Sabah College Class 69

In actual fact, I was not a student of Class 69 of Sabah College. Nevertheless, I got to know many of them through my enrollment to Form 6 of Sabah College in 1970-1971. As a result, some of them in Class 69 have considered me as one of them and invited me to join their class reunion dinner on 12 July 2019.

The reunion attracted former students from Sabah as well as from overseas - Canada, Australia and Singapore. Most I have not met since 1971 except one whom I met in Perth recently (Read here).

As usual, the happy time prompted some to suggest a more regular meet up. A committee was quickly formed to plan for the next reunion scheduled in 2021.

I was invited to join the "class photo" of
Class 69 Science Class.

Sim Lo Tan, a doctor residing now in Brisbane and Chin Hin Pok, an electrical engineer in Singapore.

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In those days in the early 70's, doing Form 6 "A" level was not a popular option. Most preferred to continue the tertiary education overseas immediately after the Form 5 "O" Level. Those who stayed on were students who could not afford an overseas course or could not obtain any scholarship.

The class of Lower Six started with quite a "big" class. But by mid year, five had left for overseas. As a result, the small number of students became a close-knit group especially among the Mandarin speaking classmates.

The reunion triggered an interest among all attendees to look for old photos for sharing. It was with a mixed feeling of nostalgia and a bit of sadness to go through some of them. We laughed and sighed with nostalgia of those years of innocence and adventurism. In those years, we dared to try out all options just to make a head start in life.

We were sad because a number of the classmates had moved on to a "higher" home. At least one that we know of is at the end stage of a terminal illness.

A proud moment for an outsider of Sabah College to be appointed as a school prefect of the school. Wearing a striped necktie then was almost like wearing a yellow jersey in Tour de France.

Though just a mere two years spent in Sabah College, we had had many memorable moments

A visit to the Istana during TYT's open house in 1971
and chatting with the then TYT, 
Pengiran Ahmad Raffae Pengiran Omar

A break during a basketball match.

An outing to the beach.

Many of the sixth formers rose to become top civil
servants. Noni Said in the photo was one of those
who rose to become the deputy state secretary
of Sabah 

Some of us at the old KK Airport to send off
Chan Kum Chun in Lower Six who gained
entry to a university in Canada.

Medical Mission To Kampung Muhang

It was at least 25 years ago when I first joined a mission trip. The destination was Pensiangan, a place reckoned to be one of the least developed places in Sabah then.

With some of the challenges of the Pensiangan trip still fresh at the back of my mind, the idea of joining another mission trip at my age seemed to be a huddle too big to handle, more so in a medical mission. I was wondering what I could do in a trip meant for medical personnel! But with the push from my better half and after reading the chapter, "Travel outside of your comfort zone" from the book "101 things you should do before you go to heaven", I decided to have another go for it!

Kampung Muhang is not considered a remote place, a mere 132 Km from Kota Kinabalu. It is accessible all the way by a sealed road except the final stretch of 14 Km. Eleven Km of the final stretch is fairly well maintained graveled road but the final 3 Km is horrendous. The condition of the final stretch is almost like going on a 4WD off road adventure drive. I was told by a friend who came to the same kampung with the Rotarian some ten years ago to help set up the gravity water supply that the road condition has more or less remained unchanged. This is a clear case of poor political leadership combined with a failure of proper resource allocation and the absence of a regular road maintenance program.

Majority of the local inhabitants in Kg. Muhang are really not dirt poor people. They are primarily handicapped by the absence of basic amenities like a reliable water supply system and a health clinic that is within reasonable reach and accessibility.

Chapel of Gereja PCS Muhang used as the temporary clinic.

The visit was well publicized by the local Church and huge crowd turned up for the free medical and dental consultation and treatment. Some walked miles from early morning just to make sure they wouldn't miss the opportunity. Still, there was a case of a woman who only started the walk on Sunday morning. By the time she arrived, we were all packed up and ready for our departure in the afternoon. Our doctor was kind enough to dispense some medicine from the first aid box and passed to her. To her, the effort had not been a waste.

Dental tools.

Without a dental chair, it's a pity the only treatment for problematic tooth is instant extraction. Had it been in a proper dental clinic, I believe many tooth may have been salvaged by way of other means: filling, root canal treatment.... But then, these simple village folks probably wouldn't have been able to afford the time and the multiple trips of visitation to the clinic. From what I observed, the village folks left in happy spirit even with less teeth in the mouth! 

Young doctors at work.

Medicine dispensary.

Intestinal worm infestation is common among rural kids. Willing kids were given free deworm medicine on the spot.

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A member of the team who is passionate about cleanliness, healthy living and environment sustainability took the chance to organize a gotong royong among the kids to clean up the village, in particular, all plastic non-degradable material. There is probably better hope of a better environment though educating the young rather than the adults.

The annex to the Chapel served as men bedroom as well
as dining area.

Reflection and  thought which I shared with the group before heading back home: 

This kind of trip allows us to see and feel the inner longing for care and love of another human being just like us. Our kind gesture sometime rekindles their souls just as much it does to ours. In the process, we become more human.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” Mahatma Gandhi

Finding ourselves can mean a lot of things:

• You discover your courage.
• You have overcome certain prejudice against certain people.
• You have compassion.
• You have tenacity.
• You have a soft spot for the marginalized.

This experience also allows God to stretch us in new and different way. I believe we will not only become a more flexible and tolerant person, but a more fulfilled one as well.