New Year Lunch - Year of the Dog - 18th February 2006

A lunch gathering with lucky draw took place in Phoenix Palace Restaurant at Glentworth Street, London.

We also had our young alumni, Gavin Chan, who shared with us his experience in mixing with the Tibetan nomads, camping in unknown valleys and spectacular photographs taken during his adventure.

• AGM and Summer Party - 12th August 2006

The Annual General Meeting and Summer Party took place in Miss Sarah Wu, Director General of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. The Chairman's report and the Treasurer's report were circulated.

The committee proposed two members, Stephen Ng and Benny Lam, to join the committee. The motion was passed.

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• Luncheon gathering with Mrs Anson Chan - 21st October 2006

Mrs Anson Chan gave a lively talk about the political, social and economic situation of Hong Kong in this luncheon gathering in London China Town. More than 60 HKU alumni attended this event.

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• Luncheon talk by Miss Sarah Wu - 16th December 2006

Ms Sarah Wu (B.Soc.Sc. 1978), who is currently the Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, delivered a talk entitled "Hong Kong Recover, Reinvent and Reposition". The luncheon talk was heldin New Loon Fung Restaurant, London China Town.

• Year of the Pig Lunch - 10th February 2007

Our keen alumnus, Miss Sarah Wu (the Director General of HKETO) invited our fellow alumni to her residence in Cowley Street, London for the annual Chinese New Year lunch. Dim sum was provided by courtesy of the HKETO.

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• Presentation by Prof Ian Holliday - 2nd Apr 2007

Dean of HKU Social Science, Prof. Ian Holliday, visited the UK. He gave us a presentation on Global Vision Project and current development of HKU at Imperial College London. An after-talk dinner was held in Ognisko Polish Club.

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• London Dragon Boat Festival - 1st Jul 2007

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong back to China, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office and London Chinatown Lions Club co-hosted the Dragon Boat Festival in London Regatta Centre. Twenty-four teams participated in the race. This event brought the young and senior alumni together to row, cheer and eat. All participants and visitors enjoyed the day very much. A buffet reception was held in Yi-Ban restaurant at the Regatta Centre.

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• Dinner with Prof Lap-Chee Tsui - 7th Jul 2007

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lap-Chee Tsui, met our alumni in the UK for a dinner in London China Town and talked about the recent development of HKU and the Centennial Campus. Irene Man shared with us the photos, videos and story of her diving trip in Fiji. Carol Chan showed us the photos taken in the London Dragon Boat Festival a week ago. More than 40 alumni came for this event. Prof. Tsui received his Honorary Doctor of Science degree from University of Aberdeen on 6th Jul 2007.

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