Balances in Law Enforcement Series IX- Leisure Pursuits
SP constant in quest for knowledge

2 Photos

For Sha Tin Divisional Commander Henry Ho Ming-sun, 24 hours in a day is hardly sufficient for him to quest for knowledge and to sustain interest in his hobbies after work. Horticulture, philately and reading are practically taking up all his free time.

On a typical working day, Henry would get up early in the morning, spend half an hour reading a book, head for the swimming pool in the Police Officers' Club in Causeway Bay, and then return to his office in Sha Tin.

At noon, Henry would have a quick lunch and then use the rest of his lunch break to take care of the businesses of the Police Horticulture Club and the Police Philatelic Club, of both of which he is the chairman. After work, he would continue with his clubs' businesses at home or clubhouse or browse the shelves to pick a book to read.

Exposure to nature

Henry's hobbies of horticulture and philately have stemmed from his quest for knowledge. Growing up on Lamma Island, he began, as a youngster, taking an interest in nature, plants, hiking and swimming. After joining the Force, he was fascinated by lush greenery when he worked on Hong Kong Island. Subsequently, he became interested in horticulture.

Besides satisfying Henry's spiritual needs, horticulture has enabled him to make a small contribution to both the Force and society.

The Police Horticulture Club has built a small garden featuring a variety of plants in the Police Sports and Recreationl Club for Force members to appreciate the beauty of horticulture. To support the promotion of a healthy lifestyle within the Force, the club has run training classes on plant growing for Force members and their families.

Personally, Henry is more than willing to impart his knowledge of plant growing in office to his colleagues. "Watching your plants growing healthily in the office helps relieve stress!" he noted.

Outside the Force, the Police Horticulture Club is actively taking part in activities related to promotion of horticulture in Hong Kong, including the annual Hong Kong Flowers Show. The club's booth in the flowers show in 2007 and 2008 won wide acclaim.

Passion for philately

For Henry, philately is more than just collection of old stamps; it has much more to offer in terms of knowledge and history. "From philately, you can trace the major events that have taken place in a country and in the world," he noted.

Like horticulture, Henry started taking an interest in philately at an early age, after his primary school teacher had given him several old stamps as a gift. He sealed his interest after joining the Police Philatelic Club, which was formed in 1982 to promote stamp collection as a wholesome hobby among Force members and their families.

The club has developed by leaps and bounds after Henry assumed chairmanship in 1998. Since then, the club has been issuing its First Day Covers and Souvenir Covers in a more systematic way in line with the Hong Kong Post stamp issuing schedule, as well as covers for special events of the Force, e.g. Year 2000 Police Open Days. The covers have gone a long way towards recording major events of the Force.

During the Sichuan Earthquake Force Donations in May this year, the club issued 1,500 charity covers and raised $75,000 for the Red Cross Relief Fund. The cover was reported in the international stamp magazine "STAMP", the first Hong Kong cover being reported internationally.

To date, the club has about 2,000 members worldwide, with about 300 members actively working together for the common goal of promoting and developing the good hobby of philately within the Force and society.

Quest for knowledge

Although horticulture and philately are taking up much of his free time, Henry still manages to find time for his third hobby - reading. He constantly looks for books on interesting topics, and on average purchases 10 books or magazines per month.

Being a staunch supporter of the promotion of lifelong learning within the Force, he is about to complete a Master's Degree Course on Liberal Studies at the Open University of Hong Kong.

Henry advised Force members that self-enhancement is vital for their career developments, and that a wholesome hobby has much to offer - enhancing personal developments and broadening one's horizon, besides helping strike a balance between work and living.

Comments by PSG

The interview with Henry was a very pleasant experience when he shared with us enthusiastically his world of horticulture, philately and reading. This reminded us of recent psychological researches on the importance and benefits of leisure activities to the regular participants, which are as follows:

* Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a renowned scholar in the field of Positive Psychology and the world's leading researcher on creativity, described an experience named "flow", in which people are fully immersed in meaningful activities, lose their sense of time and gain a sense of mastery by using their skills to the utmost. They experienced a deep level of happiness and satisfaction in this intrinsically rewarding process and did not care much about the outcome. The flow experience not only gave a sense of happiness but also strengthened confidence in our own competence, which facilitated our resilience to stress and ability to face life challenges.

* Healthy and meaningful leisure activities enabled people to have fun and satisfaction derived from sources other than work. This helped promote our work-life balance and overall well-being that indirectly contributed to higher efficiency and better performance at the workplace.

* Apart from the above psychological benefits, a long-term pursuit in certain leisure activities helped foster and build good characters and qualities. Taking Henry as an example, he, through his long-term pursuit in philately and reading, developed a strong sense of curiosity and quest for knowledge. These two qualities broadened his horizon and helped him accumulate valuable knowledge and wisdom that enriched his life and well-being.

Henry with police families at the 2005 Healthy Lifestyle Carnival

Members of the Police Philately Club are also staunch supporters of the Healthy Lifestyle Carnival
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