WORKING HOLIDAY IN HONG KONG

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31162, 12 September 1966, Page 2

WORKING HOLIDAY IN HONG KONG

Many New Zealand girls meet their husbands during working holidays overseas and many marry and settle down far from their home country . But Miss Elaine Wong of Christchurch, who spent 18 months in Hong Kong, is firmly convinced that New Zealand is the place to live. **

“The boys I met would want to live here, and I do not want to live in Hong Kong. It’s grand for a holiday, but the cost of living is high and the wages are not very good. “The boys aren't very exciting either,” she added laughingly. “I have more interesting friends here.”

Petite and pretty, Miss Wong worked as a sales assistant in a large department store catering mostly for wealthy Hong Kong residents and tourists.

“I know it seems funny, but I worked in the men’s wear department. I applied for a job at the store because they need assistants with fluent English to serve the tourists. There were five girls and five men in the department, so I wasn’t odd girl out,” she explained.

Distinguished Visitors Film stars, visiting royalty, and politicians often shopped in the store. Miss Wong particularly remembers the visits of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden, and President Sukarno’s wife, Dewi. “Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden didn’t buy anything, but Mrs Sukarno bought something in every department Although she is striking looking, the assistants didn’t know who she was at first I wasn’t serving at the time so I don’t know what she bought in our department,” Miss Wong recalled. Working hours were long in Hong Kong, although Miss Wong did not consider she had to work “too hard.” The store was open five days and a half—all day Saturday with a half a day off for staff during the week. However, the privately owned “little shops” which were still prevalent in Hong Kong, were in business seven days a week from early morning until 10 or 11 at night.

Although Miss Wong was not impressed with the young men in Hong Kong she found the girls most attractive and very modern.

“I went to Hong Kong with two New Zealand friends and an Australian girl. We flatted together and mixed mostly with a foreign crowd. They were Chinese, but came from all over the world. It seems to be the thing for young Chinese to come to Hong Kong for a working holiday,” she said.

The night life of Hong Kong was as colourful as she had expected, but nightclubs were expensive.

In common with most young people in Hong Kong Miss Wong and her friends went mostly to “go-go” dancing spots where Western-style

bands played the latest hits | continuously and alcohol was! served until 2 a.m. “It was a wonderful experience—especially meeting so many Chinese my own age, but I’m glad to be home again,” she said.

The picture shows Miss Wong with three young cousins on her arrival home from Hong Kong. Miss Wong is holding Helen Young, while Jennifer and Frank Young pose beside her.