Working at this school in 1973 was Dave Tredrea, an ex-Samaritan from the United Kingdom, who was pivotal in shaping the local suicide prevention activities similar to that of his home country.
By the late 1970s, there was a growing number of English-speaking expatriates joining the Samaritans Hong Kong to become volunteers so that it was able to strengthen their service to the non-Chinese speaking callers.
The original branch, now known as The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, continued to devote their energy to the Chinese speaking community.
The organisation hosted an international conference in April 1991 on the helping skills in suicide prevention, which was attended by fellow Samaritans throughout the world.
Consequently, in 1998, the organisation started a project, in collaboration with Kely Support Group and the Outward Bound Hong Kong, known as the SKO Project, to train senior students from secondary schools to be aware of suicide risks in their peers and in the community at large, the skills needed to recognise the danger signs and how to respond to them, as well as life coping skills.
The PBS aims to provide a safe, confidential environment, in which bereaved people can share their experiences and feelings, thus giving and gaining support from each other.
The 110+ volunteers elect a board of directors to oversee finance and fundraising, and a chief executive to be responsible for the general operation of the organisation.
There are seven paid staff at the Samaritans Hong Kong to assist the volunteers in administrative and fundraising and publicity matters.