HKU Bulletin June 2004 (Vol. 5 No. 4)

13 12 PEOPLE The Voice of the University Health Service B renda Wong Law Yu Ping’s cheerful voice is probably as familiar as her friendly face because for 39 years this grandmother has taken her place at the University Health Service. Now contemplating retirement Wong believes that her long service has been well rewarded by helping patients as they contemplate a visit to the doctor’s. Wong said: “I have known three generations of the same family come through here. I like meeting people and they are all my friends. “When I ar r i ved I was single and now I have grandchildren. My son thinks that it is incredible that I have always worked at the same place and in the same job.” Only a brief job with an accountancy firm kept Wong from her calling at the University but she had to rely on a fr iend’s introduct ion to push her in the r ight direc N t o io w n. facing retirement, Wong is not entirely sure what to do with her new found free-time but she has three grown up children and a retired husband to offer plenty of advice. She said: “I think I will learn more cooking and do lots of exercise because work doesn’t give me enough time for keeping fit. “My children tell me that I should travel. I feel pretty young so my age should be no barrier to travelling abroad. I quite like the idea of a round the world trip. “I would also l ike to return to Phuket in Thailand. I’ve already been there twice and really enjoyed the sunshine, beach and peace.” But moving on does not mean that Wong will not be looking backwards every now and again. She said: “My message to my pat ients is ‘Goodbye, I will miss you all and I wish you all the best in the future’.” Memories from the Print Room S o Wing Cheong is old enough to remember the Japanese troops torturing civilians on the streets of Wan Chai so it should come as no surprise that he is probably the oldest member of staff at the University. The 75-year-old has been with the University since 1964 and in the Registry’s Printing Unit since 1967 where he was Senior Printing Officer from 1979 until 1991, so his retirement is well deserved. So will have time to reflect on a lifetime of dedicated personal achievement. Coming from abject poverty the Guangdong-born grandfather has seen his three sons transform into a consultant surgeon and two banking executives. He said: “I am very proud of their success.” So is quick to acknowledge the transformation in his life. When his civil servant father died the six-year-old So was one of five children brought up by their mother through the 1930s. In 1937 the family moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong in search of a better life but fled back to Mainland China in 1942, but not before they had experienced extreme hardship. So recalled: “After the British surrender on Christmas Eve 1941 I saw the military trucks driving along Hennessy Road. The next morning the Japanese come in riding their horses. “All we had to eat was sweet potatoes and sweet potato leaves. Life was very hard. “I saw the Japanese torture people on the streets. It is buried deep in my memory but I prefer to forget the details.” So only returned to Hong Kong in 1951 on the invitation of his relatives and a series of odd jobs followed during the day while at night he went to evening classes to get his qualifications. After a job in Grantham Hospital, So managed to secure a job at the University and then a print apprenticeship three years later. He has stayed with the unit ever since. He said: “I have really enjoyed it so why move? I will retire this summer so I am only 15 years too late! I was meant to retire in 1989 but they kept me on. “I have been thinking about what I will do. I am very involved with the church these days so I think I will spend most of my time helping them.”