Down memory lane after over 40 years
Published on: Friday, January 06, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: "It's like a dream to be back after a total of 40-50 years later and find everybody are still around and have done well," said San Francisco hailed food chemist, Thomas Chua.Well yes, classmates of Class 66/68 St Patrick's Secondary School Tawau include current Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly, Datuk Syed Abas Syed Ali (a centre-forward football wizard of school team), Datuk Baharom Titingan, former Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk KY Mustafa, retired State Secretary, Leng Ki Chai, Chemadi, Chin Kon Leong and this writer.Except that Thomas sprang a large surprise to everybody by taking along with him an extended family - his Vietnamese wife, son and his girlfriend, daughter, wife's sister and son with him for a special down memory lane.
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Which gave rise to curious wonder on not just what Thomas looks like half a century later but also well - who is his wife Kim, daughter Liane and son Aaron besides relatives Huong and Bo Phan. Race and religion irrespective, to indicate how much goodwill and bond that had stood the test of time among this bunch of classmates and also schoolmates who grew up together young, all these usually hard to get big names turned up for a lunch reunion on Dec 3 at Sudeli's Viviana Kafertaria, Wisma Muis.Guess who also joined the lunch feast – Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan, State Youth and Sports Minister who was Thomas' junior by many years at St Patrick's, in addition to former school captain, Liew Fook Fah.
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"I am proud to see my friend and am proud old friends like him are doing well and quite happy all of us are doing well – fantastic," said Syed Abas. "It's such a pleasure to see Thomas again – always a pleasure and am sure I don't mind being quoted," said KY Mustafa.
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Baharom added: "Thomas is our good friend, we were very close," he said, citing the close connection dating back to the late William Thien - Thomas's uncle who was a very close friend of Baharom's late father Datuk Abu Bakar Titingan. Strange as it might seem, Chemadi said: " I have been thinking about Thomas because I remember him chopping firewood during his hey days in boarding house and lo and behold, he's here!" Kon Leong saw Thomas in San Francisco two years ago, so it's not a long loss feeling. How does it feel to be here? Daughter Lianne Chua, a Master degree holder in Economics and finishing Tax Laws soon, beamed with a vivacious smile: "It's nice seeing my dad is very happy to see everyone." Wife Kim who is here for the first time, said: "We like it here - a lot of trees, it's very green, a lot of water, everything is so nice, very different from San Francisco - no trees." Nicole Chin, a nurse and girlfriend of lawyer Aaron Chua – Thomas' son, said: "The weather is too hot for me," she quipped, although she was born in Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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