Hong Kong 1920s-60s: Geoff Wellstead's photos

Kung hei fat choy!

The first post for the Year of the Sheep is an interesting set of photos from Geoff's family albums. Several are group photos, so please leave a comment if you can put a name to any of the faces.

First some background from Geoff:

A son of Russian Black Sea mill-owners, Captain Alexander Laihovetsky and his family happened to be living in Nagasaki at the time of the 1917 Russian revolution. They moved to HK after World War I, then went to Vancouver chicken farming (unsuccessfully) in the early 1920s, but by the mid 20s were back in Kowloon Tong. Captain Laihovetsky commanded various ships trading between Singapore-Indochina-HK-Chinese ports-Japan.
 
He helped launch the HK Agricultural Show and the Empire Products Fair, and was frequently called on for advice on raising chickens by the wives of Governors and the Colonial Secretary.  His 3 daughters attended KBS/CBS (later KGV), were active in Kowloon Girl Guides, and learned piano from long time resident Maestro Elizio Gualdi.
 
Wife Vera and the daughters were evacuated to Australia in 1940, but Vera returned to HK in 1941 and spent the occupation years in St Pauls French Convent Hospital at Causeway Bay with an injury from shelling. Alexander Laihovetsky died 4 April 1942.
 
Second daughter Alvena met ship's engineer Fred Wellstead in Sydney and sent him on a pre-marriage visit to HK. He left HK for Sydney with marriage approval and a job offer from Taikoo Dockyard on 29 November 1941, just 10 days before the Japanese invasion.
 
In 1945 Fred returned to HK to take up the job at Taikoo he had been offered in 1941, and helped in the postwar reconstruction of the bombed-out dockyard. Wife Alvena and 4 year old Geoff joined him in 1946; and Vera briefly 1947-8. 
 
The Wellsteads lived at Stanley Terrace. Geoff attended Quarry Bay Junior School and then KGV. Fred was the dockyard's Harbour Engineer with a launch 'Taikoo Shing', based at Butterfield and Swire's CBD office, and later was Head of the Heavy Machine shop where the Taikoo Doxford engines were built. Alvena taught for a while at Royden House, Repulse Bay.The family finally left HK for Australia in 1959, and only Geoff ever visited HK again.

(You can click any of the photos below to see other readers' comments, and / or leave your own.)

Year	Title
1927	1st Kowloon Brownies 1927
1928	'Sonny' Martin
1929	Crew of SS Hung On 1929
1929	ss hung on shipwreck
1929	ss hung on shipwreck 2
1931	Alice Dyer to Alexander Laihovetsky, letter 1, 1931
1932	Alice Dyer to Alexander Laihovetsky, letter 2, 1932
1932	Bella Southorn to Alexander Laihovetsky, letter 1, 1932
1932	Alice Dyer to Alexander Laihovetsky, letter 3, 1932
1933	CBS Prefects 1933 Mr Nightingale
1934	CBS PREFECTS 1934 Rev Upsdell, Mr Rowell
1935	Electric Star
1936	HK Brownie pack about 1936
1939	Hockey Club dance Peninsula 1939
c.1940	HK wedding, possibly 1940
c.1940	HK wedding, possibly 1940
1943	Reg Martin age 12 with baby Geoff Wellstead, Sydney 1943
1943	Reg Martin age 12 with baby Geoff Wellstead, Sydney 1943
1946	Taikoo 1946 Hogmanay New Year Lunch Menu.jpg
1946	Taikoo 1946 Hogmanay New Year Lunch cover.jpg
1947	Robert Main Docs-1.jpg
1947	WW II survivor.jpg
1948	Robert Main Docs-2.jpg
1948	Robert Main Docs-3.jpg
1948	Taikoo Club and Stanley Terrace, Quarry Bay kids parties 1
1949	Quarry Bay School concerts 1
1951	Quarry Bay School concerts 2
1951	4th HK Cubs 1951
1952	Taikoo Club and Stanley Terrace, Quarry Bay kids parties 4
1953	1953 Coronation decorations HK 3.jpg
1953	1953 Coronation decorations HK
1953	1953 Coronation decorations HK
1956	St Johns Cathedral Choir 1956
1957	Robert Main Doc 2-1.jpg
1957	Spitfire at Cenotaph Nov 1957
1958	1958 celebrations 2 - Bank of China 1 Oct
1958	1958 celebrations - Double Tenth 10 Oct
1958	Quarry Bay village East Street
1958	Taikoo Doxford engines 1958
1958	Taikoo ship newbuild - MV Kwangtung ready for launching.
1958	1958 celebrations - Bank of China 1 Oct
1958	Taikoo ship newbuilds 1958 - MV Kweichow under construction
1958	Kings Rd at Quarry Bay 1958
1958	Quarry Bay village West Street
1950s	Taikoo Club and Stanley Terrace, Quarry Bay kids parties 3
1950s	Taikoo Dockyard 1950s.jpg
1950s	Quarry Bay School concerts 3
1950s	Taikoo reservoir
1950s	Taikoo reservoir
1950s	1950s SS Taiping, MV Eastern, MV Nellore at Taikoo
1950s	Woodside House
1950s	Dam east of Stanley Terrace
1950s	Looking north from Stanley Terrace
1950s	Early 50s - Nathan Rd.jpg
1950s	Early 50s - HK by night.jpg
1950s	Taikoo Club and Stanley Terrace, Quarry Bay kids parties 2
1950s	Early 50s - Kai Tak.jpg
1962	Quarry Bay 1962
????	HK banknotes pre-1959

Thanks to Geoff for lettng us see these. If you have any old photos of Hong Kong you can share, we'll enjoy seeing them. Here's how to upload a photo to the Gwulo website: http://gwulo.com/node/2076