The FCC started the year on a serious note: the Board debated
at great length on joining the march to protest the Article
23 legislation.
It was a close vote – although everyone
was concerned about the danger to the free press, several Governors
had concerns about taking such a public, political stance.
But in the end, Francis Moriarty, who heads the Press Freedom
Committee, and others helped organise dozens of FCC members,
and many of the staff, as they took part in history on July
1st. That was the closest vote the Board had this year. I can truly
say that despite our disparate interests and points of view,
the Governors pulled together consistently. As a result, the
Club had an extremely successful year.
Our successes for the year began with the FCC’s first
Jazz Festival in July – an idea that came to fruition
under the care of Allen Youngblood, Paul Bayfield and Terry
Duckham. The second festival kicks off in late June 2004, with
more terrific music lined up.
Then in September came the Ball – which raised more than
$2 million to educate disadvantaged children who are under
the aid of the Po Leung Kuk. Many members had a chance to meet
our first six scholarship winners. They are a stellar bunch
of kids who are aiming high despite humble beginnings.
The
Ball Committee, led by Dave Garcia and Tom Crampton, made sure
everyone had a great time. We’re gearing up for this
year’s party, and have started planning the 2005 bash.
Also in September, we kicked off an aggressive new campaign
to rebuild our membership – which had plunged by more
than 200 over the previous two years of economic hard times.
Since then, Steve Ushiyama and marketing executive Marilyn
Hood have worked hard to draw in new members and we are now
nearing 1,700.
In the coming weeks, we’ll begin a new
effort to reach out to the dozens of journalists and correspondents
in Hong Kong who are not yet members, but should be.
December and January brought some bad news – mad cow
disease in the United States, bird flu in Asia and a weakened
U.S. dollar. To keep our food costs from hitting the roof,
Gilbert Cheng and the rest of the staff, helped by Dave Garcia
and the House, Food and Beverage Committee, quickly found cheaper
supplies. Barry Kalb helped find ways to contain wine costs.
Members never noticed the difference, and we kept costs under
control.
The House Committee, as always, made sure our beloved building
stayed in good shape. We’ve just finished painting and
cleaning the outside. Our other maintenance and improvement
projects were more modest. Many – such as a new cooking
surface and upgrades to the fire alarm system – aren’t
noticeable to members, but were essential to improve efficiency
and safety.
In February, the FCC held the annual gathering of the International
Association of Press Clubs. This organisation links dozens
of clubs from London to New Delhi. It gives us a chance to
work with journalists and club managers from all over the world
on common problems – such as how to balance costs and
the budgets of our members. Jim Laurie took the lead on this
event, which gave us a chance to show off the FCC’s facilities
and efficient management to international visitors.
Throughout the year, members enjoyed a fascinating line-up
of speakers and events. Among the highlights of the work done
by C.P. Ho and the Professional Committee was a speech by dissident
Wu’er Kaixi. Other memorable events were Kate Adie’s
speech, the presentation by the WHO’s head of communicable
disease, David Heymann, and an amusing, as well as inspiring,
session with Simon and Jennifer Murray.
The Wall Committee, led by Ilaria Maria Sala, continued to
bring the Club exciting new presentations. An exhibit by photographer
Steve Cray showed the camera’s power to tell the story
of people in desperate need. And a group of impoverished students
from Vietnam charmed us with the images they saw through the
viewfinder.
Despite a grim outlook 12 months ago, the Club fully recovered
from the financial effects of SARS. A combination of careful
cost controls, rising sales and membership gains erased almost
all our deficit. Then a canny, but very safe, investment denominated
in the euro, arranged by Tony Nedderman and the Finance Committee,
boosted us into the black for the year.
We’re losing a few Board members this year. Tyler Marshall,
our Pulitzer winner, returns to the U.S. C.P. Ho is standing
down after several years to concentrate on other projects,
and his skill at arranging speakers will be greatly missed.
Stuart Wolfendale also has decided to focus on other projects,
but remains involved with the Ball. And Anthony Lawrence regrettably
leaves us after several years of hard work.
I want to thank everyone in the Club for their support, their
suggestions, their jokes and the many drinks they plied me
with. You made for a very fun year.
Thanks to everyone on the Board of Governors for making the
past year so easy for me. Matt Driskill filled in for me many
times. Kevin Egan made sure we met our obligations under the
Memorandum and Articles of Association. Stuart Wolfendale served
on so many committees that I can’t name them all. Nick
Fulcher worked hard to make sure we heard the complaints and
concerns of all members. Mike Gonzalez rejoined the Board after
a sojourn in Europe, and immediately started to make his presence
felt in several areas.
The new Board, led by Matt Driskill, will be busy. I hope they
have as much fun in the coming year as I have had.
– Kate Pound Dawson
The Foreign
Correspondents' Club Hong Kong
2 Lower Albert Rd
Central
Hong Kong
JUNE-JULY 2004
The FCC started the year on a serious note: the Board debated
at great length on joining the march to protest the Article
23 legislation. 