MacLehose given a fond farewell

Hundreds of friends, family and former colleagues of Lord Murray MacLehose filled St John's Cathedral yesterday for a thanksgiving service in memory of the governor who presided over Hong Kong's 'golden years'.

Lord MacLehose, who died aged 82 in June, was the territory's longest-serving governor. He was first posted to Hong Kong in 1963 as a political adviser and held several other diplomatic posts before becoming the 25th governor in 1971, a post he held until 1982.

Sir Denys Roberts, former chief justice and chief secretary, said in his tribute that Lord MacLehose had presided over the 'golden years' of Hong Kong. 'He was ahead of his time . . . and he never allowed his job to destroy his sense of humour,' he said.

Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan Fang On-sang and Financial Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen were among the 300 people who attended the ceremony.

In his tribute, Sir Denys described how Lord MacLehose had dressed informally in rural and urban areas 'where he went whenever he could, in full confidence and without any security precautions'.

Shelley Lee Lai-kuen, the Director of Home Affairs and Lord MacLehose's former private secretary, said he had brought a human touch to the job. She said he used to don a Hawaiian shirt and sneak into 'nooks and corners' to take note of the territory's progress and problems.