Circa 1900, a young Hakka boy barely 12 years old, walked from Ng Wah (Wuhua) of Eastern Guangdong to Hong Kong to join his father who was living at Telegraphic Bay running a beach kiosk. It so happened that the Christian Brothers de LaSalle of St. Joseph's College spent their vacation at Bethany along Pokfulam Road, and swam at Telegraphic Bay. The boy ran errand for them. He impressed them with his intelligence and knowledge of the Bible so much that they arranged a St. Vincent de Paul scholarship for him to study at St. Joseph's. He did well and after graduation, became a teacher of the school. Later in 1919, he started his own Anglo-Chinese school - Wah Yan College at No.60 Hollywood Road. The school was soon proven very successful and expanded to premises on Peel Street, then the Mosque Junction, until finally asked to occupy the old premises of St. Joseph's College at Robinson Road where it consolidated.
Wah Yan Hong Kong was so successful that the Director of Education made it a Grant-in-Aid School in 1923 - first, perhaps the only, operated by a local to be given that status (as opposed to Subsidised Schools). A branch in Kowloon was soon opened and was equally successful. It was made Grant-in-Aid as well in 1930 after a dedicaed premises was built at Nelson Street Mongkok. Operation of WYHK was handed over to the Irish Jesuits in 1932; WYK in 1946. The Jesuits brought the schools to even greater glory.
That little boy at Telegraphic Bay was my grandfather, Peter TSUI Yan-sau 徐仁壽 (1889-1981).
Photo(1960) was pretty much how things were in early 80s too-right below Blocks 41-44 Lower Baguio Villas.I remember the walk down to the sea thru'the 'farm land/paddy'-swam in the sea:lasting memory:crystal clear.
Comments
Telegraph Bay
There's a similar shot from the 1940's in the Hedda Morrison photos.
A Boy from Telegraphic Bay
Circa 1900, a young Hakka boy barely 12 years old, walked from Ng Wah (Wuhua) of Eastern Guangdong to Hong Kong to join his father who was living at Telegraphic Bay running a beach kiosk. It so happened that the Christian Brothers de LaSalle of St. Joseph's College spent their vacation at Bethany along Pokfulam Road, and swam at Telegraphic Bay. The boy ran errand for them. He impressed them with his intelligence and knowledge of the Bible so much that they arranged a St. Vincent de Paul scholarship for him to study at St. Joseph's. He did well and after graduation, became a teacher of the school. Later in 1919, he started his own Anglo-Chinese school - Wah Yan College at No.60 Hollywood Road. The school was soon proven very successful and expanded to premises on Peel Street, then the Mosque Junction, until finally asked to occupy the old premises of St. Joseph's College at Robinson Road where it consolidated.
Wah Yan Hong Kong was so successful that the Director of Education made it a Grant-in-Aid School in 1923 - first, perhaps the only, operated by a local to be given that status (as opposed to Subsidised Schools). A branch in Kowloon was soon opened and was equally successful. It was made Grant-in-Aid as well in 1930 after a dedicaed premises was built at Nelson Street Mongkok. Operation of WYHK was handed over to the Irish Jesuits in 1932; WYK in 1946. The Jesuits brought the schools to even greater glory.
That little boy at Telegraphic Bay was my grandfather, Peter TSUI Yan-sau 徐仁壽 (1889-1981).
Telegraph Bay
Photo(1960) was pretty much how things were in early 80s too-right below Blocks 41-44 Lower Baguio Villas.I remember the walk down to the sea thru'the 'farm land/paddy'-swam in the sea:lasting memory:crystal clear.
Telegraph Bay
The sea or your lasting memory?
Probably both!