This is my story - Hong Kong/Taiwan -77

77 – Happy memories of Hong Kong and Taiwan

How privileged we were to spend seven and a half years as leaders of the Hong Kong and Taiwan Command as it was then called. Today the name is changed to Hong Kong and Macau Command. Taiwan became a separate Region and came directly under the supervision of International Headquarters on 1^st January 1997.

We had a good team of Officers and lay people working at Command Headquarters. The General Secretary Major Moira Wright a New Zealander was an excellent second-in- command. I can honestly say that she gave me and my wife one hundred per cent loyalty and support. We lived in the same compound called Pink Villa at Castle Peak Road. We occupied the ground floor unit and she lived above us. Everyday we travelled in one car to and from office, but if either of us had to stay back, then we would go in separate vehicles.

We had worked together in Singapore and Malaysia for many years and prior to our appointment to Hong Kong, she was the Social Services Secretary and as such worked very closely with me as the General Secretary. So we knew each other well and understood each others ways of doing things. She always went the extra mile in serving others.

When we arrived most of the Heads of Department were expatriates or what we term ‘reinforcement officers’ with the exception of the Editor and Literary Secretary, Brigadier Thomas Lau To San who was near retirement. After a couple of years there, when the expatriates returned home, we were able to appoint three local Hong Kong officers – Major James Lau as Field Secretary in charge of our evangelical work, Major Keith Cheng as the Social Secretary responsible for all our social services, and Major Alfred Tsang as our Public Relations Secretary. A few years later we were able to appoint Major Andrew Lo as the first local Training Principal.

With 1997 approaching, I felt it was necessary to have the majority of top positions manned by local Hong Kongers. So we all prayed and worked extra hard trying to raise up local leadership.

We did have some set backs. I was very sad when the marriage of Majors Alfred and Anna Tsang’s broke up. This meant that they had to resign from officership. They were good capable officers and we were very sorry to part with them.

Majors Keith and Mary Cheng decided to resign and emigrate to Perth, Australia. It happened while my wife and I were conducting Holiness Seminar in New Zealand. They chose to leave the country the day before our return, I was terribly disappointed, but we could do nothing but sought the Lord’s guidance and continued to pray for them.

Many years later they returned to officership and started the Chinese Corps (Church) in Perth. Keith has gone to be with the Lord, but Mary his wife continues to this day the pastor of our Chinese ministry in Perth Salvation Army.

Alfred Tsang ran hotels in Hong Kong and China, but in later years returned to officership in the Salvation Army. He was put in charge of the Army’s China Ministry, later became the General Secretary and finally retired as the Officer Commanding.

Majors James and Alice Lau were transferred to Singapore as the General Secretary and Command Secretary Home League Secretary. A few years later he was promoted to take over from Lieut. Colonel Moira Wright as the Officer Commanding of Singapore/Malaysia Command. Later he returned to Hong Kong and took up what was to be his final appointment as the Officer Commanding Hong Kong/ Taiwan Command. He was promoted to Glory while still in active service.

We learned a lot from our experience in Hong Kong and Taiwan. I was only 50 and my wife 46 years old; I suppose you can call this the prime of life. We were not too young or immature, or too old to learn new things and adapt to a different culture. Although the majority of the population are Chinese, they are different from Singapore Chinese. There are similarities and diversities in culture and way of doing things.

One thing I have learnt is the need to keep all communication channels open. First I had to concentrate on learning Cantonese. My secretary, Miss Orenda Law was a great help to me in this direction, so were the officers. My wife had an advantage in that she is Cantonese and born in Hong Kong, but grew up in Singapore. Her story is told in her blog - livingforjesus-pcfong.blogspot.com

Effective teams are built upon leaders who are open and willing to evaluate ideas and listen carefully to others before formulating decisions. The team at Headquarters comprised locals, British, Australian, American, New Zealanders and Singaporean each brought up in his or her own culture.  We learned to ‘agree to disagree’ at times and worked as a team for the glory of God.

I had only one bad experience when an expatriate couple felt they were a cut above others and insisted on doing their own thing. There were questions about their integrity and in the end I had to tell them their services were no longer required in Hong Kong. They were told to return to their homeland at the conclusion of their first term of office and take up a home appointment. They refused and sent in their resignation, but in recent years returned to officership in their own territory.

Sometimes God allows certain circumstance or people to come into our lives to keep us humble and trust completely in Him.  It is part of our nurturing and spiritual growth.

Major Moira Wright received a change of appointment and promotion to become the Officer Commanding of Singapore/Malaysia Command and she was succeeded by Lieut. Colonel William Banks and his wife Muriel. They were British officers who had seen service in Japan and Southern Africa.

When we were appointed to be the Territorial Leaders for the Philippines, they succeeded us as the Command leaders in June 1990.