Dear Sau
San
In browsing the net, I discovered a story I
wrote on the Kirkby Golden
Jubilee celebration held in
to
the Star for publication. The newspaper did publish it in Sunday
Star.
The Golden Jubilee celebration saw a huge
gathering with 500 ex-Kirkbyites
coming
from four corners of the earth. John Pillai ( Kirkby 1959-1960 ) who
organised
the memorable event, with the Sultanah of Perak T. Bainum , an
ex-Kirkbyite, as Patron, did an excellent job. He did
everything possible to
ensure
the success of the event. What a run-away successful event it turned
out
to be! I was privileged to serve as
an Organising Committee
member.
In the story I wrote, I mentioned some of
our ex-lecturers including the
late
Dr Joe Kennedy, the late Mr A Walker and the late
Mr Walters. I also
briefly
touched on the two sons of Mr Walters, senior Maths Lecturer:
Christopher and Godfrey who grew up in
Kirkby.
Christopher who was present
at
our celebration was presented with a momento by me, on
behalf of all
ex-Kirkbyites. We saw his eyes moist with emotion while
standing on the
stage.
I recall with nostalgia this wonderful
occasion down memory lane, thanks to
John Pillai and
his team.
Kindly see the article attached. With warm
regards and best wishes.
Chiam
Tah Wen
Kirkby
1954-1956 & 1962
MEd, BEd(postgrad), BA(Hons)Economics,
(UM)
Dip SEAMEO Innotech
Private Education
Consultant.
Publication Date:
23.09.2001
Publication: Sunday
Star
Edition: Final
Section:
Education
Page Title:
Education
Agency: The Star
Page: 6
Column: Teachers Training -
Reunions
Word Count: 1188
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lessons learnt at Kirkby
Byline: Chiam
Tah Wen
A night to remember and a time to catch up
on shared memories, Sept 15 saw a
gathering
of 500 ex-Kirkby teacher trainees.They were in the ballroom of the
Concorde Hotel
These Kirkbyites,
as they are referred to, came from different parts of the
globe
for the grand reunion and were seen embracing one another with tears
of
joy. A number came from
Some had not met up since they left the
college and the reunion proved a
wonderful
opportunity to exchange stories and share experiences. Many took
to
dancing the Gay Gordons, St Bernard's Waltz and the
Barn Dance just like
in
the days of old –– spontaneous and unrestrained.
Others revelled
in songs like Oh My Papa (a tribute to our beloved principal
Papa Gurney who had been at the helm of the
college for more than 10 years),
Rasa Sayang and
Que Sera Sera.
When the 40-member choir sang the college
song, the Golden Chersonese, the Sultanah of Perak, Tuanku Bainum, a
Kirkbyite
herself and patron of the golden jubilee celebration, was seen
singing
with gusto.
The ballroom burst into rounds of
applause.
Who could forget that Kirkby was the first ever college set up by the
government
of a country to train her teachers in a faraway land? This bold
pioneer
experiment was unique, unprecedented and successful beyond
expectation.
Who would ever forget Kirkby when we saw in the multimedia presentation the
arrival
of the Chief Minister of the Federation of
Rahman
Putra at Kirkby on February
7, 1956, to announce for the first time
that
the country would be fully independent on August 31,
1957?
Who would not be proud when in 1956 some of
our students were cast in A Town
like
in
Who would not recall with pride some of the
lifelong friendships forged in
Kirkby
with the tutors, their children and the local
community?
As remarked by our Head of the English
Department Alexander Walker in the
special
farewell edition the college Student Teacher-Trainers'
magazine:
''Just as the name of
of
the Odyssey), the name of
other
parts of the world.''
At the reunion dinner, a special memento
was presented to an 82-year-old
couple
Mr and Mrs R.A. Gillis who
were the Kirkby residents and the foster
parents
of many Kirkbyites over the
years.
Another special memento was presented to
Mr and Mrs Christopher
Walters who
flew
in from
Golden Jubilee
celebration. Christopher is the eldest son of our late
senior
Mathematics lecturer.
His parents had been inviting our maths option
students
(the writer being one) every fortnight without fail to their flat
on
the campus for tea (as filling as dinner, with Malayan dishes thrown
in).
Christopher was nine years old in 1954, an
inquisitive and intelligent lad
with
his school bag full of mathematical toys and puzzles. His younger
brother
Godfrey, five years old then, was fond of cycling. Christopher is a
Water Engineer currently working with
business interests in
while
Godfrey has been recently appointed Professor of the Water Engineering
Department in the University of
in
the Kirkby environment and must have sweet memories
too!
J. Keneddy,
senior lecturer in History, stated in the same special farewell
edition
of the magazine:
''At Kirkby I
have come to know
mind…
The festivals, the plays, the sightseeing
excursions… But the thread that
runs
through the whole fabric of Kirkby memories is the
very human one of
personal
relationships… I will cherish the memory of many real friendships
made
here.''
As a student in Kirkby from 1954 to 1956 and again in 1962 for a Specialist
Teacher Trainers course, I came to value
something very intangible: the
fostering
of human relationships, the importance of goodwill and esprit de
corps.
The multi-racial and multi-religious Kirkby community taught me how to
appreciate
the unique features and strengths of the Malayan society as
Kirkby
itself was a miniature
country, the willingness to walk that extra mile
for the welfare of the
people
and the ability to cope with challenges positively was something we
did
not learn from a textbook.
I believe the Kirkbyites have acquired such valuable attributes through
living
in a closely knit community which called for a greater sense of give
and
take. They picked up knowledge and skills mainly through the
classroom.
However, the learning of a positive value
system was essentially through the
borderless
classroom: through what I regarded as the hidden curriculum at
Kirkby.
We interacted with our lecturers, peers and
the local community through
organising
various festivals and the Merdeka day itself. We travelled widely
on
a shoe-string budget, seeing places through hitch-hiking and staying at
youth
hostels. We learned to endure hardship and face the
unknown.
All in all, Kirkby has been significant to many of us because it opened
our
minds
to new horizons. It exposed us to new cultures and inculcated in us a
value
system which has made us more inquisitive, adjustable and
initiative-driven.
It has also inspired many teachers to serve
with dedication and fortitude
when
reaching a school by boat, even after six hours of arduous journey, was
the
least of problems.
As we look around today, the distinguished
products of Kirkby are
everywhere: some have become senior teachers, senior
teacher trainers, heads
of
schools, inspectors of schools; others senior officials in the Education
and
other ministries; professors, deans and one a deputy vice-chancellor and
one
other Chancellor of an university, while others have made their mark as
artists, newspaper editors, diplomats, lawyers,
judges, members of
parliament, senators and a host of other professional
people including one
who
had founded an
.
The knowledge, skills and the value system
we acquired, either through the
classroom
in the
enduring
legacy in our education system as well as in almost every other
stratum
of our society.
Pix: THORN AMONG THE ROSES ... The
writer barn dancing with ex-Kirkbyites at
their recent Golden
Jubilee celebration.