Angus Mak Ho-hon (right)

Senior Technical Officer,
Facilities Management Office
Arborist

Vane Mok Yin-man (left)

Office Attendant,
Facilities Management Office
Gardener

“We hope the greenery brings joy to the campus.”

Angus Mak Ho-hon is a certified arborist and head of the Landscapes Services Unit (LSU) of the Facilities Management Office of CityUHK. He is responsible for the horticultural work and management of more than 2,000 trees and plants on the campus and also took on the responsibility of promoting tree preservation on the campus this year to enhance environmental awareness among the CityUHK community.

Vane Mok Yin-man is also a member of the LSU. After working as a Library Assistant in the CityUHK Library for more than 20 years, Vane joined the LSU a year ago to help with the campus greening and to inherit her father's knowledge and skills in gardening.

They often walk around the campus to check the health and conditions of the trees. Angus sometimes arranges for tree pruning and removal if necessary, as part of campus landscaping and to ensure that trees do not fall or cause any safety issues.

In 2023, Angus won the Gold Award (Organisation/Enterprise-Foreman) in the 14th Hong Kong Outstanding Occupational Safety and Health Employees Award, in recognition of his commitment to the safety and health of his staff at work. For example, he conducts a risk assessment prior to every pruning to ensure the safety of his colleagues and contractors’ staff. He also designed an automatic irrigation system in order to shorten the outdoor working hours of the gardeners.

Vane is impressed by the LSU’s success story of saving the banyan trees on the campus from an insect, Phauda flammans, through Integrated Pest Management. She had to inspect the trees every day and remove the pests one by one until the trees were eventually restored to good health.

Vane said that she has developed a special connection with plants since joining the LSU. While appreciating the plants, she also worries about their health. The positive feedback from her colleagues and students about the campus garden and flowers brings her a profound sense of satisfaction.

Committed to the promotion of campus greening, they sometimes organise tree-planting activities and guided tours of the Chinese Garden on campus, and they also set up QR code labels for the plants. By scanning the QR codes, the CityUHK community can learn more about the plants, such as their botanical names, pictures, place of origin, and flowering and fruiting periods. They aim to promote understanding of the campus greenery among the CityUHK community, to inspire teachers and students to get closer to nature, and to foster collaboration for a sustainable future.

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