Our appointments in Penang.

My wife and I arrived in Penang on 13^th November 1959 to take charge of Penang Corps. We had no children although she was pregnant at that time.  And on 8th May Mother’s Day our first child, Gladys was born at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital Burma Road. The doctor waived the delivery fees of $50.00, a lot of money in those days.

Major and Mrs. Edward Roy Page were in charge of the Boy’s Home and Primary School. They also ran a very big chicken farm in the same compound. The Home supplied eggs to the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital. Major and Mrs Page were very supportive as soldiers of the Penang Corps. Mrs. Page was the Songster Leader.

We ran two outposts one at Bayan Lepas near the airport in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Michael. Their daughter Jasinta  and her husband Lim Kim Ann are active soldiers of Penang Corps today. Every other Saturday, I would cycle from Perak Road to Bayan Lepas to do the meeting. In those days Corps did not have motor vehicles, except two bicycles! The children from the neighbourhood attended the meetings. Among them was Jack who is now soldiering at Kuala Lumpur Corps. When we were Corps officers of Singapore Central Corps (1970- 1974) Jack was working in Johore and used to attend Central once a month.

We had another outpost at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Matthews at Glugor. Their daughter Lucy used to attend the Corps.

On Saturday afternoons, my wife would see to the Girl Guides (we called them Guards in the Army) and Brownies. Among the girls who joined the Guides was a girl named Pat Loo, now retired Mrs. Lieut. Colonel Tan Thean Seng. Corps Cadet Tan Thean Seng was one of our soldiers who used to go with my wife to sell War Crys at Penang Road  once a month on a Saturday night in the restaurants. I would go what we called “pub booming” on my own another Saturday night. One of us had to be home to look after our child Gladys.

Once a week I would cycle to Sungei Pinang to conduct chapel service at the Army’s Primary School where Mrs Major Page was the headmistress.

In 1962 our second child, Stephen, was born. Six weeks after his birth we farewelled and travelled all the way from Penang to Kuching to take over Kuching Corps. The journey took one whole week. We first travelled by train to Kuala Lumpur, then to Singapore. From them we had to wait for the weekend boat which left on Friday and arrived on Monday in Kuching on 1^st of May 1962. Officers were not allowed to go my plane. Even the Officer Commanding when visiting Kuching had to take the weekend boat from outside Clifford Pier. We took the launch from the Pier to connect with the cargo boat to take us to Kuching.

We spent three years in Penang Corps and for the last six months had an additional appointment of the Kuching Boys’ Home when Major and Mrs. Robert Webb returned to Australia for homeland furlough.