Amid the chaos of the Hong Kong protests, Oxfam lit a beacon of decency and generosity
I refer to the article by Mark Agnew on November 15 (“Unofficial Oxfam Trailwalkers: runners undeterred by protest cancellation”).
Just before midnight on November 15, as the city was besieged by protesters, I was driving towards Gilwell Campsite near Tate’s Cairn. I expected to find a dark and empty scout camp – the fifth checkpoint of Oxfam Trailwalker 2019, which had been cancelled on November 13 due to the unrest. My friends had decided to take up the challenge anyway so I was on my way to support their team. As a major support point of the 100km challenge, the camp ground used to be well lit at night, a beacon of hope for tired walkers, after a section of a pitch-black tree tunnel.
As I approached, I was amazed to see lines of bulbs lighting the site up, just like before. However, there were no volunteers and no first aiders, just a handful of exhausted walkers taking a rest. The support stations were all open, with loads of bread and water – even a hot tap and instant coffee. What was going on? As my friends arrived minutes later, they told us that all the checkpoints they had come across during the day were the same.
I did a quick check of the Oxfam Trailwalker website and found it had announced: “As we are unable to immediately remove the refreshments which have already been delivered to various checkpoints, our staff will begin collecting them progressively from 16 November onwards beginning with the starting point … If you see our refreshments when you arrive at the checkpoints, please decide whether or not they are safe to consume.”
How subtle! Oxfam made a rare gesture of generosity and decency and struck a delicate balance between volunteer safety, responsibility and respect for those who had trained so hard for the event. No grievance for lost millions in donations, just silent support.
Well done, Oxfam, and bravo to those walkers who pressed ahead, far from the madding crowd!
Alex Chan, Quarry Bay