Lawrence Tsui presenting a bouquet to Mrs, Crozier, wife of the Director of Education, 1954, at the opening ceremony of the new classroom block of Tak Sun School, Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Architect Szeto Wai looking on. Tak Sun School was operated by the Catholic Canadian Quebecois nuns of the Immaculate Conception Order, based at Montreal. They also operated the Good Hope School. The old building of TSS adjacent to the new classroom block was origianlly used by Wah Yan College Kowloon as a branch for its higher forms.
Date picture taken
1954
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Comments
Reply to Lawrence Tsui
Dear Lawrence, I have just found this photo which matches yours. It was taken in Tak Sun and is dated on the reverse 1956. I am not sure who should be credited for this photo: it may be Tak Sun School, the Department of Education or Willie's Studio, which was situated at 157E Prince Edward Road. If anyone knows who owns copyright do please let me know.
After 50 years the copyright
After 50 years the copyright has expired.
Copyright
Thanks Annelisec - here in the UK it's 70 years - I'm not sure which law applies, that of the country from which a photo is posted, or that in which it was taken.
Crozier
Thank you for the photo. What a smart little boy, hahaha
So it was 1956.
My impression is that circa this time, the Education Department, under the Director Mr. Crozier, built many schools premises, including: the two Wah Yan Colleges at Queen's Rd East (1955) & Waterloo Rd (1954), both schools founded by my grandfather, Peter Tsui, and brought to greater glory by the Irish Jesuits. What a contribution by the Government amidst what would have been a difficult time of Post-War HK, with an uncertain future, an exploding population, and a difficult transition from entrepot to a manaufacturing city...
Wah Yan
How interesting! I didn't know that the Wah Yan schools were connected with Tak Sun. I have a few photos of Wah Yan from 27th September 1955 - you can see them at http://gwulo.com/atom/26646 and http://gwulo.com/atom/26647 . What would the Queen's Road East School and Waterloo Road school have been called?
Wah Yan Colleges & Tak Sun School
There is no connection between Wah Yan College-Hong Kong or WYC-Kowloon with the Tak Sun School, except they were all Catholic Schools.
The two WYCs were founded by my Grandfather, Peter TSUI Yan-sau. WYHK was handed over to the Irish Jesuits to operate in 1933. WYK was handed over to the Irish Jesuits in 1946.
Tak Sun School was operated by the Quebecois Sisters of the Immaculate Conception Order which also operated the Good Hope School near Clear Water Bay.
TSS used the old premises at 130 Austin Rd which was also used briefly by the Jesuit WYHK as its senior branch in 1941 just before the Japanese Occupation.
Wah Yan College
The photos should be taken on the occasion of the consecration of the Wah Yan College-HK premises by Catholic Bishop Laurence Bianchi PIME. At the rear of the Bishop was, I believe, my father Paul Tsui, a graduate of WYHK. he also appeared on stage at the rear of the Bishop. As an Old boy, he delivered a welcome speech at the laying of the foundation stone by the Governor Sir Alexander Gratham.
I am still trying to identify the the Chinese couple who appeared to be Guests of Honour. The priest should be the Rector of the Jesuits, probably Fr. Dargan SJ (to be confirmed).
WYHK and WYK were made Grant-in-Aid by the Education Dept in 1923 and 1927 respectively. They were the first Anglo-Chinese schools operated by a local Chinese to receive the Grant status - the others all being Foreign Missionary schools.
My father, being a son of a School Principal who hired European teachers, was given the privilege to travel First Class on the KCR going to secondary school from home in Fanling.
Wa Yan College
Dear Lawrence,
Thank you so much for all this information. I will label the photographs accordingly. I have a lot of photographic prints of different schools around Hong Kong - openings and prize days etc - taken between 1951 and 1961. I am not sure who owns copyright to them but will upload the photos - your comments have shown me how important making them publicly accessible is.
Briony
Copyright duration
annelisec - It's 50 years after the creator died. The creator may still be alive.
A propos of photo copyright
In Europe at least, the copyright of a photograph expires 70 years after the calendar day ending the year in which the photographer died. It's often difficult to find out the identity of a photographer, let alone the year in which he or she died.