THE EARLY UNIVERSITY YEARS (1977 - 1983) This period of my life covers the first six years of my time at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, namely the years 1977 to 1983 at the university prior to going to Stanford. These six years can be sub-divided into three periods of about two years each: A. Arrival at the university until the arrival of Leonie, 1977 - 1979. B. From the birth of Leonie until the birth of Gavin, 1979 - 1981. C. From the birth of Gavin until departure from Hong Kong for Stanford, (1981 - 1983) Later files deal with: - The Stanford from 1983 to 1987. - The later years from 1985 until retirement in 2000. Again unfortunately, I only seem to have kept a complete diary for one of these years, in 1988. So again I have had to rely on memory together with the many photographs of this period to piece together the main things that happened. Undoubtedly, there will be happenings which I cannot recall.

A. Arrival at the Chinese University and 1977 - 1979 • Getting the job: About May of 1977, while still at the Hong Kong Technical Teachers' College (TTC), I had an interview for a post at the School of Education of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, primarily for training teachers to teach Chemistry. (It was then called a 'School' and was part of the Arts(?) faculty; only in 1991 did it become a full faculty in its own right.) I had applied for the job of Lecturer in Chemistry Education. I was not confident about getting the job as I had not been involved in Science teacher-training at the TTC and because an acquaintance of mine through the early days of the HK Science Teacher's Association, who was a Chemistry teacher, was also applying for the job. During the interview however, the panel seemed to be more interested in the Education courses I had set up at the TTC rather than the Chemistry side. I think this might have been because they wanted people who could teach other courses as well as just the teaching of Chemistry or other school subject. I think this is why I was accepted over the over chap. • Change of status and conditions: My TTC contract was for three years. Thus, when the end of year holidays commenced in July 1977, I was still officially employed at the TTC and was a government employee. On coming back to Hong Kong at the end of August from a holiday, I was now a university employee on almost identical terms (the then two universities - Chinese University and Hong Kong University - followed the government •1

system for people employed from overseas) except that this time, the university paid for the air tickets back to Hong Kong. One difference was that I was not get a gratuity, as I did at the end of the TTC contract, but had to join a university superannuation scheme. (They had two schemes which you could choose from, one a 'guaranteed' scheme with a fixed but low rate of interest and the other 'non-guaranteed', the growth of which depended on how the stock market did, as this was where this fund was invested. I chose the non-guaranteed scheme and it turned out to be by far the better, as growth in Hong Kong in the 70s and 80s was explosive. In the 90s, this led to a lot of griping by those in the 'guaranteed' scheme, most of whom were older faculty and administrators, but who also had the power to change the schemes, which they did, and so we all had to join a new single scheme, though the amount accrued by those of us in the non-guaranteed scheme was not reduced, just transferred.) At the university, I also accumulated paid leave at the rate of two months for each year of service. Instead of taking the leave, it could be accumulated up to a maximum of one year. This leave was in addition to two weeks of annual paid holiday. When I went to Stanford in 1983, I had accumulated a year of paid leave, which meant I was getting paid for one of the two years while there. • Moving: The university, like the government, provided housing. So, on our return, we had to move everything from the Peak flat to the university campus. This is where I displeased the university a little - and I had not even started work! The university had a contract with a transport company for the removal of household belongings. However, I found I could get another company to move the same things for about half the price. So I accepted this, thinking I was helping the university to save money. Not so! The bursar, who was actually a nice guy who became very friendly with us while at the university, was rather displeased, primarily I think because of the paper work and change of their set way of doing things. And so we moved to the campus, which had eight residential blocks for staff. Our flat was Flat 3A in Residence 6. (There were no Residence 2 so the last one then was Residence 9. By the time I retired, in the year 2000, the number of residences had climbed to 14, with Residence 15 being the latest). Before moving into the flat, I think we stayed in the university guest house (next to the university medical centre) for a few days, which was the usual practice for people from overseas. I know we used the guest house one time, but whether it was then or another time I am not completely certain. The location of the university The university is situated in the New Territories on a hilly area overlooking Tolo Harbour. From the 1950s, there had been a post-secondary college called called Chung Chi College close to the railway station. This was set up and run by church organisations in Hong Kong and a central part of the college was (and still is) a seminary. There were two other post•2

secondary colleges in Hong Kong (New Asia College and United College). In 1963, the Chinese University was established from an amalgamation of these three college and set up in its present location. And in 1965, the School of Education was established. The site was prepared by levelling much of the hills, the rocky material being used to make the Plover Cover reservoir dam on the other side of Tolo Harbour. The picture below shows how the site looked at the end of 1969, less then eight years before I arrived. Chung Chi College would be down the hill on the bottom right of the picture. Site of New Asia College

Site of United College

Site of central campus

Shatin Newtown: At that time in the 70s, Hong Kong was developing rapidly with the establishment of several new towns. Shatin was to be one of these. When we joined the university, there was just a single narrow road out to the campus and Shatin was a farming area. This changed dramatically in the following years. A large area of the sea was reclaimed right up to the edge of the campus (including the part that is now the racecourse) and developed into the new town. Fortunately, all this happened out of sight of us at the university. The photograph shows how Shatin appeared in about 1978 or 1979. Parts that have been reclaimed are clearly visible, including the new racecourse. Residence 6 The first flat we had was one allocated to single people or couples without children. We had no choice in the allocation. The flat had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study as well as a servant's room. The floor was made of wooden tiles. After a year or so, our neighbour with his family (in a larger three-bedroom flat) moved in; he was the new director of the School of Education. Our flat was furnished though we did add some things of our own, and we got the university to remove some things that not needed or which we replaced. We installed air-conditioning in the bedrooms but not the other rooms. This would be used only in the summer nights. We also bought an electronic organ. However, it was not used •3

very much and we eventually sold it prior to leaving Hong Kong to go to Stanford university. Visitors: The first person to stay with us was a former pupil of mine from my form classes in the first two years at Burnside High School. Her name was Kaye Perkin. While on holiday in Christchurch in 1977, Vanessa and I were driving down a street when I saw her walking on the footpath. We stopped and took her home where she told us she was to travel to the UK shortly. So we invited her to come via Hong Kong and stay with us, which she did in late 1977 or early 1978. Not too long after that, Thiers Halliwell, a friend of mine from Gisborne days, stayed with us for a few days. He is an eye surgeon and I stayed with him in 1972 in London when he was studying there. We drove out to the then border lookout at Lok Ma Chau to peer across into China (photograph). This lookout no longer exists. The whole area has been replaced with the city of Shenzhen, which is now about the same size as Hong Kong. The School of Education The School of Education was established in 1965, and was the university's first professional school for training graduate teachers. The school did not have a building of its own but was housed in the early Chung Chi College buildings. The picture (above right) shows the building and the laying of the foundation stone. The second picture shows the entrance to the school and the staff and students in the early years, ca. 1978. My first office was not much better than a prison cell, with just one small window high up near the ceiling. Later, I moved to a larger room with proper windows that looked out onto an enclosed wooded but rough courtyard (not used for walking around). •4

More teaching, little research: Again, as there was only a small staff, I had to teach subjects I was not specialised in (then), including “Research and Statistics” and at one point “Educational Technology” (in the days before IT was used). There were three teaching programmes, one for for full-time students (one year), part-time evening students and parttime day (Saturday mornings and summer holidays) students (two years). The part-time programmes were for full-time teachers. These programmes lead to a Diploma in Education (Dip Ed). In the early years, there were no departments, just one school. Because of the heavy teaching load, there was little time left for research. First director: (Photo above, standing, centre. Note: Not our neighbour in Residence 6; he was the second director.) He was not an academic. He liked to conduct a staff meeting once a week, even it these were not necessary. I remember that smoking was allowed in staff meetings then that many of us who did not like; it was eventually restricted to one end of the room, though this did not help much. Also, the director would often take us to lunch after the meetings. Sometimes these would be at the university and sometimes at the Jockey Club members restaurant. The teaching of Chemistry: This was the course I was primarily responsible for and because there were three programmes, I would teach it to three groups of students. The picture shows my full-time Chemistry group ca. 1979. My first couple of years of teaching this subject was not great (by my standards) as I had to teach immediately on arriving and needed a lot of time to prepare good materials. Quite different from my last year when my full-time class presented with a cup that they had made with the words “World's Best Teacher!” Summer teaching: Students in the part-time day programme attend classes on Saturday mornings during the academic year and during the school summer holiday break. This meant we were often required to teach during the summer period, though we were still entitled to out two weeks of annual holiday. This summer teaching was usually once every two years then in the 1990s once every three or four years. So, we were still able to leave Hong Kong for a longish holiday most of the time though sometimes the family went without me when I was teaching. But the births of both Leonie and Gavin fitted nicely into years when I had to teach in the summer and so remain in Hong Kong. •5

Incident in first office: One day during my second year (I think), while still in the 'jail-house' office', I suddenly got terrible chest and abdomen pains and thought I was having a heart attack. I staggered out of the office and nearly collapsed. Others called an ambulance and sent me to hospital. It turned out it was not a heart attack but, they said, something to do with a vagus nerve, that causes the heart to slow which leads to a fall in blood pressure sufficient to cause unconsciousness. But I never did find out what triggered it in the first place. Staff-students sports: As at Ming Yin College (but not the TTC which had no space for sports), the students would have sports competitions and they would sometimes get the staff to compete against them. I participated once or twice in basketball (played on the Chung Chi sports ground outside courts by the railway station) but not very often. Church: We attended for most of the time at the university the Chung Chi chapel English services on Sunday mornings. These were held in the choir seats and there would be about 20 or so people there. The picture below left shows the chapel. Note that this picture must have been taken about Christmas time as in the bottom right corner you can see a straw stall and manger scene which is placed there every year, as in other picture. (One year, someone stole the 'baby' Jesus!)

Social life on campus: For us. most of this centred around Chung Chi College which had a large number of expatriate people and socials were often held in the open area on the ground floor of the chapel. (All university faculty, except those in special school such as the School of Education, 'belonged' to one of the then three colleges. Later, this was extended to all faculty so I associated myself with Chung Chi College.) But even before this, we could still attend these social •6

functions). The photograph above right shows a group at Chung Chi, though several years later as I see that baby Leonie is also in the picture. The 1-cent note: In those days, to pay odd cents or to receive change in odd cents when paying bills, one-cent notes were used. They were discontinued in 1995. 1978 holiday: During the summer of 1978, Vanessa and I went to Japan and South Korea for about two weeks. This will be described in a separate file, (and is also in the diary for 1978) though there are two things I will mention here. We flew with Cathay Pacific Airways and in the leg from Tokyo to Seoul on a Lockheed Tristar, there was a faulty air-conditioner above me with the result that for the whole leg, water was dripping onto me. Later, when getting bus tickets at a terminus in Seoul to travel south, Vanessa left the waist bag with all our money and documents on the counter! We realised this as we were getting on the bus. We rushed back and fortunately it was still there! Birth of Leonie: a dramatic time This section ends with the birth of Leonie, our first child, on August 4th, 1979, which was a Saturday. We were still living in Residence 6 at the time. We had chosen the (private) Hong Kong Adventist Hospital away over on Hong Kong Island, for the birth as the university subsidised the cost of the birth. Typhoon Hope: It was at the peak of summer and during the typhoon season. It so happened that one of the most powerful typhoons for many years - Typhoon Hope - was approaching Hong Kong and eventually scored a direct hit. It was a 'super' typhoon that killed 12 people and injured several hundred. And it did not dissipate until August 8th, four days after Leonie was born, though the peak passed on August 3rd.

Flooding of the flat: The typhoon also brought a lot of rain. The wind blew leaves onto the balcony which blocked the drainage hole, with the result that water rose and flooded from the balcony into the flat. At first, most of this water flowed to one side side of the flat, suggesting that the building was not perfectly horizontal!! To prevent further flooding, I had to go onto the balcony to remove the leaves. But because the wind was so powerful, I could have been blown off, so I tied a long rope to myself and anchored it to something (sofa?) inside the flat. Scary indeed outside! But it worked. As to whether the rope really helped, I don't know. •7

Getting to the hospital: Vanessa was in labour during the typhoon and we wondered if the birth might take place at home. But we had to risk the journey. The roads were covered with fallen trees and debris but fortunately the cross-harbour tunnel was still open so we made it to the hospital. Birth: The actual birth was reasonably normal except that some help was needed to get the baby out. I was present at the birth. The pictures show Leonie just after the birth and with us as we were leaving the hospital. (I do not seem to have other photographs of Leonie's birth, unless I have confused them with Gavin's birth!) The obstetrician who delivered Leonie was Dr Steen. However, he did not deliver Gavin! In the intervening time, he had been convicted of molesting pregnant women while they were covered when he had sent the nurse accompanying him out briefly!

No holiday: Because of the birth of Leonie, there was no holiday during the summer. Also I had to teach during that summer.

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B. From the birth of Leonie until the birth of Gavin: 1979 - 1981 As I don't seem to have kept diaries during this period, I am relying mostly on photographs to jog my memory. But that too was a problem - deciding which year many of the photographs occupied! I have little recall of what happened at work during these years. Computers This was the time when computers were beginning to be used at universities. At first they were large 'mainframe' computers. The input was not from a keyboard but from punched cards and the output was not a monitor but sheets of paper. CUHK had an IBM mainframe computer in the central campus area (IBM was a pioneer in computing then). One of the early computer languages was 'Fortran' which I taught myself and used on this computer to create programmes to play games such as noughts-and-crosses (tic-tac-toe). It also had preprogrammed statistical packages that we could use to analyse data from research. I would use it for this occasionally though I still did more of my calculations by calculator. In 1977, the Apple II was introduced with 4KB of RAM and hooked up to a TV and cassette tape recorder. A floppy disk became available in 1978, and in 1979 an enhanced Apple II+ came out with 48K RAM and a monitor. I bought one of these and played round with it but did not think it was useful for most tasks! (I kept it until the summer of 1983 when we were headed to Stanford and sold it to the School of Education, which must have been done unofficially as I heard that this was not supposed to be done.) The school was setting up a computer laboratory at the time, I think. For the rest of this section, I will go through in approximately chronological order. Keith stays with us Keith came to stay with us in 1979(?) shortly before Leonie was born. Before this, he was working in the youth department at the Salisbury Rd YMCA for a while. They housed him in a nice flat in the newer building (since demolished). Later, he left the YMCA and went to work for the Salvation Army who were handling large number of so-called “boat people”, refugees particularly those with an •9

ethnic Chinese background who were fleeing Vietnam in flimsy boats to get to Hong Kong. Many never made it! (Anh, his eventual wife, was one of these refugees.) [From 1988 to 1998, a large detention centre for boat people was located in Wu Kai Sha which we could just see from our then flat (picture, right).] The other picture shows a group of the refugees that Keith brought to our place one time for a dinner. Note in the picture that Vanessa is pregnant with Gavin so this would have been late 1981 or early 1982. Note: On the left of this picture, covered by a towel, is the electronic organ I mentioned earlier. Playmates for Leonie Along with us in Residence 6 were a family from France, with a son named Guillaume, and the Mutoh's (Japanese husband Norman [anglicised], American wife, Nancy) with a daughter Anna. They were both of Leonie's age. The three wives, all of whom were not working, formed a unit and often had opportunities for the children to mix and when a little older, to play. Pictures below from left to right): Leonie and Guillaume, playing with Anna Mutoh in the flat and at Chung Chi.

Exercise This consisted of running, weight training and in the summer, swimming. The running would be done primarily around the university tracks (I did not start the weekend hikes/runs until much later - about 1990). Sometimes, the running would last up to two hours when preparing for marathons. The running was also quite fast; I remember timing myself around the track doing 90 seconds a lap, which is about 6 minutes a mile (which is a marathon in 2 hr 36 min if that pace could be maintained).

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I did weight training at home using the same weights that I had in the Peak flat. The barbell was placed in the laundry. The picture shows an incident with Leonie and the weights after she had discovered that the laundry detergent made good material for playing with. Doesn’t she looked pleased with herself! Holiday, summer 1980 With Leonie now one-year old, we needed to show her off to the folks. So, we went for a holiday to Christchurch via a brief stay in Sydney, then to Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. This holiday will be described in detail in a separate file. Some highlights: - We stayed in Sydney with a newlymarried cousin of mine (one of my Auntie Hilda's - mother's sister - sons) and his wife. - We stayed with my parents in Christchurch. Vanessa and I took a trip around the north and west of the South Island, went skiing and tramping. - In Honolulu, we stayed with May (Vail) Lee, whom I first met at ACYA (see earlier file) and her husband Larry. - The flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles corresponded with the time Leonie was born, so with a little persuasion, the cabin crew presented Leonie with a 'birthday' cake (from first class I guess) and some trinkets. As Leonie could walk by then, we allowed her to walk around the 747-

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aisles; she came back with a US$5 note tucked into her nappy that a lady from Santa Monica had given her. I had to check that this was indeed the case, which it was! - We visited Disneyland in Los Angeles. Got the very last bus back on the route nearest out motel, though this necessitated walking along the street by ourselves for quite a distance at 1 am, not the safest thing to do in LA! - In San Francisco, stayed with James (Vanessa's brother) and Lisa and Vanessa's parents who by then had migrated to the US. - In Vancouver, stayed with relatives of Vanessa. Running races Because Keith was staying with us, we entered several competitive races together. These included, in late 1981 and early 1982, two of the “Round the Reservoirs Races” that were held in those days. These were: 1. Around Plover Cove reservoir, starting from the dam. In many places, this is more suited to mountain goats that for running. (For this reason, the race around that particular reservoir was eventually scrapped). It took me about three hours. Along with Keith and I, Alain Rezelman (a French chap at CUHK) and his friend took part. The first photograph shows the four of us after the race. 2. Around the High Island reservoir. The race started and finished near the Outward Bound camp-site in Sai Kung. I think this took me about 2.5 hours. Again, the picture shows me at the end of this race. 1981 Marathon Keith and I (as well as Alain Rezelman participated in this marathon which was held in about March of 1981. It started and finished at the Sek Kong Army track and involved • 12

running four(?) circuits around the main roads in the area. The weather was good - fine, cool and dry - and it took me about 3 hours 20 minutes even though I “hit the wall” near the end with severe leg cramps. The pictures above (left) show me finishing the race (with Vanessa and Leonie at the side of the track), with Keith and Leonie after the race (right) and the finisher cloth patch. Outings with Leonie We would take Leonie out - to experience the world! - as much as possible. As well as the campus playgrounds, outings at this time included Penfold Park (in the centre of the Shatin racecourse), Tai Po Kau forest, and Chung Chi College social events. The pictures show some of these. • In the Residence 6 playground - on a swing and in the sand pit (at different ages). • At Penfold Park (below, left). Note that when Leonie was very young, Vanessa would carry her around in a mei tai (baby sling).

• Feeding fish at (I think) the Chung Chi pond (above, middle). • At the Chung Chi mid-autumn festival social in 1980. In the evening, children, with their families, would walk around the • 13

Chung Chi campus holding lighted Chinese lanterns (above right); pictured with the late Karl Smith who was a bachelor living at the Chi Chi seminary and who did a lot of important work on the history of Hong Kong and Macau. • At the playground in the Tai Po Kau forest, about 3 km from the university (above centre). This used to be a favourite place for a picnic and relaxation. • Across Tolo Harbour at the YMCA camp-site. This was in the days before there was a road to there; we got there by a small ferry from the Chinese University railway station. There was only the small village of Wu Kai Sha there. Now there is the large satellite city of Ma On Shan. Leonie is sitting in a baby backpack carrier , which I used when she was too big for the mei tai (above, right). Birthday parties: Birthday parties were held for Leonie (and the other children). The photograph shows the party in 1981 in the flat in Residence 6 when she reached two years of age. (Her one year old 'party' was on a United Airlines 747 over the Pacific between Hawaii the the US mainland see earlier in this file.) Meeting Santa Claus: The Chung Chi College social committee would hold a Christmas party each year for children. As well as the manger scene set up outside the chapel, Santa Claus also appeared. This photograph shows Leonie meeting Santa Claus for the first time in 1980 when she was 1 year 5 months. Characteristics of Leonie 1. During this period of her life, Leonie had the habit of sucking her thumb (not unusual for children) and also of pinching the ear of the person who happened to be holding her. The picture shows one example of this with her (maternal) grandmother. • 14

2. Do you notice that in many of the pictures of Leonie, she does not smile and that she appears to be serious and perhaps a little anxious? I think these characteristics continued though she began to smile a lot more later. Books I mentioned in a previous file about the textbook “Science for the 70's for Hong Kong”. At this time, it was updated to “Science for the 80's for Hong Kong”. Books 1 and 2 came out in 1981. (Book 3 - I don't seem to have a copy?) Whether or not a Chinese version was also published, I don't know; I do not seem to have copies. Birth of Gavin This section ends with the birth of Gavin on May 14th, 1981, which was a Thursday. We were still living in Residence 6. We again had chosen the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital though this time the obstetrician was from the Matilda Hospital (on the Peak) who was helping out at Adventist Hospital. Again I was present to observe the birth. More tools were needed

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to extract Gavin than were needed for Leonie with the result that he had a cone-shaped head for a while. Vanessa had a semi-private room (two beds) but I think the other bed was empty so it was essentially a private room. Some pictures of the birth are shown above and the arrival at home (set up of course as I had already opened the door and then went inside to take the photograph). I took many more pictures of Gavin at birth than of Leonie (refer to separate file for pictures). Note the bag on the table in one picture. This bag served us well. It was not until 2012, when moving out of Harbour Plaza Resort City that I finally threw away what was left of it. University Substantiation About, about this time I got substantiation (tenure) so was from then a permanent university faculty member. I got it rather easily, actually. In those days, there was not the extreme pressure to produce a certain number of publications in a certain time as there is today. Also, as I have mentioned, there was a very heavy teaching load in the early days that precluded doing a lot of research, so gaining tenure was more of future expectations rather than current achievements. It also helped that the then director (Dr To Cho-yee) lived in the adjacent flat in Residence 6, knew us very well, and was very helpful to me. It was he who ensured I got substantiation. Terms used for teachers: At that time, CUHK tended to follow the English system and teachers were called 'lecturers' rather than 'professors' (apart from full professors). So I joined the School of Education as a lecturer. The next step up was to senior lecturer (which I never got) and then to a full professor. In the late 80s or early 90s, the university switched to the US terminology. Lecturers and senior lecturers became associate processors (though senior lecturers were higher up the pay scale). Full professors remained the same.

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C. From the birth of Gavin until departure from Hong Kong for Stanford: 1981 - 1983 Keith gets married In late 1981, when Leonie was about 2 yr 4 months and Gavin was about eight months, Keith and Anh were married. It was a civil ceremony followed by a dress occasion in Shatin (photo). I note that I am wearing the brown suit in which I got married. (This suit has served me well; I still have it, though almost never wear it now.) And that costume Vanessa is wearing is certainly very smart! Still, the focus should be on the bride and groom, not us! Not long after this, and after the China trip (below), they left Hong Kong for New Zealand. Leonie and Gavin Brother and sister got on very well together. They interacted and played together and looked after each other very well indeed. The first two pictures are in Residence 6 while that on the right is when we were in Residence 11 (ca. mid-1982).

China trip Soon after Keith and Anh were married, at about Christmas time, a visit of about two weeks to South-west China was arranged by some university members who lived on campus. We went, including Leonie. There was some concern as to whether Leonie was too young to go but she turned out to be a perfect traveller and fitted in perfectly and was delightful to have with us. We left Gavin with a Mrs Cho who had baby sat the children on previous occasions • 17

though not for any extended time such as this. She was the wife of Michael Cho who worked in the School of Education office. They lived in office quarters in a block adjacent to Residence 6 (see photo bottom left on next page). Here are some of the highlights of the trip: - We travelled overnight from Hong Kong to Guangzhou (Canton) up the Pearl River on a very grubby ferry. We spent a day or so in Guangzhou. - We then travelled by bus south-west to the province of Guangxi and the city of Kweilin and the Lee river. At a stop on the ways, we stayed overnight in a guest house that looked very nice both on the outside and the inside (pictured) but turned out to have beds with sheets that had not been changed for some time! We let them know we were not happy with that and needed them to be changed which they were! - Occasionally, the bus would stop for toilet visits. Some of these toilets were extraordinarily filthy and smelly. The picture shows me in one of these (and presumably holding my breath!). - In Kweilin, we had an excursion along the Lee River (below) and observed cormorant fishing, in which cormorants lashed by a long string to men in canoes would dive into the water to catch fish in their large beaks and deliver these back

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to the boats. Also in Kweilin, there were excursions to observe the famous 'sugar loaf' hills and to mountains with unusual formations such as one with a very large circular hole in it (pictured, above right). - From Kweilin, we flew with CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) back to Kwang Tung on an ageing Russian built Antonov jet prop aircraft (An-24 I think, pictured right after arrival at Guangzhou). - We returned to Hong Kong by train. - The pictures below show show a school classroom we visited as well as me goofing around on one of the ubiquitous tractors used in China.

We move to another campus residence As mentioned earlier, our flat was not primarily for families, so late in 1981, the university asked us if we would like to move to a flat in one of two new residences being completed further down the hill close to the (then single track) railway line and sea. We agreed and moved into Residence 11, Flat 3A. It was much larger and had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Very posh! The road ended at these residences. There was no road then next to

Flat 3A, Residence 11

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the railway line; that did not come until the double-tracking of the KCR (Kowloon Canton Railway) line was completed. The balcony of our flat overlooked the railway line, the sea and the Baat Sin Leng mountain range across the harbour. The picture (above, left) shows Residences 10 and 11 at the foot of the hill near the railway line taken from on or near Residence 6. (Residence 11 on the right.) Note the beginnings of the sea reclamation and also the site preparation in front of the residences for Residences 12 to 14 which were built while we were at Stanford. The other building in the foreground is the office staff residence (where Mrs Cho and family lived and where Gavin 'boarded' while the rest of us visited China). Also, the pier in the picture is the one from which material was shipped across the harbour when the site for the university was being prepared. Trains only passed about once an hour in those days so it was not very noisy. (These were the old diesel-engined trains with the grotty carriages that people used to transport all sorts of things, including livestock such as chickens and birds. No air-conditioning of course.) As well as passenger trains, there were also freight trains bringing livestock (mainly cows and pigs) and refrigerated food from China. (The track is now a passenger line only; food is brought in by trucks). The photograph Page 19, right is from the residence car park (before it was covered) while that on the right was photographed from our balcony in Residence 11. Double-tracking and highway In the late 1970s and the 1980s, satellite towns were being built all across the territory and existing transport links were woefully inadequate. The narrow winding Tai Po Road was the only road to Tai Po and beyond and the single-track railway could not cope. So it was decided to double track and electrify the railway and to build a six-lane highway from Shatin to Tai Po next to it - right in front of our residence. This meant that a lot of land had first to be reclaimed from the sea on which to build these. This created a lot of noise and dust but at least it was quiet at night time. (We were in Stanford when most of the work was being done; it would have been very unpleasant in Residence 11 at that time.) The double tracking and electrification was completed in 1983; the highway opened in September, 1985 just after Leonie, Gavin and I returned from Stanford and moved into the new Residence 12. From this To this:

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Running along the railway line: When in Residence 6 and later in Residence 11, I would often go for a run on the very crude path alongside the single track railway. Getting onto the track involved clambering down a slope where the campus road ended (and where it now turns onto the current road next to the railway line). When I ran in the Tai Po direction, there was a tunnel, which was wide enough and had a path which allowed me to run through. The only problem was that the middle part of the tunnel was dark and it was hard to see where the path was. Also, as mentioned, the trains did not run very often then. I tried not to be caught in the tunnel when a train came, though this did happen a few times. On such occasions, I would just stop running and step close to the wall of the tunnel. The swimming pool As well as using the pool for exercise, we would often take Leonie and Gavin to the pool. (In fact, Vanessa even exercised in the pool almost until the time that Leonie was born.) They seemed to like these occasions and soon became very confident in the water. The picture shows Vanessa with Leonie and Gavin. Barbecues on the foreshore Before the railway line and highway were completed, it was possible to walk across a temporary construction bridge (a lot of the fill for the reclamation passed through the university and across this bridge!) to a pier on the original foreshore. (This pier had been used during the site formation of the university to load fill onto barges which took it across the harbour to form the Plover Cove dam). We would occasionally go there with others to have barbecues (as in the photograph). Visits to beaches Tai Long Wan beach: From time to time, folks from campus would organise outings to Tai Long Wan (in English, Big Wave Bay). This involved first a ferry trip down Tolo Harbour and to another bay then a hike up and over quite a high hill along a well-formed path (part of Stage 2 of the MacLehose trail). As this meant up to two hours travel each way, the outings involved a whole day. The beach was sandy good for playing in and the water was safe for swimming (at that part of the beach). Unfortunately there was little shelter from the sun, just a few trees some way from the water. • 21

There was one incident at Tai Long Wan when Gavin fell face down into a (very shallow) stream that entered the sea there. I was watching and expected him to get up immediately but he didn't so I had to 'rescue' him. There was another incident at the other end of Tai Long Wan when I and several others got into difficulty and only just made it back to shore! (But more of this later as it happened after our return.) Other beaches: We occasionally visited other beaches, including Clearwater Bay, a surfboarding school/beach in Three Fathoms Cove and when my parents were here, Repulse Bay on the south of Hong Kong Island (see later). The pictures below show such beach visits but I am not sure if the first two pictures are at Tai Long Wan or Clearwater Bay. The picture on the right is at Three Fathom's Cove where both Leonie and Gavin had a great time under this tap; this was in July 1982 when Gavin was 14 months old.

Campus travel The university provided (and still does) a shuttle bus between the residences, the colleges and the railway station. At first, they had normal-sized buses that were free so I would take them to work (the School of Education was near the railway station). After returning from Stanford, a mini-bus service was introduced that was not free, so I began to walk to work along the newly completed road parallel to the railway line. There was also the car - the same Hillman Avenger I bought when at the Teachers' College. On leaving for the US, we sold the car very cheaply. Caretakers Each residence had a caretaker, sometimes a single person and sometimes a family, who would live in one very small room on the ground floor. The guy in Residence 6 was a large • 22

fat gut who at times was not too pleasant. Mr Pang and his wife served Residence 12; they had a son about Gavin's age. But it was the caretakers in Residence 11 - a man and his wife, whose name I cannot remember - who were the really nice ones. They were very friendly and loved Leonie and Gavin and would often look after them or chat with them. They also had a married daughter who lived in Shenzhen, and who played basketball for China(?) and whom we stayed with for a few days in about 1988 (but only because we were unable to hire a minibus to go with Vanessa's parents to their 'heung ha' or ancestral village. The photograph shows the lady feeding Gavin at the entrance to Residence 11. Birthday parties Only one party would have been held in Residence 11, that being in May 1983 for Gavin when he was two years old (photograph). Leonie would have had her third birthday party in New Zealand. Visits by Vanessa's parents Leonie and Gavin's Gung Gung and Por Por were living in Hong Kong at that time and would come to visit us from time to time. Visit by Rex's parents In early 1983, my parents visited us in Hong Kong for several weeks. The photographs on the next page show some of the highlights of the Hong Kong part of their trip. • Pictured at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. • Mum at Lady's market. • Visit to the temple of 10 000 Buddhas in Shatin. • Visit to the Peak (in the park opposite our Peak home). • At Repulse Bay (after visiting the Peak). • At a grave site in Wu Kau Tung (Bride's Pool area) which my father insisted on climbing up to see. • 23

• At the railway station (still using the old diesel trains), there was a yellow line on the platform for people to stand behind. Mum was over this line on one occasion and I always remember Gavin tugging of her dress and telling her to come back behind the line.

• My mother blows up the gas oven!! She was unfamiliar with lighting a gas oven having used an electric oven all her life. She turned on the gas then went to get the matches. On lighting the match, the large volume of gas that had accumulated exploded. No-one else was in the kitchen at the time but we certainly were after we heard the explosion. Parts of the oven were at unusual angles but Mum, though a bit singed, was unhurt. Visit to Macau and Zhuhai: Vanessa and I took them to the Portuguese enclave of Macau for a few days. Leonie and Gavin stayed behind, presumably with Mrs Cho. We stayed in a hotel at Colowan Island (part of Macau). We also took a half- or one-day bus excursion to Zhuhai, the part of China across the border from Macau, in what the photographs suggest was a wet day. The photographs show some of things we did. • Old Portuguese fort in Macau. • The ruins of St. Paul's cathedral, Macau. • Washing clothes in China. • 24

• Bicycles by the thousands; how most people travelled in China then. • Visit to Sun Yat Sen's home in Zhuhai.

Chung Chi Nursery Chung Chi College had a nursery school primarily for campus children. It was located at the back of the chapel. It did not provide formal schooling but concentrated on learning through play and reading of stories. It ran for about three hours a morning, five days a week, primarily for children between the ages of three and five, when they would begin primary school. All our three children spent time there but only Leonie was old enough to attend during this period of our time on campus. She began in 1982 when she was aged three and spent one year there. The university also provided a bus to transport the children with a parent having to be present on the bus. We did our share of bus duty. Marathons 1982 and 1983 1982: In March 1982; I took part in my second marathon, which was again held in Sek Kong. Keith was not there as he and Anh had gone to New • 25

Zealand, but Alain Rezelman participated. Conditions were good and the run was better than that of the previous year with my time being about 3 hours 10 minutes, which is not bad! 1983: The marathon this year was held in Shatin, I think because of problems associated with closing roads in Sek Kong. This time, conditions were terrible - wet and cold with a temperature that was suitable the day before the race but on the actual day had dropped to about 80C, too cold for a marathon. The race began and ended at the Sport's Institute and covered several loops of a road circuit in Shatin. I was hoping to break the three-hour mark but that never eventuated due to the conditions. This was my third marathon but turned out to be the last! The pictures show me looking cold and wet and miserable before the start, but still managing a smile at the end of one of the circuits. (Note the track-suit and the Boys' Institute patch on it from my Wellington days about 25 years earlier; I was still using the same track-suit (and still have it as of the time of writing)!

A-Level Chemistry Examinations The Hong Kong A-Level Chemistry examination was organised by the Chemistry Department at the University of Hong Kong. I have mentioned that I had been a marker, then a setter of the first, compulsory question. By 1983, I was the Chief Examiner for this subject. That meant I had to supervise the (small) team of markers and ensure that the marking was fair and accurate. I quite enjoyed being involved with the setting and marking of these examinations. 1983 was to be my last year doing this; I was too busy after getting back from Stanford. The Chairman of the HKU Chemistry Department at the time (Professor Douglas Payne), with whom I got on very well, was not aware that I was heading for Stanford and asked me if I would like to collaborate with him in the writing of an A-Level Chemistry textbook for Hong Kong. I was interested but of course it was not possible. By the time I returned from Stanford, he had, or was about to, retire anyway. (Mrs Payne, by the way, was a Chemistry teacher in Hong Kong, and was one of a team of authors who wrote a series of junior secondary science textbooks at about that time, though I was part of this team.) • 26

Lantau monastery retreat Sometime in 1981 before Leonie was born (I know this as the photograph shows Vanessa very pregnant), the two of us went with a griup to some kind of retreat at a Buddhist monastery on Lantau Island. Why we went I do not know and I think I was a bit out of it as everything was in Chinese. Still, a nice break. We also needed mosquito nets while sleeping to protect us from mosquitoes. Faculty trip to China In 1983, just a month or so before we left Hong Kong, an official visit to China was arranged for School of Education faculty. It was sponsored by the HK and Macau Affairs Office, who paid for air fares and accommodation inside China, so all we had to pay were the fares from Hong Kong into and out of China. Here is a rough outline of where we went and what we did: • We flew from Hong Kong to Beijing (on CAAC, of course) and were put up in a hotel (primitive compared with today's standards. • We visited the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall (photo, right) the Old Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Dynasty tombs (photo, below right, road to tombs) and a Beijing opera (extremely boring!). • We met with government officials, including the then director of the HK and Macau Affairs Office, Lu Ping. He spoke fluent English and the two of us had a long and interesting conversation. He was interested that I was from New Zealand, because there was an agricultural expert, Rewi Alley, who had lived near Christchurch and had gone to China to help improve their agricultural practices. He eventually stayed in China and became close to many of the senior Communist Party officials. • From Beijing, we flew to Shanghai (on a British-built Trident airliner, photo below left, with us about to board). Many of the buildings and tree-lined boulevards from the colonial period still existed in Shanghai then (photograph below right). • 27

• From Shanghai, we took a train inland a little to Hangzhou (photo, below left which also shows typical rural farms). Visited the West Lake. • From Hangzhou we flew to Guangzhou (Canton) for a couple of days then took the train back to Hong Kong. In the different places, we also visited a number of universities and middle schools (photo), below right).

Leaving Chinese University This was rather a frantic time. We had to vacate the flat and find places to store our stuff. Some of it, including the weights, were placed in my office. (And on returning, I found that someone had stolen the barbell!) I remember too that I left our set of Encyclopaedia Britannica books with Joe Boyle, who was then living in Residence 3 but while we were away had moved to Residence 10. When I went to collect them on returning, I was shocked at how they had not been looked after: they had just been thrown into a random pile and had lots of cockroach droppings over them! We also sent things over to Stanford, including books and household effects. We were not to actually get these until about November, nearly three months after we had been there!

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