Great Michaelian Teachers

Francis Brown writes:

“ All the  Brothers’ schools owed a great deal of their success to the long service  of their loyal lay teachers, but in the story of St.Michael’s Institution this was a particularly marked characteristic.At one time all the lay staff at St Michael’s were connected by marriage.This is how the family spirit grew!

    In illustrating briefly the  careers of four of them we shall make a point that was valid  everywhere. All were Old Boys’ of the Brothers’ schools.

   Mr.Lip Seng Onn

Mr Lip Seng Onn was in 1913 one of the very earliest pupils at St>Michael’s. He joined the staff as a student teacher in 1920 and remained on the staff until 1956, in which year he died. He was a particularly dedicated teacher, and his pupils used to gain excellent exam results in Geography. So outstanding were they that the Cambridge examiners made an enquiry about how he achieved these results.It appears that every Saturday he would take the boys out on a hike, up the river, showing them the different geographical features to be found in Ipoh. He would arrange for excursions, one of which was concerned with the local tin-mining industry,He was also one of the first editors of “The Michaelian” , whose second,1949, edition  contained a series of excellent articles on all aspects of this subject. He was a very strict teacher, but he took care to look out for boys who were poor. One such boy, who had been unable to gain entry to any other school in Ipoh in the late 1940s , was able to come to St.Michael’s because Mr Lip prevailed on the Director to let him in. This boy later became a millionaire, and he was very generous to his alma mater. ( This old boy – Tan Sri Dato’ Lee Loy Seng – remains to this day one the most illustrious sons of St Michael’s – valiant and true.) – from Francis Brown “LBMS”

  

    Mr Tan Boon Kwee

Mr Tan Boon Kwee also joined the staff in 1918, and he was on the staff until 1960.Both he and Mr Lip Seng Onn were generous in giving up a lot of their free time to assisting the Director in collecting funds for building projects. He acted as school clerk for nineteen years, because until  the enrolment reached 500 in 1939 the school did not quality  for a clerk. He also used to run the school bookshp. Then, in 1950, he became the Supervisor of the Primary School.He started the Kindergarten in 1952, and supervised the new school in Canning Garden during the first years of its existence. He had three daughters and one son, all of whom went through the school either as teachers or pupils. He became an affiliated Member of the Order of Christian Brothers. – 

from Fancis Brown,LBMS

 Mr Chye Kah Loke

Another teacher of the same vintage was Mr Chye Kah Loke. He joined the staff in 1918, taught and studied as all these student-teachers did, and passed his Final Normal ClassExamination in 1920, when he was paid the usual bonus of $200 for having done so. He was a gifted teacher with a flair for art and craft. He taught in the Primary Department until 1954. After his retirement he was re-employed and became the first headmaster of La Salle School,Kampar. He remained until 1964. He was  school  Scoutmaster and Sports Secretary for many years.- From Francis Brown, LBMS

Mr Lim Guan Choe

“Mr Lim Guan Choe joined the staff in 1928, and he taught at St.Michael’s Institution for thirty years. As School  Librarian he did much to encourage the boys to  use the facilities of the Library. He was Headmaster of  Primary School One for fourteen years.  For his public services he was awarded two State decorations (AMN and PJK). He had a lifelong association with the work of the St.John’s Ambulance. He retired from teaching in 1971. He was an important figure in the English School Teachers’ Cooperative  Society, which originally consisted of teachers from  St>Michael’s Institution and the Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh. This society did very well because its pioneers were men of such integrity, and it is still flourishing long after many another cooperative has fallen by the wayside.

Mr Lim Guan Choe came from Penang, where he was educated at St/.Xavier’s Institution. His salutation to those who knew him well was “God bless you and be happy”. ”- Francis Brown, LBMS

Mr Lim Kean Hooi 

Mr Lim Kean Hooi was  the doyen of the Michaelian teaching staff during his years on the staff. He made a strong impression on school life especially in his mentoring spirit as a staff leader of great devotion and solicitude for his fellow-teachers. As President of the Badminton Association of Perak, he was instrumental in the promotion of badminton at SMI  and was a key player in the grooming  of Ng Boon Bee and Tan Yee Khan for their future stature as Thomas Cup and All England Champions in badminton. Mr Lim gave the best years of his life towards the development of SMI.His sons studied at St Michael’s and have gone on to achieve great corporate fame  for the  family,school and country.

·        - from "Valiant & True" -the Michaelian Centennial Magazine