1958

Chai Yeak Yun, Philip Lim,Phang Sam Fatt,Chong Tung Fatt, Ho Mok Yin, Dunstan Ludan,Kiprawi Sweasi,Pahphael Scott Abeng, Peter Boyer, Awangku Jaafari, Sylvester Juan, Ghazaili Ismail, Danson Gaygne, Abdul Wahab,Frank Apau, Leo Ambrose, Walter Chambers, Alfred Jabu Solomon Buyong, Noel Hudson, Henry Jantum, Nicolas Answer, Averil Rodegers, Mohammad Joni, Grace Tze, Liaw Leong Pei, Abdillah Hassan and Agan Kapong reported on 20th January 1958. Altogether 95 students reported for the second year after the Tanjong Lobang School was estab lished. This boosted the total school population to 165.

Phang Sam Fatt later became the Chief Librarian of the Miri Dewan Suarah Library and helped many children to become good readers. I brought my children to borrow books in the libary when they had to do their school course work.

The Dewan Suarah Library was something to reckon with in the 1980's and 1990's. Not many towns would have such a great building and such an array of books and magazines! When I looked at the facilities I would often think of the less well bestowed, the less fortunate students in the rural areas who would not have even seen more than 10 books in their life!

And then in the 1950's we had to be plucked out of the rural areas by some white men with grand ideas that this was the ideal way of creating a new generation of educated native boys and girls. Even though it would mean displacement and emplacement of children, still too young to be taken away from their parents, it was the only way.

I was like a wild mushroom plucked from Ulu Medamit and I had to find my own niche to survive. I had to live in a fragile environment but thanks to some gracious hands and gracious hearts I managed to bloom. I am sure many of my school mates felt the same about themselves, about their environment, about their school and their teachers.