Speech by acting Chief Secretary for Administration

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Following is a speech by the acting Chief secretary for Administration, Mr Michael Suen, at the Charity Film Premiere at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this (Monday) evening:

Ms Chan, Mr Gil-Tienda, Colonel Pau, ladies and gentleman,

I am very pleased to stand in for Mrs Anson Chan to officiate at the fund raising film premiere this evening. The Hong Kong Adventure Corps is the direct successor to the old Junior Leaders Corps of the Volunteers which was disbanded along with the rest of the Regiment in September 1995. That disbandment was a sad but proud event for all Volunteers. It is good to know that despite the disbandment, the Adventure Corps has been carrying on all the fine traditions of the Junior Leaders Corps, in serving the youth of Hong Kong and the community at large. Its mission is to develop boys and girls into confident and responsible individuals, with a strong sense of belonging to the community.

This is something which, of course, the Hong Kong SAR Government is very keen to encourage. We see young people as our valuable assets. However, it takes a lot of care, patience and efforts to nurture these sprouts, to give them appropriate and sufficient nutrients for growth, and to safeguard them against the adversities of tempest and trespasses, before they blossom and bear fruits.

Youth development is therefore one of the Government's long-term endeavours. Following the Chief-Executive's policy programme announced in last year's Policy Address, the Commission on Youth has recently released its report on how best we can develop our young people in taking a more active role in the community. We agree with the Commission's recommendation that youth development is everybody's business - it is a common goal to be worked on by every sector of the community. The Commission has also underlined the importance of developing structured leadership training programmes on a continuing basis at every stage of a youth's development.

I am glad to see that the Adventure Corps has been working closely towards this direction and providing our youths with the necessary nourishment and protection for healthy and robust growth. Thanks to the hard work of its organisers in the last few year, the Corps is now firmly set up in its excellent base, the High Island Training Camp in Sai Kung. The number of cadets under regular training is now over 300, and more are on the waiting list. They receive challenging and demanding training in a disciplined environment, which helps to nurture a much needed sense of self-respect, and qualities of resourcefulness, endurance, perseverance and team spirit. These certainly help to instill a sense of responsibility and service to the community, which is held by many to be wanting in our society.

Commendation must also go to all those who work diligently towards the above goals. I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise that, apart from a small full-time staff, all the Corps' 100 instructors are unpaid volunteers. Most of them are former officers or non-commissioned officers of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) and they have many years of military and adventurous training experience. These instructors should be congratulated on their keenness and their willingness to sacrifice their leisure time to pass on their knowledge to cadets who, we hope, may grow into future leaders of Hong Kong.

As is true of every noble cause and human endeavour, public support is indispensable. The Corps is a registered charity and relies heavily on public donations to keep it running. Towards this end, the Film Premiere is a most important event and I must thank you all for supporting the Corps this evening and for your generous contributions toward its funds. I must, in particular, thank the Standard Chartered Bank for their corporate sponsorship, and Mr Gil-Tienda and the members of the Organizing Committee for the time and trouble they have devoted to planning the premiere. I must also thank Standard Chartered for donating a special banknote which we are going to auction later.

We have a full programme of entertainment tonight. So sit back and enjoy yourself.

End/Monday, September 28, 1998

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