After an introduction by Club Legend Darrell Brown, our guest speaker, Senior Constable Andrew Cheung - Fook told us that before starting his talk, he would like us all to engage in a warm-up. “It will help sharpen your mind and ensure you feel energised for the rest of the day. Please all stand.” Andrew then, piece by piece, directed us in the steps for ‘the Haka’. An excellent and fun way to ensure he had our full attention.
Andrew is proudly half Samoan and Half Chinese. He was raised in Auckland, New Zealand and served 10 years in the NZPD before moving with his wife and children to the Gold Coast. Andrew admitted that prior to moving here he had no idea where the Gold Coast was but wanted to live by the beach, so when he found out about the GC he applied for and was accepted for a posting to our fair city.
Apart from his invaluable work at the PCYC, Andrew is also a member of a squad of dedicated Police Officers who are on 24-hour call to attend incidents that require de-escalation or involve armed offenders. This is an elite, highly trained Squad based in SE Queensland but who can be and are dispatched to any part of Queensland if needed, sometimes being away from home for weeks at a time. Andrew spoke of some instances of this (I don’t think it is appropriate to repeat this information here). He believes that alcohol is the number cause of crime, especially in some of the more remote areas of Queensland.
Andrew spoke about an addiction that he believes he suffers from, which resonated with me as I am/was also a sufferer. No, not drugs or alcohol, but Adrenalin and the rush it gives you.
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Andrew has a young family, and he spoke about how they are starting to grow up, and he feels he is missing out in their lives. His eldest son is a very talented Soccer player, and Andrew feels he needs to be at home a lot more to help guide him in his future. So he is seriously considering resigning from the squad.
Senior Constable Cheung-Fook certainly had the attention of all members and, in my humble opinion, presented one of the best, most engaging and interesting talks we have had at our club.
(Photo by Al Sirovs)