Hi, Brothers,

I was tied up with my life now but I do enjoy to have all your information,
event and progress. After all, it is not bad for a 50+. May be we should have
the courage to challenge a trans ocean canoeing? ( Just kidding!! )

Take good care and enjoy life with care!!!
 

Dominique Sin
_____________________________
Subject: the almighty wind of Sydney
       Date:  Mon, 29 May 2000 21:50:41 +0800
      From: Leung Bun
 

Hello, Sydney 4 guys,

I read your story with terror and smile (or even laughters). How I really imagine to be with you all together
under the splendid Sydney Bridge with all the people protesting for the aboringee's right above. Hey, men,
we are all middle-aged, don't try too hard as what you did 30 years ago. I still remembered the scene in
Long Kei and returned home with only with my swimming trunks on (you all, too!). Take good care of
yourself and think about the other half waiting anxiously at home for your return. Can you all try something
not so strenuous?

Leung Bun
____________________________
Subject:         the almighty wind of Sydney
   Date:         Mon, 29 May 2000 12:29:07 +1000
   From:        Man Keung

Hello everybody,

We Sydney 4 guys spent a weekend with Jim who flew 8000 km down under to share
the chat, memoirs, laughter, lobster, ching-yi and other Chinese food, kayaking – and the mighty wind of Sydney.
 
How do you reckon that: 5 veterans x 35 years of experience = 2 capsizes + 3 rescue + 2 towings by boat + 1 sunglasses lost + 1 paddle lost! It all happened in a windy day on choppy Sydney harbour water with 5 guys totalling 250 years of age.
 
We went kayaking in Sydney harbour on Sunday morning. It's been a fine day with blue sky, warm sunlight but strong wind blowing from Tasmania. Eager to show Jim the beauty of Sydney harbour, and with an half-day off approved by our wives, we embarked our trip at Greenwich in early morning. We paddled through Sydney bridge, arrived a little sandy beach besides the man-o-war pier besides opera house before 10 a.m., took some photos in front of the lawn of the Botanic garden, and had our lunch at a waterfront path under the wind shelter of the opera house. On our way back, we took some magnificient group photos using those Sydney icons as background, with smiling faces. As soon as we were round the corner and on the way to pass under Sydney bridge, we realized it’s going to be a tough journey against the wind and choppy water. We all managed to pass through but Bobby capsized on the way to Darling harbour when the wind blew from sideway. He was picked up by a patrol boat and we took a rest on a small rocky beach at the Balmain peninsular.
 
On our way back, between Balmain peninsular and Goat island, Jim told me he had to give up because of back pain (unbelievable 30 years ago!) and then we saw Bobby capsized again. A boat quickly came to help. Bobby crawled aboard and was escorted to somewhere. I towed Bobby’s kayak, and had to land on Goat island when the kayak, half full of water, capsized. The scene became a bit confused when Chris and I lost sight of Jim and Kam Hung and when we tried hard to land on a small private pier on the Balmain peninsular with oystered rocks, and knocked on the door for information of road access.
 
The story had a happy ending, however, when we saw Jim and Kam Hung towed by a nice sailing boat and I managed to tow the empty boat back. While approaching Greenwich, I saw two men riding a water motor bike speeding towards
me,shouting:”Clement! We come to your help.” A young men jumped into water to tie my kayak and hang onto the empty one. They towed me back happily and were greeted by Jim who showered them with “thank you”s and many other words of appreciation, enough to keep them happy for a weekend.
 
It happened that Kam Hung, our social convenor, solicited an escort by talking to a sailing boat passing by, and Jim motivated two men riding the water motor bike to come to my help. Bobby had been escorted to Greenwich, all wet, without his car key. He tried in vain to contact his wife, shivered for a while and then Kam Hung and Jim arrived. Bobby then called NRMA to come to open his car for a change of clothes before Chris arrived with the key.
 
We drove back home, unloaded the kayaks, had a lunch at McDonald and talked about our Kamching projects.
 
We just wonder when Ka Kui came to Sydney for the Olympics, will he be brave enough to try the beauty of Sydney water and – the wind.
 
It's not that simple after all -- our 35 years experience should have been deducted for every year of not paddling plus the age. We should then be satisfied for the ranking --  beginners, or quite experienced beginners -- something like the senior white belt ranking in Judo. Not black belts any more, if we had ever achieved that, mate.
 
However, our calmness and skills of motivating other people did progressed in the years, something that must have been acquired by our training under Chiu sir.
 
Best regards, carried by the mighty wind down under!
 
Man Keung
 __________________________
Subject: articles and photos for the brochure
       Date: Tue, 30 May 2000
      From: Charles Lam             1

Dear Man Keung,

(1) noted. Why 'Underscore replaced by hyphen.'?

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) noted. I have told Wai Sum. She came to our place to view the kamching.com website today.
Also gave her your address. She will mail some photos she got from Ka Lun to you. Re. tape-recording, she was thinking as I told her about your proposal. Give her some time to decide.

Wai Sum also told me two points needed to be amended in Jim's artilce
1. I had only intermittent contact with Chiu Sir and my Kamching brothers and sisters until
     early 1977 when I .....should be late 1996 or early 1997.

2. Participants were required to hike a full-marathon (43 km) or a half marathon in the Sai Kung, Pat Sin Leng and
Tolo, and Lantau country parks on three separate days. "Pat Sin Leng and Tolo" should better be changed to "Taipo".

Hope you are all safe and sound now, after 'the mighty wind of Sydney' experience.

Cheers,

Charles
 ___________________________
Subject:         articles and photos for the brochure
   Date:         Mon, 29 May 2000 00:00:51 +1000
   From:        Man Keung

Kam Wah,

(1) I've changed the file naming format of the bulletin directory.
1. The .htm file extension has been renamed .html
2. All file names in small letters.
3. Underscore replaced by hyphen.
If you come across a "file not found" error message, check the
web server using cuteFTP.
I am attaching a revised htm file for your later edition.
Remember to change the file name to index.html when you upload
it to the server.

(2) I can't finish the brochure project. Anyway, I've completed adding
photos to the three memorial articles, totalling 18 pages. Since I missed
the chance of having Jim bringing back the brochure to Hong Kong,
I need to mail it back or to find someone to take it back. In either case,
there is still time to add some more photos or articles.

(3) I'll write to ka yan to remind her of handing in her article.

(4) I understand it's very difficult to write memorial articles. I am
willing to help Wai Sum to write it if she can record her thoughts in a tape,
talk as she like, adding pieces now and then,  and mail it to me.
I'll then mail my draft to her for ammendment.

(5) The memorial hike photos are of course valuable as they symbolise
the recognition of the contribution of Chiu sir and can act as the conclusion
of the memorial brochure. Can you tell Ka Lun to mail them to me, since
he has never replied an email.

.........

Man Keung