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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) held a function today (July 18) to bid farewell to the LegCo Building. Over 150 incumbent and former LegCo Members attended the function and witnessed the unearthing of the Time Capsule placed underneath the LegCo Carpark. President of the LegCo, Mr Jasper Tsang, said he hoped the LegCo would be able to move to the new LegCo Complex during this summer.
Speaking at the unearthing ceremony of the Time Capsule, Mr Tsang said, "Today features a historical moment in which incumbent and former LegCo Members and key staff of the Secretariat of different generations get together before the LegCo Building is handed back to the Government."
He added that there were totally 9 393 days spent in the LegCo Building between its official opening on October 30, 1985 and today. A total of 522 oaths or affirmations have been made by Members in the Building. Moreover, 947 Council meetings have been held and nearly 1 600 bills have been passed in the Council Chamber.
Guests attending the function included incumbent LegCo Members; former LegCo Presidents, Mr Andrew Wong and Mrs Rita Fan; former Senior LegCo Member, Mr Allen Lee, former unofficial Members; current and former senior staff of the LegCo Secretariat and LegCo Beat reporters.
Guests attended a reception on the first floor of the LegCo Building and took photos in the Chamber, Ante-Chamber and other Conference Rooms. The Public Officers' Room was also opened for the first time for the visitors. Members of different LegCo terms gathered around and reminisced about those happy and memorable moments in the LegCo Building. All the incumbent and former Members then took a group photo inside the Chamber.
The LegCo also took the opportunity to unearth the Time Capsule placed underneath the LegCo Carpark on June 23, 1997. The Time Capsule contains over 50 pieces of mementos of the then LegCo Members. Former LegCo President, Mr Andrew Wong, and former LegCo House Committee Chairman, Dr Leong Che-hung, who at that time undertook to place the Time Capsule underneath the LegCo Carpark, unearthed the Time Capsule and handed it over to the current LegCo President, Mr Jasper Tsang, and LegCo House Committee Chairman, Ms Miriam Lau.
The items inside the Time Capsule (full list of the items was attached) were taken out and passed on to those former Members who put them inside the Capsule. The items were then given to the staff of the LegCo Archive for preservation. Some of the items will be displayed in the Archive of the new LegCo Complex.
Later in the evening, about 140 incumbent and former Members participated in a farewell banquet held in the Dining Hall of the LegCo Building. During the banquet, a video on the change of the Legislature over the years was shown for Members to relive the unforgettable moments in the LegCo Building. Former LegCo Member, Mr Martin Barrow, also presented an oil painting of the LegCo Chamber as a souvenir to the Council.
The construction of the LegCo Building started in 1900 and took 12 years to complete. Formerly housed the Supreme Court of Hong Kong, the Building had almost 100 years of history since its commencement of operation in 1912. The exterior of the Building was declared a monument in 1984, protected legally under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. It became the home of the Legislature since 1985.
Ends/Monday, July 18, 2011
Issued at HKT 23:39
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