On 15 July, about 50 men and women from the ACS Class of 59/61 gathered at The Tanglin Club’s Raffles Room to celebrate their 75th birthdays which fall this year.

The evening turned out to be very lively as many with expanded waistlines and receding hairlines let their hair (or what’s left of it) down, to renew old friendships, exchange old jokes and relive school day pranks and experiences.

Among those present were our dear teacher, Mr Wan Fook Weng and three school mates (Lim Kok Lian, Victor Gaw and Ronnie Kwok) who flew in specially from the United States for the celebration.

According to Kok Lian who has been living in California, USA, for over half a century, “Despite the distance separating us, it is amazing how we are able to sustain such lasting friendships since Primary 1 in 1949. The memories of my school days in ACS are priceless. I still remember vividly the fun we had, the mischief we got up to, and especially how some of my class mates tried to ‘bribe’ me to erase their names from my misbehavior log when I was the class monitor”.

Echoing Kok Lian’s sentiments, Victor Gaw, who also hails from California, USA, said, “It is indeed the pervasive ACS Spirit that ties us all together, no matter how far away we have strayed after leaving school. There’s no doubt about it.”

Many are now looking forward to celebrating their 80th birthdays together in five years’ time. “God willing, I will be back for the 80th birthday celebrations, and also for our cohort’s 60th Anniversary in 2019”, said Ronnie Kwok who lives in Houston, Texas, USA.

Meanwhile, the cohort continues to keep in close touch through its monthly lunches.