THE Anglo Chinese School (ACS) Kampar recently celebrated a proud milestone — its 120th anniversary. Hundreds of its alumni members returned from around the world to participate in the celebration of celebrate this auspicious occasion. For many of them, they were revisiting their alma mater for the first time after more than half a century.
Suffice to say, many changes have taken place over the past half century, both for the alumni as well as for the town and country. Many of them left the country when they were 17 or 18, still with a full head of shiny black hair. They brimmed with confidence as they looked forward to charting their paths in life.
Fast forward to today… and they're in their seventies 70s and 80s; their once-shiny black hair have turned white or are completely gone. Some walk with a limp or with the aid of a walking stick. Others find it hard to remember names and faces. But there is one thing that they have never forgotten — their school and their old teachers.
Over the years, many changes have taken place for the town too. For over a century, Kampar had thrived thanks to a booming tin mining industry and other related industries, such as iron foundries and factories. Today, the beautiful lakes in and around town testify to the glory days of the mining boom.
Sadly, Kampar is now a pale shadow of its former glory. The population has dwindled and, with it, the old vibrance. With many of its young people seeking jobs and a future overseas, Kampar resembles a retirement village.
The silver lining has to be the fact that the pace of life is slow and cost of living is low compared with bigger cities. In recent years, more people are rediscovering the charm and attractions of old and small towns in the Kinta Valley such as Kampar.
HAPPY CELEBRATIONS
The highlights of the celebration included a marathon, dinner, memorial lecture and scholarship presentation, as well as the launch of a special edition of my book If the Sky were to Fall... to raise funds for the school.
Besides member of parliament YB Chong Zhemin and assemblyman, YB Angeline Koo, other guests included Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Brigadier-General (Rtd) (Datuk) Loke Kok Yee and South Kinta district education director Dr Mior Hamdan Haji Ghazali, the education director for South Kinta district, as well as many successful alumni who had returned to celebrate with their alma mater.
Hundreds of alumni and students, as well as their parents and well-wishers, turned up in the padang (field) for the events. Many warm smiles, handshakes and high-fives were exchanged among participants and supporters.
The weather couldn't have been better. It was a cool, but bright and cheerful morning. Perhaps, the heavens were smiling and giving its special blessings to our school and town. The many decorations in the padang and the strong crowd added to the festive and cheerful atmosphere.
It was exciting to see many of the older alumni, some in their 70s, taking part in the marathon as Zhemin and Koo flagged them off at 6.30am. It was especially heartwarming to see all of them crossing the finishing line with their fists pumped in the air.
MEMORIAL LECTURE AND SCHOLARSHIP
During the memorial lecture, I shared with the school the life of my late brother Captain Lit Ying Wai. Despite being a sickly and scrawny boy, he managed to complete all the tough commando training and emerged as one of the top few recruits at the Royal Military College.
He was selected by RMAF to attend a special flight training course overseas. Rising from humble beginnings, he went on to become one of the top fighter pilots in the country.
I also shared with the students about the demands and discipline of a fighter pilot. Intense focus is of utmost importance as they must execute demanding aerial acrobatics while flying at more than the speed of sound.
I reminded all the students to reach for the skies and to never give up their dreams in life. Just like Captain Lit, they too would be able to achieve their dreams if they pursued them with passion and dedication.
RAISING AWARENESS
As part of the launch programme, several tours were conducted to the surrounding mysterious limestone caves and battle sites in and around Kampar. Tours were also offered to some nearby New Villages.
To promote the school and local history, we also conducted special visits — not just for our alumni members, but also for visitors and professors from National University of Singapore (NUS) and some expatriates as well as foreigners.
They were impressed by the role played by ACS Kampar as the British army camped in our school for a week to prepare for the crucial and fateful Battle of Kampar.
The timing of the launch was fortuitous. It generated much interest as it helped to satisfy the desire to know more about the history of Kampar and the Kinta Valley.
Many wanted to know what really happened and how the locals folks coped with the deprivations and difficulties, as well as the struggles and sacrifices made during the most turbulent period of Malayan history.
SURVIVAL AND RESISTANCE
A recent New Sunday Times' Sunday Vibes article, which I wrote about Datuk Chin Phui Kong, the last surviving member of Force 136, testified to the underlying strength of anti-Japanese resistance and the many activities they carried out in Kampar and the surrounding Kinta Valley.
Towards the end of the war, the British parachuted arms, agents and supplies to help the communist guerrillas fight against the Japanese. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, they fought bravely against the Japanese.
The residents of Kampar and Kinta Valley had suffered many atrocities and injustices both during the war and the Malayan Emergency thereafter. Out of desperation, many of these civilians were forced — by the desperate circumstances of war — to join the communists in their fight against the Japanese.
In my book, If the Sky were to Fall.. my father's friend named Keong was one such hapless victim. They were merely trying to seek some justice for the brutalities and cruelties that they and their families had suffered.
CAVES OF MYSTERY AND MISERY
The surrounding limestone caves and mountains of Kinta Valley were used by the local folks and guerillas as their sanctuary. In his book, Home is Not Here, Professor Wang Gungwu described his life and challenges living in such a cave during the war.
The guerillas also used these caves as launch bases for their attacks against the invading Japanese army during the war and British army during the Emergency.
Some of the weapons and bombs might still be buried in them. Some people believe that Yamashita's gold or treasure is buried in one of these subterranean caves. If that is true, then the wily Japanese general could do with some "help" from the tigers, cobras and bombs guarding his loot.
Among the school's dark history occurred during the Sook Ching campaign carried out by the Japanese — all Kampar residents were made to parade around some hooded men, who were tied up and herded into the middle of this very same ACS school field. The men, believed to be resistance fighters, were then executed by the Japanese.
Many innocent civilians were also tortured and killed during the campaign. There is now an effort to build a war memorial in Kampar to honour these innocent civilian victims.
NEW VILLAGES
Many villagers had supported the British and their Force 136 agents as well as communist guerillas in their fight against the Japanese during the war. However, during the Malayan Emergency, the colonial British government forced almost 600,000 villagers to move into New Villages.
Deprived of basic rights and freedom, these villages were operated more like concentration camps with their daily rations, curfews, and strict surveillance. During those dark and dangerous days, some innocent villagers were falsely accused and made to suffer harsh and untold punishments.
The generation that lived through the harsh period of the war and Emergency years have mostly passed on. However, memories of the trials and tribulations that the brave folks of Kampar and the Kinta Valley faced will continue to linger on.
Gary Lit Ying Loong is a retired academic from Nanyang Technological University, (NTU) Singapore. He's presently a visiting professor to some universities in Asia and Europe. Reach him at [email protected].
The writer wishes to acknowledge and thank the organising committee for putting together a successful 120th anniversary celebration. He also wishes to thank the committee chairman Tham Leong for raising $25,000 for the special edition to help the school.
