or a school that has weathered
an administrative shift from private trusteeship to
public governance, a change of grounds from High
Street to Petaling Hill, evacuation during the worst
war to beset the world and a threat by the State
Education Department to alter its 90-over-year old
name, the hundredth anniversary marked a triumphant
survival. But even more, the centenary of the
Victoria Institution saw a well-deserved celebration
of one hundred years of fine tradition. Yet, this
anniversary was not to be for the school alone.
This was a celebration for the whole of Kuala Lumpur
as expressed in the dedication on the first page of
the Centenary Speech Day programme book: "A
tribute to the founders and the people of Kuala
Lumpur without whose efforts this school would not
have risen to such eminence."
Anticipation and groundwork
had already been mounting since the late 1980s.
In the Prefects’ Board report in the 1989
Victorian, it is noted that ‘.....the
Board initiated special projects to instil the
Victorian spirit especially amongst the first
formers. In these projects, we incorporated the
history of the school and various patriotic elements
to achieve our purpose. We also formed a cheer squad
(with the Athletics Club) for football tournaments.
The first formers were selected because they will be
in form 5 when this school celebrates its hundredth
anniversary in 1993.’ (translated). Indeed, the
prefects bore a pivotal role in preparing the school.
At the orientation sessions for new students and in
the School Captain’s speech during Founders’ Day,
words like ‘centenary’ and ‘anniversary’ seemed
obligatory. During my Form 1 orientation, the School
Vice-captain, Ong Chin Siong, conducted a session on
"The Administrative Structure of the V.I.".
He prefaced his talk with the words "Pay
attention so that in 1993, you know how to organise
events and activities."
Yet, 1893 has not invariably
been the sacred year of reference. For instance,
in 1954, the school celebrated its Diamond (60th)
Jubilee. The Victorian of that year was
entitled The Diamond Jubilee Edition. In a now
widely used photo, the then headmaster, Mr A.
Atkinson, is seen cutting the anniversary cake at
the Prefects’ Ball. One wonders if there was
something amiss about 1954? However, this apparent
oddity is justified by the year 1894 being the year
when classes ‘officially started’. The Straits
Times of 2 July 1894 records that ‘The Victoria
Institution was completed yesterday and is now ready
for opening’. And in Dr R. Suntharalingam’s
A Short History of the Victoria Institution,
it is noted that ‘...The official opening of the
School in the new building was fixed for 30th July
1894’. And that is not the end of the conundrum.
In Dr Suntharalingam’s volume, he also remarks that
though the V.I. building was not ready, the Government
English School was used so that classes of ‘...the
Victoria Institution commenced its career, though not
within its own walls, on the 15th January 1894’.
Even if one accepts 1893 as the year of establishment,
one could still argue that it was 15 June that saw the
school’s birth when the Board of Trustees was
appointed, as mentioned in the 1954 Victorian.
So, should the hundredth anniversary of the founding
of the V.I. have been celebrated on 15 January 1994,
1 July 1994, 30 July 1994, 15 June 1993 or 14 August
1993?
Nonetheless, most people
agreed that 14 August 1993 was to be the proper
date to celebrate. Indeed, who would deny that the
V.I. was conceived on the day when Lady Treacher
laid the first stone and plaque, which today
reverently gazes across the grounds from one side
of the school porch. Besides, its 75th anniversary
had been celebrated in 1968 under the headmastership
of Mr V. Murugasu. Many former Victorians will
remember the celebrations with fondness. The longest
serving teacher in the V.I. of all time, Mr R.
Thampipillay, was then 90 years old but was still
able to attend the Speech Day as a special guest
of honour. Victorians rushed to buy memorabilia
like pins, medals, trays, cups and files which were
issued for the occasion. However the highlight of
the celebrations must have been the arrival of the
Minister of Education, Encik Khir Johari (now Tan
Sri) by helicopter to officiate at the Speech Day
on 14 August 1968.
If that was 1968, how much
more impressive would 1993 have to be? Under the
patronage of prominent V.I. Old Girl, Datuk Seri
Rafidah Aziz (the Minister for International Trade
and Industry), the Centenary Celebrations Committee
was set up to meet the challenge.
Chaired by Tan Sri Zain Azraai, then Chairman of
Malaysia Airlines, it consisted of many eminent
personalities like Dato’ Siew Nim Chee (former
Chief Economist of Bank Negara), Dato’ Dr R.S.
McCoy (famous obstetrician and nuclear disarmament
advocate), Dato’ Jaffar Indot (Managing Director of
Shell) and Dato’ Zaman Khan (CID Chief). Members of
staff on the committee included Puan Robeahtun (the
then headmistress), Puan Fitriah Yusof and Tuan
Syed Abu Hassan Syed Mohd. Noor (the Senior
Assistants), Mr Ngui Thiam Khoon and Mr T.
Thiruchelvam (two current teachers who were also
Old Boys). In all, there were 17 representatives
of the V.I.O.B.A, the V.I. and the Parent-Teacher
Association on board (the full list of names can
be found in Victoria Institution: The First
Century, 1893-1993 by Mr John Doraisamy).
This was the committee which co-ordinated the
seven defining events of the year, namely, the
Cross Country, Sports Day, Tattoo, Concert, Speech
Day cum Open Day, Countdown Open House and The
Dinner.
However, it was not just
officialdom that left its mark on the celebrations.
The resourcefulness and energy of the present V.I.
boys, too, would not be suppressed, as we launched
ourselves into activity hyperdrive. We decorated
our classes with school crests, pinned up posters
featuring prominent old boys and wrapped our wooden
desks with assortments of newspaper cuttings. (Of
course, being the boys we were, many of these
eventually fell into disuse but the main ornaments
like the crests were always well-kept. After the
Centenary Dinner I remember personally asking the
waiters at the Shangri-La Grand Ballroom to remove a
few crests for me to take home. The crests were neatly
cut from polystyrene boards and spray-painted and were
used to decorate the Ballroom for the Dinner.)
Meanwhile, as in 1968, a huge array of souvenirs was
produced by various clubs and societies. Call it
commercialisation or call it mercenary but nothing
beats the thrill of owning a shirt, pen, key chain,
tie pin, file holder or umbrella embossed with words
like ‘V.I.’, ‘Centenary’ or ‘Excellence’ and with
images of the clock tower. Despite outgrowing some of
the shirt sizes, many of us still proudly keep and
covet these items today!
Anticipating a prodigious chain
of events to be announced and organised by the
Centenary Committee, I was rather dumbfounded when
it was the Bukit Bintang Girls’ School that first
stole the attention of the media. They, too, were
one hundred years old. On January 1, 1993, they
organised a massive carnival which included an
exhibition of things antiquarian and historical,
a parade and performances on their grounds, which
welcomed thousands of present girls, Old Girls,
old staff and many friends and well-wishers. Later,
a feature article of their Centenary Song appeared
in Utusan Malaysia. Then, in May, their
celebration culminated in their Centenary Dinner at
the Putra World Trade Centre Merdeka Hall. With the
Hall squeezed to capacity, the organisers had to
turn away many people who tried to book their
tickets too late. Old Girls and staff had returned
from all around the world for that once-in-a-lifetime
event. It was, indeed, an extraordinary series of
events with us Victorians watching from the
sidelines!
But the V.I. was not to be left
in the lurch. On 17 January 1993, we started to hog
and subsequently stayed in the limelight of the 1993
calendar. The Cross Country was the first
celebration.
The route would take us from the V.I.
to Loke Yew Road, then across into the Jalan Bellamy
Chinese graveyard. Then emerging from the side of
Kuen Cheng Girls’ School, we would run down Jalan
Syed Putra to the Chinese Assembly Hall, up Jalan
Changkat Stadium and then back into the V.I. for a
sprint down the synthetic track to the finishing
line at the other end of it. There was an Old Boys’
section too. I remember that morning clearly as the
V.I. field was bathed with resplendent colours
emanating from the different house shirts, the
Milo signboards and the balloons that lined the
track. There was something more than the eagerness
to win. The Centenary excitement was starting to
build up. As one entered from the side gate of
the school, one could see a large white balloon
stretching high into the air from the middle of
the field. On it, the V.I. crest and the numbers
‘1893’ and ‘1993’. Just under it was a blue banner
that read V.I. - 100 Tahun Kecemerlangan.
Imagine the spirit that suddenly infused us.
One would think that the
run would have sapped much of our energy, but
we rejuvenated ourselves by tapping into a source
more potent than the physical sciences can explain
- the V.I. spirit. We knew what was coming, and we
were eager for it. We were not disappointed for soon
Mr Robert Sundram and Master Chan Hee Yew (one of
the oldest Victorians alive and one of the youngest
respectively) walked to the centre of the field to
perform the Centenary launch. Every Victorian there
then huddled closely, forming an enclosure, as if
to ensure that those 2 special people in the centre
would not fail in their tasks. They didn’t. Soon,
the balloons were adrift in the sky, and the throng
burst into a thundering V.I. clap that shook the
highest heavens. The celebration of V.I.’s
hundredth year had begun.
Three events followed closely
on each other’s heels - Sports Day on 20 February,
the Tattoo on 10 April and the Concert by the
band on 8 May. It was gratifying to see Puan
Robeahtun holding the V.I. so dearly and closely
to her heart, as she tried to revive various
traditions during her tenure, one of which was
the house-tent competition. (Interestingly, she was
a V.I. teacher for 15 months between 1973 and 1974).
After a lapse of over a decade, in 1993, metal
sheds were constructed for every house during Sports
Day. And for the marchpast, the house captains
were dressed to look like the personality their
house was named after. These arrangements must
have thrilled the guest of honour, Old Victorian
Dato' Dr Mani Jegathesan, once the fastest man
in Asia (he bagged three gold medals at the Asian
Games of 1966). The day (and the lead up to it as
well!) saw a titanic battle between Shaw and
Sultan Abdul Samad. Rubendra Gnanalingam (Shaw
Captain for 1993) recalled that never did he
rest in the days leading up to Sports Day. Even
when he had seemingly completed his house tent,
Rubendra was still scouting meticulously for
space to put up additional decorations. Both
Shaw and SAS were sitting on over 600 points
with fewer than 5 points separating the two! At
day’s end, as if lifted by unseen spirits in a
tribute to an inspiring headmaster, Shaw pipped
SAS by just 2 marks; both houses were sitting on
over 800 points! The Grand Old Man would have been
pleased!
V.I.C.C. Band performing the Tattoo for
the Guest of Honour the Minister for Defence,
Dato' Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak
Meanwhile, the Band and
infantry Cadets played their parts as they put
up enthralling shows for the Tattoo and the
Concert. Besides traditional performances
like marching formations and drum shows, the
Tattoo also saw a mass band performance combining
the V.I. and Assunta bands, a ceilidh by the PJ
Scottish Country Dance Club and a show by the
Tunku Kurshiah College band. The repertoire
for the evening ranged from modern hits like
Once Upon A Time In China and We Will
Rock You to classics like Glendaruel
Highlanders. The Infantry Cadets presented
their precision drills and battle formation.
A 44-page souvenir programme, befitting the pomp
and circumstance of the evening, was published.
It contained articles on the history of the V.I.
Cadet Corps, reports and goodwill messages from
two longest serving commanding officers of the
V.I. Band, namely, Mr Jimmy Chu Sin Sang (band
master between 1975 to 1988) and Captain
Hassanuddin Abdul Aziz (band master from 1960
to 1971). However, it was the size of the crowd
that one will remember most. Finding no place
along the corridors and guest seats, Victorians
and visitors stacked chairs and tables to create
terraces that made the quadrangle look like a
stadium. Many more flocked to the roofs of the
corridor along the hall and the swimming pool.
Danger was seemingly not anyone’s concern, nor
was mess as people jostled for space even along
the drains!
It might be easy to say that
this large turnout was because the Tattoo was
a free event, but how does one explain the
bustling crowd at the City Hall during the
Concert? Victorians and non-Victorians who simply
could not get tickets - prices were RM5, RM10,
RM20, and RM30 - were content to squat outside the
auditorium and watch the performances on small
televisions. Those inside the hall were treated
to a sumptuous display of talent by a 43-piece
orchestra (consisting of the V.I. bandsmen), a
dikir barat and a gamelan group.
Indeed, the venue was most appropriate, for through
this event, the V.I., with its talented sons and
daughters, was paying tribute to the people of
Kuala Lumpur. This Concert was organised by Mr
Jimmy Wong Yew Mun, whose undying devotion to the
Band made this his fourth V.I. Band Concert since
the inaugural event in 1979. The Concert was graced
by the presence of the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur Dato’
Dr Mazlan Ahmad while the guest of honour at the
Tattoo was the Minister for Defence, Dato’ Seri
Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak.
Soon, May was over, and
then June, and July also drew to a close.
Everyone was wrapped in a frenzy of activity.
Teachers and students were busily cutting,
sewing, drawing, painting, arranging, typing -
the list goes on. Most normal classes were
suspended as the school geared up for the most
important week of the year. It would begin on 7
August with the Speech Day in conjunction with
the Open Day exhibition for 2 days, followed by
the Centenary Countdown: V.I. Open House on the
night of 13 August and would finally climax on
14 August with the Centenary Dinner at the
Shangri-La Hotel. I was shuttling
between assisting the head teacher of Kemahiran
Hidup in setting up one of the many exhibition
rooms at the new Form 6 block, helping the scouts
in their gadget construction on the field, and
coaching the choir with the Centenary song. Boys,
girls and teachers stayed in school until late at
night. Many even stayed overnight as D-Day
approached. It had been many years since the V.I.
had set up exhibitions on the scale of the
glorious Science and Maths Exhibitions and Arts
Expos that welcomed the public into the school.
In fact, it used to be said that the Exhibitions
were of such high standards that even university
students would learn much from them. The V.I.
Exhibition was to awaken in this Centenary year
after a long hiatus, to once again prove the
mantle of Victorian prowess.
With all this effort which
showcased the V.I.’s brilliance at its fullest,
it wasn’t surprising that the Minister for
Education, Dato’ Amar Dr. Sulaiman Daud, who was
the guest of honour for the Speech Day, was
deeply awed. Awed by the displays that ranged
from nitrogen superconductor demonstrations to
recitals of Mark Antony’s funeral oration (the
speaker was appropriately dressed in a toga) to
the Scouts’ sturdy suspension bridge on the field.
Whatever corner one turned to in the school, there
would be a Victorian - smartly attired, whether
in their cadet greens or band ceremonials or
scout uniforms or in their ordinary olive green
and white, and radiating a merry glow on their
faces. Even the teachers wore batik or
baju kurung of the same material and
design, specially tailored for the Centenary
celebrations! Everyone was proud to be in school,
even on a Saturday and Sunday evening to help
in the Open Day, tirelessly giving directions to
confused visitors, inexhaustibly explaining each
exhibit or simply just lending a hand.
From left: Minister for Education greeted by Puan
Robeahtun; trying his hand at batik design; visiting
the science labs; presenting prizes and awards.
Indeed, inspiration was not scarce in supply. The
V.I. Exhibition and the newly-built Form 6 Block
near the V.I.O.B.A. were declared open by the
Minister shortly after he had officiated at one
of the most important and solemn functions of the
V.I. calendar - the Speech Day ceremony. Tan Sri
Zain Azraai, in his message in the Speech Day
programme book, said, "…Every student who sets
foot into this school is duty-bound to ensure that
its excellence never fades. Excellence in academia
is mandatory. Success in sports and other fields
is a priority. Only the highest standards of
achievement are acceptable. Discipline is
maintained at the highest order. These obligatory
demands on the students to maintain the excellence
of the V.I. are indeed onerous…" (translated).
Such reverence for excellence has been a
cornerstone of the V.I. since its inception, and
this Centenary Speech Day was preserving that
legacy. Puan Robeahtun, in keeping with
time-honoured tradition, donned her academic gown,
reminiscent of those worn by the medieval scholars
of Cambridge and Oxford. The top scholars from each
Form and the recipients of the Full Colours for
co-curricular excellence were acknowledged at the
ceremony. And in his speech, the Minister lauded
the V.I. as the supreme breeding ground of society’s
leaders. Then, with five strikes of the specially
crafted Centenary Gong, he launched the V.I. Speech
Day and the Centenary Week. Doubtless, this was a
ceremony above all ceremonies.
Then the big night arrived -
Friday, 13 August 1993. The car park along the
swimming pool was turned into a street of hawker
stalls, classes on the ground floor of the main
building transformed into game arenas run by the
students and the hall set up with a projector
screen for a slide show. But the centre of
attention was to be the sizeable stage on the
quadrangle in front of the stairwell leading up
to the Form 5 classes. There the crowd was
thickest. There were performances from various
groups like the Old Boys’ band and the V.I. choir.
How the throng was entertained with I Will
Follow Him (adapted from the jazzed-up version
from the movie Sister Act), the Centenary
Song and many popular tunes, new and old like
Shanghai Beach and Blue Moon. It
was a casual night – boys were dressed in casual
but smart attire, the old heartily chatted with
the young, howls of laughter periodically rattled
the different corners of the quadrangle – what a
night!
One of my most enduring
memories is of THE Dr G.E.D Lewis. Not a strand
of grey hair was out of place as he attentively
watched and listened to the night’s festivities,
grinning at passing quirks like sexagenarian Mr
Yeoh Cheang Swi’s slick dance moves (to upbeat
rock music!) on centre stage! Though my first
and last chat with Dr. Lewis was short and
awkwardly littered with perfunctory remarks
like "What a great night" and "Enjoying it?",
that memory will linger forever. It was a night
of meeting legends. Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon,
despite his partial paralysis, was wheeled into
the quadrangle where he stayed till late that
night. Malaysian cricket great, Mr Hector
Durairatnam, whom I had not previously known,
chatted with me like we were old friends. There
were no barriers. When the large, 3-metre high
painted cardboard clock (with manoeuvrable
clock hands) and the Centenary Gong were
carried out to the centre stage, all other
activities ceased.
"Ten, nine, eight..... two, one..." Great throaty
roars soared from the crowd to carry those words
towards the stroke of midnight, at which instant
the School Captain, Shahrin Albakri Mustafa
Albakri, pounded the Centenary Gong. He did it
eleven more times to ring in the School’s One
Hundredth Birthday. Then, with heart-lifting gusto,
the first strains to be heard on the grounds of the
V.I. on 14 August 1993 were "Let us now with
thankfulness....". Tan Sri’s, Dato’s, and the
young Victorian who had just joined Form 1 -
everyone was transfixed by the power of the six
verses of the School Song, three in English, three
in Malay. Everyone had tears in his eyes.
Left:Dinner Venue; Centre: The Prime Minister, Tan Sri
Zain Azraai, the Sultan of Brunei; Right: General view
of the celebrants.
The same nostalgia permeated
the Grand Ballroom of the Shangri-La Hotel on
the night of 14 August 1993. I must admit, for me
it was like "Tan Sri here, Dato’ there, but
not a single one I know", until His Majesty
walked in. In a procession led by the V.I.
bagpipers, the Sultan of Brunei, accompanied by
Dr Mahathir and a host of dignitaries entered the
ballroom as the Guest-of-Honour for the evening.
Today, I still amuse myself with the memory of
what happened next. As His Majesty arrived at
his seat, he continued standing, and so did the
rest of the guests, except for one. Me! But it
wasn’t out of disrespect, for I was the pianist
entrusted to lead in the singing of the school
song. Indeed I was humbled by that experience,
for the emcee, Mahadzir Lokman was standing just
metres away from me; he was the school pianist in
the 1970s. A few metres away, too, was the tall,
unmistakable figure of General Tan Sri Dato’ Seri
Hashim Mohd Ali. He was seated with his brothers
Dato’ Jaafar Mohd Ali and Haji Zain Abidin Mohd
Ali.
Imagine the suspense and confusion in that Ballroom
if, at that moment, my fingers had been stricken with
arthritis and had refused to descend on command onto
the keyboard or if they had done so but the M.B.S.
School Song had thundered out instead! But play I
did and correctly, too. Who would dare to hold up
one hundred years of the V.I. in the presence of the
following people?
H.M. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
(Sultan of Brunei and Victorian of the early
1960’s)
Hon. Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (Prime
Minister of Malaysia)
Datin Seri Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd. Ali
Dato’ Amar Dr Sulaiman Daud (Minister for
Education, Malaysia)
Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz (Minister for
International Trade and Industry, Malaysia and
Victorian
1961-1962)
Tan Sri Zain Azraai Zainal Abidin (Chairman
of the V.I. Centenary Celebrations Executive
Committee, Chairman of Malaysia Airlines and V.I.
School Captain 1953)
Dato' Siew Nim Chee (President of the V.I. Old
Boys’ Association)
Dato’ Jaffar Indot (President of the V.I.O.B.A.
Endowment Fund)
Puan Robeahtun Dato’ Haji Ahmad Damanhuri
(Principal of the V.I.)
Tan Sri Mohamed Basir Ahmad (Chairman of
Malayan Banking Berhad)
These dignitaries were seated at Table A. Next
to them was Table B around which were gathered
several former V.I. headmasters and two very old
Old Boys, namely,
Dr G. E. D. Lewis (Headmaster 1956 to
1962)
Mr V. Murugasu (Headmaster 1964 to
1969)
Mr Victor Gopal (Headmaster 1973 to
1976)
Mr Abdul Rahim Che Teh (Headmaster 1976
to 1978)
Dr Abdul Shukor Abdullah (Headmaster 1980
to 1982)
Mr George Yap Swee Fatt (Oldest Old
Boy)
Mr Leslie Mervyn Keun (Second Oldest
Old Boy)
Centenary Dinner Menu
FOUR HOT DISH COMBINATION
Like the four founders of the VI
SHARK'S FIN SOUP WITH CRAB ROE
Represents the virility of VI boys and the
fertility of VI girls
DEEP FRIED
BONELESS CHICKEN WITH SPECIAL THAI SAUCE
Suitable for the teething Class of 1938
STEWED ASPARAGUS WITH CHINESE MUSHROOM
A Malaysian adventure in ethnic blending
DEEP FRIED SEA BASS WITH BELACAN SUCE
Would have curled the beard of Ganga Singh
STEWED HONGKONG NOODLES WITH SHREDDED MEAT
Happy Anniversary and long life to the VI
SWEET SAGO WITH HONEY DEW MELON
An aphrodisiac requested by the Classes of
the early 30s
FRESH MANGO
Representing the golden-hearted VIOBA Foundation
CHINESE TEA
To promote insomnia and a 70-million population
|
Befitting this auspicious
occasion was a lavish spread of exotic cuisine
including shark’s fin soup with crab roe, stewed
asparagus with Chinese mushroom and a cake
shaped like the V.I. main building. There was a
laser beam show as well as a comic performance
(on things V.I.) by comedians Bibik Kim Neo and
Ah Chim of the television Baba and Nyonya
fame. Following this was a performance by a
classical dance troupe swinging to the different
dance styles over the century. Trying diligently
to capitalise on this experience of a lifetime,
I souvenired programme booklets, the menu, the
invitation card, photographs and even the
styrofoam Centenary Celebration crests specially
mounted on the walls of the Ballroom! When the
curtain had fallen on the night’s proceedings, I
nervously sought the autographs of several great
headmasters like the stern disciplinarian Mr V.
Murugasu and Mr Victor Gopal. Indeed, it was a
night of gaiety and revelry, but it was the
seeing and meeting of the many V.I. heroes that
I remember most.
Many Old Boys had flown from all corners of
the globe to pay homage to their grand old Alma
Mater. But as the Dinner was a tribute to age and
achievement, the most significant presence of the
evening must have been that of Mr George Yap Swee
Fatt, then a sprightly 83 year old, seated at the
main table with the Sultan of Brunei. Arguably
the oldest Old Boy alive at that time and even
today, he is the sole surviving grandson of
Capitan Yap Ah Loy, the founder of Kuala Lumpur.
The historical and spiritual connection to the
past was thus complete;
the Dinner was a fitting
celebration of George Yap's school and George
Yap's grandfather's town, both of which have
risen from nothing in the 19th century and
flourished hand in hand to become vibrant and
famous institutions admired far and wide.
Mr George Yap together with Mr Leslie Mervyn Keun
and Mr Robert Sundram, being the 3 oldest
Victorians, were given the honour of cutting the
Centenary cake. Meanwhile, admiration for the
school inspired the guests to willingly part
with RM100 for a historical memento - the
centenary book Victoria Institution: The First
Century, 1893 – 1993, authored by Mr John P.
Doraisamy. A St Paul’s Old Boy, he taught
English and Economics at the V.I. from 1955 to
1963 and in 1966. The financing of this ambitious
project, which took Mr Doraisamy 6 months to
complete, was underwritten by Mr Siew Nim Chee
(now Dato’), the then president of the V.I.O.B.A.
The V.I. Centenary Year was not just a
celebration of grandeur - many other less
publicised but equally significant happenings
punctuated the calendar. Take the scouts, for
instance. For many years, First K.L. and Second
K.L. had travelled their separate trajectories.
Yet in 1993, both troops agreed to organise a
combined campfire to mark the special year for
the V.I. Even more remarkable was that the
successful campfire, held on Saturday, 26 June,
was fully organised by the students without the
assistance of the school administration or the
Centenary Committee. Nonetheless, it was not just
the students who were filled with Centenary
excitement. Parents were involved too. Mr G.
Gnanalingam, the father of Rubendra (prefect and
Captain of Shaw House) generously financed the
construction of a permanent V.I. museum, which
was officially opened on 11 August 1993. And the
Old Boys? Ah, who can forget images of Old Boys
like Dato’ Siew Nim Chee who in his signature grey
suit, would many a day sit in the school canteen,
slowly sipping his tea? Or seeing Tan Sri Zain
Azraai frequently marching along the school
corridors despite his heavy schedule of
appointments as a leader in the corporate
world?
When one remembers these events, one will
marvel at the extraordinary effort, energy and
devotion marshalled by the Old Boys, the
teachers, the parents and the students.
Exhaustion was a word absent from our vocabulary.
Being a part of the celebrations not only filled
our treasury of memories but also inspired us to
believe that human effort is unbounded in its
possibilities. Human effort gave us the V.I. in
1893 and it was human effort that built the
legacy for over a hundred years. All this and
more, indeed, we remember ‘with thankfulness’.
The V.I. Web Page
Created: 1 October 2001.
Last update: 23 November 2003.
Contributed by:
Loh Kok
Kin V.I. 1991-1995
Page Keeper:
Chung Chee Min
