~1947~ A class photo. My Father, 3rd from the right, backrow. Seated centre is Master Ch'ng Chin Eong.
)0( The College Song Strong loyalty we give our King
KSAH Alma Mater
The problems of the world we face
KSAH Alma Mater
(This song, if I remember right, was written by
)0(
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My years at the College covered Forms 1 till Upper Six, so in total I spent 7 years there. Looking back, I realize that you need to be in any of two groups if you want to make an impact in the College and on your teachers- the best or the worst. Ask any teacher and he or she will tell you of such and such a luminary or of such and such a ruffian - with equal glee. If you are like me on the other hand, the ordinary guy with ordinary grades and nothing else to boast, I say, DON’T EVER ask any teacher if he or she remembers you. It can be a most humbling experience and would save the teacher some embarrassment! You see, you can easily remember your teachers but they must have a computer memory to remember the thousands of faces that come and go. So my advice to new Collegians: If you wish for your teachers to remember you, do well in grades or sports, or else, break something! In Form 1, I was fortunate to have been taught English by no one else but Master Ch'ng Chin Eong. This bespectacled gentleman in white was among the first Collegians to be teachers at their alma mater. That was in the early ‘30s. He had the classic gait of a Teacher and, as far as I can remember, was always attired in white cotton short sleeve shirt and equally spotless white pantaloons. Famous for his "monkey you!" remark, it was not long after my Form 1 that Master Chin Eong retired from teaching. Then there was this Mat Salleh teacher, I believe Mr. Peacock by name, who one day asked me to come forward in front of the class. He then proceeded to use my crew cut head. "If a bear from the north were to travel...," hummed Mr. Peacock, marking the route on my turf using the tip of a pencil. And finally after having traced the path of the bear all over my head and with a flushed face marked with impish enthusiasm, he called to the class, "Now, can someone tell me what kind of a bear was that?" A pin drop silence descended on the class as the question was quite unexpected; everyone apparently was fooled by the long narration of the bear's travels. It was quite a while before a soft voice from a corner volunteered, "Eeer... Polar bear, Sir?" In a Civics class one day, the Master was going around asking questions. Now there was this very smart guy, Matthias Chin, my best friend in Iskandar. He was excellent in almost every subject you can think of- be it Maths, Science, English, Composition, riddles, tennis, etc., etc. He played the lead role in "Beowulf" while in Iskandar, was the only person to have been awarded the "leaping wolf" badge in the Cub movement and to top it all was also good looking. On that particular fateful day, the Master asked him, "And…what may be the reason for our studying of Civics?" I remember the day all too well because Matthias Chin's face decidedly went red as he tried to produce an answer. Not to mention the fact that my own heart was thumping with exhilaration since deep down I knew that I had the answer and my inner voice was crying out loud, "Please...! Please! Let the Master ask me! This would be the only chance in a lifetime that I can beat this guy...please!" The Master must have sensed my inner plea when he turned to me and said, "Well…?" With abated breadth I muttered, "To become a good citizen, Sir!" That was the only time I had the better of Matthias and I remember going home whistling. Anyway, Matthias Chin went on to complete his MCE and HSC with flying colours, later became a Pilot with SIA, got married to a gorgeous and rich lady and made tons of money, I am told. .
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