Freda Kedung and Miss Au

In this post, I will write about two important figures in my young adult life: Freda Kedung and Miss Au.

I often tell people that I thank God every day for Kedung Sakai.

She came in with all her Kelabit finery when she arrived to become one of the most successful students of TLS. From Bario, in the Kelabit Highlands, Freda was eventually to become head of Communications in Shell until she retired in the early 90's! By then there were more than 2000 Kelabit professionals all over Malaysia.

In many ways we all learned from each other and it wasn't at all survival of the fittest, the evolution theory of Darwin. I believed even at that time, we were quite democratic and yet communal. We helped each other out, especially when we had a friend like Joan Tze who was ever so helpful. Joan was one of the lucky girls who had a rich family. So she was very kind to all of us, including giving us some biscuits and food. We were like the Musketeers, one for all and all for one.

Freda was one of the people in my life who gave me a chance in life. In those days, we could not automatically enter Sixth Form. The Principal would make a list of the selected few, usually the top students. The cutting off happened to be one name above mine. So I wasn't "selected" and I was extremely saddened by it. For a few days I could not eat actually after the list was put on the notice board.

By chance Freda had other dreams. So she threw her entry form into the rubbish bin on the day the entry forms were distributed. William Laing, who already had his form, picked it up and I quickly snatched it from him. I was so determined to fill in that form that I was a little rude to him. But any way, I submitted the form and when my results which were better than most of the selected students, came out, I was given a place in Sixth Form.

That was the second miracle in my life. My first was my being selected for Primary Five in 1959 to attend TLS.

In future years I continued to thank Freda for throwing that form away.


My first memory of tissue paper came about this time, when Miss Au (Later Mrs. Kho) used tissue paper to wipe her face during one Chinese New Year when we visited her house. It must have been quite a challenge for a Chinese lady to cater for a bunch of very shy ulu (native and upriver) boys. For the first time I tasted some made-by-Chinese new year cakes. Miss Au was very compassionate towards us and that was we all loved her very much. It was not easy for us students to come across a generous and warm teacher like Miss Au.

Miss Au continued to teach geography in Miri until she retired and I am very appreciative that she taught my second daughter in St. Columba's before she retired. It must have been interesting for her to know that as a teacher who taught a period of more than 32 years she would have many opportunities to teach two generations of a family. She was always the same, she treated people really well. And I am very humbled by that. I wish more teachers are like her.

Her passing must have been really felt by all of us who were taught by her. All her students would miss her.