Pioneering Paulines

Born in Shantou (Swatow), Tse Ping Fui studied at St. Paul’s College from 1934 to 1941, joining the Scouts in 1935. During the Pacific War, Tse worked as an interpreter for the Americans. A key figure in the Hong Kong Scouts’ post-war development, he is known as lo chung (‘the chief’) within the association.

Tse was a boarder in his first year; most college boarders at the time were Thai Chinese who only spoke Teochew. Knowing Cantonese, Mandarin, and Teochew, Tse found himself an interpreter within the hostel.

As the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, the local administration strengthened defences in preparation; this included civil training in collaboration with the Scouts. Tse was a dispatch rider and served on the air raid precaution patrol. In the Battle of Hong Kong, Tse helped St. John Ambulance medics (stationed at the College campus) navigate Central’s streets to treat casualties. Among the many displaced following the fall of Hong Kong, Tse joined the US Office of War Information in 1944, translating intelligence from the Huizhou–Chaoshan region. He returned to Hong Kong in 1947.

After the war, at the behest of principal Evan Stewart, Tse helped to rebuild the 10th Hong Kong Scout Group. He successively served as the 10th group’s scoutmaster (1950–54), the Victoria District commissioner (1955–61), Hong Kong Island Area’s first commissioner (1961–68), and Tai Tam Scout Camp’s chief warden. Tse frequently led his scouts to international jamborees. He was appointed the Scout Association of Hong Kong’s honorary commissioner in 1975.

謝炳奎生於汕頭，在一九三四年入讀聖保羅書院，至一九四一年畢業，期間於一九三五年宣誓加入童軍第十旅。太平洋戰爭期間，謝氏效力美國戰時新聞處。謝氏爲香港童軍戰後發展之功臣，童軍內稱爲「老總」。

謝氏在書院求學首年爲書院寄宿生，當年寄宿生多爲只懂潮汕話的泰籍華裔，謝氏懂國語、粵語、潮語，成爲寄宿舍內的小翻譯。

一九三七年抗戰爆發，港府加快在港佈防，當中涉及民防方面與童軍合作。謝氏擔任防空傳訊員，日本侵港時帶領駐己連拿利校舍的聖約翰救傷隊員救傷扶危，至淪陷一刻緊守崗位。日佔時謝氏被迫遷徙，後於一九四四年加入美國新聞處，翻譯惠州、潮汕一帶軍事情報。抗戰勝利後，於一九四七年返港。

謝氏戰後獲史伊尹校長邀請重建童軍第十旅，後於一九五〇至五四年間擔任旅長，一九五五至六一年任維多利亞區區總監，在一九六一至六八年間任首任港島地區總監，又曾任大潭營地總主任，之間常率團往海外參與大露營等交流活動，在一九七五年起爲香港童軍總會榮譽總監。