Giving Back to St Joe (Part 4)

Well guys, after several months we're finally getting to the last stage of our "Giving Back to St Joe" campaign ...  The official handover will be very soon.

Before we show you the new furniture, here's a reminder of what the class looked like before.

Now here are the photos of the new desks and chairs our donation made possible. A million thanks to Bob for all the hard work in coordinating this.

A closer shot of the label ...

Now for the teacher's table  ...

Bob decides to test drive the chair and desk ...

Another view of the desks and chairs ...

Another view of the classroom ...

Wow, what a difference !

One Morning at Choon Hui Cafe ...

A bunch of the guys (and one lady) met up for breakfast at Choon Hui Cafe, on Ban Hock Road, Kuching, this morning.

LtoR: George, Gina (Mrs GL), Bob, Ben, Robert, Norbert & Datuk Justin Jinggut.
Jensen Ng Koon Teck was also there, but had to leave earlier. And Edmund Lee Ah See was the photographer.

Datuk Justin not only belanja'ed the breakfast and paid his RM100 dues for the Grand 50 Reunion, but on top of that, he contributed another RM500 in sponsorship of the Reunion. Hurray! Terima kasih, Datuk JJ, for your generosity!!!

Looks like the Organising Committee for the event is well on its way to making happen "the Mother of all Reunions" , as some have called it ... Great job, guys.
.

Then & Now - Part 10

In this edition of "Then and Now", we feature another Fifth Former of 1976 ....

AM (Form 5 Arts 1,'76 and Upper 6 Arts '78), is now Dato' A @ FB, and someone who has made waves in corporate Malaysia.

He is currently CEO of  The New Straits Times Press (NSTP), so if any of their publications spell your name wrong in any interview that you guys happen to give, you know who to call, lah. Ha ha ha ...

Prior to joining NSTP, he was in the television business, as operations director of TV3, where he is credited for revitalising the channel with enhanced programming and content. Later he became CEO of NTV7. And before that he spent over 20 years in Bank Utama and Shell.

Banking, oil & gas, TV and now news publications ... what a varied and impressive career! Congratulations Anthony! Obviously another great product of St Joe. But enough of the boring corporate stuff. What's definitely more interesting is how some of his old kawan remember him. Here's a sampling ...

BC says: "... a word to describe AM in those days would probably be Mr. Cool ... mind you in our day that word didn't even exist but looking back, Mr.Cool was that kind of Fonzi (from Happy Days) - suave, detached, sardonic and yet likeable. The last time we saw each other was our time in UM ... but by then he was a serious no-nonsense bookworm who spent too much time in the library, though I think that cool factor never left him ... syabas, well done, Anthony".

.

ELAS remembers: "the one with the innocent look ....quiet, unassuming at first glance... but still water runs deep...  he didn't seem to study much, yet always among the top in class. As he put it..."I do study...nature study....of the 'other species'.... that motivates me". A great pal to have around, once you get to know him better"

.

SB speaks of: "a few weary occasions where we dozed off in the library and were rudely awakened by Bro Columba on his spot checks!! Also worked with him during the Bank Utama days, and rushing to complete cash balancing at the end of business days, so that A could go pick up his then gf (now wife) ... Oh ya, there was also this incident involving an Austin Mini exchanged/swapped for Toyota Corolla Hatchback for the weekend ..."

On the personal side, I learnt from Anthony that his hobbies include golf, a bit of tennis, some futsal and some cycling (forced into it by the kids). He also enjoys travelling, reading and of course makan-makan ...  He is married to a Teresian (the love bridge works its wonders again!), and they have four kids - two girls, two boys.
.

Selamat Hari Raya, Anthony. Hope these recollections bring a smile and add to the festivities of the day ...

Then & Now - Part 9

In this installment of "Then & Now", we feature two of our old friends, both of whom were reconnected via this blog quite recently.

First we have CLF, from Form 5 Sc (1976). Back in the old St Joe Form 5 days, I always remembered him as the tall lanky guy, who sat on the left side of the class, and who was very strong in mathematics & physics. Naturally he became an engineer, after attending university in Singapore. He is now working for the Land Transport Authority in Singapore, managing underground train network projects. He is married with two children. Soon after reconnecting, he came on the recent Siem Reap reunion trip, and was responsible for many of the great photographs you see.

The "Then" shots were from Pri 6 and Form 6, and the "Now" photo is quite current.

Next we have BC from Form 5 Arts 1 (1976), who made his first comment only today. I go back a long time with Bertram, even to early primary school. I remember he was a talented artist, especially of action hero figures like Chinese swordsmen and kung fu types. I wonder if he still draws? These days, he is an accountant by profession, and is a Tax Director in a life insurance company. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada with his wife and son.

The "Then" photos were from Pri 6, Form 3 and Form 6 respectively. The "Now" shot was submitted by BC only today, so is current.

Looking great, guys!

xx