ALUMNI | LUMEN
17
SJI Kakis 1975 of
By Mark Chin Yew Wei
It has been 40 years since we received our GCE ‘ O ’ Level results in 1976 before we moved on our own separate ways to Junior Colleges , Polytechnic and elsewhere . The Class of 1975 had about 500 Secondary 4 students then . Some of us are now part of a What ’ s App chat group coined “ SJI Kakis ” that was formed three years ago , which now connects nearly 40 alumni who joined SJI in 1972 .
SJI Kakis met up on 12 February 2016 , when many of our classmates returned home from overseas for their Lunar New Year family reunions . Amongst the attendees were our form teachers Mr . Dominic Yip , 83 , Mr . Louis Lim , 77 and Mr . Tang Wing Kee , 76 , who are still very active in service despite their age !
The gathering on 12 February was also to mark the birthday of our late brother Stephen Lim , who had passed away on 10 August 2015 . Stephen was instrumental in uniting our chat group over the past few years through gettogethers and dinners even though he was seriously ill with kidney disease in 2014 . Stephen was a school prefect and the SJI Military Band ’ s Bass Drummer who was the very first to don the leopard vest in 1973 , which is still in use by the band today .
Gavin Pan , who has been working for the United Nations in New York City for the past 24 years , was with Stephen Lim in the SJI Military Band in 1973 when it won the “ Most Improved Band ” award at the National Stadium .
Catching up in the Dome Café brought back many fond memories of our friends , our teachers and the antics of this cohort of Josephians in Bras Basah Road , as we stepped back into our former classrooms again 40 years later .
Edward Tan recalled ‘ Tom Brown ’ s School Days ’ ( author Thomas Hughes , 1857 ), the story of a school boy in Rugby , England . We could all identify with that Literature of 1972 when we were in Secondary One .
Raphael Goh recalled the days of play and laughter and the years of growing up in a veritable and historical institution on Bras Basah Road .
Thomas Tea , our manager of all SJI Kakis ’ photos , valued the real gathering of former classmates over the virtual chats online , and thanked God for the many blessings in the past 40 years .
We will be back in three years ’ time to celebrate our 60th birthdays and sing the School Rally again , and to give thanks for the many good years that SJI has given to us , for the friends that we have , for all the teachers who have taught us , guided us and admonished us , but most of all to our alma mater who set us on the path to life , to be men of integrity and men for others . We thank
the La Salle Brothers in Singapore and throughout the world , and for all that these Brothers have given to us as impressionable young boys then .
This page ( top ): SJI Military Band Drum Section , with Stephen Lim in leopard-skin vest . Photo ( circa 1973 / 74 ) courtesy of Andrew Kong ( standing extreme left )
This page ( bottom ), standing left to right : Gerald Lim , Thomas Tea , Benjamin Goh , Gavin Pan , Johnny Tan , Kevin Then , Noel d ’ Cruz , Mock Pak Lum , Raphael Goh , Johnson Goh , Ow Cheng Poh , Mr . Louis Lim , Francis Ngui , Mr . Tang Wing Kee , Henry Yee , Daniel Jesudasen , Mr . Dominic Yip , Dominic Lim , Chia Sie Yong , Tan Tee How , Edward Tan , Aloysius Wee , James Sua , Kenneth Fong , Ben Cheong , Gary Lau , Gerard Ee , Raymond Tan , Gregory Chia . Squatting left to right : Christopher Murugasu , Lawrence Oh , Daniel Ng , Dominic Tan , Damien Pang , Mark Chin , Lee Meng Boon . Represented by the footballs : in memory of Stephen Lim and Tan Kim Chye et al . Photo courtesy of Lawrence Yeap ( Class of 1974 )