It had been a damp and most surreal morning. Amidst a pandemic that just won't go away, a group of about 20 people kept tradition alive by attending an almost normal Hutchings commemorative service at the old Protestant cemetery in Northam Road this morning. Of course, everyone were masks on and everyone kept their distances from one another. For once, there were no handshakes, no fist bumps and even no elbow bumps. But all the same, we acknowledged each other with nods of our heads and the pleasant conversations after that. Just like old friends would after long periods of not meeting face-to-face.
Seven o'clock was still dark as we all trooped along the gravel path in the cemetery before veering off right onto the grass to pick our way across the tree roots and broken/abandoned graves of forgotten, unnamed and unknown people, and arriving at a very familiar point: the grave of Robert Sparke Hutchings.
It is amazing that his grave still gets a visitation every year when his rested neighbours have all been largely ignored. Even the grave of Francis Light in the same cemetery, despite his eminence in Penang's history, is forgotten by society today. But then, Hutchings is not any ordinary resident of this historical cemetery. As the founder of Penang Free School and the person who lent his name to Hutchings Primary School and Hutchings Secondary School, he is well remembered by the schools every year on the 21st of October. But mainly Penang Main School.
Soon after we arrived at Hutchings' grave, Revd Ho Kong Eng conducted the first half of the service before handing control over to the new Archdeacon of St George's Church, Revd Dr Stephen Soe. It was all over within 17 minutes, including all the readings, observance of a moment's silence, laying of wreaths by the representatives of Penang Free School, Hutchings Secondary School and St George's Church, and finally, the singing of the anthems of both schools. Thereafter, the posing for photographs to end the morning's service.
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