Martin Heyes will give a talk and a guided walk around the Green Hub, which connects seamlessly with the nature. His talks will include two parts. In the first part, he will give a brief history of the building, and the second part will feature the story of the McHardy family.
It is about a pre-WWII, an expat Hong Kong Police chief inspector, William McHardy, who was stationed at the Green Hub when it was Tai Po Police Station. In addition to his story, Martin found that McHardy’s father who was also a police officer in the period of pre-WWI.
The stories of McHardy reveal part of the history of Hong Kong during the period of pre-WWII. After the guided tour, visitors can enjoy refreshments in the cafeteria there.
Green Hub, located on a small hill at Wan Tau Kok, formerly the Old Tai Po Police Station, was the first permanent Police Station built in the New Territories. The site of the Police Station was the location where the British flag-raising ceremony took place, marking the official British takeover of the New Territories in 1899. The administrative headquarters of the New Territories was also fixed at Tai Po, which was considered as the most central position of the New Territories.
The Old Tai Po Police Station was used as the Police Headquarters of the New Territories until 1949. In 2009, the building was confirmed as Grade 1 historic building and in 2010, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) was selected to steer the sustainable development of the heritage with the project namely, Green Hub.
The Speaker
Martin Heyes was brought up near Liverpool in the United Kingdom. Upon completion of secondary education he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from where he was commissioned in the British Army, serving primarily in the U.K. and Germany.
Martin joined the Royal Hong Kong Police in late 1975 with whom he served until retirement, following which he worked in the private security sector in Hong Kong.
Martin has always maintained a keen interest in the 1941 battle for Hong Kong and subsequent Japanese Occupation. He originally worked for the Hong Kong Tourism Board conducting walks of the (then) newly-opened Wong Nai Chong Trail, and in more recent years has worked for local tour company, Walk Hong Kong, for whom he currently conducts tours of a number of Hong Kong’s WW2 wartime sites.
Martin is married and lives in a New Territories village near Kam Tin. He has given a well-received RASHK guided tour “WW2 Burials in Stanley Military Cemetery” in 2020.
Programme
Time: 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm (talk and then a guided tour) 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm (optional self-paying tea break at the Eat Well Canteen)
Meeting Point: 2:00 pm at Exit A2 of Tai Po Market MTR Station, walking up (with staircases) to the Green Hub. Visit starts when group is assembled.
Admission: $100 for members, $150 for guests /non-members
Registration: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk and provide your membership number, if applicable, at the time of registration. Please kindly complete your registration by advance payment via Stripe’s payment links below (using your Credit Card):
Members ($100):
https://buy.stripe.com/fZe6rugydfjU0qk5lD
Non-members / Guests ($150):
https://buy.stripe.com/5kA0362HndbMgpi8xQ
Please contact us if an alternative means of payment is required. Upon receipt of payment, your registration will be confirmed by email. Registration will be closed at 12 noon on 12 September 2024.