This is my dad. This photo was taken in 1978, his 3rd time to UK as a student.
The first was in 1953 at Kirkby Malayan Teachers' Trainning College. He studied in Clifford School, Kuala Lipis and was offered 2 places, a varsity life in Singapore or at Kirkby. He chose the later and studied there from 1955 to 1957.
I decided to write this entry after watching on television about the first audience where the announcement of independence was made. It was at Kirkby's Hall where about 300 Malaysian students including my dad was present. He was there together with his fellow students to greet the Tunku . He graduated in September 1957 and came back as a teacher to his homeland Pahang. He never taught outside Pahang, loyal to his state, declined promotions if it involved working outside Pahang.
I'll write more about him later.
9 comments:
For the uninitiated, this teacher's college in Kirkby was specially for the malays i.e. only malays study there to become teachers. It was unique as Malaysia was the only country back then which had such a college out of its own homeground. I only knew about it today and I received it with mixed feelings: PROUD to know we had such an institution back then. AGHAST because it shows how we used to so look up to the British that we can't even trust to have such a college back home?
Ikelah, you must be really proud of your father. And that explains the lineage of fine young (and not so young) men and women in your family.
And drroza, much as I agree (to a certain extent) with you on having the teachers college in Kirkby, dont you think that was a wonderful institution that has produced dedicated, professional and great, GREAT teachers. Try comparing the teachers of yesteryears to the ones teaching the children in our schools now.
pycno: Yes you are right. But why can't they produce the same standard of teachers over here?
My father-in-law has a very colorful past. To hear him reminisce about his childhood days in Ulu Tembeling, his epic perahu journey with his late-mother after his father passed away, from Pasir Durian up to Kuantan,it's just fantastic.
drroza, come to think of it, it'll be a great shame if all those stories are not captured, told and retold to the younger generation. maybe you can coerce ikelah to work on an autobiography project?
tara dia duk saje tu.. kalau tak, pegi cabut kemuncup.
Coerce is too strong a word. Bab paksa memaksa ni kawe tak pandai :)
Kawe kan isteri mithali, hehe.
Tara duk saja...the all time 'favorite' or 'hated' phrase which would make you guys end in
1) the hot sun, squatting, eyes squinting, plucking lovegrass
2) sand-paper'ing' the old gate before repainting it.
3) plucking loads and loads of 'taugeh's tails
4) running to the sundry shop buying one thing after another in succession because 'terlupa nak pesan sekaligus' heheh...
Also P5 we can make a small thesaurus on special old pahang words like : jaber, kanchut, unchang,..
I strayed here from drroza's blog, having strayed there from some other blogs.
I get goosebumps watching the Kirkby ad. Not only because of the spirit of patriotism, but also because I am somewhat familiar with the place, having seen pictures of it and read all about it. Both my parents were there masa Tunku declared the date for Merdeka. My father, an avid photographer, had many pictures from that era. We/our country have come such a long way .... there I go, getting goosebumps again :)
Masya allah ..Perhaps your dad knew my dad..my dad died very young at 46 but Kirkby was also his college..don 't know the year he was there though..I felt very nostalgic when they showed the thing about Kirkby during Merdeka..He got married in 1955 and he d already been to Kirkby so I guess it was prior to 55..When he died , he had a Phd in Philosphy from the University of Nebraksa...was about to be made dean of a faculty in the about to be extablished UKM...aaah memories
queen of the house, nurelhuda, good to hear that my my fellow bloggers have parents studying in kirkby. name of ur dads pls... i'll ask my dad about it. His full name is mohd ghazali abd manan, from kuantan, pahang.
thanks.
My dad's Zainol Abidin Mohamed - he has worked in Kedah all these years. I think he was in Kirkby 57-59/60.
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