A gathering of almost 100 was at the Tower Club on Friday 05 November 2004 for our first formal reunion since “Seniors’ Dinner” 25 years ago.  Among those present were 9 ex-teachers and several cohorts who flew in from Hong Kong, the U.S., Malaysia and China for the occasion. The lively atmosphere drowned the specially arranged 70s live music performance (yes, they were there!) and the convivial and animated conversations somehow obscured the splendid views from the 64^th floor of the Republic Plaza.

We would like to think that the class of 1979 was somewhat special. We won the obligatory Athletics and Swimming national titles, the rarer Cross-Country title, the numerous science, mathematics and band competitions, and thanks to Gordon Wong, the POSB savings competition.

Our vintage year number 2 President Scholars (Chan Shih Ping, Yeap Soon Leong), 2 SAF Overseas Scholars, a Rhodes scholar (Choy Khai Meng), an epoch-making neurosurgeon (Keith Goh), the ex-Chief of Navy (Lui Tuck Yew), the Head of Army Medical (Surya Kumar), the Senior Assistant Commissioner of the Police Force (Raja Kumar), ex-NMP, novelist and Chairman of a Statutory Board (Simon Tay), playwright (Ovidia Yu), Asian Games swimmer/neurologist (Yeo Tseng Tsai), newscaster, musician/songwriter/lawyer (Kevin Mathews), surgeons specialising in every part of the human anatomy (neurology, dental, ophthamology, radiology, gynaecology, gastro- enterology, oncology, colorectal), lawyers and legal counsels,  journalists, 3 pastors (Gordon Wong, Calvin Chong, Kow Shih Ming), 9 Professors (including one at Stanford and another at Southampton), 3 principals and vice-principals (Wai Yin Pryke, Doris Ho, Sharon Liat), 2 models, 3 Fighter Pilots, NDP Parade Commander (Cary Chen), URA Director of Planning (Michael Koh),  brand entrepreneur (Kim Faulkner), Islamic Affairs commentator (Farid Alatas), Singapore Youth Award winners (Ovidia Yu, Tan Tin Wee), numerous entrepreneurs/business-men/CEOs (Chiwi Lee – Lexington Trust, Colin Goei - Goldhill, Kee Kirk Chin - Apex Pharmarcy, Chan Wang Kin – Wee Poh etc.), early retirees and accomplished tai tais (privacy protected), and photography during the evening was courtesy of Russel Wong! 

A sprightly Mr Lim Choon Mong (LCM) started the evening with praises for ACJC students (did not hear this 25 years ago!); Mr Wan Fook Weng proudly acclaimed that 4 out of the 8 recent Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award nominees came from ACS/ACJC, including the eventual winner. And, Mr Lenn Wei Ling quipped that teaching was a lucrative profession for the free dinners at the numerous reunions he had to attend.

Zahara Lateef was the lovely and engaging MC, who helped the evening along (explaining how she, as a Katong Convent girl, was advised by a family friend, none other than the late Mr. Lim Peng Ann, to go to a serious JC like ACJC, verbatim). Tan Ming Jen reminisced how ACJC has always been pushing the envelope and ahead of the times even then: what with “study less, learn more”, “outsourcing” of homework, and the presence of casinos and R(A) movies even back in the late 70s. Simon Tay counted only 5 couples from the cohort, but only 2 dating at the time (were the boys so undesirable or immature then?).  He went on to pay tribute to the girls (who had to overcome additional odds in their studies, viz. the boys), the proud art and music traditions at ACJC (in particular the late Gnanasekaran who was the lead in Grease the musical, then), and his friends who have somehow turned out respectable. Raja Kumar (Director of Police Intelligence) documented the many misdeeds already happening in 1978 and 1979, as part of his early intelligence gathering.  Some, of course, have moved on, to be MD of Novartis (Linda Seah), President of Motorola (Jeffery Tan), Director at Raffles Medical (Yii Hee Seng), GM HP (Bernard Chan), and even an independent filmmaker and club impresario (David Chin).

Wai Yin Pryke (now Principal of a rugby wannabe school at Potong Pasir), a teaching scholar and who subsequently also taught at ACJC, confessed to having come from an unmentionable girls school in Anderson Road, and shared her shock and life-changing experiences when she first arrived at ACJC as an ingénue – (was it the well-mannered boys and hardworking atmosphere then that prepared her for her present job?).  Then, Ovidia Yu and Chan Shih Ping together made a public confession that had even new-borns blushing. Teoh Tiong Ann (VP ACSOBA) ended by announcing the establishment of a fund for ex-teachers, and led in the singing of the anthem together with Kevin Mathews and Lim Han Yong.

The 50^th Reunion is scheduled for 2029!  Hopefully we will be a bit more grown up by then.