Another class photo
A class photo with VK Moorthy
A clearer photo courtesy of Bobby Chua.
Picnic at Minyak Buku which is 5 miles from BP. I am 3rd from right
Another outing to the beach. This time my brother Hilary is also in the group. 2nd row: extreme right Hilary and I am 3rd from right. My good friend Palani is the short one with the rubber tube ( 2nd row: 5th from left).
Drama Class. I am standing 2nd from right.
Mr V K Moorthy our class master, is a successful Lawyer today.
Early Childhood days. Anticlockwise, From Top Left:-
1. FAMILY PHOTO Nov 1956 AFTER PAPA RETURNED from UK. Appointed as Asst Controller Telecoms, based in KL as Head of the Telekom Training Centre, 31/2 ml Ipoh Rd, KL. I had just turned 12 and joined Form 2, Victoria Institution, KL. The rest of the family remained in Batu Pahat. At least once in every 2 weeks Papa & I used to drive down to BP to spend 1, sometimes 2 nights, with Mama.
2. Papa as Technical Asst (TA) Batu Pahat Telekoms, before proceeding to UK for his AMIEE. Approx 1952, with me 9 yrs, Terry 5 years, and Francis 4 years.
3. My dear maternal grandmother Ka. ( Ethel De Alwis nee Goentillika) in 1952. She passed away in 1960 at the age of 78. Here she is a fit 69!
4. Roland in 1958, a cadet in FMC Boy's Wing, in PD. Photo taken at JB studio along Jln Straits View opposite Kerala Resturant. Thought it a big deal to be in uniform! Didn't last too long though as Mama insisted I leave after the 2 term completion and be with the family in JB. So I ended up in Form 4A Johore English College,JB for the 3rd term.
10. F/O Roland Thomas now, based in Jesselton/ Borneo, now Kota Kinabalu Malaysia, in the cockpit of a DC- 3. Learnt a lot about flying the DC-3's in that part of the world as the Expat Capts used to give away a lot of sectors to the copilots ie allowing us to perform Take-offs & Landings.
Another outing to the beach. This time my brother Hilary is also in the group. 2nd row: extreme right Hilary and I am 3rd from right. My good friend Palani is the short one with the rubber tube ( 2nd row: 5th from left).Drama Class. I am standing 2nd from right.
Mr V K Moorthy our class master, is a successful Lawyer today.
Front Row (L-R): Bobby Chua Hock Guan, Lim Kit Siang, Huan Hui, Patmanatha, Rahman.
Back Row (L-R): Ow Yang Chee Wah (Dr in Sydney), Michael Ong Hung Choon, ?, Soh Har, Raymond Poey, Self (as Little John) & Salim (as Robin Hood)
Back Row (L-R): Ow Yang Chee Wah (Dr in Sydney), Michael Ong Hung Choon, ?, Soh Har, Raymond Poey, Self (as Little John) & Salim (as Robin Hood)
Below is a miscellaneous collage which not only includes BP days but also a later period 1959 -1964, in Johore Bahru.
Early Childhood days. Anticlockwise, From Top Left:- 1. FAMILY PHOTO Nov 1956 AFTER PAPA RETURNED from UK. Appointed as Asst Controller Telecoms, based in KL as Head of the Telekom Training Centre, 31/2 ml Ipoh Rd, KL. I had just turned 12 and joined Form 2, Victoria Institution, KL. The rest of the family remained in Batu Pahat. At least once in every 2 weeks Papa & I used to drive down to BP to spend 1, sometimes 2 nights, with Mama.
2. Papa as Technical Asst (TA) Batu Pahat Telekoms, before proceeding to UK for his AMIEE. Approx 1952, with me 9 yrs, Terry 5 years, and Francis 4 years.
3. My dear maternal grandmother Ka. ( Ethel De Alwis nee Goentillika) in 1952. She passed away in 1960 at the age of 78. Here she is a fit 69!
4. Roland in 1958, a cadet in FMC Boy's Wing, in PD. Photo taken at JB studio along Jln Straits View opposite Kerala Resturant. Thought it a big deal to be in uniform! Didn't last too long though as Mama insisted I leave after the 2 term completion and be with the family in JB. So I ended up in Form 4A Johore English College,JB for the 3rd term.
5.Twins ? No. Its Ronnie & Hilary taken around 1948, 5 & 4 years old. Location Batu Pahat.
6. Hilary in 1963 having a whale of a time without me, and with JB 9393 all to himself. Bessy was in the scene at that time so you can imagine how love grew. Photo taken in front of our No9, Jln Straits view house, JB
7.A 1954 photo taken in front of our Gunong Soga/ Kebun Kelapa house in Batu Pahat. I think the address was 539B? A year since Papa left for UK. Hard times for all of us, especially Mama and Ka. I was 10 yrs old then, in Std 6, High School Batu Pahat.
8. 1964 Second Officer Roland Thomas with Malaysian Airways, based in Singapore. Living in a small room at McPherson Estate. It is my first real car, a red Spitfire JD 1000. Drew many and admiring look. This photo was taken in front of Straits View House JB.
9. Papa just after a lunch break in 1958 about to go back to work. He was ACT Telekom, JB with Pinkerton as CT. Car was a Vauvxhall Wyvern SR 2005. In those days white Khaki was the normal office garb. Cars with a Singapore Rego were allowed.
10. F/O Roland Thomas now, based in Jesselton/ Borneo, now Kota Kinabalu Malaysia, in the cockpit of a DC- 3. Learnt a lot about flying the DC-3's in that part of the world as the Expat Capts used to give away a lot of sectors to the copilots ie allowing us to perform Take-offs & Landings.
11. Family Photo taken in 1963 without me as I was away in Scotland being trained as a Commercial Pilot in AST, Perth. Photograph taken in front of No 9, Straits View, JB. Mama was teaching in Larkin School and Papa was now boss of Telekoms Johore. (CT Telekoms Johore)
"Hitherto has the Lord helped us" Yes! Amen
Greetings friend ! I am Thomas(Robin ), from Form I to Form 3 1964, from Sri Garding Estate.Very warm to see the good old school. I was the regional silver medalist for Southern region that period.
ReplyDeleteI am now settled in Banglore.