36 – Our appointment to Ipoh Boys’ Home
After the May 13th racial riots the Malaysian Government assumed emergency powers and suspended Parliament. (It only reconvened in 1971) Throughout the whole country the atmosphere was very tense. The different races were suspicious of each other. Race and religion can be very sensitive issues and we should always make it a point to tread carefully in these areas.
On 4th July 1969, our whole family of five travelled to Ipoh by train to take up our new appointment. Already we had received many negative reports about Ipoh Boys’ Home from the press. There was some altercation between the superintendent and the State Government of Perak resulting in the withdrawal of Government grants to the Home. The Home was in serious deficit and there were riots among the boys as reported in the press. So we were heading into another storm.
From the busy city of Kuala Lumpur we moved to the quiet village of Tambun. The curfew was still and no one was allowed out after 7.00 p.m.
We had fifty boys under our care with one lived-in senior housemaster whose loyalty was questionable. We only found this out later that he was the culprit who had communicated with the press with the reports. His motive was to stir up enough trouble so that he could be put in charge. The other housemaster Mr. Yap worked only during office hours. The bigger boys helped to look after the younger ones.
We followed a Dutch officer, indeed a very sociable single lady who spent much of her time associating with friends all over the country, leaving the running of the Home to this Eurasian housemaster, a bachelor in his fifties. He seemed to have absolute control over the boys and would make sure that they did his bidding.
During the week we had stones thrown into our quarters and when I went to investigate, this housemaster feigned surprise and assured me he would investigate and punish the culprits. “You leave everything to me” he assured me, “don’t worry everything will be all right” I was very innocent and believed him.
Then Headquarters sent someone from the Volunteer Corps, a Canadian Salvationist youth to us. He was to help out with looking after the boys for two weeks before proceeding to Penang on a similar task. On his second night, we heard shouts downstairs. The boys were beating him up and I rushed down to intervene and brought him upstairs to our quarters where he stayed for the night. Our housemaster put on a great show of anger and assured me he would punish the culprits. I sensed something was not right, so the next day after informing the Headquarters, I sent this young lad on the train to Penang.
Another evening when I walked into one of the dormitories, I was met with a hail of stones. I was bleeding from the forehead and retreated upstairs. Our housemaster was again very ‘angry’ with the boys. He told me to remain in the quarters in the evenings and leave him to handle the boys as they would only listen to him.
Then one day, one lad quietly dropped a piece of paper in front of me when no one was around. It was unsigned but he mentioned that our housemaster with a few of his favourites were behind the trouble. It was then that I began to be suspicious.
I could not do anything just yet as I had no concrete evidence to dismiss him. Many years later when we were in Singapore, Miss Tan Beng Neo and ex-Salvation Army officer informed us about this same man who had been employed at the Singapore Boys’ Home. He was a homosexual and had given a lot of trouble and in the end was dismissed. In fact Tan Beng Neo wrote an article which is now filed in the archives.
It was a very difficult appointment and our faith was sorely tried. The Army’s relationship with the State Government was at its lowest ebb. The bad press reports had affected contributions to the Home. Anyway we had to tread judiciously. Most of my wife’s time was spent in seeing to Poh Chin who was often sick. We had to keep our two children upstairs when they were home from school.
Stephen got a place at ACS which was in a different location from the schools where the boys attended. Stephen was only seven years old and he would come home on his own by public transport. Gladys went to a nearby Catholic Convent School so travelling was not a problem.
Every Sunday we went to the Ipoh Corps at Kampong Simee. The Army rented a small atap house and the congregation comprised the boys from our Home and the children from the Children’s Home. Captain Ruut Piutunen a Finnish lady was in charge. She was very kind to us and once a week would have our children play with the children at the Children’s Home.
Salvationists Peter and Ruth Woon and their two children, Susan and James lived near the Corps. Ruth was from Balestier Corps and we had grown up together since childhood days. We were glad of the support by the Woon family. These friends proved invaluable especially during such times of trial.
The Corps Officer was Lieutenant Francis Loo Pho Khuan. There was not much activity at the Corps except one Sunday evening meeting. The officers from the Homes, the Woon family, plus the youth from the two Homes formed the congregation. The two Homes held their own Sunday Schools on Sunday morning. The Corps had a Sunday school in the afternoon for the children in the vicinity.
In less then six months, we received farewell orders. Captains Peter and Grace Chang from Korea had been appointed to Singapore to do training work and after two one-year sessions, there were no more candidates ready to enter training. In addition to their appointment as training officers, they also ran Central Corps.
Hong Kong was now ready to start a session and the Command needed training officers, so International Headquarters ordered their transfer to Hong Kong. The Officer Commanding Lieut. Colonel Engel decided to move us to take over Singapore Central Corps. A couple of years later when the Training College re-opened its doors we had the training portfolio added to our appointment. I shall write about this in a later chapter.
On 29th December 1969, my wife and our three children left Ipoh for Singapore as she needed to get the two older ones registered for Singapore Schools. I accompanied them from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur, put them on the night train bound for Singapore. I then returned the same evening back to Ipoh. I had to wait for the arrival of our successors Captain and Mrs. Tan Thean Seng. I left Ipoh on the night of 26th January and arrived in Singapore the next day.
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