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Mr Chan Siew Jiang
(1903 – 2005)
…. a jolly good teacher that
nobody can deny!
 The
legendary former ACS teacher and Headmaster, Mr Chan Siew Jiang,
passed away on 23 August 2005 at a glorious and ripe age of 102.
Besides his bereaved family members, relatives and church friends,
scores of ACSians turned up to pay their last respects at his funeral
held at the Mandai Crematorium on 27 August. As ACS played such an
important part of Mr Chan’s life, the ACS Anthem was sung before he
was cremated. It was absolutely touching. There were tears, when
emotions of love and respect intermingled with lots of memories of the
one who so dearly loved his Lord and Master, and the ACS.
Pre and post war students would fondly remember Mr Chan best. His
dynamic sense of dedication, his inimitable signature style of
teaching and his integrity were all significant hallmarks that made
him the crème de la crème. He was that outstanding that no nickname
was given to him during his remarkable and illustrious teaching career
spanning almost 40 years. Nicknames for students and teachers alike
were then a normal phenomenon in ACS. For Mr Chan, in class or on the
playing field, students always addressed him as “Sir” automatically.
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Mr Chan
at a Class of 51 Reunion |
What
were the notable attributes and sterling qualities that earned Mr Chan
that aura of respectability? Plenty, and wisdom, courage, humility,
patience, persistence and above all the Grace of God were among them.
Mr
Chan was a no nonsense and dedicated teacher who taught generations of
students. Among the many he helped to develop their potential were
outstanding leaders like Dr Goh Keng Swee (former Deputy Prime Minister
of Singapore), Mr Lim Kim San (former Cabinet Minister) and Dr Richard
Hu (former Finance Minister), and scores of other successful
businessmen, bankers and professionals; he also inspired many to join
the teaching profession.
Mr
Chan also contributed much to sports in ACS. As the inspiring Sports
Secretary from 1932 to 1951, he developed his unique brand of training.
His methodology worked wonders and made champions out of ordinary
schoolboys, among whom were Abdul Rahman (1933), A Sankaran (1934), Low
Ah Kan (1935), A Razak (1936), Thoeng Joeng Pong (1937-38), Yeo Choon
Bee (1939), Edwin Doraisamy (1940), Yeo Choon Seng (1941), M
Balasubramaniam (1948-49), Chan Onn Leng (1950) and Daniel Sng (1951).
Mr
Chan’s crowning glory and perhaps his most remarkable achievement was
the role he played in the acquisition of the coveted Sir Arthur Young
Trophy for the 4 x 110 yards Inter-School Invitation Relay. He trained
and inspired the ACS team to win this trophy for three years in
succession, a feat that allowed ACS to keep the prestigious trophy for
good. Not bad for a school without a decent sports field.
It
is hoped that some day an ACSian will take up the challenge to produce a
biography of Mr Chan Siew Jiang. Such a publication will not only
reflect the true spirit of ACS, but will also surely inspire others to
be equally good in the noble teaching profession.
We
need more teachers like Mr Chan Siew Jiang!
The
Best Is Yet To Be!
Sng Cheok Kye
Class of 1951 |
