One hundred and sixty years ago, a 25-year old Scot from rural Aberdeenshire first set foot in a Hong Kong classroom. His task? To head the first school founded and fully-funded by the Hong Kong Government (now known as Queen’s College) and to inspect all Hong Kong Government schools. Quietly and with dedication, he established a coherent education system, the building blocks of what we have today. He was also, for varying amounts of time, Coroner, Sheriff, Police Magistrate, Registrar General and Protector of Chinese, and finally, the first local appointee as head of the permanent Hong Kong Civil Service (the “Chief Secretary” of today), acting as governor on occasion. In these positions, as far as the English language record shows, Frederick Stewart was liked and praised by all, excepting only controversial Irish Catholic Governor, John Pope Hennessy.
Why did a young man, “so sure of advancement at home”, throw all away to come to Hong Kong? Was it worth it? Did he feel he had made the right decision?
“The Golden Needle: The Biography of Frederick Stewart (1836-1889)” by Gillian Bickley was first published in 1997 by the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. Now published by Proverse Hong Kong, it has just appeared in Chinese in the complete translation of Rudolph M. Both English and Chinese editions are available in Hong Kong and internationally from https://cup.cuhk.edu.hk/TheGoldenNeedleChi
As for the Chinese Language edition, Hong Kong readers can, alternatively, get copies from https://www.hktvmall.com/p/H6408001_S_9789888492558
The Speaker
Dr Gillian Bickley has lived mainly in Hong Kong since 1970 and is now retired from Hong Kong Baptist University in the rank of Associate Professor. She has been studying topics in 19th century Hong Kong history for over thirty years, publishing well-received scholarly books and academic articles, mainly on biographical, church, educational and literary topics. A life member of the RAS(HK), she served for many years as Council Member and Recording Secretary and was until recently senior Vice President and a Ride Fund Trustee. Dr Gillian Bickley has spoken to the Society on several occasions and has also been actively engaged in presenting her material to the general public through talks, historical walks, radio interviews and feature articles. She has also spoken to the Friends of the Society and others in London, UK. Her work has been used as a resource by heritage groups in Hong Kong, and internationally in the discussion of colonial education systems and early Hong Kong society. Now Managing Editor of Proverse Hong Kong, she has helped authors publish books in similar areas. Dr Bickley is encouraged in her work by her husband, Dr Verner Bickley, MBE, FRSA, founding Director of the Institute of Language in Education (now absorbed within the Education University of Hong Kong), to whom much thanks are given.
As the daughter of a headmaster and a schoolmistress, niece, great-niece, cousin and god-daughter of teachers, and herself a university teacher and researcher for almost her entire career, she finds the life of Frederick Stewart of particular interest and hopes you will do so too.
Programme
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