2014-10 Winner of Heritage Preservation Award

Last night I was very happy to receive the Heritage Preservation Award, one of the SCMP's "The Spirit of Hong Kong Awards" for 2014.

We were asked to say a few words, mine went something like this:

This afternoon I read through the nominees' again. I read of great contributions and perseverance to overcome hurdles, but I didn’t read of anyone wanting to win an award. That’s not why we do what we do.

But, having said that, it’s been a lovely surprise to be nominated, and to receive this award, it’s both flattering and encouraging. So let me thank Designing Hong Kong for nominating me, and then for all the organisers, sponsors and judges for making this happen. I must also thank my lovely wife and daughters for their support, and for putting up with my strange interest in fire hydrants, tunnels, and whatever other old things we see! Lastly a a big thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Gwulo website. Without their help I won’t be standing here this evening. 

Gwulo is built on a simple idea, that if we share what we know, we’ll all benefit. So if you’re interested in old Hong Kong I hope you’ll visit the website and share what you can – stories, memories, old photos and questions are all very welcome. Then together we’ll learn more about the history of this fascinating place we live in.

Thank you!

Here is the article about the awards in today's SCMP: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1616417/spirit-hong-kong-win…

Have you read the the nominees' stories? Here are few of my favourites:

• Sheila Purves, winner of the Peoples' Choice award. I sat next to one of her fellow volunteers, Kenneth, for dinner. He produces prosthetic limbs for disabled people, and spends much of his vacation time in China helping train people in this skill.
• Peter Lo, winner of the the Corporate Citizen award. Read about how he hires young men who've served time in prison, to give them another chance.
• Li Kam-Keung, winner of the Self-sacrifice to Achieve Greater Good award, after having made a staggering 549 blood donations over his life.

The full list of nominees and their stories is at: http://spiritofhk.scmp.com/content/nominations-0

Congratulations to everyone of them,

David