🎆New Year Special Feature: LoTW - Founder Andrew Work 🎆
Founder of HT, President of the Canadian Club, Something something McGill society...Self Storage Association Asia Executive Director....something something some other stuff. He does too many things.
Good morning,
Before we get into Andrew’s special feature, Jasmine, myself and the whole HT team would like to thank all our readers for an amazing year.
After a number of changes to Harbour Times over the last two years, the support we’ve had from our readers has meant the world to me. A lot has changed since I took over full-time at HT, and I’m grateful for the old subscribers who stuck around and those who joined us along the way.
As of November we reached our first year of writing on Substack (a game changer for this newsletter), met some of our fans and people we’re fans of, and survived another year of being an independent (aka bare bones, unsponsored) publication in HK.
Those are just a couple of the milestones we hit this year. I hope you’ll be here to see what we achieve in the next.
Jasmine Lee, Editor-In-Chief
It was actually her idea to get Andrew on a feature because it’s a bit like the whole gang back together again.
Hong Kong is changing daily, and I’m glad that we can also tell you what happens daily. We don’t have the manpower to go and find the breaking news, but you can find everything you need in one spot with us.
Thanks for sticking around through all our chaos (Harbour Times & High Tide are very chaos - maybe as much chaos as Hong Kong chaos). There will still be more chaos, but I hope you’ll still around for another year.
~ Cyril
Andrew Takes (back) High Tide
I'm Andrew Work, a libertarian (in the classical sense) Canadian in Hong Kong (since 1996). Original founder of Harbour Times, Lion Rock Institute and wear many other hats.
I start things and sometimes I finish them. Sometimes well, sometimes not. Jasmine is finishing this one for me.
I have a main LinkedIn profile but also a secret identity as an MC.
Harbour Times: Founder’s Collection
Editor’s note: At time of publication, the Harbour Times site is currently down for maintenance :( Check back to read Andrew’s selection!
This story was one of the most read on Harbour Times at the time and had a long tail. It alerted people to a serious issue and very little had been written on the subject to that point.
Calvin Lam, the journalist, was the first person my business partner, Graham Newman, and I hired and he became a fine researcher and writer. It sticks out in my mind as the kind of journalism that we aspired to when we came up with the idea of founding Harbour Times.
This was one of my favourites - policy wonkery about an issue that people in Hong Kong are passionate about - outdoor dining. I had a really memorable interview with Tommy Cheung that involved him telling a story that involved him making a lot of car noises. But the thing I really loved was the image created by local artist Bay Leung of an wacky outdoor chef with an equally manic rat as part of the dining experience. Bay's a genius.
This was a more whimsical piece at a time when the pace of change in Hong Kong accelerated rapidly. When the man who has cut my hair since 2003 told me I would be the last cut ever at that business, it seemed symbolic of all the changes happening at that time during the protests.
The future was uncertain in every aspect - except that it would come upon us. That rate of change remains constant and Hong Kong continues to be transformed. But he landed somewhere close and I still visit him to look my best. It's not the same, but at least the people that matter are still close. Not everyone is so lucky. So I am grateful for what remains. (Unfortunately, that includes less dark hair every year).
Andrew’s Events (Came and gone and will come again)
The Canadian Club of Hong Kong Great Canadian Canada Day Brunch
Did I get enough Canada in there? As the President of The Canadian Club of Hong Kong (est 1949), I get to work with a really great group of passionate Canadians and our signature event of the year is the big Canadian style brunch with everything you would expect: pancakes, maple syrup, Nanaimo Bars, back bacon, Caesars, Tim Horton's coffee and more.
With travel so limited, it was really popular this year and people really, really wanted to feel that touch of home. Canada, like all places, has it flaws and is also a fantastic place with so much to love. There are over 300,000 Canadians in Hong Kong and we're glad we could take care of some on our special day.
This happens every once in a while, so follow our Facebook to see when it’s next coming!
The Lion Rock Institute Annual Dinner
Since 'the three amigos' and one Bill started the Institute in 2004, the LRI has been working to promote economic freedom in Hong Kong. After many years, we established an Annual Dinner. The format was all over the place, but three elements endured:
We would always have a heavyweight local speaker like the CE (Donald Tsang), Financial Secretary (John Tsang was a repeat speaker), CE of the HKMA (Norman Chan's excellent speech on "How to Get Rid of Central Bankers" was red meat for that crowd).
The second staple was an international speaker like Vernon Smith (Nobel Prize winner), Mike Walker and Fred McMahon of The Fraser Institute or Daniel Hannan, former British MEP and provocateur.
Third, the interns would present a montage of their campaigning at LegCo, often in the face of boorish opposition by people two to three times their age.
It was fun, irreverent and wonkish and I can't wait until we can hold it again.
Places to go, places to see (mostly food)
The Foreign Correspondents Club
Still the haunt of people with incredible adventures in their history and still to come. It has also been a strong voice for freedom of speech, especially given that the opinions they voice on the topic are often contested by their landlord.
The excellent and affordably priced fare and legendary staff make every visit feel like coming home. Let's hope their voice remains as strong as the drinks for years to come.
Almost anything with a Pig: The Salted Pig, The Blind Pig and now The Pizza Pig.
The friendly staff and innovative twists on classic favourites make it a family favourite. The Classic Patty Melt is like a cheeseburger and a grilled cheese sandwich has a beautiful love child that returned from heaven to ease man's suffering on this planet. The Pizza is the newest and the greatest pizza in town. I just wish it was closer to where I live and work.
The staff know my name ("Hey! Mr Andrew!") and always take care whether it is rocking up for early morning hockey or a waterfront (or Knutsford) beer after work.
The Delaney's Group
The whole gang (3x Delaney's and El Charro) are some of the most thoughtful (they think of EVERYTHING) people I have ever met in the business. If you're holding an event, they pull out all the stops whether it is a major event (see the Canada Brunch) or even opening up super early so a handful of Canucks can watch a hockey game.
The owner pours his heart and soul into every contact and knows the biz inside out. He's a worthy standard bearer for the Irish community in Hong Kong.
Andrew’s Secret:
Everyone gets this secret today - but otherwise only Paid Subscribers would! If you want to always see our LoTW’s super special secrets, then make sure to subscribe!
Andrew isn't my first name. It's my middle name. The G. pops up here and there and people who notice it get to play the guessing game.
(Editor’s note: it’s Gavin)
Thank you for reading High Tide!
No seriously thank you.
Whether you’re free or paid, whether you skim it or read it, whether this is just something that shows up in the morning (when did I sign up to this?!) we appreciate you being part of our community.
You’re what really keeps us going.
Donate to help us keep afloat on HT’s Patreon and PayPal pages. You can also help us out by sharing Tide with a friend!
Here’s to 2021, and hello the madness that is 2022!
~ Jasmine, Cyril, Andrew and the team
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