Brother Alphonsus was born on the 9th January 1930 in Co. Wexford, Ireland. After attending the local Primary school he joined the De La Salle Brothers in 1943. He followed the usual course of spiritual and academic formation before being sent to England to attend St. Mary’s Teacher Training College at Strawberry Hill, London. This course lasted from 1949 to 1951.

He was then assigned to the missions in the Far East and his first teaching experience was at St Joseph’s Institution, Singapore, from 1952 to 1957.

He was transferred to Hong Kong in August 1958 and has remained in Hong Kong ever since. His first teaching stint was at La Salle College, Kowloon where he experienced life in the temporary premises at Perth Street before moving back to the stately old school building on Boundary Street in 1959. While teaching some English and Religious Studies periods, he specialized in History and got the students to produce fine work in both La Salle and St. Joseph’s.

The call to St. Joseph’s College came in 1962. After teaching there until 1969 he was appointed Principal but had to leave the post in 1974 in order to take over the reins at De La Salle Secondary School, Fanling, in the New Territories. There he had a long reign, until 1993, and he loved the school, the people and the countryside.

Although he had left St. Joseph’s he continued as Supervisor of St. Joseph’s Primary School, this time with an even longer reign, from 1969 to 2012.

In between all this, he took care of the St. Joseph’s College Kindergarten, from 1974 to 2012 and he was also appointed Auxiliary Visitor of the Brothers in Hong Kong and had to attend a number of meetings overseas. Despite all these responsibilities, he kept a pleasant and sanguine temperament.

One old boy recalls the words of his father:
“My father told me that during his school days in St. Joseph’s, of all the Brothers whom he knew, Brother Alphonsus was closest to him. He was his Form Master for both his lower 6 and upper 6 classes. Besides being the best teacher and Form Master, he was also a great friend and a mentor who is extremely understanding and approachable. However, my father said that Brother Alphonsus would probably not be the strictest Principal because he has too much sympathy and understanding for his students. Therefore, to many naughty and mischievous students, he was not tough at all because he would not readily punish them. Those students often took advantage of the soft side of his personality.”

There is no doubt that Brother Alphonsus believes strongly in the dictum that a spoonful of honey is worth more than a barrel of vinegar.

At the time of writing in May 2015, Brother Alphonsus has passed his 85th birthday and is retired at St. Joseph’s College where he is receiving good, daily care.