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MACAU, SEPTEMBER 16, 1945 VOL. 1 NO. 19 HIGH TRADITION OF THE CONSULAR SERVICE MAINTAINED BY MR. J. P. REEVES Unceasing Labour for the Welfare of Refugees Will Not Be Forgotten Among the great services which millions of persons turn to in times of stress is that known as the British Consular Service. In an Empire covering a great part of the land mass of the world, with commercial and social relations in every other country, it is necessary that the representatives of His Britannic Majesty should be individuals possessing special qualifications in a very pronounced degree. Of all the members of this Service during the War just ended, it is more than likely that few of his colleagues were called upon to face such problems as John Pownall Reeves, the genial British Consul in Macau. Few have tackled those problems with such enthusiasm and with so much interest in the welfare of those who looked to him for guidance and help. Due to his efforts many women and children are alive today, and in the summing up of the success attending his efforts it will be seen that Mr. Reeves served his King and his fellow men far more than the mere letter of his instructions might have dictated. For this reason, the British have reason to be proud of their Consul who held this office in Macau during the difficult years that have just ended. Hazardous Years Looking back on those years, the most hazardous through which Macau has passed, it is indeed gratifying that the British should have, as Consul here, a man who rose to the occasion. It can indeed be stated that there was in Appendix 7 Appendix 7 156 Macau a representative of Great Britain who knew how to maintain, with dignity and resource, the prestige of the British while he labored unceasingly under the most trying conditions for the welfare of those who came seeking his help. Sympathy for his fellows, farsightedness in planning for dark and difficult days, dynamic in encouraging others to do their little bit for the community as well as for the common cause, resourceful in meeting ticklish situations, a good sportsman in every sense of the word, cut off from his fellow countrymen and standing alone as it were in the midst of a disintegrating world, he held the British flag to the mast in this little neutral Portuguese Colony, a symbol of courage and fortitude for all men to see. Tower of Strength Looking back on those dismal days when the whole world seemed crumbling , when the Prince of Wales and the Renown [sic] went down, when Hongkong fell on the sad Christmas day, when Singapore fell, when Allies were driven from the East Indies, and the Japanese were at the very door of Australia, he stood like a tower of strength inspiring his fellow countrymen as well as Portuguese and other friends who never wavered in their confidence as to the final outcome of the struggle. Mr. Reeves has come to fill a place therefore in the history of Macau during the War, and all the activities which were created around the British refugees, who sought shelter in Macau and were generously admitted by Governor Teixeira, owe much to Mr. Reeves. Relief work was one of the principal contributions made by Mr. Reeves to the cause of the suffering human beings and its state that through the enormous remittances which he applied for and secured from the British Government a substantial contribution was made by him to the economic life of Macau. The total number of those drawing British relief in Macau exceeded 9,000 persons. Connected with the work of relief there was the additional service of the medical office, with Hongkong doctors engaged to carry out their duties among their Hongkong fellows. For this Mr. Reeves expended large sums and spared himself not at all to achieve the best possible results with the material available. Free School A free school for the poorer children, a milk supply for needy children as long as it was possible to maintain this service, cheap rice when prices in the local market rose to exorbitant rates, were a few of the most obvious of the services which Mr. Reeves established in Macau. All residents will recall the great efforts to secure funds for local charities . In this Mr. Reeves, enthusiastically seconded by Mrs. Reeves, contributed much to the good cause of charity in Macau. Nor was Mr. Reeves...

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