Friday 16 August 2024

Another reunion coming up!

This is an old picture from the 1990s, taken after Ban Hin Lee Bank had moved from downtown Beach Street to the multi-storey building on Northam Road. The podium block had four storeys, with the entire third level occupied by the Information Technology Department. From this floor, the view overlooking the main road and the old mansions on the opposite side was outstanding...we were positioned high enough to get an elevated view as life (and the traffic) passed by below us. I was with the Systems and Quality Control Department at the time, which took up about a third of the overall floor space. My unit was responsible for reviewing the bank's operations manuals and coordinating the implementation of new services that required practical testing of the computer systems. This was one of the very few photos we took back then. It’s quite blurry and fuzzy, and I can barely make out the faces of some of my former colleagues.

But never mind, there’ll be a chance for us to take fresh pictures, nearly three decades later, when we meet at the Mercure Hotel in Tanjong Bungah on the 9th of November for an Ex-BHL ITD Gathering. That’s what they’re calling it. The organising committee told me they've managed to compile a list of more than 150 people who worked in the ITD Division over the years. For the past month or two, they’ve been hard at work reaching out to all these former colleagues, encouraging them to join the gathering. The latest update is that 77 of us will be attending the dinner. A few are bringing their spouses. Not a bad turnout, really, considering that the bank ceased to exist 24 years ago and everyone had gone their separate ways. But for this reunion, we even have someone making the trip from Singapore! It’ll be great to meet again…



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