Jane Akers-Jones Explained

Jane, Lady Akers-Jones
Honorific Suffix:MBE
Birth Name:Jane Spickernell
Birth Date:8 March 1929
Birth Place:Paddington, London, England
Death Place:Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Children:2
Father:Sir Frank Todd Spickernell KBE CB CVO DSO RN (1885–1956)
Mother:Lady Amice Ivy Delves Spickernell (née Broughton) (1901–1974)
Awards:WAGGGS Bronze Medal

Jane Akers-Jones, Lady Akers-Jones, MBE (8 March 1929 – 6 October 2002) was an influential member of the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association (HKGGA) and its longest serving Chief Commissioner.

Family and personal life

Jane Akers-Jones, née Spickernell, was born in Paddington, London on 8 March 1929. She was the eldest child of Sir Frank Todd Spickernell KBE CB CVO DSO RN (1885–1956) and Lady Amice Ivy Delves Spickernell (née Broughton) (1901–1974).

She met Sir David Akers-Jones (1927–2019) whilst he was studying at Brasenose College, Oxford and she was an actress appearing with the Liverpool Playhouse. They married on 8 September 1951. They adopted two children, Simon Akers-Jones (d. 1981) and Bryony Akers-Jones. The family attended the Anglican Christ Church in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.[1]

Akers-Jones died of liver cancer at the Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, on 6 October 2002[2] aged 73. Her funeral was held at St John's Cathedral, Central, Hong Kong. Among the mourners were then Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, tycoon Li Ka-shing and film star, Jackie Chan.[3]

After her death Sir David established a special HKGGA fund in her memory, the Lady Akers-Jones Memorial Fund to support innovative programs and projects that are considered to be of particular merit.[4] HKGGA renamed a headquarter's activity room Jane’s Corner in 2006 and created the Lady Jane’s Guide Award in 2014. The Lady Jane Akers-Jones Memorial Scholarship for music was created at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.[5]

Work

Akers-Jones worked as an actress, secretary and teacher before assuming the role of ‘colonial wife’ in 1953.[6] She became a Justice of the peace in 1985, inspecting penal institutions and hospitals several times a year.[7] She typed Sir David's 2004 memoirs Feeling the Stones.[8]

Malaysia

Her first posting as a ‘colonial wife’ was to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1954[9] where David was working for the Malayan Civil Service. After Malaysia gained independence from Great Britain in 1957, rather than return to the UK, David applied to move to Hong Kong.[10]

Hong Kong

David became the District Commissioner for the New Territories from 1973 to 1985. During this period, he and Akers-Jones lived at Island House, Tai Po,[11] where they planted many ornamental species of plant, including flame trees, several banyans and the only three specimens in Hong Kong of the rare tabebuia.[12] They were the last occupants of the house before it was awarded to the World Wide Fund for Nature to become a Conservation Studies Centre.

David was made a KBE in 1985,[13] giving her the style Lady Akers-Jones. In the same year, David became Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and they moved to the Chief Secretary's official residence on Hong Kong Island.[14]

After Sir David retired, they chose to stay in Hong Kong because “we hardly know anywhere else”.[15] They bought a dilapidated house, ‘Dragon View’ in Sham Tseng, Tseung Wan, which they renovated.[16]

Girl Guides

Akers-Jones enrolled in the Girl Guides in England during WWII.[17] She joined the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association (HKGGA) in the 1960s. In the 1980s she was a member of the New Territories Regional Association.[18]

Deputy Chief Commissioner 1980–1983

As Deputy Chief Commissioner she was instrumental in “decentralising the Regional Associations and District Associations to match all government administrative districts forming a total of 21 District Associations and 4 Regional Associations. The boundaries of the Divisions and Districts were also redrawn and numerous new units, including open units and factory units, were established.”[19] She was also involved in the building of a new HKGGA headquarters in Jordan, which was opened in 1982.

Chief Commissioner 1983–1994

Akers-Jones was the longest serving Chief Commissioner in the history of HKGGA.[20] Highlights of her tenure included:

She also continually pushed for the creation of new Brownie and Guide units, to make Guiding available to more girls in the New Territories.[25]

At the end of her tenure as Chief Commissioner, she remained active as a Deputy Chief Commissioner until her death, and “helped advance the movement as Vice President.”[26]

Awards

Other

Notes and References

  1. Web site: DR. THE HONOURABLE SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES (NEW TERRITORIES) 鍾逸傑爵士 (新界) . . www.rotary3450.org . 2022-03-03.
  2. News: 2002-10-08 . South China Morning Post . Felix Chan . Lady Akers Jones, Girl Guide Stalwart, loses battle with cancer . Hong Kong.
  3. News: 2002-10-12 . South China Morning Post . Victoria Button . Friends say farewell to Lady Akers-Jones . Hong Kong.
  4. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 61 . 9789628754656.
  5. Web site: HKAPA Annual Report 2002–2003 . . www.hkapa.edu . 2022-03-03.
  6. News: 2002-10-12 . South China Morning Post . Victoria Button . Friends say farewell to Lady Akers-Jones . Hong Kong.
  7. News: 1994-05-30 . South China Morning Post . SCMP Reporter . Keep system to guard inmates' rights, say JPs . Hong Kong.
  8. News: 2004-06-13 . South China Morning Post . David Akers-Jones and Fionnuala McHugh . A solitary man . Hong Kong.
  9. Book: McKenty, Neil . 1987 . In the stillness dancing: the journey of John Main . Darton, Longman and Todd. London . 1 . 0232517096.
  10. 2020 . Christine Loh . Sir David Akers-Jones (1927–2019) . Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch . Hong Kong . Vol. 60 . Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. . 277.
  11. 2020 . Christine Loh . Sir David Akers-Jones (1927–2019) . Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch . Hong Kong . Vol. 60 . Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. . 277.
  12. News: 1997-06-13 . South China Morning Post . SCMP Reporter . Home demolition to hit Akers-Jones rare plants . Hong Kong.
  13. News: 1985-06-15 . The Daily Telegraph . Diplomatic Service and Overseas List: KBE . London . 9.
  14. Book: 2012 . . Island House: Our Cultural and Natural Heritage . WWF-HK . Hong Kong . 4.
  15. Book: Akers-Jones, David . 2004 . Feeling the Stones: Reminiscences by David Akers-Jones . Hong Kong University Press . Hong Kong . 28 . 978-962-209-655-4.
  16. Web site: DR. THE HONOURABLE SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES (NEW TERRITORIES) 鍾逸傑爵士 (新界) . . www.rotary3450.org . 2022-03-03.
  17. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 56 . 9789628754656.
  18. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 35 . 9789628754656.
  19. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 48 . 9789628754656.
  20. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 56 . 9789628754656.
  21. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 57 . 9789628754656.
  22. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 62 . 9789628754656.
  23. News: 2002-10-08 . South China Morning Post . Felix Chan . Lady Akers Jones, Girl Guide Stalwart, loses battle with cancer . Hong Kong.
  24. News: 2002-10-08 . South China Morning Post . Felix Chan . Lady Akers Jones, Girl Guide Stalwart, loses battle with cancer . Hong Kong.
  25. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 61 . 9789628754656.
  26. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 56 . 9789628754656.
  27. News: 1987-12-31 . The Daily Telegraph . MBE . London . 11.
  28. Book: Leung, Sally . 2017 . Hong Kong Girl Guides: A Century of work, action and achievement . Hong Kong Girl Guides Association . Hong Kong . 66 . 9789628754656.
  29. Web site: a Brief History of Zonta Club of the New Territories . . www.zonta-nt.org.hk . 2022-03-03.
  30. News: 1985-04-27 . Hong Kong Standard . Helen Haggie . SE Asian Migrants cause increase in TB rates. . Hong Kong . 1.
  31. Book: Welsh, Frank . 1997 . A History of Hong Kong . Harper Collins . London . xvi . 000638871X.
  32. Web site: Kindergarten Plaque . . www.ichkhly.edu.hk . 2022-03-03.

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