[Alumni Story] Mr Augustine Lui Ngok-che - Carrying forward Lingnan spirit of ‘Blood-red and Iron-grey’ with resilience and perseverance
Carrying forward Lingnan spirit of ‘Blood-red and Iron-grey’ with resilience and perseverance
“As long as you never give up and proactively strive for learning opportunities, success will follow.” Mr Augustine Lui Ngok-che graduated from Lingnan College with a major in Accountancy. After graduation, he embarked on an accounting career and accumulated rich experience in financial management by working in various companies, banks and financial institutions. Augustine has held key positions in the Lingnan Education Organization, Lingnan Dr. Chung Wing Kwong Memorial Secondary School and the Lingnan Club over the years. In recognition of Augustine’s prestigious achievements and contributions to society, he was conferred the Honorary Fellowship by Lingnan University in 2024.
Accounting profession as a start to Lingnan’s campus life
Having completed the secondary school education in 1978, Augustine was considering his study path when he learned that a few of his classmates had chosen to enrol in Lingnan College with Accountancy as their major. Due to the recent establishment of the Hong Kong Society of Accountants (now renamed as Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants), they foresaw an increasing demand for accountants, leading to a promising future for the industry. Despite being a science student in high school, Augustine believed his well-trained logical and analytical skills would prove to be beneficial to the accounting work. Eventually, he decided to enrol in Lingnan with his friends. “I vividly remember that the annual tuition fee was $HKD 2,200! It may not sound very expensive today but it was really a significant burden for most families back then,” Augustine recalled, “That’s why many students, including myself, would choose to take part-time jobs to support the living expense of ourselves and family.” To fit in the part-time lecturers’ schedule, many classes did not follow standard time slots, which coincidentally gave students more time to do part-time work. “To me, the most memorable teacher was our economics Professor Prof Ian Knowles. His teaching was so engaging and interesting, making him very popular among students!”
Augustine described that although Lingnan College was small in size, the campus was filled with positive learning atmosphere and equipped with adequate facilities. “I used to hang out in the canteen the most because of the spacious environment and nice food. I also enjoyed sharing facilities with students from Lingnan Secondary School and being surrounded by youthful and cheerful vibes!” Augustine shared a unique experience, “Principal Mr Raymond Huang used to play the violin in Edward Hall. The peaceful and lovely music always drifted along the corridors, captivating everyone at the canteen!"
Active engagement in sports and exhibition of Lingnan spirit
Augustine has been fond of playing football since childhood and was already part of the varsity team during secondary school. He joined the Lingnan soccer team because by representing the college to participate in intercollegiate competitions, he could hone his skills against students from other institutions and visit different colleges’ campus facilities. “The most unforgettable experience was trekking to CUHK (Chinese University of Hong Kong) in the early morning to play soccer, then rushing back to Lingnan for an inter-class volleyball competition before 3 p.m.! Note that the railway hasn’t been electrified and the train only ran once every hour. I had to make sure to catch the train, hop on to a cross-harbour route, and transfer to another bus to get to Stubbs Road. That memory’s still so vivid today!”
Alike education and learning, Lingnan’s sports culture showcases the perseverance of “blood-red and iron-grey” spirit. Augustine described that Lingnanians on the sports field are all as resilient as “Lingnan cattle”. In the face of adversity, they are always passionate and unyielding, upholding the spirit of “blood-red and iron-grey”. “In the early years after the re-establishment in Hong Kong, Lingnan College didn’t have much resources compared to other universities. Since there’s no sports field on campus, our soccer team could only train weekly at the nearby sports ground in Happy Valley. Still, everyone enjoyed it a lot.” Through the arduous training and competitions, Augustine and his teammates developed intimate bonds. After so many years, they still meet up to reminisce about the old days.
Involving in financial industry, striving to adapt to work environment in Mainland China
Augustine has been engaging in investment-related business at banks and other financial institutions since graduation. He was once dispatched to Singapore to manage a branch. After returning to Hong Kong, he joined the foundation under Matilda International Hospital, responsible for financial administration. Later when Augustine was exploring new directions for career development, he was referred by Dr Gennie Lee Lin Gen-hwa to manage a textile factory in Zhejiang and a timber factory in Nanning, Guangxi, aspiring to apply the Hong Kong's model of accounting and financial management. “I am very grateful to Dr Gennie Lee Lin and her daughter for their trust and recognition, offering me the opportunity to work in the Mainland where I could employ my expertise in accounting and finance and reach the turning point in my career.” Augustine admitted that he had no experience working in the Mainland at first and did not even speak Mandarin. “I also need to thank my son! As I enrolled him in Singapore International School (Hong Kong) since he was small, he can speak fluent Mandarin as he has been growing up practicing. Thanks to his teaching, I gradually became capable of communicating in Mainland.” He jokingly said, “My early investment has finally paid off!”
In addition to the language barrier, the working environment and culture posed significant challenges. Augustine described that he had to spend a lot of efforts to explain the operations in Hong Kong and handle a huge amount of translation and communication work. “For instance, in Hong Kong, the auditor must issue a bank confirmation, but in Mainland they had no idea what that was... This usually happened in those second- or third-tier cities.”. Meanwhile, as the domestic economy was just starting to grow, most rural areas were still underdeveloped. “One time we had to inspect a steel mill in Shanxi. The path to the mill was winding through valleys and peaks. As the coal truck ahead of us was speeding along the narrow road next to a cliff, one of the rear wheels even fell off the edge hanging in the air! How terrifying and unforgettable it was!"
Serving as a role model to promote Lingnan's liberal arts education
Augustine illustrated that Lingnan’s liberal arts education not only cultivated his interpersonal communication skills, but also let him maintain the passion for learning, creating a profound impact on his work and life. “Later I pursued an MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree and passed the CPA (Certified Public Accountants) qualification. During my time working in Mainland China, I read many reference books on domestic taxation and accounting to enrich my knowledge.” Augustine’s attachment to Lingnan motivated him to continue serving in Lingnan-related organisations and participating in various alumni events after graduation. He revealed that it was his close friend, Mr Tinlo Poon who first invited him to join the Lingnan University Alumni Association (Hong Kong). “At that time, Dr Wai Kee-kau asked me if I was interested in helping with other Lingnan organizations and suggested I try Lingnan Club. After I had served as an executive committee member and honorary secretary, he appreciated my capabilities and invited me to join the Lingnan Education Organization and be a board member of Lingnan Dr. Chung Wing Kwong Memorial Secondary School. From being a board member and supervisor to retiring, I didn't expect to have served for sixteen years! Eventually I was nominated by Dr Patrick Wong Chi-kwong and Dr David P. Chan and became the chairman of the Lingnan Education Organization.”
The Lingnan Education Organization have always been supporting the development of Lingnan University. For example, during the 50th anniversary of the re-establishment of Lingnan University in Hong Kong, they assisted in conducting research for a book written by then professor in the Department of History and the Coordinator of the Hong Kong and South China Historical Research Programme Prof Lau Chi-pang (current Associate Vice President (Institutional Advancement and External Affairs) cum Director of Institutional Advancement and Public Affairs), 50 Years of Lingnan Spirit. They also supported current President Prof S. Joe QIN’s proposal to build an Archive in the academic building to be completed, “Lingnan Hub”. “We hope that Lingnan students will gain a deeper understanding of our culture and history, from the founding in Guangzhou to the re-establishment in Hong Kong, because we all come from the same origin.” Augustine described that regardless of which Lingnan organization he is in, he can feel the robust bonds between members, where everyone wholeheartedly devoted to the work, embodying the spirit of ‘blood-red and iron-grey’. “Although the Lingnan Education Organization has developed into a scale that includes three secondary schools and one kindergarten, we still have no full-time staff. Everyone volunteers their leisure time to serve the community. It was only two years ago that we hired a full-time executive officer.”
Encouraging the Youth to Never Give Up and to Serve Society
Augustine encouraged students to proactively embrace learning opportunities to refine themselves. He shared that while working at the financial institutions, he often asked his supervisors for more assignments. For instance, when there was a data migration procedure followed by the introduction of a brand-new system, he volunteered to undertake the project. After spending hours studying, he successfully completed the migration. Appreciating his talent and experience, his boss sent him abroad to teach colleagues in Indonesia and Japan how to operate the system, eventually assigning him to manage the operation of the branch in Singapore. “Like the Lingnan spirit, as long as you don't give up and proactively seek out opportunities to learn, success will follow,” Augustine explained, “When you maintain the spirit of determination, other people will always acknowledge your efforts and help you develop and grow. I had no experience working in Mainland China but it was my diligence and enthusiasm that ultimately earned the trust of my colleagues. This is what I learned from Lingnan.”
Augustine also hopes that young Lingnanians can use their strengths and contribute to society. “If I didn't take my job seriously in the Lingnan-related organisations, I doubt Dr Gennie Lee Lin would have recognized me and given me the opportunity to work in the Mainland.” He emphasised that serving the community not only helps us build connections but also facilitates our career development. “I hope our students will remember our motto ‘Education for Service’ and uphold the spirit of ‘blood-red and iron-grey’. When helping Lingnan, we are also helping ourselves.”
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