George Parks ~ Hong Kong
After the war, dad was still conducting his orchestra at the various HK & Shanghai Hotels and Jenny was singing with them but he realised that it was not the most stable of occupations to have with a wife and two children.
I found a couple of photos of him wearing what looked like a naval uniform, but I’m sure he wasn’t in the Naval Reserves. How very odd – so many questions and no one to ask ?
I can make out an anchor on the cap so could it be a merchant marine outfit which dad borrowed just for fun? And I do remember he smoked a pipe for a very short time – I don’t think he liked it and probably just did it because other men did too!
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In 1947 he saw an ad in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) for European inspectors for HK Tramways so he applied and got the job. He started work on January 15, 1948.
This photo would have been taken two months after he started work and I must say my papa looked very dashing in it ?
Photos of my parents at the Tramways Christmas Party in 1949 …
Having a secure job meant that my father could get himself a grand piano! He bought a Blüthner ?
Along with C Bechstein, Bösendorfer and Steinway & Sons, Blüthner is frequently referred to as one of the “Big Four” piano manufacturers. Julius Blüthner established his workshop in Leipzig, Saxony in 1853 and by 1900, Blüthner had become the largest piano maker in Germany, producing some 5,000 instruments annually ?
The grand piano dad got was his pride and joy and was in the family until my folks left HK. Sadly he couldn’t ship it down to Australia so had to sell it. I’m sure it broke his heart to leave HK without it but he never admitted that to me ?
Click to enlarge
Since he was working from the head office in Happy Valley, my parents decided it was time to move to Hong Kong in 1950.
It made me wonder how on earth they managed to get the Blüthner into our top floor flat in Happy Valley at 45 Morrison Hill Road!! They couldn’t have taken it up those narrow stairs so must have had a crane to get it up over the balcony and into the sitting room ?
Balia stayed in the old flat in Kowloon and had dad’s old piano to use ?
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The red pins show where 45 Morrison Hill Road was and the blue pin, on the right hand photo, shows the Police Club, across the road ?
The map below – although older than the photos – shows all the relevant spots to give you a better idea of the area we lived in, and where my father’s office was. Red pin is our house, blue for the PRC and green shows where dad’s office was. Pretty close to home, eh wot?
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When he was an inspector, dad told me a story about how he was standing at a tram stop one day and a Chinese guy sitting in the first class (top) section of the tram hoiked a big oyster of phlegm from deep within his throat, spat it out the window and it landed splat on dad’s head! Eeeuuuwwwwww!!! 😛
He almost had a heart attack when he felt it splatter on his head so rushed immediately to a barber’s shop to get his hair washed 😀
Daddy still played the piano in the evening, occasionally played on HK Radio and also provided music for the models at the various fashion shows which mom organised. He also had a couple of grown up pupils that he taught, like Irina Smirnoff.
I don’t know the date of this photo but it’s of mom and dad, Victor and Sonya Cherikoff and their son, Vitaly, and daughter-in-law, Ludmila. Whoever wrote in that card was obviously making fun of dad’s choice of his Anglicised name, judging from the parking sign! LOL!
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He and mom had a very social life and, since there were still lots of Russian families living in HK during those years, they used to have people around to our house for dinner or would go out to their friends’ houses.
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With the worry of the communists in Korea and other tensions in the world, the government enacted a new Compulsory Service Ordinance applicable to all citizens of the UK & Colonies over the age of 18 for men and 21 for women.
Many, including Chinese British subjects, were called up and were allocated to the HK Regiment, HK Auxiliary Air Force, HK Auxiliary Police Force or the Essential Services Corps.
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[Source: League of Nations Statistical and Disarmament Documents]
Since he was now a «Hong Kong Belonger», dad was in the Police Auxiliary and I still remember the feel of the rough serge of his uniform when he used to hug me to say goodbye at nights when he was going on duty.
I also remember that a couple of times, when I was really, really naughty, daddy spanked my bottom with his Sam Browne belt – the wide belt which went around his waist and not the narrow one over his shoulder 😮
Two occasions was enough to ensure that I never misbehaved enough to deserve another smack!!! Eeek!
During 1951 and 1952 we had a couple of away weeks in Cheung Chau and Macau!
Don’t know if dad got a couple of weeks’ vacation every year in his job before his long leave in 1953 but I do have hazy but warm memories of those two occasions 🙂
LEAVES
1953
Dad’s first leave (with mom and us two kiddies) happened in 1953 — from March 29 until November 28 😮
1957
1961
1965
This was the last leave I had with my folks as I turned 18 that year! I left HK on February 28 but mom and dad didn’t leave until the end of April.
1967
The leaves were reduced to 4 months every two years so mom and dad went to Australia for that year’s holiday. The ship went to Port Morseby en route to Brisbane then Sydney. Mom cut her holiday short because of the riots which took place in HK during the summer but she told dad to continue as she didn’t want him stressing at work with all the protests and stop-work things that were going on with Tramways workers during that time.
1969
Mom and dad went down to Australia again and since I was working at the Bank at the time, I only had a few weeks when I could join them. Met them in Sydney and we went to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth by train.
1971
This was the last leave mom and dad had before dad’s retirement. They went to Europe and again, I only had a few weeks off work so met them in Italy and came back on the Asia with them.
1974 ~ January
Mom and dad left HK with Balia to settle in Perth.
Interesting article about those days …
“Protect Our Borders:” Immigration and Identity in Post-War Hong Kong by Michael Houf
1948-1974 ~ George Parks
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