Kwok family compound - IL 719 [????- ]

The Kwok Compound consisted of 3 detached houses 97, 99 and 101 Robinson Road on a terrace. My Granddad Mr. Kwok Shiu Lau owned the compound and after his death in 1936 passed the property on to his 3 sons. My Dad Mr. Kwok Chan inherited 101 Robinson Road and raised his family there including me. It was my home from 1941 to 1962 when I went to England to study and stayed.

Kwok Shiu Lau was indeed a JP but he was Comprador of  Banque de l'Indochine until my father took over the post.

To the best of my knowkedge Kwok Shiu Lau and Kwok Lam Po were not related. Sorry I can't offer any more help.

Hi Bosskwok,

Thank you for sharing the photos and information about your family with us!

Your father was an important figure in the sport of football, being the president of the Asian Football Confederation and of the Hong Kong Football Association.  Unfortunately, football history is not considered important by the media, and a lot about it has been forgotten by most fans of the sport in Hong Kong.

Is there any information or photos of artifacts in this area that you can share?

Thanks!

Mr. Bosskwok, thank you for posting the photos!

The first photo is of the champions of men's football in the 11th Guangdong Sports Competition in 1928.  Is this the football team of Chinese Athletic Association (中華體育會)?  Is Mr. Kwok Chan in the photo, and is he involved in the CAA?

Perhaps I should have started a new topic, instead of writing more in "Kwok family compound - IL 719".

I must confess that my Hong Kong football experience and knowledge consisted of my Dad occasionally taking me to football matches from 1950 to 1962 when I left Hong Kong for England to further my studies.

It was fortunate that I found two football photos in an old family album to upload. In the 1930 photo my Dad was standing in front of the photo's left pillar and in the other he seemed to be introducing the Gwulo team to the gentleman in the dark suit.

I am afraid that's all I can help you with.

Hi Mr. Bosskwok,

Again, my sincere thanks to you for sharing the photos of HK football and your family house.  It would be great if you will share other aspects of your family history on Gwulo.com as you deem appropriate, as first-hand accounts of life in prominent HK Chinese families are rare.

Gerald Chui writes:

I had visited that beautiful Chinese home when I was about 10 years old.  One of Kwok Chan's sons was my classmate in Wah Yan College HK and I was living in Caine Road at the time.  That was a life time away!  I still remember that he came to pick me up in his chauffer driven car (license plate 11) and we played in that mansion for the afternoon.

A couple of years later, he was sent to a boarding school in England and we have lost contact ever since.

The writer struck me as the old friend I used to know.  He didn't disclose his name in his comments.  My old friend was Kwok Wai Chuen (my Cantonese translation).

Another son who also went to Wah Yan Hong Kong named Kwok Wai-hong also studied in the UK in the 60s?

Would you be Chui Hak Fai? I remember I could see your house in Cain Road from my balcony.

My email is bosskwok@hotmail.com.

Hope to hear from you.

Robert

Robert,

My name is Tsui Chi Leung, 徐志良.  I knew Chiu Hak Fai, a little fellow if I remember correctly.  I believe he was practising medicine in Hong Kong in his professional life.

I am floored to have found a long lost friend after half a century!  Remember going to the King's Theatre to watch movies?

From your comments, I believe you are  living in England.  I left Hong Kong in 1960 after graduating from WYCHK to study business admin in Canada.  I did return to Hong Kong to work for a couple of years.  When my family decided to migrate to Canada in the late 60's,  I returned to Toronto where I had remained ever since.

I was totally floored to hear from you after all these years.  I don't know if you still remember me.  I don't think it is appropriate to post my childhood photo on this public site.  I will send you a separate email.

I grew up in a bungalow at the junction of Castle Road and Robinson Road in the 50's. The Kwok mansion was just above us to the right.  We had a friend  named Ah Bor who was associated with the Kwok's

The Kwok Family Compound consisted of todays 97, 99 and 101 Robinson Road. Originally there were two detached houses, Marlingford (No 97) and Cringleford (No 99), both built in the mid to late 19th Century. No 101 was originally gardens for Cringleford.  No 101 was constructed in the late 1920s to 1930s. c1955 Cringleford was developed into the four blocks of apartments that exist today at 99a & b Robinson Road and 60a & b Conduit Road. Marlingford survived until the early 1980s: Scenic Heights, the building that replaced it was completed in February 1988. 101 was demolished in the late 1960s early 1970s, the site was leveled by 1973. Savoy Court replaced the original building at No 101 in 1977

Chiu Hak Fai was my classmate at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Medicine. He has retired and is now living in the Toronto area. I still see him once every couple of years.

I met Kwok Wai Chuen at a relative's villa in Shatin in the early 50's. We became friends. He took me to his father's mansion on Robinson Road a couple of times. We lost contact when we went to high schools. We have just made contact by email after sixty some years.

Larry Ng吳銘來

CCF02012016.jpg, by Alex WONG

I still have a copy of the original copy of Kwok Siu Lau (Kwok Chan's father) 's Comprador Agreement with Banque d l'Indosuez from my mentee Chu Tak whose Grandfather married Kwok Chan's sister

Want to upload a copy but do not know how to post it, Got it Eureka !

CCF01292016.jpg, by Alex WONG

I think the site was later occupied by the parents of Winston and K K Chu , also Michael and Angelica Chu before further redeveloped.

I also have a copy of the original executed Will of Kwok Siu Lau a copy whereof was kept by Chu Tak's grandmother being her daughter and named therein.