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 Spots n'all - 1983: Booze-free, black-eyed and dressed to kill |
For some, the coming of the new millennium was no cause for celebration. For these poor souls, the date signified nothing less than the total destruction of mankind, the arrival of the horsemen of the apocalypse, the gnashing of teeth, dogs and cats sleeping together, and other mass hysteria foretold in sorcery's darkest tomes.
For the Hong Kong Police, this event actually occurred 17 years earlier on February 24, 1983 when Digger Fernyhough, Mark Farrow, Dafydd Angus, Dave Slater and B.J. Smith arrived at the Police Training School to embark upon a possible career in law enforcement.
 Guts n'all - 1996: The thirsts and girths are no longer embryonic |
The Mess Night dining out photograph captures the youth and vitality of these eager young men at the time (ignore the black-eyes on Smith and Fernyhough - just obligatory objets de'art for anyone acclimatising to Hong Kong).
Come 1996, all are still serving the Force. Youth and vitality lost in the mists of time, ample evidence emerged of broad minds and narrow waists changing places.
Uncertainty for the near future mounts as the Handover beckons and rumours of significant change are in the air. Digger Fernyhough will soon leave for his native New Zealand to begin a new career.
 2000 AD: Ready to rumble - the lean and mean team . . . well, mean |
He talks about an alternative use for sheep, citing their meat and wool as possibilities. Baaa.
It's 2000, and Digger is back in town for a short trip and an Old Bill rugby match provides the perfect opportunity for a reunion photograph (notice the hands remain ceremoniously cupped).
After 17 years, the British contingent of the intake are still holding their ground and will all be up for the 'Old Man's Medal' next year.
Regrets, they've had a few, but certainly too few to mention . . .
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