1925 GROWING EVER STRONGER IN FAITH, ZEAL AND SERVICE

           .......the best Cambridge results in the FMS.......

Brother Henry Jassaud

·        Brother Vernier Augustus left Ipoh for Mandalay,Myanmar, in 1925. ·        Bro Henry Jassaud took over from him. The school had a strong spiritual facet from its beginnings.  FAITH ·        The Feast of St.John Baptist de Lasalle was celebrated with great solemnity .On the day itself Mass was  celebrated in the Chapel and the Annual Sports in the afternoon. The following day – a Sunday – Mass was celebrated at St.Michael’s Church and the sermon highlighted the virtues of the Founder. There was also a call to young people to join the religious orders. ·        The Feast of Blessed Solomon, a martyred La Salle brother, was celebrated with great solemnity in the school. ZEAL ·        The Cambridge exam results were the best in the FMS, barring only St.George’s Taiping. ·        Hockey and cricket were the games played at this time. The school hockey team first played “away” on 22nd October 1928;they were defeated  3-2, “but gave a very good display”. They beat the Police team in November  but in their matches with the Anderson School they were less successful. ·        Interhouse cricket matches  used also to take place, and perhaps there were some scenes which were better forgotten – some of the early cricketers  were so passionate about winning that bats and balls became weapons! ·        In June 1929 a school Debating Society was started. Motions which were debated  included: “The Bookworm is more useful than the Athlete” and “Rich men are a benefit to society.” A junior class debated whether Report Books should be abolished.. ·        The first Annual Sports took place on 2nd October 1926. SERVICE ·        During these years , the first uniformed unit  - the Military Cadet Corps – was formed at St Michael’s. In 1928, the Cadet Corps was armed with armed with 39 old carbinesa and bayonets  passed on by the King Edward VII School, Taiping. The first cadet adviser  was Captain Shackle of the Volunteer Reserve. Sergeant Major Clout conducted the training sessions every Thursday on the school field. ·        The King’s Birthday Parade used to take place annually on 4th June and the St.Michael’s Cadets were an impressive presence in it. The British Resident wrote a letter of thanks  to the Director, thanking him for the boys’ participation. ·        The Cadets were also involved where a Route March took place . These Route Marches were held regularly in Ipoh as a show of  strength by the police, the military and auxiliary forces  to build greater public trust in the forces of law and order. ·        The  Cadets’ Annual Camp  took place with a detachment of the Regular Army in attendance  and the Director was allowed to spend $1.50 per day on food for each cadet and $3.50 for the two cadet officers. ·        1n 1928,there were two Lieutenants, Tan Seang Kung and Teh Swee Kang, ten NCOs and 57 cadets in the St.Michael’s Institution Cadet Corps. ·        Every year an Annual Inspection would be held on the school field and a Field Officer would conduct the inspection followed by a formal report to the Director. ·        In 1930, a site for a rifle range was selected.An allowance of  5000 rounds of ammunition was made. Now the cadets could go for target practice. ·        The annual routines  continued until  1934 when the government grant was discontinued and it became impossible to maintain the Corps. ·        The Corps was disbanded on 4th July 1934.It was only revived after the Second World War. ·        1928 - 1933: The school’s acreage was extended by by another 1.5 acres with the filling up  of the swampy area behind the school. This additional acreage was paid for by a ;oan of $9000 from St.George’s Taiping – an early example of the Lasallian spirit! Records show that the loan was duly repaid by 1933. ·        The number of boarders rose to thirty.