THE privilege of pulling the trigger on the Noonday Gun to take Hong Kong into the new millennium has been auctioned off to the highest bidder.
As the hammer came down on the final bid yesterday, bosses at Jardine Matheson - which owns the gun situated in Causeway Bay - were keeping the identity of the auction winner close to their chests.
The amount the winner bid was also under wraps.
But the Sunday Morning Post understands the lucky person who will fire the historic gun weighed in with a bid of more than $250,000.
It is the first time in the company's 158-year history in Hong Kong that Jardine bosses have put the firing of the Hotchkiss Mark 1 naval gun up for auction.
All proceeds of the auction will go to the Hong Kong Cancer Fund, which is jointly or ganising this year's Noonday Gun event.