The Reverend Geoffrey Lowrey Speak
史璧琦牧師
(1924–2000)
Architect of St. Paul’s College’s Revitalisation
聖保羅重建領袖
Geoffrey Speak was the ninth principal of St. Paul’s College, serving from 1959 to 1967. Afterwards, he became the founding principal of Island School and a founder of the English Schools Foundation (ESF).
While a curate in Yorkshire, Speak had a chance meeting with Bishop R.O. Hall and expressed his interest in teaching abroad. He travelled to Hong Kong on the Bishop’s invitation and joined St. Paul’s in 1954, where he gave form to the College’s matriculation course. His affable demeanour earned him the sobriquet Speak-loh (‘Ol’ Speak’).
Col Stewart’s death sparked the search for a successor. Speak was appointed in 1959 and oversaw the Campus Reconstruction Project, most of which still stands to this day. Administratively, teaching responsibilities were transferred from the Church Missionary Society to the College Council, an affirmation of the College’s ability to manage itself. Speak also gave his blessing to the College’s Student Association. Founded in 1963, it is among the first such organisations in Hong Kong secondary schools, providing a conduit for students to explore hobbies and meet like-minded peers; the number of clubs climbed quickly in the following decades. St. Paul’s was an expanded, modernised, and vibrant presence on Bonham Road under Speak.
By the mid-1960s, demand for educating native English speakers in Hong Kong was rising. Speak left St. Paul’s in 1967 to become the first principal of Island School. In 1970, he became the ESF’s secretary, aiding its growth. Today, the ESF is Hong Kong’s largest English language international school organisation.
Speak returned to England in 1984, but not before appearing as the guest speaker for our speech day that year. He left an indelible mark on Hong Kong’s post-war English education.
Click here for an interview with Mrs Speak, who also taught at St. Paul’s, specially prepared as part of this exhibition.