1961

In 1961 88 students were registered in the school for the new year. But several left by the end of the year.

Among those who left in 1961 was Maurice Bujang, one of the most handsome Iban men I have ever known.

The other one was Stephen Kuntai who became a life long friend of mine. We continue to be meet up and we were really close we worked in Miri together many decades later. Somehow school can help us became firm friends and we seldom would change our feelings towards each other.

Stephen Kuntai was a Government cooperative officer until he retired in 1997 in Sibu. He and his wife have three children, Ian, James and Jenny. Stephen first started work in the ulu as a government servant and then he was later transferred to Sibu and then Miri where he worked for a long time. As a cooperative officer, he was always on the move to advise people on how to use the cooperative system to invest and upgrade their own lifestyle.

Cooperatives often work wonders in many countries. Perhaps they are just not too suitable to our people and our culture.Any way the government did make an effort to try to help the people. I always believe that our government has good ideas and is far sighted. Any progress however depends very much on how the local people accept the new ideas and move forward in their own steam. Some times the seed of change is planted but the idea does not take root and that is it then. No change can come about.