Bro Albinus, like all the other brothers, has done a great deal for education in Sarawak. I believe he is the last remaining La Salle brother in Kuching (and mostly probably in Sarawak), and resides at St Joe. He still oversees a tuition program for underserved students especially in rural areas around Kuching
My dad (also a Josephian in the 1940s) and I visited him briefly last Thursday, and Bro Albinus looks well and in good cheer.
I'm sure Bro Albinus would greatly appreciate your well-wishes or a quick visit if you were around our alma mater.
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Many happy returns of the day Bro Albinus. Hope you have a great one.
ReplyDeleteBro Albinus was my wife's principal at Sacred Heart Secondary School, Sibu. My wife did her Form 6 there. Cheers
Many happy returns of the day Bro Albinus. We hope that he will carry on in great health.
ReplyDeletePerhaps he was the exceptional one with the habit of taking an afternoon walk of almost 1-2 miles through Palm Road / Green Road that might have contributed to his great health.
We know him as a great man, pious, far sighted, upright, and doesn't have the funny prejudices of some Irishmen, or get involved in tit-tat politics!
From the photos, he doesn't seem to have aged a bit! Compare that to the current photos of the other Brothers like Columba and Mark, we must say we are witnessing a miracle!
It just proves what an upright man Bro Albinus is!
ALL THE BEST WISHES TO YOU, BROTHER ALBINUS!
Many happy returns of the day, Bro. And thank you for all you have done for education in Sarawak.
ReplyDeleteBrother Albinus was affectionately known as Ah-Bai among the Sibu folks.
ReplyDeleteAccording to my wife when Brother Albinus was the principal, he reminded the students that their daily school life consisted of three stages:
1. Lessons in the morning till noon.
2. Study in the library in the afternoon
3. Games and sports on the field in the evening.
No wonder most mission schools have good records in academic and in sports. Be it Sedaya Kanowit, SJS, SHS, Three Rivers Mukah and so forth. Cheers
May I say a big "Thank You For Your Guidance and Encouragement" to Bro Albinus and wish him ever happiness and health in the coming years.
ReplyDeleteHaving studied under him in SJS Kuching during his tenure as Principal, we benefited from his guidance and his great sense of fairness and justice, his encouragement, especially his great steely personification of "a great quiet achiever", that we should rise from lowly "nothingness", from the most unfavourable family or social circumstances, overcome all possible difficulties, to achieve our goals in life.
He exemplified the greatness of one's dedication to educating the future generations.
Many of us went overseas e.g. UK, US for our undergraduate and postgraduate education will no doubt remember him fondly as a person who helped to lay our foundation to success.
Many of us are now spread all over the world, achieved our goals, having successful professional careers or financial independence, overcame the vagaries of life - and we will not forget to say a big "Thank You" to Bro Albinus.
WJ, you should install PayPal onto your blog, so that old boys can make small "ang pow" donations to Bro Albinus here.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, that's an idea, Overseas Josephian. Will look into it for other purposes.
ReplyDeleteHowever I think traditional "ang pows" should still be personally presented with two hands ;-)
Happy Belated Birthday Bro. Albinus, many thanks too for teaching my daughter bible.
ReplyDeleteOkay boys, here's the thing, got from reliable source that the old boys from St.Joe Sec. School, Kuching and Sacred Heart School, Sibu are suggested that they set up a 'Brother Albinus Educational Program Center', together with a hall bearing his name, something like 'Brother Albinus Hall'
Think they need at least a five acre land to build the center. If the land is donated by some good person or apply from State Government, then the old boys will have to look for RM to build the center.
Will keep all inform if the suggestion becomes a reality. Let's hope and pray that it will boys.
Hi Norbert and Josephians
DeleteI'm a volunteer for Yayasan LaSallian Kuching (YLK), a non profit organisation initiated by some former students of St Joe, Kuching and Sacred Heart, Sibu at the behest of Bro Albinus. YLK offers free tuition to disadvantaged children in Sarawak.
YLK just launched its website yesterday. Do visit us at www.ylk.org.my. You can also find us at Facebook.
And yes, YLK is looking for more volunteers and of course RM to continue the legacy of St John De La Salle of providing education to the poor and disadvantage.
Cheers!
Another "Giving Back" undertaking?
ReplyDeleteBro Albinus and the Mill Hill Brothers have left behind a LEGACY that cannot be replicated.
ReplyDeleteThe sad part is that we are witnessing the slow and painful "dismantling" of this piece of history in the Mission Schools.
On that note I am very proud to have been "EDUCATED" by the Brothers - something that is lacking in the present day.
Thank you, Reverend Brothers...and "Happy Birthday" to you, Bro Albinus. May you all be blessed and enjoy your well-deserved retirement.
It's actually Mill Hill Fathers and La Salle Brothers. But the sentiment is noted.
ReplyDeleteSorry if the following comment is out of context but, being a Sarawakian residing in West M'sia,
ReplyDeleteI am damn proud of the achievement of Gladys Tan Yee Kim in last year SPM exam. Although a "product" of the humble SMK Green Road, she BEAT everyone in the whole country in the exam ( about 1/2 million of them ) including those who came from top-notch schools whose parents might have spent tons of money to send them for tuition and what not.
I think our education system is still healthy and viable despite the inevitable switch of medium of instruction from BI to BM. Don't tell me that our children now are not as EDUCATED as we were then. Our home-grown principals and teachers do contribute a lot in the field of education albeit, maybe they fail to create such an impact that leaves a LEGACY to our children.
Well, besides Sarawak laksa and Kuching kolong mee, there is now Gladys to be proud of.
Hip Hip Hurray Kuching!
Care to share your identity, Anon 10:04 PM ?
ReplyDeleteHe he he...cannot lah.
ReplyDeleteThousands apologies if i salah cakap.
me and my big mouth and my "kue thau eng".
Dear WJ, the best kolong mee in KL ( 99% like Kuching one ) is sold at Rajah Brooke Cafe, Jalan Kuchai Lama.
Bro WJ,
ReplyDeleteex-joe from Chat Box said you not in peak form?
What happened?
Wish you well soon.
My belated best wishes to Bro. Albinus. I have no doubt that the current education system in Sarawak is top notch. However, let's not forget that the mission brothers were a big part of the educational success of most and hopefully all of us who went through St Joe. As of late, I am starting to realise that some of the most important lessons I learnt while I was there are also the most basic and these include a sense of decency and fair play, a "can do" approach to life and a passion for knowledge. Given the fact that we need to be able to feed ourselves (by being fiancially successful), these lessons, I feel are critical to defining a civilised and "advanced" society.
ReplyDelete"EDUCATE" means to give INTELLECTUAL, MORAL and SOCIAL instruction.
ReplyDeleteI stand by my statement that I am more ENRICHED by the EDUCATION that I received during my time in St. Joseph's under the La Salle Brothers and the DEDICATED, PASSIONATE and RESPECTED School Staff.
LEGACY can only be BUILT over time - present system of transferring teachers all over the place and "planting" students in St. Joe can hardly be conducive for such achievements. I was in St. Joseph's from PRIMARY 1 till Upper Six ! It's like Steven Gerrard joining Liverpool straight from the Maternity Home !
During our time, people joined the teaching profession because they ENJOYED working with young people and imparting knowledge to them.No disrespect to the present-day teachers, though.
And another thing, I NEVER went for tuition ( too poor and NEVER really knew what tuition was about, literally ) - because we were taught to "ORA and LABORA " The Library and playing fields were almost like "HOME" to me.
Recently, when St. Joe were trashed 45-0 by a what "SHOWA" school, I knew that something was VERY wrong ! Where's the PRIDE of donning the "GREEN & WHITE" jersey ? Had that happened during our time, there would have been a week of mourning ! (just kidding)
I commend Gladys and Green Road for the outstanding achievement !(Anon May 26 10.04 PM ) But that's an exception rather than the norm.
St. Joe CONSISTENTLY produced such outstanding students - who EXCELLED both in academics and extra-curricular activities.
That's what I meant by LEGACY. The Josephian Legacy. That people still talk about it till the present day, with FONDNESS and NOSTALGIA.( and a tinge of sadness too )
Cheers !!
Edmund
From our time until today, teaching has unfortunately never been regarded as a respectable and lucrative profession. In fact, our ever increasingly materialistic and unsympathetic society has blatantly pushed teaching to the periphery of socially-sanctioned
ReplyDeleteprofessions. And for this very reason I salute our school teachers especially male teachers, past and present, for their
courage to hang on to their noble vocation pursuing a "dead-end" career. Let's be honest, if our sons tell us that their ambition in life is to become a school teacher, I think quite a number of us will freak out. Well, I guess that is the reason why we are still short of teachers and a lot of them have to moonlight by giving tuition to supplement their income.
Moreover, due to much higher expectations from today's parents, it is even more challenging and frustrating to teach in a public school now. In the past, caning was part and parcel of school discipline but now a teacher might get sued or even beaten up by angry parents if he or she does it.
The present system of tranferring teachers to all over the country despite the heart-rending
pleas from some who really cannot take up the mandatory placement is a political evil which is better not delved into here and so is
the "planting" of favoured students to St.Joe,
St.Teresa and other good schools in our state.
No doubt, under the La Salle Brothers, St.Joe
had consistently produced outstanding students and of course, one of its more illustrious proud
"products" is our beloved, long-serving and current chief minister.
Actually, the point I try make here is our local principals and teachers have also played an equally important role in shaping the future of our young generation. Take for example, Sister Sylvia and Mrs.Chong of St. Teresa whom I know personally. They too have left a legacy to their students although they are not "ang mo".
All is not lost yet. Have faith in our own people. If not, then we have to support our government tentative suggestion of importing 15,000 teachers from UK to educate our local teachers how to teach English.
My deepest sympathy goes to our poor teachers.
Kolo mee tastes better now in 2010, not like before where the mee has the 'usual' taste.
ReplyDeleteLaksa still has the same taste like before, they haven't improve the methods of cooking or preparations yet.
Now why am I writing about food, I don't know. Guess someone wrote about kolok mee and laksa.
Brother Albinus is not only a very outstanding educator but he also has a kind heart for the poor and underprivileged.He used to teach me English and Bible Knowledge when I was in Form 3A in 1974 in Sacred Heart Secondary School, Sibu. He was very stern and strict with the class. I remember when the SJC results came out, almost all my friends in that class and me included scored distinctions in the two subjects that he taught. Every day, he would make sure that every student was committed to his studies as he had scant tolerance for indiscipline and laziness. Whether you were junior or senior students or even teachers, they were all afraid of him but then how could a school function without a towering figure like "Abai"? Until today, I still admire his dedication and his love for educating us. I have always reminded my children and to instil in them the values of Brother Albinus who has sacrificed so much for us especially those who have succeeded in lives because of him. He expected nothing for what he has done for us even till his final days. "Abai" may have have gone but his spirit and legacy live on. May God bless his soul. R.i.p
ReplyDelete