The Star, Northern Metro

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Trip down memory lane

By RASLAN BAHAROM

THERE were plenty of shrieks, hugs and tears of joy when more than 300 former students of Taiping’s Treacher Metho-dist Girls School (TMGS) gathered for dinner at a hotel in Taiping recently to celebrate the school’s 120th anniversary.

Many of them are now in the prime of their lives but memories of their school days, their ‘naughtiness’ and ‘no nonsense’ teachers are still fresh in their minds.

One ex-student Tan Sri Dr Asiah Abu Samah, who remembered praying for rain to skip the afternoon co-curricular activities, said her prayers were usually answered as Taiping is well known for its rainy weather.

Dr Asiah, who was the former Human Rights Commission of Ma-laysia commissioner, was one of the evening’s guest of honour together with Inland Revenue Department director-general Datuk Hasmah Abdullah.

Both of them paid tribute to the teachers during the dinner. They also noted that the 1Malaysia concept had already been practised since those days as they were never conscious of their ethnic or social backgrounds.

Former SM Convent Taiping teacher Muhitah Mohd Rose, who left TMGS in 1959 after completing Form Five, was the luckiest as she won a return AirAsia ticket for two to Guilin, China.

The grandmother of seven, who retired in 1996, said she would probably bring along one of her six children for the trip as her husband. Ahmad Khairuddin, passed away about two years ago.

“I have never been overseas before and I am looking forward to do just that with the free air tickets,” she said.

TMGS Old Girls Association (OGA) chairman Ahsaniah Othman in her speech said this was the biggest gathering ever organised.

While catching up on old times, the former schoolmates were entertained by a dance troupe made up of Kuala Lumpur-based OGA members calling themselves Dancing Queen.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil-fitri

By now, most of our Muslim friends would be home with their families. And probably cooking up a feast for this evening's buka puasa. How many of our TMGS alumnae are back in Taiping to celebrate Raya, I wonder?

Wherever you are, I wish you and family a wonderful festival...salam kasih pada hari yang mulia ini dan maaf zahir batin diucapkan kepada sekalian!

It's making me remember the ketupat, lemang, rendang, serunding, jelly gula and cookies we used to wallop at Raya open houses. Oh, also that sugar-coated siput-shaped cookie/biscuit (hardly see this today). Dressed in our best, we would cycle from one house to another - first to Pokok Assam where Norma, Norliza and Norhayati lived; then, to Assam Kumbang where Azrinah lived; then to Permeen's house in Simpang and once even venturing to Nor Azah's house in Changkat Jering. Raya memang best - with friendship, adventure and food!

Going sentimental and remembering also Yuslipah (who passed away in Form 5), Nor'ashikin (best singer), Noor Hayah (my model for school concert)...all my classmates of 5 Science Red.

Website Out-Of-Service

Our apologies. We overlooked the annual renewal fee for the Cherish TMGS domain. We are sorting out matters and hope to get the website on again soon.

A quick update on the school refurbishment - plans are still in a preliminary stage. The Board of Governors has received the RM560,ooo allocation from the Ministry of Education, but there are some technicalities to be sorted out. Let's hope that this will happen soon because the allocation has to be used by December.


The 120th celebration dinner organized by the TMGS Old Girls Association - on Aug 15; four Saturdays ago - was a hearty gathering of old and young.

We got to see old familiar faces that were missing at the hi tea - Miss Looi, Miss Satwant, Mrs Khir, Mr Mak, Mr Mahendran, Puan Zaitone, Mrs Ng and many more former teachers. I am sorry though that I was spaced out and did not "circulate," but my friends did and were very happy to meet up and chat with former teachers and schoolmates.

The whole affair felt like a family reunion. It struck me that people were saying hellos not only to their former classmates or yearmates, but also to their sisters' classmates and yearmates - many a times going beyond the initial hellos to sitting down for a good yak to catch up. And there were sisters, cousins, aunts and moms in the mix of alumnae, with TMGS at the heart of it all.

To Siew Har (1977, sis of my ex-classmate), thanks for your warm smile, hello and invititation to sit and chat after more than 20 years of no-see...say hello to Siew Ai, please. To Ting Hui, 2001, glad to meet you in person. Here she is, in black-and-white dress, with former classmates and Puan Zaitone.


Bouquets to the OGA for organizing the dinner! Kudos to Mrs Goh as organizing chairperson! Below, OGA prez Puan Ahsaniah delivering her welcoming speech. Grand ole ladies, indeed.


The programme included singing of the school song, raffle for a handphone, lucky draw, singalong and DQs. Nice touches were the cutting of the 120th cake by the oldest alumnae present (see pix below) and inviting a rep from each decade to come onstage to say a few words. The commemorative bag containing a souvenir programme and car sticker was a lovely touch too.


For quite a few of us, the celebration in Taiping was also meaningful because it meant a trip back to a hometown not seen for many, many years. Literally, a trip back in time.

My yearmate, Permeen, came from Singapore. She arrived on Friday evening and spent Saturday morning walking around the town and even took a bus to Simpang to visit familiar homeground. When we arrived near lunchtime, Permeen has a few mini bags of snacks which she had bought to taste for memory's sake. I happily chomped down her coconut candy from a mamak shop. Permeen had not been back for, if I remember correctly, 17 years.

Where her feet could not take her, Seong Chooi's car did. Off to the Lake Gardens, Maxwell Hill, TMGS primary and secondary schools, passing the museum and prison. And cendol at this nook between Station Road and Barrack Road (can never remember the name).

A look at the pictures posted by Datin Rosni and Rohana showed that they too took the trip down memory lane. Rohana made the drive from KL with Hasnita and their stops included the old market in town and the Bismillah shop for cendol (they even took a picture!).


Datin Rosni, 1972 (with black hat in pix below), took her mom, who is also from TMGS, to the school. With them is Siti Maznah, 1977, in white in pix below.


The morning after, this gang went for an early morning walk at the Lake Gardens. Here, Nita, Rohana, Siti Maznah and Ena strike a pose under the iconic raintrees -- while my friends and I were still snuggled up in our beds in Permeen's room!


We did wake up in time for the Meet-Mr-Chuah session at Prima kopitiam along Kota Road. We had heard the night before that seniors from 1974 have arranged for that. Mr Chuah was really there! Greeted him. Of the four of us, he remembered Permeen. Ratio of 1:4; 25% hit rate...trying to be mathemical here in honour of this Add Math teacher of ours. Wish I have the picture of us with him; am sure lots of girls would like to "see" him again,wink-wink. My verdict? Not bad at all.

And so, the curtain has come down too on the 120th dinner. It is already September. We hope what's left of the year will bring good outcomes for refurbishment so that our alma mater may start her 121th year in glorious shape.

God bless TMGS, one and all.

Photo credits - with thanks to Rohana, Datin Rosni and Sharifah Talha.