The Acting Chief Executive, Mr Henry Tang, commended and congratulated the winning departments and teams for their commitment to service excellence, keeping Hong Kong as a city of quality life, when officiating at the prize presentation ceremony of the 2009 Civil Service Outstanding Service Award Scheme on 29 September 2009. Government Flying Service won the Champion of the Team Award - Specialised Service Award.
In his address, Mr Tang spoke highly of the outstanding achievements of the winning departments and teams. He quoted two cases of exemplary service, including the project of intercepting drains at the Queen's Road Central and the Sichuan disaster relief operation in 2008, which amply demonstrated the pursuit of excellence and people-based culture of the civil service.
The Champion's commendable features: The GFS responded promptly after the 12 May Sichuan Devastating Earthquake had occurred. In their first-time venture into unfamiliar, far-flung regions for rescue missions, the crew fully proved their team spirit and determination. Constantly faced by great risks, the flying crews and the engineering support personnel overcame the ever-changing conditions of the quake-stricken areas and succeeded in accomplishing their rescue missions.