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 Our First Reconvening 55 years after we first met in Primary
One ACJS at Barker Road in 1964 took place on the Ides of
March 2019, and as if to make up for lost time, we gathered
again, this time at Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, Johor on November
24, 2019.
We had planned this Second Reconvening even before our
First because we had wanted to give maximum notice for our
“Far Away Guys” – classmates who have since lived and settled
abroad – to plan their calendars to allow them to come back from
distant shores to join us. And so, on that glorious Sunday evening
in November 2019, 70 of us gathered once again to stand
together for warm fellowship and the cause of ACS Forever …
Much planning, recceing and location-selection had gone into
this event, not to mention bargaining for the optimal deal. We
kept the cost to S$64 per person, and that included not just
the dinner with a lamb roast added to the seafood barbeque
and Asian fare, but also return transportation in several MPVs
for those who did not want to drive and did not want to stay
overnight at the hotel.
 In truth, because of the donation of a few generous individuals
amongst us, we did end up with a surplus of $1,261 when
the final accounting was done by our Honorary Treasurer
Mahmood Jumabhoy. After we closed our books, we made a
gift of this entire sum to our ACS Teachers’ Fund to support
retired teachers.
Registration was to begin at 6 pm but many of us came early,
some from lunchtime to not test Causeway traffic.
The evening began with our inimitable Rev Leslie Quahe saying
Grace, in a manner we knew would gracefully resonate with Jew
and Gentile and ACSians of all persuasions alike. Leslie spoke
of how the ocarina, a musical instrument he held in his hand,
was made, making the analogy that we are also instruments of
our creator, and thanked his classmates for being the notes in
the melody of his life.
He then played a lilting, tender rendering of This is my Father’s
World on his ocarina, blessing our evening and giving thanks
for each other’s good company.
Master of Ceremonies Raymond Gwee called everyone to order
and the de rigueur singing of the ACS Anthem was accompanied
by a fine band of brother musicians made up of Leslie Quahe
and Eugel Yeo on guitars, Leslie Kuek percussion, George
Varughese harmonica, and Paul Supramaniam accordion.
Vocals were heartily produced by all present.
 “Chief Bangla” Wong Meng Cheong then welcomed each of
our Far Away Guys who made the trip from far and near – eleven
classmates who came from the U.S. (Rex Yung; Daniel Tan),
Canada (Kevin Boon), the UK (Peter Cheang Kok Seng), India
(Thomas Kuruvilla; George Varughese), Thailand (Bemas
Gerald Chan; Leslie Quahe), Australia (Suresh Thomas
Joseph), and Malaysia (Mok Chee Paan, Rajendra Krishnan).
In turn, we presented our Chief Bangla with a Certificate of
Appreciation to “acknowledge (his) initiative, leadership, and
herding ability” in reconnecting the four Primary One classes
The combined ACJS cohort of the Primary One class of 1964 with some buddies from ACPS
of 1964 at ACJS at Barker Road. The certificate was executed
under the hand of the organising committee aka “The Elves”
– Heeren Chatterji, Chew Kheng Chuan, Eng Poh Tzan,
Raymond Gwee, Iqbal Jumabhoy, Mahmood Jumabhoy,
Low Yang Tong, Ng Tchi Mun, Jeffrey Seah, Leonard Tan
Eng Hong, Tan Gee Shan, and Tan Peng Chin.
 One highlight of the evening was recognising Mountaineer and
IT Expert Wong Ting Sern aka Polar Bear’s contribution as our
stand-in class photographer for the event, and Leslie Quahe’s
memorable tale of his profound friendship with Ting Sern in
Afternoon School in Secondary Four. Ting Sern’s persistent
tutorship was critical to Leslie getting a place in Pre-University
at ACS while Ting Sern himself did not make it, and for 45 years
they lost contact with each other until our first Reconvening on
March 15, 2019 in Singapore.
Yet another highlight that moved many of his classmates was
Bemas (Gerald) Chan’s personal sharing and performance in
dance, and the trials and tribulations he faced growing up with
an LGBTQ orientation.
It goes without saying that in the time between our programme
highlights, there was time for all of us to fraternise with old kakis,
reconnect with long-lost-but-not-forgotten friends, break bread
and sup together, and gather for the obligatory group pictures
in various configurations.
We held our event in 2019. At this writing in 2020, the world
is in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic and has changed
unimaginably. It would not have been possible to have met in
Johor with Malaysia’s Movement Control Order and Singapore’s
Circuit Breaker enforcing social distancing, with borders closed
and much of the world in lockdown. But this too shall pass, and
we look forward to the day we will reconvene again - we who
remain friends from our special world of ACJS Primary One 1964.
Chew Kheng Chua
Jeffrey Seah
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