By Vincent D’Silva

It was a memorable day for the  Class  of  1980  of  Saint  Joseph  School (SJS), Johor  Baru, when 30 former  students  met  for  a   reunion  at  their alma mater in Jalan Abdul Rahman Andak recently.

The gathering was dubbed “Reunion for old SJS  boys  turning  60”. It   was a joyous birthday bash for us. Some flew in from Australia, Singapore, and other parts of the world to attend the get-together after having parted  as  students at  the  end  of  1980.

The boys met at the school and took a walk down memory lane by touring the school complex, bringing them back to the 70s. The school celebrates its 68^th anniversary this year.

Current school headmistress Liew Chui Chin (standing) addressing the old boys of St. Joseph

Class 1980 cut the birthday cake specially prepared by the school

It was a noisy meet indeed as they teased each other for having expanded sideways, some with  receding  hairlines, others  with  graying  pate.  

As they met at the entrance of the school gate and on recognising each other, clasped and hugged, memories flooding back.

Some were seen wiping away teardrops of remembrance, a few  surreptitiously, others unabashedly.

Memories of all those years  in the classroom, at recess  in  the  canteen, and  on  the  school  field, must  have  surged  in  their  minds  as  ex-pupils  strove  to  make  time  stand  still  for  a  while, trying  to  come  to  terms  with  their  days  in  school.

After completing Form Five, the boys  had  gone  separate  ways, looking forward to the  adult  world  of  work, marriage  and  family-raising.

Thanks to social media like  Facebook, WhatsApp  and  emails, they managed to contact each other for this meet. 

“Now having  passed  the  half-century  in  age, career-wise  we  are  stable, and  our  children  have  all  grown  up, it’s  time  to  catch  up  with old classmates,” said Mohan Narayanan.

He added: “It  is  time  to  acknowledge  the  fact  that  we  do  miss  our  school  friends  and  wish  to  see  them again.”

It was a grand occasion with the  former  students  chatted  over  breakfast.

Reminiscences welled up, memories came flooding as they recalled  the best  times of  their  Josephian  years, the mischief of some of them were retold.

What  was  interesting  was  how  we  had  turned  out  in  advanced  adulthood. Some  were  successful  professionals – lawyers, doctors, engineers, bank  managers, teachers  and  a few  even  CEOs. To think that they were giving teachers a hard time then.

As  one  classmate  Oh Pek Hwa  puts  it: “After  the  exchange  of  handshakes  and  hugs  and  conversations  revolving  around  their  well-being, we went  straight  down  to chatting  about  the  mischief, the  camaraderie  we had  experienced  as  schoolboys.”

Two  teachers were invited. Our Science  teacher  Toh  Chuan  Hock renowned  for  his  unconventional  method  of  punishment, using  a  rubber band and Teo Swee Kiew, another strict disciplinarian.

Former “victims” of the now 87-year old Mr Toh who had discarded the cane for a rubber band to punish errant students fondly related the incidents.

Teo, 77, struck fear in most students then, even the sound of her footsteps was enough to keep even the noisiest quiet as a mouse.

The presence of Toh (in the primary school) and Teo (in the secondary) made the event unforgettable.

Proudly calling  themselves “Saint  Josephians”, the  boys  did  not  hesitate  to  express  their  gratitude  for  being  taught  and  nurtured  by  such  dedicated  old  hands.

They sifted through old photos and school magazine and promised to stay closer now, with the help of social media, of course.

“During schooldays, when  one  pupil  was  missing  for  some  time, we  sent  a  posse  to  check  on  the  brother. That is the  bond  we forged. We  learned how  to be  brothers regardless of race and religion,” Gabriel  said.

“Our  parents  taught  us  to  respect  everyone  irrespective  of  race, religion, colour, culture or creed – such values were cast in stone. We were taught that  we  are  different  and  this  difference  is  our  strength  and  unity. In school, the integration was  seamless  because  the  induction  happened  from  home,” added Gabriel. SJS  is  an  example  of  schools  in  this country  that  has  outstanding  records – a great  institution  that  has  produced  graduates  who  have  in  turn  contributed  to  the  wealth  and  strength  of  this  nation.

Main Pix: SJS old boys of Class 1980 gathering at the front gate of the school.