Alma Mater

Some say the term Alma Mater does not apply to the primary school one attended. They contend that it is a designation typically reserved for one's university or college. I hold a slightly different view. To me, the impact of a person’s first school is deeply significant. From this perspective, I see no issue in referring to Lok Yuk Primary School Jesselton - now renamed Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Lok Yuk, Kota Kinabalu - as my Alma Mater.

I spent six formative years there, from 1958 to 1963. More than five decades have passed since, and yet I can still vividly recall all my teachers and most of the incidents, both happy and sad, that shaped those early years. It's fascinating how that part of the brain remains so intact - unlike the part that deals with recent events. These days, names and faces from recent encounters tend to fade too quickly!

I can’t quite remember when I last attended an official school event - it must have been a very long time ago. However, I did visit the school many times over the last twenty years, in a professional capacity. I served as the consulting engineer for the construction of two of the three school blocks. When the School Management Board organized the official opening ceremony for the latest addition - a new canteen and multi-purpose block - I was invited, but unfortunately, I couldn’t attend. Ironically, I no longer remember the reason why.

Earlier this year, a new school management board took over, and their first initiative was to widen the main entrance access road. This time, I was able to attend the groundbreaking ceremony, officiated by the Bishop of the Basel Christian Church Malaysia.

The ceremony was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. on 18.10.2016. I arrived early and was invited to sit in the school canteen with other dignitaries and board members who had also arrived ahead of time. I recognized almost everyone there, except for a young lady seated in front of me. Her face struck a familiar chord, but I quickly gave up trying to place her. A moment later, the Senior Pastor of BCCM KK (C), seated beside me, identified her as the Chairperson of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association.

Almost immediately, she turned to me and asked, “Did you stay in Taman Foh Sang before?” That question lit up a long-dormant memory. I instantly recalled the Shim family, who lived directly opposite my government-rented semi-detached house during my time with JKR. Before she could finish saying her own name - “Ger…” - I completed it for her: “Geraldine.”

It was 1983 - 33 years ago - when Geraldine and her younger brother came to my house for Serene and Sam’s joint birthday party. She was probably around eight or nine then.

That moment reminded me of something profound: children remember faces far better than we assume. We had a long, warm chat, catching up on more than three decades. Geraldine shared that her eldest child is now in Form 1 at Tshung Tshin, and her second is in Primary 2 at Lok Yuk - hence her involvement in the PTA. She admitted some insecurity over her limited proficiency in Mandarin, having studied in BM/English-medium schools, but I assured her that she would do just fine in her role.

I left the event with a heart full of gratitude - not just for the school's continuing efforts to grow and improve, but also for the realization that people grow, evolve, and become your peers, sometimes even your superiors. It was a timely reminder: never overlook or dismiss anyone, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant they may appear. You never know - someday, somewhere - that person may turn out to be your peer, your leader, or perhaps even your lucky star.

Group photo after the ceremony.

December 1983 in Taman Foh Sang. 
Standing at back row middle is Geraldine.