APGS Class of 1974 Reunion

60th Birthday Bash for the APGS 1974 Reunion.

As early as January 2017, the 1974  Fifth Form cohort from APGS (Ayer Panas Girls’ School) started planning for the Reunion in July 2017. This Reunion was special because most of us would be reaching our 60^th birthday. At Form 5, some of us were 16 or 17 and now some of us touched 60. We celebrated staying in contact with each other and the teachers even after 43 long years. The date was tweaked a bit to accommodate the 6 girls who would be returning from overseas. The final date, time and place  was agreed upon by general consensus. We were all excited awaiting ;

The APGS Class of 1974 Reunion
8th July 2017
12pm - 4.30 pm
The Brasserie, Maya Hotel, Jalan Ampang, KL.

Low Soo Ting was the master coordinator, collaborating with  each one and those who would eventually form the Committee. She started a big Whats App's group with 59 participants. Long before the actual event, we started connecting. This group generated much excitement and expectation, both for those who were able to attend and those who were not able to attend. Old photos were shared and faces pondered upon, long lost magazines were found and shared. There were searches for girls like for example the Professor ( Yeap Pooi Lan) and mentions of copying Professor’s Additional Mathematics homework.

Lim Tow Lay held the fort in the accounts section and diligently checked our banked in amounts. Hers would be the most tedious job but Tow Lay did her work sweetly. Cathy Tam from Brisbane doubled checked Tow Lay’s list so that payment list and attendees list would tally.  Datin Nor-Aini also double-checked Soo Ting’s list of attendees. The list of guests in alphabetical order was soon prepared after all the cross checking. Sticker name tags were agreed upon as they were cheaper and would help us identify our long lost friends.  

Chi Oi Meng liaised with the hotel with all arrangements including a cake with our school badge. She also prepared  enlarged copies of the 1974 magazines. Chi Oi Meng , Wong Lee Meng and Lim Tow Lay brought in their personal old photo albums so we could remember what we and our teachers looked like in the good old days.   

The copy of  our beloved  magazine is bigger and clearer
than the original.. Thank you Oi Meng

Lee Meng phoned many teachers and arranged for 7 teachers to attend the event. Lee Meng and her wonderful daughter JQ and son-in-law Dexter helped with the photography and produced the most delightful video. ( Please click on link below my photo with Mrs Tay to view this video) Lee Meng also got the lovely red and champagne rose corsages for the teachers. 

Rose and champagne corsage for our lovely teachers.
Thank you Lee Meng

Nor-Aini also coordinated prettily packed yummy Lavand chocolates as door gifts.   

Nor-Aini with the prettily packed yummy chocolates for all guests.

This event saw 49 girls and 7 teachers compared to the 50^th year birthday bash  which  had 16 teachers and 44 girls attending. Out of the 49 girls who attended, 6 came back from overseas with Mabel Tan Bee Poh holding the record distance from New York. We had girls flying in from Australia, Singapore and Kota Kinabalu. 

There were also 6 girls who followed our event closely through WhatsApp’s since they could not come physically to KL due to other commitments. Kath Ho followed from Sydney, Ee Yew Mei and Zainon followed from Sungei Petani, Janice followed from Kota  Kinabalu, Pooi Lan aka Professor followed from Perth and Peggy wanted us to follow her to Rome  and UK (but she actually followed our event). Time and distance could not separate our hearts .

As early as 11.40 am, guests started arriving in Maya hotel. The earliest guests were Chong Ah Looi, Catherine Tam and Lilian . They were greeted by  Lee Meng, Tee Hwa, Nuraini, and Tow Lay and others soon followed after.

The early birds .

We got the girls to register their own attendance, write their own email  addresses and write their own sticker tags and put  them on. The girls lingered on and enjoyed the photo albums  and  old magazines brought by Lee Meng , Oi Meng and Tow Lay. 

Looking through  treasures of old albums

Soh Bee and Mabel who came all the way from New York.

The welcome for our beloved teachers  were of course special and different.We pinned the lovely rose corsages on our beloved teachers. Their sticker name tags were written and put on for them.  We  then ushered  our  teachers to their seats at the center table.

Mrs Joyce Ang, Mrs Ong Guan Eng, Ms Catherine Yap, Mrs Tay Chong Chim.
Ms Jaya Ratnasingam, Ms Yong Siew Chin, Puan Sri Datin Aisha Bt Shamsuddin

Nor-Aini  was  the MC. She invited Khoo Leng Kee as head girl of the 1974 cohort to speak followed by a speech from  Mrs Ong  Guan Eng as the representative of the teachers.

The headgirl Leng Kee speaks

Mrs Ong Guan Eng rises to deliver her speech

The speeches were followed by the cake cutting and two birthday songs. 

The group photo shoot. Refer to the name list below to match faces with names.

We assembled outside the lobby for the group photograph.  Good thing JQ checked the  photos before she printed them. The  program  was  cleverly arranged so that the  group photo take would take place early to give enough  time to JQ  and Dexter  to  run out  and print the A4  size group photo for  every attendee  to take home before the event ended. This  A-4 size  group  photo with  names  of  attendees would be our souvenir and  treasured memento of this event. Even though we had to do a photo shoot re-take but we were all happy with the diversion from food. 


After the second photo shoot, the girls and teachers began serious mingling and catching up with one another. Many group photos were  taken to remind themselves of various connections in the past. Yip Sook Ping came later after the group photo shoot. But as the old adage goes, "Better late than never. " She still had a very good time and looked resplendent in her orange  dress.

Leng Kee and Jamilah, headgirl and deputy headgirl
 of the Prefectorial Board 1974

The best Biology teacher Ms Catherine Yap who was also
our Form teacher in Form 4 and Form 5 Science 1

Lock Lai Ming, Yap Bee Tien, Tai Yuet Phing and gang

Yoke Lin, Khalidah, Soo Ting and Oi Meng.

Jane Wu,  Teo Yan Foon, Dr. Yong Wai Ping and  Wong Lee Meng

Catherine Tam, Lay Suan, Ah Looi and gang.

Samantha ,Seng Nee and gang

5 Arts 1 1974

5 Arts 1 2017 - 43 years later

Meng Wang came despite having a serious knee injury.
She wore knee guard and used a walker.

Ruhaidah, Soo Ting, Nor-Aini and Khalidah

                                            

Bee Kuen, Tow Lay, Ma Sau Fong and gang

Ong Tea Hooi, Shirley and gang

Tan Tee Hwa poses with Mrs Tay. She  looks forever young.
I hope we all lookas good as her  this 10 years later.

https://youtu.be/K0x25rlJeO0

The credit for this delightful APGS reunion video goes to JQ.

Happy smiles from all who studied at the same primary school - Marian Convent.

We are so thankful to Soo Ting, Tow Lay, Lee Meng , JQ and Dexter, Oi Meng, Nor-Aini for working through many logistics patiently. Many others helped in the background. Thank you everybody for your presence, especially those who came from afar. For those who didn't manage to join us this round, make sure you do at the next event. See you in the near future. Stay forever young. 

Posted by Debbie Yeong nee

Madam Tan Tee Hwa

Retired Principal

SMK Convent Sentul