1966 - Bringing On Back The Good Times!

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 unceremoniously 'kicked out of Malaysia'. For three years from 16 Sep 1963 we were part of Malaysia, a bold experiment at 'Merger', in order that Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak could gain independence by joining Malaya to form Malaysia. The conventional wisdom then was that Singapore was only a small island of 580 sq km. and we did not have sufficient resources to survive as an independent country thus requiring the hinterland of peninsular Malaya. Singapore was to be the 'New York' of Malaysia.

However racial politics made it impossible for Singapore to remain in Malaysia. The year 1964 saw racial riots in Singapore stoked by communal jealousies between the Chinese and Malays. Singapore was a mercantile island dominated by the Chinese whereas peninsula Malaya was a rural community of Malays. The separation of Singapore from the rest of Malaysia was very ignominious, causing our then Prime Minister and Founder of modern Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew to weep bitterly on television when he had to break the sad news to the people. It was not only a sad moment but a fearful one because everyone thought that Singapore will not survive and may have to rejoin Malaysia on their terms with our tails between our legs.

This Blog attempts to record our shared experiences. Some of us did those pranks, others witnessed and still others recalled. We named this blog The Naughty Boys perhaps to admit that we were indeed  cheeky but we were never ashamed for what we did because it was the logical outcome of creative, active and restless minds. Such minds shaped our future and indeed many achieved success, earned scholarships, established illustrious careers and contributed to society.

1966 began cautiously for Singapore as we were treading our first steps of independence. For the boys of Secondary 3B Science, we went about our way perhaps oblivious of the dangers our country faced. Little did we know that we, these 44 boys, would be the generation, now called the 'Merdeka' (Independence) generation that will secure the future and success of the miracle called 'Singapore'. We would fulfill the prophesy of our School Motto 'Auspicium Melioris Aevi' - The Hope for a better Age!


Contributed by Lionel