Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Our Chief Blogging Researcher and His Wonder Years

This blog could not have materialized if it was not for the support and research of my gifted St.Aidan mentor/friend. Here he is,speaking from the heart:

Name:
Jeevananthan

Current Attachment:
Teacher, SMK Kampung Baru Si Rusa ,PD

St.Aidan Years
1973 to 1978

Chief Blogging Researcher

Thinking back I feel really proud to have studied in a school like St Aidan's. Memories of happenings in the school still remains fresh in my mind. St Aidan's is rather special to me as I not only studied there but lived in the school compounds from the time I was born till I was 12.My dad Mr. Nadarajah was one of the earliest teachers of the school since it started in 1957.We lived in one of the semi detacted houses just next to the field. The school compound was my playland. I think there is hardly any place that I have not wandered in the compound.The one thing that I cannot forget about St Aidans is the school sports.

Till today I am yet to come across enjoyable sports events like those of held at St Aidan expecially the house decorations that are done so secretly by the house masters during the night before the sports. I still remember the march pass by the armed forces marching for the tune ' Bridge Over River Kwai'. The teachers of that era were that committed to their work and they always went that extra mile to put up something. St Aidans was also one of the 1st schools in Negeri Sembilan to have their own hall.Just imagine ,we used to have movies shown in the hall on Fridays. As I can remember the movie projectors were handled by Mr. Chandran and my dad.I wonder how many students would have had these priviledge of watching movies like The Love Bug, Crazy Boys, Grizzly Bear,etc at school for a minimal fee.

I would really like to get back to those who studied from 1973 - 1979 in the Neptune class. One of them who is still in touch with me is Lew Chee Ming. Others that I would like to get in touch are Joseph Lopez, Edmund Martinez, Lee Seok Hwa, Chin Fui Kean, Santhy Ponudurai, Nordin, Wong Siew Yong, Woon Siew Sin and others of that batch.

Another special thing about St Aidans is that my parents wedding was the 1st wedding that was held in the upper block classrooms of the school in 1964.

I hope the plan to have a gathering to mark the 50th anniversary of the school takes place as planned. Siva, son of Mr Chandran, a teacher of the school who also lived in the school compound got me to assist him in gathering some info about St Aidans. He is doing a wonderful job and I will do my best to assist him. We are planning to go down to bahau to have a look at the school this weekend. Heard that the school has gone through tremendous changes....... Hope we don't have to dig for the remains. Anyway we are bringing the shovels along.. just in case..

Cheerio for now.

Where Are They Now? Mr.Naidu

This photo was taken way back on the 28th April 1971.Left is Nazrin,toddler is Sabrin and tallest of the lot is Shirin
The Naidu family.The family I have known all my life, and are based all over the world

(standing from left : Nazrin,Sabrin,Shirin and Amelia. Sitting: Mr.&Mrs Naidu)


There really wouldnt be enough space in this whole blog to feature the "Indiana Jones" adventure-styled life of Mr.Naidu. So, I'm going to take a back-seat and enjoy the thoughts from the man himself.Here he is reporting from East Timor.



"Everyone knew me as Naidu while my full name is actually Appala Naidu. I was one of the early teachers who joined St.Aidan in the year 1965 and ended in the year 1987 before being transferred to the secondary school.

I optioned out at the age of 50 and joined private colleges working in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and in Papua New Guinea. After that ,I joined an NGO in Cambodia before being accepted as an United Nations Volunteer in the troubled country of Afghanistan. I continued working with the UN and am presently deployed in East Timor (Timor Leste). Presently,my specialisation with UN is assisting conduct elections wherever the UN undertakes its mission.

I was so thrilled to have been posted to St.Aidan in Bahau. I was then travelling from Kuala Pilah, a small town in the state of Negeri Sembilan. St.Aidan in those years had the only secondary school catering up to form 3 preparing the students for Lower Certificate of Education. The staff comprised of the secondary and the primary were the happiest lot working together. I was under the headmaster Mr.David Davadas Dorairaj. He was an able , competent and also served as a National Teachers’ Union leader.

During my teacher's training period, I underwent almost two years part time Athletic training.I was one of the top technical athletic officials with the Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union . Well informed about the athletics specialising in the track, field and jumps, I was able to impart my full knowledge improving the standard of athletics in Aidan. Impressed with the most updated techniques , the other schools in Bahau and the districts soon followed suit. My passion was sports. I spent most of the time improving the facilities of the old fashioned procedures. St.Aidan, as a result, emerged as one of the top schools in the arena of athletics, football and basketball. I can proudly say that St.Aidan was the first school in the district to begin with the most advanced sports techniques.

To improve the infra-structure of the sports field, there were a number of able teachers who were there to assist without any grouses.They took such an interest working hand-in hand facilitating me in my efforts.

I have to mention two of such dedicated teachers namely, Mr.Nadarajah and Mr.R.Chandran. I cannot forget a number of other dedicated teachers who were posted to St.Aidan. We were lucky to have such wonderful dedicated teachers who took their teaching service dear to their heart. Volumes can be written about those early teachers for their sincere and dedicated service but time doesn’t permit now.

Most of the teachers were young and energetic. Every one of them gave their best. The parents, public in general, the estate managers, the wives of the teachers and even their children gave tremendous support whenever needed. It was amazing. This kind of support whether moral ,physical or financial towards the school, encouraged us to work harder.

As time passed, as natural some would be in their old age, some left the physical world and yet some spent their time nurturing their grand children telling them how they adored working as a young teacher in St.Aidan.

Over the years, the communication lines among the teachers and the students would have been interrupted or discontinued. I wish this website would bring them together and cherish the old memories .My mailing address is ganaidu1844@yahoo.com or naidu@un.org

I visited the school with my family members two years back. I couldn’t believe the once glorious school has come to this dilapidated condition. My children now mostly in overseas couldn’t stop crying seeing their old quarters where they lived and the field they played as kids. Whoever was running the school after Mr.Devadas Dorairaj had no idea of how the school was raised. Once a two room school on a borrowed land stood proudly until some years back with four blocks of buildings with a multipurpose hall on its own land has come to this pathetic stage. Maybe the present generation of teachers have entirely a different vision than those in the past!

However, I cannot forget the best times I had like raising funds, planning project after project, raising the educational standard of students in every field. I am sure the early teachers will agree, the closeness and cooperation we had among the teachers who were always laughing and joking but mindful of our dedication towards our duties. This, the closeness with the teachers cannot be forgotten. I owe my gratitude to Mr.Devadas Dorairaj under whom I learned the work ethics, dedication and leadership.The prime time of my life spent with St.Aidan cannot be forgotten and I hope I will forever cherish those sweet memories."



**well put,Mr Naidu. I have known this great gentleman all my life, and to me he has always been a father figure,taking me as his own son since I was young.His dedication to the field of sports in St.Aidan is unsurpassed to this very day, and many past teachers and parents have commented and complimented his efforts.We wish him our sincerest wishes as he undertakes more serious roles serving humanity.There will be more postings about Mr.Naidu in the weeks to come.In the meantime, you can contact Mr.Naidu directly, or email us at staidanbahau@gmail.com with your full contact details,and we will forward your mails to him.**

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Where Are They Now? Mr Nadarajah

The dashing Mr.Nadarajah back then with the 2nd batch students of 1959.Standard 1 pupils
Name :

Mr. Nadarajah


St.Aidan Years :

1958 to 1960; 1963 to 1977


Currently :

A contented grandfather who enjoys raising his grandchildren in Seremban


Best Moments of St.Aidan :

"I fondly remember the fun fairs the school board and PIBG organized to raise funds by selling coupons, back then. It was such a wonderful experience and I even remember one time where we offered a mini minor car as a first prize for the raffles draw. Then there was also the spirit of healthy competition that used to run in our veins to out-do each other during sports meets.Each school house would work secretly on their own projects to become the most decorated and it was quite intense amongst the teachers to pull off a great show.But the amazing thing was, once the sports were done,we'd all get together and have a laugh about it over drinks.No grudges involved.Also, I enjoyed the days when I was involved with the cinema club. "


What do you miss the most about the school?

"I lived in the school quarters for many years, and to me,it was like my second home.No,let me correct that.It WAS home!Years later when I had to leave the school, it made me very upset walking away from so many good memories and good people. "


Who would you like to connect with the most?
" Anybody and everybody who remembers me"


A History lesson please....


" St.Aidan started off as a break-away school.The first batch of students were the standard one pupils in 3 class-rooms in St.Aidan. The standard 2 pupils were based in town in a shoplot and the standard 3 class was in Taisho estate.The school began to take shape from 1959 onwards.Of course, the foundation stone of the school was set up in 1957, making it 50 years old this year."
**If you'd like to get in touch with Mr.Nadarajah, please send us an email with your address and contact details to staidanbahau@gmail.com

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Party Time!!!!

I'd like to think everyone at the table is consuming orange juice..he!he!This is quite a priceless shot..it features my dad (3rd from left),sitting side by side (clockwise) with Mr.Nada, Mr.Ting and Mr.Naidu.Ironically all 4 of them lived in the school quarters.Check out the super slim ties,and funky glasses.

Photos from an era time forgot

The Oliver school hall. The scene of many a concert,movies and even spooky tales.More about the hall in the coming posts.My house is 150m to the right of the school. The founder of the school - Rev Terence M Oliver
1958
The 1st batch teachers & staff
Seated from left: Mrs Thomas, Miss Janet Lim, Mr.David Gunaretnam (the 1st headmaster), Miss Mary Lu Fong, Mrs Sundersingh
Standing from left: Ramaiyah (caretaker), Mr Nadarajah, Mr Devadas Dorairaj, Rev Thomas, En. Mohd Nor b Hj Ismail

Friday, February 23, 2007

She used to be my girl....

Alison sitting with my kindergarden teacher Santha Kumari. My mum is the one who is carrying my sis in yellow. You also get a peek into the interior of my st.aidan house

Here's a gem of a picture.Taken at my 5th birthday bash. Im standing on the furthest left in all dark brown.Jeeva, the chief researcher for this blog is second from the right in the second row.Still on the back row and third to the left of Jeeva is Declan (Mr.Devadas's son) and to the left of him is his sister in all red, Sharmen.The girl standing to the right of me in yellow is Sabrina and to her immediate right is her older sister Shirin.The toddler in red is their youngest sister,Amelia.Missing from the photo is Nazrin, which makes up the four girls (Mr.Naidu's daughters) who I have known all my life,and lived as my neighbour in St.Aidan until 1980. The toddler in yellow is my sis, Mala. The girl on the furthest right is Ting Pei Pei, the daughter of Mr.Ting,another wonderful ex-teacher of St.Aidan who lived in the school quarters and were neighbours to Mr.Nadarajah.To the left of Pei Pei is Helen (who i used to label goldilocks) from UK and beside her is Alison from the US.


Alison was my biggest nightmare back then. She used to be so friendly to me and would follow me wherever I went during my kindergarden days. She'd always want to share her biscuits and drinks with me,and greedy me would take the offerings and run as far as I could from her. One day during our break, she came and sat beside me while I was chomping away on my favourite jam biscuit.Then she surprised me with a quick peck on my cheek.I freaked out,and pushed her hard away from me,in the process hitting her nose. I remember her fleeing away in tears and although I didnt mean any harm, I was grinning from ear to ear. I must have thought "that'll teach her!". Yeah,it taught her alright.She squealed to her mum, and her mum came immediately to my house to complain.Good god.The fit my mum went into about me hitting a girl. I remember clearly my mum breaking a long twig from our guava tree, and chasing me around the house with her self made "rotan". After several lashes, a painful twist of my ear and a humiliating "sorry" to alison, I made up my mind never to speak to her ever again.
It was all I could ever remember of this beautiful 5 year old blue-eyed american lass because a few months later they left Bahau... and I never heard from them ever again(her dad was an expat attached to the estates and they moved with his job).Many,many years later, I would seek out her photo in my old albums to try as hard as I could to remember any details about where she eventually left to,but my memory would fail me everytime. It's funny that after all these years I still miss someone whom I despised during my childhood. The amazing thing was,she was always nice to me, and I took her friendship for granted.It taught me a huge lesson in life and embedded a friendship philosophy in me till this very day. "Never take anyone for granted because you wont know a good thing, until it's gone!"
It's too late for regrets, but she will live long in my memory and I hope someday, our paths shall cross again.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

update on the St.Aidan 50th Anniversary Celebration


It's been a frantic 24 hours since the last post, as I've been trying to reach out and establish if there really is gonna be an event to commemorate st.aidan's 50th year anniversary.Thank god I got the answer,and from none other than Mr.Devadas who surprised me from out of the blue with a call.I almost fell off my chair when I realised it really was him on the other side of the line.It's not everyday you get a call from someone you havent had an exchange of words for 30 years!!!!

I cant think of anyone who hasnt heard of Mr.Devadas, who I believe (with all due respect to all the other past headmasters and current one), is definitely numero uno in everyone's good books.He's been hailed as the man who made the right changes and whose vision transformed the school into what was once one of the finest primary schools in the country. I was such a toddler when he was around, but I am making an effort to go and meet up with him to get some insights and a lesson in history during his tenure as HM of the school.There will be a separate post about him in the weeks to come,and if I get lucky,I'll soon be able to feature all those long lost teachers and ex-students of the school in individual blog postings.

He did link me with one very precious information.A glimmer of hope that the gathering was really gonna happen.And the link was to Usha Appadurai, who I found out is part of a committee who have exciting things lined up for the grand event come October this year.For the moment she has mentioned that there will be two gatherings...one smaller sized event to be held in KL, and the biggie in October.Probably held in the school field with a tent, and hopefully the Menteri Besar of NS to be the guest of honour.It's still early days, but things are gaining momentum.

I hope the event in itself will not be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It would be a travesty to have participants gather from all over the country and beyond for just one day, and then return to their own private lives, allowing the memories of the school to drift by.I hope the event will be a catalyst to renewed friendships, jolly-sing-alongs, business opportunities,a sharing of childhood dreams and a synergy of camaraderie souls.It would be fantastic to keep a little flame of the school burning in each of us.Because, after all, when we look back someday, it certainly was the true beginning for many of us.

I wish I had more photos to post.Im still digging my old photo albums, and I am looking everywhere for the school's only 3 yearbooks "Follow The Gleam" (one red,blue and another olive green).I hope they surface from somewhere..or from someone. Im trying to get my dad to lend me some of his old photos. I did a comprehensive search about the school on the net..and I ended up with zilch!What a pity.Not even a single image or story to fall back on.Totally frustrating..yet a blessing in some ways.I figure,if I had it easy, I would not be appreciative of the history of the school, and now I am forced to go back in time and dig up as much information as I can.Along the way, I'm sure, Im meant to stumble upon precious nuggets I may have missed if information was so easy to come by.
Oh,well...que sera sera.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

50 years of St.Aidan


Its a funny thing how a photo can awaken a flurry of whizzing technicolor lights in your head.Today, it happened to me.A simple black and white school photo of me way back in 1978.I must have stared at this photo for a whole 10 minutes before it dawned upon me that I just could not connect myself with the little boy of my past.7 years old...arms folded tight...looking as if I hated standing on a bench under the blazing sun to smile for a photo which,at that time, just didnt make sense.(or maybe I had to pee or somethin'..:) )
until now..
Gosh..I would do anything to trade places with that 7 year old.No bills to pay, , no undue work stress,no traffic jams,no taxes, no worries about receeding hairline or increasing waistline...heck..what was I to grumble about back then???Homework??Maths??
Even now as I skim the faces of my childhood school mates, one question begs itself to be answered..where are they?What do they look like now?What are they up to? Ting Pei Pei,
Lawrence,Wong Victor,Khairibi,Choo Chee Boon,Tarmizi,Yong Lee Thing,Hemalatha,Mona Lisa....goodness..they all seem like a distant memory...almost like ghosts trapped in a parallel universe. (thank god I re-connected with my old buddy Vijayan, who is now a doctor in Sabah)
Sigh...
Memories...its the one thing we cling to the most..and the one thing that slips by the fastest.
This year marks 50 years of the school I grew up in..literally. St.Aidan Bahau, a magical,wonderful fable of a place back in the 70's when I lived within its premises . I would go on to spend my first 10 years there...a decade that would go on to shape my life, setting the stage for bigger things,challenges..yet,no matter where or what I was doing,my mind would never stray too far away from my warm childhood days of St.Aidan.
I started this blog inspired into preserving those cherished yesterdays. Unfortunately what should have been an alma mater of distinguished proportions,has withered away,a shadow of what it should have been.In fact its in shambles and it kills me to see a foundation that sprung so many great memories,students,teachers,men and women, disintegrate away into nothingness.I shall play my part to keep the memory of the good ol days running, and to bring together a community who can share the best times they have had growing up within and around the parameters of this enchanting school.
In the meantime what this blog will do,is, provide a canvas for some thoughts,photos and insights of my journey back in time to a place I cant let go off.And sometimes you just cant break the friendship and bond that were always meant to be.Like the special place that I hold for the family I have known all my life, my neighbours - the Naidu's.
In fact,we made a vow 2 years ago during a mini reunion (Shirin,Naz,Sab..i hope you gals remember..) that we'd someday link up with the stories from our childhood and share it with everyone. Im also hoping to get ex-students and teachers of St.Aidan to send me their stories and feedback in which I will be able to post up on this blog. So far, I have Jeeva (Mr.Nadarajah's son, a former teacher who also lived in the school quarters) and Terrence Declan, the son of Mr Devadas, the respected former headmaster of StAidan, to join forces with me.
Looking forward to getting this into gear.Cheers! (p/s I'm 9th from the left..standing)