Pioneering Paulines

Gallant Ho graduated from sixth form at St. Paul’s College in 1962. Ho qualified as a lawyer in 1969 and founded his own practice, Gallant, in 1977. Ho specialises in property law and has been a China-appointed attestation officer since 1981, helping to separate the ideas of land ownership and land use, which partly enabled China’s economic boom. Ho’s firm was one of the first non-mainland Chinese practices to open offices in Guangzhou, opening in 1992. He retired in 1997.

Ho’s passion for charity began when he was young. He chaired the Po Leung Kuk during the 1974–75 lunar year and chaired the Consumer Council (1980–84). He sponsored two Sheng Kung Hui primary schools, both bearing his father’s name, Ho Chak Wan. Ho was additionally a former College council member.

This spirit of service extended beyond Hong Kong. Outside of his legal work, Ho served on the eighth National People’s Congress (1993–98). After retirement, Ho donated to Guizhou’s charity programme ‘Chunhui Action’, improving education access to local schoolchildren in the mountainous, rural province.

何耀棣在一九六二年由聖保羅書院高六畢業，於一九六九年考獲執業律師資格，在一九七七年創辦何耀棣律師事務所。何氏尤其專注地產法，於一九八一年成爲首批中國司法部委託公證人，助內地分割地產所有權及地產使用權，爲中國經濟發展打開新一頁。之後在一九九二年獲批在廣州設辦事處，爲內地境外首批，至一九九七年退休。

何氏又熱心社會公益，甲寅年（一九七四至七五年）曾任保良局主席，又曾於一九八〇至八四年間任消費者委員會主席。何氏又曾資助聖公會成立兩所小學，皆以先翁何澤芸命名，亦曾任本校校董。

何氏心繫祖國，曾任第八屆（一九九三至九八年）中國人民代表大會代表，退休後亦與貴州省春暉行動合作，捐贈鉅額予當地學童，助鄕村孩童得平等敎育機會。