Schools champs honoured

FEW schools could boast six overall champions in inter-school sports in one year.

But St Joseph's College garnered that, and the students gleamed with delight as they were honoured for their hard work at the school's recent prize-giving ceremony.

Trophies, medals, shields and certificates lined the table on the stage and the list of winners filled up to 40 pages of the programme.

The occasion was highlighted by the presence of two alumni - Mr John Swaine, president of the Legislative Council and Sir Albert Rodrigues.

The principal, Brother Thomas Favier, opened the occasion by citing Mr Swaine as an example of success for the school.

''There are many St Joseph's old boys sitting at the Legislative Council. I asked them why they selected Mr Swaine president, and one word kept coming back - discipline. Therefore remember, if you want to be successful, be disciplined like Mr Swaine.

''And it is better to discipline [yourself] than to have it imposed upon you,'' he said.

Both Mr Swaine and Sir Albert distributed the prizes. The school clinched championships in inter-school football, swimming, volleyball, cross-country, athletics and squash. The most notable was winning all three grades in football and volleyball.

They also won in non-sports activities like joint school quizzes in Science and Biology.

In his speech, Mr Swaine told the boys his formative years were spent at St Joseph's. World War II interrupted his studies, but he returned to the school after the war and matriculated in 1948.

''I notice the college has since then expanded considerably in extra-curricular activities as we see this morning.

''But I think one most important aspect - academic excellence - has made the most progress.'' Mr Swaine was more an academic as he revealed later in private that as a student he was ''terrible in sports'' but found his love ''in the books''.

A promising sportsboy who stood out was third-former Billy Kwok Sze-wai, who was named the ''Best Junior Swimmer 1992'' by the Hongkong Amateur Swimming Association.

Sze-wai is an example of an all-rounder. ''I put in two hours of training daily and spend less time on other things, but I can still keep up with reading my favourite kung-fu novels,'' he told Young Post.