HKU Bulletin January 2005 (Vol. 6 No. 2)

29 28 PEOPLE Pride in Our Past A Collection of artefacts belonging to the University’s longest- serving Vice-Chancellor was formally established by his daughter in December 2004. Sir Lindsay Ride served as Vice-Chancellor for 16 years, from 1948 to 1964, although his association with the University went back as far as 1928, when he joined as Professor of Physiology. During the Second World War he escaped from Japanese- occupied Hong Kong and became instrumental in setting up the British Army Aid Group in Chungking, which gathered intelligence information and assisted escapes. His daughter, Miss Elizabeth Ride, has kindly donated a wide range of his materials and artefacts to the University together with records of Sir Lindsay’s long and active life. These include his 1930’s published work on genetics and the outer clothing he wore when escaping from the Japanese internment camp in Sham Shui Po. Her wish is to make her father’s documents available to present and future generations of students. In a speech at the ceremony she quoted Sir Lindsay’s words. “In the hands of our youth lies the key to the salvation of this community, but it must be a guided youth and not an exploited youth, and above all it must be a youth that is proud of its past and believes in its destiny”. Miss Ride and the Vice-Chancellor with Sir Lindsay’s brigadier’s uniform. Roots and Shoots W orld-famous primatologist, Jane Goodal l, del ivered an inspirational talk to students in November 2004 in an effort to drum up support for her environmental organisation Roots and Shoots. Goodal l ’s groundbreaking research and unusual methodology has made her a household name. As the first scientist to discover the use of tools amongst chimpanzees she has documented what she terms a ‘culture’ amongst these primate groups; the handing down of information from one generat ion to the next through ‘observation, imitation and practice’. By naming the chimpanzees in her studies, instead of numbering them, she redef ined research on pr imates, study ing them as indi v iduals wi th thei r own idiosyncrasies and dist inct personalities. She said of one: “Dav id Greybeard helped me go through a magic door into a world no other human had gone through; the world of the wild chimpanzee.” Inspi red by Dr Dool i t t le and Tarzan of the Apes, Goodall travelled to Af r ica in 1958 to work for anthropologist and palaeontologist Louis Leakey. He dispatched her to Gombi Nat ional Park where she studied chimpanzee communities. Within the first six months she had witnessed and documented their use of tools; a revelation which ‘blurred the sharp line that man had drawn between man and beast – the belief that only man could fashion and use tools.’ When she telegrammed the news to Leakey he replied: “Now we must redef ine man, redef ine tool or accept chimpanzees as human.” “It was the first time we realised that chimpanzees did have a primitive culture after all,” she said. She later observed chimpanzees hunting monkeys and sharing the kill very much as early man would have and noticed that their non-verbal communications were very similar to what is seen in cultures around the world today. “I also learned about the fascinating relationships between mothers and their offspring.” She noted that individuals whose mothers were protective supportive, playful and affectionate tended to have offspring who went on to become individuals in their society who played quite an important role. “I realised the tremendous importance of early experience and when I f i rst came out of the f ield i t was the chi ld psychologists and psychiatrists who were most interested in the observations I’d made. “I began to learn something about the personalities of chimpanzees. The male who first demonstrated tool using was also the f i rst to lose his fear of this peculiar white ape. And I named him David Greybeard. Because he began to accept me without fear he was able to introduce me to his closest companions.” But despi te her love of f ield research she realised that to save the forest she needed to leave. And she has used her fame to highlight the plight of the great apes. “More great apes are dying now than at any other time,” she said. In the 1960s chimpanzees in Africa numbered between one and two mi l l ion. Today only 150,000 remain. I l legal logging and commercial hunting are decimating numbers. She now travels for 300 days of the year giving talks and encouraging young people to be ambassadors for the animal kingdom. She has established the Jane Goodall Institute and Tacare in Africa which is growing trees, delivering primary healthcare, starting micro-credit banks and empowering women by giving them access to education and, in turn, reducing the birth rate. Roots and Shoots which inspires young people to make a difference by becoming involved in their communities, is now established in 88 countries. She believes many of us have lost our connection with our hearts. “What we’ve lost is the wisdom of indigenous people who consider how their decisions will affect their community seven generations ahead.” But is not without hope. Her Roots and Shoots mantra is ‘Inspire, take action, make a difference’.