I am KLASS… The defining memories

The School has been a second home for so many students for over seven decades. The walls of the school hold so many dear memories and experiences of our community. Each student holds unique attachments to the student that has enriched their bonds with their school and community. We have reached out to our alumni to share their moments of their precious memories of their time at the Alice Smith School.

Before the War, there were no schools for foreigners around KL. My aunt, Dorothy Arkell, was a matron at the Cameron Highlands School – which is where Mike Register went after Alice Smith’s in 1951 before going to Oundle in the UK. I joined him at Oundle after 4 years at Sandle Manor prep school in the New Forest. After being captured in 1942, released and repatriated in 1946 from Japanese prisons, many parents returned to Malaya (as it was then) to restart the industrial and international businesses. The lack of schools meant that they had to leave their children at boarding schools in the UK. My father’s tour with Malayan Collieries was 5 years, so my 7-year-old brother was left in England – he did not see his father again until 1952. We had also never seen him for the previous four years he was in Changi Jail. Alice Fairfield Smith returned from Australia with her husband Hugh, who was head of Rubber Research before being imprisoned. Hugo and Lindsey, their children, were left in Australia at boarding school but Lindsey came back to KL after the Alice Smith school had been running for some time. Alice decided to start the school in her home in Eaton Road for the children of friends who were keen to support her. I was in the first class of around 10 but others soon joined. I think Margaret Duckworth started teaching in order to allow a split into two classes, due to the divergence of ages. The students included Alison and Penny Clarke, Jocelyn Leach, Mike Register, Peter Moir (the doctor’s son), Patrick , Katherine Villiers, Rosemary Duckworth, Maud and others. Doris Muir, who we were all scared of, taught Maths and I have to thank her for the wonderful job she did for me! The school grew so fast that we had to move out of Alice’s downstairs to the Masonic Hall. Mrs Lilley (later to become Head when Alice and family left the country), Mrs Ford and other ladies joined the staff and I remember Mrs Orde from the French Embassy taught us French. We were living at Batu Arang initially and because of the Communist Emergency, my father needed an armoured car to drive me to school. So, for a year, I boarded with the Smiths, returning home for weekends. We then moved to a half-timbered bungalow in Parry Road and later built a house in Persiaran Hampshire, which is still there. Tough days but memorable. How the school went from there to where it is now is due to the wonderful work by so many over all these years. Best wishes for the future. Listen to the school song here Written by Malcolm Llewellyn KLASS 1947 - 1951

As an older former pupil of Alice Smith’s Eaton Road School in KL, my memories of the school and some stories of my family’s and other people’s connection to it may be of interest. I do not remember the Jalan Eaton house in ‘49 or ‘50 but have the originals of five of my reports from Eaton Road School Kuala Lumpur dated 1949 and 1950. One from December, 1950 is headed Alice Fairfield-Smith School, Kuala Lumpur, which was probably when Alice Smith left KL and the school had been taken over by the parents to become the non-profit, Alice Smith Schools’ Association administered by an elected Council of Governors, as is today. The reports are signed by a number of teachers including Mrs Muir, Mrs Jackson and Mrs Lilly, the Principal. I do remember attending school in the Masonic Lodge Hall on Jalan Damansara. The 1949 and 1950 class and whole school photos with the aforementioned teachers taken on the lodge’s front steps have been included in earlier editions of KLASSics Chronicle. I left the school before the Jalan Bellamy campus was established, however my younger sister Kay attended there from the mid 1957 to May 1959, enjoying participating fully in the varied academic, sporting and social life provided. From 1953 I was enrolled in a boarding school in Perth Western Australia. I travelled by ship for seven days each way between Singapore and Fremantle with around 120 other children aged 6 to 20 years, (the only adults on board were crew!). We had an extended summer holiday in Malaya each year from December to February. As an interesting coincidence, after finishing secondary school I graduated as a primary school teacher, serving in rural and city schools throughout Western Australia. During my career, one of my favourite students at Mt Lockyer Primary School in Albany was Greg Carpenter. In adult life, Greg became a handicapper and administrator in the horse racing industry. For a time, he was employed by that industry in Malaysia, his children Ashleigh and Jenae attended Alice Smith School and he was elected to the Board of Governors. My sister Kay and I met up in KL in 2000 for a nostalgic visit. I contacted Greg before arriving. He took time to be our guide and chauffeur. We visited the Eaton Road house, courtesy of the owner, toured the primary school, attended an assembly and visited the Year 3 class. Greg had done some research on the school’s history, discovering a copy of the 1950 Articles of Association showing our father as one of the signatories. This was astonishing news to us as we were completely unaware that he had been so closely involved in the foundation of the school just before Alice Smith left Malaya. Two others signatories, G.F. Jackson and A.H.W. Lilley were husbands of teachers at the school. My father and, I believe Mr Lilley, were staunch Masonic Lodge members so they may have been instrumental in the rapidly expanding school moving to the lodge building on Jalan Damansara. Sometime later in Albany, we became firm friends with Diddee Hall formerly from Kenya and later Malaysia whose daughter Karen also attended Alice Smith. Karen’s class photographs have been added to the school’s archives. Thank you to the 2021 KLASSics Alumni team, working under difficulty in KL, and Perth host, Lucas Kong (1989-2001) for organising the November reunion at the University of Western Australia Club to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of The Alice Smith School. A school which began life in the front room of an Eaton Road, PWD house soon after the end of the WWII Japanese occupation and which has grown into the wonderful institution it is today with a fine mixture of local and expatriate students and an extensive list of talented and influential alumni. I salute all those involved in Alice Smith School’s beginning, its progress, continuing growth and wonderful reputation. Written by Jardine Jamieson KLASS 1949 - 1950

Alice Smith School, Masonic Lodge entrance, Damansara Road, Kuala Lumpur, 1949/50. Teacher Mrs Jackson. Jardine Jamieson right front with tie.

Over 39 years have passed since I set foot in Alice Smith School on Jalan Bellamy. Moving from Finland to Malaysia was in itself a huge change in the life of a seven year old, not to mention the differences between the school culture and academics. In Finland I had just started to learn letters and numbers when in Alice Smith I was expected to know how to read and write and do addition and subtraction in tens - all this in English of course! It took some time getting used to the school uniform, having my hair tied up and carrying a basket instead of a backpack. However, I look fondly upon the memories of my time in Alice Smith, as it has had a huge impact on me as a person. As I was so young and time has passed, the memories are flashes of nostalgia. The Bas Sekolah passing the Istana, lining up outside in front of our classroom, the art class that opened up to the garden, assemblies in the hall singing the school anthem, playing hang-man, spelling tests, sports under the blazing sun, learning about the plague, music and accordions, lice inspections (!!), the noisy funeral processions driving past the school, tie-dying shirts by the outside corridor tables after school, the ice-cream man behind the fence and best of all running around with friends from all over the world during recess on the huge grassy areas. It is amazing how some of these friendships have lasted to this day. When we meet, it feels like no time has passed since our gingham dress-days. Oh for the beauty of childhood friendships! Happy 75th Birthday Alice Smith School, I hope a reunion is on the cards for us too.

Written by Suvi Korenius KLASS 1983 - 1986

I am the younger sister of one of your oldest alumni, Jardine Jamieson! I was christened Katherine but have always been known as Kay, by family, friends and professionally, to this day. I have lived in Adelaide, South Australia since mid 2007. Prior to that I lived and worked in Melbourne for ten years. I lived in Western Australia ’59-’97 though I toured theatre and dance productions nationally and internationally and lived and worked in India in the mid 90s for 12 months. Interesting for me now to read in all my school reports (from Waverley Kindergarten, 16 Hicks Road, KL (’54 -’55), right through to Presbyterian Ladies’ College, in Perth Western Australia, (’64-’68) that they all say my imagination flourished and my best subjects were always the humanities. I ended up working in the Arts, throughout Australia and internationally, for nearly 35 years. Offstage, not onstage! Mostly in senior management positions. Although I officially retired in 2019 I am still involved in the arts, both as a volunteer and for occasional, paid short-term consultancy roles. Love it! Our parents, Jim and Peg or Peggy Jamieson, moved from Seremban in mid 1957, back to KL for the second time when Dad was transferred back to head office. His immediate boss, Arthur Gammon, known as Sammy Gammon, was PostmasterGeneral of Malaya. He had three daughters who may have gone to the Alice Smith School. I only have vague memories of the school itself though I have a vivid memory of doing PT on a large square. Jumping jacks! When Jardine and I visited in 2000 the school had expanded. I have a recollection that the school hall was central to the main building in my time, with classrooms emanating off both sides of the main building. I think I was one of the youngest in my class while I was at the School. I suspect, as a result, I was socially younger than the rest. Written by Kay (Katherine) Jamieson KLASS 1957-1959

I worked at KLASS from 2005-2008 and consider it as some of the most enjoyable and inspiring years in my career to date. In the summer term of 2005-2006, I was teaching in Year 2 and helped to direct the end of year show, ‘Aly and Nour’s Excellent Adventure’. The storyline was loosely based on 80’s adventure movie ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure ’, where the two leading characters have a history project to complete. They enlist the expertise of their crazy uncle to create a time machine, go back in time to collect famous people from the past, and bring them back to the future for their project! On their travels not only did they meet Mozart, Van Gogh and Neil Armstrong, but they also met the infamous Mrs Alice Fairfield-Smith. In the show, the character Alice Smith explained about how she had created the school for the local expatriate children, including her own daughter Lindsey. Each of the four Year 2 classes had a scene in the show with their own song to perform, sing and dance to. To coincide with what was then, the 60th anniversary celebrations of KLASS, myself and Martin Smith the music teacher, decided to write an original song that could not only be used for the performance, but also as a potential new school song. Martin shared the beginnings of an uplifting melody that he had, and I used the story of Alice Smith to write the lyrics. After a few late evenings collaborating together in the Music block at JB, the song was completed. The show was a success and it was enjoyed by all the Y2 parents, children and staff. The song from the play was taught to the rest of the primary school in their music lessons, and it was soon sung in the weekly assemblies with Mr Caulfield. I am now the Headteacher in a Bristol school in the UK and it is lovely to know that this same song is still sung today by children as they each join and pass through the doors of KLASS.

Written by

Laura Kathryn KLASS 2005 - 2008

At the tender age of 5 my brother Michael and I started at the Alice Smith School way back in 1965. We had been at St. Anne’s Kindergarten first so arriving at such a big school was a bit daunting. My memories are not in order but I have several good ones and a few less so. BJ9127 – A licence plate number I am not likely to forget! At the end of the school day we all sat in the hall facing a large window and could see the cars coming down the driveway to pick each and every child up. A teacher would shout out the licence plate number and then we were allowed to get up and go. Sometimes our dad would pick us up and that was great as his Volvo had AC! I can’t remember his licence plate though. On Thursday mornings, we had assembly and sat in rows on the floor. There was a sermon or similar, a prayer and hymns were sung, I think we also sang to the Queen? My parents weren’t British or church goers so this was all new to us. The favourite hymns were the ones where we changed the words! “Glory, glory hallelujah I hit the teacher with a ruler … !”, “As shepherds washed their socks by night … ! At break times we played a number of games, some names elude me but one was where you stood in a row and one person shouted out a letter and if that letter was in your name you could take a step forward. Simon Says was popular too and tag plus skipping ropes. Us girls also made long ropes of rubber bands and we did twang/ elastics/Chinese jump rope by jumping around and crossing over making intricate patterns and the band was set higher and higher. Great fun! Occasionally our games would go a bit awol and chases would ensue – I remember some girls being chased in to the girls bathroom by the boys and also climbing on top of roofs to jump down! Mrs Lee was not amused and we were punished! There was also a group of us girls doing handstands in the bathroom and climbing up the cubicles like crabs. We would do handstands, first one against the wall and then a line of us behind on top of each other – madness but it was great fun! On lunch breaks we would sit in the shelters at the bottom part of the field (opposite the classrooms). No canteen in those days so we had packed lunches from home. I miss those rattan baskets we used – so practical. We had sandwiches, juice and sometimes a hot meal in a flask. I vaguely remember a man on a bicycle selling ice-cream or coconut buns by the fence but not sure. School plays – I was a shy girl so kept myself in the background but my brother did a great job of being Aslan when we did The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! I was dressed as Santa (!) and brought the weapons to Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmond. I remember my mum frantically sewing away at various costumes over the years: sewing feathers (used feather dusters in those days!) on ponchos with a hood with beaks; 18th century clothes for some play we danced in; a little outfit for my puppet and so many more. Sports – I was not academically gifted and I loved sports. I would try anything! Alice Smith introduced me to field hockey which I really enjoyed and played until I was 18. Sports those days were more generic – i.e. boys played football and the girls field hockey, so glad those days are no more! We had sports days too and I immensely enjoyed all the different activities and competitions that we could do. There were also parent races and my mum ran once in the mum’s race. She was fast but unfortunately tripped and her wig fell off! In those days many women wore wigs as the tropical humidity wasn’t great for their hairstyles. Mum was really embarrassed but she did get up and continued running with the wig in her hand – at least that’s how I remember it. Teachers – I was scared of quite a few of them! I was so shy and lacked confidence in the classroom that I was moved to a remedial class for a while. I think it was 8 or 9, I really enjoyed the smaller class, can’t remember how long I was there for but did join my classmates later. I remember Mrs Tan and a group of us girls visiting her when she had her baby, I also remember a music teacher and we sat under a tree outside and she played the guitar and we sang Quartermasters Store (making up our own words to it), Michael row the boat and Shenandoah. I really enjoyed singing! There was a teacher who taught us macrame (which I still do to this day!), and I remember the art teacher being frustrated with my lack of drawing and painting skills – I was hopeless! I hated when we had to stand up and read a paragraph or two from a book (David Copperfield was one of them), I was a poor reader and stumbled over the words – today I enjoy reading and I loved reading to my son when he was little. Unfortunately I am not good at remembering teachers’ names but they all did imprint various positives in me. I play the guitar, I really enjoy craftwork and I don’t draw! Growing up as a third culture kid has been an experience I wish more had the opportunity to do. You see the world from another perspective, respect people’s differences and I think become more tolerant. I have lived in 7 countries, worked in 5, and travelled to several more, and had I afforded it I would have seen more of the world. Today illness and arthritis dictates but I do still travel = Google Earth can take me anywhere! I have visited Alice Smith and the houses where we used to live plus travelled down memory lane in various areas of KL, I’ve visited areas we went to at the weekends and holidays – Lake Club, Port Dickson, Fraser Hill, Cameron Highlands (before it became “developed”), Pangkor Island and many other places too. Alice Smith School and KL will forever be in my heart. I now live on a farm (with my husband and son) in the far north of Scotland, so different from the tropical jungles I grew up around! Instead of monkeys stealing jackfruit from our trees in Kenny Hill, we have sheep and cattle breaking in and munching on our lawn. No slats for windows or air conditioners, just triple glazing to keep out the cold. No open air markets with an array of fruits and vegetables, only Lidl, Co-op and Tesco to pick from. No huge ants, millipedes or chit-chats in the house, only tiny spiders, slaters and the odd mouse. Life in KL was certainly different from life here!

Written by Karin Miller KLASS 1965 - 1972

Our alumni share some of their unforgettable moments in school.

My brother, Andrew and I were both pupils at the school in 1947 - 1951. I was Headboy when Lindsey was Headgirl. Visiting the modern school and looking at the old photographs was marvellous and brought back great memories. I was in love with Lindsey at the age of 7, but whether she knew, I’m not sure…!

Patrick Jackson KLASS 1947 - 1951

I had a dream one night with Mrs. Lee telling us not to touch the walls in the hall as they had just been painted. Which reminded me that she had done just that, about 1966!

Lesley Buller KLASS 1964 - 1969

Miss Dougherty taught Geography as well as being librarian. She lived in an apartment in Jalan Madge (off Jln Ampang Hilir) and was driven to school every day by her driver in an old black Rover classic.

Lizette Abbink KLASS 1964 - 1974

Mrs Lee was a true educationist, and had the gift of identifying the best in each child.. We kept in touch, after I left Alice Smith - my parents and her in particular as I was in the UK for some time after leaving Alice Smith - right up to her last trip to KL..she had a profound influence on me, and I think of her often.

Ainuddin Noordin KLASS 1964 - 1973

The hand-standing gang I was in! We stood on our hands and heads everywhere (1971-ish).

Karin Miller KLASS 1965 - 1972

This is the field the juniors would play all their football matches against other schools. Prep 1 and 2 would also play football there at lunchtimes - those were the best times! The area between the end building and the outside covered lunch area with tables was were all the organised fights between the boys would take place as it was out of view of the duty teachers! I recall once when I was 9 years old I was challenged to fight there by a much bigger boy but I managed to beat him by rugby tackling him to the ground which caught him totally by surprise!

John Fletcher KLASS 1969 - 1976

Two very strong memories I have of Mrs Ow Yang’s class; the first was being in class one afternoon, and Mrs Ow Yang called me over to her desk. She started berating me about my work and when I looked down, I realised it was Nicola’s book. Our writing was very similar but she couldn’t tell the difference. I said to her, ‘It’s Nicola’s book’ and she wouldn’t believe me until she turned to the front! She just said, ‘Oh. Sit down.’ Then called for Nicola to come to her table.

The other was one morning when she walked in and she was very ticked off because we must have been talking a lot and being noisy. She told us all to keep standing and then started sniffing the air. She said, I smell gas.’’ Then out of the blue one of the boys said ‘ Yes it’s John’s gas.’ I thought she was going to start yelling but she actually smiled!

Another one of my most vivid memories is when David Wilkinson came to the school after visiting the Sahara Desert. We were all asked to go into the then ‘projector room’ and one of the slides was a picture of a friend frying an egg on the bonnet of their car and him eating it!

Lakshmi Shankar KLASS 1970 - 1977

It’s an honour and privilege to have attended the school as a child and now to walk these same corridors as an adult. To be able to give back something to the school that was such a huge influence in my formative years is special to me. The education I received was foundational but the biggest lessons I learned at Alice Smith, to which I remember to this day, were always outside of the curriculum.

Charles Lim KLASS 1971 - 1976

Interesting that so many remember the fearsome Miss Doughty and her “bingo wings.” I was terrified of her - so much so that at least on one occasion when I forgot a library book, I pretended I was sick and went to the headmistress’s office. Incredibly, Miss Doughty came and found me! Gave me a barrack for forgetting my “Secret Seven Go on An Adventure” or whatever it was.

I also specifically remember that classroom in the bottom right hand corner. It‘s where we learned how to join our letters together when handwriting and where at some point I was told I could graduate from pencil to pen. Little could I have imagined that 50 years later I’d be typing on a handheld computer!

Mark Jenkins KLASS 1973

Kevin Tatum and Mme Daley...two unforgettable characters! I loved going to the projector rooms for films (and A/C!), playing elastics, the board game days at the end of term and yes kiss catch as well!

Cindy Larson KLASS 1974 - 1982

Yessss. Run across became a British bulldog at some point. And the ice-cream man also sold durian ice-cream. We also played ping-pong on top of the aluminium covered lunch tables. And we had to do our homework there in between the end of classes and the start of the sports activities (rugby or football for the boys, netball and hockey for the girls???). What a great time to remember.

Roland Buisman KLASS 1974 - 1983

Kevin Tatum popping out of a cupboard to surprise Madam Daley and MD sending him back in for the duration of the class.

Benjamin Wade KLASS 1974 - 1982

Ice cream man who came to sell ice creams from the other side of the fence. Wish I still had the folder we had to have with us for assembly. Those baskets were so fun with the water bottle holder. The friendships were the best tho. Mid 1980s.

Suvi Korenius KLASS 1983 - 1986

I had a fantastic trip down memory lane at the Primary Campus in Jalan Bellamy. Thank you so much! The Alice Smith School is a remarkable, evolving institution and may it continue to nurture future generations!

Tunku Zain Al -’Abidin KLASS 1988 - 1995

I was a pupil from 1999 through to 2011. Alice Smith had opened so many doors, one of which led me to competing at the 2016 Olympic games in Rio! I am forever grateful for the experience I had here over my years!

Ben Proud KLASS 1999 - 2011

So many great memories ! It’s hard to list them all but here are a few that come to mind....the amazing teachers, my wonderful friends, hockey, netball, all the fun we had in the science lab with Mrs. Foster, the bake sales and learning German with Frau Yusuff.