The Legend of Henry Lian

Have you ever thought out loud what it would be to be Henry Lian when you were a school boy?

I checked out with a number of boys in the school when I was still in school and most of them said that, (if they have known Henry Lian at school), they would have loved to be him...what a legend! What a lucky guy!

Perhaps what I am going to write might not be the real truth. But it was the legend of Henry Lian of TLS.

Henry came to TLS like most of us. Poor back ground, specially selected because he was bright, and a native boy of the Fourth Division. And the Education officers who chose him could not be wrong at all. He was indeed a good choice as we all know until now.

In school as far as I know, he was good in the field of sports, good to teachers, and excellent in work parties. He was excellent with the girls too, being such a handsome, Greek God like young man!! His success as a student in both academics and extra-curricular was crowned by his appointment as Head Prefect in 1961-62. He was given a place in Lower sixth, which was a mark of academic achievement at that time. But the lucky Henry was given a scholarship to study in the United States. So he missed out Form Six in Tanjong Lobang. And as records stand today, they tell us of his impact in the school.

His public relations has always been very good as he is soft spoken and he can move people to do things in a quiet way. Perhaps it is this particular trait that made him such a success in school and at work later, as Human Resource Manager of Shell, Miri.

Perhaps also, his basic Christian values helped him along to give that trustworthy feeling whenever one was around him.

He was also very brotherly and would always have a lot of good things to say about others.

Later, in life, I met him again and I found that he has a wonderful memory of things in the past,especially of TLS which he loves as much as any one.

I first met him again when I had had just come back from London and I was with Philip. I must have changed a lot since my young, thin scrawny days at TLS. He asked, "Are you that Sawan Jiram?" He was already quite a big guy in Shell then. Philip Assan was a young officer with Lands and Survey Miri and knowing Philip , he was then travelling a lot to make that extra for his growing family. I was too in some desperate need looking for something better in life like a good firm which could take in an indigenous legal assistant, and I too had a wife and a child to look after.

Henry has done well. He had completed his Form Five, won an Asian Foundation Scholarship to the US and came back to jobs which were placed on his lap literally. He has done well for himself and for his people. He has helped so many to achieve in their lives some kind of success in Shell and elsewhere.

But one amusing tale about him was the legendary romance that he had in school. A certain lady teacher fell in love with him and the whole boys' hostel took the gossip like fans of a rock star!! I heard that she was not the only one. When he was in the United States, he had a huge fan club of young ladies and perhaps many would have followed him to Sarawak if only he had asked for their hand in marriage.

That was quite something but I would not write too much about it.

For whenever we TLS think of Henry Lian,four things would stand out : he was so good looking that a young teacher fell head over heels in love with him, he was a good student, and a kind brother in school and he was one of the earliest native boys to win a scholarship to study in the US!


(Note" Henry, hope that this is not offensive to you!!hehehehe)