A decade of memories

The Alice Smith School was and is a great school. My mother’s philosophy from the beginning was: “It should be fun” and “We will not exclude non-Europeans”.

As I recall my mother’s account, she had no intention of starting a school. They were living in a kampung in Ampang Road. Other families who had their kids with them basically said “These are kids and you are a teacher”. The school started in a small house on Eaton Road. The school rapidly became too big for the one spare room in the “small house” and we moved into the “big house” on Eaton Road. The school took the whole ground floor (three large rooms) and we lived upstairs. Later in 1949, the school had outgrown the big house and the school moved to the Masonic Hall.

I was stunned when I visited in 1995, by the houses remaining exactly as I remembered but with the two towers in the background soaring above the trees.

Lindsey Fairfield -Smith Alice Fairfield-Smith’s daughter, 2013

The family members of Fairfield-Smith. On the far left is Alice’s son, Hugh, Cameron (back row in red checkered shirt) and Hilton (on the right of Cameron) are Alice’s two grandsons. Rosie, Alice’s great-granddaughter is in white.

“On behalf of the (Fairfield) Smith family, we’d like to wish the school a huge congratulations on your 75th Anniversary. We are so proud of how far the school has come, as we know Alice would be too. Alice’s daughter, Lindsey, has told us that the school is a sanctuary of endless possibility and we know it is a school that provides a passion for learning as well as the opportunity to fulfil any child’s dream. We are so proud of how far the school has come, and even more proud it was our dear kind, compassionate Alice that got it started”.

Lots of love,

Cameron and Rosie

on behalf of the (Fairfield) Smith family