Welcome to the new look Kellett Tell ItDo you know what you want to be when you grow up, or are you still deciding?

Do you want to follow in your p a r e n t ’ s fo o t s t e p s , o r fi n d something more to your liking?

This term’s Kellett Tell-it just may be able to help you. With a cool, new layout and our first ever career theme, we bring you a dozen unique jobs that you very well may grow up to be or at least consider!

We have found and interviewed experts in each field, from Judge to Taxi driver to Surgeon. They have given us the inside scoop on the perks and pitfalls of each of their chosen professions. Each of our subjects has achieved success in their particular interest, but they all took a long, winding road to get there. Don’t just take my word for it. Read it!

Kiera Moran

by Lydia Lane & Anya Oliver

When  you think of a policeman, or you see one on TV, they are often speeding around in police cars, arresting people and solving creepy cases!  We found out though, there are many types of police and their jobs can be very different to what you might expect.  

Meet the Hong Kong Water Police, they are the people who look after you when you take to the water. Although every day may not involve a high speed chase - some do. In fact, being a marine officer is one of the

Riding the waves

TAXI DRIVER Every wondered what it is like to drive around picking up passengers in one of Hong Kong’s iconic red and white taxis?

JOURNALIST Our Kellett Tellit young journalists visit the South China Morning Post for some writer’s tips..

FILM DIRECTOR Find out what life is like on set directing your own films.

KELLETT PREPARATORY SCHOOL, JUNE 2013

Tell It

Inside this edition....

most dangerous police roles you can have: imagine you're driving at 110km/h on a road, the road is not divided into lanes and you’re chasing some bad guy who really wants to escape. That’s what these guys do for a living - but they do it in a boat, on the ocean. Fun!

We met with Clive Walton, Chief Inspector of Police Marine South, who began his career at University in South London. After his studies he worked for the Royal Marine Police in London, where he solved robberies and murders! He then moved to Hong Kong and finally ended up working for the Hong Kong Water Police; the position he is in now.

For Chief Inspector Walton not every day is as exciting as the last. “Most days include lots of paperwork and emails, then some crime,” he explained after being asked what he does on a daily basis. An average day also includes border c h e c k s o n t h e w a t e r , smuggling checks and the usual calls for help. For those of you who may be wondering what a smuggler is, Chief Inspector Walton answered that question too. “A smuggler is someone from another country coming to Hong Kong,

buying clothes, toys, just stuff, then going back to their country and selling what they bought for higher prices.”

Did you know the Hong Kong Marine Police Force has approximately 360 officers and no dogs? We bet most of you didn’t. Chief Inspector Walton has worked with drug

dogs, tracker dogs and bomb dogs. Although the marine police division have no dogs of their own, dogs can be called over from the island police for special missions.

Chief Inspector Walton is a policeman but he is also a f a t h e r o f t w o b e a u t i f u l children. His children and his wife all enjoy watching police films - without him that is!  Both his wife and kids find it very annoying when Chief Inspector Walton comments on everything the characters on TV are doing wrong. “It’s hard to keep quiet when they hold the gun wrong way, or get on a motorbike in the wrong fashion,” he says, smiling.

Unfortunately, most police officers must retire at the age of 55 though some can stay working until the age of 60. We found out that Chief Inspector Walton will be retiring in 2023; how old does that make him now...

Take a look at what’s inside

1 Marine Police

3 Film Director

4 Veterinary Surgeon

5 Orthpaedic Surgeon

6 Judge

7 Olympian

8 Journalist

8 Naval Attaché

9 Taxi driver

10 Orchestra Conductor

11 Theatre Producer

12 Structural Engineer

THANKS TO THE TEAMKiera, Lydia, Anya, Vasco, Tom, Teddie, Abigail, Daisy, Guy, Caitlin, Petra, Georgia, Lana, Alex, Polly, Sophie, Conor, Angus, Andrew and Cristina.

Thank you to Mr Dawes and Mrs Bull for all their help and use of the ICT Mac Suite!

Kellett Tellit

Summer Term Edition

June 2013

Flying High

by Vasco Tricoire

Life can be an unpredictable journey, what you start out doing often has an unimaginable end.  This was certainly the case for international film director, Mr Nicholas Bonner, who started his career as a landscape architect and has also been a tour guide! H e h a s c o - p r o d u c e d a n d produced three highly acclaimed documentary films which offer glimpses into the real lives of people in Democratic People’s Republic Korea (North Korea) -  “ T h e G a m e o f t h e i r Lives” (2005), “A State of Mind” (2004), “Crossing the Line” (2006) and he is now d i r e c t i n g h i s l a t e s t fi l m “Comrade Kim Goes Flying”.  

Mr Bonner never imagined he would end up producing and directing movies when he left school at the young age of 16. Loving nature, he learned to become a countryside ranger and this led him to his role as a landscape architect. He then moved to Beij ing to teach architecture, where he met the man who would become his best friend and partner, Josh Green. Josh was working in North Korea, and together they started Koryo Tours, the only travel agency to visit North Korea - they still run it today. At that

time, Mr Bonner was leading parallel careers as an artist, bartender (he opened a pub in Beijing early 1990) and tour guide to North Korea.

Mr Bonner followed his desires and passions. It all came down to t a k i n g a d v a n t a g e o f opportunities, meeting people and as his own boss, deciding his own path in life.  Getting to better know North Korea, Mr Bonner wanted to tell more about the people there and more about how his friends were living. “I didn't w a n t t o w r i t e a r t i c l e s i n newspapers, because my way of expression is art, visual art, so I chose to tell my stories through documentaries and movies.”

He began by co-producing documentaries, the first was called The Game of their Lives, which tells the story of the North

Korean football team who defeated Italy in the 1966 World Cup to reach the quarterfinals. In his next documentary, A State of Mind, he tells the story of two girls who are preparing for the Mass Games - an incredible event where thousands of performers take part in a gymnastics show that tells of

North Korea’s history. It's an interesting movie about daily life i n D P R K .   H i s t h i r d documentary, Crossing the Line, r e fl e c t s o n t h e l i fe o f a n American defector, Comrade Joe, who crossed the line and joined the North Koreans during the Korean War. One project led to a n o t h e r, a n d t o d a y h e i s directing his first film.  Comrade Kim Goes Flying is a romance comedy telling the story of a young Korean woman who works in a mine and dreams to become a trapezist.

Mr Bonner has really enjoyed directing the film, “I like most working with people, especially creative people.  I like to hear the applause when the films get awards - the applause is for all the people who have worked so hard on the project.  What I find difficult about my job is you have to be really organised; directing a film is all about organisation.” And his advice for would-be film makers? “Tell a story and let your imagination go!”

Are you an animal lover? Well Dr Jane Grey -  a veterinary surgeon at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) - definitely is! She works in the Wanchai surgery and cares for animals every day.   We went to meet Dr Grey because we are animal lovers too and we wanted to find out just what it takes to become a vet and have a job that lets you work with sweet, furry creatures!

We arrived full of excitement - even in the reception area we were surrounded by cats and dogs waiting to visit the vet.  We were lucky enough to be taken on a tour of the facilities, which were quite extensive - we saw the different homing departments, where the SPCA tries to find homes for abandoned animals.   There were cats, dogs and small animals like hamsters or guinea pigs and even snakes - we saw them with our own eyes!

Dr Grey told us she has always been an animal lover even though her parents wanted her to be a doctor, she followed her dream to be a veterinarian. “I have no regrets, I am very happy at the SPCA.   My job covers a big spectrum and I even get to travel and help animals in China.”

She has worked in many different places, including the amazing Singapore Zoo. When she was there, she worked with the most unusual animals imaginable. But she says she remembers in particular two orangutans, both of which were brought in with severe problems. The first had a broken leg, and had to have a metal plate inserted. The unlucky monkey was called Tibia - which is a great name as tibia is actually the name of the bone in your lower leg!   The other orangutan called Chuma, and had cancer in his

throat. “In the waiting room I remember Tibia holding my hand while we were waiting for the doctor to be ready to do the surgery,” Dr Grey says, it certainly seems that animals love Dr Grey as much as she loves them.

We also wanted to find out what this vet does in her spare time?   We discovered she does have a cat who she looks after very carefully.   He has lived for a surprising 19 human years, which is 133 cat years!   Sadly, her other cat died a couple of years ago but he lived to the ripe old age of 15 human years.  Dr Grey also has lots of different hobbies and some aren’t even animal related! She likes many sports, such as field hockey, sailing and relaxing on her friend’s lovely sail boat. We really enjoyed meeting Dr Grey, we both think she is an amazing lady, who can fix any animal crisis.   And yes, we both want to be vets when we grow up!  

A Vet’s TailBy Abigail Riggs & Daisy Collins

Life Saverby Guy Osborn

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a surgeon, operating on a live body and literally having someone’s life in your hands?  I am thinking when I get older, I might actually be a doctor so I went out to find out more about this exciting profession!   What would it be like, for instance, to go through the hardship of medical school with years of study?  To get the answers, I interviewed Dr Christopher Tong, an orthopaedic surgeon right here in Hong Kong.  

You might not have heard of Dr Tong, but I bet you know people right here at Kellett who he has operated on!  My mum, for instance, has had a knee surgery with Dr Tong and so has Angus Pittar, Teddie Bateman and many more.   Dr Tong is an orthopaedic surgeon which means he specializes in bones and the ligaments and tendons connecting them.  When he was a child, Dr Tong was interested in sports, especially football and he dreamed of this as h i s c a r e e r - h e w a s a brilliant athlete.  But before he went to university his father gave him some good advice and recommended choosing a profession; since Dr Tong liked biology, he chose medicine.

O n c e fi n i s h e d w i t h University, Dr Tong went directly on to medical school in chilly Scotland.   This

meant five years of extra work but it wasn’t over yet! After medical school he trained to be an orthopedic surgeon and can you believe this took another five to six years.  So in total, he did 12 years of extra work, that’s probably not even half of what you have done in your whole school career so far.  It was tough but he did it!

N o w y o u ' r e p r o b a b l y wondering why Dr Tong d e c i d e d t o b e c o m e a n orthopedic surgeon and do all that work when he had actually wanted to be an athlete?  ”It is very difficult to b e c o m e a p r o f e s s i o n a l athlete,” he said,   “and one of the advantages of being a doctor, apart from being able to help people, is that you have a more stable living.  But the main benefit for me is I e n j o y

helping people and making a difference in their lives.”

I h a d a g r e a t t i m e interviewing Dr Tong and finding out more about what he does and what it takes to be a surgeon.  I still think I would like to be a doctor and I got some good advice on what to do to be a great surgeon.  “My m a i n p i e c e o f a d v i c e i s perseverance, there will be times when you are tired and the training is long, but you must persevere and study hard. Try to find out as much as possible about being a doctor before you start.”  This is just what I did - I had a great time and I hope you enjoyed reading my article.

When you imagine a judge, what do you think they might look like? We always thought a judge would probably be an older guy with a funny, white curly wig, and a wooden hammer.   We d e c i d e d t o fi n d o u t f o r ourselves...

J u d g e D o u g l a s Ya u i s a hardworking man who has been involved in some fascinating cases right here in Hong Kong. He kindly gave us some of his time, to tell us more about the role of a judge.  To start, he let us sit in his courtroom while a trial was going on. It was fascinating! The judge sits at the front of the room and faces the lawyers and the accused and of course, the people watching the case.   There is an accused box near the front of the room, where the person on trial sits - Judge Yau let us sit in inside and it was really cool - there was a glass screen in front of us and it almost felt like being in prison!

After the trial was finished we a s k e d J u d g e Y a u s o m e questions, so we could let you know more about his fascinating job. A judge is someone who sits in cour t and condemns a convicted person to a sentence, such as FIVE YEARS in prison.  Judges are the final word in a court, so if they say ‘guilty’ then you are guilty and ‘not guilty’ or ‘cleared of all charges’

means you are

released. Sometimes there is a jury who decides on the guilt of the accused, in this case the judge wil l hand down the sentence, which means he decides what the punishment will be - jail, or probation or community service.  We thought interviewing a judge might not be as exciting as interviewing a policeman or a vet, but it just goes to show how wrong we were!

The most important part of Judge Yau’s job is to make the final verdict in a court case, because he has to justify why he has come to that decision. We found out that cases can last from a few minutes to weeks!  “The longest case I have had was about 30 - 40 days,” he told us,  “the shortest case was only five minutes.  The longest sentence I have given is seven years in prison.”  

It turns out, judges in Hong K o n g d o n o t u s e a ‘ t o y hammer’ (gavel), they are only used in America and sometimes in the UK. Judges and lawyers in HK do actually wear curly white w i g s , a l t h o u g h t h e r e a r e different stages and different wigs: a barrister - a type of lawyer who argues in the court  - and a judge both wear wigs. We were lucky

enough to try on one of Judge Yau’s wigs   - i t was his barrister’s wig - it looked crazy! In his spare time, Judge Yau loves to take photographs - we have seen some of them and they are really good! - he likes to play squash and table tennis, as well as speak Chinese.   Even when he was a young boy Judge Yau wanted to be a barrister and argue cases in a courtroom.  He studied hard at school and went to London University to read law.  He started his career as a barrister, and then was invited to become a judge - which is quite an honour - and he got to put away his barrister’s curly wig and wear a judges one instead.  

Judges are really important people in our community and some parts of their job are difficult, first it takes years of study and work and Judge Yau said it can sometimes be lonely because you have to be careful about who your acquaintances are.  The most amazing thing we learnt is that even though Judge Yau has such a big job he is still a regular person.  We discovered he is in love with cheeseballs! In fact, he told us he steals cheeseballs from his children if they have them - yummy!

The Verdict is in! by Caitlin Galloway & Petra Deacon

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a world-class athlete? Or even an Olympian? Well, I've been lucky enough to meet one, Hong Kong’s very own Olympic Windsurfer, Hayley Chan. Her career is extremely inspirational, full of bravery and courage; she sailed in the Olympics with broken ribs and a fractured spleen!      

Hayley started windsurfing when she was nine years old, after moving back to Hong Kong from England. She didn’t particularly enjoy it at first; going windsurfing was just another tiresome chore she was forced to do by her parents. But eventually, she began to enjoy it and soon reached junior competitive level, although she was always came last. “That really made me see the future ahead.” For Hayley, it was the first step on the road

to success: to start competing and most importantly to keep on trying!

Hayley’s broken ribs and damaged spleen were caused by a collision with a boat during training, Hayley had to push herself even harder than she had before if she wanted to compete in the Olympics. All she could think about was when she should train, what she should eat and when she should sleep. “It just consumes everything in your life; every day and night is constant training.” says Haley.

When at last she crossed the starting line in her Olympic event, her goal was simple: finish the race. Compared to many other athletes, her goal was quite a simple one, which caused her to get an excellent result, 12th out of 54.   Haley Chan will certainly be back for the 2016 Olympics!

Many people dream of becoming a world class athlete, but only a select few can achieve it. It’s certainly hard to get up there,

but even harder staying there. It’s common to spend 28-30 hours training each week, and, as I mentioned before, it consumes your whole lifestyle. However, there are many fantastic aspects to being an athlete. “ You get paid to do what you like and travel around the world.” says Hayley. She also adds that she once lost all her equipment on a journey; sometimes air travel isn’t a good thing at all! Although you may miss your family, the life of a professional athlete is never a bore!      

Going for Gold

by Lana Davies

Most of us think that when we grow up, we will pick our job but you never know, perhaps your job might pick you! Journalism definitely chose Susan Ramsay, editor of the “Young Post” - a supplement in the “South China Morning Post” (SCMP), designed for kids just like us.  Ms Ramsay explains that being a reporter wasn’t always her dream job: “I thought if I was a journalist, I would have to write about cats and peoples funerals.”  But she soon discovered this wasn’t the case!  In fact, the opposite was true and she found there were loads of interesting topics to explore.  So what exactly has she written about, if not cats and funerals?  Ms Ramsay has covered stories that look at a huge range of topics from poverty in South Africa to profiles on famous people including super-chef Jamie Oliver.

Like many of the fascinating people we have interviewed in this issue of Kellett Tell It, Ms Ramsay paid her dues before landing her dream job as a journalist and then editor. Her parents initially wanted her to go into the family business - printing - but the job wasn’t for her.  Instead she tried her hand at a few jobs including: working with horses, running a farm, running a hotel and she even did some market research. Eventually she started working at a magazine company as a journalist and her career began.  Before she knew it, Ms Ramsay was in South Africa, doing what she had dreamed of since the age of 11:   writing stories to let people know what was happening in their world, and giving them ideas on how to make that world a better one.    Ms Ramsay is proof, if you keep trying to get what you want, then it can be done!

We wanted to find out from an expert just what kids who are keen to be journalists should be writing about. “Well, I would suggest starting on book reviews until you build your confidence and then it’s up to you.  You are your own boss when it comes to writing.” explained Ms Ramsay.  If you are a keen writer and want learn how to get better, then you can join one of the fantastic workshops run by the Young Post - the paper even has junior cadets who research, interview and write stories - it could be you!

Writer to Writer by Polly Hanning & Sophie Hughes

How many times have you walked past the government Consulate and wondered what goes on inside? Maybe you have been in but only to get a new passport, but little do most of you know what really goes on at your consulate. There are actually many jobs including security guard, an officer who checks your passport, and many, many more people you do not get to see!   

Mr Clayton Allen Grindle is the Chief Naval Attache in the US Consulate in Hong Kong and works day and night explaining and helping people to understand what his country is doing. Attache is actually a French word for a person who is ‘attached’ to an embassy or diplomatic unit in another country.   A naval attache deals with military matters; Mr Grindle, like many people at the Consulate, had a career in the US Navy

before coming into government service.  He is a Captain and served for 20 years flying planes off carriers and guiding missions.  But his job and life at the Consulate is just as hardcore as those missions!

Mr Grindle’s typical day starts 5:30 am when he begins to work from home, he exercises every day  and at 7:30 he has to be at the consulate. Mr Grindle can speak two of the hardest languages in the world thanks to talking to many people of many different races. How many people do you know who can speak Russian and Mandarin fluently? Every year he has to take a test to prove he still knows the languages fluently enough so he can speak properly to all the Government Officials. When we asked Mr Grindle if he knew any spies, he replied, “ No, and technically spies aren't your usual James Bond 007; they are people recruited to betray their country to tell another country information, James Bond is only in the movies!” So what exactly does Mr Grindle do? Well for example, a few weeks ago there was an American carrier in the ocean and China wanted to know why, so Mr Grindle told them it was there to check people were not crossing the border.

So next time you visit your embassy just stop and think about all the interesting people inside and the cool jobs they do!

Naval Attaché by Conor O’Malley & Angus Pittar

In the Driver’s Seat

by Andrew Knight & Cristina Fisher

How many times a week do you catch a taxi? Do you ever talk to the driver? Have you ever wondered what their typical day is like or what it means to have the job of a Hong Kong taxi driver? Well at “Kellett Tell It”, we were curious, so we went on a hunt to find out.  We met with Mr Tung, age fifty-five, who is a recently retired taxi driver on the Island.  We wanted to know what the best part of his job was and what his biggest challenge was every day.  So read on to find out more!

Mr Tung joined the taxi service after retiring as a Hong Kong Firefighter.  “It is very flexible and easy to pass the exam and find a taxi to rent,” Mr Tung said. “It was good for me after retiring as a fireman but joining the taxi service is also good for many people with no professional job.”  It took a long time to learn all the routes and he had to rely on the riders some of the time, but it was worth it.  Mr Tung explained that a taxi ride can be the first local experience for tourists at the airport in Hong Kong.  “You are the first face of Hong Kong and answer many questions about the city, my language ability made me a good driver for these visitors!”  Mr Tung speaks fluent English as well as Cantonese.   Sometimes people are impatient or rude in taxis but Mr Tung reports that most people are pleasant and friendly.

Ever wonder why you can’t find a taxi at 4pm?  Well, that’s because it’s the end of the shift when taxi drivers have their cars cleaned and turn them in for the start of the night shift at 5 o’clock.  The ‘special shift’ is when a driver has both the day and night -- that’s a long day but not a lot of drivers do two shifts!  The busiest times for taxis are in the morning and evening before and after work or school.  Mr Tung used to take the night shift two times a week.  Many taxi drivers will do the job for life because you can start at a young age and work until you are old.   And, if you work hard, it is a good enough job to provide for a

family of three or four in Hong Kong.  Despite the upsides of taxi driving like flexibility, there are some challenges.  At night, normally near Wan Chai, there may be people who refuse to pay or carelessly mess up the taxi.   Usually drivers can handle this by themselves but sometimes they have to call the police to help.

Mr Tung also told us a story about picking up an older lady and man in a wheelchair one day.  “I watched many taxi pass them by in Aberdeen because the taxi’s know that the old people go to the home for elderly nearby - so it’s a short trip - and the man had a wheel chair.  Sometimes drivers don’t want to stop because it is extra work to lift the man and put the chair in the car.  But I stopped, even though it would be a short trip, and I took them home.  When we got there, the woman asked me to come back in one hour to take them to the airport.  What luck!”  Mr Tung explained that for every job, doing your best and working hard pays off.

We also wanted to know where taxi drivers go to eat?   Well, the secret’s out now!   Many drivers go to a  Wah Lam Noodle Restuarant.  “They have the best fish balls in Hong Kong and it is very easy to park your taxi outside!”  Hong Kong can get very busy on the roads, especially when it is rush hour or if there is a big event such as the annual Rugby Sevens, but even taxi drivers need to stop for good food!

The Maestro

by Lana Davies & Alex Mayall

Ever yone has heard the beauty of classical music on the radio or at home on their iPad, but what about at a live concert? Those of you who have been lucky enough to experience this will have n o t i c e d t h a t t h e w h o l e orchestra is controlled by a single person; the conductor. We were lucky enough to i n t e r v i e w o n e o f t h e s e inspirational people; the award-winning conductor,  Maestro Wigglesworth.

The conductor doesn't just keep the orchestra in sync with each other, he also makes sure ever yone is telling the same story, not just at the same speed, but with the same expression and performance as everyone else playing the piece. It is similar to an intricate puzzle, where the musicians are the puzzle pieces and the conductor is the builder.   Without the conductor, the music wouldn’t happen.

E v e n t h o u g h M a e s t r o Wigglesworth is a conductor today, he didn’t always want to be one; when he was a child he dreamed of becoming a professional cricket player.  However, when he grew up he realised he wasn’t tall enough or good enough to make as a professional cricketer!  While a t u n i v e r s i t y, M a e s t r o Wigglesworth studied music history and composition, not conducting.  However, he did conduct a Mozart Symphony while at school, and was the conductor of a group that planned to play a new piece of music every week.  His early

jobs were far from the music world.   He looked after cows and worked in a barn for his part time jobs. A famous singer called Mr Swingle inspired him to become a conductor.   Mr Swingle n o t i c e d M a e s t r o Wigglesworth had a talent as a conductor, and encouraged him to pursue this as a career.

T h e fi r s t p r o f e s s i o n a l o r ch e s t r a t h a t M a e s t r o Wigglesworth conducted was in Holland, and they played Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Ever s ince then he has c o n d u c t e d a v a s t 8 0 orchestras, in almost every country in the world! Being a conductor is definitely a traveling job!

But what if the orchestra makes a mistake during a performance? How would he handle it?   “Well, there are two types of mistakes, the big ones and the small ones,” Maestro Wigglesworth tells us, “the large mistakes are a c t u a l l y e a s i e r f o r a n

o r c h e s t r a t o

make than the small ones!”  In every concert Maestro Wigglesworth has conducted, he says that at least one small thing has gone wrong, either with the melody or the rhythm.   Even though these errors occur, he continues each concert as its own a d v e n t u r e , w i l d a n d unpredictable!

O n e o f M a e s t r o Wigglesworth’s favourite pieces to conduct is an opera by Wagner called Parsifal, because it is about time and thats what he is interested in.   Maestro Wigglesworth also enjoys playing the violin and the piano, but confessed that he only does it in the privacy of his own home because he does not think he is very good at either!   Here in Hong Kong now on his third trip to conduct the Hong Kong P h i l h a r m o n i c , w e w e r e e x c i t e d t o h a v e t h e opportunity to meet such an inspiring person.  And maybe one day we might become conductors!

What is a theatre producer? Is it another word for the director? That’s what we thought until we sought to find out more. A theatre producer is one person that does almost more than the director. The producer takes all the creative bits and pieces and fits them together like a jigsaw to bring the show to life.  

Claire Glover is an expert in that field. She told us everything we needed to know about her fascinating job and more. Ms Glover is the Business Director for Faust, an acting company that offers workshops for children of all ages and puts on dozens of shows each year. The producer’s job, Ms Glover explained, is to work with the director and help to take his ideas and translate them onto the stage. The biggest difference between a director and a producer is that the director’s job is to create the show, whereas the producer needs to put that creativity on the stage.  For example, once Ms Glover was working with a director who wanted a live pig in the theatre for a production.     As the producer, she had to ask, “Do we need a license for a pig?” and “Will the children enjoy working with a pig?”   Ms Glover negotiated with the director, and in the end they used a dog in a pig costume, which worked better than a pig would have done!

Ms Glover also runs the annual Faust Festival, which is when all the young actors and actresses from the Faust classes put on performances in their age groups.   It is Ms Glover’s job to ensure that the tickets are sold, the lights and cameras are working, and much, much more.  Faust classes take place on almost every day of the week so they are quite convenient. The first two terms are spent playing drama games and finding your strengths in acting; also allowing the instructor to assess the levels and dynamics of the group.  In the third term,

t h e instructor chooses a play for the Faust F e s t i v a l . S o m e t i m e s i t ’ s h o r r o r, sometimes it’s comedy, mystery, you name it!  But it is always fun.

Ms Glover gave us her advice for people wanting to work in the theatre which was that you have to enjoy it, because very few people who work in theatre receive a large salary (which was why she wanted to be a well-paid lawyer as a child!).  On the other hand, working backstage you get to see it all come together - all the actors onstage, after long hours rehearsing, and they love showing the audience what they can do.  “One of the lovely things as a producer is that you spend the whole time worrying: ‘Have I sold enough tickets?   And are people coming? Are they going to enjoy it?’  You worry all the time and then the curtain goes up and you wonder ‘is it going to be okay?’.   And when it is, that is the most beautiful moment in the world!”

After interviewing Ms Glover and researching what exactly a theatre producer does, we definitely believe that a theatre producer is one of the best jobs out there. You get to watch all your hard work become a great show from the best seat in the house!

The World’s a Stage! by Kiera Moran & Georgia Harvey

by Teddie Bateman & Tom Fletcher

How many times have you walked into school wondering how it was made and who made it?  Well, one person who could tell you is the structural engineer who designed our new Ko w l o o n B ay s ch o o l , M r Michael Chew.   

We interviewed Mr Chew and discovered a lot of interesting facts about engineers.  To start, there are lots of different types of engineers but the four main branches are: Mechanical - designing engines in cars, vehicles and aircraft; Civil - d e s i g n i n g c i v i l i a n infrastructure such as roads, bridges and tunnels; Chemical - turning raw materials and chemicals into useful forms and E l e c t r i c a l - c r e a t i n g t e c h n o l o g i e s s u c h a s computers, mobile phones and a ny t h i n g w h i ch r e qu i r e s electricity to work.

Our lives would not be the same without all these engineers!

Structural Engineers  are Civil engineers who design buildings s u c h a s h o m e s , s c h o o l s , airports and other structures such as tunnels and bridges and even space stations!  They need to make sure that these structures are sturdy and safe - for example that tunnels under t h e s e a c a n s u p p o r t t h e pressure of the water around them. They design water stations and water pumps to s u p p l y r u n n i n g w a t e r ;  electricity cables to carry electricity to our homes and

s t r e e t s ; t h e y d e s i g n t h e suspension on bridges;   they design our homes - they are responsible for us having a roof over our heads and that is only one type of engineer!   There are so many more types of engineer and  now you can see that they are important, very important!  

As a structural engineer, Mr Chew was inspired by beautiful, ancient Roman arches that still stand today. But to be an engineer, you have to be committed! A long road of exams leads to becoming an e n g i n e e r. E n g i n e e r i n g i s certainly not for everyone and you have to do well in all your studies. In addition, you have to be able to visualise a solution. Fo r i n s t a n c e , i f y o u a r e technically inclined and have a knack for visualising three dimensional spaces and shapes (for example you like playing w i t h l e g o ) t h e n m a y b e structural engineering is for you.  Also, you need to be able

to put your concepts down on paper in a clear way and obviously you need to be good with numbers.   “It’s up to parents to identi fy what abilities and traits their child possesses,” Mr Chew said, “and then guide them towards a range of professional choices which match their ability.”

Engineering does make a good choice of career but if you think buildings are just boxes of concrete   stacked up on top of each other, you are wrong!  An  engineer does not only make the bui lding, he actual ly designs HOW to make the building by first drafting the blueprints. Engineers have to think of how the building will stand up and if the electricity will work and so on. Almost everything you see is done by one or several  engineers. Only natural objects (e.g. trees) and natural food products (e.g. nuts) are not engineered. There is engineering all around you!

More than Bricks and Mortar