MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

December 2010

St. Mark’s School AlumniAssociation Limited18 Oi Yin Street, Aldrich BayShaukeiwan Hong Konghttp://www.smsaa.org

ChairmanLam Kwok Yin, Edmond

Vice ChairpersonsTsang Kin Chung, RonnieWong Yat Hung, Jacko

Honorary TreasurerLam Hing Sum

General SecretaryLeung Wai Kin, Jacky

Assistant SecretaryCheng Mung Oi, Jenny

Committee MembersChan Chu Kwong, MikeChan Chun Kin, KennyChan Fung Ngo, SamChan Lap Yiu, BertChan Sai Wing, PhillipCheng Ka Ho, EricChing Lai Mun, VeronicaChow Ngai Keung, AlexLi Chan Kuen, GraceLim Ching Foon, Fanny

Overseas Alumni ContactsOntario Chapterhttp://www.stmarksalumni.ca

Calgary Chapterhttp://www.stmarksalumni.com

British Columbia ChapterSMSAAB Hon. Secretary,Catherine Kwongcatherinekwong@yahoo.com

Australia Alumni Co-ordinatorWong Hung Toh, Warren(Year of graduation: 1967)itoh8@bigpond.com

USA Alumni Co-ordinatorCheung Nang Lee, Alfred(Year of graduation: 1962)leealfred@aol.com

Dear Alumni,

2010 has been an incredible year for me. Having been Chairman of the St. Mark’s School Alumni Association since 2007, I have had more opportunities to meet and speak with the alumni of St. Mark’s School. I am impressed by the commitment of our alumni who contribute in many ways to the various activities of the SMSAAL.

On 27 November 2010, we had our first Alumni Homecoming Concert in St. Mark’s School. With the support of various parties, the Concert was held successfully. I would like to thank the organizing committee on behalf of the Alumni Association. They are Ms. Fung Kam Sum, Ms. Rebecca Choy, Mr. Peter Ho, Mr. Raymond Siu, Mr. Bastien Tai, Mr. Keith K. Y. Ho and Ms. Sam Chan. They all deserve our heartfelt thanks for their efforts in the year-long preparation work.

Besides the Homecoming Concert, the SMSAAL has also launched an exercise to update the contact information of our alumni. This will definitely add to the workload of our Exco members. However, we all think that this is necessary so as to maintain effective communication among the alumni. I would like to urge your co-operation to provide updated information to our Exco members when they contact you. You are also welcome to take a pro-active approach by sending your contact information to smsaal@gmail.com.

I sincerely hope that members will continue to support the Alumni Association. I am sure that with your support, we can make a difference.

Lastly, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year of 2011.

Edmond LamChairman, St. Mark’s School Alumni Association Ltd.

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

December 2010

The Christmas Tree at St. Mark’s

With one daughter away from home at college and the other traveling frequently for work, my family had been without a Christmas tree for a couple of years. You can imagine what a delightful surprise it was when I went home late last Saturday after the Alumni Homecoming Concert to see a Christmas tree, though absolutely bare, in the living room. My domestic helper had decided to take the plastic tree out from its forlorn storage in the closet so that it would be with the family again this year. She insists that the two girls should decorate the tree when they come home this festive season, just as they always did in the past.

As our school gets older, the number of alumni grows accordingly. However, we have remained a close-knit family in the mind, despite any geographic and time distances that may stand between then and now. In very much the same way we decorate the school’s Christmas tree every December, any gaps are being filled and missing links found –ornaments are made and put up one at a time, slowly yet definitely.

The school’s Christmas tree is up in the Hall already, and boys and girls are busy decorating it with big and small festive ornaments of love. The bond with all alumni keeps the Christmas tree bright and forever glowing.

Christmas never fails to work its magic; I will have a beautiful tree at home this Christmas. The Christmas spirit works a deeper magic in St. Mark’s; our school will have a magnificent tree for all the Christmases to come - for every student then, every student now.

Brenda MauPrincipal, St. Mark’s School

HIKING @ SAI KUNG

On 10 October 2010, the SMSAAL had a 4-hour leisure walk from Pak Tam Au (北潭坳) to Ham Tin (咸田) via Chek Keng (赤徑). After a light lunch at Ham Tin, they continue their journey from Ham Tin to Sai Wan (西彎). We look forward to seeing more of our members in the next hiking activity.

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THE NEW LEADER OF THE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

- Grace Li

December 2010

My student, Sin Yat KinYat Kin was studying in St. Mark’s when I joined St. Mark’s in 1974. He gave me a very special impression during his first visit to the swimming gala of the school after his F.7 graduation in 1978.I clearly remember on that day three tall, healthy, sun-tanned young men walked to the spectators’ stand of Jupiter House in the Victoria Park Swimming Pool and waved to the students. Yat Kin and his two friends were enjoying school life with the whole school once more.

I and Ms. Margaret Tsang were house advisors of Jupiter and the three big boys were sitting close to us. Yat Kin was very sociable. He told us that he and Chan Hoi Shing had joined the then Prisons Department. He gave to us a very detailed analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. They were active and energetic, and could not imagine themselves working as white collars in offices in Central. They expected to do well in their chosen career. The boys knew what they wanted and were able to focus on their potential at an early age. After years of hard work, Yat Kin became Commissioner of the Correctional Services Department in 2010.

Yat Kin has been strongly bonded to his classmates until now. Every week, more than 10 of them will exchange emails. Every year, they will have 3 to 4 dinner gatherings. He and his wife, Carmen, who was also a St. Markan, will host BBQ gatherings at their backyard occasionally.

Yat Kin’s heart is still with his alma mater. He sends Christmas messages to teachers and visits them on many school occasions. He enjoyed the opening ceremony of the new school campus with his schoolmates. He and Carmen also shared the happy moments of the school’s 50th anniversary concert with all of us. In one of the traditional mess dinners of the cadets of the Correctional Services Department, he welcomed the school band of St. Mark’s in Stanley and insisted on having pictures taken with them. Sin Yat Kin is a responsible and well-disciplined person. We are sure, under his leadership, the department will continue to serve Hong Kong as it always has in the past decades.

Mr Sin Yat Kin, CSDSM, Commissioner of Correctional Services

Mr Sin Yat Kin joined the then Prisons Department as an officer in 1979. He holds a Master’s degree in Criminology from the University of Hong Kong. Over the past 31 years, Mr Sin has undertaken different areas of work in the Correctional Services Department, including prison security and operations, escort and support, staff training and penal administration. He has also been in charge of several institutions of different security levels.

Mr Sin was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Correctional Services in May 2005. During his tenure as Assistant Commissioner, he headed the Human Resource, Rehabilitation and Operations Divisions respectively. Between January 2008 and August 2008, he was seconded to the Home Affairs Bureau as Equestrian Events Coordinator of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Equestrian Events, responsible for the coordination of the transport and traffic arrangement during the Events, and related public consultation work. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Correctional Services in February 2009. He has been Commissioner of Correctional Services since September 2010.

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December 2010

香港香港香港香港聖公會按立聖公會按立聖公會按立聖公會按立梁麗娥梁麗娥梁麗娥梁麗娥為會吏為會吏為會吏為會吏

上主把上主把上主把上主把「「「「不可能不可能不可能不可能」」」」成為成為成為成為「「「「可能可能可能可能」」」」

大學畢業的那一年，已經有著讀神學的想法，只是本身是修讀工程的，當時不理解自己為何有這想法。在畢業以後，按著自己本身所學的，踏進社會從事玩具工程，多年來在事業上有穩定的發展，相信在工作中作好見證，便是榮耀上主。

在社會工作後的第一次放年假，參加了當時教區舉辦的聖地靜思體驗團，在行程完結的反思之中，再次感到想讀神學。之後在所屬牧區北角聖彼得堂參與青少年部和傳道培育部的侍奉，從中理解到需要好好裝備自己，才能夠有效的服侍，於是開始了在工餘時間修讀明華神學院的平信徒課程。現在回望，才發現原來上主當時已經開始預備我今天當走的路。

在我生命中遇到的一些事情，叫自己不斷反思生命的方向。其中包括了十多年前三哥中風失去了工作能力；自己在工作之中發覺上司對公司有欺騙的情況等。最後在詩篇第一篇第一節的提醒下，沒有另覓工作便辭職了。

休息期間，思想著詩篇九十篇：人生不過是七、八十年．．．過去上主已經讓我選擇了很多，我可不可以更加有效的去侍奉祂呢？經過一段時間的安靜、禱告和聆聽，與丈夫、牧長和主內兄姊相量後，便決定報讀全日制的神學課程以裝備自己，希望藉著這段時間更多思想以後當行的路，在上主奇妙的引領下，入讀了信義宗神學院的課程。在學習中，上主容讓我看到祂對我的呼召，是要在所屬教會中作全時間服侍，於是便向牧長和主教表達意願，之後被安排在明華神學院接受訓練。

在明華的日子，上主把我從膽怯和缺乏信心之中慢慢改變過來。過往常從自己的有限來看，認為自己是沒有可能被呼召的，但是上主看的並不一樣，因為在祂之中滿有可能。將來的侍奉生活相信是充滿挑戰的，深信倚靠上主，與主內兄姊同心侍奉，必能滿有喜樂的完成祂的工。願榮耀歸於上主。

二零一零年十月十七日晚上，香港島教區及澳門傳道地區假聖約翰座堂聯合舉行按立聖職聖禮，由鄺保羅大主教按立本校舊生梁麗娥為會吏，出席的聖品及教友達600人。

聖禮當日，由鄭守定牧師向大主教引薦梁麗娥，她在接受大主教察問時，承諾信守新舊約聖經為上帝聖言和一切得救的要道，並願意遵守香港聖公會承受的教義、教政及禮儀。大主教訓勉及與會眾一同禱告後，便按立梁為會吏。

聖約翰座堂向來禁止會眾及遊客在聖堂內使用閃光燈拍照，這一夜雖然沒有閃爍不停的閃光燈，但各堂的攝影師及會眾仍不時高舉相機和攝錄機拍攝，快門的卡擦聲總在四週響過不停，不時引來途人和遊客探頭張望。盼望剛在羊群歡呼聲中領受牧職的牧羊人梁麗娥，能竭忠盡智，以溫柔謙卑的心餵養主的羊。以下是她的分享：

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St. Mark’s School Alumni Homecoming Concert 2010- Peter Ho

December 2010

The First Alumni Homecoming Concert was held on 27 November 2010 in the School Hall of St Mark’s. Compliments, congratulations and positive comments have been received from many of those who attended the concert.

The success of this Concert was made possible by the concerted effort of all participants (including the audience). As a member of the Choir Planning Group I am very pleased to have shared the fun and accomplished the role of a coordinator. Though our choir had only about 25 members, we were all committed. After having been coached and conducted by our Conductors Bastien, Rebecca and Amanda, I believe we gave a reasonably good performance in the Concert. Apart from the mixed voice choir performance, our choir members also introduced variety to the concert by offering other vocal programmes such as Soprano Solos, Mixed Voice Duets, Male Voice Trio, Female Voice Quartet, Madrigal Group, etc.

These vocal singing group arrangements were very popular in our schooldays in the 1970’s. In those days our dear music teacher Miss Edith Wu used to reinforce our interest in singing by mixing and matching students with different voice ranges within each form to form teams of duets, trios, quartets and madrigal groups, and all teams were to participate in the Hong Kong School Music and Speech Festival. Taking part in the Male Voice Trio and Madrigal singing in the School Hall reminded me of my schooldays.

The Alumni Choir always welcomes family members of the alumni to join in. Last year in the 60th Anniversary Concert, the daughters of Kelly Kwong (Ko Hoi Kei), Peter Ho (Cynthia Ho) and the husbands of Fung Miu Wah(Peter But), Rebecca Choy (Edward Cheng) took part in the choir practices and performances. This year Edward Cheng (Rebecca’s husband) joined us again in a performance, while Albertina Chan brought her lovely little daughter along to our regular practices.

The Concert also provided a platform to unite people. Not only had it united former students to play, enjoy, share and foster friendship through musical performances, practices, attending concerts and operas, it had also brought back old friends from circles outside St. Marks. Rev. Lee Yat Fan, our Vicar at the Holy Nativity Church and I were both choir members in St. Mary’s Church in secondary school and we had not met each other for quite some time. In last year’s Christmas when a few Alumni Choir members and I attended the Christmas Tree Parade Carol Service in the playground of the School, we sang Christmas carols with Rev. Lee on the stage. There Rev Lee asked me when we could have an opportunity to sing together again. An opportunity came when the Concert Committee planned this Homecoming Concert. We invited Rev. Lee and one of our School Councillors, Henry Mok, who is also an Alumni Choir member as well as a member of the Holy Nativity Church Choir, to join me in forming a Male Voice Trio for “The Impossible Dream”. As we found that we needed a pianist, we fetched another “old” choir member in St. Mary’s Church who used to sing with us some 30 years ago – my sister Ho Yee Lin, the present chairperson of the St. Mary’s Church Choir. It is interesting to note that although my sister is very dear to me, this was the first time that we had seriously performed in a concert together - she accompanied our vocal performance. We even had our practices in Rev. Lee’s residence, with a sumptuous dinner prepared by Mrs. Lee before each practice. We experienced the joy of our good old days on these evenings.

St. Mary’s Church has a very close relationship with us. The Vicar there – the Rev Chung Ka Lok was the Vicar of The Holy Nativity Church before and it was very kind of him to allow us to use the Church as the venue for our choir practices in July and August this year when St. Marks School was undergoing its summer refurbishment.We will soon be planning for the next Homecoming Concert and we welcome alumni of all ages to join us and share our singing and fun. We would particularly like to invite those young members who graduated in the 1990’s and 2000’s. Choir Director Rebecca Choy and I have been serving the Alumni Choir for some years and we would like to see more new members (and committee members) from different periods to bring in new ideas and variety to the Alumni Choir as well as Homecoming Concerts in the future.

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St. Mark’s School Alumni Concert 2010- Rebecca Choy

December 2010

Let the seeds grow

The seeds of good music are deep-rooted in every St. Markan.

When the time comes, we join musical activities with great enthusiasm.

Our belated first Alumni Homecoming Concert was held on the last Saturday of November, 2010, staging the brass band, woodwind group, string ensemble, solo, duet, trio, madrigal, ensembles, the rock band and ‘Let Us Sing’music sharing. It was a night of great fun and excitement.

I had joined the choir and enjoyed some twenty rehearsals on Sunday afternoons. Some might think that it was a sacrifice of their family time. But I thought, “If that’s the case, bring them to St. Mark’s and be a part of the choir.”I did exactly that. At the end of each rehearsal, I thought that was what life should be like.

With the coming of future musical events, I hope I am able to join them. I’ll also be glad to see all of you to share the fun and happiness.

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