From Left:The Organisers - OPs Teck Wah and Weng Yin with Rashid and Mun Yue
From Left:The Early Birds - OPs Yassin,Osman,Mr Leslie Fredericks ( Guest of Honour), Ah Choy and Weng Yin
From Left: Before Lunch - OPs Hank,Hamid,Osman,Ah Choy,Gear,Sin Fah and Ronald
From Left: Farewell - Front Row - OPs Weng Yin,Ain,Teck Wah,Aji,Mun Yue,Suki & Hank
Back Row - Osman,Ah Choy, Hamid, David, Rizal,Yassin,Gurdial,Sin Fah,Cecil,Rashid & Kurien
Barely a week after our Class of ’64 reunion of April 24, 2010, OP Weng Yin called. Together with OP Teck Wah he was organizing one mainly for his science classmates. However, he said he was opening it also to those likeable 'budak boys' like me as well – thank you very much! ( fondly referred to as a 'budak boy' from the Boy's Wing before but now it is a 'putera')
I had then called up a few other likeable fellas , just to help out. There was a frenzy of emails and phone calls as usual. The total confirmed no. eventually came to about 25 of a mixed science and arts guys of Class of '64. This according to OP Weng Yin should be a manageable crowd considering the venue.
Mr Leslie Fredericks our then science teacher was traced and did us proud as the Guest of Honour. He had graciously brought along his spouse as our special guest as well.
The reunion was held at the UM Academic Staff Association Club just off Jalan Universiti in Sec. 12, P.J. on May 15, 2010. Slated for a lunch gathering between 1130 – 1500 hrs we thought time was enough. No, it was not to be!
Those who had made it a point to come just couldn’t wait. At 1130 hrs itself about half the no. were already there. Some had not set eyes on each other since 1964 ie since leaving the alma mater . They just couldn’t wait. OP Ah Choy, with his gracious wife who came all the way from S’pore, came the furthest ( he is currently a Prof at the S’pore National Univ.) OP Sin Fah down from Ipoh and OP Suki from S’ban.
Those locally, trooped in as they came, caught in the lunch-time jam that began building up at that hour. Finally, 20 managed to make it.
How did it go? It was boisterous, noisy with much laughter. There were huggings from some upon arrival ( 45 yrs can you imagine? ) The huggings were not spontaneous. They approached and eyed each other quizzically. Each gave the other a onceover. ( each trying to make out from the graying hair or with no hair from how they picture each other of yesteryears) Once when they were certain would all the huggings , shouts and laughter happen – much to each other’s delight and relief! It was hilarious.
Then the ever wonderful compact cameras kept clicking . Half a dozen cameras all the time. Everyone wanted to be in, few wanted to do the clicking. The ever helpful waiters but unskilled 'photographers' had to do it. ( that explained why some photos did not show the feet but left a lot of space above the heads ) Anyway, time just passed us on and everyone had a great time and it was a great day!
How did they make out? How did the fledging adolescents make out into adult life. The no. present was not exhaustive as there were ‘absentees’ who didn’t make it to the reunion. However, looking at the 20 who came that day, let’s see. There were:
5 doctors ( all in medicine, one in semi-retirement, others still in practice)
5 engineers ( one, a Prof in S’pore while the rest have their own outfits)
3 ex-naval officers ( one was a naval architect ,now on his own, while 2 rose to high positions in the navy where 1 was a Laksamana Pertama)
2 PhDs ( one, a Prof, an LSE alumni, currently in UKM while the other is a retired top Govt civil servant)
2 lawyers ( one, a law Prof currently in Universiti Malaya while the other is a prominent corporate lawyer who had handled many high powered cases)
1 chemist and 2 others (happily retired from top management positions in the private sector)
That’s the 20 and between them, 6 had been made Datuks. But when we met on May 15, at the reunion, we were ranting, hollering and hugging like schoolboys again as though it was just like yesterday!
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