This is my story - 17

17 – Cupid used the Concertina

Time came for me to take my annual furlough and in those days all Lieutenants were entitled to two weeks in a year! I carefully worked out my Church programme and arranged for Rev. C Y Chang our very good Methodist friend to cover the two Sundays. Although a Methodist, I would say he was a Salvationist at heart. He spent his last days in England and attended The Salvation Army at Berkhamstead near where he lived with his married daughter and son-in-law. The last time I spoke with him was in England in 1997 prior to our return to Singapore for retirement. He was in his nineties and making plans to travel to China to share the gospel with his relatives!

In response to my furlough application, Lieut. Colonel Harvey changed my dates and offered me a new set of dates. He also requested that I should take my concertina with me as he would like to give me more lessons. I was very happy to accede to his suggestion. Then I found out the dates were the same as another Lieutenant - my session mate.

On my arrival in Singapore, I went to Headquarters to see him and Mrs. Harvey. To cut the long story short, after giving more tips on how to play the concertina, he made a request that I should teach Lieutenant Fong Pui Chan the instrument. There was no arm twisting or command from the Officer Commanding, but a gentle suggestion which I readily complied.

Lieutenant Fong had been given a concertina by the New Zealand Territory. In those days it was quite a norm to have pen friends. One of her pen friends was Dorothy Rusher the daughter of Brigadier Leslie Rusher, the Editor of the New Zealand War Cry. In their correspondences Pui Chan had mentioned her desire to play a concertina if given the opportunity. Well, Dorothy mentioned this to her father who quickly set the wheels in motion and an appeal was made in the Army paper – the War Cry. The Kiwis are generous people and not long after enough money was raised and the concertina arrived for her but there was no one to teach her.

So Lieut. Colonel Harvey arranged for us to have furlough together so that I could impart my newly acquired skill to my session mate. We had no place for our practice and the Colonel came with a suggestion “Use my office after 5.30 p.m. and when you finish just close the door and the caretaker will lock it afterwards” So we met at Headquarters in the office of the Officer Commanding and sometimes sat outside his office on the lawn.

She learned the scales then progressed to learning a couple of tunes in the keys of C and F. At the end of each session we would walk home together to her aunt’s place at Cairnhill Road. It was a wonderful two weeks - the most memorable furlough for me. It was a whole period of happiness and harmony. We had known each other for many years since we were teen agers. We belonged to different Corps, but met during Youth councils and other combined meetings. And of course we were session mates during training days.

Our friendship deepened and somehow I had the feeling that the Lord wanted us to be more than friends. This was confirmed during the short time spent together. Things moved very quickly. Although we had been corresponding regularly since we left Training College, we both sought permission to “officially correspond” (in Salvation Army terminology for dating) – that’s the first stage in courtship.

In 1956 after the Command anniversary meetings, Pui Chan came to Malacca for her furlough and billeted with Mr. and Mrs. Tan Khia Fatt, Salvationists who gave me their concertina. We spent more time together. It was then that we decided to take our relationship one step further. We sought permission from our leaders to be engaged. And each time the answers in the affirmative came very quickly!

Our leaders then decided we should be brought closer, so she farewelled from Kuching Corps and was appointed as assistant to Malacca Corps. I received farewell orders to move to Balestier Corps my home Corps. We were bought much closer – only 150 miles apart and permission was given for us to meet once in six weeks. In those days before there were expressways, the journey by bus took six hours – the bus had to cross two ferries, one at Batu Pahat and one at Muar.

Scripture is replete with assurances of divine guidance. “The Lord will guide you always.” Isaiah 58: 11. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3: 6. God has a perfect plan for our lives and all we need is to trust and obey Him each step of the way.