Heroes in the 50's and 60's

Today the first hour of the Gawai morning(June lst 2007) is to be used up blogging.
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1950's and 1960's in Sarawak was slow paced. Poor students did not have two cents to rub together.

There was no Sarawak Idol, or any reality TV to watch. At best a radio could entertain a lot of students from a cook's quarters. Or a rich Chinese boy could bring his transistor radio around and allow some friends to listen to the pop songs.

Who would the students worship as idols?

Our TLS heroes were our teachers who were revered and much respected. I believe the every Principal topped the list,followed by particular teachers who identified themselves with students.

Cikgu Yusof Hanifah was in particular well liked.

He was an English teacher and was much sought after Master of Ceremony or Announcer in most occasions in Miri as he spoke such good English English. We as students admired his voice, his articulation, fluency and pronunciation. Like our children who become fans of modern DJs, we were no different then. We loved his voice.

To the smaller boys he was not only a teacher but a friend. To this day, all his stuents still remember him and he is fondly known as DOC, for his doctorate which he acquired in later years.

Mr. Ruthe

A particular principal from New Zealand, was well liked just because it was rumoured he liked belacan. And Zainal Abidin Matassan (Now with Petronas) claimed to have been asked by him to buy belacan. Whether that was a fact, it was never established. Would Zainal now verify it?

Lulu Wong
Lulu Wong the sister of Datuk Amar James Wong, was a Sarawak sprinter during her hey days.
To the girls she was a perfect role model. She was extremely pretty. And of course, she was very artistic.

Then we also had another type of heroes. To most of the students as a whole, our role models were the senior students, out of whom school prefects were chosen. (Please note that I was never made a prefect)

Joni Mustapha

Our sports men were also the heroes and role models. Foremost was the late Joni Mustapha who was a Sarawak hurdler in the 50's. He dominated the event in 58 and 59. He was also a recording artist of the famous Iban song, "Tanah Ai Menoa Aku". I thought he was an Iban when I first heard him singing, during one of the school concerts , sometime in January 1959,when I first arrived.

Alfred Jabu

Alfred Jabu was an outstanding footballer. His style of playing reminds me of the Argentinian International Adilas. Not only was he good but he never seemed to offend the opposing teams from the Police, Field Force, Transport Department.

I have always wondered what he had that made him so good and smooth in the field. Outside the football field,he was always a caring and pleasant towards the younger boys who in turn admired him because he was the only one allowed by Mr. Hicks to drive his station wagon. Having said that, we must all admit that he was really a good player on the football field (now every body knows that he is the distinguished Deputy Chief Minsiter of Sarawak and a Tan Sri ), He was a scorer too and physically and literally he was not only handsome but pleasant and charming .
Frank Apau

Frank Apau was the other outstanding footballer and was always playing the role of mediator whenever there was a fight in the football field, between TLS team and the other side. I clearly remember Frank putting himself in between Walter Chambers and another player from transport department who constantly picked on Walter and kicking him at the rear.

This caused Walter to retaliate and Frank jumped in before punches were exchanged. For that Frank was one of our most favoured role models and heroes.

Jayl Langub

In later years we have Jayl Langub who was the most pleasant and humble of sports men of our school. When he first arrived,his name was spelt JAIL and at the suggestion of Cigku Idit, who was our first class or form teacher in 1959, who recorded and registered our name in the register book, to change his name.

I remember Cikgu Idit took a long time to register Jayl's name because Jayl wanted to be registered or known as by a different name. You can ask Jayl now. But Jayl as a personality, throughout his school years remained a perfect student. I thought he would become a pastor in later life. He remains to this day, a focussed, talented observant person with an academic and scientific mind.

Gabriel Uking

Gabriel Uking was the other most outstanding football player who was a Sarawak State Player for many years. Eventually he was Captain of the University Malaya Football team and that was a difficult role to emulate. As a Miri and Sarawak State Player, Gabriel had intimidating challenges from the opposing teams like the Police, Field Force, Customs and Sarawak Shell. It was not uncommon to see him nursing his bruises after every game.

Ding Seling and John Trang

Ding Seling and John Trang were other outstanding sports men. They were the Miri and State Hockey Players.

Robert Madang and Haji Mohamad

Athletes of the later years were outstanding personalities and well liked for example Robert Madang (Sprinter), Haji Mohamad (Miler). I can't recall how many trophies they collected but they must have filled a whole shelf. Robert in particular,hates one athlete from St. Columba's - Edward Ajang, who in later years, become my personal friend and our lives crossed all over Sarawak. Robert went on to join the army and rose to the position of Lt. Colonel. Always the poet and writer, Robert could have been a great academician as well as a sports man. But unfortunately in our times, we had very little choices. However, I believe that Haji Mohamad being not a holder of blue IC at the time as he was fighting for his national identification papers, he stayed on to study and when he obtained his Malaysian identity card, he could not be more happier than to study hard for his new nation. I hope as I recall this on the blog, Haji could forgive me for writing so succintly about him. But I always hold him in high regards , for his athletic prowess and his superb mental ability.

Simon Daya Gelan - rival athlete
We all also hated Simon Daya Gelan from St. Columbas who virtually beat every one of our boys in later years in 100 and 200 meters. He is now a very successful businessman in Brunei and a very good personal friend of mine. Similarly St Columba Sports Master, Mr. Verghese was the target because he brought up good sports men. We often wanted to murder him. (With words that is)

Today he is again, a very good friend of mine in Brunei. He is the Advisor to the Brunei National Sports Council. I believe his daughter won the second place in one Miss India contest a couple of years ago.

In earlier years the other outstanding sports men were HS Kiprawi who was a Sarawak Sprinter , Steward Ngau Ding who was also a Sarawak State Sprinter, and Frank who was also a sprinter, specialising in the 100 yards event.

I remember one incident in particular. In those days, the sports field was manned by beautiful Red Cross members. Long distance runners were well taken care of at the end of their races. Frank in one particular race, surprisingly fainted at the end of the race. He came in second actually. The Red Cross ladies wasted no time to take care of him,coming with a stretcher and carrying him into the shed. He got up rather quickly unlike the long distance runners. You should ask him what actually happened.

Leo Moggie
Leo Moggie was not particularly outstanding in sports. He was picked up by Mr. Hicks to represent Wellington House in the shot put. Being Leo he obliged. From the moment he picked up the shot, he was all style,bending backwards, with the shot in his hand, almost touching the ground, he executed the throw the third time. The shot almost fell on his toes!

I was a true witness to this feat as i was standing very close to him. I remember Mr. Hicks asking the late Mr. Dearnley,"Do we have to take the measurement?"

The latter waved his hand disapprovingly. And the late Joni Mustapha was with me too. Leo and Joni were classmates. I remember Leo saying, as he walked away, to Joni, "Jangan kalah style po."

I remember the night before, the school had invited the Information Department to show the Sydney Olympics 1956 and one of the impressive event was the shot put championship. I am wondering to this day, whether Leo had followed the sequences during the show.

In recent years when I had the opportunity to tease Tan Sri Leo about it, he comment was "nemu amat naga utail sengapa" (You know how to make up stories). Tan Sri and I have remain very good friends all these years.

I should not miss mentionising the late Asi Iboh, who was an outstanding middle distance runner. We nicknamed him,"the Second Kuda Ditta", the other outstanding Kelabit who went on to become one of the Malaysian Olympian in later years, when he was known as Bala Ditta. (Note: Bala passed away not long ago) Bala was a also a very great personal friend of mine.

As for Jeffery Asi Iboh, he broke the Miri 400 meters record after having a very heated argument with Mr. Verghese before the start of the race. I can see him flying ahead of the rest. It must have been a lane 4. He was initially placed in lane l which Mr. Verghese objected to. Asi became a very good personal friend until his untimely demise a few years ago.

In 1966 when I was in Lower Sixth I attended an interview for a job as SAO and the other interviewees were Celestine Ujang and Asi. There were only two vacancies. Naturally the choise went to the two of them and I was forced to come back to continue my Sixth form.

(It was also my first plane ride in my life and I was put up in the Government rest house in Kuching where I had difficulties in handling the knife and fork at breakfast...story later)

The other sport hero was Wan Long, a Bekenu boy who excelled in football. He was so tiny that the opposing team could never get him.

I think that is enough for sports and heroes for the moment. (Please make suggestions for any corrections necessary. Thanks.)

Selamat Gawai .