Pioneering Paulines

Born in Sydney, Australia, David Au studied at St. Paul’s College between 1909 and 1913. After graduating, Au worked primarily in retail and banking. From 1918, he served successively as secretary and manager of Sincere and was also a deputy general manager of Swire. In 1929, he was appointed assistant manager of the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank; after managing the Hong Kong branch for five years, he became a renowned business figure across both cities.

Au was additionally a noted educational figure. He was a councillor at St. John’s University in Shanghai and also co-founded Chung Chi College in 1951, chairing the board of trustees and, at one point, becoming its acting principal. After liaising with the government, Chung Chi College was recognised as a higher education institution in June 1953 as ‘a permanent part of Hong Kong’s education system’. The college later became part of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Au also cared for the broader public’s well-being: he has served as the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong president, Chinese Benevolent Association president, and treasurer of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui’s South China Diocese.

歐偉國生於澳洲悉尼，於一九〇九至一三年間就讀聖保羅書院，其後活躍於港滬商界零售業、金融業等。一九一八年起，他先後出任先施公司祕書和司理，及後任太古洋行遠東副總經理。一九二九年，他出任上海商業儲蓄銀行襄理，五年後開始掌管香港分行，成為聞名兩地之商界領袖。

此外，歐氏亦涉足敎育界，在滬時曾任聖約翰大學校董，在港爲崇基學院創辦人之一，曾任校董會主席，又曾出任代理校長。歐氏與香港政府交涉，終促成崇基學院於一九五三年六月獲肯定為專上學院及「香港敎育制度中的永久部份」；一九六三年，崇基學院與新亞書院和聯合書院合倂成香港中文大學。

歐氏於商業及敎育之外，不忘關注公眾福祉。他先後擔任香港中華基督敎育青年會會長、香港中華慈善會會長、中華聖公會港粵敎區財政部司庫等職務。