Free School Guide launched

 I commend my beloved alma mater, Penang Free School, for the launch of the Free School Guide during a special School Assembly this morning. It is with a tinge of irony that I couldn't be present for the launch despite my eager anticipation, due to unforeseen circumstances. However, my co-convenor, Lim Siang Jin, along with Loh Lean Kang, Andrew Lim Tatt Keong (Executive Chairman of Gama Group), Andrew Lim Chong Huat (President of The Old Frees' Association), and Hoe Kek Fei, ensured the event's success. The Guest of Honour at the launch was Mohamad Zawawi bin Ahmad, the North-East District Education Officer, and the Parent-Teacher Association chairman also graced the occasion.

The Free School Guide (FSG) has now been officially integrated into the fabric of Penang Free School, allowing everyone to delve into the school's illustrious history spanning over two centuries. Siang Jin and I devoted almost two years to the development of the FSG, and some months ago, we trained a group of students to become the first batch of FSG Ambassadors. These ambassadors will be responsible for explaining the Free School to visitors and guiding them on how to access the Free School Guide wayfinding system by scanning QR codes.

I must extend my gratitude to my friend and fellow Old Free schoolmate from Hong Kong, Cheah Cheng Hye (Co-Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Value Partners, Hong Kong), for his unwavering faith in our commitment to see this project through to its successful conclusion. He generously sponsored a wide range of collateral materials, including posters, leaflets, buntings, portable display kits, and other information and publicity materials.

The Headmaster, Syed Sultan bin Shaik Oothuman, described today as a momentous occasion. In his address to the Assembly, he stated, "Today, we are launching a one-of-a-kind system that provides easy access, for the first time, to the rich history and traditions of our esteemed institution. This system, known as the Free School Guide, is also referred to as a cyber museum."

Elaborating on the Free School Guide, he explained, "It consists of two parts. The first part is a wayfinder that showcases our history, architectural heritage, traditions, significant figures, and even stories. The second part comprises 10 videos documenting the school's history, from its founding in 1816 to the Bicentenary in 2016. These videos are based on the 352-page book, 'Let the Aisles Proclaim: The First Two Hundred Years of the Penang Free School (1816-2016).'"

He expressed his hope that this initiative would strengthen the school spirit by allowing stakeholders, especially students, to gain a deeper understanding of the school's journey to become what it is today. "I am confident that our school staff, Old Frees, and the education community will also find it valuable and fascinating," he added. "This system will undoubtedly highlight the uniqueness of Penang Free School and disseminate knowledge about it more widely."

The Free School Guide offers numerous advantages. It can be accessed anytime and from anywhere via the Internet. For hard copies like leaflets or posters, one can simply scan the QR code. For soft copies like PDFs, clicking on the headings will take you to the Guide. Furthermore, its high portability allows the FSG to be taken anywhere to introduce the school to others, such as at events and roadshows. Additionally, it is cost-effective to reproduce and has minimal impact on the school's physical structure, eliminating the need for renovations.

"The school did not incur any expenses in building the system," Syed Sultan emphasized to the gathered guests, teachers, and students. "It was constructed and funded entirely by a group of Old Frees." He paid tribute to Siang Jin for his conceptualization and overall efforts in bringing the project to fruition. The Headmaster also acknowledged my role in providing content through the creation of "Let the Aisles Proclaim." I am deeply thankful for this recognition.

Moving forward, the Headmaster highlighted that Siang Jin and I did not want the system to be standalone additions to the school's walls. Instead, we aimed to integrate it into the school's living traditions. "To achieve this, we trained a group of student guides whose mission is to promote the system and the school. A one-day workshop was held in August to train approximately 15 students," he continued. "The school is committed to nurturing and strengthening the system, with Cikgu Nur Zahidah binti Zainol appointed as the advisor. We have also enlisted the support of our Senior Assistant, Mr. Leonard Selva."

In conclusion, Syed Sultan expressed his hope that other schools would follow in Penang Free School's footsteps and make information about their histories and traditions readily available online, thereby enhancing Malaysians' appreciation of the wealth and diversity within our education system.

Footnote: The Free School Guide represents the culmination of a lengthy process that began even before the Penang Free School Bicentenary celebrations in 2016. Its origins can be traced back to the Board of Prefects' 150th-anniversary celebrations the previous year. This led to Lean Kang and Siang Jin devising the PFS Student Leadership Workshop: Developing a Pool of Talent from 2017 onwards, and a decision to produce 10 videos on the history of Penang Free School the following year. These 10 videos were a labor of love by Siang Jin and me, with invaluable support from our classmates from the Class of 1970/72, particularly Jim Lim Teik Wah, who provided the voiceovers for all 10 videos, Quah Chei Jin, who sang the School Rally at the beginning of each video, and Kumaravello Thangiah, who served as our film consultant. The Free School Guide, like all the other projects mentioned here, is our way of giving back to society, and what better way to contribute than to our beloved alma mater, Penang Free School, where our journey began over 50 years ago. Fortis atque Fidelis.

 

Old memories of Penang Road

Who remembers establishments like Cheers Limited, Cheng Lee & Co, Zlin Company, and United Happy Stores along Penang Road? In my story today, I also mentioned the Ho Ping coffee shop at the Penang Road-Kampong Malabar corner, right across the road from the Straits Echo building. There used to be a curry mee stall at the back lane behind this coffee shop, which was only open in the afternoon until late at night. I frequented this place while working night shifts at the newspaper company. The back lane was where the nightsoil collectors used to roam during the day to collect the bins from the shophouses' toilets. If you can imagine the hygiene or visualize the nightsoil collectors walking past with their buckets, you wouldn't want to eat here at all, but the curry mee was fragrant and delicious.

In the mid-1960s, I used to wander along Penang Road in search of books and magazines. There were numerous sundry-cum-book stores run by Indian entrepreneurs along the roadside, such as one at the junction of Penang Road and Burmah Road, another at the staircase going up Penang Bazaar, and yet another at the staircase of the Boston Cafe building.

I distinctly remember United Happy Stores, a treasure trove for Enid Blyton storybooks and later, school textbooks. The last I knew of this United Happy Stores was that it had relocated to the row of shophouses at the Penang Road end of Chulia Street. It meant a longer distance to walk there from the Goh Pah Teng end of Penang Road, but I did walk there nevertheless, several times too.

But United Happy Stores eventually closed down as people moved away from reading. The shophouse was taken over by other businesses, and with the signboard replaced, I had forgotten United Happy Store's exact location until I saw a picture.

This picture was taken after 1988 because the completed KOMTAR tower could be seen clearly above the rooftop. Possibly, United Happy Stores survived into the 1990s. However, as I mentioned earlier, United Happy Stores was not originally at this location. It was on Penang Road itself, located in a small shophouse tucked between Kampong Malabar and Campbell Street.

My memories of United Happy Stores in this location are a bit clearer. It was the third shop from the start of the row of shophouses, counting from the Campbell Street junction end. The shophouse was very narrow, with an estimated width of maybe not more than 12 feet across. That meant there was very little space to move around except to walk straight through the shophouse.

There wasn't a big signboard above the shop front, just a modest, squarish sign hanging above the entrance. The United Happy Stores also served as a newsvendor station selling all sorts of newspapers and magazines of the day, including The Straits Times, the Straits Echo, Chinese and Indian newspapers. Boys like me would read the newspapers for free and then clip them back on the metal wire when we were done.

Then I came across a second picture that struck me. That third shop without the signboard was the United Happy Stores. In the picture, I could see the metal wire strung along the five-footway with newspapers hanging from it. This was more evidence that this was the shop I was looking for.

My eyes then strayed to the left and right of the picture. At the far right was a vertical signboard announcing the Zlin shoe shop. Zlin, as one of my friends told me, was the name of a town in Czechoslovakia famous for its shoe-making. Possibly that's why the shop in Penang was called Zlin.

Then my eyes darted to the other end of the picture, and they grew wide open when I recognized the name of Cheers Limited. Back in those days, it was a premier Scouting and sport accessory shop in town. It also carried imported quality toys. I entered the shop only once with my parents to pick up a toy, though I can't remember what it was now. Cheers later moved to Upper Penang Road.

At the far end of the row of shophouses was Cheng Lee & Co, which specialized in musical instruments and accessories. Cheng Lee later moved to MacAlister Road. But for a very long time, it was located just a shophouse away from Cheers. The shophouse in between was yet another shoe shop selling Bata shoes for schoolchildren. Beyond Cheng Lee was the Ho Ping coffee shop, which has since closed.

When these old shops were finally forced to relocate, the row was demolished to make way for new five-story blocks. A little attempt at rejuvenating this space. Eventually, however, even the businesses here suffered the march of time, and today, many of the shops are empty and awaiting sale.