TRIBUTE | LUMEN
13
Br . Kevin was a
Brother blessed with gentle manners . He was calm in the face of stormy seas . His reassuring ways would win him the support of friends and respect from his foes . He had a deep perception of people and was well-loved by all . He was ready to help everyone in any way he could as a Principal .
He was a Brother , a scholar and a gentleman .
Mrs Tan Eng Hong
Board of Governors , to Brother Kevin Byrne on his retirement as Principal of SJI in December 1991 revealed the type of visionary leader Br . Kevin was :
“ When the opportunity came for SJI to be re-built , to be born again … you did not hesitate one moment . You boldly seized the chance to give new life to the school , and in your own quiet way , you began to inspire an army of old boys , some 1500 of us , to help you make your dream of a new SJI come true . The result ... the magnificent New SJI on Malcolm Road ...
Opportunity knocked a second time when SJI was offered the chance to become an independent school . You supported the proposal but only on the terms you and your team prudently insisted upon , namely that independence would mean operational independence only , i . e . Government aid would remain intact .”
“ At the beginning when the potential benefits were not obvious to everybody , your own vision was crystal clear and you stood solidly with the School Governors to champion the Independent Option …. Your mild manner of management helped immeasurably to calm and reassure both staff as well as parents worried by the pace and uncertainties of change .”
Mrs Tan Eng Hong , Mathematics teacher at SJI , concurred , “ Br . Kevin was a Brother blessed with gentle manners . He was calm in the face of stormy seas . His reassuring ways would win him the support of friends and respect from his foes . He had a deep perception of people and was wellloved by all . He was ready to help everyone in any way he could as a Principal . He was a Brother , a scholar and a gentleman .”
Br . Kevin then took over community directorship from 1992 to 1996 at St Patrick ' s School before his retirement to Ireland in 1996 . He suffered from Alzheimer ’ s in his later years , and passed away in his hometown Castletown , Ireland , on 26 September 2014 , at the age of 83 , following a fall some months earlier . He was laid to rest at the Community Cemetery Castletown on 29 September .
Many old boys remember and cherish Br . Kevin for his gentle but firm care as their teacher and his quiet but good leadership as their principal . Some who had worked under him in the past or who have been his students will recall him as a a Brother who truly lived his Lasallian charism to the full .
A memorial mass in remembrance of Br . Kevin was organized by a group of old boys at the Singapore Art Museum on 15 November . Fellow Lasallian brothers , ex-principals , teachers past and present , and ex-students who benefitted from Br . Kevin ’ s principalship paid tributes to the man who made a difference in their lives .