An exclusively decorated tram for the school’s anniversary designed by graduates and students brought the alumni, including Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, former President of the Legislative Council, Cheung Man-sun, former Assistant Director of Broadcasting of RTHK, and Ivan Wong Chi-fai, Chief Executive of Ocean Park, to the ceremony venue, where they kick-started a series of homecoming events.

Alumni sharing their school memories

Dressed in SPC’s summer uniform, Jasper Tsang in the alumni sharing session recalled that the most memorable episode was his effort in founding the Students’ Association as he shared a harmonious journey at school since 1956 with his fellows from diverse backgrounds.

Cheung attended the College from 1966 to 1973. Raised by a humble household from a rural village in Sheung Shui, Cheung spent around six hours travelling to and fro between his home and the school. He planned to leave school after completing Form 3, but a teacher wrote to Cheung’s father and sent the textbooks to his home. “The heartwarming support from teachers taught me how to be a better person,” he said.

A distinguished breeding ground for aspiring medical students

Many of SPC’s graduates have proceeded to medical training in tertiary education, forming a wide community of medical doctors in Hong Kong.

Professor Justin Wu Che-yuen, Associate Dean (Health Systems) of Faculty of Medicine, CUHK, said SPC had maintained a culture of freedom in terms of the whole-person development of students, for them to become “servant leaders” in the society. “We have more than 450 medical doctors serving in various positions in Hong Kong. The discipline of medicine is a good choice for further studies, as we can serve the public with our specialized knowledge.”

Dr. Mak Siu-king, Vice-President of the Hong Kong Medical Association, had a deep impression on the openness and inclusiveness in the education of SPC. “The wide-ranging extracurricular activities available in the areas of music and sports have also cultivated the qualities essential to the study of medicine.”

The years in St Paul’s for Dr. Joseph Tsang Kay-yan, who now co-chairs the Medical Association’s Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases, started from primary school. He cited the strong brotherhood of his alma mater as a crucial part in moral education. “We are still connected many years after graduation as I’ve recently attended the wedding of my primary school friend.”

Joseph Tsang recalled that his teachers channeled huge efforts in inspiring students to embark on a journey of scientific exploration through experiments. He said there was a healthy competition among peers that they would help out each other and strive for academic excellence.

Living out the spirit of “all for each, each for all”

Dennis Yuen Dick-yan, Principal of St. Paul’s College, made references to the equal opportunities of education in the school regardless of the students’ upbringing. In the SPC spirit of “all for each, each for all”, he announced the establishment of a new Alumni Endowment Fund for scholarships to provide extended learning opportunities for students from all backgrounds, and sustain the diverse and inclusive environment in the College.

In the aim of giving back to the school, the donors believed that no student should be prevented from attending SPC because of financial reasons. While the target amount of the fund was set at HK$60 million, the seeding fund had already reached HK$30 million in pledges to support students’ school fees and other activities. Five scholarships are expected to be available to newly admitted Form 1 students in the next academic year.