"40% of Hong Kong is country park so it is quite surprising that you didn't find any of it, particularly if you lived in DB where all you have to do is walk out of your door and onto some beautiful hills."
Yes there are "hills" as you say in DB. If hiking around hills and goat trails in 35 C temperatures and 99% humidity is your bag it is great for that. The mountain biking is good as well.
However if your pastimes include more than walking in the woods or less than pounding the dirt on a mountain bike one will have to look elsewhere...
"And for things like kids' playgrounds (swings, slides, climbing frames etc.)"
Yes there are several children's play area's, but nothing for the older child. Pre-teens are pretty much forgotten. The pre-teens were lobbying all the while we were there for a skateboard park and were re-buffed at every turn.
With all the greenery and grass area in DB one would think that it would be an oasis of recreation. That would be an illusion... Try going onto the grass for a game of touch football, baseball or to throw a frisbee. The local "security guards" will chase you off the grass. The rent a cops sole purpose seems to be that of the "fun police"...
"In my 33 years in Hong Kong, I had five kids in Hong Kong ESF schools, from primary to high school levels. I found the standards very good although expensive but the education allowance took care of that."
33 years would indicate that you are an "A" scaler. I'm afraid that the education allowance has changed several times with each successive change to the C.O.S. Debentures are not covered, and need to be purchased in many cases to ensure a place for your child. Extracurricular activities that children enjoy in their home country's (at reasonable cost) would not be covered either.
"Not all of Hong Kong is high-rise and wall to wall people. There are some very beautiful areas like the country parks and walking trails and if you are into boating, Hong Kong is hard to beat."
The boating is nice and after going out on the Cathay Yacht and the Junk I enquired about getting a licence for boating. I found the red tape to be damn near insurmountable. I did not wish to write the Performance "A" again just to splash around on the days off...
"Admittedly, pollution is much worse these days. It is now five years since I retired but I still miss the place and visit regularly."
The pollution was a constant worry when we were there. When I left the flat for an early morning report one could see the worker's cleaning the beach at dawn in DB so that the residents did not wake up to see the jetsam and flotsam that covers the sand every morning. On more than one occasion the limb of an unfortuate would wash up on the beach.
With much work the beaches in DB were quite nice, but I would not dare to swim in the water...