DSOBA concluded another fruitful year of organizing activities for the enjoyment of DBS Old Boys. Total membership of the Association stood at 1, 181 at December 31, 1998.

The last Annual General Meeting was held on April 30, 1998 at the Chinese Club. Victor Yang, General Committee member, whose terms expired and did not seek for re-election. Michael Tien resigned from the General Committee due to the heavy demand from his other commitments. Eldon Chu and Peter Yam were elected to fill their vacancies. I would like to thank Victor and Michael for their long and valuable service to the Association and hope that they will remain in close touch with us. At the same time, a warm welcome to Eldon and Peter.

As in previous years, we had a busy calendar of activities with generally good participation. In addition, we continued to organize, every Sunday, swimming in the summer months and tennis throughout the year for those interested. The Annual Poolside Party was held on September 13, 1998 with 72 adults and children participating. Bowling Night was held on January 22, 1999 with five teams competing at the lanes of Shatin City One. However, the popular Games Day was cancelled due to typhoon, which was a great disappointment. No Golf Tournament was held this fiscal year.

The DBS School Fete was held on November 15, 1998. Despite the weak economy and all, our sales met expectations and we donated $20,000.00 from the merchandise proceeds to the school.

The Annual Ball was held on December 19, 1998 at the Island Shangri-La with 415 in attendance. The venue was changed for the first time in almost 20 years in an attempt to reduce costs and in response to the preference of most participants for a location on Hong Kong Island. This year's program consisted of live band performances by old boys ranging from the sixties to the eighties with several very talented guest performers. It was very well received and a large number of attendees stayed until the final closing. Credit goes to Stanley Fong, Ball Chairman, and his Committee for the success of the event.

Our race box operation at Happy Valley and Shatin performed better than expectation considering the decrease in attendance report by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. It is also the longest running activity of the Association in any given year. My special thanks to Ronald Lam and Eldon Chu, Joint-Convenor, for their dedicated efforts. Members are encouraged to take advantage of our unique facilities for personal enjoyment as well as for business entertainment.

Our issue of Newsletter was issued in 1998. Selwyn Chan, Newsletter Chairman, is working towards increasing the frequency of publication in the future. An up-dated membership directory was published and distributed to members.

The Association remains in very good financial condition thanks to the efforts of the Honorary Treasurer, John Li, and his Finance Sub-Committee. Our investment portfolio fared well despite of the difficult markets in most of 1998.

The English training courses for incoming Form One students first organized in conjunction with DBS in the summer of 1997 were met with encouraging results. Therefore, in August 1998, similar courses were again organized in co-operation with DBS and it looks like this will become an on-going affair.

In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude to the DBS School Committee and especially Mr. Jacland Lai, Headmaster, for their counsel and encouragement. Also, I would like to thank the General Committee and all Sub-Committee members as well as our secretary, Amy, for their great effort and support during my term as President. To all DSOBA members, I thank you for your continued participation and comments and for making our Association what it is today.

Richard Chan (68)
President

April 27, 1999

President's Report 97/98
President's Report 96/97