Gathered together by Christopher Tam, members and family of the Table Tennis Interest Group of the HKU Alumni Association of Ontario formed a team of 10 to participate in the HKU Walking Challenge organised by the Centre for Sports and Exercise & VP Global Office of HKU. The Challenge took place during the month of May 2018 with the aim of promoting fitness and healthy body and healthy mind for students, staff and alumni. Within a short time, we came out with a team name: Toronto Walkers, and a Google Spreadsheet was set up to record the steps made by each team member. With each other’s support and encouragement, we all continued to push ourselves to the limit in order to take more steps and achieve better health for ourselves. More importantly, we established a habit of walking and exercising on daily basis. At the end of the Challenge, our team accumulated a total of 3,719,528 steps, ranked 14 out of 150 teams in the Highest Total Steps, and ranked 33 in the Highest Average Steps: A very impressive result.

Our members would like to share their stories with you below:

I enjoy being challenged. I also love to exercise. As a healthcare professional, I know first-hand that it is difficult to motivate my patients to exercise and improve their personal health. When I saw the HKU walking challenge, I jumped at the opportunity to join so that I could literally “walk the talk.” I approached a few of our alumni to take up the challenge. Luckily, more showed up voluntarily and the group was formed within 24 hours. I was hoping to be a 300k member and also challenged my friends to push themselves to become a 300k member. Now, most of us are proud members of this 300k club and one even challenged the rest of us to take this to another level – to walk until our group accumulates enough steps to walk around the world! I think we are ready.
– Christopher Tam, M.B.B.S 1984

The walking challenge has been a game changer  to do something for my sedentary life style after work which is sitting down to watch TV after a day of sitting  and  watching the screen at work. At 72, I have to push myself to move and walk more. So going out to play golf on the weekend  or after work did the trick.  I am the lowest scoring member, yet I am not unhappy and vow to keep this up even after June 1.
– Lilian Ma Yan Yan, BSc 1967

Being a retiree, I have been leading a healthy life style for many years. Birding at parks, playing table tennis and practising Tai Chi are almost my day to day activities. Joining the Walking Challenge programme has enabled me to visualize the level of physical activities which I achieve when compared to my teammates. The team has motivated me to walk more and exercise more when I noticed my steps were behind the team average. A small increment in steps is a great achievement in keeping me in good shape! Although the Walking Challenge has come to an end, the good practice will keep going on for me! 正是: 腳下衆小歩, 健康一大歩!
-HK Pong , BSc (Eng) 1980, MSc (Eng) 1985

四月的某一天，收到今年的驗身報告，還是老樣子，應高的不高，應低的不低，醫生說：小心。
回到家裏，太太Wendy說收到HKU Walking Challenge 的電郵，建議我們一起參加，太太說：恆心。
五月的第一天，步行月的第一步，湊巧在南太平洋一個小島上開展，島名復活節島，那天我們各行了約二萬步，Wendy說：若能持之以恆，您可以復活了。
五月廿九日，我們Toronto Walkers大聚會，感受到大家的興奮和健康的笑聲，丹田之氣充沛十足，持續步行，果然是靈丹妙藥。
想起了當年金句，冥冥中自有靈光一刹，由此普渡眾生。感謝HKU Walking Challenge, 您就是這道靈光，指引我們步出彩虹！感謝Toronto Walkers全體隊員，沒有大家的互相鼓勵，我這個月沒可能行了三十多萬步， Wendy也不可能行了四十萬步。與您們同行，是我們的幸運！天長地久有時盡，持續步行無了期，Toronto Walkers共勉之！
– TC Kwan,BSc (Eng) 1981 & Wendy Lam, BSocSc 1982

There are so many quotes about the benefit of walking such as “walking is the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise”,  “An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day”, “Thoughts come clearly while one walks” and so on.  However, not until you really are doing it, you cannot actually enjoy the benefits.  Many thanks to the HKU Alumni Walking Challenges initiative which triggers so many of us to get into walking.  Very likely, our “Toronto Walkers” walking team including our immediate family will continue on the walking exercise after the challenge.  Let’s put in our effort to live a healthy life. For me, it is definitely a good start.
– Jimmy Tang, BSc 1982

I was the last one who joined this walker group. Being an active sports player, I think it will be easy to reach 300K in a month. But after two weeks, I have the least number of steps within the group and far below the average of 10k per day. My family then starts suggesting me to walk to nearby grocery store, library and restaurant together instead of driving as we used to. I find it very enjoyable to walk leisurely with my family members in such a nice weather. I wish everyone can enjoy a leisure walk with your loved one every day.
– Steve Fung, B.Sc 1982

四月初剛剛退下工作線，正值組隊步行，想不到一向不愛運動的愛妻也一口應承参加。當知道目標是每日要行一萬步，就開始有壓力好擔心。
五月開始，每日想盡辦法為了達標: 行山，觀鳥，逛商場，走 treadmill, 附近的公園都給我倆走遍。
有時三更半夜，就到零晨時，太太知道尚未夠數，立即從電腦前彈起，在客廳氹氹轉，氹氹轉，臨尾衝刺。當到達一萬步就停止，又再坐回到電腦前。
五月將盡，太太發覺數年來長期奮鬥的目標，居然可以一個月內達到(減磅三磅)，實在太高興了。佢的終身幸福，終於實現了。真係要多謝HKU Walking Challenge。
– Edmond Cheng,B. Soc. Sc. 1985 & Elza Lee, B. Sc. (Comp. Studies) 1985

I got a fitness tracker more than a year ago but I failed to meet the 10,000 steps per day goal from time to time. Thanks to the HKU Walking Challenge and the Toronto Walkers, I am able to become a 300K club member in 26 days! The peer pressure always works. The team spirit has motivated me to leave my office desk or my comfortable home to walk no matter how busy (and how lazy) I am. I have navigated different routes and walked through most parts of the University of Toronto campus and my neighborhood in the last 31 days. It’s a blessing to establish a healthy lifestyle with friends from the HKU family in Toronto. Let’s extend this challenge after May and aim to walk around the globe together. Three cheers to Toronto Walkers!
– Alice Chow, BFin 1998; MEcon 2001

Compiled by HK Pong

Group Photo of Toronto Walkers team
Front row from left to right: Edmond Cheng Elza Lee Lilian Ma Yan Yan Alice Chow Wendy Lam TC Kwan
Back row from left to right: Steve Fung HK Pong (Captain) Jimmy Tang  Christopher Tam

This year our spring hike took place in Heber Down Conservation Area north of Whitby.

Heber Down Conservation Area is host to a mosaic of plants and animal communities. It is located within the Lynde Creek drainage basin; it is a part of the provincially significant Heber Down Wetland Complex.^[1] The area is composed of two types of broad terrain units: a valley formed by the creek and the Glacial Lake Iroquois beach.^[2]  Close to the city, yet country quiet, Heber Down Conservation Area is a great place for a quiet walk.

Twenty-eight members and friends registered for the event. All but one showed up. It was a pleasant afternoon and we hiked along the trail leading to a small pond. We finished the 7 Km hike in about three hours. After the hike, twenty-two of us went along to a big feast in a restaurant in Markham.

Reported by Hannah Cheung

The 33th HKUAAO annual dinner, held at Premier Ballroom & Convention Centre on April 27, 2018, was well-attended by alumni, mentee, families, friends, as well as guests from other university alumni associations from Hong Kong. As the dinner coincided with the visit of a delegation team of HKU deans and senior professors to Toronto led by Professor John Kao, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), we welcomed as our guests of honor a number of deans and professors from various faculties of HKU.

The president, Wilson Chan, gave the welcome message and thanked all alumni, founding and current board members, supporters and volunteers for their invaluable support.

Ms. Kathy Chan, Director of The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office was also in attendance, and delivered her greetings and welcome to the HKU delegation. In addition, she updated dinner participants on the latest economic situation of Hong Kong and the city’s active participation in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.

Professor John Kao, our keynote speaker, gave an informative presentation to update us on exciting new developments at our alma mater. His presentations were followed by those of other deans and professors, including Ms. Juan Du (Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture), Professor Dong-Yan Jin, Associate Dean (Internationalization and Partnership), Graduate School, Professor Ying Shing Chan, Associate Dean (Development & Infrastructure), and Professor Quentin Parker, Associate Dean of Science. A short message was also delivered by Ms. Monica Wong (Associate Director, Alumni Affairs).

Other highlights of the dinner include recognition of alumni Peter Chang, who is one of 23 people appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honor, an entertaining song guessing game featuring golden oldies, and of course the various rounds of lucky draws.

We thank Margaret Law and Eddie Ho, our excellent MCs, as well as many alumni and volunteers who together delivered another successful and memorable HKUAAO annual dinner.

Reported by May Fung

Click here to view photo album 

Hello fellow alumni,

We will hike the trails in Heber Down Conservation Area on Victoria Day May 21 (Monday). It will be about 10 Km which will take 2.5 to 3 hours.

Meeting time/place: 2 pm on May 21 at Lyndebrook Rd. (east end)  roadside parking.

Directions: (from the south) get on 401 to Whitby, take Exit 399 to Brock Rd. north, turn right on Taunton Rd., stay on for 10 km, turn left on Country Lane, turn right on Lyndebrook Rd. and meet at the end of the road parking area.

Or, (coming from the north) go east along Hwy 7,  past Brock Road and Hwy 412, first road  turn right to the south (Country Lane) and turn left on Lyndebrook Rd, drive all the way to the end of Lyndebrook Rd.

Please register with Hannah Cheung ( hannah@acrobag.ca ), sending your name and phone number, as well as a name/phone for a person to be in touch in case of emergency.

Optional dinner (about $30) at Grand Lake Banquet Hall at 6 pm.  For dinner, please register with Augustine Chan (augustinetoronto@hotmail.com).

Please email us before May 19 for your participation.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Reminder: The trail is not considered difficult.  Nevertheless, you are advised to wear either hiking boots or sturdy shoes with good traction.  A hiking stick is also recommended.  You should assess whether you yourself are suitable for such activity. HKUAAO is not liable for personal injuries. You must inform the hike leaders/coordinators before the start of the hike about any health problems and allergies and the location of special medications.  They must follow the leaders’ directions.  Parents and guardians must supervise children in their care.

 All registrants and their guests are asked to read the waiver attached.*

Click here to read HKUAAO – Waiver of Liability and Assumption of Risk

By registering, you are acknowledging that you and your guests have read, understood, accepted and will abide the terms and conditions of the said waiver.

HKJU is an informal organization established in 2000 and is growing steadily. Now we have 9 alumni members including Hong Kong Baptist University (BU), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU), Chu Hai University (CHU), Lingnan University (LNU), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PU), Hong Kong Shue Yan University (SYU), University of Hong Kong (HKU) and newly joined in 2017, City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (UST).

The main purpose is to promote friendship, fraternity and communication among alumni in Ontario. This is the biggest post-secondary alumni organization outside Hong Kong. Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Canada is a substantial patron and we really thank for their continuous support in the past years.

BU is the host University in 2017. To commemorate Canada’s 150^th Anniversary and the 20^th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. HKJU had organized a series of activities throughout the year. Among those, a tree planting day in June and the attempt to break the Guinness World Record in October were the highlight of all.

Tree Planting Day, Henry White Park, Markham June 24

This was held on a lovely sunny Saturday day in Henry White Park, Markham. Close to 100 people from all universities alumni came to enjoy this outing with their friends and relatives.

HKUAAO is represented by our president, Wilson Chan, past president, Dennis Au-Yeung, Romeo Au, Verdi Yau and Maggie Poon together with their new born.

There were a total of 10 trees planted in this occasion, 9 smaller trees (Aspen, Bur Oak, Dogwood and Sycamore) for each university alumni and a 10 feet Silver Maple for HKJU. Everyone onsite were eager to roll up their sleeves to do the hard and actually enjoying the process. May be one day when you stroll along Henry White Park, please take the effort to find all these trees (there is a plaque for easy identification).

Kudos to Verdi and Maggie to make such an effort to show up with the new born (less than a week).

Attempt to Break Guinness World Record (GWR) in Pan Am Centre, Markham, Oct 15

Sunday, Oct 15, 2017 was a big day as HKJU alumni attempted to break the “Most participants bouncing table tennis balls using table tennis rackets in a single venue”.

The record is 250 people to bounce the table tennis ball continuously for 10 seconds. To many people, it seems easy to bounce the ball for 10 seconds on your own. However, it looks easier than done. With people all around you doing the same action and a record is on the line, we all know the pressure is on. In view of this, HKJU had organized two practice sessions in late September and each had about 200 people attended. This laid the foundation of the success on the ‘Big Day’.

Over 350 HKJU alumni, friends and relatives came to face the challenge. HKUAAO has the biggest contingent among all with 70 people led by our president Wilson Chan, vice presidents Augustine Chan, past president Dennis Au-Yeung’s blessing from Hong Kong. We all had high spirits and well prepared.

Under the 3 witnesses, MPP Michael Chan, Kathy Chan of HKETO and Herbert Moon, Publisher – Today Commercial News observation, HKJU succeeded to break the Guinness World Record with 343 people. The record has yet to be rectify by the GWR but all of us are proud of the performance.

After the GWR breaking effort, HKJU organized fun games like basketball shooting, QQ-ball relay, multi-format relay and ping pong marathon for all of us to relax and enjoy. Everyone involved had a lot of fun, laugh and tears all through the games. To conclude the day, there was a gala-dinner and filled with good food, drinks, excellent performance by alumni. We all left with a high note and anxiously looking forward to 2018 HKJU events.

On behalf of HKUAAO, I would like to thank all those who showed strong support to the events. Without you folks, I don’t think we can go this far to become a Guinness World Record holder. Hope to see you all soon.

We have held two hikes during the year, one in spring around Victoria Day, the other during the autumn season when we are so privileged to experience the gorgeous beauty of nature with the crimson and golden foliage in our mountains and valleys.

On May 22, 2017, twenty-five HKU alumni and friends met together at eastern part of Aurora. We hiked along the Eldred King Woodlands which is part of the famous Oak Ridge Trail. The hike was about 10 Km. We had a lot of fun during the 3 hour journey, roaming in and out of the woods and appreciated various kinds of wild plants. It was especially amazing to find some morel mushrooms along the trails. After the hike, the majority of the group continued with dinner and as usual it was a wonderful gathering for the evening.

The autumn hike took place on October 1, 2017. We chose a trail in Bolton for our trip. It rained in the morning but dried up around noon time to make our hike a pleasant journey. Thirty seven people showed up, including ten exchange students/ mentees from HKU. The hike was about 10 Km long going from paved walks to uphill slopes and grassland. We saw a few trees with the autumn red/ orange leaves and our visitors from Hong Kong were excited to take photos. The hike was completed in about three hours. As usual, part of the group went on to join the dinner afterwards and had a good time before the day finished.

Reported by Hannah Cheung

We are blessed to be in Canada where the autumn colours are just awesome.  It is the time to go out for some fresh air and exercise, and appreciate what Mother Nature has provided us.  You and your friends are invited to our Autumn Hike.  Details as follows:

Date and time: October 1, 2017 (Sunday) at 1.30 pm

Location: Bolton Loop , taking mid-point break at Caledon Community Centre

Length and duration of hike:  About 12 km, 3 hours

Meeting place and direction:  (driving from the east) Take Hwy 401 towards west, exit to take Hwy 409, turn to Hwy 427 north, turn left at Hwy 7, turn right at Hwy 50, stay on Hwy 50 for 13 Km, pass the junction of King Street and Hwy 50 and turn left to Tim Hortons parking lot. Meet at the FREE parking area to the north of the lot.

PLEASE ARRIVE 15 MINUTES EARLIER.

Cost: Nil for hiking

Registration:  Please register before Sept 26, 2017.  Forward your name, cell phone number, an emergency contact name and phone number to Hannah Cheung at emailhcathonta@gmail.com (register for hike only)

Dinner: 6 pm at Grand Lake Banquet Restaurant (at Hwy 7 & Kennedy), about $30 to $35 per person. Please contact Augustine Chan at augustinetoronto@hotmail.com (register for dinner)

Reminder: The trail is not considered difficult.  Nevertheless, you are advised to wear either hiking boots or sturdy shoes with good traction.  A hiking stick is also recommended.  You should assess whether you yourself are suitable for such activity. HKUAAO is not liable for personal injuries. You must inform the hike leaders/coordinators before the start of the hike about any health problems and allergies and the location of special medications.  They must follow the leaders’ directions.  Parents and guardians must supervise children in their care.

All registrants and their guests are asked to read the waiver attached.*  

By registering, you are acknowledging that you and your guests have read, understood, accepted and will abide the terms and conditions of the said waiver.

Dear Alumni,

Perhaps you may aware the Hong Kong Joint Universities Alumni (Ontario),安省香港專上校友會聯會 and had participated various activities in the past.

For those who may be new to HKJU, the alumni consists of:-

Hong Kong Baptist University
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chu Hai University
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Lingnan University
Shue Yan University
University of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Joined 2017)
City University of Hong Kong (Joined 2017)

Each year, HKJU will organize activities for the alumni to participate and promote friendship among us. Activities such as table-tennis, badminton, bowling, basketball, volleyball, fun games, talent show, gala dinner etc. were held in the past.

This year, to celebrate Canada 150th birthday and 20th Anniversary of return of Hong Kong to China for 20 years, the HKJU committee (headed by Baptist University) has decided to organize an event to break the Guinness World Record of ‘Most People Bouncing Table Tennis Ball With Table Tennis Racket Continuously For At Least 10 Seconds’.

We need your participation and with all our efforts, we will have a better chance to set a new Guinness World Record. The current record is 250 people from Japan.

Event details:

Dates : Sunday, October 15, 2017

Venue: Pan Am Centre, Markham

Time : 12:00 – 17:00 (12:00 – 14:30 – breaking record, 15:00 – 17:00 – Fun Game)

All family member with at least 13 years of age are welcome.

If you are interested, please complete the attached registration form and email to Romeo Au, romeoyhau@hotmail.com, our representative in HKJU on or before Tuesday, August 8, 2017. Please don’t think you are not sporty enough to participate. We will arrange practices so everyone will be confident before the event. More details will be forwarded once we have all our registration completed.

Attached files:
1) Rules of the Event GWR_rules
2) Registration Form HKUAAO_registration_form
3) Demo Video (we only need to bounce for 10 seconds)

Let’s work together and make this a reality.