The Good Old Days

Assalamualaikum,

FIFTY-FOUR years ago, in 1962, I enrolled in an English-medium school in Kuala Terengganu. The Sultan Sulaiman Primary School 2 was a popular co-educational school as it was the only English medium school in town. The numeric 2 signified that it was the afternoon session.

We started school in the class, named Special Malay Class 1 (SMC1), an equivalent to Standard Four curriculum. We continued into SMC 2 the following year and finally completed our primary school education in 6 Malay 1 (6M1) class.

There were about forty pupils in each class. I remember Class 6M1 better as the then class teacher was Mr. Tay Soo Hock. He is very much a healthy senior citizen today.   

After 50 years, it is only appropriate for me to compose a poem to remember the good old primary school days.

Fifty-four years ago in a small town

Kuala Terengganu was not yet popularly known

We enrolled in Sultan Sulaiman Primary School Two

Without really knowing what we’re supposed to do.

Class SMC1 as it was called then

An equivalent to Standard Four without any dent

Learning to write and speak English was such a pleasant

Back home, we could see smiling faces of our parents.

In Class SMC2 we were more confident

We learnt the names of flowers in the school’s garden

Completing homework was no longer a burden

About money, the teacher taught us to be prudent.

Class 6M1 was the best label

The Class Teacher Tay Soo Hock was an angel

We improved the skills in writing as well as verbal

Relationship between classmates was at the highest level.

We used to meet one another at an ad hoc basis

As if there’s a get-together crisis

This difficult-to-meet episode will no longer exist

In May 2016 we shall meet and will persist.

 Class SMC1A - 1962

Class SMC2A - 1963

Class 6M1 - 1964

Autograph for Tengku Aziz Muda - 1964

[NOTE: All the above images are the courtesy of Tengku Aziz Muda] 

Cinema Club - 1964

[Image courtesy of Wan M Yusoff]

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