Peter Fook Man-tak, 60, fires the Noonday Gun every day and spends the rest of the day as head watchman at the Quarry Bay offices of Jardine Pacific.
The story goes that Jardines fired the gun in the early days whenever the taipan came to or left port, but after a new naval commander objected the company had to fire it every day at noon as a 'punishment'. He has worked for Jardines for 15 years and also supervises firings by anyone who pays $33,000 to the Community Chest to fire the gun.
What's on your mind? The main thing as I go to the Causeway Bay site every day at 10 am is to ensure the firing is smooth. Safety is always on my mind. I need to check the gun and ensure the parts are in good order. The most important part is the firing pin.
Second, I clean the gun, polish the brass, clean the barrel and make sure there's nothing stuck inside, because although the site is locked, people can shove things in it.
Then I have to apply a lubricating oil inside, ready for the firing, though, of course, we don't fire a ball from the gun.
What problems have you had? There was one horrible experience when I was cleaning the barrel and the rod broke in two and half stuck inside. It took a long time to get the rod out and I only just made the firing. I was sweating all morning, wondering if I could get it out.
