The Kerala Connection 

In the 1960s, as the demand for a sixth form education rose to a zenith, there was an urgent need to increase the university graduate element in the Michaelian teaching staff. A strong connection was thus established with Trivandrum, Kerala (South India) where there was a good supply of English-educated graduates many with strong Catholic roots.Thus began SMI's Kerala connection...............    

Mr Eric Gomez (1960s -70s) was educated at St Michael’s  and after obtaining his MA (English) was one of the pillars of English Literature at St.Michael’s. His partnership with Brother Casimir Hannon yielded great results in the field of debating at SMI. Mr Gomez is remembered as a teacher par excellence.

Mr.N.C. Thomas  (1960s) taught English and English Literature for Forms 4 and 5.

He took special care of students who did not show much academic promise.Many of his students have gone on to achieve great things!

Mr.James Alexander (1960s) was the first graduate Economics teacher at SMI.Many of his students went on to become professors of economics and custodians of the Malaysian treasury.

Mr Stephen Julianose and his wife Mrs Jane Julianose.

Mr Julianose was Biology teacher to the Sixth Form and Form 5 (1960s) while Mrs Julianose was the Sixth Form History teacher.(1960s)

                 The Convent Michaelians   

-         by Ms Shereen Ho ( Michaelian 1965)

Ms Shereen Ho was the Principal of SMK Tarcisian Convent (1992-1999) and the Main Convent of the HIJ ,Ipoh ( 1999- 2003)

Shy, awkward, self-conscious, excited, they stepped out of the safe walls of the Main Convent to gaze upon the vast grounds of St. Michael’s Institution.  The Gothic-like façade stood solid, dignified and perfect , the awesome host to two years of Michaellian life.

What set their hearts beating was the powerful rhythmn of the school band with its captivating school anthem that ushered in the Michaellian spirit.  How proud they were to don the white and green uniform with green ties to match.   

                                                                                                                                                        

Groomed in the ethics of decorum and self- restraint under the tutelage of Mother Pauline, Sr. Fidelma  and staunchly loyal teachers, Convent girls of the 60’s and 70s made the brave crossing into the male-dominated territory.  While ignoring the curious stares and perhaps private jokes among the boys, the girls would not resist the pleasure of being the centre of attention..  With the fluttering of the feminine instinct, it was no surprise that the “Ladies ‘ Room” would often find girls checking their appearance before the mirror.

Form Six in SMI was more than a social challenge.  Being used to close supervision and controls, they soon found how daunting it was to think independently, to be self-reliant, to grasp unfamiliar subjects.  As never before the library became the focal point for desperate efforts to rake for facts, ideas and more ideas to feed  work assignments. No more spoon-feeding from indulgent teachers.  That was where a good number of Brother Vincent’s disciples befriended “The Listener”, a sophisticated  British(?) journal, an epitome of fine language and thought.

The tough intellectual challenge of Form Six life, compounded by thick formidable books, would have been an ordeal if not for the soulful and humanitarian philosophy of La Sallian education.  The Brothers indeed made the ultimate difference.  While Brother Vincent brought his tudents to dizzying heights of Literature and the witticisms of the English Language, Brother Ultan Paul planted the seeds of self-worth into every soul he met.  How could he remember names (even Chinese names) and  personal details of his students long after they left school!

Etched in the memory of many Convent Michaellians were the “operettas” that traversed a wide landscape of pastoral tales (“The Magic Key” and “Robin Hood”) , Asian culture (The Faithful One”) and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals.  The stage was the springboard of latent talents. Oh, to discover one could sing and dance and act! “The school play was an experience of a lifetime, “ says Germaine Liew (“Wizard of Oz”, 1993).The fantasy, the dream, the idealism gave the extra dimension to the academic curriculum. There were even instances of romance turning into reality.

Memories of Cricket at SMI

By :

P. Vellupillai

(Michaelian 1970s who represented Malaysia and also served at SMI as Senior Assistant (Student Affairs) (2000-2010)

The writer retired from the Education Service as  the Principal of SMK Sg Pari,Ipoh.)

Cricket has been played at St. Michael’s Institution for many years. The earliest players included Amaladoss, his son Arul Doss all of whom played for the school in 1940s and 50s. The old cricket ground was set at the field behind the school. Later on part of the school field was taken up to build the sixth form blocks which were completed in 1968. If one were to look from the top of the sixth form blocks, one can see the outline of the original cricket pitch.

Former competitions between schools in Perak started with the introduction with the Dragoons’ Trophy which was instituted by the Royal Hussars in 1959. This regiment was based in Ipoh during the emergency and they felt that cricket should be played between schools in a proper tournament style.

Mr Jeyaram Nair

St. Michael’s Institution participated in this tournament from its inception. Among the players who represented the schools in 1960s were Ralph Marshal, Francis Xavier and Andrew Phua.

Finally in 1971, the St. Michael’s team won the Dragoons’ Cup  by defeating Malay College by four runs in the finals at Ipoh Padang. A last wicket partnership between T. Rajaskanda who top scored with 25 runs and P. Vellupillai ( later senior assistant at St. Michael’s) helped the team to win the match. The scores were as follows :

Malay College - 53 runs,

St. Michaels   -  57 runs

In 1972, St. Michael’s again repeated its feat by defeating Malay College in the finals by two runs at the Kilat Club ground. T. Rajaskanda who captained the team scored thirty eight runs and bowled half the teams of eighty overs i.e. forty overs. His bowling feat of forty overs, twenty maidens for fifty runs with five wickets has never been equalled  by any other players in the history of St. Michael’s cricket.

The scores were as follows :

St. Michael’s   - 109 runs

Malay College - 107 runs

The players who represented St. Michael’ at  cricket in the 1970s when St. Michael’s golden era began were Terance Bernard, Kenneth Acton, Sunny Chan, T. Balaskanda, T.Rajaskanda, T. Sriskanda, P. Vellupillai, Baharuddin Abd. Hamid, V. Vijayalingam, Daniel D Silva, Nasarudin , Wong Weng Chiong, K L Raman, K L Rajendran, Andrew Ravindran, Khong Leng Cheng.

In 1973, the Perak Cricket Association started the Junior League . The tournament was held as a round robin tournament and St. Michael’s beat  all the  other teams to be the first champion of the league.

Perhaps, the most famous player of this era was V.Vijayalingam who went on to  played for Malaysia and also captained the Perak state team in the Malaysian Cricket Association league where he led the Perak state team to become champions in the early 1990s. V.Vijayalingam who started of as a medium pace bowler transformed himself into an  opening bat in his later years when he batted throughout the innings in the MCA finals to lead the Perak state team to victory.

Mr Koo Kim Kuang

In the later part of 1970s, Mr Koo Kim Kuang who had played for Malaysia and the Perak state team as a wicket keeper cum opening batsman became the school coach when he was transferred to St. Michael’s. During this era, St. Michael’s produced many great players including Iqbal Ali, Arulrudin Raj, Akbarudin Raj, Edwin Victor, Ridzuan Mohammad  and  Anthony Christer.

St.Michael’s cricket team won the under 15 inter school cricket tournament in 1979. The same team carried on to win the Dragoon Cups in 1980,1981 and 1983. During this period, under the coaching of Mr. Koo Kim Kuang many of the players represented the state in the various tournaments including representing the senior state team. Iqbal Ali, Arulrudin Raj, Akbarudin Raj, Edwin Victor, Ridzuan Mohammad , Anthony Christer went on to represent the senior state team in the later part of the 1980s and 1990s and under the leadership of  V Vijayalingam they went on to win the MCA League in the 1990s.

In the later part of 1980s, St. Michael produced players like Conrad Yang, (nephew of Adrian Tsen) who represented the school and the state. Jerome Concisam and  Sivam were the other players of note.

Following the retirement of Mr. Koo Kin Kuang as a teacher and later as a cricket coach, the standard of cricket has gone down. The 21st century has  not yet shown any hopes  for cricket at St. Michaels. It is the hope of all cricket players (past and present) from St. Michael’s that cricket in St. Michaels will once again rise  to its former glory.

  

1960s and 70s – Michaelian Cricketers  Go on a Bowling Spree......

         

Among the many cricketers who brought glory to the alma mater were V. Vijayalingam, Mohd Iqbal, A.Santhanadoss, William Kolandai, P.Vellupillai, Michael Chin,Raymond Sam, K.Saktiaseelan, Ganeshvara Rao, Ajit Kumar, Wahid and Sree Skandar.

 





 

     From any of our upper storey window arches, Michaelians  have a clear view of Ipoh padang, one of Malaysia’s most fertile cricket grounds in the 1950s – 1990s. Michaelians have taken to cricket with flair and aplomb since the days cricket was played in Ipoh. On this page, we pay a tribute to  Mr Jeyaram Nair and Mr Koo Kim Kuang who  put many Michaelians on the road to national fame in this sport  

L toR: Aeuldoss (son) and father A.Amaladoss
both famed Michaelian cricketers

A.Amaladoss (above right) was one  of SMI’s great cricketers in the 1930s and 1940s. He captained Malayan Railways and was a first-choice Perak cricketer. He was the first Asian to be appointed Station Master of Singapore in the 1960s. He is pictured with his son Arul Doss, another great Michaelian

cricketer in the 1960s.

                                William Joseph played

cricket for Malaysia in the 1960s.He was also a regular choice for the University of Malaya’s team. He achieved great fame as one of the pioneers of the SOCSO scheme  introduced by the Ministry of Human Resources.His last post was as Chairman of the Industrial Arbitration   court, Negri Sembilan.

Mr Koo Kim Kuang  was SMI’s Sports Secretary from 1974 to 1992. He produced some of SMI’s best cricketers and led SMi to the pinnacle of cricket glory in the MSSM competitions. Under Mr Koo,cricket was more than a co-curricular activity.It became a passion of a lifetime for his acolytes.

Mr Jeyaram Nair

The Roaring Sixties in Michaelian Soccer............ 

The sixties saw Michaelians making their forays into international soccer. There was as yet no proper stadium in Ipoh so Ipoh Padang remained the main arena where  the high drama of league games was played. The evening matches drew enthusiastic crowds and Michaelians were always there to  be dazzled by the  sheer talent of the local and foreign players. Among the colourful teams in action were the Irish Hussars, the Royal Devonshire Yeomanry, the Gurkha Rifles, the Ramblers, Cheng Wah Club, the Kinta Indians (KIA) and the Turf Club Trotters.

The Khoo Brothers Khoo Luan Khen played for Malaysia in the Munich Olympics (1964). He went on to become Hongkong’s national coach.His brother Khoo Lee Khen played for Perak in the 1960s.

In the absence of television (which only arrived in Ipoh in 1964), Ipoh Padang provided all the football thrills we needed, as we were the closest school to that venue. Yes, it yielded positive results as Michaelians played actively for  the local teams and  some of them went on to achieve fame in the gallery of Malaysian international football..........  
Pic

The Michaelian soccer team 1964 with Mr Albert Teh and Brother Ambrose Loke. (Far left). At far right, is Mr Jinadasa (coach).  

Pic

The Three Vincents who brought soccer glory to SMI in  the 1960s.

Vincent Joseph (left) who studied at St Michael's in the 1960s was a first rate Burnley Cup player for Perak and later Selangor. He was also a regular for the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) together with Malaysian soccer maestro Soh Chin Aun. 

 Vincent Arokiadoss (Michaelian 1970s) represented  Perak and Malaysian youth at soccer in the 1970s. The pinnacle of his soccer career was when he was selected to play for Malaysia U-21 in the Asian Youtj Soccer Tournamnent in Teheran (1970). Vincent was a key player for Kinta Indian Association and the Telecoms in the Ipoh League. He was also attached to the JOA (Jabatan Orang Asli) in Gombak,Kuala Lumpue until hs retirement from the government service.

SMI soccer XI  1968 with Brother Ambrose Loke (Standing 2nd Left)  and Coach Mr Jinadasa (Standing Extreme Right)

Another explosive player in the 1960s was Ng Boon Bee of later badminton fame. He was a prototype of the future Maradona – a stocky, powerful, unstoppable attacker who shattered defences and had  devastating shots.....  

The Making of Hockey Champions at SMI......................... 

A Tribute to Mr Noel De Oliveiro...............

 By Felix Jude Kumar

 CEO, Sibelco Malaysia

(Michaelian, Deputy Head Prefect ,1980)  

“Master Noel Oliveiro conscientiously visited every  class and picked out more than 30 students to turn up for training. In November 1971, training started at the school field and before the schools’ tournament which began at the end of January 1972, the training schedule became frequent and was centralized at the famous Ipoh Municipal Padang.

Mr Noel de Oliveiro (seated 2nd from Left) with Brother Ultan Paul and  SMI Under 15 hockey team 1970s)

Players would turn up even during the school holidays ie December 1971 and train from 7.00 am till 10.00 am in the morning and return for a second session at 4.00 pm till 6.30 pm daily. The team began to build a close relationship with the incredibly dedicated coach, with support from his dear wife who was always there to ensure that the team got their refreshments on time.

“Players from St. Michael’s from the seventies who proudly carried the school’s name went on to represent the Combined Schools  and later the State of Perak were Henried Ong, Foo Keat Seong, Benedict Arrais, K. Rajan, Christy Gomez, Abdul Kadir, Gerard Raj, Gunasegaran & Sandrasegaran (brothers), Charlie Foo Tit Yong, Kong Chee Seng, Chai Seng Yu, Reginald Sinha, Rohan Marshall, Felix  Jude Nathan, Charles Aitkens David, Anthony Christie and Mohd Abdul Hadi.” .

While many of the players above had to shorten their hockey careers due to work commitments or further studies, there were a committed few such as Foo Keat Seong, Benedict Arrais, K. Rajan, Chai Seng Yu, Charles David, and Abdul Hadi who went on to represent the Country. Foo Keat Seong and Hadi had glorious careers as they went further to captain the national side. 

Master Noel was also affectionately accepted as mentor and a fatherly figure by hundreds of players that he had coached over the years. Some of his notable quotes include ' If you want to travel the world, master your hockey' and ' You don't have to go begging to play ..just work hard at training sessions and improve on your game..selectors will come looking for you instead'. Master Noel instilled a sense of self worth, passion and true dedication into every player that he had coached.

Cheers to the Glory days of the Michaelian Hockey team.

1970s -SMI takes centre stage in hockey........   

Mr Noel de Oliveiro moulds Michaelians  for world-class hockey.........  

Under Mr Noel de Oliveiro’s expert coaching, St.Michael’s produced some of Malaysia’s top hockey stars who represented Malaysia in the 1970s and 80s. Mr Oliveiro epitomises the spirit of “The Falcon and the Falconer” which shows the master  not only guiding youth but  fully sharing  their youthful exuberance . In the words of Shakespeare, we say “Here was a man! When comes such another?”  

This roll of honour includes Michaelians

·         Mohammad Hadi

·         Abdul  Kadir

·         Benedict Arrais

all of whom brought name and fame to their alma mater as Malaysian hockey 

Christina Chin

Malaysian Women’s Hockey International

Asian Cup Women’s Hockey Championship (Seoul) (1985)

Asian Games ,New Delhi ,(1982)

SEA Games ,Singapore (1983)

SEA Games ,Jakarta (1987)

SEA Games,Kuala Lumpur (1989)

International Masters’ Hockey ,Vancouver (195) 

Chai Seng Yu

Malaysian Hockey Captain (1960s -70s)

Asanda World Cup,Melbourne (1064)

Asian Cup,Bangladesh (1970)

NHK Tournament ,Tokyo (1972)

Asian Cup,Karachi (1978)

Junior World Cup, (1982)

Top Scorer for the National Team (1982) 

K.Rajan

Malaysian hockey international 

(1970s)

SEA Games,Kuala Lumpur (1977)

SEA  Jakarta (1979)

Coached the TNB  team in the National 

League 

Foo Keat Seong

Malaysian hockey international

Olympics,Los Angeles (1984)

World Cup,Bombay (1974)

World Cup,Argentina (1978)

Charles David Malaysian  hockey international Olympics, Atlanta (1996) Asian Games, Beijing (1990) Asian Games,Hiroshima (1994)