PORT DICKSON, Sounds of laughter, excited chatter and live music emanated from the restaurant as former schoolmates of King George V secondary school, now known as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) KGV, gathered to reminisce old times.
This batch of Georgians left the school 50 years ago after completing Upper Sixth to pursue their dreams and chart their careers and lives.
Some are seeing their classmates for the first time since leaving school, with most of them retirees, staying home attending to their grandchildren, but some are still active in their chosen fields.
Among the attendees at the Jubilee celebration are a former ambassador to the Netherlands, Datuk Fauziah Mohd Taib, former senator Datuk Mohammed Najeeb Abdullah, former Affin Hwang Asset Management Sdn Bhd adviser Datuk Mohamad Ayob Abu Hassan and former Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Aziyah Mohamed.
The list goes on and they include teachers, professors, engineers, doctors, a dentist, a banker, an ex-broadcast journalist who had worked in Hong Kong for three decades, entrepreneurs, an IBM executive, and the secretary general of the Sabah Employers’ Association.
"This reunion is very important to us Georgians, both from the Arts and Science streams, because it was nearly 50 years ago when we left school. Of course, most of us have already retired,” said Fauziah, the KGV Class of 1973 Reunion Committee chairman to the Bernama at the event recently.
A “blue-blooded Georgian”, having studied in KGV since Standard One, Fauziah said the gathering would be an especially memorable one for her.
" I was deeply touched when we planned this reunion, many attended, one even coming from Sabah. We were all very happy to meet and chat,” she said, adding that what was more significant was that the reunion was held in the same year KGV School celebrated it's 100-year anniversary.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Najeeb said the gathering with KGV friends brought back many fond memories.
He said he was proud that many of his classmates had made good on their careers, with some holding high positions in both the public and private sectors.
Mohammed Najeeb who has had some 35 years’ experience in both conventional and Islamic banking, said he was also happy that most of his old friends were still healthy and active.
"When we reach the age of 70, we need to take care of our diet. Exercise is a must. Events like this reunion will ensure that we stay connected. Reading and socialising are great ways to keep ourselves active," he added.
Headboy of Class ‘73, Mamman George, who is an engineer, said it was such a rare treat to get together with so many friends, to get reacquainted and relive memories made 50 years ago.
“It was also good to acknowledge that we learned much from good teachers who invested much in our young lives. We learned what it was like to work hard and play fair together. We also learned from each other - teamwork and mutual respect, lessons that have helped us go on in the future we created in so many diverse fields,” he added.
To start off the event, the alumni sang the KGV school anthem with gusto and perused old black and white school photos that were stuck on surrounding walls. There were also lucky draws to enliven the event.
The Georgians were also treated to a slide show, which portrayed their younger self and what they looked like now. This sparked laughter.
SMK KGV is renowned for producing prominent figures, from top government officials to entrepreneurs and leaders of calibre. KGV was named after the then King of England, King George V.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency