The Naughty Boys

When we were promoted to Secondary 3, we were streamed into the Science or Arts Classes. We had no choice, it was decided for us by an aggregate of three subjects, Mathematics, Science and English from the results of the final examination of Secondary 2. Some were unhappy because based on the total final examination results some would have been in the A class instead of B or C class. Their positions in standard at he final examinations merited them to be placed in the better classes. For those of us who were disappointed to be assigned to Sec 3B Science, we soon realized that we were placed into a fun class, the most memorable class in all our many years of education. Serendipitously, the cheeky boys congregated into that one class, now infamous for the havoc created in the classroom.   Sec 3B  was strongly and diversely represented by Sec 2A and Sec 2C.   Mathematically, the a verage of A+C = B. Physics was a new subject for us. Many of the boys liked it and...

The Rafflesian Rugby Team in their Green, White and Black Jerseys Raffles Institution excelled in Rugby, the whole School was crazy over it. We were frequent champions of the Inter-School Rugby Tournament sharing the spotlight with St Andrew's School. The rivalry was so intense that there is a special tournament between the two schools call the Kiwi Cup to this day.  Rugby was so popular that we had inter-class tournaments for every standard. In 1966, Sec 3BSc won the Inter-Class Secondary 3 rugby tournament. We won every single game in that tournament. We had a formidable team which included school players like, Chey Chor Wai, Quek Seng Yeow, Lee Cheong Kuan, Hia Hui Kim and others just as fierce such as Chong Huai Seng, Foo Moo Pao (hooker during scrums), Chen Wen, Leong Teep Khee, Rajan and Lim Kin Chew The class Rugby team trounced our football nemesis Sec 3A Science 20-0 in the very first game of the competition. Outstanding in that game was Teep Khee. He scor...

9 August 1966 - The Inaugural National Day Parade The class of Sec 3BSc was in a unique position. 1966 was the year after the independence of Singapore on 9 August 1965 and therefore many new policies, traditions and events were introduced that year. Our class had the firsthand experience of all these exciting changes and we became the guinea-pigs of many a new government policy and experiment. The Inaugural National Day Parade , (click for a video of the parade) the forerunner of all the National Day parades  since, happened on the 9 August 1966. On that day, Inche Yusuf Ishak, the first President of Singapore, was the reviewing officer. The Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, his Cabinet and MPs from the People Action Party all came in the traditional white and white outfits of the PAP. It was rumoured that white outfits would signify the purity, honesty and incorruptible party and government. The opposition, mostly from the Barisan Socialis party wore light blue.  ...

This is the official photo of the School Staff in 1966. By early 1966, Mr Philip Liau succeeded Mr E W Jesudason as the Principal of Raffles Institution. Both were very strict disciplinarians, running the School with iron fists, imposing their visions and their ambitions for the School. Although the boys feared them, we all subscribed to the need of keeping the School in shape; we believed that this would maintain RI at the pole position among all secondary schools in Singapore. Anglo Chinese School (ACS), St Joseph’s Institution, Victoria Secondary School, St Andrew’s School all stood far behind RI. Of special note was the Rafflesian Spirit then. It was palpable. It stirred us on not only to pledge loyalty to the School but also to achieve the aspirations and ambitions our principal and teachers had for us. Unlike other schools, the boys came from all backgrounds, many from families with humble means. We were chosen by merit after completing the PSLE, Primary Six Leaving Exam...

Mr Sundram was our literature teacher for a short period of time. He was a big-sized man and had an ungainly gait, he walked like an ape. We nicknamed him Gorilla. Lim Poh Seng remembered that Mr Gorilla was fond on quotes and made us contribute some quotes. We were even sent to the National Library which was within walking distance of the School, to research and provide him with quotations. We promptly compiled a Sundrampedia. Chen Wen and Poh Seng can remember some of them. 1. ‘He who asked a question is a fool for 5 minutes. He who doesn’t ask is a fool for the rest of his life’ attributed to Lim Poh Seng. He said it is a Chinese proverb that he found in the reference section of the National Library on one of these assignments with Logendran 2. ‘The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up’ attributed to Tan Meng Seng. Meng Seng was a prolific writer then and he used to contribute his compositions   to the magazine ‘The Students World’. He won many prize...

Annex E Building of Raffles Institution The Sec 3B Science classroom was in the Annex Building E of Raffles Institution which was at the junction of North Bridge Road and Bras Basah Road. The site is now occupied by the Raffles City Complex. No one knew why it was called Annex E. It started life as Raffles Girls School. By the time this photo, which is from the Singapore National Archives, was taken  RGS had moved location to Anderson Road Location of our Class Sec 3B Science Our classroom was located as shown on the first floor and faced the very large Raffles Institution field. From our classroom, we could view many football and rugby matches between class lessons.  In those days with old buildings, access to our classroom was by way of entering into another class Sec 3A Science, i.e. we must disturb the lesson in the A class each time we need to enter our classroom. This makes going to the toilet difficult. It also means that we cannot be late for any le...

The Singapore Flag The National Pledge of Singapore, an oath of allegiance, was first introduced in August 1966. It was an initiative by the Ministry of Education and approved by government. So when it was first introduced, the schoolchildren will recite the pledge at the start of the school day. This routine has stood the test of time. More than 50 years later, students are still reciting the pledge today. At the beginning of nationhood, the pledge became a rallying cry for the country and has engendered a sense of pride. commitment and faithfulness for many succeeding generations of school children.  It all started with us in Sec 3B Science, we were the first batch of Singapore schoolchildren who recited this pledge. At that time there were two sessions in school, the morning and afternoon sessions. Secondary 1 to 3 classes were in the afternoon session and Sec 4 to Pre-university 2, the morning session. It was like a rite of passage when we moved from the afternoon to t...

Class Photo Sec 3B Science. Form Teacher Mr Charanjit Singh In 1966, 44 boys wearing school uniforms of white shirts and short pants with the school badge of their famous school, Raffles Institution, affixed to their left breast pocket started their ninth year of education. This was the Secondary 3B Science class. Fifty-four years have passed and these ex-Rafflesians are still reminiscing the many schoolboy pranks and exploits in that infamous class, gleefully sharing with each other, now 68 to 70 years old,  their grandfathers' stories. This blog is an attempt to capture all our memories, many of which are still vividly etched in our minds. Wang Swee Chuang shared a song to express his sentiments. It is song by Love Affair, 'Bringing on Back the Good Times' (click on title). Recalling the good times would be a major aim of this Blog. 1966 was to be a year of hope for the nascent state of Singapore. Just the year before, on 9 August 1965 Singapore was unceremoniou...