Last update: 01 March
2006
Yap Swee Hoo
wrote (27 January 2006, 1139 hours):
Some more reminiscences.
John was very much my late mother's pet, as
he used to come to our motor-cycle shop at Selegie Road in his
motor-cycle gear and all, girlfriend on pillion, for a yarn with
her. Thanks, John, for spending your time with her. I'm sure she
will bless you and your's where she is now.
Jerry Choo wrote
(27 January 2006, 1113 hours):
Hi John,
It is gratifying to see our cohort
'discovering' one another after so many years..... starting with
our super sleuth Jimmy Ho Chee Meng, Jerry Tan Chwee Lee, Yap
Swee Hoo, Tham Heng Fai, Tan Kang Ping. The power of the
internet! By the way, the above address list is the latest, as
there have been a few changes made.
I have been trying to locate Kwai Ying as
well and all I have is a Forrest Hill PO Box number, and what
appears to be an old set of telephone numbers (you can see this
in our class directory). Didn't realise that Hock Chuan is in
Melbourne.
Went into your web site....some super work.
We'll need you to be present when we have our reunion to make
sure all us old folks look good.
Keep in touch.
John Lim wrote
(26 January 2006):
Hi everyone,
This is John Lim from Down Under Melbourne.
It's great to be able to keep in touch and
Jerry must be commended for taking the initiative.
I've contacted Kang Ping who just moved to
Melbourne and we'll be meeting up soon. I've been trying to
track down Wong Kwai Ying and Soh Hock Chuan who are supposed to
be in Melbourne as well, but I haven't been successful.
Do let me know if any of you is coming this
way as I'd like to meet up with you.
FYI I'm running a little photographic studio
here and if you want to have an idea of what I do, please visit
my website-www.johnlim.com.au.
God bless.
Yap Swee Hoo
wrote (26 January 2006, 1206 hours)
Thanks, Norman. A small correction: I'm
not a proud grandfather, but certainly a very happy one, for
now. I'll be a proud grandfather if my grandson - the only one
so far - grows up to be a good person of integrity, compassion
and understanding.
As for my children's contributions to
society, they're meagre and really average, nothing more. But
I'm happy they're financially independent, which lifts a big
load off me. Going forward, I do hope that they will truly
contribute of their best to society, but not of the TT Durai
style. In fact, both of them know that if they should be
involved in any irregularities, I would be nowhere around to
support them and, rather, will be more intent to ensure that
they pay their proper dues.
With God's help, and by His grace, they're
alright now and will be in the future, as I place my trust in
Him.
Great to know you and your's are in excellent
shape, all dimensions considered, Norman. Keep it up. And God
bless.
Norman Wee wrote
(26 January 2006, 1124 hours):
Hi Swee Hoo,
Long time no see. Normally can spot you a
mile away.
Great reading of your exploits and the
contributions your children are making to society. You must
indeed be a proud Grandfather.
My Mrs. still works for/in Phillips Sec.
Pui Chuan Shuttles between Perth and
Singapore. Now in Singapore. Plays his squash at Chinese
Swimming Club.
Yap Swee Hoo (26
January 2006) wrote:
Hi, Chwee Lee,
Hearing from you in this loop brings to mind
the time when you, together with Au Pui Chuan, rescued me from
drowning in the MacRitche Reservoir during one of our hikes.
Thanks a million, Chwee Lee. I am a grandfather to-day not least
because of you!
As a naughty boy in school, I think I haven't
changed much, as I'm still rather naughty, as some of you may
have noted from various news reports on me. It's a quirk of fate
that although I started in the civil service as a civilian
officer in the Ministry of Education, I was seconded to the
Police thereafter, first, as a plain-clothes officer on the rank
of an Assistant Superintendent of Police, then as the Deputy
Director, CPIB with both police and civilian officers under me,
and then back to civilian rank as the Head, Enforcement & Admin
in the then Chief Building Surveyor's Dept (later called the
Building & Dev. Control Department) to revamp what was then a
corruption-ridden organisation.
I resigned in 1980 of my own volition as I
had a very bad period of imbalance which caused me to have
dizzying bouts of diarrhoea and vomitting almost weekly, so much
so that when I asked for medical leave, the doctors said "no" as
they were afraid to be hauled up for issuing false medical
certificates. Looking back, however, I am happy I did not stay
on in my post, although a subordinate had advised me not to
leave as, to quote from him, "it's when you're sick that you
should continue to stay in service, to draw gaji (salary)." I
had told him that, unfortunately, that's not my way, as, if I
was unable to contribute, I didn't want my salary. It was
probably the ACSian spirit in me that made me resign, as a
matter of principle.
Anyway, God has been very kind to me and I
have managed to bring up 2 daughters, both professionals and
married. My big girl is an Assistant Prof in biomedicine and so
is her husband, who is also a surgeon. My younger girl was an
accountant who left her job for a 9-month stint in Africa to
tend to the poorest of the poor, joining Catholic priest Fr
Paco's mission there. She's now an occupational therapist
specialising in pediatrics after graduating from our local poly,
and universities in Edinburgh and the US. Her spouse is working
in ST Aerospace as a principal engineer.
It's reminiscent of our old school days when she won the Tay Eng
Soon award in Nanyang Technological University upon her
graduation.
For myself, I'm still working as a remisier
in UOB-KayHian, albeit on much reduced pressure and momentum. I
was President of the Remisers' Society for 8 years and stepped
down to head the Remisiers' Cooperative as its Chairman. The
stocks industry has become very much a retiree's haven with its
considerably reduced activity.
It's great to connect with all of you, and
it'll be better still if we could have a get together again
after all these years.
Thanks, both Jerrys, for everything.
Jerry Tan Chwee Lee
wrote (25 January 2006, 2253 hours):
Hi Jerry,
Sorry I haven't been in touch - been
travelling a lot lately and am just catching up with my normal
routine.
Let me add my congratulations for setting up
the class of '57 website and getting everybody communicating and
reminiscing. Can't wait for the 50th year reunion to catch up
with everyone, especially those I haven't seen since we left
school.
We should perhaps start thinking about
setting up a committee to plan the 50th year dinner.
My warm regards to everyone.
Jerry Choo wrote
(12 January 2006, 1207 hours):
Hi! We would like to confirm if the email listing is
reaching the addressees and would appreciate if you can just hit
the 'reply all' when you receive this. So far there are about 20
who have made contact.
Additionally, if anyone has the details,
addresses or telephone numbers if not e-mail, of those not on
our list, please let me know. Thanks.
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