-
Christmas Shopping Photo Gallery
  Got
any last-minute shopping left to do? Dreading to go to town and
face the mad crowds of fellow last-minute shoppers? Don't! Stay on
Lamma and check out the local shops along Main and Back Street.
There are a lot of great products on sale, often for much better
prices than you could find in town.
Patronise local businesses and help to
revive the island's economy. Enjoy the friendly, personal service
and make new local friends at the same time.
Click here for the Christmas
Shopping Photo Gallery to put you into the right shopping mood.
Lamma Fun Day - Best Snapshots
 Wasn't
it a great day out on Power Station Beach? Beautiful weather, cool
breeze, shady trees, lots of people determined to have fun and
loads of money being donated for the Child Welfare Scheme!
Doggy, Lamma Fun Day Organiser:
"Hi Everybody,
Adding it all up, I've worked out a total
of $40,597.7 raised at the Lamma Fun Day!!!! How cool is
that?
That's 15 grand more than we raised in
previous years. Some amazing contributions went into that, like
$11,000 raised from sale of bric-a-brac and $10,000 from sale of
food.
Loads of people put heaps of effort into
making fun day such a success, so I want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH
to all of them (and I'm sure
Child Welfare Scheme
would as well). And thanks to everyone who attended and had fun in
the sun with us last Sunday.
 Sean's
photos are up online at
www.LammaFunDay.com
and Lamma-Gung's extensive Multimedia Gallery
(incl. video & sound) is at:
Fun-Day-2003 Photo Gallery."
(from Doggy, 2 days later): "I did
the final audit yesterday, and discovered that there were
a couple of amounts I hadn't factored
in, so the total is actually
$45,335.3."
Steve Cray's great photos of the YSWankers gig (see left) are
at
homepage.mac.com/steve.cray/...
Papa
Jack gig photo by bbChris (see right).
A few more from
Steve Cray, who's also just added great new photos (Harbour
Fest, etc.) to
his
website:
Follow-ups:
Elections, Helipad, Loy Krathong
• District Council Elections:
A sweeping victory for Ms Yu Lai Fan of the so-called
"Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong", 69% of
Lammaites voted for her.
Congratulations are in order, she won fair & square by a vast
majority, no serious foul play, as far as I know. That's what
democracy is all about, the majority wins, if the individual likes
the results or not...
Alex Chan has won a very respectable number of votes for a fresh
candidate like him, capturing a lot of hearts and minds and votes
during his relentless, tireless campaigning. A natural, democratic,
environmentally aware & personable politician like him will get his
chance for elected office very soon, I'm sure. Below, there's his
message to voters, stuck on campaign posters.
Early in the morning on voting day, there was a long line
outside the town hall! The average age of these voters was well
beyond 60, I'd guess. The DAB knows how to mobilise their
supporters... Ms Yu's message to voters:
 "Ms
Yu Lai Fan appreciates Lamma and Po Toi residents' support
Dear residents,
In condition of being voted as a district
council member for Lamma and Po toi district, I would like to send
my deep appreciation for your faithful support. I would try my best
to achieve my commitments and listen to your voice. Let us to
contribute a better community for the coming future. Once again
thanks for you support."
But the DAB has suffered badly in these elections all over HK,
only about 30% of their candidates were elected, losing almost 40%
of their former seats, overtaken so far by the Democrats. It'll
take a bit longer on the islands for democratic ideas to take hold,
but it'll get there someday...
Ms Yu didn't respond to my repeated requests for an
interview or answer the questions of members of Lamma.com.hk I sent
her. But now with the election pressure over, she's more open for
an interview. Being introduced to her just today (Dec 19) for the
very first time, she personally agreed to an exclusive feature
story & interview for the Lamma-zine next year, after Chin. New
Year! Watch out for it!
• Temporary Helipad:
 Things
are finally starting to move on the temporary & permanent helipad
issues, moving the med ical
emergency helipad from the Power Station to the existing Yung Shue
Wan reclamation.
A temporary helipad is scheduled to be completed this month and
the permanent one, scheduled for 2006, to be built on a platform in
the harbour for over $16 million, connected by bridge on pre-bored
pilings to the existing reclamation area (see above and right)
|
Alex Chan,
Chairman of Citizens Party:
Dear
Lamma Friends,
First,
THANK YOU for your support!! The 1123 District Council
Election was fun and very exciting. I did not win a seat in
the DC but with your help, but I did WIN 361 votes or 31% of
all votes (Ms Yu Lai Fan won 794 votes).
The voter
turnout on Lamma was remarkably impressive: 54%, among the
highest in Hong Kong. I think it was a very good result,
considering I was a new face to a very small village community
where clanships traditionally dominate all local politics and
a couple of powerful local groups backed Yu up in this
election. In addition, just simply too many of our supporters
did not register to vote.
I know
that all of you are very concerned about the status of our
new helipad: (1) when the temporary helipad will be
available & (2) the construction noise of the eventual
permanent helipad. Below is the reply from Jimmy Chan,
Senior Engineer at the Civil Engineering Department. If you
should have any further questions or comments, please let me
know.
Lamma is now
my constituency & see you around! |
Jimmy Chan, Civil Engineering Dept.:
Dear Alex,
Regarding your
two questions concerning the helipad project at Yung Shue Wan:
(1) Firstly, I
feel sorry for the patient who passed away. As for the
temporary helipad at Yung Shue Wan, the Home Affairs
Department (HAD) is responsible for its construction. Civil
Engineering Department is assisting with the application for
an Environmental Permit which requires the preparation of a
Project Profile containing assessment of the environmental
impact of the temporary helipad.
You may like to
note that an Environmental Permit is required for the
construction and operation of the helipad irrespective of
whether it is of temporary or permanent nature. The
Environmental Protection Department issued the Permit on
16.10.2003.
As the temporary
helipad site is a bare ground without any surfacing at
present, the Government Flying Services would require some
minimum paving to be constructed to prevent loose particles
from being stirred up by the helicopter turbulence. |
|
A cart
path is also needed for the ambulance to reach the landing
area. HAD had already engaged a contractor on 17.10.2003 and
construction works are underway with a scheduled completion
date of end December 2003.
(2) An
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study is being
conducted for the permanent helipad. Noise impact is one of the
areas for assessment which covers both the construction phase
and the operation phase.
a) I would
like to clarify that we are planning to adopt the "pre-bored"
type of piling method and the construction noise would be lower
than percussive piling.
b) All
piling works would be carried out between 0700 to 1900 hours.
It is estimated that the piling activities would take about
6 months to complete. |
c) The draft EIA
study report, which is being passed to relevant parties
including the Environmental Protection Department for comment,
has recommended that the Contract should adopt good working
practices to minimize construction noise as far as possible
such as minimizing the number of powered mechanical equipment,
turning off unused equipment and providing maintenance to all
plant and equipment.
However, as
mentioned above, the pre-bore piling method would be used
and the predicted construction noise levels would comply with
the noise standard laid down in the EIAO. The piling works
should not cause unacceptable impact to nearby residents and
businesses. |
We'll believe it when we see it. Completion date end of this
month? According to recent reports, some men and machinery are on
the site now. But little accomplished so far...
• Loy Krathong:
After seeing my "Floating
Lantern Festival at the ferry pier photo gallery in the
last Lamma-zine, Roz Keep, the famous local watercolourist who
recently moved to Chiang Mai, sent me this personal story:
|
Roz Keep, still
young Lamma Oldster:
It was
interesting to see your fine photos of the Loy Krathon
Festival in the Lamma-zine. Thanks a lot. I wanted to write a
bit in response. I am a Lamma Oldster, as you like to call
anyone who has lived there 10 years or more, currently living
in Chiang Mai, North Thailand. I will try to describe my first
Loy Krathon Festival in Thailand for Lamma readers.
About two
or three weeks before the full moon, while making dinner in my
new home, there was a huge and deafening explosion outside my
kitchen window... I dropped what I was doing and ran outside
believing it to be an American invasion or something equally
terrifying only to see a group of young boys and a few old men
setting off the thickest, longest, biggest fireworks I'd ever
seen. |
My ears were still ringing from
the first explosion but these enthusiastic Thai males weren't
done yet... Over and over again this ritual of detonation
continued, accompanied by loud and cheerful shouting and
laughter. They were having a "who's got the biggest?"
competition obviously... This behaviour seemed to become an
epidemic as full moon approached and on the night itself one
was thankful not to have been in any real war zones in one's
life as I can imagine war traumas coming back to haunt...
Now the best bit of the
festival is the floaty offerings. We had been invited to join
a new friend and her party at the river's edge to release our
Krathon and to make our wishes for the new year, cleansed of
sin. I'll never forget for the rest of my life how beautiful
the river and also the sky looked as thousands of candles
floated in the water and lanterns ascended into the clear
night sky. Truly an incredible sight. |
|
The
lanterns are a clever combination of ancient and modern
technology, using a fireproof paper and bamboo hoop,
supporting at the bottom a candle made of paraffin-soaked
wick. The thing is set light to, the balloon fills with hot
air and up it goes. As the balloons are large, they take a
couple of people to coordinate the launch successfully.
Once up,
the balloons gain such height that we feared for anyone
traveling in a jumbo jet about to land at Chiang Mai's busy
airport at the height of tourist season! Phil was relieved he
wasn't traveling that week at all as the balloons are a
favourite every night of the week around the full moon.
I enjoyed
a lesson in making the floats at my son's school the previous
afternoon. In the junior school, a large floor space had been
prepared for students, teachers and parents to sit and make
their own Krathons. |
Materials
had all been provided and we could sit with Thai staff to
learn the intricate folding of the banana leaf and attaching
them around the base of the float. These floats were all made
of banana stems by the way, no environmentally unfriendly
polystyrene for these kids...
Mine ended up looking like a
lotus flower that had a blight or which had been in a typhoon.
But they were very polite and said "Very beautiful, Miss Loz (Roz)."
I was impressed with the school's extensive gardens which
provided all the flowers free of charge and made our krathons
pretty.
The River Ping is near our new
home and since the festival of love and light I have begun to
visit it almost daily for peace, reflection and inspiration
for my drawing. So it is with gratitude and relief that I got
to know this river as a result of the very special Loy Krathon
full moon festival.
Peace be to
you all on Lamma. |
Restaurant & Bar News
- December
What's new in the local dining &
drinking (& falling-down) scene during the month of Christmas/
Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/...? Lots of food promotions, obviously! After the
recent re-surfacing of most of Main Street between Spicy and Deli,
plus new flush water piping (after an embarrassing break-down
recently, see below left), the scene is set for the holiday crowds
descending on our fair village, hopefully patronising the local
businesses and reviving their sales.
 Thai
Thai on Back Street has moved across the street, opening a
proper Thai Restaurant on Dec 7. Lamma Gourmet, part of the
Dan Kwai Fong empire, has moved next door to bigger & better
premises.
10 year anniversary of the Deli Lamma on Dec
10, which was full of loyal & happy long-time patrons that night.
Big Christmas Day dinners coming up in Lamma Bistro and
Aroy Thai. Diesel's has been serving Indian & Western
food for a few weeks now, all prepared in-house, and it's becoming
pretty popular.
Breaking news: Kumar (of Spicy Island fame) is taking over
Y2K as Bar Manager on Jan 1st!
Click for Restaurant
& Bar News Photo Gallery
 Loads
of events in the Island Bar this month (see all the Harry
posters above), several of them in favour of Operation Santa Claus:
Quiz Night, Treasure Hunt, Christmas Carols singing, "Gangsters &
Molls" New Year's Eve party...
Yummy Sunday roasts in Lamma Bistro and
Bookworm Café.
Holiday Mood lets groups rent the entire
place for a weeknight and offers party catering, similar to the
Chinese baker y
opposite the Bistro (which catered the Western food at the LAP
Centre opening, to my big surprise).
Finally, the formerly famous Waterfront
restaurant & bar is rumoured to re-open "soon", but I won't
believe it till I see it.
Here are the photos and descriptions of the
promotions above: click on
Restaurants & Bars - Dec 2003. Check out the frequently
updated Lamma Events Calendar
for promotion dates, plus all the restaurant & bar ads at the
beginning of this issue.
Last but not least: Just in case you're wondering
what these two funny guys above right are up to:
Steve Cray sent me these photos and I put them into
a little animated slide show. Steve called it:
SATISFACTION: Here's an
amusing picture sequence of Richard 'Word Asia' Cook and Harry
'Cartoonist' Harrison acting up to Rolling Stones records in the
Deli Lamma after watching the Stones at Harbour Fest.
LAP Opens Animal
Welfare Center
 Lamma
Animal Protection:
"You
are cordially invited to the
Opening Ceremony of our LAP Animal Welfare Centre to be held
this Sat, 13th December 2003 at 3 pm. The Centre is situated behind
the Spicy Island Rest. at G/F, A, 25B Main Street, Yung Shue Wan."
Click for the Photo Gallery
of the Animal Welfare Centre Opening
Sheila, LAP: LAP is opening a Centre to
promote the special world of Lamma’s animals - a world of care made
possible through the kindness and generosity of people like you who
support LAP in many ways.
Many of our rescued cats and dogs are quickly
ready to go to good new homes with loving families, there are also
those who are the outcasts of society - unwanted, lame, too
traumatized by past abuse, or too old, handicapped, or ill. Once
they're with LAP we do everything we can to make sure nothing bad
ever happens to them again.
Photo left (Goldie, foster dog)
by LAP; photo
below by Bob Davis, proving that e loves dogs, too.
 Whether
they find homes quickly or stay with us for the long-term the
loving families of Lamma Animal Protection’s network provide havens
for these innocent creatures. Our new centre gives you the
opportunity to meet our fostered animals in a pleasant and friendly
environment. There will be daily guest appearances of animals for
adoption and for fostering.
The Centre will be a friendly meeting place
for anyone interested in LAP’s work. It will promote the important
issues of responsible pet ownership,
spay and neuter, and information on the rewards of fostering. The
Centre will also help raise funds to
help with medical bills, spay and neuter and general survival.
Local schools will have access to interesting Humane Education
resources and be offered short courses. We will sell a wide variety
of quality donated goods and hold
talks on a wide range of topics such as neonatal care, responsible
pet ownership,
natural food diets, aromat herapy,
and training. Please join us at the
Center and enjoy being a Lamma animal protector. For details, call
2982 4018; email:
info@lap.org.hk;
http://www.lap.org.hk"
The
Poisoned Pets
photo gallery (see left) has also been updated, with
several more victims, very sadly.
Also,
check out the
personal home page of Grommit, a vivacious young dog (click
right), who has just been adopted via LAP on the Fun Day!
Corner Bar Closing -
10th
Anniversary
 Some
of our readers have very fond memories of the Corner Bar, which was
closed down ten years ago, Dec 11, 1993. It lost its license
because of frequent fights and drug dealing in the premises.
Nicknamed "The Dog and Hippy" and located where the Lamma Bistro is
now, it had devoted and loyal customers. So loyal in fact, that
they got together for TWO reunion parties, one in the Bistro, of
course. But the other one was held in London's SOHO quarter by
ex-Lammaites!
 While
doing my background research and collecting input for this story,
these ex-Lammaites were the main contributors. Most
of the local old-timers either claimed amnesia about those days,
were "too busy" or just didn't care about the anniversary.
"Who can remember?", "If only I had memories
of the Corner Bar - it is all a haze", "With regard to the Corner
Bar, I think it is a little like the 60s. If you remember you
weren't there!"
were typical responses from local people who WERE there. One of the
88 Signs that you've lived on Lamma for too long is
"When you still go on about the Corner Bar",
according to MissB. Let's go on about it one last time!
click above to enlarge
|
Daniel Gline
("My
Island"
story, Lamma
Gazette, Dec 1989):
...the
newer Corner Bar, where Brits and other eminent members of
beer drinking expat community meet to scratch their bums and
tell lies..."
Janemermaid,
ex-Lammaite:
I saw
someone walking down Colchester (Yes, COLCHESTER, IN ESSEX)
the other day sporting an old Corner Bar T shirt......I nearly
ran up to him & mugged him for it, as I never managed to
acquire one!
Has
anyone else seen any others of these antique & priceless
clothing items anywhere other than Hong Kong yet? Or am I the
only one?
David Hayhurst ,
Lamma Oldster:
I think
the closing of the Lamma Bar really represented the end of a
certain era for those of us like me who'd been there, say, a
year or two and seen the population expanding exponentially.
The main
reason behind its shutting was just so pathetically lame. A
couple of twats barely out of their teens decided that they
wanted to become big-time hash dealers. They then got sucked
into a sting operation, which led to them getting collared by
undercover cops in a Mongkok McDonalds.
They'd been lured in beginning
at the CB, so the SCMP and Standard had these lovely News of
The World, circa-1966-style "Lamma Pot Pushers/scourge of
degenerate youth" articles. |
The
rossers had the excuse they'd been looking for, and the CB's
license was pulled pretty sharpish. That a couple of mongoloid
wank-stains could devastate Xanadu so easily...
It was a
bit of a bitch for me, personally, as well. The undercover had
been a Canadian, posing as a freelance journalist (my own
profile). A few people thought it must have been me! But the
consensus appeared that I was too much of a nutter ever to be
any sort of effective grass.
The Deli
Lamma opened immediately after; a pleasant, but quite
up-market eatery with a totally different vibe. To me, this
epitomised that the professionals were beginning to outnumber
the crusties and ravers and laid-back deadbeats that had held
sway 'til then.
I think
it's hard to convey any sense of just how totally the CB was
the nucleus of Lamma socialising for most of my age group
there. Just stroll in, you'd hear about a party or barbeque
son enough, or just get invited round someone's for a chillum
and a video.
Some of
that sense of bon vivant communality dissipated a bit with its
loss, at least for me.
There
really is no where on earth I know of quite like Lamma.
Although. I wouldn't trade Paris for Hong Kong in a hurry
again, many of the very best memories I have of the place
revolve around the ol' Dog and Hippy.
Best to
all,
Psycho
Dave
Lamma inmate 1992-96 |
find out how some of your friends looked more than ten years ago!
|
Anonymous Lamma
Oldster:
One of my
fondest memories of the Corner Bar is from a cool, misty
December Sunday dawn a dozen or so years ago.
After an
evening of reckless overindulgence down at the Corner Bar, a
few of us headed home to continue the carnage. As the sky
lightened, one of our number, newly arrived in Hong Kong, was
sent off, pointlessly but amusingly, into Yung Shue Wan to
look for dim sum.
Within 30
seconds, as we watched from the balcony, he stood,
cartoon-like, on the teeth of an abandoned farmer’s rake,
which slammed viciously into his skull. We retrieved him,
tried vaguely to mop up the blood, and called the dinky Lamma
ambulance, whose distinctly disapproving crew decided he
needed to be helicoptered to hospital on Hong Kong Island. Not
wanting to wake everyone on Lamma at dawn, I suggested that he
take a police patrol boat instead, and offered to accompany
him to the hospital. |
As the
ambulance trundled down Main Street towards the pier, Rake-Boy
bloodied and concussed, me smeared with blood and starting to
come down, we passed the Corner Bar, which was, incredibly,
still blearily going. I saw my opportunity.
I leaped
from the back of the ambulance, wove my way through the knots
of idly interested drinkers, and ordered a large bourbon. I
knocked it back, and, thoroughly refreshed, strode through the
bodies, waved to a familiar face or two and climbed back into
the ambulance, only some seventy-five yards further down Main
Street. And no one in the bar even raised an eyebrow.
That was
what was so great about the Corner Bar - it was rarely
judgmental, and there was nothing it hadn’t seen before. A man
in an ambulance at dawn covered with blood probably needed a
drink, right? I think it was then I decided that I really
really liked Lamma. In fact, they eventually had to pry me out
with a crowbar. I remember one time… (cont. p.96) |
|
Jane Mermaid,
ex-Lammaite:
Gravity
pocket alerts seemed to be in effect most often after a good
session in the Corner Bar (number 44 Main St).
I think
it was the size of hole that an inebriated person had fallen
into, injuries sustained..., etc., etc. I'm sure you catch my
drift.
For those
Lamma Oldies who think I've got it wrong, please put me
straight on it, I only really remember a few months of the
Corner Bar before it closed.
Desmond Quilty,
Lamma Oldster:
Hi there,
I think
that I may have a photo of Jackie with her neck in a brace
having a pint in the CB. The story behind it is that she broke
it the night before after a particularly heavy session. Full
marks for her perserverance.
Other particularly memorable
moments, the time when a guy (fast eddie?) vowed to drink
24/26 pints in a row. I remember sitting on the terrace on a
bright sunny afternoon as he staggered around, about three
pints short of the finish. |
Friendly
people were helping him along by placing new pints in front of
him as old ones went astray. He did manage it in the end I
think.
And when
the German guy (can't remember his name but he used to be an
artist of some repute if I remember correctly) and a couple of
other people were drinking all night in the CB, they heard
news that a typhoon was approaching so they decided that it
was vital to nip over to Central to get a McDonalds in before
the storm really hit.
Unfortunately the storm was coming in quicker than anticipated
so they were caught on the first ferry of the morning,
absolutely pie-eyed, with waves as big as mountains crashing
through the boat. The German guy, taken with the insanity of
it all, was lurching round the boat screaming "We are all
going to die". Which probably didn't do the nerves of the
assembled, terrified schoolchildren any good.
Those are
a couple of memories, guys can you fill in the names?
I'll try
and marshal photos & videos for the big night and can send
over some stuff afterwards for the site. |
|
Anonymous Lamma Oldster:
Corner Bar Memories
What was the Lantern Society?
The "Lantern Society" was the
first Gwailo bar on Lamma. It was bought by Brummie carpenters
Keith Flint and "Irving" Rudd who changed the name to the
Island Bar and re designed it. When the Corner Bar opened many
disgruntled Island bar customers moved to the new bar which
was not at first known as Lamma's hot bed of radicalism. Only
after the arrival of the second wave of UK riff-raff on the
run from Maggie Thatcher did it become the Corner Bar of
legend, and the largest "Gravity Pocket" for several miles.
Why Mark and
the carpet?
Mark Wong
was the owner of the Corner Bar. His only previous experience
in bar work, was as a carpet seller (which was his real job).
He sold a carpet to the Press Club bar in Lockhart road.
Subsequently, he asked for a lot of advice from resident "Gwailos"
on how he should design it and got his leg pulled a bit by
some of the naughty ones. |
The awful
truth about David Bowie and the Corner Bar:
David Bowie (not
the singer superstar, the resident ex-journalist now living in
France) was one of the naughty ones.
He decided it
would be a great joke to talk Mark into fitting large fish
tanks to the back wall behind the bar. This he did and Mark
paid an arm and a leg for two large tanks of tropical fish
which died within weeks of opening.
Why the Egg Cartons?
Mark was very
worried about getting noise complaints after he opened and
"David Bowie" humourously sent him down to the big Phillips
showroom that used to be in Ocean Terminal to buy an enormous
number of very expensive acoustic soundproofing tiles (hk$65
per square foot) to put all over the walls and ceiling. This
would have been next to useless. Fortunately, some kind soul
(me) took pity on him and told him to put empty egg cartons on
the ceiling instead. The egg cartons puzzled many a Corner Bar
visitor. |
 Desmond
Quilty's pics from the London CB reunion party,
(Red Lion on Kingly Street, London, W1, Dec 11, 2003):
"Here's the six best ones, happy to say
that the night went very well, loads of old Corner Bar residents
turned up and I'd dare say that we might make it into an annual
event!"
Click here for photos of the
London party.
|
Jeff Wise: "Is
there life on Lamma?"
(SCMP, 1993):
...To get
a true taste of Lamma it is necessary to visit the Corner Bar,
informally known as "The Dog and Hippie". This is Lamma's
Potala, the cultural and spiritual heart of it all.
Friends quaff beer, chat and joke about how, despite press
accounts, there aren't any prostitutes available.
Somebody
slips me a document which reveals a two-stage plan to
declare the island's independence and then launch a surprise
bid for the 2004 Olympics. A section reads:
Why
Lamma?
- A
literate population.
-
Unlimited power supply.
- Housing
in Olympic Village of charming Spanish three-storey sprawl
construction.
- All
facilities within walking distance (no roads). |
- No
outlying island has ever hosted an Olympics.
- Plenty
of Poms to pull in the British vote.
Beneath
the veneer of tropical-island bonhomie, a palpable
disgruntlement can be felt. A traditional way of life is under
threat: from the increasing number of "suits" moving to the
island; from the ever-more persistent police and immigration
authorities; and from a government which provides only
toy-sized public services.
More
ominously, the Corner Bar is scheduled to be closed, in
December 11, because of the raucous and allegedly illicit
behaviour of its patrons. Those are not the only threats.
There are plans for a high-speed ferry service, a move which
| |
We're
showing off cheerful photos from the 
Season's
Greetings from
