JOURNEY TO THE WEST

In 1970, after October, school finally came to an abrupt end for me. I have reached the age of 17, as I was born in February 1953. It was time for me to take the M C E – Malaysian Certificate of Education, the same Examination as the General Certificate of Education, O – Level Examinations awarded by the Cambridge University Board, in England the United Kingdom.

I was happy, elated and finally free from attending school classes and I really loath getting up in the mornings, riding my faithful bicycle from my home in Immigration Road all the way to Green Lane and into Penang Free School. I joined the school in Jan 1966, after completing my Primary education at Westlands School, near where I lived.

It is touted as the oldest and best secondary school in Georgetown Penang Malaysia. I truly enjoyed learning the lessons there from 1966 to 1970. I had many very good teachers like Mr. Phang who taught me Geography, Miss Lim who was my English Language and Literature teacher and Mr. Ismail who taught me Bahasa Malaysia.

I had a very short stout man, Mr. Lim who taught me Mathematics, who graduated as a Mathematics Specialist from college in Greenwich in England.

I had a very good Chinese teacher who taught me all that one can learn about arts and craft, he was a young looking man, but I cannot seem to recall his name, and very good at his subject matter.

There was another teacher a Mr. Chan I think, who taught me all the Science subjects. I was especially fond of science when I was in school. Mr. Chan just graduated from the teacher’s college when he first joined the school, and you can see that he was very motivated to get all of the class to appreciate and learn abut Science.

I had an Indian man teaching me Human &Social Biology, a Mr. Muniasay I think, and he is a Specialist teacher in Physical Education too. I played many sports under his tutor ledge.

All my teachers inspires me to study, learn and excel in the subject that they were teaching, however as a young man I was very playful and did not do my very best, because I was selective in what I wanted to learn.

I was a good and dedicated student, however my results were not that impressive, but I did get a Good Education at Penang Free School.

Probably I did understand the subject matter, but because of the lack of practice, and was not so good in remembering all the facts, and poor in my examination techniques that resulted in my mediocre results at the examinations.

After getting the results in late May 1971, as I did not repeat my Form 5 studies, I started writing and looking for a job.

This effort was very daunting and it was hard to get one as I am inexperienced, and was not of an asset to any employer as I do not have any of the prerequisite skills that were required for any of the jobs available.

Finally some time in late October/ November 1971, there was a Recruitment exercise for the Malaysian Armed Forces, which took place at Fort Cornwallis.

Since I was still unemployed, I went to the centre to see what was required to apply for a position. There to my surprise, I can see so many young men, numbering well over two thousands who like me were all ushered into the various rooms.

All of the eager applicants were to sit for a set of examinations, comprising of eight papers, each about an hour long without any breaks. Papers included, English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, IQ tests, and some other tests which my memory has failed to remember. We started the test at about 9 am, and stretched till about 5.30 or 6 PM.

After the examinations, all participants were advised that successful applicants will be notified by post, for further instructions, from the Malaysian Armed Forces recruitment Centre at Jalan Padang Tembak in Kuala Lumpur in Selangor.

Soon, it was Christmas, and as a young man of 17, life just whizzes by as each day passes by without getting a job. After that, came Chinese New Year and I enjoyed the festivities just like any one in Penang. No thoughts ever pass my mind about those examinations I took or any events that went by the previous year.

Sometime in the middle of March 1972, I received a letter from the Malaysian Armed Forces Recruitment Centre. The letter was accompanied with a voucher for a train ticket to go to Singapore, through Johor Baru.

I was so happy that I have been successful in my examinations at Fort Cornwallis and I have been selected to join the Royal Malaysian Navy.  I showed my parents the letter and they were very happy that from then on, I should be able to begin standing on my own two feet and not be a burden on the family; one less mouth to feed for my dad.

So a day, before the scheduled date of the appointment date I embarked on my journey from Penang to Singapore. My dad was the only one in my family to see me off at the railway station in Butterworth, at Prai on the mainland, early that morning.

I was a real Green Horn, as I never left home before this event. So everything was new to me, and I had to feel my way around and ask many people many questions and about almost anything that I had no knowledge about.

It is quite traumatic for me at first, as I came to find out that not every one you meet is willing to help you. My training in the 1st Georgetown South Scouts at Penang Free School put me in good steed, as I braved all the situations I encountered.

The next morning, after travelling almost all night, with a short period of stop to change trains at Kuala Lumpur, I finally reached Johor Baru, at around 6.45 AM.

There we were met by two Large lorries, called a 5 toner, by the forces guys. All those that came boarded the vehicle and we were soon taken to K D Malaya at Woodlands in Singapore. The place surrounding the base was full of forested areas, and there were no flats like it is now.

Once at the base, all the participants were taken to the Galley, or the Mess room where all the navy staff have their meals and then to the SICK Bay, a medical centre to undergo all that is necessary to check if the applicant is medically fit to join the armed forces.

We were there for several hours before we were directed to our accommodation in the base. After lunch we were issued with pillows, blanket and bed sheet; and shown how to make the bed for the first time. After that we were ordered to move into a class room, and were brief by the personnel there.

After 5 Pm, work time cease and we were free to do what ever we want and relax in the hostel, where we stayed. So time to get showered and wait for dinner time.

The following day, we were ordered to march to the sick bay again, to sign the recruitment forms, for those who qualify and passed the medical examinations. Those that did no meet the requirements were then taken to the train station, to be sent back to their hometown.

THEN AT THE Sick bay, we were examined by a Military medical Officer, a doctor at the centre. There we were told that we were selected to attend a 5 year training course in England in the United Kingdom. As the duration required for the injection jabs to be effective by the time we travel to England, we have to have several injections each day. So it was done gaily for about 4 days, small pox, typhoid, malaria, etc.

On the fifth day, about 12 of us were taken to a tailor in Singapore city side to take our measurements for our suits and coats, which will be ready in about a week.

After that, we sent to the Admin office to collect our salary for the month and also some Clothing allowance for each of us to buy new shirts and pants for our own use in England, preferably in our own home town, which we were more familiar.

The next day, it was time to go home and we were then sent to the train station and we all went home for our vacation prior to embarkation for England.  After a long trip by train, I reach home the next morning.

My parents were very surprised to see me, as they thought I will be employed by the Armed Forces, the R M N, and will not be back for at least a year.

Over the week or about 10 days of vacation prior to my trip to England in the United Kingdom, I went to Georgetown, to buy my new set of clothing and other personal paraphernalia, what young men usually need.

Before my departure, I went to see old classmates and friends to keep in touch with them and also to get their contact information, so that I can write to them whilst I was in England. I also wish them best wishes to them, as they live their lives different from mine, in Penang.

One morning, I had a talk with my mum, and she went on in great lengths telling me about what a man should do and what a woman would like her man to be like.

All these seems strange and odd to me, as I do not get her thoughts in full as I was quite naïve at my age and lack of experience in this area. As she was talking and me nodding my head to show that I heard what she said; but internally I was thinking to myself, what all these she is rambling on got to do with my studies in the UK?

She then went on to explain to me how to select a spouse in future when I decide to get engaged to a woman that I like or fancy. She said that I have to be dead serious about this or else I may suffer serious consequences if I were to take thing lightly regarding this particular subject.

So, I intensively listened to her with all my heart and soul, and during her deliberations, punctured with several questions posed by me, when I was not sure what she was saying or talking about. The end result of this particular conversation with my mum, Madam Tan Cheng Sim, alias Tan Nya Nya was my write up about the QUALITIES OF A GOOD SPOUSE.

A few days later, I took my leave from my family in Georgetown Penang Malaysia, and went back to the RMN Naval Base at Woodlands Singapore. After a few more days of stay in Singapore to collect all my winter clothing and other instructions, I flew to England from Kuala Lumpur with 19 of my fellow country men to England.