KIRKBY REUNION
Speech by Rama on 14 July photo
Dear Friends,
Let me first of all express on behalf of all of us our
heart-felt gratitude to all those who have put in a lot of work to make this
gathering such a wonderful success. We must thank Phee Eng, Jee Hor, Pek
Foo,Chong Lay, Mimi Foo, Sau San and the various representatives for their
magnificient effort. Let’s give them a big applause. And let’s also show our
appreciation to the many who crossed oceans and seas to be part of this
occasion. And let us also give ourselves a pat on our backs for this resounding
success through our participation.
Friends,
The last two years have not been kind to us. With the
passage of time, we are reminded that nothing is permanent and that life does
not go on forever. Over this period of
time we had to sadly bid farewell to some of our Kirkbyites. Yong Ah Kow,
William Sabaratnam, Sakthianathan, John Pillai, Tara Singh, Umi Kalthom, Saw
Seok Lay and Fatimah Deen have passed on.
It is this realisation of the impermanence of life that
makes this gathering very poignant and so meaningful. As our numbers dwindle
and our circle gets smaller, there is this compelling urge to make this
gathering a regular feature in our lives.
Friends,
Looking at you, it takes little to realise that while I
have been growing old, you have not been standing still either! It’s comforting
to know that I have good company. I’m glad that most of you can even remember
your names! That’s a huge relief!!
But there is this problem of fitting the image to the
name. At times you can remember the name but not the face. To overcome your
problem, I have decided to wear this badge with my portrait of Kirkby days. So
you shouldn’t be confused as to who I was and who I am today!!
While time has been gentle with some of you, the rest
of us could not fight off the ravages of time. When I was small, I had this
notion that heirloom meant fortunes that we inherit. Little did I dream that in
some cases heirloom meant a baldhead!
It is really admirable that we are able to keep this
kinship going after all these years. The binding force that has kept us
together and preserved this enduring friendship is Kirkby. It is Kirkby that
has forged this special relationship that transcends our ethnicity and brings
us together as human beings. In Kirkby, we discovered our common humanity in
spite of our colour and creed. This is the beauty of the Kirkby spirit.
To me Kirkby is a moment in history that is forever frozen
in our memory. We are the custodians of this history. As long as our memory
does not fade or fail, this part of our history will be kept alive. It will
glow affectionately and warmly in our hearts and be reflected in our spirit.
Some one said, “If wrinkles must be written on our
brows, let them be not written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow
old.”
I’m confident that the Kirkby spirit will never grow
old.
Thank you.
(The above speech was delivered by P Ramakrishnan on 14
July 2006 during the Foo Chow lunch in Sitiawan)