Welcome to the web site of The Lighthouse Club in Hong Kong.

Please look around our web site and check back for regular updates on our activities.

If you are not a member of the club and wish to join, please check the 'Application' section of this site or call one of our committee members. The contact details are on our 'Contact Us' page.

What is The Lighthouse Club?

"Why is it called The Lighthouse Club?", someone asked the other day, "Does it help old men in lighthouses scattered across lonely cliff-tops throughout the world?" Well, for the uninitiated perhaps, but in reality, no.

In essence, The Lighthouse Club is a non-political organisation that raises money, through social activities, to assist less fortunate persons who are associated with the construction industry.

A brief history of The Lighthouse Club

There is, near Whitley Bay in England, a lighthouse - Saint Mary's Lighthouse. How it came to be the emblem of a worldwide non-political club for people involved in the construction industry, is one of those stories which is passed down by word of mouth, and which evolves because of (or despite) a few beers. Perhaps it has been embellished down the years, as many good stories are, but regardless of fiction or fable, The Lighthouse Club has become its own legend.

The Club has its origins in Newcastle in England, where in 1956 a group of exhibitors got together for a drink at the Rex Hotel after a construction exhibition. A certain Eddie Ward decided it would be a good idea to form a club, which would meet regularly between exhibitions, to continue the goodwill and co-operation enjoyed during the exhibition. The club was named after Saint Mary's Lighthouse clearly visible from the Rex Hotel. (Sadly, Eddie Ward died in 1993. Each year the Hong Kong Branch holds a dinner in honour of Eddie Ward, usually during July.)

The Lighthouse Club chose as its motto the Latin expression “Aliis cum Humanitate”, which translates as “Consideration for Others”. With this in mind a Benevolent Fund was formed in the early 1960s whose objective is to give financial help to the victims of accident and illness within the industry and to dependants after a fatal accident. The objectives of the Club are non-political.

The Club has grown from a small clutch of members to envelope branches not only in the UK, but also in South East Asia, Europe and South Africa. In this region there are branches in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. The possibility of forming new branches in Mainland China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Australia is also being pursued and it is estimated that The Lighthouse Club has grown from its modest Whitley Bay beginnings to encompass a membership of approximately 10,000.

The Hong Kong Branch was the first branch in this region and was established in 1986.

Since the inception of the Club, the principal aim has been to promote good fellowship and cooperation amongst members, most of whom are involved in the construction industry, in one way or another. Such esprit de corps should be observed in any respect, wherever and whenever possible, according to the Club's essential dictum.

The second, equally important objective, is the continuing development of the Benevolent Fund. In developing countries, where healthcare is often beyond the means of lowly paid workers, the Benevolent Fund is particularly pertinent. To date, in the region of five million pounds (US$8 million) has been paid to beneficiaries of the Lighthouse Club Benevolent Fund.

In countries where local culture or alternative healthcare make it less necessary for such assistance, the Club addresses other issues such as education for workers within the industry, or related education for their children. As an example, the Lighthouse Club James Battersby Educational Trust has been set up to provide help for young people connected with the construction industry.

With The Lighthouse Club's beacon of light shining brightly in so many different countries it will continue to go from strength to strength in the coming years. If Eddie Ward is watching us now, he surely will be smiling.