In memory of Mrs. Clingeleffer

Mr John Clingeleffer of Cabarita Beach, New South Wales, shares memories of his beloved mother Heather Clingeleffer nee Graham.  Many BBGSians from the 1950's will remember her as BBGS' first science teacher who was responsible for building our curriculum and laboratories; under the headship of Miss Mary Glasgow.  She met her husband Jack while serving in BBGS from 1948 - 1960 and continued her teaching career when she returned to Australia.  Mrs Clingeleffer passed away on 1 June 2018 at Ocean Grove, Victoria, Australia.  

Thank you, John, for your generosity in sharing the eulogy and photos.  

BBGSians who remember Mrs Clingeleffer, please share your memories in comments or email me directly at joannayeoh@gmail.com

Mrs Clingeleffer (on the left of guest of honour) at the opening of the BBGS Science Labs

"Good afternoon and thank you for coming to remember the life of Heather Elizabeth Agnes Clingeleffer.

Apart from knowing that she was born on the 17th of November 1921, not a lot is known about Heather's childhood.  We do know that she completed her leaving certificate at St. George Girls' High School in Sydney in 1938 with honours in Modern History and Biology.  She then went on to Sydney University where she studied maths and science.  After graduation, she took up teaching in various locations in New South Wales.

In 1948, Heather received the call from missionaries in Kuala Lumpur to go and teach in Malaysia.  She answered this call and left the safety and stability of life in Australia to take up a teaching position at Bukit Bintang Girls' School, known as BBGS, in Kuala Lumpur in, as it was then known, Malaya.  BBGS had been established in 1983 by Betty Langlands as a Brethren school initially to teach young girls to read.  Despite the school's longevity, Heather was to become their first science teacher.

This was not a safe time to travel to Malaysia.  Following the end of the Japanese Occupation in September 1945, the Malayan Communist Emergency started in June 1946 and continued for over a decade.  During the emergency, travel outside the capital could be fatal with regular attacks by bandits.  Getting away from the emergency to highland retreats was often undertaken but even walks in the surrounding jungle could result in unexpected encounters with the local fauna.  This was a far less controlled environment than it is today.

Heather enjoyed her time at BBGS and living in Malaysia.  While there, Heather met her future husband, Jack, and after their marriage she moved from the young women's boarding house into a home on Ampang Road complete with amahs, a gardener and driver.  But, with the push for independence from the British empire, Malaysia was becoming a less pleasant place for foreigners to live.

After independence in 1957, and also due to a decline in Jack's health, in 1961, we moved back to Sydney Australia.  We initially stayed with Heather's brother Boyce and his wife Lorna and soon after that, we rented a flat in Artarmon, where, as it was assumed at the time, Heather would simply stop being a teacher and become a housewife.  It soon became clear to us all that Heather's progression from life in her parent's house, to various catered boarding situations, to a home in Kuala Lumpur with servants, had left her singularly unprepared for domestic duties.

She applied for and got a job as a teacher at Abbotsleigh Girls' School where she worked happily for many years.  The students at Abbotsleigh were graded on perceived intelligence, from White at the bottom of the scale through to Red and Green to the top level of Blue.  Heather would frequently be given the White students because she didn't look down on them and treated them all equally.  Heather revelled in frequently getting to outperform the higher levels.  Many times when I returned home from school in the afternoon, there would be some of Heather's students at our house receiving extra tuition.

Mrs Clingeleffer with her family in Australia 

After Artarmon, Jack and Heather moved several times: Warrawee, Wahroonga abd hen in 1976 to what I think was Heather's favourite, Collaroy Plateau, where they lived very happily for 13 years.  After my sister Mary was taken ill in 1987, Jack and Heather moved to Broke in Hunter Valley to be of assistance.  They initially stayed in a caravan, then in a house Jack build at the rear of Mary's residence; then in a couple of houses in Singleton.  I am fairly certain that not all aspects of this nomadic existence excited Heather.  During this period, Jack and Heather also spent time as stand-in caretakers at Camp Kedron.

In 2001, with Mary's health much improved following a kidney transplant from her cousin Helen, and Mary's sons Duncan and Leon much more self sufficient, Jack and Heather moved to Ocean Grove, partly to spend more time with their fourth grandchild Katie.  It also meant Jack and I could play golf more frequently.

Sadly after this move Heather's decline started.  She had a stroke in 2001 from which she never fully recovered.  In January 2007, she lost of her husband of 58 years, Jack and in 2016, she lost her youngest daughter, Debbie.  Both deaths were sudden and unexpected and had a negative impact on Heather's well-being.  Shortly after Debbie's death, Heather had a fall resulting in injuries that required her to go into permanent care at Sea Views Manor  This is where she passed away late on the evening of Friday, the 1st of June, after spending her last day with her granddaughter Katie who is halfway through a medical degree.  Heather was a teacher to the end

What memories do I carry of Heather?

Heather was always curious an in retirement kept her mind active with cryptic crosswords, Scrabble and Sudoku.  Her knowledge was very broad and amazingly deep.  When I went for my first job in computing, I was asked during the interview if I was conversant with Hexadecimal arithmetic.  I said, yes, of course I was.  After leaving the interview, I went straight round to see Heather and she sat me down and explained how the hex worked,  After that instruction, I was able to undertake the job with confidence.

I still wonder how Heather would have progressed through academia if she had been a man.  I comfort myself with the thought that while academia may have missed out on Heather's intellect, hundreds of girls whom she taught at BBGS and Abbotsleigh benefitted from it."

Awesome Blossom

I must admit that when I think of BBGS girls in the 1950's, I see images of Stepford-wife wannabes, in floral skirts that twirl as they whisk themselves from the kitchen to the dining room.  Not for this BBGS girl from 1956.  Blossom Wong joined the Police Force before Merdeka and was a bona fide Special Branch police officer who kicked ***!  
Read her stories in this article which appeared in the New Straits Times on 5 August 2012.
Blossom Wong: Fighting crime in a cheongsam - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/i-caught-criminals-in-a-cheongsam-1.120548/blossom-wong-fighting-crime-in-a-cheongsam-1.120553?page=0#ixzz22jKlb2SN

INTERNET SENSATION: Sultry police officer Blossom Wong was a real-life version of a 1960s spy. An old photograph of her escorting American politician Robert F. Kennedy and his wife, Ethel, when they were in Malaysia, went viral on Facebook recently with many on the social networking site bedazzled by her glamorous looks. Arman Ahmad managed to track down Wong, now 74, to talk about her time in the force. Starting her career in the Special Branch, she retired as a superintendent of police after 36 years of service

YOU may wonder where I got the name Blossom from. My real name is Wong Kooi Fong.  I have always loved plants and gardening. When I was still a child living in Sungei Besi, Kuala Lumpur, I used to plant flowers. My father reared chickens, so I had a lot of chicken droppings for the plants. They grew very well.  There was a Caucasian district officer who lived near my house. His wife called me Blossom because I loved flowers and everything I planted grew well. That nickname stuck. In fact, in my police retirement card, the name is Blossom. It became almost like an official name.

When I finished my Senior Cambridge in the 1950s, I honestly didn't know what I wanted to do.In those days, there were only two options available for girls. I could become a teacher or a secretary. Both were not my cup of tea. I was a tomboy in school and played hockey and badminton, and was in the debating and geographical societies. To me, teaching is boring, and to become a secretary, well you have to please your boss, and you cannot go out of the office. I'm an outdoor person.

After school, I worked with my dad in his poultry farm in Sungai Buloh. One day, there was a recruitment advertisement for the police force. They wanted people who were active and played games, and I thought why not give it a try.  I applied quietly without telling my father, who wanted me to be a teacher. I'd rather not because I was quite naughty in school and was afraid of getting balasan (retribution) from my students for all my misdeeds in school.

One day, I was walking in town (near the current Pavilion shopping mall) and saw a police patrol car. In the front seat was a lady officer and she had a cap on. She looked so smart. She looked at me and smiled and from that moment, I was sold. I would be a policewoman.  In my heart, I knew I wasn't prepared to be a teacher. Besides, if I became a police officer, I would get to ronda around Kuala Lumpur in a police car every day.

As fate would have it, I got a letter asking me to report for training on Aug 1, 1957. I went for six months of basic training. I learned all sorts of interesting things, including marching, musketry and the law. I remember we had a good law instructor. His name was Barcharan Singh. Marching three times a week in boots under the hot sun was the hardest part. All the orders were given in Bahasa Malaysia and at that time, my Bahasa was not up to par.  We woke up before 6am every day. By 6.10am, we were already marching from the barracks to the administration block. There were 15 women and an equal number of men in my batch. 

After graduation, we became probationary inspectors. I was chosen to join the Special Branch and given a posting in Penang. In those days, Sungai Besi was one of the communist hot spots and I wanted to be as far from my family as possible lest someone learned that I was a police officer. I had never been to Penang. Unfortunately, when I joined the Special Branch, I didn't get to wear the uniform, which had been my intention all along. 

I would travel incognito all over Penang as a decoy or undercover. Working with the Special Branch took a toll on my social life. I was very unhappy socially. I was not supposed to mix with the other uniformed girls. When I met one of them on the street, I had to ignore them because it might give my position away. Despite this, I found it all very exciting. After four years, I requested for a transfer to Ipoh to become the assistant area inspector. I was the second in command, and there were five police stations to take care of.In 1962, I was transferred to Kuala Lumpur after I got married. I was posted to the courts there. I became a prosecuting officer in the magistrate's and juvenile courts. 

In January 1964, Robert F. Kennedy and his wife Ethel came to Malaysia. I was assigned to escort his wife and I was asked by my superior officer to guard Ethel with my life.  Wherever they went, I followed. I even followed them swimming in Selangor Club. I couldn't swim so I just sat and watched them. They stayed at a penthouse in Merlin. That was the only swanky hotel at the time.

When Ethel was in the penthouse, I stayed in the outer section. She was warm and friendly and I remember her inviting me to have tea with her. We had conversations about her children. At that time, she already had a big family. When she went back home, she wrote to me in jest: "The TV had more pictures of you than me. If you ever come over, we would need a contingent to protect you."

During my career in the police force, I escorted numerous public figures, including Madam Park, wife of South Korean president Park Chung-hee, and Japanese prime minister Eisaku Sato and his wife, as well as the governer-general of New Zealand, among others. The Japanese prime minister gave me a Seiko watch that I wear until today.

In 1966, Albert Mah, an OCPD at the time, told me that we were setting up an anti-vice unit and I would be in it. He said: "Your fellow officers will show you the black cats."  I wondered what he meant. Then we went to Jalan Ampang, near Federal Bakery. On top of a Chinese coffee shop were numerous rooms. One of the men and I went up undercover and peeked into the rooms. Some of the girls were sitting on beds. I used this visit to plan my operation. It was the first anti-vice operation and we caught a van full of girls. Some of them were underaged. One of them was pregnant. In those days, they were all local girls. There were no foreigners. After the first operation, it dawned on me how widespread it was. From Jalan Walter Grenier to Jalan Khoo Teik Ee to Jalan Hicks and Jalan Alor, there were many of them. The mama-sans became afraid of me.

Later in my career, I would be called up to head another unit. This time, inspector-general of police Tun Hanif Omar asked me to set up the rape investigation section. We received training and a kit from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We pioneered the use of DNA as evidence.

I retired in 1993. Now, besides spending time with my daughter and helping with her veterinary practice, I also do some gardening. I'm still quite good at planting flowers. I was with the police force for 361/2 years. I never regretted it. If I could do it all again, I would.

Candle 39: Yong Ai Lian (Irene)

I was delighted to hear from Yong Ai Lian (Class of 1963), a bubbly BBGSian from the 1960s who is sharing with us her precious memories and priceless stash of photos.  Ai Lian's enthusiasm is infectious as you will no doubt see when you read her story in her own words.

Hi Joanna

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Yong Ai Lian ( surname is Young in Mandarin) It is an identity I myself hardly recognise as I have since marriage, subserviently taken on the patriarch namesake.

After discovering your blog and ploughing through all the archived posts,( for 2 days and nights) I realised that there's hardly any 60's BBGSians except for Mrs Yeoh posted. As you may guess, I only decide to google  BBGS after reading about my beloved Ms Cooke's demise.

I am not prepared for the great impact your back2bbgs blog has on my fading memory. Can you imagine this grandma yelling out to her 'old man' to listen as she croaks out the school song to the strains of the video choir.

Joanna, your fantastic blog is a wake up call. At my age, I've been told often to just live in the present and one day at a time, Suddenly this past is catching up with me and here I am sitting in front of my old cupboard, digging out my old BBGS album. I have precious photos of my classmates and I in the orignal BBGS uniforms..the alternate green and white trimmings on the pinafore. There's also photos of the three wonderful caucasian teachers doing the "twist" at our class party.

Hope to hear from you and perhaps through your blog, my old old friends may reconnect with me. Thanks for the trip back down memory lane....I have found Yong Ai Lian again!

===========================================

Name: Yong Ai Lian
BBGS Primary Years: 1954 -1958 ( double promotion from Std 1 to 3)
BBGS Secondary Years: 1958 - 1963
Temporary teaching jobs: BBGS Pri Sch 2 1964 / BBBS Primary(PJ) 1965
Tertiary:  Malayan Teachers' College: 1966 -1967 (more fun than study - those were the days)

Postings

1. Negri Sembilan (got married and lost touch with all childhood friends )

2. Melaka ( busy juggling between job and raising 3 kids.)

Note: 1st few years of teaching..still could maintain the BBGS spirit.. started the Girl Guides Brigade in a rural school, actively involved in teaching folk dancing and dramas, even coaching 'gymrama'.  As the school culture and educational policies change down the years, so did my BBGS spirit..it just died a natural death.

My Three Pride and Joy

• all my three kids managed to graduate from NUS & NTU (Spore)
• my eldest daughter is an endodontist and she set up the first endodontic clinic in Alexander Hospital in Spore. She has emigrated to New Zealand after marriage.
• my second daughter graduated from NTU in computer engineering, worked briefly at SIA, then set up her own business, She thought it would be easier to be self employed when her kids arrived. She was proved wrong.  Both her mom(yours truly) and she had retired from the 24/7 time consuming business and she is now actively involved her primary daughter's school committee besides being a HDB 'tai tai'.
• my youngest son had rejected an NUS offer to study Dentistry as he couldn't imagine himself looking down into people's mouths throughout his whole life. .(hats off to his 'jieh jieh'). So now he's attached to an MNC and travelling all over the world to places his poor mom has never been in her whole lifetime.

Current Position:  Recuperating in Melaka from the "die die must do" lifestyle in Singpaore and confined to just watching K-Wave dramas

Pic 1(Form 5 class pic)

Mrs Swarfield ( hope the spelling is correct) was actually a doctor but she'd rather we call her Mrs.  Her Health Science lessons always tickled us as she gestured a lot especially at the anatomy parts. We might have lost our innocence then.

This Arts Class is the one and only class . After my LCE, I got an A for Domestic Science ( compulsory for form 1 -3), and B for Science & Math  so I was put in Form 4 Arts class. I was quite blur at that time. Later when I wanted to apply for overseas nursing I found that my lack of Maths & Science in my certificate was a handicap and I regretted my choice.  However, this Arts Class had the most warm and loving members I've ever known and for that I have no regrets.

  Mrs Hooi

My Form 4 form teacher who graduated from Singapore and specialised in History. I always scored As for her History tests and exams as she usually asked me to type the past years questions for her and I became quite good at spotting questions, We had typewriting classes back then with one Mr Mah - a Chinese Muslim. Typing was conducted with music,,,one note for letters and another note for space, My friend who had higher grade piano skills showed off by typing faster than the music rhythm and was reprimanded for that.

Miss Catherine Angus

I practically hero-worshipped her.,.she was pretty , warm and caring. My love for Shakespearean plays probably grew after her emotionally charged interpretation of a soliloquy in French by Lady Macbeth ( I think). She entranced us completely with her smooth rendition of French words that we felt we understood every word . She became my 'guardian angel' after my father ( whom I was very close to )passed away suddenly when I just entered Form 5, She dragged me to the corner of the balcony (where prayers are conducted everyday before class) and soon I was attending the Gospel Hall in PJ where I had a brief spell with Christian teachings. I have long since strayed

 Miss Isobel Albert

Another icon of BBGS - She taught us Literature and her stern blue eyes never missed a single movement during her lessons, Once she asked me whether my well written assignment was my own work (there was no internet and hardly any books to plagiarise in those days) and I was so hurt that I did not look her in her face whenever she came to class, She noticed! One day she caught me alone and started chatting.,,,and I am not sure whether she did apologise for her mistake or not....but I was soon good friends with her again,

Pic 2 (Choral Speaking)

It was the first time Choral Speaking was introduced and my Form 5 class was the proud winner of this brand new shield ( if I am not mistaken, donated by Miss Glasgow who mooted the idea before she retired) I had the honour of attending her retirement ceremony just as soon as I entered secondary. She reminded me of the Queen Mother, graceful and dignified, Miss Angus trained us but Mrs Swarfield took the honour as she 's our form teacher. No, we didn't compose our own at that time. Miss Angus chose a very simple poem , rather more of a nursery rhyme.."The Owl and the Pussy Cat went to sea...in a beautiful..". but her rendition of it was not unlike her Shakesperean performance and we happened to be excellent copy cats.

 Pic 4 ( Bon Voyage)

Mrs Pamela Brampton! What a lady! I believe she was a professional actress from UK or was it US. Her brief stint at BBGS ( halfway my form 4 till mid Form 5) brought unique experiences to our lives. She introduced a sort of modern dance to her PE class and we were made to wear short sleeveless blue tunic to dance to the tune of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.. We were divided into several groups - one group is the wind, one the rain, one the thunder and lightning and only one girl is the Sun. I think my group members were flowers and there were some farmers too, So the music started out soft and my group -- flowers or what,,,I just remembered having to go low then stretch up up to the sky .." reach higher higher- the sun is up- reach outwards and upwards to feel the warmth of the sun,,..stretch....!" Then when the music went louder , the thunder and lightning group had to thrash their arms forcefully around. Well, although we rocked to the music of Elvis at that time, we were still inhibited when it came to flaring out our limbs in ballet like tunics. One Malay classmate of mine came in wearing long sleeved tunic because her strict father forbade her to wear sleeveless. Mrs Brampton pulled her aside but I think later on someone must have explained the religious situation to her as my friend continued to wear her long sleeved tunic.

She also instilled the love of theatre in me. My late uncle (an engineer) used to volunteer to do the lightings in the old Town Hall for the Philharmonic Society plays and I had the opportunity to see a lot of plays ,"Merry Widow" & so forth, mainly by expatriates during the 50's & 60's. However Mrs Brampton produced a play for British Council and she introduced a new style stage (forgot the term) where the stage was in the middle of the hall and the audience sat around the stage, almost within reach of the stage players. My classmates and I were not so interested in the new style theatre as in "Mrs Brampton ..got kissing scene or not...you got kiss the hero or not...yes? yes?" Obviously, we rushed to catch the play.

Pic 4 ( The Twisters)

See what I mean.."C'mon let's do the twist.." so the normally serious teachers took to the floor and twisted their butts off to the strains of Chubby Checker's screamings. Even the new art teacher who's very quiet and reserved, seemed to take the opportunity to release the real her. The taller Chinese teacher was Mrs Ngai ( Homescience teacher) whose bark was fiercer than her bite. All the Homescience or Domestic Science (as was called then) teachers were so fierce that we nicknamed them 'Bulldogs". I was hopeless at cooking as my granny still had her 'ah mah jie" until I got married and she went back to China. So I always volunteered to do the washing up while my partner did all the hands -on stuff, cooking , baking etc as she was very fast. However, during the finals I had to stand on my own. I was to serve oven scones for tea. Unfortunately for me, they bought a new gas oven and I was privileged to be the first to use it. My scones were badly burnt even though I had rehearsed the 10 minute baking time a week ago. So I took all the scones and hid them in my apron pockets and tried to scrap off the burnt parts when the invigilator was not looking then smeared them all over with jam. Later Mrs Ngai realised that the oven heat for gas and electric ovens are different and gas heat up faster. Too late!

90th Anniversary Message from Miss Mary Glasgow

As we enter the Merdeka week, let's pause to remember our school history. BBGS started as a missionary school, and we were led and taught by many teachers who left their home shores to come to Malaya, a British colony, to educate young girls. Many of them spent their entire adult lives teaching local girls, preparing them for nationhood - to become "loyal women with their race".

This message was sent by Miss Mary Glasgow (BBGS Principal, 1946 - 1957) who helmed BBGS until 1957 when she befittingly handed the baton of leadership to Miss Elena M Cooke, our first Malaysian headmistress. Miss Glasgow's message was read out during the BBGS Annual Speech Day in 1983, which commemorated the 90th anniversary of the school.


Dear pupils, staff and friends of the school,

It is a great privilege and pleasure to be able to speak to you today and give you my warmest greetings and congratulations on this auspicious occasion.

It reminds me of my first arrival in 1930 and the welcome I received. From then on, I have had the happiest possible memories of those 31 years with BBGS and I thank God for such a wonderful experience. You made teaching a real pleasure and you taught me more valuable lessons than I gave you. I shall never forget the sincerity and warmth of your approach and the help that was always available in any kind of need. Indeed, after 22 years of absence, I still find myself referring to Malaysia and BBGS as home.

Miss Glasgow (fourth from the right) with some of her former students

The 9oth anniversary! What a long way we have come from that little gathering I remember in the Fook Yam Tong on Davidson Road with your marvellous buildings and playing fields in BBGS today.

Then the pupils were rather shy and were accompanied to and from school, often by rickshaws. Many parents preferred to keep daughters at home. So numbers were small. However, time marches on and after the war, there was tremendous pressure to get girls admitted. The buildings could not rise fast enough and even yet I hear the enrollments continue to soar,

It is delightful to see how the school maintains its character and high standards. May it ever be so and continue to go from strength to strength in humility and trust in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.

Are we aware of Satan's greatest weapon. Self-pity? Never succumb to that or you are lost! Forget yourself, put others first, avoid hasty words and criticism, grumbling and complaining.

Dwell deep! There is a depth in life which is too seldom used. We live too much on the surface and do not dig down to the riches beneath. Let us take a look at a verse of Amy Carmichael:

From prayer that asks that I may be,
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

Reminiscences

This article was written by Mrs Yeoh nee Chong Shing Choo (Class of 1961) and featured in the 1986 School Magazine.

Kua Siew Lian (left) and Chong Shing Choo (right) reunited at the BBGS Mega Reunion at the Pavilion in August 2009. Both of them served faithfully as teachers in BBGS Primary School for many years.

The year 1961 - twenty five years ago...

With an anxious glance, I looked back at my Alma Mater and my friends - the girls whom I had known for so long. What did the future hold for us? Goodbyes were quickly uttered, faces perhaps trying to hide a tear or two, we went each on our own way.

Since then, the girls of 1961 have not lost track of each other. Through the untiring efforts of Miss Kua Siew Lian, we have been meeting at least once a year. What is said? What is shared? If our spouses or children would care to listen to our conversation, what would they think? Fortunately or not, they usually do the vanishing act when the girls of 1961 get together!

Let me tell you what goes on in a get-together of the old girls. During our first tete-a-tete session which was held so long ago (so long ago that I cannot recall the date), the first question was on marital status. Several of us have chosen to remain single, while others were brave enough to take the plunge. Job experiences were exchanged, the whereabouts of other classmates and our experiences at BBGS were the hot topics. The girls of '61 are dispersed all over the globe!

I remember very well Miss Cooke and her Geography lessons. Oh, how she used to drum into us the many Geographical facts which I still remember till today. Speech Day..."BBGS, we pledge to thee..." We were not let off until we had sung it the way she wanted it to sound.

Many of us will not readily forget the late Miss Too Tong Mei. Her Art lessons were a time of testing the grit and nerve of all concerned. Will I forget the day she made us paint WITHOUT water - only to use dry powder paint on newsprint! This is an incident few of us forget, even after 25 years!

Other dear "grown-ups" we remember fondly are Miss Mary Glasgow, Mrs Isobel Wee and Catherine Angus. In more than one, these dear teachers have carved a niche in our lives.

Many of us are now either happy professional women or mothers. Whatever vocation we have chosen, we have done so to fulfill the verse of the School Song -

"When we are grown
And take our place
As loyal women with our race."

The girls of '61 are a cheerful lot, who have gone through much of life, which is not surprising as they are almost half a century old.

Children, husbands, work, funny episodes which take place from day to day are common topics when we get together. To me, the happiest time of my life is still the years I spent at BBGS. It was in this place, with the help of dedicated teachers who worked for the love of teaching and nurturing young minds that I have adopted many principles which I now hold dear in my role as a mother and teacher in a primary school.

To the new girls of BBGS, take this advice from an old girl, treasure your memories of your school days.

Though much has changed with time, you should still hold on steadfastly to the LIVING words of the School Song.

Be proud to have been a student of the School on the Starry Hill. I assure you that there is none that can compare.

Candle 29: Lucy Low (Leng Ah Mooi)

I was thrilled to hear from Lucy Low this week. She was the School Captain in 1962 and writes to us from Sydney. Lucy's a little shy about sharing a photo but we're still honoured to share her heart-felt memories.

They say time is never an issue when you retire. I am well into my first year of retirement and time is still an issue. God works in mysterious ways. It took a severe dust storm, brought in by strong winds from the Australian dessert, to restrict me to housebound activities in Sydney. What else was there to do except to wait for it to settle before one could start the clean up. This is one of those very rare moments that I found time to Google and stumbled on the BBGS blogs. What nostalgia and memories when I found myself listed in the Honour list of captains (1962)! Very nice and very satisfying ….. I wonder whether my adult sons and grand children can find me in the list ….

I started in BBGS Afternoon School and Mrs Siew was my teacher and companion then! Lucky for me, Mrs Siew was newly married then and she absolutely loved kids! She was only a few blocks away from me in busy KL city and shopping was her favourite past time. Guess that was the start of my passion for chocolates and ice creams as my mother could not have possibly afforded them. Then it was BBGS morning school followed by the secondary school. There were so many teachers; each moulding my humourous as well as my serious nature. Their dedication and determination in spite of their pidgin English (one Chinese educated Science/Maths teacher), their loud abusing voices, their threatening fingers/rulers, their softness, were so very inspiring and left such an impression on me. I am so sure my genetic make up must have taken such a bashing from that inspiration to remain even to this day albeit the energy level now is fast gaining speed. Thank you BBGS teachers and thank the Lord for exposing me to them.

Life in BBGS could not miss a mention to our beloved Miss Elena Cooke. She played a very important role in my younger days which contributed to a very significant part of adult me. Many knew Miss Cooke as determined, disciplined, detailed minded, and a no nonsense head mistress. But, she was a lot more and is best described in the crude poem (I was not known for my English language, let alone for my poetic skills!) I wrote in 2008 to amuse her when I discovered that she was sick. The ‘never give up’ attitude I learnt from her and her team of teachers rose onto my shoulders with the end result being a rough and tumble gathering of words:

BBGS, here we go …..

Our beloved school of old

History, geography, maths and all

But nothing beats the lessons from Gospel Hall.

Praise to the Lord, we sang and sang

Words never failing, our ears rang and rang

Eternal love and wisdom our Almighty Lord provides

Lessons from BBGS, we always carry on our sides.

Parents taught us home values and all

Life skills and success we proudly stand tall

Sources of such skills, not from books

Definitely from parents from Miss Cooke.

Our love, gratitude, and appreciation

To you, Miss Cooke, and to mention

Your lessons demonstrated in our ways

Our prayers to the Lord for you always.

I share a few incidents with you to bring home the true Miss Cooke with the intention to illustrate the life lessons we all learnt from her. Those ‘bee-hive’ hair styles in the 1960s sure kept me very busy and challenged as a school captain. They were a total ban from school and one of my responsibilities was to execute that ban! Most girls knew the consequences if they did not lower those bee-hives except for one student. Wow, that defiance was amazing and amusing too! She ended up with a self hair wash in Miss Cooke’s office basin! Mistake to take Miss Cooke on …… That was the Miss Cooke most of us could relate to.

Then, one day, I was abruptly called into her office and was told “I need you to come with me to translate”. We were off to a very sick student’s home to visit not the sick student (she was in hospital) but to see the grand mother who blatantly refused to give permission for the grand daughter to undergo surgery to save her life. There was this old Chinese thing about being cut up (surgery). The visit was very short, but boy, was it effectively and humanely executed! Miss Cooke was literally on her knees begging the grand mother to give that permission for surgery as that was the only slim chance her grand daughter could live. I still have not learnt tears control from that incident!

The last memorable gratifying incident I like to relate had to do with me personally. Miss Cooke signed for me as my ‘financial guarantor’ to the Australian Embassy when none of my poor relatives could do so, to enable me to pursue my tertiary education without any request from me as no one would have asked a head mistress to act as ‘financial guarantor’ (she had independently discovered my difficulty). There were endless stories to do her justice but that could fill the whole book. The words in the poem above were truly heart felt and expressed in the best way I could to reflect what BBGS and Miss Cooke and her team have done to contribute significantly in my life journey.

This tribute to BBGS and Miss Cooke is not complete without a mention of Mrs Simon (Miss Junie Lim). Her dedication to the Girl Guides is definitely unquestionable – I just found out that she is still currently the State Commissioner – she must be in her 70s? I take a humble bow with my hat off to you, Mrs Simon and if anyone reading this has her email address, I will certainly appreciate you forwarding it to me. Believe me, the Girl Guides principles were excellent foundation to build life skills. Go for it girls if you have daughters, grand daughters, and/or great grand daughters, especially when you still have Mrs Simon as the State Commissioner. There is absolutely nothing to lose but heaps to gain!

Lastly, just a brief mention about me as requested. I have finally thrown in the towel after a fairly successful and very busy work and home life both in KL and Sydney (mainly the latter since 1981). I managed to raise 3 independent boys (sometimes too independent, as one of them had escaped from me, and is working in Hong Kong) and blessed with 3 grandchildren. Thank you Lord and thank you Miss Cooke and her team of 1962 teachers from BBGS.

Candle 27: Rose and Sunitha

Candle 27 is a special joint-effort by two BBGSians, who are separated by half a century in years but strongly united in family spirit. Rose Ponnudurai, from the Class of 1941 (yes, you read that right!) is our most senior contributor to date, and her grand-niece, Sunitha Priscilla Arthur, is from the class of 1992. We thank them both for adding such richness and depth to our treasured archive of BBGS stories.

Sunitha with her Aunty Rose

Rose Ponnudurai (class of 1941) Imagine sitting for exams with warplanes flying overhead…. Or waiting 4 years for your results. That’s what Rose Ponnudurai experienced. An ex-BBGSian from the class of 1941, she sat for her CSC (Cambridge School Certificate) just before WW2 broke out. Here are some of her stories: “Miss Glasgow - I remember her for teaching me English. She took the trouble to personally coach me. You’d never think of a person holding such a high position like a principal, coming to your house at a low level. Real affection to help out, not just talking. I believe that is true Christianity, not just talking about (the Lord) Jesus, but doing the work that Jesus did. I remember this humorous incident: one time, Miss Gibson stopped by our house because she said “I get the smell (of fresh cow’s milk) just like in Ireland.” So I asked “Would you like a cup of milk” and she replied “Yes why not?” So I got her some milk and she was so happy. Because the smell reminded her of her homeland. When sitting for the CSC, we heard planes flying over the school. Some of my classmates started saying we’re going to be bombed. But we weren’t. Immediately after the exams the war broke out, so I had to go and stay in the estate with my parents. For the next four years we didn’t hear anything and I thought well, that’s the end of the exam results. I didn’t mind that actually! But after the war, my brother informed me that the results were going to be released. And I became so afraid, I kept telling my mother “Don’t know if I’ll pass, don’t know if I’ll pass.” I was not keen that my brother was going to get the results for me, but anyway I passed, and that made me happy.” Aunty Rose just celebrated her 87th birthday. Thank God for her alertness & strength till this day. She is an encouragement to many by her love, sense of humour and “mirth that has no bitter strings”. Widowed at a young age, she had to single-handedly raise 5 children (at the time ranging in ages 2 to 12). Aunty Rose credits the lives of the missionary teachers in BBGS for moulding her character. Sunitha Priscilla Arthur (class of 1992) As for me, I joined BBGS primary School 1 in Std 6 after moving from Melaka. I remember being totally miserable the first few months because I missed my old school, friends, old house…. Also my former school was coed & my first impression of BBGS (& KL) girls were that these girls are wild! (No offense intended :-). In a coed school, we girls tend to be a bit more, ahem,… well-behaved, we sit nicely (not like the boys), we’re soft-spoken, etc . And everything about BBGS just felt so strange & intimidating. But after some time, I grew to really love BBGS. And I’m grateful for the friends who made the effort to get to know me, reserved as I was. I remember Marina Ramli asking me questions about me, my family, former school, etc etc etc., felt almost like interrogation, but she really took time to make me feel at home. And Yap Lee Pheng who insisted I join in a game of “Bisik-bisik”, Yung Mei (Mei Purcell) who always cheered me with her jolly sense of humour, Mui Teng who showed me the canteen & insisted that I must eat (‘cause I was reluctant to go there, didn’t like crowds). Also my class teacher & other classmates from Std 6 Kuning 1987 who were so nice to me (if any of you are reading this-THANK YOU, it’s the little things that matter). Secondary school (1988-1992) were truly years of moulding & shaping. I’m grateful to my principal Miss Yeap & teachers: Mrs Abraham (she managed to make me actually LIKE Geography), Puan Sharifah, & others & also those who taught at the Christian Union meetings and camps (esp Miss Cooke, Miss Moey, Miss Siew, Mrs Kok, etc). Also am grateful for the many friends. It’s so nice to be reconnected again because of the Back2BBGS event - thanks again Joanna & the whole committee! But the most important thing that happened to me in BBGS was the divine encounter I had in Dec 89, in the school hall. Experienced the tangible warmth, love & reality of the Lord Jesus & realised for the first time that God is really REAL. This totally changed my life. Looking back, I know it was not by chance that I came to BBGS. God had everything planned. Indeed at the end of the day, this truth remains: NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA.

Update:  Rose Ponnudurai went home to be with the Lord on 20th April 2021, aged 98.  May she rest in peace.

These things I give to BBGS

This poem was published in the 1993 Centenary Magazine. It was written by Lalitha Wong (Mrs Gray) who studied in BBGS from 1947 - 1956. She and her sister, Soosila Wong, were my mother's contemporaries. Lalitha lived with her family in England until her passing in 2006.

Aunty Soosila taught music in Primary School 2 until the 1980s. She now lives with her husband, John, in Queensland, Australia. My family had the privilege of staying with them during my 4 year stint Down Under.

For the finding of God's love

For the love of beautiful hymns

For the teaching and deepening knowledge of the Word of God

These things I owe to BBGS

For the love of poetry and drama

For the thrill and skill of debates

For the aesthetic pleasures of embroidery

These things I owe to BBGS

For the teachers who taught and the knowledge gained

For the development of character and mind

For the encouragement given and mistakes corrected

For the vision given and the aims to aspire

To serve and not be served

For the pride of doing everthing to the Lord and not to man

For the opportunities of responsibility and example expected of leadership

These things I owe to BBGS

Thirty-seven years as a pupil and twenty-four years as a teacher

Have passed since I left BBGS

And what are my thoughts still?

The experience of Nisi Dominus Frustra -

'Without God All Is in Vain'

This motto I've proved and owe to BBGS

How is Mrs Yeoh?

...is a question I'm asked often by readers of this blog. Being "Mrs Yeoh's daughter" in primary school was akin to being a minor celebrity, and the label used to amuse me greatly. Today, I stand proud in recognition that my mum, Mrs Yeoh Shing Choo made a huge impact on the lives of many BBGSians who remember her fondly. She greets you here in her own words...

Hi there!

It looks as though I have faded from the radar so let me "appear "again, through my daughter, Joanna. God has been good to both Roland and I . Since transferring from SRKP Bukit Bintang (2) by choice in 1990, I have lived in Penang. I taught in a primary school, SK Minden Heights, till the end of 1998 before retiring. Roland, my husband of 38 years, and I now live in a condominium in Sg. Ara.

We have, by token of our girls' support and love, visited Australia, England, Europe and the USA. I now tutor Chinese-school-going children in the English Language. In the very near future, I shall be helping some young people from my church to communicate in good English. I really enjoy what I am doing.

My favourite hobby is cross-stitch embroidery. I have been churning out assignments requested by Joanna and Juliana. My love for this craft dates back to my BBGS schooldays when it was taught by the fearsome Miss Too. We had to embroider a tray-cloth as part for our Art Paper for LCE (PMR now). "Never use red and purple together!" were the strict instructions from Miss Too. Woe betide the girl who forgot! The whole piece of lovely work had to be unpicked and done again to the approval of Miss Too. It really made our blood pressure hit the roof - only at that time, as 15-year olds, we did not realise it. I recollect that my piece of Art work that year was not returned to me. I believe, to this day, that Miss Too kept it for posterity.

In retrospect, I am truly grateful that in the sunset years of my life, I can still do what many are unable to. Thank you BBGS!

My love and best wishes to all, Mrs S.C. Yeoh nee Chong Shing Choo (Class of 1961)