As dusk fades into night, a fruit
bat swoops low across the patio and streaks toward a neighbouring longan tree
veiled in a cobweb of fishing net.
The sight transports me to
another time and place.
World War II had just ended. In a
darkening sky, a dark mass winged its way slowly and silently above grandpa’s
house in Batu Berendam, Malacca. Lingering fear of war planes made us gazed at
the overhead spectacle with a tinge of apprehension.
Flying foxes winging their way toward a rambutan tree
Suddenly, the boughs of a nearby
rambutan tree began to shake as if hit by a gust of wind. Murky shapes and
unseen plumage fluttered among the foliage. Giant fruit bats or flying foxes
had descended on the tree to feast on the ripe rambutans. With veiled threats
and shouts, my young cousins tried to scare them away. They rose and hovered
momentarily above the tree and then settled down to resume their feast.
A rambutan tree
The next morning, seeds and
rambutan rinds littered the ground while spiny shells hung like sea urchins
from half-barren branches.
My cousin, Alan, had watched the
unfolding drama with keen interest. Years on, the night’s incident would remain
vivid in his memory.
On an adjacent land, next to the
village well, stood a rambutan tree which in season was laden with luscious
fruits. The tree was the pride and joy of our grandaunt and the envy of the
village kids. She kept a vigilant watch on her prized tree and made it clear
that it was strictly off-limits to the mischievous kids who roamed the
neighbourhood.
On his way to the well, Alan
would often stop to gaze longingly at the succulent fruits and wondered about
their reputed sweetness.
One evening, on learning that
grandaunt and her family were out in town, he decided to pull a prank on her
and take the opportunity to savour the fruits.
Safely and comfortably ensconced
on the best branch, his deft fingers began to pry open the spiny shells.
Relishing the sweet and juicy flesh, he let the seeds and part of the rinds
fall to the ground, while half-broken rinds were left to dangle from the
branches.
Comfortably ensconced on the branch of a rambutan tree
Early the next morning on his way
to the village well, Alan noticed grandaunt inspecting her rambutan tree. The
scene that met her eyes bore the tell-tale signs of a fruit tree that had been
foraged by flying foxes. Upset, she let loose a stream of expletives in her
peranakan patois. Hearing grandaunt berating the innocent flying foxes, a broad
grin spread across young Alan’s tanned face as he tried to stifle a chuckle.
Another evening found him
creeping stealthily under the leafy canopy of tapioca plants on grandaunt’s
tapioca patch.
In the fast fading light, he
began to dig hurriedly at the base of a mature tapioca plant until the tuberous
roots were exposed. From the clump of tubers, he selected three large ones. The
loose soil was carefully compacted and covered with dried leaves until all
traces of encroachment had been well concealed.
Uprooting a tapioca plant
The acrid smell of smoke and
charred wood, mingled with the fragrant scent of burnt tapioca permeated the
night air, as a bunch of playful youngsters sat round a smouldering wood fire
to relish the simple yet delicious fare.
As the days slipped by without
any hue and cry from grandaunt, the kids knew the evening foray had gone
undetected. Later, if she discovered some of her tapioca was missing, she would
most probably lay the blame on some burrowing rodents.
As night thickens, the wingtip of
a bat brushes against my ear and my thoughts snap back to the present. Alone in
the darkness, I smile to myself, as I recall the youthful pranks that Alan’s
wife, Gillian, related to us. I remember life in the kampung was quiet and
peaceful. We would roam barefoot around the whole neighbourhood without our
parents having to worry about us getting abducted or robbed.
As burglary and theft were
practically unheard of then, the doors of houses were open from morning till
dusk and we could move freely in and out of the houses. However, fruits and
tapioca occasionally went missing and the most likely culprits were the
“foraging flying foxes” and the “burrowing rodents”.
As the car
glides to a halt at the gentle gradient, I peer through the car’s windscreen at
the building to my right.
Pupils milling about in the canteen
Above a
locked school gates, the words: ‘Sekolah Menengah Tinggi St. David’ are
prominently displayed on a walkway awning that leads to a canteen where boys and girls can be seen milling about in happy confusion.
We are here,
my wife and I, to look at the school where I used to teach in the mid-1960s. The
school looks different_ nostalgically different. Back then, it was a
boys’ school and was known as St. David’s High School, as English was then the
medium of instruction.
The half-obscured building
Behind the
canteen, half-obscured by a thick foliage of Golden Shower trees and a row of
parked cars, I can make out a brick building with russet roofs and glass louvre
windows.
Remove Class
As I look at the building, which used to house
three Remove Classes,ten years of teaching in the old building flashes before
my eyes. It was then a single storey,
semi-brick building with wire mesh for windows and the classrooms were
partitioned off with plain soft-boards. Such an inconsequential item as a
soft-board would have slipped clean from my memory, had it not been for an
incident in the classroom.
One morning
we were in the midst of an English lesson, when the class was startled into
silence by a loud crash from the back of the classroom. All eyes gravitated
toward the direction of the sound and were greeted by a clenched fist that
protruded from a freshly- punched hole in the soft-board. I strode gingerly to
the back of the class and waited expectantly. A few minutes later, a clenched
fist ripped through another hole. I caught hold of the wrist and sent the class monitor to identify the owner
of the hand. The culprit was identified and marched off to the principal’s
office. I found out the class teacher had gone to the office for some official
duty and the culprit had taken the opportunity to vent his frustration on the
soft-board or was trying to show off his karate skill.
Barring the
morning’s incident, the pupils were generally well- behaved and hard- working.All the pupils in the Remove Classes were
from the non-English primary schools with the majority coming from SRJK ( C)
Ping Ming and SRJK ( C) Keh Sengwhile
the rest were from SRJK (C ) Bukit Beruang,Durian Tunggal, and Batang Melaka
and we also had a few pupils fromSekolah Rendah Kebangsaan.
With the Remove Class students
The pupils English
Language proficiency level varied from school to school with pupils from the
urban schools, generally, having a better grasp of the language than those from
the rural schools. While some of the new
pupils could converse reasonably well in English, there were many whose English
was limited to “Good morning, sir!” or “May I go to the toilet?”
Loud chorus of
voices would soon reverberate through the classrooms as the new pupils were put
through the various language drills or participated in choral reading. After a year of intensive course with the bulk
of the time allocated to the teaching of English most of the pupils had
acquired sufficient English to enable them to continue their study in Form One.
Bahasa
Malaysia; Art and Craft
I remember,
besides teaching English in the Remove Class, I had to teach Bahasa Malayia in
the lower forms, and Art and Craft in the upper forms. For both English and
Bahasa Malaysia, other than providing grammar and comprehension exercises, the language teachers had to assign at least one composition per month and hence the teachers’ tables were usually stacked high with the various exercise
books. I would often eye dejectedly at the pile of composition books as marking
the compositions and karangan not only required deciphering some of the pupil's handwriting ,
but when compelled to write a composition, the pupils kindlyobliged by filling the pages with ' cryptic
messages’for us to unravel.
After hours of conducting language drills and
choral reading, until the voice was hoarse and dry, the Art lesson provided a
welcome change and relief. The pupils too, after being confined to their seats, relished the freedom of being able stand up and move around the room.
With some of my students in the Upper Forms
With the school prefects
I enjoyed going from table to table to see that the
pupils were able to apply the concepts they had learned and also provide
individual’s advice and assistance. Sometimes, I would take the pupils to the
nearby village at Paya Ikan for outdoor sketches or paintings. Then there were
weekends when we would climb the nearby hill at Taman Sentosa and scour the
area for burnt-out roots to be used as material for wood sculpture.
Open Day:Explaining the art of sculpting a burnt-out root to a distinguished guest
Principal
and teachers
The car hums
its way up the slope and we stop briefly at the main entrance to take a
snapshot of the school from the main entrance.
The school main entrance
I remember the school’s office was located
just after the main entrance and next to it was the principal’s office.
The teachers
would usually use the side gates and park their cars under the trees beside the
canteen, but for the late comers they were forced to park their cars on the road
shoulder and use the main entrance, as the side gates would be locked.
The sight of
the main entrance, reminds me of an incident that an ex-colleague, Joe (not his
real name ) related to me. One morning Joe happened to be late and as he walked
through the main entrance, he saw the principal waiting on the steps in front
of his office. As he walked past him, the principal slowly raised his hand, stared
at his watch and without uttering a word, strode into his office. The silence
spoke louder than words.
Then one
morning Joe arrived rather early and decided to wait in front of the
principal’s office. Coincidentally, the principal who lived a stone’s throw away from
the school was late that morning. When he saw the principal walking through the gates, he
waited until he was within hearing distance, then he slowly lifted his hand and peered closely at his watch. As he turned and headed towards the staff room, he noticed the smile that flitted at the corner of the lips.
Although the
school was well known for its discipline system, the spontaneous laughter that emanated from the staff room was clear testimony that
it was not all work in the school. Pockets of conversations could often be heard from the various tables: the Industrial Arts teachers ( Jee, Mah, Michael, Lee, Gan and others ) talking and discussing their projects; the lady teachers ( Nellie, Mrs. Oh, Nancy, Gan, Magdalene, Wee Neo and others ) talking in low whispers; the other subject teachers ( Peter,John, Chandran, Alex and others) filling the room with their more animated conversations. Besides our
daily teaching routine, we had to take charge of at least one co-curricular activity
and there were always other school events such as Sports Day, Annual Concert,
Open Day and fund-raising activities like Walkathon and Fun Fair that kept us occupied.
School Sports Day (Lto R) Mr,.Jesudasan, the writer, Mr. Oh Kim Hin
Open Day: The teachers lining up to welcome our guest of honour, Tun Tan Siew Sin
When I reflect on my teaching days in the school, my fondest memories are the few precious moments that we shared after school hours:
_working with my colleagues and students until mid-night to finish a project for a Fun Fair or a backdrop for the school concert - playing tennis with Ng, Peter, Michael, Neelakandan, Lee and others at the tennis court behind the Ramsay Pavilion. A game that began when the sun was still high in the afternoon sky and only ended when the balls became a blur in the gathering darkness. _the late night game of scrabble with David and John which sometimes extended into the wee hour of the morning
Today, more
than thirty years on, although I have lost contact with most of my colleagues,
I will always remember and cherish the friendship and the happy moments we shared together. SDHS Staff Photos 1960s / 1970s
Sitting L to R: Ms Seet Wee Neo, Ms Lim, Ms Magdalene Lim, Ms Gan Chui Peng, Mrs Paramjoty, Mr Oh Kim Hin, Mr. P.V. Jacob(principal), Mrs Nancy Dossan, (?), Ms Annie Tan,Mrs Oh Kim Hin, Mrs Nellie Khoo, Mrs Goh
Middle Row L to R: Mr Lye Yoon Sen, Mr Ang Chui Beng, Mr Ng Sin Min, Mr Mah Khye Cheng, Mr R. Raghavan, Mr Wan Chwee Seng,Mr Murugesan,(?), Cikgu Baharin Indin, Mr Chen Seng Hua, (/), Mr Jee Kim Joon, Mr Peter Yong, (?)
Back Row L to R: Mr Lee Kam Whye, Mr Jesudasan, Mr Ho Kim Chong, Mr Poot Kok Long, En Shariff, Mr Sakthianathan, Mr Neelakandan, Mr John Dossan, Cikgu Abdullah, Mr Chandran, Mr Michael Rodrigues
From Left to Right:
Sitting: Mrs. Nancy Dossan, Mrs. Nellie Khoo, Ms. Magdalene Lim, Mrs. Oh, Mr. P. V. Jacob ( principal)
Mr. David Gunaratnam ( V. P.), Ms. Annie Tan, ( ), Mrs. Chong
Middle Row: Mr. Chandran, Mr. Ong, Mr. Patrick Chen, Mr. Alex Ho, Mr. Jesudasan, Mr. Neelakandan,
Mr. Sakhtianathan, Mr. Ang Chui Beng, Mr. Oh Kim Hin, En. Osman Ahmad
Back Row: Mr. Wan Chwee Seng, Mr. Lai Yoon Sen, Mr. Lee Kam Whye, Mr. Michael Rodrigues, Mr. Chua Ah Lek.
En. Aziz
Photo courtesy of Jee Kim Joon
Photos to rekindle memories of your time at SDHS
SDHS Soccer Team 1970s
Standing L to R: Krishnan, Mat Diah, MK Ibrahim, Mohamed Geding, Tan Jock Seng, Jamal Hassan, Hamzah Lajis, Roslan,
Sitting from L to R: Mr John Dossan, Baharin Hashim, Jamaluddin, Mr Jacob, Chong Sem, Mr Ng Sin Min, Fung, Mr Peter Yong
Photo courtesy of Ben Hur
Names of p[ayers provided by Roslan
SDHS Badminton Club with their coach Mr. Peter Yong Swee Onn
For 1975, the school badminton teams successfully defended the Malacca Schools Under 15 and Under18 Inter-School titles.
Photo courtesy of Ben Hur
The victorious Under 15 and Under 18 Badminton Teams
Photo courtesy of Ben Hur
Left photo: Wong Tian Pay and Moses Chang
Right photo: Moses Chang receiving the Dunlop Trophy
In the Malacca Schools Under20 Championship Moses Chang and Wong Tian Pay won the Boys' Double title for the first time for the school.
Photo courtesy of Ben Hur
SDHS Rugger Team
Photo courtesy of Mr Jee Kim Joon
SDHS Rugger Team with their coaches Mr Ng Sin Min and Mr Jee Kim Joon
photo courtesy of Mr Jee Kim Joon
SDHS volley ball team with their coach Mr Jee Kim Joon
Photo courtesy of Mr Jee Kim Joon
The below video ( courtesy of Li Chowan Hock and Chong Song Choi) is certain to evoke nostalgic memories for former teachers and students of St. David's High School, Melaka.
Related article: Click below link and scroll down.
As soon as I open my eyes, the sounds assail
my ears: the incessant drone of cars, the intermittent roar
of motorcycles and the sudden, shrill scream of a siren. Above the din, the call of the adzan, from a nearby mosque, reverberates
across the Taman.
Cars and motorcycles along Lebuh Ayer Keroh
I remember,
in the early 1970s, when we first moved into the Taman, all we could hear during
the pre-dawn hour was the chirps of the early birds and the wail of the wind that
swept from the open ground.
Back then,
the highway leading to the Ayer Keroh toll had not been constructed and we had
to use the narrow, dimly-lit Padang Jambu Road or the Penghulu Abbas Road from
Bukit Baru.
Map of Taman Sentosa, Melaka (1970)
At night we could take a leisurely drive along the sinuous Padang
Jambu Road without encountering a single car and we were often reminded not to
stop for anyone who might flag us down along the lonely stretch of road.
Padang Jambu Road which has been widened
One night while driving home from town, the car’s headlights revealed a long,
murky form making its way slowly from a hill overlooking the Taman to the other
side of the road. Thinking it was a python, I pulled over to the road shoulder
and was pleasantly surprised to see a mother civet with five cubs on tow. I
watched enthralled at the slow-moving procession until it melted into the
darkness.
The nearby
hill was clad in verdant foliage, but sometimes, either by accident or design, part of the hill would be razed by fire and laid bare and hence it came to known as Bukit Gondol or Bare Hill. The hill was not only home for the civets, but a haven
for other denizens of the wild. Monitor lizards could be seen waddling
languidly across the road and I even spotted tortoises and a pangolin in the
Taman. Now, much of the hill is occupied by stark brick buildings and the wild
inhabitants have been displaced from their natural habitats and forced to seek
sanctuary in nearby woodlots or in human homes.
Buildings on the hill
Buildings at the foot of the hill
At the first
light of dawn, I peer through the half-open window. Just beyond the garden
wall, a stately tree with spreading branches and thick umbrella-like canopy, at
one corner of the playing field, looms large before my eyes. Silhouetted
against a hazy, but brightening sky, a tower crane and a condominium, still
shrouded in green netting, rise behind a distinct line of tree tops.
In the 1970s,
the present playground was just an uneven, vacant ground fringed with
head-tall elephant grass. There were no tall trees to obscure our view and from
the front balcony we could have an unimpeded view of the distant hills in Batu
Berendam and even make out the white tombstones that stippled their slopes.
The playground in 2013
There were
only about fifty double storey bungalow houses in the Taman then, as the present Taman Sentosa Dua had not been developed. .
Road leading to Taman Sentosa Dua
The present well- lit and paved road which
leads from Taman Sentosa Dua to Bukit Beruang Road was just a narrow dirt track flanked by tall grass and
shrubs and inaccessible to cars.
Road leading to Bukit Beruang
Before we moved into the Taman only about five houses in the Taman were
occupied by the owners while most of the others were rented to army officers
from the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade who were based in
Terendak Camp, Melaka.
When the
Brigade withdrew from Malaysia in 1970s, the rented houses were put up for
sale with prices ranging from RM20,000 to RM30,000. The bungalows were of standard design and their mostly bare gardens were
enclosed with chain link fences which were fitted with manually operated metal
gates.
A house with the original design
Today,except for a few houses with original design, most
of the original buildings have been replaced by individually designed houses to
suit the owner’s lifestyle. High brick walls equipped with auto gates and some with CCTV cameras conceal well manicured lawn or wholly paved garden where children play within its confines.
Some of the old and new houses in the Taman
I remember at the back of our house was a vacant land, covered with a tangled thicket of undergrowth and greenery, that stretched from the Taman's approach road to the low hills at Padang Jambu. Wild rhododendrons, noni, and kamunting grew in abundance and we could even pick the edible kamunting berries through the chain fencing. Women, their heads laden with firewood, could be seen making their way along a hard- beaten dirt track that ran from the nearby villages to Bukit Gondol. We used to keep two geese at the back of the house and their raucous honking would warn us of trespassers and keep the snakes at bay. The geese have ceased honking a long time ago. Their loud honking have been replaced by the honking of cars. In the mid 1970s when more families moved into the Taman, a few residents decided that it was time to form a Residents' Association to look after the interest and welfare of the residents. Our first meeting was held at No. C-53, which was then owned by Brig. Gen Mustapha who was also elected as the Chairman while Mr. Oh Bah Chee was elected as Secretary. Once the Association was registered, the committee began the task of improving and upgrading the existing facilities in the Taman. The Committee got the developer to donate the vacant land in the Taman for a children playground and once the approval was given they set about clearing the land. In the late 1970s, there was a spate of break-ins and attempted break-ins and the residents decided to engage two security guards from a security firm to patrol the Taman during the night. With donations from the residents, a pondok was erected at one corner of the playground as a base for the guards. One night, the Chairman was passing by the pondok when he noticed it was dark and quiet. When he peered inside the pondok he found both guards were fast asleep. He quietly wheeled one of their bicycles to his house and the next morning a coy and apologetic guard appeared at the house to claim his 'missing' bicycle. Their service was terminated prematurely. Successive committees played a significant role in enhancing the living environment of the residents. The existing facilities were further improved: the playground was leveled and equipped with swings, slides, see-saws, and monkey bars;
a tennis court was built at one corner of the playground, but had to be removed a few years later, as tree roots had damaged its asphalt surface;
Participating in a game at the tennis court
the pondok was given a face-lift and fitted with awnings
The pondok at one corner of the playground
the road was upgraded and road humps were placed at strategic locations;
Roadwork in progress
Road humps with signboards
more street lights were installed;
The well-lit road
a signboard with a map of the Taman and fitted with CCTV camera was erected at the entrance to the Taman.
Neighbourhood events, such as get-together for festive occasions, pot-luck party, and children's games were also organised to bring the residents closer together
Registering for games
Words of encouragement
"You can do it
Taman Sentosa has seen a lot of transformation both socially and physically. Some of the original residents have moved to other states or countries while others have passed on. The children whose shouts and laughter once rang and resonated round the Taman are now grown- ups and have children of their own. Many of the original houses are now beyond recognition as they have been converted into massive mansions. As my friends, John and Nancy, who came back from Australia to look at their former house, remarked, "We can hardly recognise our own house". To the new residents I hope this article will give an insight of how the Taman was like in the early days, while for the old and ex-residents of Taman Sentosa, I hope it will help bring back many fond memories of your stay in the Taman. Related articles: Click below link and scroll down .Caressed by dad's floral magic
Hi,welcome to my blog.
I am a peranakan who hails from Melaka, Malaysia.
Hope you enjoy the writings and photos in this blog..
Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
