Conor O'Clery attended an emotional farewell ceremony which was capped, in true British fashion, with a tropical rain storm and heavy downpour
AS if in keeping with destiny, the heavens opened and a tropical rain storm descended on the British farewell ceremony in Hong Kong yesterday evening, just as the Prince of Wales was rising to his feet to deliver Queen Elizabeth's goodbye message to the people.
The downpour was so heavy that the message was almost inaudible to the thousands of people huddling under giveaway blue and yellow umbrellas in stands erected beside the mooring dock of the royal yacht, Britannia.
Only snatches of the prince's speech could be heard over the torrent of water falling from the skies. "Hong Kong has grown from a small coastal settlement. . . one of the leading cities of the world . . . Britain proud and privileged to have been involved with this success story. . ." filtered through to the assembled throng.
"But Britain is not saying goodbye to Hong Kong," the heir to the British throne said impassively as the rain fell around him. "We are part of each others future, the ties between us will endure. I wish you all a successful transition and a prosperous and peaceful future."
The hour-long ceremony was watched by a stand full of British VIPs, including the outgoing governor, Mr Chris Patten, and his wife, Lavender; the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair; the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook; the former British prime minister, Baroness Thatcher (with her husband, Denis, holding an umbrella over her head); the new leader of the Conservative Party, Mr William Hague; and the former prime minister, Sir Edward Heath.
The new Hong Kong chief executive, Mr Tung Chee-hwa, did not attend, nor did any leading Chinese officials, whom Mr Patten has been lecturing all week on how to run Hong Kong. Mr Tung was "otherwise engaged" with meeting the Chinese President, Mr Jiang Zemin, and the Prime Minister, Mr Li Peng, who had just flown in from Beijing.
The display of British marching and music started with a crash of gunfire as the HMS Chatham docked just 100 yards away and fired a 17 gun salute, filling Victoria Harbour with clouds of gr9y smoke. It finished with a dramatic fireworks display as six tonnes of explosives were loosed from two barges just offshore.
But the most poignant moment for the ranks of departing British came with the lowering of the British flag and the Hong Kong colonial emblem, with the Union Jack in the corner, at precisely 7.45 p.m. Hong Kong time
(12.45 pm. Irish time). This was followed immediately by the playing of Auld Lang Syne. It would have been a more emotional moment, except that by now the rain was leaking from the cover of the VIP centre and everyone had to take shelter beneath umbrellas.
Senior members of the People's Liberation Army advance group watched from the windows of the Prince of Wales Barracks over-looking the parade ground which is now Chinese army property.
They saw an impeccable display despite the discomfort of 600 men from the Royal Navy, army and air force and five military bands from the Royal Marines, Scots Guards, the Highland Band of the Scottish Division, the Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch and the Pipes and Drums of the Gurkha Regiment.
But the memory which many parents in the stands will take away is of the hundreds of children running around to form an historical tableau, soaked to the skin and splashing through huge puddles of rainwater in plimsolls.
Mr Patten, who half an hour before the ceremony arrived and "checked in" at the royal yacht with three carrier bags and a garment bag, told the gathering that they "should remember the past the better to forget it". He was referring to Britain's inglorious role in seizing Hong Kong in 1841, and to the acts of various Chinese governments which caused people to flee there during this century.
Mr Patten, who was given a loud cheer as be rose to speak, said: "As the British administration ends, we are entitled to say that our own nation's contribution here was to provide the scaffolding that enabled the people of Hong Kong to climb to the heavens: the rule of law; clean and light-handed government; the values of a free society; the beginnings of representative government and democratic accountability."
"This is a Chinese city, a very Chinese city, with British characteristics," Mr Patten said. "No dependent territory has been left more prosperous, none with such a rich texture and fabric of civil society, professions, churches, newspapers, charities, civil servants of the highest probity and the most steadfast commitment to the public good."
He ended by paying generous tribute to his successor, wishing him "the very best of luck", and expressing the confidence that Mr Tung and his wife, Betty, would "serve Hong Kong with dedication and stout hearts".