This is my story - 32

32 – Making contacts in the neighbourhood

As a child of five, my older siblings and I used to watch the Army open air meeting held at Lorong Limau near our home and one day we decided to follow them to the hall at Balestier Road.

In our previous appointments open air meetings were held and the comrades would march back to the hall for the meetings. Things have changed and in Kuala Lumpur in 1966 this was not permitted. There are always ways and means to meet challenges.

During the first week in Kuala Lumpur, I would stand in the hall of the shophouse with the doors wide open and played my concertina or piano accordion. That piano accordion was a special gift from the Lord and I wanted to make good use of it. During our time in Penang Corps, the leader of an orchestra offered Mrs. Major Connie Page the piano accordion. Mrs. Page passed it on to me for she felt I needed it more than she did. I went to the music shop, purchased a tutor and taught myself to play the piano accordion.

Passers by, especially children would stop and watch me play and I had a one man open air meeting daily! The children were invited to Sunday School and they responded. Among the first few were a family of ten siblings from a nearby carpenter’s shop. Then others from the neighbour came to join us and we had a good Sunday School.

It was a new housing estate and there was no market. Soon hawkers came and set up stalls just outside our hall selling fish, pork, vegetables etc. My wife and I were always in uniform and every morning she would go to this open air market to purchase meat, fish or vegetables. We had only a tiny personal refrigerator which could not store much food. The ladies would ask her about her uniform and that gave her the opportunity to tell them about the Army. Soon she had ladies coming to the Home League. Among those contacted was a Mrs. Kwan who introduced many of her friends from the neighbourhood to the Home League.

Later Lieutenant Tan Thean Seng was sent as assistant to our Corps. He and I spent many hours everyday visiting the houses along Klang Road. Among those contacted was Mr. Rhuvanendran who later after becoming a Christian took on the name of Bramwell. He and his nephew would come together every Sunday to the meeting. Bramwell later was commissioned the Corps Treasurer.

I went round with gospel tracts all over the estate, knocking at every door inviting people to come to the Army. Later on the Training College sent three cadets for their field training - Cadets Lim Teck Fung and his wife Grace Au-yong and Cadet Winnie Elisha. I took these cadets door to door visitation everyday.

One day on my way home on the bus I met a fellow traveller Mr. Robertson. We disembarked at the same bus stop and walked together up to our place but before we parted, he told me he would be entering hospital for an operation. I offered to visit him, but he told me not to, but to wait till he was discharged at his home.

I kept my promise and visited him and he was delighted. He spent a lot of time telling me about his work as planter for many years. He loved books and introduced me to the British Council Library. He loved to discuss with me about books – the classics and poetry. He enjoyed talking with me about the poems by Robert Burns. I learned a lot about Scotland and his life as a planter in Malaya.

His wife was a Thai. He warned me not to talk to her about Christianity as she was a staunch Buddhist. One day when I visited him, he said to me “Noh Wan is home.” I was mystified why kept telling me “No one is home” yet invited me into his house. Well, Noh Wan his wife was most hospitable and made me a cup of tea and brought out cakes for me to eat. We always addressed her as Mrs. Robertson.

Mrs. Robertson responded to our invitation to the Home League. She enjoyed the fellowship and became one of the most regular Home Leaguers and gave excellent support. In fact she introduced her Thai friend, Mrs. Goddhard to the Home League. In 1968 the Kuala Lumpur Home League won the Command’s Banner of Progress.

Mr. Robertson was a Presbyterian but not a regular church goer. However he would always attend special meetings such as Corps Anniversaries and Christmas. He even introduced us to another retired planter living alone to the Army. When Mr. Robertson died, Major Lim Teck Fung conducted his funeral.

We wanted to start a kindergarten, but the authorities would not grant us permission as our facilities did not meet the requirement standard. So we gave private tuition instead and this attracted a number of youth to the Youth Group which met every Friday evening.

I could speak bazaar Malay for I grew up in Lorong Limau where our next door neighbour was a Malay family. Seeing Malay or Bahasa Melayu was now the national language of Malaysia, my wife and I decided to learn proper Malay and to obtain the Government certificate of proficiency which we did. Lieutenant Tan Thean Seng our assistant would keep an eye on our two children during the time when we were at night school class.

One of our classmates was a lady named June Lim who became a good friend. She invited us to her home to meet her mother, both Anglicans. One day they came to our meeting and saw me using the piano accordion to accompany the singing. She donated her organ to us. We were delighted as we had Brother Neoh Ah How who was a skilled pianist and organist. June came to the meeting quite regularly. Mrs. Lim even gave a donation for new fans for the hall.

Another good friend was Dr. David Muttu. Brigadier Arthur Smith our Public Relations Secretary collected donations from Dr. Muttu of Reddy Clinic every year. One day he asked the Brigadier if there was something more he could do for the Army. The Brigadier suggested that he look after our medical needs. Dr. Muttu was delighted to do so and from that day onwards he provided free treatment to all Salvation Army officers stationed in Kuala Lumpur.

That same Christmas Dr. Muttu and family came to our Christmas Party and contributed ice cream for everyone. His father had just died so that year and there was no celebration in his family at their home. They belonged to Wesley Methodist Church but would attend the Army for special occasions such as our Corps Anniversary.Dr. and Mrs. Muttu were very supportive of Army programmes.

During our second year, I felt I should look around for better facilities so that we could do community services such as a kindergarten. Two doors away the coffee shop had a juke box and the noise was unbearable especially during meeting times. Often I had to go over and request them to tone down the volume. I must say they were very kind, but when quite often the customers would put up the volume again.

We discussed the matter with the Officer Commanding, and he suggested that I scout around for place to relocate the Corps. I contacted the developers of a new housing estate yet to be developed on the fifth mile Klang Road. It was the Overseas Union Garden. I saw the developers and identified the place where the hall is now. By the time we left Kualu Lumpur in July 1969 I had already paid the deposit and indicated the necessary alterations to the building to make it suitable for worship and kindergarten. We were not there to see to the opening, but this is life – one person sows another reaps. The important thing to remember, we work for the Lord and His glory.