With a bamboo pole balancing luggage slung over his young shoulders, Roger Ho Yao-sheng shoved his way through the teeming masses and fought for a seat on the first Star Ferry ride of the morning.
Wrapped in layers of winter clothing that would soon be given as gifts to relatives on the mainland, the 12-year-old settled down to watch the sun rise unhampered by skyscrapers or pollution over Victoria Harbour.
The year was 1975, and the boy was on his way with his parents to catch a train at Kowloon-Canton Railway Station in Tsim Sha Tsui, along with other mainland-bound passengers.
'It was around January, near Chinese New Year, and it was three or four degrees, almost freezing. We'd taken a rickshaw from Queen's Road Central in the early morning at about 4.30am. The first vessel left at 6am. There were only three trains to Canton each day so if you missed the ferry, you missed the train,' recalled Mr Ho, now 44.
'The ferry pier was packed with people, all like us carrying lots of luggage. There were lots of arguments and everyone was crashing into each other with all their luggage and the wooden poles would hit you in the eye or head. We took the second-class section - it was 10 cents. First class was 20 cents.'
A project manager for the Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage, Mr Ho laments the demolition of Queen's Pier. He avoided yesterday's crowds at the pier by taking his last trips on the ferry throughout the week. 'I wanted to enjoy it in a quiet way.'
Memories of the Star Ferry pier will also be rekindled for him next weekend when the Conservancy Association will host a talk and display of historic and modern images of the iconic boats and its piers in Sheung Wan.