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 6: Suriani Sanusi

Hooray...we're lighting our 6th candle for Project Kindle today! Keep those stories and photos pouring in. We can't wait to see all the stuff that's been collecting dust in your albums and cupboards. It's time to give them an airing.

Suriani Sanusi left BBGS in 1989 and she'd like to share these photos with us. Thanks for the memories.

A sad old sign to many, a thing of beauty to all BB


Suriani in her Std 6 classroom

Watching our little primary school sisters performing during Sports Day. Interesting view of secondary school hall from primary school field.

Girls, look what I found!

Spring cleaning is a chore that not many people enjoy. But sometimes, we find lovely surprises like old school photos. Cheong May Yee (Class of 1991) recently found some real gems and posted them on Facebook. Thanks for sharing them, May Yee. I'm glad we're back in touch.

So, dive into those dusty old cupboards, drawers and boxes and share those good ol' BBGS memories with us!

Note: Photos and captions by Cheong May Yee

Std 6B - 1986 (School 1)

5A3 - 1991

Merdeka - 1990

Ahhh lepakking in front of the netball court (sick bay wing) hmmm which is now....Christian Dior or is it Prada?!? (Pavilion)

Moira (L) and May Yee (R) at a recent reunion

5 Stones

I was trying to recall how to play "Five Stones", the most popular game in primary school. A big thank you to Jeannette Poon for helping me out.

Step 1: Throw all five stones. Whilst throwing a stone, pick up one stone and catch the stone in the air before it falls to the ground. Do this for each of the stones on the ground.

Step 2: Repeat step 1 but pick up two stones at a time.

Step 3: Repeat step 1 but pick up a combination of three stones and one.

Step 4: Throw all five stones. Pick up four stones whilst one stone is in the air and catch the later before it falls to the ground.

Step 5: Whilst throwing one stone, place the four on the ground. Throw one stone up again and catch it whilst picking all four stones on the ground.

Step 6: Throw all five stones on the ground. Pick two stones. Throw one in the air and exchange the other with one on the ground. Do the same with the remaining stones on the ground.

Step 7: Throw the two stones held at the end of Step 6. Pick up one stone and then catch the two falling stones separately in each hand. Do this until there is three stones in one hand and two in the other. Throw the two stones and catch it separately. Throw the remaining stone and catch it with the hand that has all the stones.

Step 8: Throw all five stones on the ground. The opponent selects a stone to be thrown in the air. The player has to pick this stone without moving any others. The player throws the stone in the air and picks the remaining on the ground in one clean sweep.

If at any point of time the player fails to complete this set of eight steps, he/she will have to forfeit his turn to his opponent. Upon his opponent's failure to complete, he will return to the incomplete step, starting from the very beginning of that step.

Hawker delights

"Joanna, do you remember the uncle who used to sell chee cheong fun on his motorbike? I really miss the fishballs and soup." - A Reader

I most certainly do! He used to park his motorbike at the exit gate of the primary school field, together with a small group of hawkers. I was one of the regular customers, especially when I waited for a lift home from my mum after staying back in school (as prefects often do)

One evening, I was tucking into my plate of chee cheong fun when someone yelled "Bandaraya lei lor!" All the hawkers started to pack up, including the CCF uncle. He jumped on his bike and drove off, leaving me eating my chee cheong fun all alone! A little later, a primary girl came by and asked me "Mana beli?" because there wasn't a single hawker in sight. Hahahaha....

What were some of the other hawker delights we loved to buy? I remember:-

• Kacang putih
  
• Guava (+ assam)
  
• Pineapple/Sengkuang with peanuts and red sauce on a toothpick
• Cincau & selasih drinks
• Ice cream sandwich (I loved those!)
  
• Ice cream cone dipped in crushed peanuts
• All sorts of tidbits
• That gummy thingy (probably toxic) that we squeezed out of a tube and blew big bubbles from
  
• Colourful rubber bands to make ropes to play "high jump"
  

Playing "Jamban"?!

This highly-amusing conversation took place between some cultured BBGSians on Facebook. Like most primary girls, I remember playing "Jamban" too. What a name!

Ms W: U look so cute...and this corner leading up to the staircase... i nearly forgotten this structure had u not put in the pic

Ms A: This is near where we played 'Jamban'!

Ms J: Jamban, wat game was that? i remember playing this game where we run from post to post, and one person in the center will be trying to take over a post

Ms A: Yup, that's Jamban! We gave it that name (or maybe our seniors did!) coz it was played just outside the toilet.

Hahaha..Does anyone else remember playing "Jamban"?

P/S: Thanks so much for allowing me to share this photo, Jeannette.


Update on Thursday 24 April: Note from Lee Siew Sze

Hi. Hope you don't mind me adding my two cents' worth. I was at your blog and happened to read something about the game we played in school called "Jamban".

I believe that game is a different one to the description. The game described in your blog was "tiang", hence the running from post to post. Basically, the "catcher" needs to grab a tiang as hers in order to relieve her position as catcher. The girl caught would then be the catcher and the other 4 players will "tempt" the catcher by swapping posts with each other.

Jamban, as I recall, involved leaping to and fro the corridor (where the tiangs as mentioned above were) to the window sills that jutt out from the toilet windows, hence the name jamban. Again, there is a catcher who has to catch a girl in the midst of leaping from corridor to window sill in order to relieve her position as catcher. The girl caught would then be the catcher and the other players will tempt the catcher by leaping to and fro. If I'm not wrong there were 3 window sills and I think unlimited number of players.

Anyway, keep up the blog. It's fun to have memories of BBGS school days.

Once a upon a time

I've been hunting high and low for photos of the primary school. Thanks to Wan Norhafizah, I found some! She's been generous enough to share her class & prefect photos from 1990. Sigh...so many years my junior.

Thanks Wan. I really appreciate your support.

Std 3 Kuning (1987)

Std 6 Prefects (1990)

Kacang Putih Man

This heartwarming article was written by Sujatha Rajagopal (Class of 1992 - Form 6) for the Centenary Magazine in 1985. Suji is now a freelance copywriter who lives in San Jose (USA) with her husband and 5-year old son.


My first encounter with the kacang putih man, and his family was in the 1980s when I was in primary school. What fascinated me most were his youthful eyes. Eyes that would gleam in the friendliness as you piped in a small voice "Pakcik, nak kacang...sepuluh sen." Eyes that would watch in amusement as you ate the kacang putih or fed your friends and the pigeons that flocked in abundance over the tarmac.

The business was started by his late father, Krishnan - a short balding man, usually clad in a crisp, white shirt and white dhoti. According to him, his father started selling kacang putih at the primary school in the early 1960s until his death in the mid 1980s.

Meanwhile, he himself had been selling kacang putih in the secondary school canteen since the '70s. He also plied along Jalan Bukit Bintang and other parts of town. When I asked him how business was, he smiled a little wistfully and replied that profits were not much - just enough to cover his family's living expenses.

It is an understatement to say that the kacang putih man leads a difficult life. He wakes up daily at 4.30 am - a time when most of us would still be fast asleep. He then leaves his home to meet his supplier by 5:30 am. After that, he would make his rounds to the various parts of town to sell kacang putih.

We should recognise that the kacang putih man and the canteen-stall operators formed an important part of BBGS history.

Down Memory Lane

I have always been fascinated by the history of BBGS, and grateful to the extraordinary women who were our school’s early pioneers. They dedicated their entire lives to build the BBGS legacy that we are proud to call our own today. This is why we must constantly strive to live up to the ideals that have been sown so many years ago.

This is the story of Miss Ma, one of those early pioneers. This extract is taken from her article published in the BBGS Centenary Magazine, May 1993.

Down Memory Lane
By Miss Ma Tak Yan
Ex-student, ex-teacher & first headmistress of BBGS Primary 2

I treasure the earliest memories of my old school where I spent 55 years of my life, first as a pupil, then a teacher and finally as headmistress. It is also the school where two brothers, six sisters, my adopted daughter and eleven nieces received their education.

I joined BBGS in 1922 when I was five years old (at that time there was no fixed age for admission). Although it was called a girls’ school, boys were also admitted. However, they had to leave and join a boys’ school after completing Standard 2.

During my student days, BBGS was under four fine Christian headmistresses who endeavoured to live and teach the faith which they professed. The first was Miss Luke and when she went on leave, Miss O’Connor took over the helm. Then came Miss E. Prouse, a disciplinarian who instilled a healthy fear of authority in students but was much respected by everyone. She is also fondly remembered as the person from whom we learned to do fine embroidery. When she went on furlough, our dear Miss M. Glasgow became our headmistress.


The early Davidson Road days

In those early days, BBGS operated from the Chinese Gospel Hall. This was a small wooden building in Davidson Road. Four classes were held in the main building, each occupying one corner of the Hall with the headmistress’ desk beside the main door. Two other classes were held in the vestry.

Lack of space and facilities did not dampen the enthusiasm displayed by Miss Prouse. As there was no playing field, she made full use of whatever space there was in front of the church building to teach us folk dancing, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and club drill. These activities made up for the sports of which we were deprived.

There was great fun when the school broke up at the end of the year. We always had a very interesting concert which was held in the church building. A wooden stage was erected in the vestry by my father, Mr Ma Tham Shun, who was the pastor of the Chinese Gospel Hall. There were singing items and plays and parents were treated to Christmas carols and hymns which students sang with gusto.

BBGS was established as a mission school by the Brethren Assembly. Its aim was not only to provide much needed education particularly for young girls, but also to give them the opportunity to learn the love of God and to acquire good values. Scripture was taught the first thing in the morning from 8 a.m. to 8.30 a.m. I enjoyed the Bible lessons given by some of our missionaries like Miss Shirtliff, Miss Falconer and Miss Daws. Students were encouraged to memorise Bible passages such as Psalm 23, Isaiah 53 and John 14. The teaching of the Word of God has certainly not been in vain and many students have gone on to make valuable contributions to society.

Moving to Bukit Bintang Road

It was a red-letter day when we moved to our own school building on Bukit Bintang Road in 1929. It was still called the Chinese Girls’ School for some time after that. I clearly remembered scrubbing the floors of the classrooms and painting our desks. Standards 7, 8 and 9 (Forms 3, 4 and 5) occupied the classroom next to the headmistress’ office. Woe betide us when we made noise which was immediately silenced by the sound of the press-bell in Miss Prouse’s office.

When I entered Form 5, there were only two pupils – Lizzie Tan and myself. When my classmate fell ill (which she often did), poor me was the only one answering Miss Glasgow’s Literature and Bible Knowledge questions. There were terrifying moments when I failed to answer any of them correctly. This made me more or less memorise every word in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles so that I could perform well.

Our school was in the limelight when our Badminton Team won the coveted Silver Trophy for four consecutive years in the Selangor Inter-School Badminton Tournament held at the Victoria Institution hall. There were three singles players (I was one of them) and two doubles players. Miss Prouse was very concerned that we should not only perform well but also set an example in sportsmanship. Students, therefore, were strictly instructed not to show delight when our opponents lost a point!


Torture Chamber

When I became a teacher in 1934, the importance of maintaining strict discipline was impressed on me by Miss Prouse with whom I shared a classroom. My class occupied half the room while her class the other half. I used to call that classroom my “Torture Chamber” for while I was teaching my class, I had a pair of blue eyes focused on me from the other end of the room.

In 1936, our school participated in the King George V Silver Jubilee Celebrations held at the former Stadium on Circular Road (now known as Jalan Pekeliling). I was given the task of training the participants for the Maypole Dancing. Imagine my relief when the performers received loud applause from the audience.


Then came the Japanese

During the Japanese Occupation in 1942, we had to study Japanese. I cannot imagine how I managed to teach Algebra (Dai-su) in Japanese! The classes were small and were made up of girls from St. Mary’s and Pudu English schools which amalgamated with BBGS and operated at our school, then called Bukit Bintang Gakko (meaning school in Japanese)

Mrs de Silva from the Pudu English School was the headmistress and we worked in harmony with the teachers from these two schools. However, Miss Prouse and Miss Glasgow, who served the school until the last possible moment, were captured by the Japanese army and interned in Palembang. Miss Prouse did not survive the internment and passed away from malaria six months before the war ended. We will certainly not forget the courage and sacrifice of people such as these. Miss Glasgow returned to BBGS as the headmistress until 1957.

After the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945, it was a day of great rejoicing when we returned to BBGS in September 1945 to teach in English again The school was denuded of furniture because the Japanese soldiers who camped there had used our chairs and desks for firewood. They also converted the School Hall into a kitchen. Anyone who joined the school had to bring her own desk and chair and we had an interesting assortment of classroom furniture.


The call to be headmistress

I was appointed headmistress of Primary School 2 in 1958, and there were about 1000 pupils under my care. It was a huge responsibility and I recalled the lessons of those years as a class teacher under Miss Prouse and later under Miss Glasgow. Miss Glasgow, in particular, taught me the importance of applying Christian principles and values in discharging my responsibilities. I was privileged to have their own shining example to follow – how to be caring and dedicated but at the same time, to be strict.

I also had the help and the support of a very efficient senior assistant Mrs Bux (nee Wong Sau Lan), a conscientious senior teacher, Mrs Lim Peng Nyun (who succeeded me when I retired and a very capable and industrious school clerk, Mrs Lim Ngoh Moi. These factors enabled me to cope with the challenge and difficulties of the job until my retirement in January 1977.


Retirement

My retirement in January 1977 marked the end of my teaching career. It was a sad day for me to leave the school and to hand over the reins to others. However, I am thankful for the precious memories I have of BBGS and am always delighted when I hear of the successes achieved by my former students and their contributions to society. BBGS has produced generations of students of fine calibre. I am very proud that three of my students, Miss E.M. Cooke, Mrs Lim Peng Nyun and Mrs Siew Pick Yoke, who became headmistresses of BBGS.

Life in Primary 6

Jennifer Wan is a true-blue BBGSian who found me on Facebook and has shared this photo of Std 6 Merah and her memories of having Mrs Yeoh as class teacher. It always amuses me to read stories of my mum in action. Hope you enjoy the read too.

Thanks so much for the contribution, Jennifer.

"So, I signed up for Facebook and it exceeded my expectations. I soon got back in touch with quite a number of my high school friends. And mind you, we've lost touch for almost 13 years. Some of them are mothers now, while others are high flying corporate women. And the one thing that we treasure so much, besides our friendship and aquaintance, are the memories of our school.

Yea, no big deal?!

No, it IS a HUGE DEAL for us.

We all went to Bukit Bintang Girls’ School - me being a true blue BBGSian, going from Std 1 right up to Form 5. Even my aunts (3 of them) went to BBGS. I think if BB had a kindy, I would’ve attended that, too.

Anyway, another person that I stumbled upon on Facebook was the daughter of one of my teachers (she studied in BBGS, too, obviously!). Mrs Yeoh was my class teacher when I was in Primary 6. She was also the school’s discipline teacher and upon discovering that as a 12 year-old, I was terrified! Imagine having the discipline teacher as your class teacher!

Anyway, I have to confess that she was the only primary school teacher that still have a spot in my rusting brain. I do not know why but it might be because I was reprimanded more than a 12-year old would like to be. Lol. Yea, although I seem to be a decent, hardworking girl now, I used to be quite naughty when I was young.

The clearest memories of me being told off was rattling off non-stop to my Chinese friends in Cantonese. I shouldn’t really be doing that, I know, cos as soon as we set foot into secondary school, we would be ‘punished’ for speaking in other languages besides BM and English.

Thinking back now, Mrs Yeoh probably wanted me to get used to speaking either in BM/English before I opened my mouth and get punished in secondary school. Well, unfortunately, her efforts didn’t really work cos I was still quite rebellious, and used Cantonese. Honestly, I have lost count on the number of ‘world maps’ that I have drawn. To those who are confused, we were required to draw world maps every time we were caught by prefects communicating in our mother tongue.

Besides being the talkative girl, I was one who constantly forgets her flute for music lessons. It is funny thinking back now, and I am unsure why I still remembered this so well. I couldn’t remember the name of our music teacher, but I hated music. I can’t even sing now to save my life (but I did join the school choir once, which is another story altogether) and I couldn’t at all read the music notes. So, how can I play the flute if I can’t read the music notes? I don’t know, but somehow I managed to pull through.

What I remember vividly was Mrs Yeoh reminding me to bring my flute the 1st time I forgot and I kinda took the reminder too lightly. However, when I forgot the 2nd time, she got a bit upset and reprimanded me. Still, I don’t know why I didn’t really care. And when the 3rd time came, I got scolded. I was, of course, very scared and never forgot my flute anymore.
I wasn’t mad at Mrs Yeoh (cos I knew it was my fault), nor did I run complaining to my parents (parents those days will side the teacher instead of their kids, unlike now). It was just a lesson that I learnt. However, I also remember finding out that she sort of wasn’t in good terms with my music teacher and because I did not bring my flute, it gave her (the music teacher’s) a chance to pick on Mrs Yeoh’s students.

That — made me feel even more guilty.

In addition to that, being in the first class (coupled with the discipline teacher as our class teacher) meant no hanky-panky and fun. I remember how jealous the whole class was when friends from the other Primary 6 classes could go on trips and play games after the UPSR exams while we were stuck in class with Mrs Yeoh teaching us Form 1 Maths. I still remember what it was - Nombor Perdana (ie Prime Numbers, if I’m not wrong). "

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)

You School 1 or School 2?

"You School 1 or School 2?" is a question that sounds like gibberish to most people, but makes a world of difference to a BBGSian.

Firstly, it's a way to establish if someone is pure-bred, meaning that she attended BBGS from Std One right through to Form Five. If she did attend BBGS primary school, then the "School One vs School Two" debate is one she'd be privileged to take part in.

BTW, it's ok to be a "mixed breed". This debate carries no weight once you've been through the cleansing rituals and loyalty-building traditions of secondary school.

You see, the primary school was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. School One would start in the morning for the first half of the year, and swap to the afternoon session for the remainder. Vice versa for School Two.

The old frangipani tree that stood for decades outside the primary school is one that we all remember well. And that's probably the only thing we had in common. In all other fields, School One and School Two were intense rivals.

I remember us competing in:-

• Public examination results - It was an annual race to see which school could get the most 5A's in the Std 5 exams and get our faces published in the newspapers. (For the record, it was School 2 in 1981 with my little face amidst the throng of pint-sized overachievers ;-)
• State-level choir competition - we would make faces at each other from across the hall
• School mural - which school produced the artwork?
• Prefects duty noticeboard - which school had the best decorated noticeboard

On one thing however, we would always stand united. Come hell or high water, we had to beat CBN or Convent Bukit Nanas - our arch rivals

My mother, sister and I were from School 2 and we were definitely the BEST. Anyone care to disagree?

Feel free to post a comment :-)