16 – My constant companion – the concertina
Lieut. Colonel Harvey was a wizard on the concertina and when he and Mrs. Harvey visited us our open air meeting drew big crowds to listen to the message. Major Stanley Gordon the Public Relations Secretary was a regular visitor for he had to go from town to town all over Peninsular Malaya collecting donations. In those days, these officers really had to work extremely hard to raise money. In his tours he always included a weekend at our corps to conduct meetings. And without fail, he would have his concertina with him to provide music for the meetings. Major and Mrs. Hall were also concertina players and what a delight to have these officers visit the corps.
My predecessor, Lieutenant Douglas Kiff was an efficient musician. In my opinion he was the most proficient musician who ever served in the Command. He used his piano accordion to accompany the singing.
O how I longed to be able to play a concertina. But it seemed only a dream. I could not afford to buy one. Up to that time I could only play two instruments – the mouth organ and the cornet. I didn’t own a cornet. It would be difficult leading a meeting using a mouth organ!
Before I became an officer I had an accordion (not piano accordion) which I had learned to play, but sold it as I needed the money to enter Training College. I prayed hard for the Lord to open the way to have music at the Corps, especially for the open air meeting. Quite often I would have three or four people supporting me – Mrs. Ng, her son Kim Loh, Joy Goh and her cousin Edward Yeo. It was hard work conducting an open air meeting at the park in Malacca. We were not allowed to cancel meetings without the approval of the Officer Commanding.
Among the Salvationists of the Malacca Corps were Mr. and Mrs. Tan Khia Fatt. He was the Branch manager of American International Assurance Company in Malacca. They were originally from Singapore Central Corps; in fact both of them were among the team of delegates to the International Youth Congress held in London in 1950.
Khia Fatt and Soo Lan were good supporters of Malacca Corps. They also took a great interest in me, their pastor a young bachelor in the early twenties. Once a week, I would go to their home for dinner and if they had to go out in the evening, they would put a pile of records for me to listen. It was there that I really learned to appreciate classical music. Soo Lan was really like a big sister to me.
One evening after dinner, we sat in the lounge when their children – Harold and Carol were playing with an old concertina. Khia Fatt turned to me and asked, “Would you like to have this concertina? We were given this instrument when we were at the International Youth Congress, but we have not learned to play. Actually it was meant for the work of The Salvation Army, but our children treat it as a toy. We’d rather you have it.” I was delighted; it was an answer to prayer. But I wondered how I could learn to play a concertina with no one around to teach me.
Anyway I took it home that evening then wrote to the Officer Commanding Lieut. Colonel Fred Harvey, one of God’s great saints who really cared for his people. Knowing the rule that officers were not allowed to receive gifts of any kind, I sought his permission to accept this concertina. He responded giving his permission and told me he would be coming to visit me in the following week end to conduct Corps meetings.
Lieut. Colonel and Mrs. Harvey came and he took a good look at the concertina then taught me to play the C scale. It was out of tune and he suggested that the reeds be changed. He wrote to England, got a new set of reeds and fixed up the concertina. He also bought me a tutorial book –“How to play the concertina.” That was his gift to me. I insisted that I would pay for the reeds and the postage. He graciously accepted my offer then gave me a lesson on how to play the instrument. He wrote me the chords for C and F. When they left, I spent my every available minute learning to play the concertina and by the end of the week, I had mastered one tune, “What can wash away my sin?” in the key of F major! I took it to the open meeting and we started with “What can wash away my sin? The second song was the same, so was the closing song.
For the Sunday night salvation meeting, we sang my favourite song, “What can wash away my sin?” I closed the meeting with the same song! The simple folk didn’t mind and no one complained! By the following Sunday, I could play two songs, the second was “Only trust Him.” Each week I added more to my repertoire.
This concertina was my constant companion until it got quite worn out. One day Lieutenant Irene Holden, nurse in Batang Melaka who had a concertina given her before she left U.K. offered her concertina to me in exchange for a medical book that she needed. She accepted $30.00 from me the price of the book! She had tried very hard to learn to play, but just could not master the concertina. I sold my old worn out concertina for a token sum to a girl called Betsy at Balestier Corps. Betsy later emigrated to Australia and we have lost contact with her
The Lord has been wonderful in providing for my needs. Each time I needed a new concertina, someone would come with one to replace it. If we do God’s will, we will never to in need of supplies.
Jeremiah 33: 3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
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