Alumnae Spirit at Cyclethon

The alumnae who made it to the cyclethon last Saturday, Jan 17, had a lovely time. Of course, we wished there were more of us. But, those present were totally gung-ho and so we had fun.

Thank you to Jarinah, Hasnita, Radiah, Rohana, Anura, Akmar (who came with her walking stick) and Swee Cheng who responded to my call in this blog and took part. Thank you to alumnae Ting Hui, who couldn't come from Singapore, and Seong Chooi who contributed as a sponsor to my family's cycling team. Thank you too to Dr Teh, Yick Fern and Phooi Ling (who turns out to be sis to my former classmate, Phooi Bee) for being there, representing their group of 21 alumnae of Class of '70 who sponsored the tees for the cyclethon.

Highlights...



Opening speech by Dr Teh Lei Choo, Class of '70. In her speech, Dr Teh celebrated TMGS' contribution to womanhood in this country.

"120 years of history is a very significant milestone for any institution. Over this period, thousands of young women have passed through the portals of this school - women who are now living in various parts of Malaysia or of the world; raising families, making invaluable contributions in their respective fields of work and leading meaningful lives.

"Today, we launch a series of activities to celebrate the 120 years of existence of TMGS. We celebrate the thousands of young women it has educated and nurtured. We celebrate the teachers who have served the school with dedication and commitment. Most of all, we celebrate the school, which has contributed immensely to nation-building. As an old girl of the school, I am honoured and proud to be part of the celebration," she said.

Dr Teh went on to appeal to alumnae to spread the word about the school's need for funds. "I am sure all old girls of TMGS, far and near, will be glad to contribute to their alma mater, in whatever way they can. To all the old girls out there, do contribute generously - for we will not be who we are today without the education and guidance accorded to us here."

Cheques and pledges of help. These came after Dr Teh's opening speech.

From Class of '81, represented by Radiah, Hasnita and Jarinah (left to right below in pix with Puan Noriza on far left), brought along a mock cheque and the real thing for the sum of RM3,500, which was the generous contribution of 17 alumnae, including Lean See, Poh Gaik, Oi Mei, Siti Salina, Ai Loon, Noraini, Poh Cheng, Hanaliza, Aminahtun, Nurshah, Aniza, Phoebe, Phaik See and Suan See.



The group had pooled together their contributions since Sept last year and had waited patiently for the school restoration fund to be set up. Yes, the fund is called CHERISH TMGS -- more details under "How To Help" on the left.

From Anura Hashim (pix below), who did Forms 4 and 5 in 1978 and 1979 in TMGS. Anura pulled a surprise on us when she presented over a RM1000 in cash contributions from herself, fellow alumna Jamaliah Hamdan and friend Prof Madya Dr Maheran Mohd Jaffar, as well as a pledge to sponsor furniture from Puan Maihizan Murad, Group Managing Director of Zone Furniture Sdn Bhd and Tisisit Corp (M) Sdn Bhd. What a delightful surprise!



It was a happy moment for all present - to feel the alumnae support.

Pedal Power! A quiet participant was my cousin, Lim Swee Cheng, Class of '78. She had signed on early and had time to ask around for sponsorship. She cycled with RM2,070 behind the turns of her bicycle's pedals. Thank you to Swee Cheng and her sponsors, including an ex-KE boy who gave RM1,000, her sister Swee Beet from Class of '76 and our Biology teacher, Miss Ho.



And here are the girls who took part under the mini sponsorship programme initiated by Chen Tyng Yee, Class of '96. Tyng Yee, who lives in UK, lobbied among her family members and obtained RM420, which went towards sponsoring Iyvonne Chuah, Ong Si Mei, Puah Hooi San, Nallie Chan, Yew Hooi Kheng and Lim Kah Hui (left to right in the pix below, with Puan Noriza in the middle).



Ring-off! In a lovely twist to the usual affair, Dr Teh was given the old school bell to herald the start of the cyclethon. She rang it gamely ... and the bikers were off!





Off on a very short cycle, due to a change in the route because it was suddenly realized that the trishaws carrying Dr Teh and Encik Anuar b Isa, Deputy President of the Heritage Society of Taiping, would have a tough time going up the hill as originally planned. Hmm, much to the relief of Ong Ah Sun, one of the two "trishawmen"?

So, it was literally no sweat for all cyclists - especially us alumnae who had thought we might not be able to finish the race. Rohana who spoke of her "lutut longgar," Radiah who spoke of finishing on a stretcher, and Anura who had never cycled to school before and has not been on a bike for a looooong time.

We came back to school to the cheers of the school's cheerleading team, decked out in sunny yellow outfits and colourful poms-poms.

Refreshments! We didn't expect this delightful affair. We were served at the mini banquet hall by the Catering students (one of the subjects under vocational skills). Rather special, methinks. There we were, at cosy tables set out for four, with white tablecloth and pale green table runners. TMGS ada class!

Here's the VIP table with Dr Teh, Encik Adnan bin Abdul Rahman, PIBG President, and Encik Azrai bin Hj Ismail, Deputy District Education Officer (in batik).



Here, Swee Cheng with Phooi Ling (in red) and Yick Fern of Class of '70.



After refreshments, Radiah, Nita, Ena and family (hubby and five kids came along - keep up the spirit), Swee Cheng and Rohana were game for more of the school. So, Puan Noriza took them on a walkabout which was punctuated with lots of oohs and aahs...and shrieks of happy recollections. "This is my classroom," Jarinah pointed out to her daughter. "This is where we learned folk dancing." "Who was the teacher?" "Miss Looi!" At this point, we were at the old music room (now the staffroom). My cousin and Ena did some folk dance steps there and then.



Final verdict? Well worth the drive. We are glad we came.

As Rohana Puteh put it when giving me a farewell hug, "I've no regrets" She had decided to come along at the very last minute, at the cajoling of Jarinah and Hasnita. Alumae spirit is now fiery in Rohana, who left TMGS in 1971 after Form 3 - she emailed me this afternoon that she wants to get her gang together to do something for the school. Here she is, third from the left, with Radiah, Nita and Ena. Good sports!



To Puan Noriza, Mrs Ng, Puan Sharifah, Lay Hoon and all at the school who took part in organizing the cyclethon, congrats on the excellent job done and the hospitality extended to us!

To end this narration, I'd like to introduce Esther, who is in Form 4 and helped us alumnae loads in registering and getting there. She was shy but Lay Hoon coaxed her into this pix. Hey, Esther, thanks for your patience in dealing with us dawdling old girls who could have confirmed things earlier but chose to be late. Promise we'd do better the next time!