JOSEPHIANS | LUMEN
13
During Mr Hon ’ s period in office as Chairman of the SJI Board of Governors ( Aug 2002 – Aug 2011 ), he led the school to a slew of achievements including the offer of an Integrated Programme ( IP ) leading to the International Baccalaureate ( IB ).
Mr Noel Hon ' s E-Cop office had a myriad of awards on display both for the company as well as personal . He is Chairman of the Board for E-Cop . He was conferred the Public Service Star ( Bar ) and elected to the IT Hall of Fame in 2006 . Mr Hon is also a Justice of the Peace .
I was about to find out what makes a man such as this .
AJ : Hello Mr Hon thank you for taking the time to meet with me .
NH : No problem . I just think I should let you know that I like to keep my personal life separate from my professional life .
AJ : Yes , I can understand that would make for a wise policy . But this makes things a little difficult for me because I wanted to ask you a little bit about your family .
NH : ( laughs ) Go ahead . I will answer what I can .
AJ : Ok . Where did you grow up ? NH : I was born in Penang where I attended St Xavier ’ s Institution . I was there for a year before attending school in Singapore at St Joseph ’ s Institution . I think that was probably in 1955 . I remember joining the scouts when I was in Primary School and spent quite a few years there . I was also represented SJI in chess and that took up quite a bit of my time .
AJ : Do you still play chess ? NH : Not anymore . I used to play with my daughter but I stopped after she started to beat me .
AJ : Really ? NH : No , not really , I was joking . But she went on to become a national chess player .
AJ : Were there difficult times in those early years ?
NH : I was quite easy going and I guess I don ’ t think they were difficult times . Our needs were simpler then as compared to now . But I am sure they were worrying and uncertain times for the older folks . It was an interesting time because we were about to gain self rule . The British were withdrawing from their colonies and there were riots etc inspired by the Communists . But I guess that as we were young , it did not really affect us much . During that period of time , there was also a sense of nationalism and the PAP was coming into power . There was anticipation and a sense of change .
AJ : Did all this impact your family in any way ?
NH : My father worked in the university . He was a Professor of Physics . He had friends in the university and beyond who stood for elections and were elected to government . As we were quite young at that time we were not kept in the loop . However , I remember he organised transportation for the PAP for one of the first Legislative elections . I remember it as it was my job to wash the car and I was impressed because the car was returned in even better condition than when borrowed ! This made an impression on me as it showed the values of the new leadership .
AJ : Did you study Physics at the University ?
NH : Yes , I studied Physics .
AJ : It must have been nice growing up in an environment with your father as a Professor of Physics .
NH : Yes , my father was quite a good teacher . He really educated us and not just taught us . He spent a lot of time with his children and I benefited from his encouragement and wisdom . He also shared his love of culture with us .
AJ : What do you mean by culture ? NH : He was into the arts . He studied the local culture and made us aware of the society that we were in and the changing times . He would share that with us . Very inspiring . Very moral . And in that sense he was an excellent educator .
AJ : Can I ask you about your time at SJI ? What were your best moments ?
NH : The best times I had were the formation I received in the scouts . Scouting helped shape the way I look at life . In the scouts , we talk about all the good things and I remember them well . Things like courtesy , kindness , respect , consideration , the Scout Law and our promise to do our best always .
The other dimensions were faith and the Catholic education that has served me well in my life . SJI made me aware of God . It brought balance . Then , there was the school motto and I always felt that when I did work right , to me , it was a prayer . I made sure that whatever I do is my prayer .
There was a service component that we learnt in the various activities in the School . This was reinforced by my mother who as was very into social service . She inspired me to want to serve .
AJ : Tell me a little bit more about your mother .
NH : She chaired a variety of organisations but she also went down to serve the underprivileged directly .
At the end of the day , I thought to myself , a one-dimensional life is no good . It ’ s not enough . While you need to excel in your work , you need to have more than one dimension in your life . You have to make time for your family and you also need to look beyond the family . Be of service to society and contribute in equal measure with what you put in to your job and family . You have to do more than one thing and do it well .
AJ : Were there any subjects that you were not so good at in school ?
NH : Chinese . Nowadays , with China becoming so prominent , a good command of the language