Civil Service Newsletter Editorial Board
“I developed an interest in astronomy when I was a senior secondary student,” Mr Wong’s eyes sparkled with immense passion as he talked about astronomy. He became a “stargazer” and was fascinated by astronomy when he was still a secondary four student in the 1970s. He acquired theoretical knowledge through reading and put it into practice by actively participating in stargazing activities organised by amateur astronomical societies. When enrolled in university, as a matter of course, he held the post of committee member in the astronomy club and was responsible for organising activities including stargazing and astrophotography to promote astronomical education.
By the time Mr Wong graduated from university, the Hong Kong Space Museum had come into service and was carrying out recruitment work. He responded to it with no hesitation and joined the civil service as Assistant Curator II of the former Urban Services Department (now known as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department) in October 1982. He worked in the Space Museum for over two decades until he was transferred to the Hong Kong Science Museum in 2010. He then retired in 2018.
Over a span of more than 30 years in the civil service, Mr Wong’s most favourite job was public education, in which he explored the vault of heaven together with members of the public and students. “Before the Internet became widespread, the Space Museum had served as the best place for the public to appreciate the stars and the heavens through telescopes.” He recounted the nights of Mars gazing activities organised by the Space Museum during the Mars perihelic opposition in 2003, for which telescopes were set up for the public to observe the astronomical phenomenon. The activities were so popular that lots of people remained in the queue even during midnight and the Space Museum had to extend its service hours as a result. Mr Wong finds it highly rewarding to be able to organise this kind of activities. “We satisfied public curiosity by promoting astronomical knowledge through various programmes.”
After retirement in 2018, Mr Wong volunteered his service in astronomical-related work and joined the Museum Volunteer Scheme of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to provide support for museums and their events. He contributed a great deal to an array of activities, such as volunteering to explain astronomical concepts to participants during activities on the theme of solar eclipse held by the Hong Kong Space Museum. This year, he accompanied 30 secondary-school students participating “Young Astronaut Training Camp 2023” on their eight-day camping trip to Beijing and Lenghu in Qinghai. Moreover, he always gave talks in primary and secondary schools on topics such as space technology and the development of aerospace science and technology in China. “Actually, there is nothing so abstruse about science and scientific knowledge is useful in daily life. It makes our life more comfortable. I want to continue sharing with others the knowledge that I have devoted my whole life to pursue after retirement,” said Mr Wong.
Spending a quarter of his time on astronomy-related activities and the remainder on travelling and various kinds of sports, he firmly believes that people should stay curious after retirement and after all, age does not matter. “60 to 70, as the saying goes, is the golden ten years of our life. We may not be as physically fit as before but we should not stay where we are and refuse to learn something new,” he said, believing that retirement marks the beginning of a new chapter in life.
Mr Wong has an inquisitive mind. To him, travelling is more than just having fun. Whenever he sets foot in an unfamiliar place, he goes out of his way to learn about the local life and price level; verifying for himself what was said of the place on the Internet. “To stop working does not mean you stop thinking. On the contrary, we should sift through the information we received to make sure it is true,” he said. Mr Wong is open to new things. Whether he is joining a group tour or going on an in-depth solo tour, he always embraces local customs and relishes the fun of travelling to the fullest.
Driven by curiosity, Mr Wong plays various kinds of sports for the elderly after retirement, one of which is the “Walking Football”. Mr Wong used to be a football lover when he was young, but he left the pitch as his “football buddies” went their own way. It was not until he came across the budding “Walking Football” after retirement that he rekindled his passion for the sport. Based on five-a-side football, “Walking Football” is very suitable for the middle-aged and elderly as players are only allowed to walk instead of running. By attending classes on “Walking Football”, Mr Wong built up his physical fitness and got to know a lot of new “football buddies”, with whom he teamed up to participate in competitions. “After joining this activity, not only have I re-lived the good old days of playing football, I have also made new friends. It is easy for me to make friends. In fact, if we share the same interests, it will be easy for us to have common topics even though we have just known each other,” he remarked.
In addition to playing football, Mr Wong also enjoys hiking and playing badminton with his many friends; making his retirement life more interesting and enjoyable. He advised retiring civil servants to make early planning, develop hobbies and keep their mind open. “We can have job satisfaction and there is always someone to talk to at work. However, we might fall prey to loneliness and feelings of loss after retirement. So it is important to develop hobbies such as reading, calligraphy, painting, playing chess and cooking etc. We should also bear in mind that even though exercises can help us maintain physical and emotional well-being, we should know our limits and avoid overdoing it. All in all, keep in touch with old pals and make new ones to ensure that our retired life will not become lacklustre to us,” he said. He believes that if you do nothing or do not even go out after retirement, it will affect your body function and accelerate aging.
Mr Wong hopes to stay healthy, lively and curious after retirement. He said that everything is at your fingertips in this information-rich age of the Internet. With just a few touches on the screen of a mobile phone, you will know everything you need to know.
Many people lose their goals soon after their careers ended. Yet the story of Mr Wong tells us that learning new things is the only way to stimulate our minds and soothe anxiety. He walks his talk by embracing novelties while his young mindset keeps him ever energetic. In this way, he can keep meeting interesting people and exploring new things, from which he derives happiness and thus lives a fulfilling retirement life.
