The Wah Yan International Reunion 2019 (“WYIR”) organised by Wah Yan (Hong Kong) Past Students Association and Wah Yan College, Kowloon Past Students’ Association concluded safely, happily, fruitfully and successfully on Saturday, 30th November 2019.
The two-day WYIR attracted nearly 200 Wahyanites and families across different generations from existing students to alumni graduated in 50s, retired teachers, and returned alumni from Australia, Vancouver, Calgary, Ontario, China, United Kingdom, Eastern USA, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
The key objectives are fully achieved. Local and overseas alumni had quality, funny and wonderful sharing with each other. Overseas alumni had a great update on each other’s wellbeing and learnt the latest news of both schools. Some money was also raised for the school through souvenir sales.
New elements have been added this time to provide warm hospitality to overseas alumni and achieve “Brotherhood Beyond Time” through home coming to both Wah Yan Hong Kong and Wah Yan College Kowloon, visiting the Shenzhen city, and inviting some key Wah Yan Fraternities to join WYIR.
Day 1 – 29th November 2019
On Friday 29th November 2019, the Day 1 Reunion, it was an enjoyable day from 9am to 10pm. We gathered in Wah Yan Kowloon, visited some secret areas in the school, travelled by high speed rail to Shenzhen city, visited Futian, Nanshan and Qianhai Districts and took cross-border bus back to HK.
During the visit in Shenzhen city, we visited the technology centre in the headquarter of Tencent, did a lecture about GZ-HK-Macau Greater Bay area in PwC in Qianhai Shenzhen-HK Innovation Centre, and tried different delicious food for lunch and dinner on Dongbei and Sichuan cuisine respectively.
Day 2 – 30th November 2019
On Saturday, 30th November 2019, the Day 2 Reunion, it was held in Wah Yan College Hong Kong from 9am to 5pm. In the morning, Fr Chow, Mr Chung, Dr Chan and Dr So welcomed all the participants, and gave us lots of updates about both Wah Yan schools.
Presentations and reports from 17 overseas and local chapters of Wah Yan were followed immediately. Before the lunch in the rooftop of the school, student ambassadors were announced and prize presentation was made. The morning session ended after some big group photos were taken.
During the lunch, we had a few sharing sessions from the representatives of Tin Shui Wai community service project, as well as finance, medical, legal and real estate fraternities. We learnt more how Wahyanites from different professions support each other and the under-privileged in the community.
Another highlight came after the lunch. We had a panel discussion – 論盡華仁……過去、現在與將來 with nine alumni from both schools and across 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s, and echoed the theme of WYIR 2019 “Brotherhood Beyond Time” 穿越百年情 and our 100th/95th Anniversary Celebration.
We heard so many exciting and nostalgic stories from each speaker. We talked about Wah Yan qualities, Wah Yan spirit, personal experience, career, as well as how Jesuit and Wah Yan education supported us in setting our goals, facing our challenges and planning our future.
During the lunch period and after the panel discussion, Fr Tsui led some of us to St. Michael Cemetery to pay tribute to the fathers and held a Sunday mass in the school chapel respectively. Moreover, some alumni got a map of Wah Yan and experienced a “Spiritual Walk” in the Wah Yan campus.
I am very grateful to see all alumni, both local and overseas in this occasion. I truly feel that Wah Yan, with 100 years of foundation, is a big global family that always welcome us to go back to help and seek for help. I am indeed very glad to have this opportunity to work together with some fellow Wah Yan brothers to organise the WYIR 2019 and we gain invaluable friendship.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all members of the organising committee, teacher, student, and alumni helpers, supporting business organisations, guest speakers and sponsors to make WYIR 2019 a great success. We look forward to joining the next WYIR in another country in 2022.
HO Ho Tung Armen (WYHK’93)
Chairman of organising committee of WYIR 2019
To re-visit the happy moment and details of WYIR 2019, please visit https://wyir.wykpsa.org.hk