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Mr. President, Rev. Frs., Honourable Guests and dear friends.
It gives me great pleasure indeed to address you this evening and to welcome you all to this gathering. When the idea of organising this "Farewell Dinner' was first mooted some months ago at a SLOBA Council meeting. I little suspected that it would result in a turn out of this magnitude. My sincere apologies, dear Council Members, for the unintentional wrong I did you by doubting your great attachment to your Alma mater. I am truly chastened by the manner and extent of your display of loyalty.
I was first appointed to the staff of St. Louis School in August, 1963. Prior to that I had been attached to the Aberdeen Technical School of which I still treasure many happy memories. To be quite honest I had mixed feelings about the transfer to St. Louis. I was aware that St. Louis was the first foundation to be opened by the Salesian Fathers in Hong Kong, it having been taken over from the Maryknoll Fathers in 1927. At the time of my joining it was already well established with a reputation for academic excellence and a unique spirit which we like to refer to as the "Spirit of St. Louis". It was with a certain apprehension, therefore, that I entered the hallowed portals of this vibrant and dynamic seat of learning.
There was one redeeming feature, however, which did much to allay my initial fears and that was the fact that Rev. Fr John Foster, my companion and friend, from the time of our first acquaintance in Pallaskenry, Ireland, in October, 1943, had just been appointed Prefect-of-Studies. Rev. Fr. Foster needs no introduction to the majority of you here this evening, since he gave loyal and distinguished service to St. Louis in various capacities from 1951 to 1970, and he and his achievements are already well known to you. You will be pleased to know, no doubt, that he is coming here for a month's vacation a week today and will be residing in St. Louis.
At this juncture I wish to make Honourable mention also of another very deserving former Principal and Rector of St. Louis, Rev. Fr. B. Tohill, who is present here this evening as a guest of the Novel Club whose members graduated in 1956. Rev. Fr. Tohill's association with St. Louis goes back to the pre World War II days when St. Louis was a far cry from what it is today. In August, 1964, Rev. Fr. Foster succeeded Mathias Ling as Principal and Rector and yours truly took over as Prefect-of-Stuidies. It was then that my long and happy association with St. Louis Old Boys began, albeit informally. It was not until 1970 that I was officially appointed as Spiritual Director of SLOBA - and what a happy appointment it proved to be as far as I am concerned.
Ostensibly this evening's celebration is in my honour and I happen to be the privileged Salesian who is the recipient of so many accolades and marks of esteem and affection. I would like to think of all this, though, as an appreciation of all those who have preceded me in the service of St. Louis and those whose good fortune it now is to continue that service. St. Louis is a living entity that has developed from very modest circumstances. The sweat and toil of many zealous and indomitable Salesians ably assisted by equally dedicated laymen nurtured the growth of this Mustard Seed from its precarious beginnings to its present vigour. That their troian efforts were not in vain is evidenced by the abundant fruits that his seed has produced and continues to produce as it spreads its branches and grows taller and sturdier with each passing year. No one man, no matter how gifted or endowed, could achieve the success and accomplish the good that St. Louis has achieved to date unless he had the constant support of his colleagues, the cheerful and generous cooperation of his subjects and God's bountiful blessing on his efforts. My dear Old Boys, it is you who have made St. Louis what it is today. Whatever success we have achieved, whatever prestige we enjoy, whatever lustre attaches to our name is due entirely to you. had you failed us even our most gallant and valiant endeavours would have come to naught. instead you have done us proud and made a name of yourself and St. Louis by your industry, loyalty and integrity. You are to be found as a wholesome leaven in all sectors of Hong Kong society and abroad where many have carved out for themselves illustrious careers and gained much renown. In the years I have been honoured to be associated with St. Louis, her sons have gone abroad to settle in such countries as the U.S.A., Canada, Brazil, San Domingo, Australia, New Zealand, Borneo, The Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Denmark, France, U.K. and the Republic of Ireland. Wherever they have gone they have carried with them and kept alive the spirit of St. Louis and are proud to be numbered among her sons. I am very happy to have been part of all this. it has been a joint effort with each succeeding generation building on and adding to what went before. Those of you who were students in the pioneering days went through hard times, but you kept faith with us and we kept faith with you and with God's holy help we have arrived at this evening. We can look back with justifiable pride on what we have accomplished together. of the many happy years I have spent in St. Louis I think the happiest was perhaps my first year, viz. 1963-1964. I was then Form Master of the newly opened Form Five C - nothing much was expected either of me or my students, so we spent mostly happy and carefree days together. I wish to thank them here tonight for making me welcome and sharing their friendship with me thus easing me in to my new home. They have remained true friends and staunch supporters in the years since then. In singling them out I do not wish to imply that the other graduates are less dear to me. In no way! You are all part of the great St. Louis family and I love you all.
The St. Louis Old Boys' Association has had its ups and downs too and there was a time when it all but ceased to exist. The vital flame ever quite went out, however, and slowly but surely was nursed back to look by the expert care of such eminent Old Boys as Winston Chu, Anthony Liu, David Yan, Vincent Chu, Peter Ko, John Liu, William Yip, Joseph Ng, Marlin So etc., all happily with us tonight.
SLOBA now enjoys robust health, thank God, and this evening's turn out is proof of this fact. Its rapport with the Alma mater and its support of the present students' initiatives is greatly to be admired and commended. Particularly noteworthy is its wholehearted support of the St. Louis Youth Club which spends much time and energy in providing meaningful activities for the elderly and the physically and mentally handicapped. The Association has for some years now been engaged in running Evening and Day schools with consoling results. That all this is done on a voluntary basis is not only remarkable but truly inspiring. The incumbent President, Dr. Lawrence Wan, has done much in updating the mailing list and generally streamlining the organization of the Association. This evening's function has been the biggest organised by the Association to date and its success should be of great encouragement to the organisers of future events.
My dear Old Boys, in the name of Don Bosco and in the name of all those who have worked with you and for you in the past and also in the name of those who are working for you I thank you all. I thank you also for making this evening such a memorable and enjoyable occasions for me. Though I'm no longer involved in the day to day running of St. Louis I can assure you that it is in good hands under the youthful dynamism of Rev. Fr. Simon Lam Chung Wai. He will continue to uphold the Spirit of St. Louis and lead it forward to new conquests. I shall continue to offer my services to you whatever way I can. Be assured that there will always be a welcome for you at St. Louis.
I wish to thank all my guests who added to the joy of this occasion by their gracious presence. My very special thanks are due to Dr. Lawrence Wan and his team of helpers for the colossal amount of work they have put in to making this evening such a tremendous success. The whole programme has been their brainchild and it has been truly magnificent. No words of mine could adequately express what I feel. I would ask you all to give them a big hand.
Finally, my dear Old Boys, I salute you one and all and bless you. It has been an honour and a privilege to have known you and to have been associated with you. You are the greatest. Thank you and God bless you.
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