It Was Not All Plain Sailing When I Was Young

I have been blessed with a happy family life and fulfilling career; however like everyone else my life has had its ups and downs. When I was born in Shanghai in 1940, war was raging and life was hard. My father, FANG Xingao and mother, FANG Zhaolin gave me and my twin sister the names “On Sang” (which means “a peaceful life” in Chinese) and “Ning Sang” (“a quiet life”) in the hope that we would lead quiet and peaceful lives and stay away from misfortune.

When I was eight, my family and I moved to Hong Kong to escape the civil war. For a while, we enjoyed a relatively calm existence... But the good times did not last long. My father died suddenly two years later and my mother found herself a widow at only thirty-six and with eight young children to bring up. She was desperate and at a loss as to what to do. Fortunately, friends and relatives came to our rescue. My family was eventually able to come through the difficult times and we all grew up into healthy adults. The help we received from relatives and friends, at such a low point of our lives, was like a bonfire in a bitter winter. It made me understand the importance of providing timely assistance to those in critical need. My childhood hardships sowed the seeds of my strong desire to help others when I grew up.

My mother was fearless in the face of adversity, especially as she had to be both father and mother to us. An exceptionally gifted and dedicated artist, through her own efforts she became a great contemporary master of traditional Chinese painting. I admire my mother with all my heart I know she was the major influence on my character. I learned from her example that one should pursue one’s ideals with an indomitable spirit and unflagging efforts.

Once in Hong Kong, I studied first at the Sacred Heart Canossian College. My Primary 4 to Form 5 school years were relatively stable and uneventful. Then, because of the financial difficulties my family faced at that time, I switched to St. Paul’s Convent School which allowed me to complete the two-year matriculation course in one year. This way, some school fees could be saved and the financial burden on my family lessened. Perhaps it was a case of more haste, less speed – I failed in my Advanced Level Biology examination and thus not eligible to enter university.

Disappointed, I took up a job as a clerk in the Medical Social Work Office of Queen Mary Hospital, while continuing to keep up my studies in my spare time. This job proved to be a blessing in disguise: it broadened my horizons and I was touched by the social workers’ dedication to helping others. Coupled with my own childhood experience, I fixed on the idea of becoming a social worker after graduating from university, so that I could help those in need.

Fortune was kind to me and rewarded me for my hard work: I scored good grades in the Advanced Level examination, the following year and was admitted to the University of Hong Kong. There was no Social Work Department at the University of Hong Kong then, so I had no choice but to apply to study in the Faculty of Arts. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1962. After graduation, I was attached to the Po Leung Kuk for internship. Later, there was an opportunity to join the civil service which would allow me to serve the community too. I therefore formally applied to be an Administrative Officer and joined the Government in 1962.

Perhaps destiny was at work without my knowing it. Though I was not able to study Social Work, and go on to become a qualified social worker, as I had originally planned, I found many opportunities to serve the community in the range of different Administrative Officer posts I was deployed to every few years. I was delighted to be offered the post of Deputy Director of Social Welfare in 1979 and to be promoted to the post of Director of Social Welfare in 1984. I worked alongside social workers to develop and provide services to less fortunate members of the community and my dream of many years was fulfilled.

By today’s standards you could say I married relatively young, as I was married to my boyfriend of three years, CHAN Tai-wing, in the year following my graduation. We have a son and a daughter who have given us four wonderful grandchildren. With my mother as a role model and my husband Archie’s loyal support, I have always been confident to face the challenges of raising a family and pursuing a demanding career.