Lamma-zine 25 - Oct 2003 - Lamma

calypso

Isn't it hard to believe that the Lamma-zine is already one full year old? It had humble beginnings as a little text-only newsletter to promote the new and fledgling Lamma.com.hk website, sent only to the few dozens of registered members. It's grown into a magazine with over 30 pages and 100 photos per issue, sent to almost 900 members & subscribers, even attracting a few advertisers & sponsors.

Check out the searchable Table of Contents of all back issues, including the titles of all 200+ features so far. All the back issues are accessible from the top of every page of Lamma.com.hk, and from here:

Celebrating the one year anniversary and the "Silver Anniversary" (25 issues) of the Lamma-zine, I've put together a little photo gallery of my own favourite Lamma photos of 2002, selected from over 4,000 mostly digital photos, all published in the magazine before. Click on the left.

It has been a great year creating & publishing this magazine, since starting it from scratch on Sep 4, 2002 (titled "Thanks for joining lamma.com.hk"), with help from webdog and the forum moderators. It's been building up from a pure, idealistic, zero-income hobby into what it is today, growing up quickly, still full of potential, but still a long way to go to become an adult, if ever. I've asked a few people to write a few lines about the first year, highlights & lowlights, most memorable topics and favourite stories, etc. Here they are:

Norseman (long-time active member):

I remember when I first came to Lamma and lamma.com.hk was just beginning to blossom. I used it quite a lot to get info, but also participated in some of the discussions, particularly the bike one.

Soon after came the e-zine which has taken the site to the next logical level. A lot of people seem to be registered with the website, but few take part in the discussions, so the e-zine is a great way for them to find out what's going on around the island without having to wade through the monotonous diatribe of many of the forums.

There seems to have been a lot of bad news on Lamma recently with the passing of some local 'celebrities' such as Jonathan, David and even Sky, so the e-zine has been invaluable to the community in spreading good news and keeping people up to date with what is really going on.

With the cooler months coming up there should be lots more going on to keep the e-zine informative and colourful. Thanks and good luck.

The (Shy) Stick Insect Hunter:

Dear former, current and future Lamma-zine editor,

Unfortunately I am rotating around my own ass because I am getting ready to print my magazine. But I might have the time on Saturday or Sunday, when I 'll be on Lamma anyway. See you then.

Dr Freud:

Re: happy birthday lamma-zine

Congratulations on 1 year of the Lamma-zine. I have greatly enjoyed viewing your ever-growing organ during the last 12 months. Let us hope that you can keep it up for many more years.

Insomniac
(long-time restless member):

I've found the Lamma e-zine's over its 1st year required reading for living on this Island. Excellent quotes, good features with some new ideas. The 'wallpaper' background is superb. Keep it up!

Lamma e-zine 1st anniversary:

The Lamma E-zine is an excellent monthly (ish) read, jam-packed with news and amusing quotes. A valuable digest of life on the island that should almost be required reading for all Lammaites.

Perhaps you could have the poll results compiled (Best Bar / Restaurant, Fattest Arse etc..) as a sort of year in review piece. Also, how about one interview per month as a Q&A with an islander (local, gwailo, visitor) or selected at random from the Lamma.com member list?
Just some thoughts anyway.

Emily of the Ice-Cream Parlor did what she had threatened to do to me and Lamma-Por since last year: drawing us!

The Divine Ms D:
message for 1 year of lamma-zine

Happy Birthday!
I just can't tell you how many times I've wet my pink satin pants laughing at the messages on the site. Thank you, thank you.

May was a glorious month, when the poo-poo boys took over. Those cheeky tykes opened the door for all of us infantile Lammarites to spout our nonsense with pride.

Three cheers to The Brown Mist and his smelly chums. This was my favourite conversation and I think it should be recorded in the anniversary lamma-zine for posterity:

Dorango d’Scernement:

...apparently, Tai Peng is Cantonese for "large penguin". According to local lore, there was a colony of giant penguins living up there but they've all been eaten because "large penguin" sounds very similar to "large penis". Oh well, they were a long way from any source of fish.

Fortune Chan:

… I will vouch for the big nosed Orange on this one. It does mean penguin. No doubt about. It's all because, many years ago, one of the villagers was blind.

He left Lamma to seek his fortune, came back rich and fat but, alas, he had married a penguin.

Over the years the place became filled with a breed of tall, half Chinese penguins and thus the name "Large penguin" stuck. I am indeed 20% penguin and still find the summer heat dreadful. It's why I wear a very small T shirt and roll it up from the bottom and show my large gut to the world.

Chocolate Starfish:

I have never seen a Tai Peng-uin before. But once, while walking up snake path to Tai Peng, I saw a large crab. It scuttled across the path into the bushes.

I'm not sure how it got there - I suppose it could have fallen out of the beak of a passing Tai Peng-uin as it flew back up to its nest with food for its baby Tai Peng-uins.

I've also seen lots and lots of big smell poos on this path. They could be Tai Peng-uin droppings. This would mean that these animals are rather large and could possibly be very dangerous.

Looking forward to another year of gobbledygook.
Big fat kisses X X X from
The Divine Ms D

Zep (moderator of Fauna & Flora forum):

Life is short and sometimes stressful. A chance to laugh a remedy for some of that. One of two real pearls of wit have appeared on My Lamma during the first year which certainly had me laughing out loud and chuckling all day.

The first is "His Holiness" - what more impressive title could one hope for than "the one and only walking talking Living God!"

As one who is constantly losing bags, glasses etc, I likewise sympathise with others in the same plight. The distinguished Dr Freud set the tone:

"Has anyone seen my bag? It is green tooled leather with brass accents. I may have left it outside the Y2K bar late last night. It contains a plethysmograph and a Village People CD. Thank you."

The Divine Ms D also seems to have this trouble:

"Has anyone seen my bag? It's a gorgeous little lilac faux croc skin clutch bag with a darling diamante clasp.
I think I left it at the beach after a wild night in the bushes, it contained a month's supply of estrogen boosters and several botox syringes, although they may have fallen out."

I'm also a big fan of Ms D's haikus. She may not have the technical expertise of Haiku Kitty, but she certainly wins on her wide-ranging distillation of the broad themes of essential universal experience:

"A hot date tonight.
Oh - which wig? Cher boho chic?
Or Grace Kelly cool?"

Doggy:

Thanks to Lamma-gung's sterling efforts the Lamma e-zine and it's snarling partner the My Lamma website have created a whole new way for us Lammarites to communicate and get useful information.

We still use the poster wall, and the swift traveling word of mouth, but to get ideas across and info on events or causes out on lamma there is now no better way than to check out or contribute to the e-zine and My Lamma.

We have discovered that there are lots of sun-deprived geeks and shiftless work-avoiding saps out there, myself included, prepared to give up precious hours to sharing opinions and egos all in the name of Lamma, and from them the word will spread out and about, even as far as Pak Kok where I believe you have to strap a floppy disc to a donkey and hope that it drops off near LG in order to get a contribution in.

All topics get a lot of attention - sometimes for good - family members reunited, differences cast aside, the people joining together to unite against all that is unjust in the world - sometimes for bad - rose-tinted glasses having had poo smeared on them by characters of dubious identity on many occasion.

Thankfully, the e-zine provides a clear way through the mire as LG waves his editorial wand to pick out and hold up the best and most interesting of food for thought and mirth.

I will certainly continue to recommend the e-zine to anyone of lamma interest, and hopefully the e-zine will continue to promote all that is good and pure and righteous about Lamma (the bible classes, yogic flying, sheep-herding and lentil donation scheme). On-word and up-word.

P.S. I hope that's not too facetious.

While the HARBOUR FESTers, Lamma Rocks!

What's been possessing Yung Shue Wan these last few weeks? So many good, sometimes even great concerts all within one month, sometimes even two the same evening in different venues. Venues rarely (Diesel's) or never before (Farmer Eo's Cybercafé) used for Live music are starting to stage performances with music & musicians from around the world: UK, US, Australia, Sweden, Morocco, India, Zimbabwe, even native Hong Kongers.

Lamma-Gung's digicam has been running hot, recording hundreds of photos, and even sound and video as well.

Click on the poster on the left to enlarge. Isn't this just a great portrait of Dan the Bastard? It's just uncanny, it looks so much like him! Great job, Harry Harrison!

They were selling the great first Bastards CDs at their gig. Just a few days ago, a second CD was recorded secretly in Dan Kwai Fong! But keep it quiet and DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT bug Dan about the publication date of their new CD...

Click the photos below for comprehensive photo galleries of these recent performances! Spot your friends and yourself out having fun!

Alex (lead singer/guitarist of Garoupa):

Here are the results in the attachment. Unfortunately we didn't get into the top three as a band, but then only of the bands that we thought were good got a placing (Ultrastatic).

Anyway, I won an individual award and, more importantly, we got a big cheer, had fun and represented Lamma with pride!

A special thanks to Frazer for standing in.

This flood of gigs is set to continue well into October and November, with drum parties and more jam nights in Aroy Thai and Diesel's...

Another Lamma band even made it into the finals of the SoundBase Acoustic Music contest organised by Sony: Garoupa! Lead singer Alex won the first prize for "Individual Best Male Performance", whatever that might insinuate...

Restaurants & Bars - What's New?

This smiley omelet, prepared by Lamma-Gung, represents the upper limit of my culinary talents. Which means that I eat out a lot, mostly around Yung Shue Wan, always on the look-out for what's new & hot & interesting. The local dining & drinking scene is ever-changing, new places opening, new dishes, special promotions, even concerts to attract the crowds, locals & tourists alike.

Let's look at what's new in the form of reviews and a photo gallery with captions. Click to see the very first of the brand-new Restaurants & Bars - What's New? supplements, updated monthly. This month it has news, photos, posters & promos from ten local restaurants & bars!

= Excellent! = Gooood = OK laaa = Sucks!

The latest result of the member polls on Lamma.com.hk, rating all restaurants & bars: The Japanese Blue Bird restaurant is still leading by a record 8 "Excellent!" votes and not a single "Sucks!" vote. Check it out at the just updated Index of Lamma Restaurants & Bars - Reviews & Ratings.

The highlight this month, from our sponsor Dan Kwai Fong:

The famous, tasty, delicious MeatFest @ Aroy Thai, every Friday: click on the photo on the right for an extensive, subtitled photo gallery.

They've also started a new Fish & Chips Night every Monday which is also getting rave reviews already.

Frazer
(BBQ Chef, MeatFest, Aroy Thai):

Yes, I am the 'meatmeister' on a Friday night! It was SO busy last week, at one point there were 33 people in Dan's and others waiting for a table, so it is really picking up!

I could write a review etc, but it may be better coming from someone who isn't involved directly? I can arrange for that. Hang on, this just in!

Stephen Li (Central):

"Myself and nine friends went to the Aroy Thai for last week's Meatfest BBQ. The chicken was tremendous, the steaks tender and perfectly cooked, and the ribs were quite simply the best that any of us had tasted in HK.

A fabulous feed for a price that had us feeling like we'd pulled one over on the management...can't say fairer than that! Will definitely be back for more. Oh...and the Texan-style beans were more than worth the nocturnal activities they inspired!"

Dan (of Dan Kwai Fong & the newly name-painted Sunset Bastards Boulevard, justifying a newly introduced dog ban, together with several other restaurants):

The dog ban is not total - dogs and their owners are perfectly at liberty to use the Seaview Terrace, which, as it happens, is one of the nicest places on the Yung Shue Wan waterfront, if not the absolute nicest, to sit and relax with a drink and watch the world go by. Everybody, so far, has been very understanding. In fact, the owners of another couple of bars/restaurants have since said that they are going to try to do the same.

The thing is that a lot of people simply do not like the presence of dogs when they are eating and drinking, and that includes dog lovers and owners - dog fights, dogs pissing against chairs and plants, dogs stretched out across the floor so that people have to step over them, dog hairs, dog smells - do you start to get the picture? I count myself among the dog lovers - I have two dogs, now in Thailand, who were formerly long-term Lamma residents, and much loved. When the dogs were here, many people were not even aware of their existence, because I tried never to have them in the shop, restaurant or bar. Dogs and bars/restaurants simply do not go together, as far as I'm concerned.

Plus another two new photo galleries:

click to view them.

Plus specials & a recent review.

Nicknames for Local Places

I started a new topic a few weeks ago on Lamma.com.hk: Fun nicknames for local places:

"There are so many colourful nicknames we use for people, but also for local places. Most of them are unknown to recent arrivals, but should really be publicised more and become semi-official names, much more fun & meaningful than the official & boring names! I'd like to collect them and publish the list in the Lamma-zine."

Lamma-Gung:

Granny Chan's, Seats of Shame, Under the Trees: Man Loon

Democracy Wall: ferry poster wall

Hunter's Beach: (destroyed by the far end of the first phase reclamation)

Hunter's: Kam Lo Hom

Millionaires' Hill: Po Wah Yuen

Beer Garden: sitting-out area opposite the Island Bar

Hookworm: Bookworm Café

Lamma Forest: above Pak Kok, planted by ABLE

Power Station Beach: Tai Wan To

DickStock beach: Nga Kau Wan

Nick's corner: square outside Y2K, opposite Dan's

Dan's, Dan Kwai Fong: Aroy Thai

Sunset Bastards Boulevard: road from Nick's corner to the Hookworm.

Snake Path:

Snake Path: trail leading from the top of the second cableway to the Youth Hostel and all the trails leading off it down to the Sok Kwu Wan footpath.

Marcus:

Heart Attack Hill: Hill on the steep path from Pak Kok up to Tai Peng.

Yung Shue Wan: Banyan Tree Bay (literally translated from Cantonese. We should use this more as property prices and general interest would increase).

The Garage: second shop in Pak Kok that makes the VVs and sells potatoes. Also a good range of tins for humans, dogs and cats.

Fertility Island: Lamma.

'New' Seats of Shame: 6:40pm ferry from Central (outside)

Manuel of Fawlty Towers (UK TV series w/John Cleese): Amar Singh of Spicy Island

Mr President:

Suicide Hill: Heart Attack Hill

No 2's: first house you come to at the bottom of Suicide Hill in Pak Kok

Golf Club (full of oldies!!!): Island Bar

Ah Hay's: restaurant next to the bank, opposite Spicy Island.

Oscar Meyer Weiner:

Fountainhead: Mexican Jail

Snake Path: the path that runs from Granny Chan's to Tai Peng, past the Fire Station (sorry Snakey, think you're a bit off with your definition)

Ivy's, The 3 Pigs: Vegi shop next to Spicy Island

Mr Hing's: hardware shop next to supermarket

Y2KEA: Y2K Bar

Dog Shit Island: Lamma

Insomniac:

Fighting Head / Tin Head: Fountain Head

Coast Road: Path from Po Wah Yuen to Pak Kok

Yung Shue Wan Shopping Centre:
IFC II Mall, close to YSW ferry pier, Central

(adding a few creative, funny, new nicknames of his own to the commonly used ones above):

Scrap Merchant's Alley: ferry pier

Lamma Yuppies: cyclists

Lamma celebrities: V.V. drivers

Nappy changing facility: police Box

Record contender for how many people you can fit into a shoe-box sized shop before attempting door control:
HSBC (Lamma branch)

Record contenders in slowness and annoying habit of withdrawing only $10 from their passbook each day:
HSBC customers

Jolly Blue Midgets: ferry men

Hangover Test: wet market stall

Breath Endurance Test: fish ball stand

Dog Shit Alley: Back Street

Cat Shit Lane: Main Street

Spring Cleaning: moving sales

and the last and newest one I've heard:

Beast Row for the Lamma Bistro ("beast" refers to 'ugly woman' in the English vernacular and a "row" is a line-up)

I still wonder, what are the nicknames for the three power station chimneys, the big boulder (in the harbour outside Man Fung Rest.), the ferry pier and the two other public piers, Hung Shing Ye beach, the electronic display at the ferry pier, the public toilet building, Tai Peng, etc.

Oscar Meyer Weiner
(giving the best example of how to apply these nicknames in a practical way):

You mean there isn't a serious point to all of this? It won't be used by ambulance drivers to find houses in a reasonable time? Good God, what is the point?! Who is funding this research?! Oh yeah, and the shop next to Pizza Milano used to be known as 'the 2 dog shop' but that was a long time ago, when they had 2 dogs. I think they are both dead now.

So, next time you call an ambulance, it's "right on to snake path, through the crossroads to the junction. Don't go towards Granny Chan's but go right towards the village, past the old 2 dog shop, left at Pykies / Y2KEA onto Bastard Boulevard, and it's the second on the left after the Hookworm" should do it easily enough...........

Mid-Autumn Festival - Photo Gallery

For lots of pics on Lamma's "Moon Festival", click here F

r lots of pics on Lamma's "Moon Festival": or here H

e ("cat slave", don't her cat's eyes look like moons?):

one full moon

prettier than previous's

shall be here tonite.

moon cakes n yams,

fruits n incence.

we offer to her tonite

lanterns i have not

candles nor do i

but i shall still enjoy the nite.

One of my pictures in the photo gallery was a close-up, long-exposure shot of the full Mid-Autumn moon (see above). Our frequently sleep-deprived member Insomniac liked it and asked to use it as his Avatar for his formerly Avatar-less messages...

More Burglaries in Pak Kok

A really hot topic this month: More burglaries in Pak Kok happening in the last few weeks.

Police notices are starting to show up in our mailboxes, on walls and in the post office. Click on the pictures to read the full notices.

Several homes have been burgled very recently in Pak Kok, including at least one of an active member of Lamma.com.hk. The active online discussion ranged from details of the break-ins, to prevention measures. But, as usual, it moved off-topic to more "creative" ways of dealing with the problem:

Pakcockien: "Pak Kok has already decided on a super hero. I refer of course to Pacman! Behold the yellow wonder as he gobbles down a few power pills, increases speed and devours criminals."

Haiku Kitty (long poem in the style of T.S. Elliot):

"The I.I.s are never there!"

A Rich Hard Cook: "I don't see why we should all have to pay for police to go tromping around in the rain to police those crime ridden Pak Kokians. I say we put a bloody big fence across the island and be damned."

Pakcockien: "Boys in green were on the scene last night at 3:00 a.m. walking about Pak Kok. Perhaps a bit shocked by naked guy looking out window. Last night they camped out on a neighbors rooftop with gadgets and what-not doing surveillance."

But then e notified us that the burglars seem to have moved to Tai Wan. Pak Kokians breathed a deep sigh of relief! But now the rest of us have good reason to be worried about where they'll strike next...

Stop Pet Poisonings!

Sheila, Lamma Animal Protection: Deadly Poison is all over Lamma

"No area is safe. Who is next? You? Your child? Your dog? Your cat? Protect our community and report all poisonings to the police.

Lamma Animal Protection has set up an "In Memoriam" page (click on photo) and is building a database of details of all victims of this terrible crime. ALL information you have on poisonings you can give us would really help (when, where, who, fatal, nonfatal, names, photographs)! Please call 2982 4018 or email Sheila. Be very careful and please pass this information on." More info

P.S. The pledged reward is up to $35,000 already!

More details

Amelia Roberts:

RE: Lamma dog poisonings:

Dear Ag and fish,

There has been a recent spate of poisoned dogs on Lamma Island (Yung Shue Wan). 10 dogs died last week, including my own.

It is possible that someone is deliberately poisoning these animals - this has happened before. But I am also concerned about the heavy use of herbicides, pesticides and bleach on the Island.

We see constant spraying of our verges, with huge quantities of chemicals pouring into ponds, streams and the sea. Often, plants are sprayed right beside little ponds (eg Yung Shue Long valley,) affecting fish and pond plants, such as lotus and lilies.

I am also concerned that dangerous toxins such as paraquat and DDT are still in use. These poisons kill domestic and wild animals and have a disasterous environmental impact.

I would like to know what substances are used on the island, how often and for what purpose. What measures could you introduce for safer, less toxic and less intrusive spraying?

I would like a comprehensive answer to help us address a very tragic and serious situation.

Jimmy L K Wong (Senior Field Officer / Registration & Advisory, AFCD, HKSARG):

Dear Ms Roberts,

I am so sorry to hear about the recent spate of poisoned dogs incidents on Lamma Island from your 29/9 e-mail. If you suspect that these were deliberate poisoning cases, I suggest you to report to the police so that they can investigate on them.

In your e-mail, you wish to find out what pesticides are being used on the Island. I have subsequently forwarded your mail to other possible pesticide user departments that may use pesticides in their pest control operations on the Island. Once we have collected all information, we will revert to you in a collated reply. Please rest assured that Government departments will only use registered pesticides and that they will use the chemicals properly will all necessary precautionary measures taken.

You also mentioned in your e-mail that there are constant spraying activities causing adverse effects on the environment. If there is any misuse or possession of unregistered pesticides such as DDT as mentioned in your email, it is necessary for us to have more information on the concerned applicators and the exact location of application. If you have any additional information, please provide it to us for our follow-up action.

We appreciate and share your concerns over the safe and proper use of pesticides. In order to strengthen the control of pesticides, you may wish to know that we are currently conducting a major review of the Pesticides Ordinance to bring upon the necessary legislative amendments.

Our main proposals include the registration of pesticides on a product approach, restricting the use of the more hazardous registered pesticides only to trained personnel and the licensing of pest control service providers. Under the new proposals, anyone who applies pesticides in public areas are required to hold a licence and they have to carry out all the necessary precautionary measures.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at 2150 7021.

Attachment: Consultation doc: revision of the pesticide ordinance (PDF format, 30KB)

Diggers and Dreamers - Holistic Lamma

In recent months more and more "holistic" services seem to have sprung up all over Lamma. You know, massages, yoga, tai chi, reiki, etc. I've asked an expert and veteran of this scene, Peter Lloyd of HolisticHongKong.com, to write a few paragraphs about the past and present of "Holistic Lamma". He got a bit carried away by this fascinating topic and wrote a great full article with photos, titled "Diggers and Dreamers"!

By Peter Lloyd

Over the years Lamma has attracted many alternative types. Mostly this has been their home and they have gone about their business in the city. But sometimes a centre or a group would manifest itself.

This piece is an attempt at drawing together a holistic history of the recent Lamma Island past. I have leaned on a few sources, David Sheil, Robin Tassie, Bobsy, Cath Macer and Roz Keep (thank you all) for help. It is not the finished article, but feel free to send contributions in and we’ll get a more thorough history and in true Lamma organic fashion it can create itself anew.

I came to live on Lamma in 1997 and found a thriving Wisdom Heart Buddhist centre, Green Cottage Health Food shop and a Yoga Room. To my surprise I discovered that most of these were fairly recent additions, mostly from 1996. So let's backtrack and go to the 1980s.

In 1987 the Lamma Conservation Society (LCS) was set up with Chris Lonsdale and others, specifically to oppose the power station’s attempt to expand all along what we know still, thankfully, as Power Station beach. LCS also opposed the YSW harbour expansion and conducted a survey on Lamma and on the Lamma ferry, in 1990. It surveyed 700 residents, of which 70% were Chinese and 30% non-Chinese. 96% were against the reclamation. There were beach clean-ups and were clearly predecessors to today’s ABLE Charity. They tried to stop hill fires and succeeded in getting the fire beating sticks placed around and about by showing the government lots of photos of hill fire devastation.

By 1989 Permaculture Asia was set up and used to provide environmental consultancy and ecological design. By 1991 Queenie So and David Sheil set up Green Cottage Farm in Tai Ping which was the first Community Supported Agriculture (also know as organic box) scheme in Hong Kong. The farm ran for 3 years or so whereupon David and Queenie moved onto running the Green Cottage Health Food Shop and David Saunders and Bing Law (who had joined them by that time) ran their own farm in Pak Kok. I remember buying organic vegetables in Pak Kok in 1997 from Dave and Bing Law and their home baked bread. After a few years they moved onto running the Kadoorie Farm organic farming section.

Meanwhile the LCS had made an attempt at a school garden. David Sheil remembers ordering 100s of bags of soil and loading them into VVs and then helping to heave them up the hill. “After that I was so tired I never returned to see what happened to the garden!”

Roz Keep recalls.

"Years ago in the very early 90's the Lamma Conservation Society was active on the Island. They used to organise tree plantings and lobby the govt about the reclamation project even in those days. It all came to a climax with the first ever Lamma Festival which we held up at the primary school. It was a great success. We invited NGOs like FOE, Amnesty, the Raja Yoga Centre to have stalls, people giving massages etc. We had a stage with local bands, lots of things for kids to do and raised quite a bit of money. Lamma had fun and the locals didn't know what had hit them."

David also remembers another LCS festival in the square on the left in-between Deli Lamma and Toochka's/Lamma Bistro. “It descended into half-naked can-can dancers and the LCS were never been allowed back there again!”

In those days there were weekly Buddhist meetings together with Jyette and Rick in Pak Kok. Saskia was a driving force behind many projects and her home became a sort of a centre. Hunter’s Beach became a centre for people to hang out and he tried to encourage a culture of recycling by salvaging scrap from the tips.

At some point LCS faded and by 1993 ABLE charity began to take over its role. They organised an Earth Power Festival in December 1996 on Power Station Beach.

This was attended by 5000 people and featured 13 live bands, stall market area, teepees, drummers and fire jugglers. This followed on from beach and village clean ups and setting up HK’s first recycling bins and then they moved into the still ongoing Lamma Forest project and annual fire watch.

The Lamma Yoga Room was set up by Roberta Raine and Robin Tassie in 1997. Earlier, Wendy Teasdill, who became renowned for her walk to Mt. Kailas in Tibet, had been teaching yoga. She passed on her classes to Roberta who ran classes on the beach before the advent of The Lamma Yoga Room, situated near Toochka's. After a year Roberta and Robin moved to Ko Long village where they set up the Lamma Island Yoga & Health Centre which they ran for another year before Roberta moved to California and Robin to setting up Yoga Central, the first HK Island yoga studio, 4 years ago. In addition to yoga, The Yoga and Health Centre offered other health treatments: aromatherapy, acupuncture and therapy. In 1995 Sugar Das arrived as a travelling yogi and conducted daily yoga classes at 6am for one full year. One of his students, Katherine Jureidini, later went on to India for a year to study and then came back to start The Lamma Yoga Room in 2000, a Satyananda yoga centre, on the Backstreet behind the Bookworm. This ran for 2 years and closed down last year as Katherine moved into teaching classes on HK Island.

Cath Macer remembers that “Sundays were always the best day on Lamma back in 94 when I arrived - usually a talk and nice veggie lunch at the old wisdom heart followed by a yoga class with Roberta or Wendy on the beach.”

To cater to the spiritual needs of Lammaites, the Wisdom Heart Centre in Po Wah Yuen was set up by Ani Zamba (with others) or Susanne as she was more commonly known in 1996. Before this (around 1994 –1996), the Buddhists on Lamma had met in a friend's spare flat near Wang Long village and offered retreats and talks. Although Ani used the centre for her Buddhist teachings she strongly encouraged other groups to use it. Native American courses were conducted there by Daniel Darby as well as a weekly free drop-in healing group. Some very high Tibetan Lamas visited the island and gave teachings including Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. This group still continues though it has let go off its physical centre and now meets in practitioners' homes every Sunday.

For the Handover Karen Sylvester and Neil Gordon, may he rest in peace, organised a ‘Clarion call’ meditation for peace and goodwill at the Stone Circle (on left just before Pak Kok).

In 1998 and 1999, ‘smelly’ Peter ran his aroma and Bali clothes shops where Bubbles is now. His shop was called Smelly Things. The Green Cottage has been in Dan and Ron’s hands for years now and is offering good veggie and organic fare. For a while in 2001 – 2002 there was a Sahaja Yoga centre on the island.

Queenie So and David Sheil signed the lease for the Bookworm Café on July 1 1997. By January 1998, a co-operative of friends, including Rhodri, Liz, Eric, Bobsy, Katherine and others took it over from David and Queenie.

Eventually, as time went on, Bobsy became the only one left standing! The Café offers regular spiritual and healing talks as well as music and is a community centre. Not to mention being HK’s only community notice board for holistic events and practitioners. It is also the only Western vegetarian café in Hong Kong.

Today: There is a newly started organic farm behind the Hung Shing Yeh beach. They want to offer organic herbs and teas, watch this space to see how it goes.

Articles, the shop next to Bookworm Café offers massage and healing. Cath Macer is offering yoga classes in her home and in the newly opened Island Gym. This November, Doggie will be continuing his Lamma Fundays for the third year running for the Nepal Child Welfare scheme.

Peter Lloyd wrote Spiritual and Alternative Hong Kong, Spiritual Britain, and Kora, a pilgrimage anthology to India and Tibet. (all available to Lamma.com.hk readers for $30 each):

Email: pilgrim@iohk.com or tel: 2982 2807.

He currently edits the www.HolisticHongKong.com web-magazine.

Directory of Holistic Services on Lamma

I've been contacting local holistic practitioners for a short description of their services, as a free promotion for them in this directory. Not everybody contracted responded with details, but we hope to add a few more practitioners to the directory in the future.

Other local services & shops will follow soon.

To add, delete, change or update entries, contact Lamma-Gung@Compunicate.com.

Michelle Harris, Intuitive Guide and Energy Healing, Articles:

Tel. 9180 0763 / 2982 1655, email:

"Now at Articles in Lamma, providing private healing sessions that assist you in creating more peace, balance and well being in your life. Using crystals and energy healing methods for general relaxation & re-balancing or specific issues, conditions & diseases.

Michelle will be offering meditation on Monday nights at Articles, and other workshops in the near future, also facilitating Wellness Circles and Healing workshops (details tbc).

And fun Relaxation & Self-expression Classes for children & teenagers."

Fitness Centre: Tel 2982 1262, email:

(no written info provided)

Catherine Macer, Yoga, Island Gym:

Tel. 9835 3552 / 2982 1787, email:

"I currently teach three regular classes on Lamma:

Tuesdays 1100: orientated more towards complete beginners,

Thursdays 1100: orientated more towards those with some previous experience,

Saturdays 1145: General class. I also take private students.

Each class lasts for an hour and a half and incorporates Pranayama (breath work), Asana practise (postural work) and deep relaxation. The classes are designed to move the body through a series of stretches that awaken and utilise all the main muscle groups in mindful synchronisation with the breath.

The focus, breath and movement all serve to enhance the vital energies within the body, slowly realigning the body and promoting a state of healthful calm and balance."

Les McClure, Tai Chi, Acupuncture, Shiatsu: Tel. 2982 4775, email:

(no written info provided)

Deirdre, Healing Art: Tel. 2982 6936, email:

click for details & photos

"HEALING ART SUNDAY WORKSHOPS with Deirdre at a magical retreat on Lamma. Use healing art to get in touch with your creative self. The simple act of creating, by itself, helps bring balance to our psyche. No particular art experience is required for these workshops, just a willingness to play‚ and see what might happen.

Venue: The Green House, Luk Chau, Lamma Island.

Time: 10am - 6pm, every Sunday: HK$550 for the day, includes art materials, vegetarian lunch, with maximum 8 people. Discounts available for groups, worthy causes and repeat bookings."

Su Burnett, Psychic Consultant, Pet Telepathy, Psychic Readings, Reiki Master:

Tel. 6185 0578, email: (no written info provided.)

Jerry Boyle, Chinese Healing Arts, Lamma Cha Cha: (Tel. disconnected & email unknown.)

Clare Harvey, Massage Therapist, Articles:

Tel. 9265 1598, email, see poster above right:

"Clare trained in Western Australia and recently returned to Hong Kong, place of birth and home.

Clare specialises in sports, deep tissue pregnancy massage and reflexology. She has also studied Huna massage and philosophy and Ancient Hawaiian bodywork. A beautifully rhythmic and flowing massage. A new experience not to miss."

Breaking News (Oct 14): Articles is closing down this weekend and Clare is returning to Australia!

Sandra & Yoshi - Art Gallery

For the first time, we're presenting an artist couple, Australian & Japanese. They had a successful exhibition on HK Island ("Dialogue", 16 May - 15 June 2003, 5 o.p.t studio / gallery, Mid Levels) a few months ago and are working hard on new artworks.

To see their virtual art gallery, click on the gallery invitation on the right or simply click here.

Wish I'd gone back to Lamma Island instead of California!

Remember Hunter, from the cover story of Lamma-zine #23 (Exploring the Lost Valley of the Hippies)? He formerly lived on a Chinese junk in YSW harbour and had a large workshop / storage area / party venue up at "Hunter's", in the forested hills above the harbour reclamation.

He has become a "virtual friend", sending in updates of his life and even photos! Recently, he moved from the Philippines back home to California with his daughter Willow. I've asked him to compare living in California with his former life on Lamma. This is what I got, straight from the heart:

Hunter Edward Wallof:

Hi; Happy Birthday [for the Lamma-zine];

This is Hunter just wanting to say I haven't forgotten you and I'm still planning to e-mail you some good photos of my old house, but due to the high cost of scanning and the fact that Willow and I are having a difficult time adjusting to life in this crazy country (wish I'd gone back to Lamma Island instead of California), I haven't gotten it together yet.
Good luck to you and all my good friends on Lamma.

Love Hunter&Willow

Hi;

Hoping soon to accommodate your request for photos of Willow and I here in the belly of the beast and scan & send photos of Kam Lo Hom as I knew it, but, as we are still basically living out of a suitcase, on the road much of the time, and I'm overwhelmed with the responsibilities of looking after Willow;

dealing with the welfare system to see that Willow and I have some kind of medical insurance and food stamps;

searching for a home in the San Francisco Bay Area with no credit rating;

hoping to stay afloat in an incredibly expensive economic system;

fending off cynical negative attitudes of family and friends toward my approach to the situation of getting a foothold on the slippery slope of survival in this strange new land;

being overwhelmed by the decadence and sheer numbers of mobile inhabitants of such an arrogant, self-centered society who think of themselves as the ultimate culture and rightful rulers of this planet, closing their eyes and hearts to the pain, destruction and eminent doom of Mother Earth's environment and creatures, including themselves;

I'm not sure when I'll get around to it.

As for our future here, I hope to get through the shock of stepping out of the fire (the paradise of the land of ignorance and corruption) [The Philippines - the editor] and into the fire (a different paradise of guarded & concessioned nature being preserved amongst the sprawling masses attempting to control their pollution with ever-advancing technology in the name of a steadily failing capitalist system) and secure what shelter I can for Willow and I on the Island of Alameda, where I hope to rent a small apartment and storage & work space thus to go about the task of making enough money to stay afloat and eventually to find a saner community out of the city with people more down-to-earth and working toward halting and healing the damage and insanity that will be all our doom if not checked soon.

I can only hope that such a gentler community exists amongst the elite of the so-called "developed world" and that a more humane attitude can somehow be made super-contagious and spread round the globe to the struggling hopeful and hopeless mass of the world's population that are only too willing and eager to follow in the footsteps of folly.

Perhaps this system of electronic communication we are experiencing and dealing with here and now has the potential to facilitate such a transformation, but that remains to be seen. Good luck to you all and I hope we can all work together for the dawning of a new age of enlightenment.

With much Love;

Hunter&Willow

P.S. This doesn't really fulfill your request for a comparison between life here in California and the life I had on Lamma Island, but I will leave that comparison to those who knew me (or think they did) before; it's a different situation and I'm a different man with different responsibilities.

Hi, I'm Hunter's sister, Marta.

I'm glad you could lighten the photo; it was from a family reunion in August. I won't be able to take a picture of Hunter because I live in Nevada and he and Willow, just yesterday, moved to Point Reyes Station, CA, near Tomales Bay. This is an area about one hour north of San Francisco. They are renting a very rustic place with a creek that runs along side. He's a little wary of the fog that comes with near coastal living but I think the warm afternoons will compensate for that.

Personally, I'm very delighted that he ended up in a rural area rather than an urban one. When you're young and single, all the rat race isn't as noticeable as when you have a child.

Now Hunter needs to find a storage/work space for all his treasures from the Philippines and figure out how to make a living and take care of Willow. Not a small feat.

Our parents are sad to have Hunter and Willow about 3 hours away, but know that they need their own space. They will especially miss having Willow around, as we all do.

Good luck on your zine and I will forward it on to Hunter... if he has access to a computer and a phone line.

Marta

I'm still wondering, if Hunter wasn't really talking about Hong Kong instead of California in his very insightful, observant and passionate comments above. What do YOU think?

As a former resident of Lamma...

Many of Lamma's longtime residents know Raman Athinathan, an Indian Brahmin whose cheerful, well-spoken and exceedingly friendly manner is sorely missed by his many friends since he moved to Macau three years ago. He sent me this extensive contribution, full of (mostly) sweet memories of his happy days living here. If you're a long-time resident, you might want to read on & recognise many of the names:

As a former resident of Lamma, I am very pleased to write a few lines in the Lamma magazine. I very much appreciate the kindness of the editor and I am grateful to him for asking me to write a feature for it.

I went to live on Lamma at the end of 1993. I have said to myself often that I missed out on a lot in Hong Kong, because I went there quite late. I did not have any opportunity to see the growth of Hong Kong or the growth of Lamma, unlike some of my good friends who have lived there as early as 1975.

I remember very well the “meeting point”, if I could call it so, in front of Ah-Hay’s restaurant (opposite the police outpost and adjacent to the HSBC). Many expatriates and a few Chinese would meet to talk about their day or to talk about various issues and current matters, between half past three and half past eight or so in the evenings.

There I met Mr Jonathan Gray for the first time and we became good friends afterwards. One need not be told about his concern for the fishermen, who, he was convinced, had been downtrodden. He established the Lamma fishermen’s association in the seventies. He was probably more Chinese than European. I always admired his courage in tackling the tumor in his brain which eventually killed him. He never showed any sign of disease or ill health.

I also used to meet my good friends Mr Ian Watson and Mr Frank Murdoch at the “meeting point”. I know that there was another meeting point close to the tennis courts, opposite of Granny Chan's shop. I thought that we could have some discussions on current affairs and I sometimes arranged a small discussion on current topics. I must accept that the meetings did not have more than four or five persons.

I remember here the presence of Mr Michael Asher, Mr Donald Bray, Mr Anthony Miles and Mr Bruno. None of them, I think, now lives on Lamma. I remember the hospitality of Mr Timothy Dobson and Mrs Liz Dobson, who used to invite their friends for a sumptuous Christmas lunch and drinks, which we all enjoyed.

The hospitality of Mr Andrew Windebank and Mrs Tracy Windebank who have entertained us with a sumptuous meal during Christmas should also be mentioned here. We also had the hospitality of my good friend Miss Diana Cox too on Christmas Day.

Shortly after I came to live on Lamma, the journalist Mr Ram and Mrs Ram arranged for a nice meal one evening for a few of his friends and myself. I enjoyed very much their hospitality. In fact, when we first talked a few weeks earlier, I told Mr Ram that I had thought I was the only Brahmin on Lamma. The Brahmins are the priestly class of Hindus, very well-versed in the Vedas and in Sanskrit, although with all apologies I should say that I do not qualify for this description.

We talked afterwards about Kumbakonam, a town in Madras state where we both lived, though at different times (Kumbakonam was considered a great centre for intellectuals.) I remember talking to him about me being close to the Honourable T.T. Krishnamachari, at the end of the mid-sixties. He was one of the important and powerful finance ministers of India and a close associate of Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru. Mr Ram knew him, too.

I have always been happy at the good care taken of dogs by the residents of Lamma. I know that many enjoy keeping their pets and taking them for a walk. This has very much impressed me, as a great lover of animals, especially dogs.

I have always been impressed with the good work done for the welfare of dogs there. The problem of abandoned dogs was not that much when I lived on Lamma. Now I know that it is a great problem. My good friend Sheila (of LAP) has done so much for them. She has always been very busy looking for the abandoned dogs and trying to find good homes for them. I also know the very good work done by my very good friend Dr John Wedderburn.

My other good friends Alan and Linda have also been very kind and helpful to the dogs all the years I have known them. I used to know of Mrs Sally Anderson and her good work for dogs when I came to live on Lamma. Mention should be made also of the enthusiasm in this regard of Liz Gower. Two former residents of Po Wah Yuen, Mark and his wife Christine are also great dog lovers and they have moved to Sai Kung. Stephanie’s name also comes to mind.

I am sure that Lamma has been very fortunate in having a very good enthusiastic and helpful veterinary consultant Dr Hans de Vries, whose friendship many residents and I have always enjoyed.

The need for food without modern-day chemical additives was recognized on Lamma even a decade ago. We have had the green vegetarian restaurant and the Green Cottage started as a result of the work and enthusiasm of Mr David Shields. I know that the Green Cottage is now in the very good hands of the two Chinese brothers and their wives who are running it so well. The green vegetarian restaurant is in the good hands of Mr Bobsy.

In a narrative like this it might not be out of place, I think, to mention one or two negative aspects. Sometimes we used to hear of a few expatriates disappearing from the island after owing large sums of money. This is most unfortunate. At a smaller scale they are said to have left after leaving small debts including the non-payment of rent for months.

However, one of the very unfortunate things that has happened on the island concerns a landlord, who probably should have been much more discreet and honest.

He used to let his flats on rent, taking deposits, would try to harass his tenants and when they leave would refuse to repay the amounts. This being a civil matter the remedies for this evil are somewhat limited. Therefore, this man probably has the last laugh at the predicament of his poor tenants who have unfortunately been cheated. It would be most surprising and, of course, unfortunate if there has been any occasion of late for this person to practise his game. I do hope and trust though that those looking for a place to live would not give the man an opportunity to stage his unusual drama.

The Sunday Church services on Lamma see a good number of people, the first English service, having Europeans and Filipinos in the congregation, and the second Chinese service with so many local people. Father Frank, the Head of the Church, is a well-known figure on the island.

The residents of Lamma have benefited from the kindness, courtesy and efficiency of the Lamma post office. Mr Lau, who retired in 1995, and Mr Cheung, the present postmaster, who succeeded him in 1995, and the postmen have done very good work all these years.

The police on Lamma have also been very good to the residents. Mr Richard Bone, Sergeant Choi, Inspector Yao, Sergeant Garry, Sergeant Hui and their colleagues have taken care of the people and their properties, and ensured law and order.

I know Lamma has changed a lot since my days. It has also changed since I left Lamma more than three years ago. I am glad to see however some veterans of those days still living on Lamma. I always remember the famous words of Alfred Tennyson:

The old order changeth, yielding place to new;

And God fulfils himself in many ways,

Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.

I have no doubt that life and activity will always be there on the island.

Raman Athinathan

On a closely related matter, ex-Lammaites often use Lamma.com.hk to get in touch with their old friends still living here. Lamma.com.hk has become a pretty popular site in little over one year. We've made quite a few successful connections and it makes me really happy each time we succeed.

Case in point: Looking for Lammarite: Diane, "(back in the old UK)", sent me an email looking for Moray & his mum, getting a reply within a single day after I posted her message!

Moray Wedderburn:

Thanks - I saw the message and posted a reply - lots of people came up to me to tell me about the post - so very popular site - I had a read of the site - very interesting - especially if you live here.

Dianne Duggan:

Thank you very much for finding Moray Wedderburn for me. You might be interested to know that when I first met him in 1973 - yes, that long ago! - at Castle Peak in the New Territories, he was still sucking his thumb! We all lived in a compound in the middle of a Chinese village, just outside the Castle Peak Mental Hospital, although many thought we should have been inside. Hong Kong was SO different in those days. Many, many thanks

David Slough - In Memoriam

Lamma expat killed in fall on to fence

Peter Michael

A man who was impaled on a bamboo fence after falling from the roof of his three-storey home on Lamma has died, police said yesterday.

David Slough, a journalist with the Hong Kong police newspaper Offbeat, was admitted to hospital suffering from serious injuries to his left shoulder and right leg after the accident on Monday night, but was later certified dead.

"So far we have not released any official statement about his loss," said a police spokeswoman. "But we all feel very sad privately."

Rescue crews were called to Slough's home in Tai Wan Kau Tsuen early on Monday night, a fire service spokesman said yesterday. He was taken to North Lamma Clinic and later transferred by helicopter to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

A police spokeswoman said Slough had been found lying on the ground impaled on the fence. It is not known why he had been on the roof of the apartment block. A post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out in the next two days.

Mr DickStock:

David is one of those guys who gives Lamma its special colo{u}r.

I'll pass the sad word on to all the ex-Lamma-ites that I meet up with here in the USA.

A strange and terrible twist....

Dan Peterson (Island Bar):

Not sure if you're planning to run any kind of memorial piece for David Slough, longtime resident and well-known raconteur on Lamma, but here are a couple of submissions (below) if so. Any queries, please feel free to call.

Cheers, Dan, 9030 2888

This is being written at 10:10am on Friday 19th September, during the time of David Slough's memorial service. Unable to attend in person, we are observing our own moment of silence for him. David has been a part of Lamma for many years and now we are saddened by the passing of yet another icon of this special island. Rest in peace, old friend.

Dan, Sharon, Andrew, Sascha

On the passing of David Slough, condolences from The Island Bar.

Dan, Sharon, Peter, Keith

Lamma-Gung:

I was sitting in the Deli Lamma's garden, having dinner with Lamma-Por. Always having my digicam with me, I took pictures of the gorgeous sunset.

Shortly afterwards, we saw a helicopter coming in and landing on the Power Station helipad. Just a few minutes later the helicopter took off and I shot several pictures, just for future reference...

About half an hour later, Nick the Bookman called my mobile, telling me about David's fall. Shocked, we realised who was on that helicopter...

P.S. We learned only much later from another SCMP story (below) that this helicopter left WITHOUT David! The Clinic sent it away, not being ready yet with "examining" David. Another helicopter finally picked him up more than one full hour later, maybe too late...

Lamma-Gung:

I've just heard that a number of David's friends are having a wake for David Under the Trees, a.k.a. Man Loon or Granny Chan's (his local), starting at 3 to 4-ish on Saturday Sep 13. All welcome.

I got a phone call from Mui Ying this morning. I didn't know her, but she got my phone number from a common friend. Mui Ying heard about this online discussion here and wants to let people know a few things:

She's sending thanks to all of you for your concern & condolences, they're greatly appreciated.

She said not to worry about her too much, as she's being taken care of very well by the welfare of the police PR where David was working. They've been helping her greatly in every respect, including arranging & organising everything.

Mui Ying asked me to post this announcement which will go into the Post tomorrow:

In Memoriam

David Samuel John Lee Slough

1940 – 2003

David Slough passed away on September 9th at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Hong Kong, as the result of a tragic accident at his home on Lamma Island. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He leaves behind his wife Mui Ying, former spouse Jenny, children Denis and Amanda, brothers Robert and Christopher and sister Sally.

David’s funeral will be held at St John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong, on Friday September 19th at 10:00 am.

Mui Ying offers her heartfelt thanks to all of David’s colleagues at the Hong Kong Police, as well as his many friends, for their compassion and kind assistance at this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Police Welfare Fund or St John’s Cathedral.

After the service, the actual cremation will take place at 12:45 at Cape Collinson.

Haiku Kitty:

Wow. I would be deeply honoured for the poem to be read at the funeral. Please pass on my deepest sympathies to Mui Ying.

I'm really moved. Do you know who will be reading it?

Ted Devereux: Eulogy

(spoken at the funeral in St. John's Cathedral)

I’m here to pay tribute to David, but how do you pay tribute to a man in just a few minutes, especially a man who touched the lives of so many people and who lived an interesting and varied life and who made an impact and contribution to the community within which he lived. Such a man is David.

After schooling in England, David joined the British Army and served 19 years in the Intelligence Corp attaining the rank of Warrant Officer. He was first posted to Hong Kong in early 1960 and the love affair with Hong Kong began. During a later posting, he qualified as a MOD Interpreter in Cantonese. All in all, David spent half his army career in Hong Kong.

On leaving the army in 1978, he remained in Hong Kong initially working as a Trade Mark Violation investigator followed by a spell as an investigative journalist with Target Publications and for a period in an operational role with Guardforce which is when I first met him.

Around this time, David met and married Mui Ying the love of his life and to quote him “his rock”.

David and Mui Ying took over Security and Fire News Asia, David as the Editor and Mui Ying running the office and driving the advertising sales. They made a great team. This is when David knew how much he relied on his rock. Apart from Security and Fire News Asia, they produced a number of other publications up until the late 1990’s.

Not many of you who knew David will know that when he was with the Army, he ran with the Kowloon Hash House Harriers as a way to keep fit. However, David used his army training well, often found shortcuts to avoid the more strenuous parts of the run and to ensure he was back in time for the drinks and nosh afterwards! This part he took no shortcuts and his parade ground voice could be heard by all belting out the rugby songs that rounded out the evening.

David was known to his fellow Hash House Harriers as and I quote “A genuine character, no airs and graces, his integrity beyond reproach; a singularly honest and decent man”.

In June 2001, David joined the Hong Kong Police as an English Specialist Writer for the Forces’ monthly newspaper known as “Offbeat”. During his time with the Police apart from his work for “Offbeat”, he produced a magazine about the 50 year history of the Dowman Road Race. The longest held road race in Hong Kong and Asia. The magazine won the acclaim of the Commissioner, downward for its professional presentation and editing marking the 50th anniversary of the event.

David was very passionate about the environment, Lamma Island and what he saw as bungling bureaucracy. He could often be heard on RTHK Radio 3’s “open line” giving forth on the latest official snafu that had caught his attention. Or he could be found in print in the South China Morning Post on issues ranging from road traffic, formal schooling and hawker patrols. Or at Granny Chan’s talking to all or anyone about the history of Lamma, plants and trees or any subject or issue that had caught his attention. He was well read and knowledgeable on many subjects.

Through Security and Fire News Asia, David had a close association with the Security Industry and reported on many of the issues facing the industry. I remember many animated debates about matters dear to our respective hearts. But David always managed to remain focussed and in his writing projected a balance view.

Life was not always kind to David but he always looked forward and remained passionate about those issues close to his heart. He was also a most honourable man ensuring that he settled his commitments when others many have just walked away.

The David I know was a kind, caring and honourable man who gave of himself to others and the community he lived in. He dearly loved his wife Mui Ying and knew how lucky he was to have her love and support.

We have been the better for his presence.

I would like to read a short poem which appeared on Lamma.com.hk and was written by Haiku Kitty:

We thought that even when we left
He would still remain;
Colonial Polonius
Of the Seats of Shame

We thought we’d always hear his voice
Sergeant Major clear
Holding forth on world events
Over discount beer

We thought maybe another day
We would listen more
And take the time to ask about
Hong Kong life before

That’s why it’s so unthinkable
The loss so hard to bear
That when we pass by Granny Chan’s
He’s no longer there

Vince Loden:

Very nice poem indeed and a fitting epitaph.

Yes, very sad indeed.

I too knowing David quite well think it extremely unlikely that he might have been trying to climb up to his flat. Also he always went onto his roof immediately he got home to see his dogs and plants. However I have heard that it took the ambulance 20 mins to reach his house (because they couldn't find it - as usual) and they needed to borrow a mobile phone from a neighbour. It would also have been easy for a helicopter to land on the cable road above his house.

One must question why the ambulance service have this extraordinary problem of locating victims of accidents - don't they have proper maps? The postmen and Shell Gas seem to know where everybody lives and there is the excellent Centaline on-line map of HK which enables you to pinpoint every house on Lamma. After all he only lived 5 mins from the Fire/Ambulance depot.

Also why is every emergency case taken first to the Clinic - it's pointless because the doctor at that time would have left for the day and they presumably they don't carry emergency blood supplies there. (Why not?).

The other point is that patients who need airlifting must then go back in the ambulance to a helipad up on the cable road. Up until a couple of years ago they used to land on the playing field in front of the clinic. Why have they stopped doing this? (Rumour has it the local headman Fung Loi objected to the noise because he lives directly behind the Clinic).

Our thoughts go out to Mui Ying, his wife.

Tim & Ann Madsen, San Mateo, California, USA:

Through and old friend I learned about David's tragic accident and subsequent passing away. The first reaction is obviously disbelief and second anger why a person who in many ways was bigger than life should pass away in such a way.

Nevertheless we always have to remember the positive things.

I met David the first time in early 1980 at The Old China Hand in Lockhart Road. After the shortest of introductions he proceeded to blow my ears full on the subject of the day (as far as I recall it was some government decision that didn't please him at the time). It would not be the first animated discussion we had over the years. Animated yes, but good natured too and if we didn't agree there would be no hard feelings either.

Only years later when my wife and I decided to become Lamma-ites would I again run into David on a regular basis. Having a beer at Granny Chan's - maybe in The Main Street (after he got caught smoking on the ferry).

We would meet regularly exercising our respective loved canines either on the beach or on the hillsides of Lamma and David would always engage in a conversation and be genuinely interested in how you were doing (and more importantly how our dogs were doing).

David will always be remembered by me as one of those larger than life and colourful persons without whom Hongkong - and Lamma would not be what it is.

May his soul rest in peace.

Our heartfelt thoughts and sympathies go out to David's wife Mui Ying and his family.

Nick (the Bookman):

I first met David in the early 80's at the H.K. Press Club. (Keith Hassett was there also - he was ghosting a darts column in the SC(I)MP(Y) about that time. And darts was why we were at the Press Club. Barry Tolow, a former News of the Screw darts champion was in HK to thrash the locals and drink all our beer as part of promoting the noble sport of "arrers" globally.

Anyway, David was in the P.C. with all his traits present and correct, but in enjoyable proportions. He was well-chuffed, having been the only person to take a log off Barry in their meeting. (He lost 2-1. All others were 2-0 losses.) I thought he was Keith's mate. He thought he was mine. We both listened to David giving it loads.

Late 80's we were all living on Lamma. Keith worked with/for David, so did I for a while. Didn't pan out overall, but we could dine out on on David stories for what appeared to be time unending. We had our differences (usually dogs and control thereof). But the flare-ups faded out fairly fast. Overall he (and Mui Ying) were good neighbours.

His death (what the hell happened?) seems senseless and stupid, but bizarrely apt for an old soldier... Like being shot full of arrows at Agincourt, speared while jousting or defending at Rorke's Drift or on the North West frontier in Afghanistan. Or it could be a bad gardening accident (I'm stretching - trying to make sense out of this, put it in its place, make a sane reason for why this should be. But then, simply put - "Shit happens" - and that's all that's needed to know.)

David leaves a Chinese wife (Mui Ying), Eurasian daughter (Mandy) and at one point, Nigerian son-in-law (Willis) and a grandchild of all the above,

Anyway, time to end.

Cheers, David. May the beers always be icy and flow freely wherever you are.

Nurses ‘delayed giving emergency treatment’

By Anna Healy Fenton

Two Lamma residents have accused the island’s medical staff of delaying giving basic emergency treatment in the two hours it took to move a fatally injured man to hospital on Hong Kong island.

Uncertainty over the man’s condition also meant that a rescue helicopter sent to Lamma to pick up the injured man left without the patient - only for another helicopter to be sent back for him more than an hour later.

David Slough, 58, was impaled on a spiked bamboo fence at 6.15pm on September 8 after he fell while trying to climb to the second floor balcony of his flat.

Jonathan Hyman, an intensive care trauma nurse and friend of Slough, rushed to help.

The spike had not apparently penetrated his heart or lungs. “I thought he had had a lucky escape but needed help with breathing urgently,” Mr Hyman said.

Paramedics arrived 30 minutes after being called, said Mr Hyman, and brought Slough to the North Lamma Clinic at 7.15pm, where the doctor works until 5pm.

Mt Hyman said he told the five or six nurses at the clinic that he was a nurse, had assessed Slough and that he needed fluids and shock treatment fast, but they took time to repeat the basic checks.

“They ignored me and asked me to leave.” It was an hour and a half after the accident before these basic steps were considered, Mr Hyman said.

The Government Flying Service said it received a call from the clinic at 6:45pm and the first helicopter arrived at 6.57pm. But German Tsoi Tak-man, acting deputy manager of operations, said he was unable to speak by phone to the senior nurse at the clinic - who was too busy treating Slough - and therefore unable to assess the urgency of the case.

“The nurse needed to do onsite treatment before they could send the man to hospital,” Mr Tsoi said, who spoke instead to a worker at the clinic and then made the decision to send the helicopter away “until the patient would be ready”.

He called for a second helicopter at 7.42pm, which took off for Pamela Youde Hospital, Chai Wan, at 8.09pm. Slough died the next morning.

“We have a clinic with a doctor that is open for limited daytime hours and closed Sundays,” wrote Mr Hyman and another Lamma resident, Susanne Wycisk, in a letter to the Post.

“There were very basic emergency procedures that should have been followed, and were not.”

A statement from the clinic last night said: “Immediate treatment and assessment was given,” including pulse checks and electrocardiogram and breathing monitoring.

Vince Loden:

I personally find the whole subject very painful. I knew David for 20 years - yes he could be a grouch at times but underneath he was a kind and decent guy. He helped myself and my wife bury Zorro our dog on the Power Station beach a coupla years ago, he worked tirelessly on environmental issues and nurtured young banyan trees to give to people. He was devoted to his wife and dogs.

He had diabetes but still loved his food, drink and cigarettes. He foolishly thought he could save a few bucks by climbing up to his roof to let himself in and paid the ultimate price. He leaves a grieving widow, Mui Ying who is a lovely lady.

Let's do what David would have done had it been anyone else - fight like hell to find out why it took them so long to get him to the furthest hospital from Lamma and why in heck don't the Clinic keep blood plasma on the Island - that's what I want to know.

Fate has an unfortunate hand in all our lives - yes, David could have lived a longer life and then maybe died in a few years time in pain in a public hospital hooked up to tubes going in and out everywhere, possibly dying a slow and painful death from diabetes or cancer - who knows?

We cannot choose our way of passing.

Let's just contemplate our own mortality and celebrate life and try to be ready at all times - even if it means generally trying to be nice to those around us (even if we don't like them much) - heck it could be me or you - any of us next time.

But please don't make judgments on people - life is too short.

Nicky
(David's niece):

Hello,

I am looking to find out about my uncle - David Slough, who I believe took an active part in this website. I was so shocked to hear of his death and would like to know more of his life over the past few years. I last saw him about 10 years ago when he and his wife Mui Ying visited England, but he stopped replying to my e-mails and I lost touch.

I am Nicky, his sister's daughter, and would love to receive pictures, newspaper clippings or anything about David.

Thank you

Lamma-Gung: I connected her with some of David's friends by email...

(Photos above by Keith Hassett, Lamma-Gung, Mui Ying, Ronnie Norton and LAP)

More details in the online discussion on Lamma.com.hk

Ending this sad feature on a positive note, this month the govt. is finally starting to build a temporary helipad, very close to the Lamma Clinic, inside the reclamation.

For more info: New helipad

readers since July 1, 2003

Last update: August 12, 2006 05:43 PM

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