The first play Geoff Oliver saw was A Midsummer Night's Dream. He had found his metier, but at age four, simply did not know it yet.
'I have a strong recollection of the show. It was an open-air stage production and I was sitting on my mother's lap.'
Fifty years later, Mr Oliver is preparing to retire as head of drama and language arts at St Mary's Canossian College in Tsim Sha Tsui.
'I need to take a break,' he said, talking about a long holiday in England, perhaps to his home town Kent, to fulfil repeated promises to family and friends. But his expertise will not be lost to Hong Kong. He intends to return and make himself available to any schools that may need help with drama.
Mr Oliver joined the college in 1979. His final adaptation - Nerfertiti - was performed eight times last month.
'The moment you start a show, you are stepping on the road, and it becomes wider, longer and steeper. I do not have the energy I used to have, but I still want to do more shows,' he said.