分域碼頭接待員

FENWICK PIER RECEPTIONIST

Molly

Wan Chai (灣仔)

9:00 - 17:00

“I started working as a receptionist at the Fenwick Pier 42 years ago, since the seventies. The big ships from the US would sail in carrying thousands of sailors and they would all congregate here. During the busiest periods, we would have 7,000 sailors in the building! My job was to help them with hotel bookings, information, recommendations, directions - anything to make their stay a bit more comfortable. Those days were always so hectic, I had no time to rest or sit down. And I had to answer the same questions over and over again - ‘Where can I change money?’ or ‘How can I get a SIM card?’. These big guys, the sailors, would have been on board for months and were always so hungry for some good food and a drink. They also just wanted to let loose, go crazy and have some fun. So sometimes I would take the boys out for local dim sum. We ordered Char Siu Bao, Siu Mai, Har Gau - in big American portions. They asked for beers instead of tea, and they would get ketchup to go with their dim sum!”

「我42年前嚟分域碼頭呢度做接待員，即係70年代嗰陣。以前啲大船會喺美國度駛過嚟，帶住幾千個水手，佢哋就會聚集晒喺呢度。最高𡶶嗰陣，我哋會有7,000個船員喺呢度！我嘅工作係要幫佢哋訂酒店、解答佢哋嘅問題、推介啲地方俾佢哋同埋俾佢哋問路，總之令佢哋喺度嘅時間過得舒服啲。嗰陣時好忙㗎，冇時間唞或者坐低。我要重重複複咁答啲問題，『邊度有得唱錢呀？』『邊度有得買電話卡呀？』呢啲大隻佬，啲船員，嗰時已經喺船上面過咗幾個月，個個都想食返啲好嘢同埋飲杯好嘢。佢哋淨係想放鬆吓，癲下, 玩吓咁。所以有時我會帶佢哋出去食點心。我哋會嗌叉燒包呀、燒賣、蝦餃咁，當然係美國人嘅份量啦。佢哋唔飲茶，會嗌啤酒，同埋佢哋食點心會點茄汁㗎！」

“Before this job, I worked in airline ticketing and then dabbled a bit in real estate. And then I saw a job advertisement in the SCMP for a receptionist at the Pier who could speak and write good English, and I decided to give it a try. Over the decades I’ve made some great friends - I call them my ‘boyfriends’! One of the commanders even sent their son to come and visit me. They send me Christmas cards and pictures of their kids and grandkids. I’ve always enjoyed my job because I love to meet and talk to people - it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, working or retired. It’s been so much fun working here, the sailors were rowdy and would always joke around with me: “Do you want a Green Card, Molly? I have one, maybe you can come home with me!”. I’m originally from Singapore, but moved here because I married a man from Hong Kong. When I first moved to the city I felt like people were walking so quickly and I was always so slow; everyone in Hong Kong seemed to be in a hurry. But I’ve grown to really love the city, I’ve made some amazing memories here.”

“After forty plus years of busyness, we’ve had no ships come in for three years. The last one to visit was the Blue Ridge from the States back in 2019. So now they are shutting the Pier and I’ll be retiring and taking a break, like some of the other old-timers who have been working in this building. How will I be filling my time? You got a job for me? Hopefully I’ll be playing more Mahjong, doing more shopping and eating. When we can travel easily again I’d love to go back to Singapore to visit my son and 9-month old grandson. The Fenwick Pier has become my second home, and I’ll miss it dearly when it's gone. But I’ll tell you what I’ll miss the most - my ‘boyfriends’!”

「做呢份工之前，我喺航空公司嘅售票處做過，又做過一陣房地產。之後我見到南華早報有個招聘廣告請碼頭接待員，要識講同埋寫英文，咁我就決定試吓。經過咁多年我識到好多好朋友，我叫佢哋做我嘅『男朋友』！其中一個海員仲叫過佢個仔嚟探我。佢哋會寄聖誕卡同埋佢哋啲仔女呀孫仔孫女嘅相俾我。我一路都好享受呢份工，因為我鍾意識新朋友同埋同人講嘢，無論你係後生定老嘅，做緊嘢定係退咗休都冇問題。喺度做嘢好過癮㗎，啲水手口花花，有時會同我講笑咁講：『你想唔想要張綠卡啊,Molly？我有啊，不如你跟我返屋企！』我係新加坡人，但係搬咗嚟香港，因為我嫁咗俾個香港人。第一次搬嚟呢個城市嗰陣，我覺得啲人行得好快，我自己好似好慢咁，香港呢度個個都好似好趕時間咁。但係我慢慢就愛上咗呢個城市，喺度有好多美好嘅回憶。」

「做咗四十幾年，呢度最近三年已經冇船再泊岸喇。最後一艘泊岸嘅船係2019年嘅藍嶺號。所以而家個碼頭要拆喇，我就會退休唞吓，好似其他喺度做咗好耐嘅店主咁囉。我會點樣過日辰？你有冇工介紹俾我呀？希望我有得打多啲麻雀，行街買嘢同埋食嘢囉。等到我哋可以再出國嗰陣，我想返新加坡探我個仔同埋九個月大嘅孫仔。分域碼頭呢度已經係我第二個家喇，佢拆咗之後我會好掛住佢。不過我話你聽我會最掛住係咩吖，就係我啲『男朋友』喇！」