“In 1993 I went to Hong Kong to seek my fortune”

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In 1993 I went to Hong Kong to seek my fortune. In some ways I did. For upon my return to the UK after 1,000,000 lines of C code written I was diagnosed with Schizophrenic Disorder. However, from that diagnosis onwards to now is another story.

On the commute from Central District on Hong Kong Island to Lamma Island (classed as an outlying island – despite being close to the inner part of Hong Kong) I used to see and note quite a large amount of rubbish in the water. The sea was having trouble processing the amount of rubbish and soon we would find it itchy to swim in.

One interesting site on the commute was a swimming club off or close to the Pokfulam stretch where they would congregate near some railing that head down to the water. For a swim in the harbour entrance.

Well, thinking it would only get worse I decided to ask a friend and colleague at my place of work (A software company in HK – Central district) to translate a message asking for help to clean up a beach on Lamma Island. She duly did so. A picture of the beach we combed is below. I entitled the message Save Our Shores (SOS) which is a take on Save Our Soles, a distress message on a shipping channel. I handed the leaflets, my colleague translated into Chinese, out on the Lamma Ferry which was a captive audience for the beach clean idea.

Affectionately know as Power Station Beach, or Dog beach. The latter because it was a beach where you were allowed to walk your dog. Please see the image below (Source internet)

I remember the council supplying bin bags and disposing of the 141 odd bags of rubbish we collected one fine weekend, cannot remember if it was Saturday or Sunday.

I remember some of us creating beacons from driftwood which we lit later after dark to commemorate the effect of the day. We often had parties on that beach simple affairs where we headed as a group after the bars closed. Why not have these gatherings on a clean beach? 😊

Of course, the same would have washed up by the next month and the beach clean would have to be done again.