St. George's Instituition, Taiping - Bro. Charles Levin.

Brother Karl Wolff [Charles Levin] FSC † 31 July 1927 - 14 October 2012

Br. Karl was born in Jǖlich, Rheinland, Germany in 1927 to Karl Mathias Wolff and Dorothea Eugelbrecht. His baptismal name was Karl Henry Theodor. His family left for Ireland during World War II to escape the Nazi regime. “Ireland became his home and it was at the school there that he encountered the La Salle Brothers who totally transformed his life. He was impressed by their dedication to nurture young people to bring out the best in them. This influenced
him to join the congregation and there was no turning back for the young man. As is the practice with the La Salle Brothers, he adopted another name, Charles Levin, when he took his final vows.”

At the age of 23, he arrived on the P&O Liner in Singapore. He first taught in “attap sheds” on Pulau Tikus in 1954 before literally leading his students on foot to the new SXI building in 1955. Wolff taught fifth and sixth formers from 1954 to 1979 before moving to St George's in Taiping, Perak. After 1992, he returned to Penang as a retiree.

Br. Karl, as he prefers to be called, was a deeply talented person. He was a musician, an accomplished pianist, and he translated books from English into Bahasa - Malaysian -- these were among his many gifts. He spoke Latin, French, English, German, Gaelic, Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia

Tour of Ministry:

• St. Joseph’s Training College 1950 – 1951
• St. Xavier’s Branch School Teacher 1952 – 1953
• St. Xavier’s Institution Teacher 1954 – 1966
• St. Xavier’s Institution Acting Director / Principal 1966
• St. Xavier’s Institution Director / Principal 1967 – 1979
• St George’s Taiping Director 1982 – 1992
• St. Xavier’s Institution Director 1993 – 2012

Bro. Charles Levin would be noted in history as the last Bro. Director of St. George's Institution, Taiping. Bringing 90 years of direct La Sallian Brother's administration of SGI; as the school is  fondly called, to an end.

His famous trademark was the ability to deliver eloquent and impromptu speeches in Bahasa Malaysia at the annual speech day.

Simplified School Crest

The Original Gates of St. George's

Bro. Charles Levin with the Prefectorial Board of St. George's of 1989

Bro Charles passed away on October 14 at the Penang Adventist Hospital due to sepsis, after a fall. He was 85 years old.

“Although we mourn the death of our dear Brother, we are also filled with hope that, with his 62 years of service in Malaysia, he had greatly inspired us,” said Bro. Anthony.

“Whatever values Bro Charles had taught, will continue forever.” said Bro Vincent in his eulogy. “He’s a man of great spirituality and he believed that we are all God’s children. He always, again and again, liked to emphasise on faith, service and community. To him, these were very important.” Bro Charles’ body was cremated at the Batu Gantung crematorium.

Source : http://www.lasalle.org.hk/pages/lead/LEAD%20Story%2068.pdf
http://aliran.com/towering-msians/farewell-brother-charles/
http://taipingtalk.com/schools/

The origins of the School Rally.

The all too nostalgic School Rally that all La Sallian school of  Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong is based on an traditional Irish song called "The Clan Connell War Song"

Foreword from Project Inspire - Christian Mission School Handbook

St. Xavier's Penang 1857

St. Xavier's Penang, 1940

St. Xavier's today.

The earliest christian mission schools in Malaysia were St.Thomas school in Kuching founded in 1848 and
st. Xavier’s Institution and Light street convent in Penang established in 1852. Since then more than four hundred christian mission schools have been established throughout the length and breadth of our country. Many have grown to be respected institutions of learning with deep and enviable traditions.
over the decades many generations of Malaysians can trace their crucial formative years to the classrooms, hallowed halls, and playing fields of these christian mission schools.
In an age when many thought it was unnecessary for girls to be educated, many girls’ schools were established by pioneering missionary educators to provide opportunities for girls to receive an education.

Princes and the scions of the rich and powerful as well as children of the very poor and marginalized of society - children of all creed and colour - have gone through the portals of our mission schools. They received an education that equipped them with knowledge and wisdom to face the challenges of ife and for leadership in a rapidly developing nation.

(Blogger comment : and a progressive development , we did experience as a nation in the early 60s and 70s)

The golden age of Christian Mission Schools in Malaysia was probably from the
1950s to the early 1970s.Since then, most of our mission schools have experienced a gradual process of degradation. Some schools of excellence which parents once strived to get their children into, have sadly become schools of last resort. What were the contributory factors which have cumulatively over the last 30 years brought about this tragic decline? Needless to say, this phenomenon coupled with the increasing loss of administrative control, has caused much anguish to the mission authorities who founded and still own these schools. Alumni members who treasure fond memories of their school days as well as the christian community at large lament the loss of character and excellence of their schools. Added to this loss is a pervasive sense of helplessness.

Against this backdrop, the Malayan christian schools’ council decided to embark
on Project Inspire. Project Inspire began with the question, “What is so unique or
special about christian mission schools? What do we mean when we speak fondly and proudly of the ethos and special character of mission schools?” Project Inspire represents an ambitious attempt to re-capture this ‘spirit’ of mission schools - the best practices in administration and management of relationships, the best practices in the implementation of the formal and informal curriculum and the contagious culture of discipline and grace, love and sacrifice that both strengthen the human spirit and set it free to learn and grow.

The primary purpose of Project Inspire is to bring together the
best practices of mission schools past and present in the form of user friendly reference materials and make them available to the relevant parties who are involved in mission schools. It is hoped that these materials will, with God’s help and the support of the community, help to breathe fresh life into our mission schools.

Project Inspire takes the form of three modular packages addressed to three of the key stakeholders, namely the Boards of Governors, principals or head teachers, the parents, and most important of all, the teachers who play a pivotal role with regard to the standard of excellence of a mission school. Each package consists of information, suggestions, examples of best practices in different situations, and other resource materials which will not only be helpful but inspirational to the various key stake- holders as they play their respective roles.

This major MCSC enterprise, envisaged to stretch over a period of three years, is driven by a small band of dedicated educators with input and help from many supportive contributors. MCSC wishes to thank everyone for the labour of love invested in the project. With God’s help, Project Inspire will succeed in fulfilling its purpose to help all involved in the education of children in our mission schools to serve with renewed vision and greater resolve.

YAP KOK KEONG
Chairman, Malayan Christian Schools’ Council
June 2011

http://methodisteducation.edu.my/resources/Inspire1_Handbook4thDraft.pdf

Bro. Cassian Pappu - The Malaysian Mission Schools landscape and how it was silently changed

Education has been one of  the priorities of the Malaysian Church ever since the arrival of the first Catholic Missionaries to the country. The earlier missionaries not only established churches but also set up schools to assist them in their work of evangelisation. After years of  untiring efforts by  Fr. Beurel who would not take “no” for an answer persuaded the Superiors of two Teaching Congregations namely, the Sisters of the Infant Jesus and the La Salle Brothers to set up their first schools in Singapore and Penang in 1852. As the years went by the Brothers and Sisters began to extend their educational work  to other parts of the country. Soon  the schools conducted by the Religious and Priests were known as Catholic Schools.

 

Mission Schools like St. Michael's Ipoh are an architectural splendour

Apart from the imparting secular knowledge, the Teaching Congregations also provided opportunities for the learning and practice of the Catholic Faith. In other words these schools became centers of Catholic Education and were undeniably Catholic. Seeing that the Catholic schools were also providing moral instruction to the students, many non-Christian parents also wanted their children to benefit by such instruction and  encouraged their children to attend religious classes so that they might grow up as responsible and God-fearing citizens.
               
Speaking of the role played by the Catholic schools, an account reads: “The aim of the Mission (Catholic) Schools was to secure for all students an all-round education with special emphasis on moral training and character formation. The high educational standards and ideals of the sound moral training characteristic of  these schools from the very beginning, secured such esteem and demand that people of all races and religions .. were generous in helping to provide the Mission with land and assist in the building of these schools in various parts of the country.”  Generally speaking, the Catholic schools enjoyed the support from of all sectors of the community.
               
The Catholic schools gave first place to God at all times and showed reverence for the  person of the students as a child of God. The quality and achievement of the Past Pupils of these schools bear testimony to the vital importance of instilling good moral values, loyalty and discipline in their students during the course of their schooling.

 Popularity of Catholic Schools

With the arrival of members of other Teaching Congregations, such as the  Marist Brothers, the Franciscan Missionaries of  Mary, the Montfort Brothers, the Canossians Daughters of Charity, the Brothers of St. Gabriel, saw a further increase in the number of Catholic Schools throughout the country, especially in the middle the twentieth century. At this time it became apparent that there should be a professional body to coordinate the educational affairs of these schools. Such a body was formed in 1950 under the  name of the Guild of Assisted Catholic Schools (GACS).
               
Some of the objectives of this educational body were to build a staff who were creative, dedicated and open to changes and who would achieve a high degree of professionalism and who would be an example and inspiration to their students.

In order to prepare Teachers to continue the aims and objectives of the Catholic Schools, two Teachers’ Colleges were also established – The St. Joseph’s Teachers College in Penang for  men by the  La Salle Brothers and the Teachers’ College at Bukit Nanas women  by the Sisters of the Infant Jesus.

These Colleges were fully recognized by the Ministry of Education and followed the curriculum set for Government Teachers’ Colleges in the country. As expected, these Colleges were run very efficiently and were highly regarded for their academic preparation. Ordinarily, the religious Congregations selected the candidates for these Colleges who after their graduation were  posted back to their former schools.

uch postings helped in filling the needed manpower in the Catholic schools  as well as to maintain the Christian atmosphere that was characteristic of these schools. The graduates from the above Colleges also had the added advantage of having had two years of religious training in the teaching of religious knowledge, which helped them to become qualified teachers of religion.

Unfortunately these Colleges were short-lived. The authorities felt that such distinctively Christian colleges did not have a place within the National Education policies of the country. This led to the closure of the Bukit Nanas Teachers’ College in 1966 and St. Joseph’s Teachers’ College in 1970.

Policy changes by the Ministry of Education with regard to Catholic Schools slowly began to have adverse affect on the performance of the Guild of Assisted Catholic Schools.  The administrative climate in the Catholic Schools also saw marked changes from what it was several decades earlier. There came the realisatioin that although the Guild had done its “job well” there was no guarantee it would be able to function effectively in the future. The Guild of Assisted Catholic Schools was therefore formally dissolved with much regret.  

The Aziz Commission
 Teachers who had been serving in Mission Schools generally came under various different categories and salary schemes. However, following the offer of special benefits to teachers in the Mission Schools by the Aziz Commission,  most teachers from Mission Schools opted to become Government Servants . This meant that the teachers in Mission Schools no longer came under the direct control of the Christian Missions, and conversely, the Mission could not exercise full control over the teachers in their schools. This also meant that the teachers in the Mission Schools could be transferred to other schools in the country. In other words, it spelt the end of an era where the Missions were free to employ their own teachers.

The first transfers of former Mission School teachers to Government Schools came at the end of 1972. These teachers were replaced, in most cases, with teachers who have had no connection with Christian Schools. This was the beginning of the erosion of the Special Character that the Christian Missions had jealously guarded since their first foundation.

The Aziz Commission also placed the Brothers and Sisters  under the X Category – X1 for graduates and X2 for non-graduates. The X Category did not grant any privilege to those under this classification. The Religious however continued to receive a fixed monthly “allowance” which was much less than those of their counterparts working in Government schools.. The Religious were neither pensionable nor entitled to a gratuity on their retirement  nor enjoyed any medical benefits. They were however permitted to serve till the age of 65 provided they enjoyed good health.

The privilege to serve till the Religious reached the age of 65 suddenly came to an end when the Ministry of Education decided to reduce their retirement from 65 to 55 in 1988. This meant that those Religious who had passed the age of 55 and who still served as Principals in their schools were forced to retire following the directive of the Ministry. This brought about much confusion and hardship to the Religious when they were removed from the administrative posts at short notice.

Contributed by

Bro. Cassin Pappu FSC

Source :

http://e-lasallian.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=66

St. Joseph's Novitiate, Penang Malaysia

St. Joseph's Novitiate, Penang, Malaysia.

Once the centre of excellence for LaSallian education in Malaysia and the Far East.

  

The land was acquired by the Christian Brothers way back in 1916. In 1918, the first building was opened. This was a training centre (a novitiate) for aspiring brothers. In 1925, the current building/novitiate was opened

The beautiful stained glass windows were brought in from Italy and the altar and railings were made from imported marble. Apart from being a novitiate, it was a teachers training college as well. Initially only brothers were accepted to be trained as teachers. In the late 1950s, it accepted lay students too.

In Malaysia itself, LaSallian Brother teachers were stationed in all states except the east coast. The teaching diploma was recognized by our government until the 70s, when it was phased out, what with the change in emphasis on the curriculum.

The land and buildings were then leased out to Uplands School, until Hunza purchased it.

After the De La Salle Brothers vacated the Gurney Drive premises in the early 1980s, the site was taken over by the International School of Penang (Uplands). In December 2004, Hunza Properties (Penang) Sdn Bhd bought this parcel of land for RM97.86mil from the De La Salle Brothers

400-500 lay teachers, and 200-300 brothers ” from St. Joseph's.

Today, 2015 -  it is an upscale commercial and shopping complex.

Source : http://www.hunzagroup.com/ongoing_gurney_heritage01.htm

Source : http://www.penang-traveltips.com/st-joseph-novitiate.htm

Bro. David Liao : La Salle PJ; La Salle Klang; St. Francis Instituition Melaka; St. Andrew's, Muar & St. Anthony's, Teluk Intan

“All good things must come to an end so that better things may begin”, he often said in his e-mails to me. A good philosophy indeed from a man who has vast experience in the art of teaching the young since 1968. Brother David Liao came from a family of educators. Early in their lives, his father was a Headmaster of a Chinese Secondary school while his mother was a Headmistress of a Chinese Primary school. His father was later called home to take over his grandfather’s business when his grandfather died. “I wanted to complete my father’s career as an educator,” he reminisced. Brother David Liao is the fourth in a family of six. He is a very outdoor person, loves sports and played most games when he was a student at St. Michael’s Institution, Ipoh.

             

Lasallian students from the late 60’s to year 1999 will no doubt have personal contact with him or have heard of his name as he has served widely in a number of schools in Malaysia, namely:

Bro. David Liao

St. Francis Institution, Malacca    : 1968 – 1971 and 1978
St. Anthony’s School, Teluk Intan: 1972 – 1973
La Salle School, Petaling Jaya       : 1976 – 1977
St. Andrew’s School, Muar           : 1980 – 1982 (As Principal)
La Salle School, Klang, Selangor    : 1983 – 1985
St. Joseph’s College, Penang       : 1986 – 1989 (As Director of Novices)

St. Anthony's Teluk Intan, Malaysia

Source

Bro. David recalled that he joined the Brothers’ junior training programme in Penang in 1962 and entered the Brothers’ Novitiate in January 1964. He has been a Brother ever since. He was elected Brother Visitor, Penang District in 1990 and served for nine years till 1999 in this  capacity. He took a year sabbatical in 2001. He has truly lived up to his religious commitment - to go wherever he may be sent and to do whatever is required of him. Brother David is presently in ChangJiao, China developing a La Sallian Service Centre for English Language and Computer Literacy. According to him, the village elders were sceptical about his commitment in the earlier stages as those going before him had somehow let them down. However, through sheer grit and determination, he managed to overcome all difficulties and has completely won over the whole village! He is hopeful that this pioneer village project will be duplicated and initiated in many outlying villages in China.
         
When asked what he thought was the most memorable incident in his life, he reflected before replying:

                 
Quote:
The most memorable incident in my life so far was the day in October 1985 when Brother Matthew Liew, Brother Visitor at that time, visited our community in La Salle School Klang. He told me that he had decided to assign me as Novice Master in charge of the training of young Brothers at  St. Joseph's College, Kelawei Road, Penang.  It spelled the end of my school  career but more importantly, it meant that I had only 15 years developing my network of "old boys". I was not even fully 40 years old then.
          

At that time I was in the forefront pioneering computer education in secondary schools in the Klang Valley. I had good apprenticeship in the art of Brother Directorship under numerous able Directors such as Brothers Edwin Cheng, Philip Daly, Damian Oliver, Felix Donohue, Harold Reynolds, Robert O'Sullivan and Alban Rozario. I felt at that time I was not even at the peak of my career as educator and it suddenly ended for me, just as my father who was recalled to take over the family business. However, my commitment to my vocation "to go wherever I may be sent and to do whatever is required of me" took charge. Today, as I look back, I am very thankful to Brother Matthew Liew for insisting that I take on the assignment as Novice Master. Today, China beckons. I once again have  the wonderful opportunity to be very hands-on, to experiment and to develop an English Language and Computer Literacy programme in an environment where English, though much valued, is almost never used or spoken.   ..... Unquote
                    
In true spirit, he often keeps in touch with his classmates, past students and the teachers he has worked with.

St. Andrew's Muar, Malaysia

St. Andrew's School, Muar Malaysia

Source : AndreanFellowships
Source : e-Lassalian

Bro. James Macken : St. Paul's Instituition, Seremban; St. George's Instituition, Taiping

Sourced from The Star, dated Feb 21, 2012.

THE Old Paulian Association (OPA) will produce a coffee table book on Reverend Brother Director James Macken — the longest serving and, undoubtedly, most famous headmaster in the proud 113-year history of St Paul’s Institution (SPI) in Seremban.

The book, which will be a pictorial on the life and times of the Irishman at his beloved SPI in Seremban, would be launched during the old boys’ annual reunion dinner in September.
OPA secretary Lee Kok Keong said the association was in the midst of gathering pictures of the Rev Bro Director during his four-decade stay in the country and the association would welcome rare photographs from former students and teachers for the project.

Good job: Rev Bro Dir James Donohue congratulating Macken (left) as the incoming SPI Secondary headmaster.

The bespectacled Macken, often clad in a flowing white robe and a Fedora hat, may have been a stickler for discipline but was one who never hesitated to let his hair down whenever SPI excelled both academically or in sports.
Unlike in other schools, Macken, being a headmaster, led the singing of Negaraku, the state anthem as well as the school rally during morning assemblies ever since he was posted to SPI.

Born in 1929, Macken arrived in Malaya in 1949 after completing his teaching certificate at St Mary University College, Strawberry Hill in London. His first posting was at the St George’s Institution in Taiping where he remained until 1965.

Bro. James Macken as he wrote on forum posting http://taipingtalk.com/schools

Bro. Macken James  and the St. George's staff 1963

He returned to Dublin for three years to complete his university degree and returned in 1968 to serve at St Xavier’s Institution in Penang for a year.
During his time at SPI, the school achieved many firsts which included winning the National Science Quiz in 1983 and emerging as the country’s top school for Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) in 1986 with Ong Yoke Eng being the top student.

Checking things out: Bro. James Macken supervising the construction of SPI primary in Taman Bukit Labu in 1979.

He was also instrumental in the construction of the new SPI primary school in Taman Bukit Labu in 1980 as well as a new block with three science labs, 12 classrooms and a canteen at the secondary school three years earlier.
Macken, who in an interview had considered himself fortunate to have had a set of dedicated teachers, never missed events in which the school took part in which included scouts jamborees, passing out of cadets and activities by the St John’s, Junior Jaycees and the OPA.
It was during his time that SPI became a hockey powerhouse with players such as Brian Sta Maria, Derek Fidelis, Paul and Stehen Van Huizen who went on to play for the national team.
Lee, who studied at SPI from 1949 to 1959 and taught there from 1961-1996 said Macken always had good words for his teachers.
“Although he was a strict man, he was well loved by all. He always gave words of encouragement to teachers who went beyond their call of duty,” he said
He added that the last time Macken returned to Malaysia was in 1999 for the school’s centenary celebration.
Another former teacher Datuk Loh Kim Heong, who served at SPI from 1968 till 1987 remembers Macken as an individual who could inspire others to be the best.
“He turned boys into men the old fashioned way – through hard work, diligence and dogged determination,” he said.
Former SPI lab technician Harminder Singh who served the school for 28 years said Macken was an inquisitive man.

“We were surprised to see a white man in the gurdwara compound one Sunday morning in the late 1960s and only after asking him how we could be of help did we know who he was,” he said adding that Macken wanted to know more about Sikhs and their history and traditions.
A former student Chooi Yew Tzen described Macken as a bastion of might and inspiration, one who motivated young boys and shaping them into leaders to serve as nation builders.
“To many, he was simply the lion among lions,” he said.
Macken’s respect and admiration for his teachers and love for SPI was summed up in a rare interview when he said: “It’s great to belong to a great school but it is mighty to have been a headmaster of a great school. Longlive the spirit of St.Paul’s.”
Lee said Macken’s memorial mass would be held on Feb 25 at the Church of Visitation in Seremban. A fellowship will be held after the sunset mass for former and present teachers and students.

Blogger Note : Bro. James Macken served as Bro. Director of St. Paul's, Seremban from 1975 - 1991.