Post by NZBC on Jun 4, 2013 21:59:26 GMT 12
Queen’s Birthday Honours......Queen’s Service Medal (QS
M)
The Tung Jung Association is very proud to have one
of its members being recognised by the
people of New Zealand for his dedicated services to
the safety of the workers in the electricity
field.
Tom Kwok Hing Leong
梁國興
whose ancestral village is Pindi
平地
was born in Guangzhou
in March 1930. He is the youngest of 5 siblings, th
e others having all passed away. He arrived in
Wellington on the MS Wanganella, as a student refug
ee in February 1940 and was immediately
enrolled at St. Mark’s Church School by the Basin R
eserve which was very handy to his father’s
fruit shop in Moxham Ave. in Hataitai, Wellington.
There he was given the name Tom which was
much easier to pronounce than Kwok Hing. He complet
ed his primary education to Std. 6 at St. Mark’s at
the age of 14 and
was Dux of the school. He then went to Wellington T
echnical College where he took an engineering cours
e from 1945 to
1948. His mathematics teacher suggested he should s
tudy for an electrical engineering degree at the Sc
hool of Engi-
neering in Christchurch. The next three years, Tom
completed a BSc degree at Victoria University in We
llington majoring in
mathematics and physics. He then went on to the Sch
ool of Engineering in Christchurch where he complet
ed the BE
(Elect) degree.
The NZ Electricity Dept. employed Tom for 9 years t
o mid 1962. During this time, he gained experience
in the construction
of hydro electrical power stations, contract and en
gineering supervision on 220kV transmission lines,
involved with Stage
1 of the 275kV Cook Strait cable, 110kV and 33kV su
bstations and operation of a steam power station. D
uring this time, he
had made many friends and the death of one experien
ced foreman caused by neglect to follow safety stan
dards made a
lasting impression on Tom.
On 13 April 1965 four people were killed and five s
uffer serious burns in Wairarapa’s worst industrial
accident, when dust
explosions caused a fire at the General Plastics fa
ctory situated in Queen St. Masterton. The 7000 squ
are foot button plant
crumpled ‘like a deck of cards’ and windows shatter
ed hundreds of yards away. Fortunately, most of the
70-80 staff were in
the canteen when it happened.
Following this fatal accident, Tom took particular
interest in electrical equipment in hazardous areas
(now referred to as
explosive atmospheres) and all electrical installat
ions
.
The next thirty years, Tom was employed by the Wair
arapa Electric Power Board (WEPB) where he held the
positions of
Chief Electrical Inspector, Supply Engineer, Chief
Engineer and Deputy GM. Again, during his term ther
e, Tom saw sev-
eral accidents where there were deaths that could h
ave been prevented and one that Tom knew well.. He
prepared
maintenance schedules for all WEPB lines and equipm
ent and also to installations maintained by them.
In 1964, Tom started an electrical safety group for
the staff at WEPB which led to promoting electrica
l safety programmes
to the general public. In the 1970’s, Tom was the E
lectrical Supply Engineers Institute’s representati
ve on the electrical
section of the National Safety Association where he
served 9 years and thereafter served 4 years on th
e Electrical section
of the ACC. After implementing the safety procedure
s at WEPB, Tom has fond memories that there were no
serious
electrical accidents to any staff either at work or
at home in the 30 years that he worked there.
Tom retired from the WEPB in 1992 and that year he
received the Rotary 75
th
Anniversary Paul Harris Fellow Award.
From 1993 to now, Tom has provided services through
his consulting practice under TL & Associates spec
ialising in
electrical supply systems and installations.
He is a foundation member of Electrical Safety Orga
nisation Inc. (ESO), a non-profit organisation prov
iding training and
mentoring to its members who can get free technical
support for installation problems. The ESO does no
t interpret Elec-
tricity Regulations for its members which is the re
sponsibility of the Ministry of Social Development.
In 2005, the annual Tom Leong Electrical Safety Mer
itorious Service Award was promoted by the ESO of w
hich Tom is
currently president. Tom has been a member of Stand
ards NZ since 1968 and is still involved in Electri
cal Installation and
Electrical Equipment in Explosive Atmospheres commi
ttees. In 2003, he received one of the SNZ Meritori ous Service Awards.
His qualifications are: FIPENZ, CPEng (NZ), IntPE (NZ), FIET (UK), CEng (UK), Registered Electrical Inspector (NZ).
The Tung Jung Association congratulates Tom on his achievement on electrical safety to the people of New Zealand
.http://www.tungjung.org.nz/images/stories/newsletters/2011/Spring_issue_2011_pdf.pdf
M)
The Tung Jung Association is very proud to have one
of its members being recognised by the
people of New Zealand for his dedicated services to
the safety of the workers in the electricity
field.
Tom Kwok Hing Leong
梁國興
whose ancestral village is Pindi
平地
was born in Guangzhou
in March 1930. He is the youngest of 5 siblings, th
e others having all passed away. He arrived in
Wellington on the MS Wanganella, as a student refug
ee in February 1940 and was immediately
enrolled at St. Mark’s Church School by the Basin R
eserve which was very handy to his father’s
fruit shop in Moxham Ave. in Hataitai, Wellington.
There he was given the name Tom which was
much easier to pronounce than Kwok Hing. He complet
ed his primary education to Std. 6 at St. Mark’s at
the age of 14 and
was Dux of the school. He then went to Wellington T
echnical College where he took an engineering cours
e from 1945 to
1948. His mathematics teacher suggested he should s
tudy for an electrical engineering degree at the Sc
hool of Engi-
neering in Christchurch. The next three years, Tom
completed a BSc degree at Victoria University in We
llington majoring in
mathematics and physics. He then went on to the Sch
ool of Engineering in Christchurch where he complet
ed the BE
(Elect) degree.
The NZ Electricity Dept. employed Tom for 9 years t
o mid 1962. During this time, he gained experience
in the construction
of hydro electrical power stations, contract and en
gineering supervision on 220kV transmission lines,
involved with Stage
1 of the 275kV Cook Strait cable, 110kV and 33kV su
bstations and operation of a steam power station. D
uring this time, he
had made many friends and the death of one experien
ced foreman caused by neglect to follow safety stan
dards made a
lasting impression on Tom.
On 13 April 1965 four people were killed and five s
uffer serious burns in Wairarapa’s worst industrial
accident, when dust
explosions caused a fire at the General Plastics fa
ctory situated in Queen St. Masterton. The 7000 squ
are foot button plant
crumpled ‘like a deck of cards’ and windows shatter
ed hundreds of yards away. Fortunately, most of the
70-80 staff were in
the canteen when it happened.
Following this fatal accident, Tom took particular
interest in electrical equipment in hazardous areas
(now referred to as
explosive atmospheres) and all electrical installat
ions
.
The next thirty years, Tom was employed by the Wair
arapa Electric Power Board (WEPB) where he held the
positions of
Chief Electrical Inspector, Supply Engineer, Chief
Engineer and Deputy GM. Again, during his term ther
e, Tom saw sev-
eral accidents where there were deaths that could h
ave been prevented and one that Tom knew well.. He
prepared
maintenance schedules for all WEPB lines and equipm
ent and also to installations maintained by them.
In 1964, Tom started an electrical safety group for
the staff at WEPB which led to promoting electrica
l safety programmes
to the general public. In the 1970’s, Tom was the E
lectrical Supply Engineers Institute’s representati
ve on the electrical
section of the National Safety Association where he
served 9 years and thereafter served 4 years on th
e Electrical section
of the ACC. After implementing the safety procedure
s at WEPB, Tom has fond memories that there were no
serious
electrical accidents to any staff either at work or
at home in the 30 years that he worked there.
Tom retired from the WEPB in 1992 and that year he
received the Rotary 75
th
Anniversary Paul Harris Fellow Award.
From 1993 to now, Tom has provided services through
his consulting practice under TL & Associates spec
ialising in
electrical supply systems and installations.
He is a foundation member of Electrical Safety Orga
nisation Inc. (ESO), a non-profit organisation prov
iding training and
mentoring to its members who can get free technical
support for installation problems. The ESO does no
t interpret Elec-
tricity Regulations for its members which is the re
sponsibility of the Ministry of Social Development.
In 2005, the annual Tom Leong Electrical Safety Mer
itorious Service Award was promoted by the ESO of w
hich Tom is
currently president. Tom has been a member of Stand
ards NZ since 1968 and is still involved in Electri
cal Installation and
Electrical Equipment in Explosive Atmospheres commi
ttees. In 2003, he received one of the SNZ Meritori ous Service Awards.
His qualifications are: FIPENZ, CPEng (NZ), IntPE (NZ), FIET (UK), CEng (UK), Registered Electrical Inspector (NZ).
The Tung Jung Association congratulates Tom on his achievement on electrical safety to the people of New Zealand
.http://www.tungjung.org.nz/images/stories/newsletters/2011/Spring_issue_2011_pdf.pdf