THE fifth formers from the class of 1980 of Saint Joseph School (SJS), a well-known mission school owned and administered by the Brothers of St. Gabriel in Johor Baru, have been meeting every year since they left school 41 years ago.
Known as "Batch 1980", they're a close-knit group. Their annual reunions have become somewhat of a ritual, drawing fellow classmates from all over the country, and sometimes, even the world.
So regular has the ritual of annual reunions been that by its 30th edition in 2010, no one could have imagined anything interrupting this much-loved tradition from taking place.
But something did.
The Covid-19 pandemic last year broke this chain of annual get-togethers, usually held in the month of October and which regulars mark as a must-be-present event whenever they draw up their annual calendar.
No one is certain whether this tradition can resume this year; suffice it to say, many of the former students will be keeping their fingers crossed that the Covid-19 spectre will not put a damper on their plans again.
EVERLASTING BOND
It all began back in 1980. The departing students found themselves walking down the hallway of the school for the very last time. Raucously, they promised each other that they would try to meet on a regular basis every year.
And that pledge has been dutifully fulfilled — except for the year 2020.
Despite going their separate ways, the former students have made sure that they continue to keep in touch with each other, the bond cultivated during their school years forming an unbreakable connection with their past.
Every time they gathered for their annual reunions, it was an opportunity for them to reminisce about the years they spent at the school and the achievements they enjoyed through the decades.
The last reunion was staged in 2019 at the Permas Jaya Golf Club in Johor Baru. Earlier in the day, the boys had taken a walk down memory lane as they made their way back to the school.
Their Science lab where they used to huddle over their Science experiments more than 40 years ago was their first stop. And then it was onto the school field where they recreated their joyous "games" time playing sepak takraw, rounders, chatek, and basketball.
As usual at these reunions, nostalgia reigned. Many were seen giving in to their emotions, heartily embracing each other, posing for long photo sessions, and enjoying many boisterous rounds of drinks.
DOWN MEMORY LANE
The advent of social media has made it easier for the former students to keep in touch with each other, regardless of where they are in the country, or the world. But nothing beats the warmth of being in the same space as each other and partaking in the rituals of reunions.
"Some former classmates had migrated to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, but thanks to social media we've been able to reconnect," says former student, Azlan Johar.
He recalls the good old days when mingling among the student population was smooth, with little or no sensitivity to racial and other differences.
"All races — Chinese, Indians and Malays — mixed without any inhibitions. We cared for each other," he states matter-of-factly.
Smiling, he remembers that if a friend failed to turn up for school, everyone would be wanting to know why and sometimes the boys might even go to the home of the absentee to see if he was alright.
"It was at SJS that I learned how to use chopsticks when having curry mee in the canteen. My father insisted that I learn to use them," he adds with a chuckle.
Azlan, a school footballer who went on to play for the country, happily shares that it was here at this school that he "…picked up English and that's why I'm able to converse well in the language today."
Meanwhile, Alexander Natusch, the school's head prefect during Form 5, fondly recounts: "I have fond memories of the school, the classes, activities, our beloved teachers and my classmates whom I still cherish after almost 40 years of friendship."
Natusch can still vividly recall when as head prefect he was given an important task to go on stage and lead in the singing of the Negara Ku and the school song for five to 10 minutes during assembly.
Chuckling at the memory, he shares: "I was nervous yet beaming with pride to lead the school in song."
FOND RECOLLECTIONS
For Jeffrey Miranda, his time in SJS taught him many things — namely the value of unity, respect and diversity. "We understood each other's religion and culture."
Continuing, he says: "And from that understanding we learned to respect each other. We even celebrated each other's festive events like Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas."
He adds that teachers during his time in SJS had a different mind-set and methods of teaching. "They didn't just teach what was in the textbook. They also taught us other things considered important for students, including values such as respect and understanding."
Smiling, Miranda continues softly: "Now having passed half-century in age, career-wise we're stable, and our children have all grown up, so it's time to catch up with old classmates."
Inevitable at the reunions, gales of laughter would rise above the clanking of plates and clinking of glasses. The spontaneous mirth and merriment are indicative of the joy felt by the former students.
Memories from the past would be dredged up as they recall events that occurred during their Josephian years, especially those episodes spiked with humour and schoolboy mischief.
Interestingly, they have all fared rather well in their adulthood. Some have become successful professionals — lawyers, doctors, engineers, bank managers, teachers, and there are even a few chief executive officers in the mix.
Some of the guys who turn up at these reunions also comprise those who were considered pretty notorious during their school years for having made some of the teachers' lives somewhat challenging.
Former student, Lim Chee Khan, who now lives in Singapore, has never missed a single reunion. Smiling, he confides: "Despite all of us turning 58 this year, we're still going strong. We're like one big family."
He's proud of the fact that they have been able to maintain their bond through the various phases of their lives — from kindergarten until Form 5. "Indeed, we're blessed to have been together after 41 years since leaving school," he says softly.
CAREFREE DAYS
Receding hairlines, greying temples, portly double chins and jowls only serve to draw good-natured ribbing among the former students. Some gleefully whip out their old class photographs to show their ex-classmates.
It's obvious that these former students enjoy reliving their carefree past, although some have been spotted furtively flicking away a stray teardrop or two as they recall the school founded by the Brothers of St. Gabriel in 1955 in Jalan Abdul Rahman Andak before its relocation on Jan 1, 1987 to Larkin.
Thoughtfully, former student Oh Pek Hwa surmises that what unites them are the friendships forged and their shared memories of growing up in a mission school.
"During our time, moral or ethics teaching was very strict. We learned to uphold certain values like integrity and loyalty, which helped us to grow together," he says.
Continuing, he points out: "In the late 1960s, the SJS compound housed a primary school, a Chinese primary school, a kindergarten, a government-aided secondary school and an independent secondary school. The secondary school is the one at the new site in Larkin."
For Oh, the school was his second home as he always enjoyed being there. "Everyone had a chance to excel, be it in studies, sports, drama or debate. Many of my seniors in the school were good sportsmen," he remembers fondly.
For Batch 1980, a reunion would not be complete without taking a walk down memory lane to their alma mater. They would spend at least half-an-hour touring the school in the early part of the day to bask in the place they once called their "playground" four decades ago.
FORMIDABLE TEACHERS
Inevitably, during this exercise, they would fondly reminisce their teachers and their more peculiar habits. Science teacher Toh Chuan Hock, renowned for his unconventional method of punishment with a rubber band, is now 85 years old.
He's been a regular at the reunions. During the 1980s, teachers were allowed to use the cane but Toh is remembered for his style of punishment to this today.
Another disciplinarian was the late Harpajan Singh, the hint of whose voice or the sound of whose footsteps would send students scurrying for cover.
The presence of Toh and Harpajan among the teaching staff inevitably ensured that the livelier and more "energetic" students were not able to unleash their mischief or exceed the bounds tolerated for fear of these teachers and their methods of "containment".
We often wondered whether Toh and Harpajan were seconded to the school from the Special Forces as they were brilliant marksmen!
Meanwhile, who could forget the iron-lady of SJS, Teo Swee Kiew, 75, who didn't carry a cane but whose bark was worse than her bite? Her firm footsteps could be heard along the corridors of the school whenever she approached. Her glare at an offending student would send shivers down his spine.
SJS is proud of its outstanding records, having produced graduates who have in turn contributed to the wealth and strength of this nation.
Hundreds would arrive through the school gate as boys and leave as young men seeking to find their niche in a challenging adult world.
However, their paths may have diverged and their school days long left behind, but these Josephians from Batch 1980 will forever be bound by their shared passion for their school and the memories they created — together.
Til they meet again…