Sji '57 photobook

" Ora et Labora " your motto still bearing, Forward with courage in ways that are just, True to your standard, be serving & daring, As Faithful Josephians, in heaven you trust.

Forward her children dear, ever with hearts sincere, Render with joy to your Mater her due.

All that is vile reject, heaven will e’er protect Sons of St Joseph’s valiant and true

" Coming from SSS, I had to 'potong jalan' with the SMS, SAPS and DLSS crowd. Thrown in with different classmates, I went from a Malay/Chinese class to Technical classes in Balestier and joined the Sayonara Pre University class. We were unique ! "

' CINA BOLEH BELAJAR MELAYU ' Our time's English-based bilingual education system allowed us to choose a different mother for our second language ( now cannot lah ... stick to your mother's tongue ! ).

Despite the lack of Malay boys in SJI, many opted for the less 'teruk' ( or so we thought ) option. SJI mixed both Chinese and Malay students in some classes, making students move to different classrooms for second language lessons.

Also, while most attended religious knowledge lessons, non-Catholics like me, were sent for ' Moral ( forgot everything taught ) Education '. ' ATTITUDE IS BETTER THAN APTITUDE ' To solve post Independence high unemployment, Singapore's education focused on Mathematics, Science and Technical subjects and we were guinea pigs sent for Aptitude testing in Sec 2. As SJI only got tuckshop and no workshop, techies selected had to travel to Balestier Tech for classes.

I was one of the unfortunates who did well in the aptitude test, but miserably in technical subjects and my only fond memories were of going bowling in Hyatt ( yah, Hyatt got bowling alley then ) on Technical lesson days.

Aptitude test's purpose was also to channel students to academic ( arts ) and commercial ( science ) streams. As such tests were discontinued and replaced by other streaming schemes, I suspect that test results were dubious.

With tougher admission policies ( Wah ! my PSLE T-score not good enough to enter SJI meh ? ), the SJI now is very different from our motley '57 batch ( can double confirm with motley fool David Kuo ). However, as the majority of us turned out OK ....

It proves that ' Attitude is better than Aptitude. ' THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS ' I remember Brother Patrick's speech urging us to stay on in Pre-U 1 SJI, promising a move to the brand new CJC the next year. We even helped raise money ( I did jobs at Bibi & Baba & YWCA ) for CJC's building fund. Some smart schoolmates left to join other JCs, while others left for greener pastures.

Sadly in1 975 ( our GCE A-level year ), the Pre-University One classes together with some teachers were transferred to the newly opened Catholic Junior College.

We were left stranded in Bras Basah with the best teachers gone. It required discipline to succeed for those who remained as authority was lax and we could easily skip classes to catch a movie ( can also catch bus at Queen Street for adult movies in JB, a forbidden novelty then ) near school. I have fond memories of weekend parties too !

" I expect you all to be independent, innovative, critical thinkers who will do exactly as I say ! "

We can thank SJI for giving us a good education .

However, for many, RECESS was our favourite period.

Our years in SJI in the 70s can be regarded as our school's golden age, as the all-round education we enjoyed, produced an unprecedented number of outstanding 'celebrities' in both public and private sectors. Looking at our school's Roll of Honour and list of distinguished alumni, we can be proud to be a Josephian.

Many from our cohort have done extremely well and SJI's website (www.sji.edu.sg) acknowledges the following ( Simon Cheong, Paul Tseng and Davinder Singh also appeared in the 'Unique Individuals' - A video by old boys, for old boys ... do watch it if you haven't done so ) : PRESIDENT SCHOLAR : GAN JUAY KIAT COLOMBO PLAN SCHOLARS : DAVID CHUA ONG SIONG HUAT GOH HUNG TONG OVERSEAS MERIT SCHOLARSHIP : CHARLES LIM LEGAL EAGLES : DAVINDER SINGH CHARLES LIM STEVEN CHONG

No doubt, there are many more successful Josephians and many still keep in contact with their schoolmates.

Here are some prominent Joes among our cohort.

Besides bonding and friendships made, our cohort performed exceptionally well in the school's sports field.

As school rugby has been dominated by ACS, RI and Saint Andrew's, some of you may not know ( or forgot ) that SJI was up there with them when we were in school .... went downhill after we left.

Our cohort helped SJI to become B Division champions in 1 972 and the National Schools' Seven-a-side Champions in 1 973.

In the 1 973 1 5-a-side B Championship, we beat both ACS and RI, losing only to St.Andrew's in the finals.

Older schoolmates in the A Division did just as well ( vanquished the favourites RI, before also losing to St. Andrew's in the finals ).

Unfortunately, from our cohort onwards, SJI could not compete with Junior Colleges in the A Division.

Did not know that Lawrence was such a good athlete !!!

We are the champions, my friends ....

And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end We are the champions, We are the champions. No time for losers ....

'Cause we are the champions of the world.

In 1 973, we were given time off to support our school's A, B and C Division teams at Jalan Besar.

Although our A and C emerged City District champions, we (in B Division) had to be satisfied with runners-up.

Of course, you need not represent school to enjoy the game !

" You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley.

You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold "

S C H O O L S E C U R I T Y G U A R D S

"To serve with Pride & Dedication"

BE PREPARED .... to curi ayam !!!

Scouting was so popular in SJI that we had two scout units. We were in Stamford District and had friendly competition with Raffles and Catholic High Scouts ( also friendly campfires with convent & MGS guides ).

In the 90s, 2103 hippos had to merge & were absorbed by the pelandoks. However, it ends well as the hippos resurfaced as a scout unit in SJI International !

THOSE WERE THE DAYS...

when Changi had kelongs and we went camping overnight.

Changi Beach was a popular hangout for us.

SJI – Ties That Bind

We were perhaps a fortunate lot, to have been educated in a city school. We were brought together from principally three schools – St Michael’s, St Anthony’s Boys and De La Salle – and allocated into 1 2 classrooms of about 40 to 44 students in each.

The smart ones were combined into a Chinese-Malay (CM) class, while most of us drifted into a Chinese or Malay class. But in SJI of our time, it was not the CM class that stood out, but the one that won every inter-class competition: 1 M11 . Likewise, it was never the scholar who was celebrated but the slight rogue with a great story to tell: James Adikaran (rest in peace brother). Not the prefects and monitors, but the cool guys who knew how to light a cigarette and not get caught.

I remember, as I’m sure we all do, the flag lowering ceremony on our first day at SJI. The late Mr Cleaver R Eber walked to the dias in front of the tuckshop, and through the mic ordered; “School …”! We broke out into giggles as the crows sitting atop the Brother’s Quarters building took off for dear life.

Walking through the corridors of SJI we had the opportunity to meet and befriend the widest range of characters, many who have left very strong imprints in the things they pursued and did. Clement Lee is a Redemptorist Priest, which we all secondguessed in school as his true calling.

While all of us were fascinated with the female reproductive organ, Paul Tseng made a career of it. Argumentative and branded as “head-strong” by the late Mr T O Aeria, either for his argumentative nature or the turban, or both, Davinder Singh went on to be the most well-known litigant in the country. Jude Benny and Peter Fernando also made their mark in the legal profession, through the maritime and criminal bar respectively. But beating all of us to a career with a flying start was Abhijit Dass, SIA Cadet Pilot at age 1 9.

I’m sure we each know of our close friends who have made sterling achievements in their own right. We had so many talented musicians – do you remember the Rhythmics, a trio of Arthur Foo, James De Souza and Nigel Clunies-Ross, swooning all the girls then. And today at the 60 Years bash there is Richard Shenton Peters, Peter Gonzales, Lennard Rezel and others who will dazzle us with their talent.

Fact is, in every profession and most types of businesses, there was someone from our cohort in leadership. That’s amazing! Ask our rivals who they have in music, entertainment, sports, crime, charity, military, civil service, property, food, fashion and on and on. Not just the one or two randoms, but a stream of talent who rose to make their mark and shaped the sector or industry.

We had teachers who may not have had the time to teach while managing classroom ill-discipline, but by choice or default, they educated us. They gave us the option to look beyond textbook answers to find solutions through thinking. I remember when Derek Rodrigues who was asked in science class to name an eight-legged insect, he responded: “Retarded insect”. It may have lost him a mark or two in tests, even exams. But it did not stop Derek from going on to be the person he is, including donning Singapore colours in rugby, like Andrew Chin and Paul Tan if my memory serves me right.

We did have weird and wonderful teachers! To them, we should be eternally grateful. I remember the day I came back to SJI as a relief teacher in 1 981 . Before walking into the most notorious Secondary 2 class of that year, Mr Peter Martens counselled me: “Your duty as a teacher of this class is to identify the handful of boys who will make it academically, they may not know now but they will … as for the rest, don’t worry, they’ll come up in their own way”. Cut and dry. I wasn’t quite sure if his advice was charitable or extremely uncharitable. But I’ve since come to recognise it as pragmatic wisdom.

When we walked into SJI, there was a host of shared expectations. One was to beat our rivals, Raffles Institution, in every which way we could (I think studies was excluded). They stood at the inter-section of Brash Bash Road and Stamford Road to remind us and taunt us of their place in Singapore’s history. Unfortunately, RI scooted from the neighbourhood only to be demolished and returned as a hotel cum shopping mall. It stole away from us the high-tension soccer and hockey matches, the cancellation of classes to go and watch our seniors do battle for our colours. What a shame! They went underground!

At least however, the other neighbour at the intersection of Bras Basah Road and Victoria Street was left to survive, at least during our time – CHIJ Town Convent. Not only did the girls survive the four walls and traffic, but also the raging hormones of a boys’ school just 1 00 metres away. Not all of us were the cool guys of our time, defined by the music of Elvis and Beatles, Led Zepplin and Santana. Many of us stuttered when we converged at bus stops and busses, at sports meets and at parties, and wished we had an RI badge to show for our total lack of coolness!

Somehow, the girls of St Anthony’s Convent were lost on us! Methinks anyway! So too the boys of Catholic High. In fact I was once asked by an alumnus of Catholic High: “What so great about SJI? At least ACS make business and RI all in civil service!

Hhm, SJI, what”? Thankfully, I remembered Derek’s quick wit in science class about the retarded insect, and replied: “We pray for their success! That’s what we do, pray!” As they say, a rising tide lifts all ships.

Finally, what’s SJI to me? In sum, a surreal experience where friendships were made, forged to endure. The only barrier between our primary school and SJI was PSLE. For that, we must be eternally grateful. The rules have since changed, and I for one would not be able to make it to the SJI of today. It’s not my loss, I say, because secondary education is all about ties that bind !

Muralee Nair

Many close friendships were forged in school.

Parties on weekends

With many schoolmates in the music industry, we can continue to enjoy " Saturday Night Fevers '

It has been over 40 years since we left school and we have lost touch with most of our schoolmates. Hence, reunions are always joyous and the one we held on 1 2 Sep 2009 and SJI's 1 60th anniversary were memorable.

Some managed to keep in touch with one another, having many mini reunions with our school buddies.

Many have migrated overseas to Australia, UK, USA and elsewhere.

Fortunately, social networking

sites such as Facebook and WhatsApp keeps us connected and it's always enjoyable when an old friend pays us a visit.

At age 16, we worry about what others think of us At age 40, we don't care what they think of us At age 60, we discover they haven't been thinking of us

You can live to be 100 if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a 100

You're aging gracefully is a nice way of saying you're slowly looking worse

By the time we hit 60, we've learned a lot of things ... Now we only have to remember them

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere

As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes ... I can't remember the other two

Some of us grow wiser as we grow older ...

Others grow wider, but most simply grow stubboner

You don't stop having fun when you get old ...

You get old when you stop having fun !

And Finally ... In the end, it's not the years in your life that count ... It's the life in your years !!!

After over 40 years missing each other and missing SJI discipline, noise from over 150 from our cohort drowned out all speeches.

All '57 Chickens turn 60 in 2017

Richard Fernandez, Sit Kok Lee, Steve Rufus, Peter Gonzales, Nigel-Clunies-Ross, Edward John and Leonard Rezel

It was by no means a Chicken Feed ( though born in the Rooster year, ex-SJI should not use singlish Chicken Feet lah ! ) task to put together this Get - Together.

However, thanks to the generosity of many old Joes in cash & kind and the enthusiasm shown by your eager support, 9th September turned out to be a ' TITANIC' night to remember.