The ONE ACS Heritage Gallery

The ONE ACS Heritage Gallery was officially opened by Mr Cecil Vivian Wong, Class of ‘39 and President, ACSOBA (1958-1961) on July 27 in celebration of the ACSOBA’s 105th anniversary. The dedication ceremony and reception were attended by members of the ACS Boards, former OBA presidents and their families, past and present principals of ACS, alumni contributors and donors.

Mr Wong shared recollections of his time at ACS in the 1920s and 30s and displayed his sharp wit and sense of mischief that still endures. Joining Mr Wong in the circle of retired OBA presidents were Lee Liat Cheng, Victor Chia, Glenn Knight, Cheo Chai Hong and Benson Puah who turned up in full force to support the OBA at this monumental occasion. Families of other former OBA Presidents such as the late Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan, Dr Arthur Thevathasan, Chen Jan Jee, Yong Ngim Djin, Dr Ong Swee Law, Dr Wong Nang Eong and Dr Albert Wee were in attendance. The event served as a reminder of the values and traditions that make our alma mater unique - the alumni’s undying loyalty to ACS, the strong intergenerational ties that bind us and the common legacy of ACS that has carried us through our expansion as a school for God’s glory.

The ONE ACS Heritage Gallery, a gift from the ACSOBA to the ACS family of schools, presents highlights of the history of the ACS family in a contemporary manner and showcases original artefacts from Bishop Oldham’s personal collection and memorabilia from all the ACS units. The Gallery also provides tablets that contain special features, videos, interviews and archived photographs, as well as The ACS Story compiled by the late Mr Earnest Lau, in a digital format. The artefacts will be rotated periodically to vary the visitor experience. The ACS OBA Hub and Office are located adjacent to the Gallery and provide meeting space and administrative support to the ACSOBA and the ACS Foundation.

The ACSOBA would like to thank the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation for its generous, inaugural gift to the ONE ACS Heritage Gallery. We are deeply grateful to the Foundation for making the continuation of preserving our ACS legacy possible. We are also grateful to the National Heritage Board for its grant. And there are so many others- The Methodist Church and the Methodist Archives for sharing their resources, the personal time and effort of alumni- Rev Malcolm Tan who diligently contributed text on our Methodist legacy, Rabi Doraisamy who donated his family’s personal collection of Bishop Oldham’s correspondence and invaluable ACS memorabilia, Choo Teck Long and Jerry Choo from the ECHO editorial team who shared their insight with us, Julian Chia and Silas Loh for their professional counsel on the project, Desmond Wee and Jonathan Yuen for assisting with the copious editorials and all the alumni who agreed to be featured in our ONE ACS video.

Our appreciation also goes to those who made the Official Opening possible- Thomas Chan, for underwriting the production of the ONE ACS Video, Tang Weng Fei, for sponsoring the reception, Desmond Lim, for gifting us with celebratory beverages and Helena Lim, our ACSOBA Administrator, who went beyond the call of duty to support us.

Last but not least, the ACSOBA would like to acknowledge the contributions of our Heritage Sub-committee- Lock Wai Han, Joy-marie Toh, Ganga Jayaram, Chloe Sng and Morgan Zhou. This has been, and will continue to be, a labour of love that we hope all ACS alumni will share. To God Be The Glory, The Best Is Yet To Be!

The ACSOBA ONE ACS Heritage Sub-committee