The Correspondent, Vol 3 No.1 1978

eĂ­gn Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong

WM The Officers: President:

Fl ublished monthlY as

J'

AnthonY Paul

iespondents' Club of Hong Kong. Offices at 15th Floor,

Fìrst Vice

President:

Derek Davies

Second Vice

Presídent: Treasurer: Secretary:

William Stubbs TonY Scott William Stubbs

The Staff: Editors:

Bert OkuleY Kevin Sinclair Saul Lockhart Photographer.' Hugh Van Es

Advertising: Productìon:

an

organ of the Fore(¡n Cor-

OUR COVER The cover this month shows FCC members Barbara and Gilbert

Donnay, owners of sPrint sensation

Gavroche, leading him into the winner's circle at HaPPY ValleY.

The jockey is Geoff Lewis' Gavroche has streaked to three successive wins at Shatin and Happy Valley this season - all at

Sutherland House,

3

Chater

Road, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-

237734 and

5-233OO3.

Cables: CORCLUB HONG

6

l.¡

KONG. Address. all correspondence to: Ediior, Foreigrl

Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong, I Stl.t' Floor, Sutherhnd Hogse,,? Clnreq' Road, Hong Kong' Adver-

attractive odds.

NidaCranbourne Raj GuPta

Pasteup Artist.' K.W. Chan

Faclory Building,

Ground Floor, Block A, 14, Westlands Road, OuarrY BaY, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-622271-7 '

It'sonbday

È

ì I

? t

o E

3 o-o J. E3ß

ÍB

I9.o

; 9rg. q[F 3 < Øou, 9 0.5.1

;

33E

æ

:.= ,+

:

Ëds

o d I

ã

:s 8ÊE t'o @

H

õtR J

r+rl

ggõ

=

o + -r o II

F¡shions

328 ModY Ro¡d lCorncr Bl¡nhcim Avo.l

T¡im¡h¡tsui. 3'675.252

@oPÙ ßessp Shoppe G/F.9 On Lan Strect lCorncr Wyndham St.l Ccntraf. 5-221433

The event not to be missed.

European s¡zes at low low Prices-

I

ilca

FCC

lavadesShatln

E

The opening of the new face

track at Shatin on October 7¡ip¡oved a red letter day for FCC mémbers

who crowded the Cluó

loge,

particularly for those who plunged on Gavroche, owned by members Gilbert and Barbara Donnay.

It paid 7-1 , a generous.benefit

for those who took the Donnays advice and bet on the horse.

Just before the race,

the

Donnays gave the benefit of their

advice

to Bert

Okuley and Kevin

Sinclair.

"Get on him," they said.

Okuley did and won a bundle.

Sinclair knew better and lost.

Facilities in the loge left a lot to be desired on the first day because of teething difficulties. The Club has had discussions with the Jockey Club and has been assured that food and drink service will be vastly improved and other improvements,

such as folding tables, will make the loge area more comfortable for visitors, it is hoped.

Despite the difficulties, the first day proved exciting, especially for the beginners like Hugh Van Es and manager Mike Winslow, who was there to see how service to FCC

members

in the loge could

be

im proved.

Van Es provided

much

entertainment to the hardened old pros by pointing to the totalisator

and asking: "What the hell

is

THAT?''

The mysteries of investing onยก

explained.

"You mean," he

q

horses were

asked

incredulously "if you bet on number seven and number 1 1 at the same tยกme, you get paid four thousand bucks for ten bucks?"

Yes, Hugh, that's right.

"Holy

shit

I Well, why

isn't

everyone buying that?"

Because, Hugh, it can't PossiblY win, number 7 is very old and slow

and number 11 is a cripple nobody thinks the quinella come home and that is whY

and can

it

is

paying a lot of money.

"But . . ."

"Shut up, Van

Es, we're trying to bet."

Number seven and 11 dutifullY

came tn.

Van Es fortunately had not bet on it or he would likely have been beaten to death with his own cameras, (Continued on Page 8)

heavily subsidised by members' entrance fees and subscriptions,

and there has been no

recent

attempt to save for a rainy day. Our last improvement of the premises in

lease renewal.

early 1977, which you are now enjoying, cost $460,000 and

the end of this lease we will

A former treasurer,

Gerry Simmel, commented on this at the

last Annual General Meeting,

and

the Board undertook to something Club could $5OO,OOO

thousand,

do about it. As of today, the write a cheque for about give or take a hundred and have it honoured

without running into cash flow

I hoped that having sent all members a circular letter advising them of the $35 raise in monthly subscriptions and then rushing off on leave, the resultant furore would have died down by the time I came back. Of course, it hasn't entirely.

The raise, as approved by the

Board, was made on

the

recommendation of the Long Range Planning Committee. The Committee first tried to finance the

purchase

of our own

premises.

During the process of deciding how

much this would cost, we got professional advice on the probable

fitting out costs for a new Club. As

you know, the purchase plan fell through. Not only could we not afford the money, but there was no room for us in the new building anyway.

The Committee then looked at other alternatives available. Any of

these, including staying in our

present premises, involved the Club being able to afford refitting in the

future. New premises would be little better than a bare shell and extensive fitting out wou ld be required. Our existing fittings in our

present premises

will

deteriorate with the passage of time and use.

The advice we were given is that

problems.

It is clear, therefore, that unless

the membership want to risk themselves sitting on the kerb outside Sutherland House in 2/z years if the landlord decides not to renegotiate the lease, we have to find between $1 and $1.5 million.

Your $35 contributions, which will be held in a special account, will produce $400,000 annually which will give us $1 million by the expiry

than having to wait until we

it would be gambling with

the

future of your Club not to assume the worst.

It has been said by some that, by raising money now, we áre asking the present membership to pay for future Members' enjoyment of the Club. This comment presuþ¡roses that most of the finance reqúlred for

removal would be made aÉailaþle

to us by.a friendly banker

if, Jnd when we need it. Well, I have been talking to bankers <in vorii Lenar

recently, and I discovdred the following resounding truth

- banks, like God, help those who help themselves.

. _TONY SCOTT

/rnrry I

9leuotJ

\'\ Ot ,\'( 1:,\ III.R \Í.tl ltol I IQ( t

need

which had failed to plan in some measure towards its own future !

Finally, before you resign yourselves to having fo move in 2lz years, let me stress that this ¡s the The

probability is that we will be able to

negotiate

a

continuance

of

our

site. We ate reliably informed despite the Hong Kong Club's decision not to demolish its

are

building that redevelopment of our

profit basis. Food and drink

the

the money. The extra burden on the membership would be heavier and the banks would be less willing to advance money to an institution

worst that côuld happen.

a

bank as we have now. ln any event,

save now is decidedly more prudent

between $1.5 and $2 million.

The policy of the Club has been, for some years, to run on a non-

feet we will probably

left with as much money in

come from increased Club profitability, the membership, or

need,

and

$2O0 per squaie foot for fitting out new premises and for the 10,OOO

lf we stay on for

further two years, we will be able to pay our own way and, perhaps, be

refitting. The extra finance could from a bank loan, but beginning to

have

barely enough money to outfit new

of the lease. Added to the $5OO,OOO we have, this may be less than what is required for

present lease for a further period at a higher rent. The length of that lease will depend very much on the timing of redevelopment of Sutherland House and the adjacent

we will need between $150

To sum up, if we have to move at

premises.

depleted our cash reseryes.

D

site will almost certainly take place eventually and that we should not count on more than a two-year

J. J.'

,

(ì 111\lO,\

rJtilüilìt Jttnt tr¡¡utttrrt

II()l.tsl l\t I'l

()(,R

II ortg Krng s I)tst!:ru'r ('tll,'ttn¡n¡

t

The Long Range Planning Committee, or LERP as it is affectionately known bY admirers and detractors, was formed bY the Board this year in response to a

resolution of the last Annual General Meeting.

A quick survey of the club membership showed that there was no lack of professional talent to sit on LERP, and several accountants, lawyers, property managers, estate valuers, and assorted civil servants volunteered, or were coerced, into

attending fortnightly

appointed

a

correspondent member to the Committee, none other than Hugh Van Es. LERP reports to the Board,

and it is ultimately the Board's responsibility to accept, change, or reject its recommendations.

tDRP

collective sanity, Max Lucas pointed out the obvious - we should buy premises if we could afford it, and look at other alter-

have joined the club because it is close to their offices or on their way home from work. Any re-location of

natives later.

It was quickly realized that, without the benefit of a

the club would have to take this ¡nto account. lf we opt to move to cheaper premises in say North Point, it would be hard to persuade

cumbersome questionnaire, a brief glance at the membershiP list

proves conclusively that

the

majority of our associate members

sessions

resembling a cross between an IBM Think Tank and Speaker's Corner at Hyde Park on a Sunday morning. ln order to inject a note of sanity into the proceedings, the Board of

Governors

about its task. Fortunately for our

PROJECTED INCOME

&

EXPEND¡TUN

For the purchase plan which failed, the Long Rahge Plannirlg Committee prepared the following figures on spending and financing which, we hope take into account all the probable costs

" 12

"24

"

¡');

f

,

($

"!"'

' 500,ooo) !¡,boo,ooo I soo,ooo 500,000 8,000,000

Balance payment on completion of premises

LERP promptly set about deciding its own fu nctions;

:

Ito,ooo,ooo t.

Purchase Price of Premises Represented by Down payment of cash available after 3 months during construction

involved.

$10.000.00o

forecasting finances, and drawing up detailed flowcharts of how to go

e*"çS,,

The frnest designed porcelain & crystal that money can buy For the year 1978 Bjorn Wiinblad has again designed the Christmas

F¡nance required in 2 years Represented by 3 Down Payments of $5O0,O00 Fitting out costs @ $150 p.s.f.

Architect's fees @ 1 5% of fitting out costs Restoration of present premises @ $15 p.s.f. lnterest on $5O0,000 for 1 Year @ 1O%

The German financial journal C øpital commended Rosenthal Christmas Plates as a "good investment", and described them as "shares in porcelain".

The 1971 Christmas has

now

appreciated in value by more than 1,000 per cent.

The 1978 Plate is a collector's item and is available from the Rosenthal Studio shop in Ocean

Terminal (3-679285) or Prince's Building (5-238282)

great

demand, please collect yours early!

6

3,O2O,OOO

$

1,500,000 1,200,000 180,000

90,000 50,000

$

Plate.

As they will be in

s

Fund Raising for first 2 Years Represented

$

3,020,000

3,O2O,OOO

by-

Building Levy @ $35 x 94O members

790,000 940,000 360,000 150,000 500,000

over 24 months Debentures (mandatory) x $1,OO0 New Members Debentures @ 15 per month Funds from bsent Members Corporate Nominee Memberships x 50 lncrease initiation $250 x 1 5 per month over 24 months

90,000

Shortfall (c.f.)

190,000

$

3,020,000

inflation,

rates,

building

management costs, etc., this would

have committed the club to

the

membership to finance the move or to use the club after the

Unfortunately,

move.

When, therefore, we learned that

the Admiralty Site was ro

be

developed jointly by Cheung Kong

Holdings and

) I

the Mass

Transit

a

programme of expenditure of nearly $19 million over the next 18 years.

The detailed costings and estimates are given in the box below.

(or

fortunatelY) asking

the plan fell through. The price rose by

3Oo/o,

and the tower might

block that we thought

accommodate us was completelY

article in lhis issue, is the result.

Before continuing, you may like to know that various banks found various ways of saying "no" to our loan proposition. One thought that appeared utmost in one banker's mind was the prospect of having to foreclose ! As he put ¡t, "the publicity would kill us - it would be

worse than evicting a church !"

LERP is currently mulling over the

suggestion that we join with others in the purchase of premises. lt may

be that other clubs,

organisations or

PURCHASE OF PREMISES Finance Required in Next Represented by

groups might wish to join with us in

1O

Years

!i15,55O,OOO

-

190,000

Capital loan over 1O years lnterest on capital @ 996

3,960,O00

Rates

1,OOO,OOO

Building Management @ $1 p.s.f. monthly Building Maintenance @ $2 p.s.f. annually Refurbishing of premises after 7 years

1,200,000

8,000,o00

1O

Years

Represented by Rent and rates of present premises over 1 0 years Current repair and maintenance expenditure over 1 O years Building fund (1,2OO x $35 per month) Air conditioning services @ $3,500 per month Corporate Nominee Memberships (say, 1O0 @ $2O,0OO) lncrease B & R prices 10% following move (: $25,000 per month x 1O years) lncrease initiation $SOO x 1 5 per month over 1 0 years Surplus

200,000 1,000,0o0

Railway Corporation, we first

our finances.

With scarcely a pause, various banks were approached for a loan of some $10 million. With interest, fitting out costs, air-conditioning,

pay

for

expensive

accommodation in Central 'jf our club is to continue tó serve the needs of the present memþership.

Problems of who would .marnage the building, in whom owlershiP will be vested and taxatioh would also have to be

solved.

I

$15,s00,000

Whatever the eventual solution, the re-location fund that we have now started will at least Permit us to move, as we must do, sooner or

$l5,sso,ooo

later. Long term leasing in Central, at a probable minimum rent not

$

will mean that a capital

much higher than what we now

4,320,000 240,OOO

5,040,000 410,000 2,0O0,000

3,000,000 900,ooo (360,000)

$15,550,000

expressed our interest as possible purchasers then, somewhat aghast, contemplated the present state of

occupying a building. lf ,this is so, then they will have to'be prepared

to

$

(b.f.) Shortfall from 2 year financing

Additional Revenue in Next

media professional

taken up by Sun Hung Kai. Back to square one. LERP considered the

PaY

raising

exercise involving debentures and higher prices for food and drink will, I hope, be unnecessary. lt is mY personal belief that, if called upon to invest in the Club's future to the

extent called for by our purchase plan, many members might take a hard look at the facts of life. Some of you will not be in Hong Kong for the next 15 or 20 years and some of you already belong to other clubs which provide more varied facilities than the FCC.

lf you think I or LERP wrong in th¡s assumption or anything else please tell us. The reaction to my circular letter concerning our

attempt to

purchase was Of the three

other alternatives available

surprisingly small.

realized that quickly in order not to let the

letters received, one supported the

present premises run down beyond

raising suggestion, and one writer called us "a bunch of well meaning

and the club needed cash

repair, or to outfit new premises.

The raise in membership fees, as

discussed

in the

accompanying

plan, one made a constructive fund-

amateurs" and resigned membership.

-

his

Tony Scott 7

(Continued from Page 4)

Ardent race fan Barry Burton was almost buried under a

Attention Wits

print-out forms, binoculars and other vital accroutrements of the

lf you're a wit (or even half a onel it won't take you long to start composing your own

nter's art.

Going inlo race two, he had five tickets riding on a fancied horse in

Limericks.

This month The Correspondent

funnies.

kicks off with the following

directed to Tony Paul . . .

Ronk was plonked at the bar His arm by a bottle ajar D rinkin' helps thinkin'

Taiwan's just the perfect place While Peking's the end, a disgrace Whose thought are these, Eddíe Even Hua would go steady But then it's a matter of face

mounta¡n of form guides, computer

pu

the second leg of the daily double.

"Break out the champagne," he said, "as soon as Double V crosses the line."

Double V, unfortunately, crossed

the line well back in the field,

after a minor tantrum,

and

Burton

admitted "lt's very disappointing."

Barry Sullivan was heard to mutter darkly as strange and peculiar horses won race after race.

Aalon and Monique Lee, sitting quietly at the rear of the loge,

passed

on the benefit of

their information to others. lt wasn't until after the meet¡ng was over that

some of the more obtuse

FCC

members present realised they had picked winners or high-paying place

I think l'll get stinkin' He said; and he did; and by far

An amiable chappie named Burt Said please don't let my wrist hurt

Although I tilt My glass to the hilt 'Til my frame is quite inert To back the card would be Heaven Said a punter by name of Kevin But his luck is notorious

His horses laborious With no winnings his plight to leaven

samples.

Next month we're looking ¡ forward to more five-line Meanwhile, all writs to be

l'm going off Pernod a bit.

Said Jackson, a gin inhis mitt It makes me so rowdy The oui oui gets

cloudy

And a man ends up tfc! a

:

twíí

;

Hardie's off the grog, they lried ì The drink's no longer his gtaidé The Blue Sky's gone'broke,: ' San Mig just might croak , Why I thought he'd sooner havedied

getters in almost every event. ln future, their words will be listened to with great respect.

To the eternal disgust of those

who follow form, Philip Bowring (attending his first race meeting to cover the opening for the Asian Wall Street Journah picked the

0

outside winner of the first race.

He figured that on the world's most expensive race course, a nag named Money No Object was sure

to win. He was right, and

his

explanation of why his choice was

logical sent form-followers ¡nto

a

frenzy of grief and disbelief.

Club supervisor Sammy Cheng was foolish enough to bet on tips

provided by

Oku

ley

and

Sinclair. lnevitably, he lost.

One winner was the FCC. All costs of the loge for the season have already been covered by the sale of season badges, but b.ecause

demand

for the loge seating

is

expected to drop off as the season progresses, these are still on sale at

the club office for $50. So are tickets for single meetings, and guest tickets are available, space permitting.

8

t

Veteran British comedienne, Think of England" - to which FCC Dora Bryan, who starred in the members had special discount Hilton Playhouse dinner theatre tickets - spoke to an entertainment production of "Shut Your Eyes and luncheon October 6.

hang up lheir cues and slip out the back door.

However Ken "The Mongolian"

King was convinced that valour was the better part of discretion, returned and much to his own

Fr

surprise found himself on the black ball in the third game. W¡th a s¡gh of relief he managed to get it down without going in off and level the scores.

Tim 'Aaarrgh" Williams

and

Jeannie McChan proved a fine wee team and disposed of their opponents as did Keith "Surfers" Jackson and Eddie "Twinkletoes" Tseng, the latter making a fine

)

grandstand play in his ttiiid game.

Steve 'Fast" Eddy must have had visions of his, prgyious championship match againsfi Kevin "G'day" Sinclair when he mêt the

ISth Floor Brigade Beats Pool Sports Centre Team and a lovely lady) team from the America Pool Sports Centre in

showed us just how easy the game is and with the able assistance of the lovely Norma, who completely captivated Messrs Roscoe Way and 'Tea and loast'McDougall, ran out comfortable winners in the first

Hung Hom.

game.

ln what Red Smith might

have

described as a 'runaway victory', the 18th floor brigade took on and defeated a six-man (sorry, five-man

The final result of seven matches to two, however, somewhat flattered the Correspondents as they hacked and hammered their way around the table.

ln the highest traditions of the sport they invited our guests to play our own version of the game called 'House Rules', and labouring under

this new form of the game the visitors not surprisingly found themselves at something of a disadvantage.

This long-awaited public display opened with a

of sporting ability

doubles match between a young

'shark' from Hung Hom called

Cheng Kwok Leung, 1 6, partnered

by their club ladies champion, Norma Harriss.

to

Young Cheng, probably destined

become another'Fast Eddie',

At this stage Messrs

young champion Cheng.. S¡eve threw a quick 8O Yantzet-Qefore losing two straight ' on thle pool table and another $50 closô to the bar. lncidentally, the only singles loss we suffered on the day. At last

reporl'Fast'Eddy had taken field hockey

up

!

Another doubles victory put the

issue beyond doubt, while Andy "Hoots Mon" Sloan - drawing the

lovely Norma

and

Les

"Roadrunner" Leston wrapped up King,

Jackson, Tseng and Eddy were seen disappearing ¡nto the library to

hard day's work and then beer and 7-up all

,ou!'ono,

it

a

was

,,o"n

evening

kes

FCC's 1 Sth and 18th floors on Tuesday evening, October 3rd and Thursday evening, October 5th.

Strangers to our premises could be

4e

,nshíp

n

competition. Emerging victoiious late Thursday evening, after .hourô

of play, was UPITN's trlictrqJin, who received an " engraved

forgiven if they left with the impression we were a nice quiet

winner's cup for his Herculeañeffort

little club

forever on the FCC's Yantze Shield which hangs on the board by the 1 Sth floor bar.

good for meditating and snoozing a tropical evening away.

-

But on the 14th floor, 37 of the FCC's most stalwart and famous Yantze aficiondos gathered for the club's third Annual Yantze Cham-

pionship. The first and second rounds were played on Tuesday

and also had his name inscribed

Mike Holbeche came såcond, Eva Eddy third and Frank Hydes fourth while the Booby Prize went to none other than Keith Jackson.

T

Good-bye

Lízooo It was one of the

happy/sad

occasions. Veteran Club Steward, Liz Eckersley, graciously accepted two club ties and a life membership

at her farewell party September 29th for eight long years of combat in and on the FCC's behalf. With hundreds of complaints, mix-ups and mistakes - not tq mention the '

0

drunken and amorous embraces over the years

-

Liz quietly stepped

into the cool night air oø Club .,' Street that evening as a civilian. lf you are wondering why youlstill.see the luverly Liz gracing the pre¡ises, it is because she has nd¡,retired from Ye Olde Honkérs, buÈ has only left the protective embraóe of club

life for the

rigou

rs of

the

commercial world. Liz has joined

Bravona Trading Limited,

an

Austrian trading company in Tak Shing House, as manager.

. . o Hello

l-

Alex¡ ln tru e Scots tradition, Liz passed her heavy mantle to another Geordie, Alexi Wedderburn. Our new club steward spent these past eight years in hotel administration.

She was born in Shanghai in 1949

(the Year of the Ox, as His Eminence would immediately

point out) and educated in Honkers, Scotland and Switzerland. As we go to press, Alexi reports that the

alterations to Liz's custom-made suit of armor which Liz generously sold to her at only half price - are almost finished so she will be soon receiving visitors in the club's 1 Sth floor office. lf you have

not yet met Alexi, stop in introduce yourself.

and

I

-

The Editor, The Correspondent.

Dear Sir,

Having given the new kitchen staff 1 O days to settle in at the FCC, I must add my voice to the rising

clamor

of complaints about the

appalling quality of the food (served

at higher prices, I might add) and the apparent lack of supervision which has allowed this state of affairs to continue to the point where our august establishment is now the joke of Hong Kong. Today, (Oct. 25) for example, I saw two horrified diners on the 14th floor order tacos and receive bowls full of

a soggy gruel vaguely resembling tortillas smothered in shepherd's pie. ln the same lunch hour, within a 1O-foot radius of my seat, a lady ordered chile con carne, which also

looked and tasted like shepherd's pie, and a gentleman (well, he was

pretty gentlemanly until he was served) who sent back a reuben sandwich because it was cold got

back self-same sandwich

nicely

burned to a crisp.

ll, I won't bore you with my own tf.a¿ tales of mícroscopic oysters now $24 per half dozen instead of $16), filet with the consistency of a

water buffalo's rear end and nonexistent scallops which, I must warn you, have to be ordered an hour in advance because that's how long it takes to be told they don't have any. Suffice to say that diners at the FCC now ask each other

"What's safe?" before placing an order and no one comes to the club to impress a news source or a business associate, even if it is the only place in town where you

can still see a parrot fertilizing someone's shoulder.

I know we have an entirely new kitchen staff. I know the old chef

with all our favourite recipes and they are, in effect, absconded

starting from scratch. But I would like to make the following points:

1-Evenawell-trained not need 1O

chimpanzee would

days to find out, by now, where all the pots and pans are.

2 - They should not be serving dishes which they are obviously incapable of cooking. They shouldn't even be on the menu.

3 -The chef does not seem to be able to prepare even the dishes he

himself recommended as

his

4 - Until the kitchen is working right and the food is adequatelY prepared, I do not expect the club manager to be sitting around eating

lunch or dinner at regular meal times, I do not expect him to be closeted in committee meetings during regular meal times and I do not except him to be playing Pool while food is being prepared in the

I

for committee meetings,

club managers and committee affairs. ln fact, whatever committees there

are at the FCC should now

be

preoccupied with the quality of the food, the quality of the kitchen staff

and the quality

of the

manager.

After all, he's pretty well paid to do

specialties.

kitchen.

more important in this club than its membership - and that goes

expected

to find

a job that doesn't seem to

out a complaint card before, .the seven I signed in the past,t,tåree days. But something has to beidone before the membership éîartp voting with its feet. ,

Sinceref!,'

him

Holger Jensen

2195

standing in the kitchen, supervising everything and everyone and if necessary, beating the chef over

the head with a spatula until

he

be

getting done.

I'm not writing this because I like to carp. ln fact, I never even filled

Manager Replies:

gers it right.

5 - lf, for some reason, the manager is not in the kitchen at meal times and a member collars him to make a complaint, then I expect, nay demand, that he rushes down to the kitchen immediately, solves whatever problem is causing anguish in double quick time, then

rushes up and placates said member with a free order of

whatever it

was he

was

complaining about.

- As a correspondent member, I say the FCC needs all the friends and associate members it can get in these trying times, and I do not like 6

to see people storming out of this club, vowing never to eat here again. More and more people are doing just that because they feel their complaints are simply being ignored.

7 - Lastly, I would like to remind a certain committee member who was outraged because I interrupted his committee meeting w¡th

Dear Holger,

I believe your comments and complaints sum-up a number of members' feelings. I can say that as of the first week of November, the kitchen staff has been producing qualÍty food at a reasonable speed.

The "old favourites" are back to normal now and generally speaking, the overall picture has vastly improved. lt would be difficult to

take your letter item by item, but I will try to cover most of your points.

Chili con carne, beef taco's, Pie, spareribs, and

Shepherd's

Rueben sandwiches are up to par

now. These mistakes

happened

because the Chef was not familiar w¡th them.

The complaints on most of the new items were related to portion sizes rather than guality. This has been remedìed. Regarding quality,

it is

generaily high, but we are always vigilent. Your complaints' (and compliments') cards are read

the club manager (during lunch- and acted upon.

I would also like to point out that time of course) over a matter as trivial as oysters that nothing is during the last two weeks of 13

---Ta-!

NryHARPER AfamousAmerican in Hong Kong and around theworlil.

October, we averaged 370 meals per day, of which 223 were served during the I t/z hour lunch period.

This figure represents an ¡ncrease

of l50 meals per day more than the previous three months. When the new kitchen staff started working, they were put ¡nto a full operation without the opportunity to adjust to a smaller kitchen, less, and in some cases inferior, equipment. They had

neither the time nor the chance to organize themselves. One week

after coming to work, they were confronted w¡th three Professional and Entertainment Luncheons in four days, plus the new ò la carte To come into an operation with l4 new staff, I am certain you will appreciate takes a little more than knowing where the pots and pans, salt and pepper, are. They must learn the demands on certain food

items and our members '

tas¿es,

plus they must totally organ¡ze their thinking to a kitchen equipped and big enough for half the meals they are required to prepare. I can assure

you many chefs would not

even

attempt it!

I admit with h¡ndsight there were probably some more things we could have done to avoid some of these problems, but you cannot

expect perfection

in the first

IO

days. The kitchen staff has alt been working l2 - 14 hours a day and have yet to take a day off. They too

are interested in making

the

members happV. As regards my having committee meet¡ngs and playing pool during

lunch. $e

I

would like to clarify your

statement since the way you put it tends to suggest that I am either in a luncheon meeting or playing pool all the time during lunch.

First of all, For more tlìan just a new flat, now we offer uptodate inter¡or decoration & custom-made furniture to fit both your taste & your pocket, as

well

as

Hong Kong's best flat find¡ng seruice.

CLARA CHUNG REALTY Tel: 5.225089 5.225080

members like.

The Cay of your "oysters" complaint, I was required to attend a Financial Committee meeting by the Treasurer.

Regarding the oysters: For some time, we have been serving the large New Zealand king oysters, which are three times the size of the oysters we served in the past.

The day of your complaint, our supplier had delivered to us the | medium oysters only. The oysters should have been sold at the old price. This oversight iivas correctèd after your complaint.

As for complaint cards; I would

menu.

o

prepare the food the way the

I do not play pool

duríng lunch. I do occasionally play in late afternoon or early evening with some members, generally

I am asked, and only when it on the l4th and I 5th floors. I spend the lunch when

circumstances allow

hour in the kitchen or on the dining

room floors asking members' opinions so I can help the chef to

be the first one to

cdmplain ,if anyone ever decided nbt to have them. W¡thout the comy'lainticards,

we would not have been, able to

help the nery kitóþen

staff.

Unfortunately there were so many cards when the new kitchen crew took over, I could not answer them all personally, but only work on the com

pl a i nts th e m s elves.

3OO people a

I wish to thank the

day who stuck with us. There have been a great number of members who realized the problems and gave constructive crìt¡cism, various

us

comments and even some whol ,. gave us compliments. The new' chef and his I 3 staff have all tried their very best to please the members, give us what we want and at the same time, keep a full

I believe they have We will never be

service going.

succeeded.

without complaìnts and comments, (and hopefully compliments). Even the best restaurants in the world overcook a vegetable occasionally or make a medium steak welldone.

But we can strive for good quality

and well prepared food. We

also

have feedback via the cards or the committee members. ln closing, I am satisfied with my personal performance. I would admit that with hindsight, I may have overlooked something, but we normally pick it up later and get it

straightened out. I do my best to correct complaints as soon as I receive them. But sometimes, it

.

takes more than just running to the

side dininþ room on the l Sth floor next to the stairs appears to have become a storage facility of some kìnd. Sometimes it looks like a

piece displays an aberration of

complaint. Those complaints that can be corrected on the spot are acted upon. Those that required more work are discussed at my twice daíly meetings with the chef.

premìses should be used to Peddle the works of anybody. The Pictures displayed on the l4th floor may be good and worth more than the Price asked. But they do not fit the atmosphere of a press club, and I protest against their being on loan and for sale. The proper place for the pictures is an art gallery, not the FCC. lf we display and offer for sale

7) Condition and rules, lSth floor. The rule that the l Sth floor is to be used by members and wives only should either be enforced or abandoned. At present, it is obviously not being enforced, but it seems to depend on who you are whether you can break the rules.

the works of one art¡st, we should

condition, the wall coverifigs are

do it for all young and aspíring artists. But we should not. We should decorate the walls with something that fits the FCC

disgrace. They consist 6f gunnybag material hanging half loose off the

t\ il

wall, placing and hackground of this

kitchen. Often in the middle of lunch, with l5O orders spread out in the front of the chef, is not the time to tell hÍm of a specific

Dea' sir:

With a new kitchen staff just installed, a new club manager by now firmly in place, and the board of governors approaching its home stretch, it may be timely to vo¡ce my pet peeves about the FCC.

l) DivÍding Wall, l4th floor.

After a fortune had been spent on redecorating the club, with professional guidance and fairly good results, a dividing wall was put up to hide the kitchen

pass-

through from the dining room. This wall is clearly an abomination in the worst possible taste. While all the other walls and beams in the club are either of brick or fine stained

wood or appropilate wall paper, plastic ^ this dìviding wall looks like (S)cafeteria tibte covering. lts toning does not go with anything around the club, and the cheap appearance is an ínsult to the eye. Who in the world selected the materìal? What d¡d the professional decorators say, ¡f they were consulted at all? They probably fainted when they saw

disgusting display of somebodY's utter vulgarity. This this

wall, in brief, totally ruíns the club's atmosphere. lt should be replaced or covered with the dark, rough wood used elsewhere on the l4th floor.

2) Hughes bus+ l4th floor. lf

you put up the bust of a living club

member, at least give ¡t an appropriate place and a proper background. The bust is placed against the background of cheaP imitation wood and on a base of the same crummy material. Moreover, it ìs located at the crossroads of all l4th floor traffic. Like the dividing

taste.

3) Píctures, l4th floor. I frankly do not think the club

atmosphere like the

photographs that are

large used

elsewhere.

4) Lightíng, lSth floor. I don't think the FCC is a hangout for young lovers who want to hold hands and smooch under the cover of near-darkness - yet the I íth

floor seems to cater to

such

clientele. The I 5th floor lighting is more appropriate for a Wanchai bar than a nice dining place. Admittedly the lighting on the I îth should be

more subdued than on the l4th floor, but it does not have to be total darkness. The little candles on the tables are pretty ridiculous; they don't create a cozy atmosphere, but a dim one. What is needed is a real little lamp on each table that

a cÍrcle of warm light around ¡t. The way things are now, spreads

waiters should be armed with flash-

lights, so that members can read the menus.

5) Club table, lSth floor. With luncheon crowds the way they are,

pity the member who has

no would be a good idea

lt to have a club table on the I sth floor as well as on the l4th floor, at least during lunch time. ln this way, reservation.

godown-cum-changing room.

Surely it could be put to better use.

Regarding the

l

Sth

walls, and the carpet

floor's a

aroun'âo the

pool table ís quite a sight.

8) Pagíng. a joke, and it times the club

arrival

hall

messages being trumpeted'in quick succession. At other times, it is Ímpossible to get a person on the phone although you know (and later get it confirmed) that he was at the FCC. The whole paging sérvice is haphazard at best. This is serìous because a professional press club obviously has to make sure its members get urgent messages. The

loudspeaker announcements, however, don't seem to be the answer' They are not only sporadic, but also disturbing to other members. How about a visual panel on each floor that shows a member's number when there is a phone call for that person? lt would be somethìng like

a

flight information

board.

Members would give their

FCC

account number only to those potential callers from whom they want to accept calls. Display of the

- w¡th the phone line - may be accompanied with a pleasant little sound or

number number

somethÍng along those lines.

9) Who needs a piano player

the existing seating space could be

on Friday evenings? Especially on

better used, and the lone member

Friday evenings, members come to the club for a friendly drink and a

in need of some food would at least have an outside chance of getting

6l

Side room,

chat with old friends, not for - especially if it is

listening to music

seated.

lSth floor.

The

hardly the greatest enterta¡nment 15

and drowning out any conversation.

lol Food- Personally, I

am not

overly saddened by the departure of the kítchen staff. But I hope the new crew will do better. The food lately has been mediocre at best, and in some instances plain awful.

The only great innovation of recent months has been the salad bar; otherwise the menu and.the quality have deteriorated. And why in the

world do we need four different menu cards? Plus special ones? The

subject of food could of course be dealt with for pages. Suffice it here to mention one addendum to the food - the bread. For one thing, why can we not get warm bread?

There are plenty of little appliances available that quickly heat bread and/or keep itwarm. For another, why is the club always out of the most popular sort of rolls, i.e. poppy seed rolls? And where did the other popular kind of bread sesame seed slices - go to? lt seems the moment demand for a

certain kind of bread increases, purchases will be reduced or

At any rate, demand is clearly not taken ¡nto account.

Marcel Toussaint

stopped.

No.1403

you

aÃB

referring to our old kitchen

crew. We have, of course, had many problems with the new crew, but I believe there has been'

substantial improvement.

Manager Replies: Dear Marcel,

Pleasé

read my reply to Holger Jensen for more details (page l S). ßegarding bread: For the past three weeks, we have had whole wheat bread, poppy seed rolls, soft

I will attempt to answer as many po¡nts as I can. However, there are some items which I cannot answer since the decisions were made by Boards previous to my appointment. ,. Dividing Wall: Although this was done prior to my coming to the Club, I do agree it does not

garlic bread and white bread in the bread baskets. Bread and rolls have very high waste factors and this waste increases when there are more types offered. Perhaps I can substitute sesame slices for one of the others. I will try it soon.

look very nice. I have asked a contrcctor to make suggestions since reading your letter and

Dear Sir,

perhaps in the near future, we can create some way of repairing this

Club has fallen into tack$ times

problem.

since its Golden Y

4. Líghtíng: Unfortunately, the l Sth floor is totally lit w¡th florescent l¡ghting with no separation of units. ln order to bring up the lighting, we must turn on all the lights in one area, thus making

ít too bright. However, the same l4th floor.

5. Since I have been with the

rolls, onion bread, French

The

bread,

, ,4 Foreign

,,t

Corre(þon6ents ,e,aß,

197,4-1975.

We note, for exampþ, that the popular Club bow tie no longer is being stocked.

We trust, Mr President, that you

will take steps to return the Club to its previous glories.

Respectfully yours,

menu is offered on the

frich

Club, there has always been a Club table on both floors. The Club table on the I 5th floor is located next to the bar.

says. . .

The question you must ask yourself

is: should I trust my eyes to someone who is not qualified?

Anyone in Hong Kong - regardless of training or qualification - can open an optical business, conduct eye

6. Side Room: I do agree it has been used for storing all the broken chairs. However, as of November 2, we have taken them away and it is

Albert E. Kaff Life Member No. 1 588

Children's Xmas Party First Warning

-

BE ADVISEDI The children's

it wíth

Christmas party is now scheduled for Saturday

do require some places to

neater and we also have sheltered our portable Ècreens. We do not have a storage area at all on the l4th floor and I îth floor, and we keep

afternoon, December 1 6th. The letter and reservation form will reach you in due course. This

metrist. He g¡aduated from the College of Optometry in West Berlin and has

items such as extra chairs, portable screens, flambe trolleys, and spare

advice is to prepare the hardcore Saturday-afternooners for their

eyesight requirements.

but not every day.

7- The Board of Governors will be discussíng this problem since it

examinations, prescribe and

fit contact

lenses and eyeglasses.

Erich Schwaabe of Optica

fully qualified

Ltd. is a professional opto-

been in practice in Hong Kong since t973.

At Optica you are assu¡ed that a professional - qualified in all aspects of eyecare - is determining your

tables whìch are used frequently,

has been abused frequently.

Kindly telephone lor an appointment Erich Schwaabe (Optica) Ltd. Rm. I106, l¿ne Crawford House 64-704 Queen's Road Central Hong

Kong

Tel: 5-256937 s-230234

8. I wìll leave that question for the Board to answer.

9. The piano player ended his contract October 3l. lO. Since your letter was written on the I 6th of October, I assume

annual shock and to inform all

that space on the 18th floor

is

on a first come first served basis.

(The joker who peeked in the club diary and booked space, take note.) Naturally the little darlings will be confined to the 1 4th and 1 sth floors for those who want a respite from the annual Yuletide chaos.

about Sapper, I thought of that incident in Phnom Penh. lt was not

the first time Sapper had done something extraordinary. Older Cambodian hands, for example, spoke of the day Doug, then ViceDouglas A. Sapper

lll.

Despite

the threat implicit in the name,

I

really have to doubt that there have

been two others like him. The Sapper I know is sui generis. Aflter her first encounter with him, my

\ ,

wife summed him up privately and succinctly: "Terry and the Pirates."

His duplicates might perhaps be found in comic strips but, I suspect, in no other places.

The circumstances of my first

encounter with Sapper were appropriately bizarre. lt was in Phnom Penh in April 1975, a week

before the ciry fell. The vital

northwestern front

beyond Pochentong Airport had begun its

final crumbling. A fifth

column

(which never came) was expected in the city. Formerly a surprisingly

casual place, the U.S. Embassy overnight had sandbagged the Marine guardhouse and instituted a check of all objects being carried into the compound.

For the young Marine on duty,

"l- tf'" checks were all routine u/ briefcases, parcels, journalists' taperecorders - until he came to the man immediately ahead of me in the morning queue. This was

Sapper, a short, rather round American clad in a discreet baseball cap, shorts, sneakers and a T-shirt

depicting Richard M. Nixon as Superman. ln Sapper's right hand was a double-barrelled shotgun; in his left, a khaki body-bag. The bag

contained the torso of.

the

American pilot of a DC-3 which had crashed at Pochentong a few hours earlier. Finding no one at the embassy prepared to undertake the unpleasant - and, at that time, highly dangerous - task, Sapper had taken it upon himself to extract the young American from the

burned-out wreckage and

try

to

arrange a decent burial.

When friends

of

Doug's asked

me to speak to the membership

President (Security) of

a

Pochentong-based airline, tried to :olve a pressing security problem

by going alone into a burning ammunition dump and cartยกng away explosives stored too close to

the flames. To me, though, the recovery of the pilot's body was

more impressive gesture.

a

The

ammunition dump incident was something very close to folly.

Risking one's life to accommodate stranger and his distant

a dead

parents suggested old-fashioned, higher qualities. Still rather crazy, perhaps, but undeniably praiseworthY.

It's probably not surprยกsing that a person who had gone through the cauldron of Pochentong would find Hong Kong insufficiently diverting.

For the past several years, Doug

has been an FCC

associate member, engaged in Asia and lately Africa in various enterprises

ranging from fashion shows

to

a

North Thailand hotel. Last month as

a

consequence

of a dispute with

To clarify many members' estions regarding private functions both in house and qu

outside, I have listed below the Club's rules and limitations, and

also suggested menus, along with the basic costs.

In house private functions:

Mornings: We can accommoderate most morning functions such as breakfast, seminars, and meetings, etc. on 14th and 'l Sth floors.

Starting times ,can. "' be arrangei but all mรณrning functions must be'cornpleted not later than 1 1 iam

everyday except Sundafs.

Luncheons: No private parties are available on Mondays through Saturdays; in other

words, we cannot book

section of either

a

floor. bookings

However, normal can be made for tables

up

to 1 4 persons. For bookings of 10 people or more, it is advisable to have a set menu or a selectยกve menu.

H.M. Customs, Nepal, Doug was

Afternoons: Meetings,

cast into a Katmandu dungeon and told to stay there for four years.

Now, I don't know the full details of the case, but Sapper protests -

receptยกons can be booked between 3:30 - 7:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays with no exceptions.

Dinners: Cocktail parties, wine tastings and dinner parties may be booked from 6 pm onwards, except on Tues-

and I prefer to believe in -

his

innocence. The club, as a club, can't do anything to help him. However, some of his friends plan to

approach the FCC Board of Governors and request permission to place a petition somewhere in

the club so that

members can

address the Nepalese monarch on Sapper's behalf.

Recalling that body-bag, I hope the Board approves. I understand it's possible that on some future

occasion this side

of 1982 -

a

King's Birthday Amnesty, for example - the Third and only Douglas A. Sapper could be brought back amongst us once agarn.

-Anthony paul

press

conferences and cocktail

days and Fridays.

All

bookings are subject to

Professional Club

Func-

tions.

Minimum Charge for 15th Floor

For all functions not requiring

major food and beverage service. (Coffee and tea, pastries and finger sandwiches etc. are not considered as major food

and beverage.)

113 or any partitioned area

2/3 or any partitioned area over

113

$200 $4OO 17

given 48 hours in advance of offered provided kitchen the function. An allowance of facilities are available.

Minimum charge for 14th 5oó above the guarantee will be Bar facilities: floor prepared as regards food and ' This area can be rented seating only, and does not apply Full bar at per j drink pourin $4 for house between 8 - 10:30 am week- to wines and spirits. nds. days and 8-1 1 am Saturdays It is the responsibility of the bra $S per drink for premium and Sundays. lt is ideal for members hosting and functions conferences, small gatherings, here, to ensure his or her guests bra nds.

Full open bar at $1S per meetings and seminars. The observe the rules and bylaws of person for 2 hours and $9 per minimum charge will be $1SO. the Club, and these functions Functions which carry on are ended promptly at the person for every hour after two hours. after 1 am are subject to a required time.

Wines can be offered at labour charge of $20 per hour Outside Catering normal Club prices. per staff member attending to ln order to expand the this occasion.

Food: facilities offered to the Special menus, flower For small functions which membership of the Club, we arrangements, cakes and other have recently started catering do not require any, staff, the items required can be arranged to outside functions such as following items' '' can bd with prior notice at negotiated picnics, boat parties, and su pplied: pnces.

Roast Beef @$16 + 1Ao/o per lb. house parties.

Private functions in the We appreciate the oppor- Smoked Ham @$ 11 + 1Q"/" per lb.

Club should be booked as far tunity to serve members outside Chef's Paté @$40 + ,1oo/o in advance as possible. the Club premises, but must Roast Turkey @$1 1 +1'ôo/o per lb.

Cancellations must be made at make all members aware that Delivery can be arrangeÇ at a least 48 hours in advance or in Club activities must be charge of ¡l an appropriate charge on the considered first, before we can $20 - Hons Kl ns i ' guarantee will be made. take in outside catering and $30 - Kowloon .

A guarantee of the number there may be times when we $40 - New Territories Total of 1 Sth floor or any Partitioned area over 2/3 $2OOO

of people expected to

attend

this private function must

cannot offer this service.

Sit down dinners can

be

be

For larger functions, sample menus for Buffet I Oinner I Lunch are available on request.

All members contracting for outside catering are responsible for paying the staff directly.

Míke Winslow HILTON HOTEL VERANOAH lsr FLOOR TEL:5-245982

Ë ;ffi:r,'

'iî

--1.,:

a-'-

-

1,

'.

I'.i:1

FINE CRAFTS & GIFTWARE Don Sheil

Tableware

Tim Falkiner Pottery

Argyle Glass

Ets Bochram Lamps Stone & Silverwork Bamboo Crafts Wood & Bronze Sculptures Fur Teddy Bears

UNUSUAL

_

EXCLUSIVE

_ DIFFERENT

Anthony Paul presents Mikio Momiyama of Japan . Broadcast Corp. with a club tie party.

at

his farewetl

TtA/hy

in the world do so many travelers like the Reader's Digest? )

tt

f I

,)

Probably because we're so easy to read.

In light installments. An article or two at a time. \Me're lots of fun, too, Our pages are peppered with humor. With many articles about the exciting cities and countries of the world. The Digest is an international magazine. That's why we appeal to international travelers.

Digest is also handy to carry. To read at airports, aboard jetliners, in hotel rooms.

And, at home.

If you're looking for travelers, just look at who's reading the Reader's Digest.

Reader's Digest is the best-selling magazine at Asian newsstands (where travelers pick up their reading material).

Bought at Newsstands Reader's Digest

Asia

Edition Time

Newsweek

Philippines n,576 7,3KjÍ| 6,æ0 Malaysia 9p4 2,717 2]æ Korea 9,612 4,478 1,948 lndonesia 10,¿m0 5,520 5,000 4,500 3,650 2,95 Pakistan Singapore 4,560 2,392 2,2û Taiwan 965 1,116 4ffi Thailand 2,200 1,616 1,700 4,000 5,634 7,æ1 Japan Hong Kong/Macau 2,050 2,291 1,951 Sri Lanka 1,600 558 2æ TOTAL: 78Æ 37,19 91,061 Source: ABC Analysis ol Paid C¡rculal¡on Reader's Digest, Dec 1976 issue Time, July '19, 't976 issue

Neffiwk, Oct

RBË%{?

25, 197ô ¡ssue

is good for business. Yours.

&t

I@

ee

The Art of Communication Hong Kong has been in the communications business for over 1 50 years.

The art of communication is a Chinese tradition and today

the Fortune Teller, with his little bird picking out your fortune. works in sight of the towering office blocks where businessmen communicate with

the rest of the world through Cable and Wireless.

M ulti- national companies use telephone, telegraph, telex. leased circuits and television to keep in contact with their international offices

The most distant office ĂŹs now only a telephone number away. Efficient communication

has made Hong Kong one of the world's largest business centres and nucleus of the East.

The Cable and Wireless Group of Companies know efficient communication means

efficient business, that's what Cable and Wireless is all about.

@-ecrlrle&wÂĄreless A Limited Company lncorporated in England

New lVlercury House,22 Fenwick Street, Hong Kong. Telephone: 5-2831 11. Telex: 73240