Lau Man-fu, senior lifeguard at the Hong Kong Country Club Age: 59.
Occupation: I was born in China and, even as a child, loved sport and especially swimming which I studied at the Beijing Sports College for five years. After that, I worked as a swimming coach and sports instructor at a Tianjin school for 11 years. Although I was happy with my job, I realised after the Cultural Revolution that I didn't want to live in China.
I came to Hong Kong in 1977. The only job I could find was in a plastics factory, but I had two part-time swimming coach jobs as well. In 1982, a friend recommended me for a full-time lifeguard position at the Country Club.
Lau's day: I live in Lam Tin and it take me at least 90 minutes to get into work. The pool is open from 8 am to 10 pm and there are five lifeguards. I organise the lifeguards' rosters: there are always two lifeguards on duty and there are two shifts: from 8 am to 5 pm and from 1 pm to 10 pm.
The water is also my responsibility. When I come on duty, I test it, treat it with chemicals and even write a daily water quality report. It is very important that the water is absolutely clean every day.
Dealing with the public, and particularly children, is another big part of my job. I need to be patient and friendly but also make sure that everyone sticks to the rules. It is important that there is order especially at weekends when there may be as many as 150 people around the pool. I also help organise the coaching, set up the swimming lanes, assign areas for children to swim in and just generally make sure that the environment is safe and orderly.