The Light-Hutchings connection

Since 1948, the Prefects of Penang Free School have attended an annual commemorative service at the grave of Robert Sparke Hutchings in the old Protestant Cemetery along Northam Road. The tradition was started by Dennis Roper, who was the headmaster of the school at the time, and it continues to this day.

Normally, once the service is over, that's about all the formal activity at the cemetery. There would be the usual photography sessions, with the schoolboys and prefects getting to know some of their Old Frees seniors, before everyone headed back to the school for Speech Day. But this year, things were a little different. There was time to spare because Speech Day had already been held on the first of October. There was no rush.

After the service, I brought the boys and the Old Frees along to see the grave of Francis Light, which was only a stone's throw away from Hutchings' resting place. From their reactions, I could tell that almost everyone had never seen Light's grave before, not even known that he was buried there. Well, there's a first time for everything, I suppose!

Will I show the grave to next year's batch of Prefects as well? That will depend on whether I can drag myself out of my warm bed early enough next October. Let's see how things go.

Anyway, while we were there, I posed a question to the boys and the Old Frees. What is the one surprising fact that connects Francis Light and Robert Sparke Hutchings, even though the two men never met each other? Light died in 1794, while Hutchings arrived in Penang in 1814, a gap of 20 years. What connects them?

OFA annual dinner 2026

I've attended so many OFA annual dinners that I've long stopped counting them. In the early days, the dinners were held at the club premises, first in Leith Street, then Hutton Lane, Mandalay Road and finally Northam Road, until this latest clubhouse was renovated in 1997. Since then, the dinners have been held elsewhere, usually in hotels with big ballrooms, although restaurants have also been used once or twice. For the past several years, St Giles Wembley has become the venue of choice.

Last Tuesday, the 103rd OFA annual dinner was held there, and I attended with five other mates from my batch in Penang Free School. I had hoped more of our old schoolmates would sign up, but that wasn't to be. They all had their own reasons, of course. Still, with those of us from the 1970 Form Five and 1972 Form Six batches getting on in years, I thought this would have been a good opportunity for more of us to get together again for old times' sake. Better response next year, perhaps?

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this year's dinner, catching up with these mates and bumping into many more old farts along the way. At our age, there's always plenty of pleasantries to share and talk about, even if we sometimes have to remind one another of names and events from years gone by. Never mind. That's part of the fun of meeting up again. Some of my personal pictures follow below.

Dr Amir Shah, Ivan Ooi, Dr PP Shah and Dr Choong Sim Poey

See Swee Sie (present PCA President) and Dr Choong Sim Poey (former PCA President)

Penang Free School Prefects

My batch mates

My chess kakis

Miss Asia Global 2026 brought dozens of beauty contestants from multiple countries to Penang this week, and they chose to introduce themselves at our OFA annual dinner. I had bumped into five or six of them earlier when they squeezed into the hotel lift. As I left on the 10th floor, I gave them a bye-bye and said, "Too bad, we can't follow you up to the 26th floor."

Triangular chess match

Only the second year that the OFA-OXA-MBSU triangular games had included chess but we're quite happy to have won it this time. Last year was a disappointment because we had only managed the second spot. This time, we made sure to have our reinforcements ready: a line-up that included Chern Ee, Ronnie and Jonathan. Plus, a steady back-up from Ing Kiat, Thean Keat and Kah Poh ensured we would take full points from the Old Xavierians' Association and the Methodist Boys' School Union. There's more of what I want to say about the triangular games but I'd rather prefer to show these pictures below to commemorate the event.

Constipated

I quite enjoyed a medical talk which The Old Frees' Association organised last Friday. Found it quite practical with easy-to-understand information on some common health issues. About 50 to 60 people attended, and we listened to four doctors from Aptus Surgery & Specialist Centre, namely, Dr Ong Hean Teik, Dr Lim Su Sian, Dr Cathy Heng and Dr Sabrina Jane Dass.

One of the segments was Dr Cathy Heng's presentation on the colon, particularly constipation. She began by asking how many people in the audience were constipated and invited us to raise our hands. Only one person responded. I suspect there were others who weren't quite prepared to own up, given that this isn't exactly the sort of subject we normally discuss in public.

But Dr Cathy made the point that constipation isn't simply about whether we pass motion every day. Some people go more than once a day while others may go only a few times a week. What matters is whether this is normal for us and whether we experience difficulty or discomfort. She also reminded us to pay attention to persistent changes in our bowel habits, particularly if accompanied by blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss or other worrying symptoms. These shouldn't be dismissed, as they could be signs of something more serious, including colorectal cancer.

Another point she made was about keeping our colon healthy through sensible eating and regular exercise. Eating more fibre, drinking enough water and staying active are simple measures, but they are easy to neglect in our daily lives. I particularly liked her comparison of exercise to putting money into a savings account. We save for a rainy day, and in much the same way, maintaining our muscles gives us a reserve to draw on when we grow older or when illness or an accident leaves us less active.

It was a useful reminder that looking after our health doesn't always require complicated measures. Sometimes, it begins with paying attention to what our bodies are telling us and doing the ordinary things consistently.

Ronnie's 27-0 score

Old Free FIDE Master Dr Ronnie Lim, the Malaysian National Chess Champion in 2001, scored a clean sweep of 27 games at the first simultaneous chess exhibition organised by the Chess Section of The Old Frees' Association today. His opponents comprised OFA members, their children and grandchildren, as well as members of the Penang Free School chess team. 

Before play began, I had the privilege of saying a few words as chief arbiter. I welcomed the participants and expressed the hope that they would make full use of the occasion. A simultaneous exhibition is not really about trying to beat the master, although if someone does manage it, we'll probably be hearing about it for years to come. The real value lies in watching how a strong player thinks, learning from the experience and, above all, enjoying the game. 

I also thanked those who had made the afternoon possible. The idea had come from OFA Secretary Han Boon, and among the senior chess members our response was simply, "Why not?" With the help of Han Boon and fellow Chess Section members Tay Aik, Terry and Anthony, the idea gradually took shape. Hopefully, this will be the first of many such activities.

It also gave me the opportunity to say a little about the history of chess within The Old Frees' Association. Our involvement goes back to around 1991 or 1992, when I managed to assemble a team of eight Old Frees to compete in the Penang Chess League. That modest beginning eventually grew into more than three decades of regular participation in team tournaments around the state and in the annual Merdeka Team Chess Championship in Kuala Lumpur.

Over the years, more and more Old Frees became involved, not just as players but also as organisers and arbiters. Today, we have at least 30 members who have contributed to chess at state, national and even international level. Among them are state champions, national champions, FIDE Masters and three accredited International Arbiters. At one point during my introduction, I acknowledged fellow International Arbiter Tan Kai Ming, who was present with his grandson, one of Ronnie's challengers that afternoon.

Introducing Ronnie himself was perhaps the easiest part. I've known him since the mid-1990s when he was still a schoolboy at Penang Free School, representing the school in the Penang Chess League. Even then, it was obvious that he possessed exceptional talent. By that stage he had already been playing for several years, having taken up chess while still in primary school, and before long he was winning age-group championships around the country.

I briefly ran through some of his achievements: Malaysian National Champion in 2001, multiple national age-group champion, MSSM Under-12 champion, ASEAN Under-18 bronze medallist, SEA Games bronze medallist, two-time Penang Closed Champion, Royal Selangor Open champion, FIDE Master with a peak rating of 2349 and, away from the chessboard, a consultant radiologist by profession.

The simultaneous exhibition eventually stretched over three hours and 40 minutes. At the start, everything happened at breakneck speed. Ronnie moved briskly from board to board, making his opening moves almost without breaking stride, while his challengers scrambled to keep up. But as the middlegames began to develop and complications arose on virtually every board, his pace inevitably slowed. 

After about an hour and a half, only five games had been decided. The remaining boards were still full of life, with players hanging on stubbornly and trying to find ways to make life difficult for the master. Gradually, however, experience began to tell. One after another, Ronnie's opponents were forced to resign.

As the number of games dwindled, the pace picked up again. During the final hour, only five or six boards remained in play, allowing Ronnie to devote much more time to each position. The last player standing was Chan Kah Poh, whose steady, solid game proved surprisingly difficult to crack. As is customary in simultaneous exhibitions, once only a single game remained, a chess clock was introduced so that the contest could proceed under normal tournament conditions. In the end, Ronnie's greater experience prevailed, bringing an end to what had been an absorbing afternoon of chess.

Afterwards, Ronnie admitted that about four or five players had given him genuine problems before he gradually gained the upper hand. What surprised me even more was when he quietly confided that this had been the very first simultaneous exhibition of his life. Considering how effortlessly he had moved from board to board, calmly keeping track of 27 games at once, I would never have guessed it. Having defeated all 27 challengers at his first attempt, he could hardly have asked for a better introduction to this unique form of chess.

There was a completely unexpected moment that made the day especially memorable for me. When I invited Ronnie to say a few words before the exhibition started, he looked across at me and remarked that he had first become interested in chess after reading my newspaper chess columns when he was in Standard Four. I must confess that caught me completely by surprise. One never really knows whether one's writing has influenced anyone. To hear that it had played a small part in inspiring someone who would later become one of Malaysia's strongest players was deeply gratifying.

Watching Ronnie move calmly from board to board while children, parents and grandparents all concentrated over their games, I couldn't help thinking that this was exactly the sort of activity the Association should be organising more often. Chess has a wonderful way of bringing generations together. Judging by the smiles around the hall, I suspect this first simultaneous exhibition won't be our last.

SG Lim's run for cancer

There was a huge charity event at Penang Free School yesterday and, much as I would have liked to be there, I had to give it a regrettable miss. Not through any lack of interest, but because several weeks earlier, long before details of the event had been finalised, my brother-in-law from Singapore had already arranged to return home with his family for a visit. Family took priority as rare reunions, like this particular one, are not something I can postpone lightly.

Still, I followed developments from afar because this was no ordinary event. It marked the conclusion of Old Free Lim Shyang Guey's remarkable Run for Gold journey, which was a 2,200-kilometre run (actual distance covered was 2,390 kilometres) across Peninsular Malaysia to raise awareness and funds for children battling cancer.

Better known now as SG Lim, the Class of 1975 (Form Five) alumnus began his journey on the 28th of March from the National Cancer Society Malaysia's Home of Hope in Penang. Over the next 86 days, he ran north to Perlis, crossed to Kelantan, travelled down the east coast to Johor and then turned north again along the west coast before returning home to Penang.

The final stage took him on an 82-kilometre route around the island, passing through Teluk Bahang, Balik Pulau, Batu Maung, Jelutong and George Town before he crossed the finish line at his alma mater, Penang Free School, one day before his 67th birthday.

There was something fitting about that ending. The journey had begun in Penang and it ended where another journey had started many years earlier at the school that helped shape him.

More than 150 teachers and present pupils of the school were among the several hundreds gathered to welcome him home, alongside family members, former schoolmates, supporters, volunteers and well-wishers that included Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Penang Island City Council Mayor Rajendran P Anthony. Standing before the crowd at the finish line, SG Lim looked skyward and spoke words that had carried him through the entire journey. "Firstly, my darling, we made it." 

The tribute was to his late wife, Goh Joo Lee, who passed away from gallbladder cancer in August 2024 at the age of 63. The couple had once dreamed of travelling around Peninsular Malaysia together on foot after retirement. After losing her, Lim transformed that shared dream into a mission with a different purpose.

"We had wanted to walk around Malaysia together, every state," he said. "But I did not get to do it with my wife. She was there all along with me. Yes, we made it."

At its heart, Run for Gold was never really about running. The name itself comes from the gold ribbon, the international symbol of childhood cancer awareness. As Lim explained, "It's for the children. Children with cancer. That's why it's Run for Gold. I am running for the children. I don't need any more gold." 

Along the way, he covered between 25 and 35 kilometres a day, staying mostly in homestays and shared accommodation, meeting families affected by cancer and listening to their stories. The journey also formed part of the torch relay for Relay for Life Malaysia 2026 which carried a message of hope and solidarity from community to community.

The campaign had initially aimed to raise RM600,000 for the National Cancer Society Malaysia. By the time he crossed the finish line, donations had already exceeded RM775,000, with funds earmarked for childhood cancer support services, including the Home of Hope programme, psychosocial care and survivorship initiatives.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who welcomed SG Lim home at Penang Free School and announced a further RM50,000 contribution from the state government, perhaps summed up the significance of the occasion best.

"SG Lim's 2,200km Run for Gold journey across Peninsular Malaysia is far more than an extraordinary feat of endurance; it is a powerful story of love, resilience and hope. Every step he took carried a message of encouragement for children battling cancer and their families, inspiring Malaysians from all walks of life to come together for a meaningful cause."

The Chief Minister also spoke movingly of the personal sacrifice behind the journey. "Dedicated to the memory of his late wife, Joo Lee, SG Lim transformed grief into hope, raising more than RM700,000 for the National Cancer Society Malaysia and proving that one person can make a profound difference."

What SG Lim accomplished over those 86 days was not measured simply in kilometres covered or funds raised. It was measured in something less tangible but perhaps more important: one person's determination and compassion that brought people together.

As Old Frees, we often speak about the values our school tries to instil: service, perseverance and concern for others. SG Lim embodied all of these qualities. In recognition of his remarkable achievement and service to the community, he was presented with Life Memberships of the The Old Frees' Association and the Old Frees' Association Kuala Lumpur & Selangor.

And there is something more. While grief has a way of turning people inward, here was a man who chose to transform personal loss into an act of generosity that will help children and families facing challenges far greater than his own.

Long meeting

It’s been a long time since I sat through a proper long-winded annual general meeting. The last one I can remember was sometime in the 1990s when one of The Old Frees' Association AGMs dragged right through lunch and only wrapped up around 3pm. That one started at 10 in the morning and felt like a marathon back then. Yesterday’s made that look almost brisk.

The OFA AGM started more or less on time, but by the time I got up and left at 4.15pm, it was still going. The main reason, of course, was the elections. This year wasn’t the usual quiet affair. There was a serious, organised challenge for nine of the 11 Management Committee seats. The challengers called themselves the Fidelis Team, and they didn’t just turn up, they came ready to contest.

More than that, they managed to stir something. Members turned up in numbers that were not often seen. The newly renovated multi-purpose hall was packed, 238 voting members, which must be close to a record. Could feel the energy in the room, though it wasn’t always clear which way it was leaning. Questions came thick and fast, some of them quite uncomfortable, and the committee had to work hard for their answers. At certain points, I genuinely couldn’t tell whether the floor was swinging towards the incumbents or the challengers.

Running alongside all this was another flashpoint. The management committee had tabled five resolutions to amend the OFA Constitution or introduce a new project, one of them calling for the establishment of a private English school. They sounded straight-forward on paper, but on the day, it didn’t quite square with the members. Four of the resolutions were either withdrawn by the committee or firmly rejected by the floor. The one that did go to a vote couldn’t clear the two-thirds majority required, so that fell through as well. In the end, all five went nowhere, which probably added to the sense that the meeting was pulling in different directions at once.

When time came to vote for the new management committee, things slowed to a crawl. Ballot papers didn’t just get handed out, either the members' names or membership numbers, or both, were called out one by one. This process took ages. People milled around, chatted, drifted in and out. Lunch came and went, and counting started somewhere else in the building while we waited.

After the break, the hall was noticeably thinner. Maybe a quarter of the members came back, and even then, people gradually slipped away when it became obvious the results weren’t coming anytime soon. Word filtered back that the voting was extremely close; close enough to require recounts to keep both sides satisfied.

By then, I’d had enough. Six hours had passed since the chairman called the meeting to order, and it didn’t feel like the end was anywhere in sight. At 4.15pm, I joined the silent, trickling stream heading for the exit. It was long enough for me. More than long enough, actually.

And now that the election results are finally known, there’s not much point dwelling on who backed which side. It was clearly a close contest, and the turnout showed that members do care about where the OFA is heading. That’s a good thing.

What matters now is what happens next. Both sides need to close ranks and get on with the job. Many of the issues raised during the meeting aren’t going away, and neither are the expectations that came with such a strong turnout. If anything, the pressure is now on the new committee to show they can work together, settle the noise, and make steady, practical progress. No grand gestures needed. Just get the job done properly.

UPDATE: Oops, in my haste I forgot to mention the results. Alex Tan Hee Aik retained his President's position by beating Lim Wee Seong by a healthy margin which means to say that the members weren't totally convinced about the changes he proposed to make to the OFA. Daniel Ho also retained his Vice-President's position ahead of Allen Choong. However, Shannon Ong lost out to Ananth a/l Balakrishnan for the other Vice-President's post. The new Secretary is Low Han Boon who deposed Henry Ooi, Darvind a/l Kalimuthu beat Ivan Teoh to retain the Treasurer's position, Louis Loo is the new Indoor Games Chairman, Sharil bin Abdul Shukor the new Communications Chairman, Jarrod Yeoh the new Social Activities Chairman and Andrew Tan the new Membership* Chairman. Lukkman Hakim and Ezuan Ghazali sailed through unopposed as the Sports Chairman and Library Chairman** respectively. 

Now that the dust has settled and I see that the new management committee comprises people from both teams, my wish is for all of them to close ranks and work together for The Old Frees' Association. At the end of the day, we are one family. In this respect, I shall want to borrow the motto of the World Chess Federation to emphasise this: Gens Una Summus.

* Membership, Human Resource Development and Safety & Security
** Library, Archives and OFA Sesquicentenary Education Fund

CNY dinner at OFA

I was a little late attending the Chinese New Year dinner and get-together at The Old Frees' Association last Saturday because of a huge traffic congestion in the heritage zone of George Town due to the annual miaohui celebrations. 

By the time I arrived at the OFA, the fire crackers were over and all that remained was a carpet of red in the car park. But I wasn't late for the gathering or the prolonged lion dance performance. 

I also got RM10 back in a red packet that every attending OFA member was given. So effectively, my dinner cost only RM10 net. For those who consumed the beer or stout, they had practically covered their cost back, and for those who did not drink, even the food itself was wide and varied enough to make it worth the while to attend. 

But food was secondary. The main reason I signed up for this get-together was to meet up with old friends. Even though Sanan was the only old friend from my batch in school, it was good to catch up. Several of my chess friends were there too. Then of course, the other non-chess friends whoms I've known through the years. A great moment to catch up with all of them! I had to leave to eight o'clock and thus, missed out on the last item for the night which was the fireworks display. 

I'm sure it was brilliant, but I had to leave for the heritage area to meet my daughter as we were going home together. While walking the streets, bumped into several friends as well. After all, the George Town core heritage zone is such a compact place....