Reconnecting with our community in Hong Kong
Since the 1980s a steady stream of boys and girls have joined Ampleforth from Hong Kong, and more recently mainland China too (including next year’s Deputy Head Monitor, Anastasia). This has been a two-way exchange, with many Old Amplefordians from the UK choosing to make Hong Kong their home. So, it was a real joy to bring together the fantastic community of Old Amplefordians, Parents past and present, and wider families connected to the College and Abbey for the first time in 5 years to enjoy a series of events over the course of a few days in May.
We were delighted to reconnect with Ampleforth’s original Hong Kong pupil, Chris Wong (B90), and his father Ignatius, who have both done so much to support Ampleforth and continue to do so. The 1990s were well represented by the likes of Benjamin To (A94), Simon Tsang (B94) and Garry Chung (A97); extending through to the fantastic Andrew Kong (C04) who has kept the community going in recent years. We enjoyed seeing long term expats including Terence Mahony (E61) and his wife Joan, Philip Bowring (A60), Chris Pennicott (H90), Simon Godfrey (O89), Henry Dalziel (B94) and more recent additions such as Dom Berner (J03). There were also representatives of the younger generation, including Hector Lai (C19) and Francis Yang (T15), who will help reconnect the more recent leavers from Hong Kong and China in the coming year.
Parents both past and present gathered for a drinks reception to meet Headmaster, Peter Roberts, and Fr Wulstan, Chair of the Abbey Trust, along with Harriet Langdale, Director of Admissions, Marketing and Communications, and Emma Craig, Head of Development. Families facilitated introductions to parents in the region who are looking at Ampleforth for their children, and the support for the school and monastery was evident amongst all.
We look forward to our next visit to Hong Kong and we are grateful to Chris Wong and others who have agreed to form a Hong Kong Committee to maintain connections in Hong Kong over the year to ensure that this community goes from strength-to-strength in years to come and ensures the Abbey and College maintain their vibrant connections and support from the region and throughout Asia.