MESSAGE No. 9 /2014
Annual General Meeting – Saturday 15th March this year
We skipped the quarterly progress report as at 31st March this year. This was because a full account of our activities and progress was already tabled at our Annual General Meeting held a fortnight earlier.
A new Executive Committee was elected to office for a 2-year term. There are a number of new faces – Dato’ Dr. Sushil Kumar Ratti, Christine Choong Yin Hoong and Narayanan Raman – and a familiar face, Jennifer Ng who is voted in as Hon. Secretary.
Alumni Website
Our Website was well visited over the 6 months period ended 30th June this year. We received 15,101 visitors, 79,232 hits from 84 countries. Comparing against the 12,166 visitors, 66,606 hits from 66 countries as at the end of last year, there is a significant upsurge. All the figures quoted here are cumulative.
Alumni Life Membership
As at the end of June this year, we have a total strength of 588. This is made up of 567 Life Members and 21 Associate Members. Although we have come a long way from the 285 members we had in 2011, a 119th year old institution like ours deserves a larger membership support.
We look forward to those coming for our 2014 Alumni Dinner signing up as members. Subscription is one-off at RM100 for Life Members and RM50, Associate Members.
Scholarships and Bursaries
Once again many of the existing donors selflessly chipped in year on year to provide financial assistance to poor deserving students. Their contributions have inspired fresh donors. This year we offered 34 scholarships worth RM25,200. We are about to interview Sixth Formers for scholarships.
Reverend Ralph Kesselring’s Tombstone
During his recent trip early this year, our old teacher, Mr. Justus Havelock visited the burial place of the Kesselrings. Mr. Havelock will of course be well remembered for his sports and singing prowess and as a remarkable Industrial Art teacher. The tombstone was found in a bad state of repair. Our Alumni Association initiated the move to carry out the repair work. The PTA contributed RM1,000 and the residual balance of the total cost of RM3,700 was shared equally between our Alumni and our School’s Board of Governors.
Reverend Kesselring was the last of the expatriate principals. He was succeeded by Mr. Teerath Ram. Those who were at school in 1957 and earlier will know him.
One of our Old Salts, Dr. Anthony Pun (Class of Form 5, 1962) has many reminiscence of the Reverend in his postings on school days in Ipoh ACS in IpohWorld.
2014 Alumni Dinner
Our annual Alumni Dinner is of course a key event. It provides a focus for our Ipoh ACS diaspora to converge after long years of separation to rekindle umpteen years of friendship. For the first time, the Class of 1985 is making a grand entrance taking 11 tables (usually 2 in past years) out of the 53 tables we have assembled for this August. They are out to surprise us by setting a benchmark for all to emulate if they can.
Dinner participants from outstation and overseas far outnumber the local resident bands of alumni.
Replicas of our school badges are on sale. Thanks to Jennifer Ng, our Hon. Secretary for her generous sponsorship. One hundred pieces have been sold prior to our Dinner. Only 200 pieces left. Please purchase them early. These are cherished momentosavailable for sale at only RM5 each.
A Fellowship Golf Game is organized for Friday, 1st August for those coming into town early. The organisers are planning for 8 flights. This is a dry run for a bigger event next year.
Come join in the fun. If you are keen and earnest, we are prepared to take in a table or two more.
Regards,
Lean Meng Seong
Alumni President
Monday, 28th July 2014