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Frederick Stewart is considered "the founder of Hong
Kong education". Searching for Frederick is not so much the
story of the man as it is Bickley's own recounting of a journey from
the present into the past. As such it is also an excellent guide to
the processes of historical research for anyone interested in
producing their own life histories.
Critics Comments
"Frederick Stewart was a remarkable man. The son of a
crofter tailor of Aberdeenshire in Scotland, Stewart went to Hong Kong
in 1862 at the age of 25 as Headmaster of the Central School and
Inspector of Schools. By the time he died in Hong Kong in 1889, he had
been a member of the Legislative and Executive Councils, Colonial
Secretary (head of the Civil Service) and had acted as Governor.
"Stewart's story has been well told in Gillian
Bickley's biography of him, The Golden Needle (1997). Gillian
and her husband, Verner Bickley, have been closely involved in
education in Hong Kong (and elsewhere) for any years. That is no doubt
why they first set out to research the history of the man who was
styled the "Founder of Hong Kong Government Education". But Stewart
was an elusive target.
"The Bickleys began their investigations into
Stewart's life and times in 1987. These lasted long and involved
extensive exploration of museums, archives and libraries in Hong Kong,
Scotland and England. But this "Searching for Frederick", which Verner
Bickley describes in the following pages, is no dry-as-dust tale. It
is partly autobiography, recounting Verner's and Gillian's adventures
as they travelled widely in the quest for Stewart. They met some
fascinating and amusing people as they journeyed through the present
in search of the past. They certainly built up a comprehensive
knowledge of restaurants, cafes, pubs and tea-houses, all recounted
here in mouth-watering detail!
"Searching for Frederick is also a guide to
archives, record offices, societies and other repositories in
Edinburgh, Aberdeen, London and Hong Kong. It explains how to use
these resources to conduct historical and biographical research; and
it is packed with helpful detail about just where to find and how to
contact the relevant institutions.
"Verner Bickley writes in a mostly light-hearted
vein, with a gentle humour, whether about the loss of a much-loved
pair of cotton socks or his "wig". (I should make it clear that
Verner's hair is his own). The book is peopled with astrologers,
landladies, hoteliers and others, and takes the reader on a trail
after Stewart, with many diversions including the Knights Templar,
Culloden, whisky distilleries, "Seven Deadly Sin Cocktails" and advice
never to "whistle in a stone frigate".
"The book is written with affection. Clearly, as they
pursued their travels and researches, Gillian and Verner Bickley came
to admire Frederick Stewart and his achievements, and rightly so.
Searching for Frederick will appeal to those with a sense of
history and for language. And some Scots may, like me, find it also
introduces them to previously unknown highways and byways north of the
Border as they follow the Bickleys in their search."
Sir James Hodge
British Consul General,
Hong Kong
August 2001
Readers Comments
Extract
Copyright © Verner
Bickley
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