While I'd certainly like for you to visit the Borneo Post Online website, I know that after some time, most news publishers will archive older articles and then they will no longer be accessible to the general public (except perhaps for paying subscribers). So I'm taking this opportunity to reproduce George's article here on our own blog ... Also it may be easier for you to add comments on it.
St Joe Class of ’76 – Spirit of 1Malaysia
By George Lo
KUCHING: Long before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak declared his dream of 1Malaysia, there was a group of guys who epitomised the very essence of that dream.
Malay, Chinese, Iban, Bidayuh, Indian, Eurasian – they worked together, ate together, played together, dreamed together. Race was never an issue between them. Friendship surmounted all.
More than three decades after they parted company at the doorstep of their beloved alma mater, the boys of Form 5 (1976), St Joseph’s School, Kuching are getting together in a Grand Reunion on Dec 23 at Merdeka Palace hotel.
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This reunion has its genesis in a popular blog set up in the beginning of this year by one of the 1976 fifth formers, James Yong, a regional director of Cisco Systems based in Singapore.
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This blog has reconnected old chums from across the globe.
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Old boys of 1976 from far-flung places as UK (James Kuo, John Lee, Ho Boon Chiang), Siem Reap (Bartholomew Sinos), Bangkok (Peter Tiong), Hanoi (Nick Lau), Perth (Kevin Chin), Canada (Chieh Lipp Kee, Bertram Chew, Michael Yeo), Manila (Chong Chi Nai) joined hands with their former classmates in various parts of Malaysia through the blog and found that their friendship, like fine wine, had blossomed with the passage of time.
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As another old boy, Dato’ Anthony Macpherson, CEO of NST, says, “The spirit that brings us together is the very spirit of 1Malaysia.
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“We never thought any of us was different whether we are Iban, Bidayuh, Malay or Chinese. We were 1Malaysia 33 years ago and we still are today.”
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Any member of the St Joe Form 5 (1976) cohort who has not registered to join the Grand Reunion, can call Robert Chin at 016-8774018 or Ben Wong (012-8989868) to book a seat.
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Anyone who knows anyone in Form 5 St Joe 1976 is welcome to check out the blog:
http://stjoe-form5in1976.blogspot.com/
Good article, Georgie boy!
Now all you boys who haven't yet signed up for the Grand Reunion, how could you stay away after such an impassioned write-up ? You're not just doing it for yourself. You're not just doing it for your old school. You're doing it in support of your country too ! ;-)
You know what you have to do ! See you ALL on Dec 23rd !
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