Schooling in Town.

Tapah

In 1960, I was upgraded from Primary to Lower Secondary. I was admitted to the school Hostel, maily meant for rural Malay students. Since my residential address was a kampong, therefore I was eligible. From now on, my life was dictated by the sound of bells and Hostel Rules. The morning started with breakfast and roll call. After the normal school hours, it was lunch time. At 2 in the afternoon, all had to assemble in the Prep Hall. Once forth night, I could go to the Library and would be excused attending prep, if I had to attend to co curriculum activities. We were supervised by the Hostel Prefects. Some were strict and some were accomodating. At 4.30 pm it was tea time, tea and 2 pieces of cream cracker biscuits. After that we were free till 7.30 pm where dinner would be served. During the evening session, some of us would go to the playing field or just doing their own chores. I usually prefered the field, kicking the ball around. When it rain, it would be more fun. No parental control, all to ourselves. After dinner, between 8 pm to 10 pm, we were back in the prep hall. We did not have television, then. Once in a while the Hostel Master or the Headmaster would make a surprise appearance. Only once a month, during weekend we were allowed to go back home to meet our parents or guardians. There was no night out except on special occasions during Merdeka night or cultural shows in town. On saturday and sunday morning, after breakfast, we had to do gardening or spring clean the Hostel. For three years, I had to strictly adapt to this regimental life.

Schooling - I was in the A class from Form 1 to 2. However, in Form 3, I was downgraded to the B class. I was rather playful when I was in Form 2A. Imagine, during the final term exam, I only scored 10/100 in my Maths paper. On the other hand, I got the highest mark in the whole of Form 2 in Geography. The Maths paper, pulled me down to the next 40 best students. My Form 2A classmate, my best buddy, Leong Peng Yoon came along with me to Form 3B. Whatever, I recovered during the Lower Certificate Exam (LCE) and got a credit for my Maths.

Looking back, it was the right decision for me to stay in the Hostel. Right from a young age, I experienced independence, make my own decisions and to be resilient to all outcome. It was useful and normal for me when I went through my life.

I have Hostel mates of different characters and social backgrounds. I learned to understand people. Some were friendly and cooperative and some were otherwise. Some like to play prank on me while I was no better. That was part of growing up. Further in life, this Hostel produced, to name a few, a Brigadier General, Chief Executive Officer, Lawyers, School Headmasters, Senior Ministry Officials and prominent Businessmen. Few were confered with Datukship.

I left this good old school and town of Tapah in early 1963 to pursue another educational institution.


Georgetown, Penang.

After LCE, I applied for a place in Technical Institute Penang. There were only two Technical Institutes in Malaya then, one in Kuala Lumpur and the other, the pioneer in Penang. Minimum qualification was at least a credit rating in Maths and Science. It was unfortunate, during this time, the Malayan Railway was on strike and all mails throughout Malaya were delayed. The reply from Technical Institute was not forth coming and I was stuck in Form 4 of the former school. Three days after the new term, my buddy, Leong Peng Yoon came running that his reply was positive. I took leave for home from the Hostel Master to check for my reply. True enough, I too was accepted. I packed all my belongings in the Hostel, bade farewell to all my Hostel mates and off I went to Penang. I was allocated to three year course in Civil Engineering class. The subjects to be covered were mostly technical and science. I had to undergo practical training on bricklaying, carpentry and field survey. Again, I was placed in the Hostel. This time, the Hostel was different, it was inter racial. I had Chinese and Indians as my dorm mate compared to the previous Hostel where it was only my countryman.

Now, I was in Upper Secondary, in technical school and to undergo three years of education before I sat for my senior Cambridge Exam. Life in this school was not the same as any ordinary school. I did not have exercise books anymore. All notes were written on foolscap paper and filed. School sessions divided into two, in the morning and afternoon. Prep session was only at night. On Sunday, we were allowed a free day and could go to the city for own business or leisure. I still got to adhere to standard Hostel Rules and routine, lights out at 11 pm, bedding neat and tidy, attendance during prep and minimised noise pollution. After the afternoon session, all students should be seen on the field. The Principal, Mr. Oh Boon Tat was at that time, the President of the Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union. This man was so strict that students came out from this school who did not taste his cane, life in the school was incomplete. I tasted the best of four from him for being absent during carpentry practical class. He did not want to hear my explaination that I had completed my project. He was a sadist with the cane. The best part, he asked the victim to choose the cane. During my first year, the whole students in the Hostel block was caned. Reason - few smart Alex disturbed a girl student and the whole dormitory was penalised, except the Block Prefect. I was rather fortunate that a day before the incident, I was transfered out to another Block. He was a disciplinarian and some students were even scared of his shadow. Through his guidance or perhaps we were so afraid of him, the school excelled in rugby, hockey and soccer. In Penang, we were the best in sport. I managed to get into the 2nd. 4 x 100 relay team.

My batch of 1963 was the most colourful batch. There were 150 of us, 14 Malays and the rest were Chinese, Indians and Others. We had 3 prominent Singh and 1 Eurasian. One of the Malay students succumbed to his acute appenditices. Late Ismail Harun, collapsed in front of me during the first term exam. The first week, we had the "Black Panther" that raided the canteen at night. During our Final Year, some of us experimented that with an addition of acid into a Teacher's petrol tank, could make the car went faster. Unfortunately, the Mad Scientist was caught and he broke the school history. The first public caning and other Scientists and sympathisers donated money to repair the damage done. Few were expelled from the Hostel for constantly violating Hostel Rules. Mr. Thong Chin and later Cikgu Ahmad daud, the Hostel Master had their hands full, handling this 1963 batch. Even Mr. Thong Chin's dog was so immuned with our smell that it refused to bark when we sneaked out at night.

Late 1965, the Doomsday arrived, the Senior Cambridge Exam. I was burning the midnight candle, cramming the three years into several nights. I got to memorise formulas and theory. I fell sick, but the show must go on. I did not wish to dissapoint my folks back home.

Completed all the papers, relieved and I had to say farewell to all my batch mates. Three years of kicking, shouting and jumping at each other. I went through the three years with all sorts of shortcomings. Whatever, there were plenty that I learned. This school bred inter racial, sportmanship and comradeship. I learned to tolerate and understand other races. Most of my friends excelled in their own fields, majority are successful Engineers. some became well trained Fighter Pilots and Helicopter Pilots. My buddy, Leong Peng Yoon became a successful Automobile Engineer. Paul Chong went into Real Estate business. Jamil Ariff who later represented Malaysia in hockey is now a Tai Chi Master. Leong Koon Choy, went into journalism. Ramli Dawi, was on the same flight with me performing the Haj in 1999. The Black Panther now own several fleets of Helicopters and several chain of Supermarkets. When my mother in law passed away, I was grateful to the Black Panther for airlifting my brother in law from the off shore storage tanker to the mainland. Lingamuthu is a Consultant in a prominent Enginnering Company. Nordin Saad retired as the Director General of the Department of Civil Aviation. Lau Bik heng, the hockey fullback operate his own outlet at Bentong. Saruji Din an Eletronic Engineer happily married to a German and now residing in Germany. Chet Yew the badminton player, retired Engineer from Felda, now residing in Goh Tong Village at Genting. Ramasamy, the Mechanical Engineer had since passed away and so too, Zayid Zakaria, the Food Technologist. I lost touched with Hamid Ahmad *, who used to spend his free time listening to Hindi songs. We were all one, and remain one.

Me? I went into the Petroleum Refining Industry and finally landed with Marketing, Distribution & Logistics in the Plantation Industry.





* Anyone knows the where about of Hamid Ahmad, please contact me. Few other colleague that I wish to know their where about are Mokhtarudin, Yusuf Basri, Ghazali Hamid and Radzi Bakar.