David T Fung, West Vancouver
It was truly wonderful to see in person so many familiar faces after 45 years. Although every one of us has ¡§matured¡¨ way beyond the youthful looks in the old class pictures, the mannerism and likely the associated personality for many of those present at DBS on Nov 9 did not appear to have changed significantly. There is an interesting life long story behind each of these faces. There was not enough time over the short reunion to begin exploring those stories. If you pass through Vancouver in your travels and have time to share a meal, please advise me by e-mail and we shall see if a mutually convenient time and venue can be arranged.
For those who have not been back to DBS for a while, you should know that drastic physical changes have occurred to the grounds and the surrounding communities. A huge building for the primary school classes has taken over the southern end of the field and the previous headmaster¡¦s residence. Hotels and office buildings are overlooking the field from the west side. Another huge building for the boarders has risen over the grounds on the north end (the steps to Prince Edward Road). During our short reunion, we did not even manage to get to the steps. All of these additions and renovations would not have been possible without the generosity of a number of old boys. I was told that one donated HK$120 million to make some of these improvements possible.
For those in North America interested to contribute to the growth and renewal of DBS, they should be aware of an organization called ¡§Give2Asia¡¨ (www.give2asia.org) which can help your group organize the donations to overseas charities, e.g. DBS, through a North American based charity so that the donation can be tax deductible in USA or Canada as the case may be. This is particularly beneficial to those in Canada where the qualified charitable donations are given tax credits based on the top marginal tax bracket.
As we advance in our age, memory will become a more precious commodity. I look forward to catching more of these memories with many of you whenever the occasion arises.
