27 – Kuching Boys’ Home
We really enjoyed our work ministering to the folk in Kuching Corps, especially when we received tremendous support from our fellow officers and local officers.
The kindergarten was doing well; in fact we received high commendation from the Inspector of Schools, Mrs. Kong, who said she would like to register her own grandchildren in it.
One day we received word from our Officer Commanding Lieut. Colonel George Spencer, instructing us to take on additional responsibility of the Kuching Boys’ Home to enable Captain and Mrs. Robert Webb to go on homeland furlough in Australia. The Webbs had already served their five year term. We were to stay at the Boys’ Home, but continue to run the Corps and kindergarten as well.
We requested Chan Ee Hong the girl who had been helping us at the Kindergarten to transfer to the Boys’ Home to do the laundry and other duties and at the same time help look after our two small children. We knew we would be much pressurised running Home, Corps and Kindergarten. We were glad she agreed. She loved our children and took good care of them. Every morning my wife would take the two children with her to the kindergarten. In the evenings we had to go back to the Corps for other activities.
Captain Janos Wasagam was appointed to assist us part time at the Corps and kindergarten. She stayed at the Corps quarters but would commute to the Home as she was still the assistant there. She was very good and hardworking. Every morning she saw to the opening of the premises for kindergarten class and got things ready for the children. She helped us in whatever way she could.
Captain Wasagam had a great love for the people, and she would cycle to do pastoral visitation on our behalf. She would also help my wife with the Home League and other Corps activities. We worked well together and we were grateful for her support.
While still on furlough in Australia, Captain and Mrs. Webb were told they would not return to Kuching. Instead they received marching orders to proceed to Singapore to take charge of the Singapore Children’s Home at Pasir Panjang. We received orders via telegram to farewell from Kuching Corps and appointed to Kuching Boys’ Home.
It was announced that Captains Kylikki Vataja and Ruth Piutunun, Finnish officers would succeed us at the Kuching Corps. Well, we started moving all our personal belongings from the Corps quarters to the Home.
We were happy with the boys, fifty of them, ages ranging from six to seventeen. We continued soldiering at the Corps. In any case the new Corps officers could not speak Chinese, so we had to take or turn in translating at the meetings.
Vong Ah Nyian a Salvationist was the Housemaster and supervisor of the carpentry workshop and vegetable garden. His wife Chor Fah was the cook. There were two other ladies who assisted in looking after the fifty boys. We had no vehicle, so Ah Nyian would use his own motor bike to go to the market each day for fresh meat, fish, vegetables and fruit.
Chinese New Year, we allowed the staff to take leave. Most of the boys would go to their parents or relatives, but there were those who had nowhere to go. On New Year’s Eve we had our reunion with these boys. We explained to them our Chinese customs and on New Year’s Day they came to visit us in our quarters and we gave them ‘ang pows’ red packets with money inside. They were allowed to go out and visit their friends. A few of the big boys volunteered to stay behind or return earlier to cook for the others. I was very touched by their sense of ownership of the Home.
While Brigadier Willis was away on furlough, Pang Soon Nyuk one of the elderly ladies of the Home and soldier of the Corps passed away. She had no relatives so the Army had to arrange her funeral. Money was scarce, so we approached a casket company who graciously provided a free coffin.
The other churches owned their private cemeteries which catered for their own Christians, but not the Army. So we had to bury this lady at the Government cemetery which catered for the rest of the community mainly non- Christian. The Muslims had their own cemetery. It does not matter where the body is buried as long as the soul goes to heaven.
The boys from our carpenter shop made a cross to place it on the grave. The elderly ladies from the Army Home were the mourners. Our boys went round and got flowers to put on the grave and we had our Christian ceremony there. There in this mainly Buddhist and Toaist cemetery the cross stood very prominently as a witness to our Christian faith.
We did our duty as soldiers of the Corps, paid our tithe and did what the Corps Officers wanted us to do, but not interfere with the administration of Corps affairs. The new Corps Officers requested that I should continue leading the band while my wife continued as the Home League Secretary. My wife and I took turns to interpret in the meetings.
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