Rumour has it that tenders have been invited for the erection of the new Victoria Institution. With even greater surprise we heard that once work has been started, the whole school can be completed in nine months!

Mr and Mrs Ambler have left Kuala Lumpur at the beginning of the term. Mr Redfearn has returned from home leave and has resumed duty as musketry instructor. Miss Eberwein is expecting to go on six months leave in the early part of September.

The Public Works Department has been doing great things for us this term. An endless procession of bullock-carts invaded the grounds. Day after day they came, bringing materials for repairing the badminton and tennis courts and the paths around the school.

On 17th March a meeting of the staff was held in the school hall for the purpose of presenting Doraikim (the senior school peon) with the seventy-eight dollars collected among the masters in recognition of his long period of service with the school (since 1895).

On Saturday 15th May a public meeting was held at the V.I. to form the Selangor Boy Scout Local Association. The meeting was chaired by the Hon. Mr H.W. Thomson, the British resident.

An entertainment was given in the school hall on May 31st by Mr. Prior and his party. Songs, dances and sketches were given, and these were very much enjoyed by the boys present.

The verandah of the Science Wing now has a number of animal cages for rearing rabbits, guinea pigs and pigeons used for dissection by the science classes.

On Tuesday May 19th, a party of S4 boys paid a visit to the Central Workshops with a view to furnish material for the magazine and were shown the entire works.

We understand that the toad, snail and cockroach population of Kuala Lumpur has noticeably dimished since our science classes started dissection.

Empire Day was observed on Monday, May 25th. The British Resident was received by the cadets, recruits and scouts with the rest of the school in the rear. After inspection, the parade marched down to the padang saluting the flag en route and formed three sides of a hollow square. After the late Earl Beatty's message had been read, the parade marched back to the school and was then dismissed for the day.

After the parade the main attraction was an Empire Stamps Exhibition in the Hall organized by Messrs G.G. McLeod and H.C. Chan.

Last Christmas the General Science Evening Class presented our Science Wing with a fine set of prints of portraits of eminent men of science.

Jaswant Singh, the School Captain and Lee Siew Choh, the School Vice-Captain, left the school in June on receiving scholarships to the Medical College in Singapore. Both were on the Editorial Board and Jaswant Singh was senior Under-Officer and Siew Choh the School Swimming Captain.

The botanical garden on the north side of the Science Wing is now taking shape, and a large number of beds and planting holes have been prepared in readiness for the next rainy season, when it is hoped to plant up most of this area.

Heartiest congratulations to Mr. Gorbex Singh, Anandarajah and Ya'acob who were chosen to represent Selangor against Malacca at cricket.

The school was represented at the King's Birthday parade on June 23rd on the Padang by a contingent of sixty selected cadets with Lt. G.G.L. McLeod in command.

The House sports came off on June 19th and 20th. Thamboosamy House were champion while Treacher were a close second. The appearance of each house team in its colours was striking, and the march-past at the end of the day created a favourable impression.

The School Sports were held in ideal weather and before a large gathering on July 3rd and 4th. Treacher House were champions followed closely by Thamboosamy, who were only 3 points behind.

This term we have had to bid farewell to Mr. F.L. Shaw B.A. (London) M.R.S.T., our popular and universally-liked headmaster. He goes on promotion to Johore Bharu as Acting Director of Education.

Mr F.L. Shaw was entertained on July 8th and 9th to two dinners given in his honour by the School Prefects and staff respectively. A flashlight photograph was taken with him by the prefects. Both dinners were held at the Great Eastern Hotel.

On July 6th the whole school had a photo taken with Mr Shaw. Then every class followed suit, the Indian, Chinese and Malay communities also each had a photo taken with the headmaster. The climax was reached when on July 10th a huge crowd of V.I. boys assembled at the K.L Railway Station and gave Mr Shaw a rousing send-off.

We take this opportunity to welcome Major J.B. Neilson, M.C., M.A.. (Oxon.), who is now our new headmaster.

On July 6th Mr Cyril Grenier, an enthusiastic Old Boy, presented Hussein with a bat for the highest individual score in an inter-school game and Hera Singh with a pair of gloves for the first half-century of the season.

We are glad to hear that R. Arulanandom, the first Victorian to win the Queen's Scholarship, has passed his B.A. with Honours at St. John's College, Cambridge. He is sitting for his second M.B. examination in October and will be attached to St. Bartholomew's Hospital London where he is to start clinical work.

On July 9th the Senior Cambridge Debating Society were guests of the Pudu English School at a mixed debate.

History was made when the Japanese surrender was signed in the School Hall on Thursday, 13th September, 1945. The school opened after the Japanese surrender at the Batu Road School on 22nd October 1945. We attended school in the afternoons. Five months later we shifted to Maxwell School where we held morning sessions.

Finally on September 9th, 1946, we returned to our own "School on the Hill".

We regret very much that Mr. Vallipuram has retired from service. He was the acting headmaster from October 1945 to August 1946 during the most difficult period of re-organisation. He has been with the school for over 40 years and we wish him all happiness in his retirement.

Mr. Ng Seo Buck then took over until Mr. Daniel arrived a few weeks later.

We regret very much to announce the deaths of Messrs Strahan, Reeve, Burgess, White, Tacchi and Grundy during the War. Mr. Thambirajah also died in his home at Weld Road in March 1943.

The news of the death of Mr. B.E. Shaw reached us only in November 1945. An assembly was called and Mr. Buck announced the sad news to the school who stood with bowed heads for two minutes in memory of the "Grand Old Man". The school was closed the rest of the afternoon as a mark of respect.

We are glad that Mr. C.E. Gates is safe after internment. He is now in England recuperating.

The Governor, Sir Edward Gent, visited us on 4th April, 1946, when we were at Maxwell School.

Victory day, 12th September, was celebrated at the V.I. when the boys staged an impromptu concert. Our visitor, Mr. Muir, Assistant Inspector of Schools, said it was "a jolly good show".

Mr. Ganga Singh returned on Monday 7th October, from India, where he has been teaching the last five years.

The Official Re-opening and the School's Golden Jubilee were celebrated on the 11th October, 1946, when the Governor, Sir Edward Gent, and H.H. the Sultan of Selangor, were present.

Most of our out-of-school activities have been limited this year. We have had no library, no debates and no meetings of our various societies.

The Cadet Corps was not re-organized but the scouts, though without uniform, have rendered services at the exhibition and on the Official Re-opening of the school.

During the last two weeks of the Third Term a House Tournament in hockey and football was run off. Yap Kwan Seng topped the football list to win easily with 21 out of a possible 24 points while Hepponstall proved themselves hockey champions.

The school hours have been revised. The new time is now 7.35 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. from Mondays to Thursdays and 7.35 a.m. to 12.40 p.m. on Fridays. There are no more Monday afternoon classes.

Wall mirrors have been installed in the lavatories at the request of the Students' Representative Council.

The Honourable Dato Sir Clough Thuraisingam, former Member for Education, Federation of Malaya, has presented a beautiful shield for an annual inter-school debate between the V.I. and MBS. The V.I. won the first debate held on February 24th.

Mr. S. Gurnell went on leave to the United Kingdom at the beginning of the year. Mrs M. Payne who had joined the staff quite recently also had to return to the U.K.

Mr. Lim Hock Han was awarded a scholarship by the Asia Foundation to the United States to study physical training and swimming.

A Society of Agriculture was formed in the School on 3rd February.

Siew Yow Chong, Boey Chee Kew, Lum Yun Kwai, Thong Kok Soon, Manjit Singh and Low Thin Fook have been awarded Colombo Plan Scholarships, the first three to New Zealand and the rest to Australia.

Monday and Tuesday, 20th and 21st February, were declared holidays for schools in Selangor in honour of the success of the Malayan Merdeka Mission.

Congratulations to Ooi Boon Teck for winning the Selangor Youth Week English Essay Contest.

We record with regret the death of Mr. E. H. (Peter) Wilson, Director of School Broadcasts and a former headmaster of the school.

The Cambridge School Certificate results arrived on March 5th. Out of 150 candidates, 31 passed in Division One, 43 in Division Two and 33 in Division 33. In the Higher School Certificate Examination, 10 out of 11 candidates passed.

The Annual festival of drama was held in the school hall on 5th and 6th March.

The winners of the Inter-form concert competition were Forms U6B1, U6A, L6B1, L6A, 5A, 5D, 4B, 4E, 3B, 2B, 2D, 1A and 1D. They will stage their items on Speech Day.

A week before Speech day the school suspended its ordinary lessons, everyone in the school being busy preparing for the Exhibition. The Speech day ceremony took place on March 28th.

The Mock Elections, sponsored by the Senior Literary and Debating Society were held on 17th May. The winner was Hamzah bin Majid with Alladin bin Hashim as the runner-up.

We hear that Oen Seng Fo, a former School Table Tennis Captain, led the Brinsford Malayan Teachers College table tennis team to victory in a league tournament in the United Kingdom.

A cross-country run, the first after the war, was held on the morning of 18th May. More than half the pupils attained standards.

The Students' Representative Council, which was inaugurated in 1952, was dissolved in May 1956.

The 54th Annual Athletic Sports meet was held on Wednesday 11th July and Saturday 14th July. It was the most colourful and the best meet so far in Selangor. Each House had built its own tent and a prize was awarded to Shaw House for the best decorated tent. A spectacular march past of athletes and all members of the various Houses wearing jerseys in the House colours began the opening ceremony. YKS won the Yap Futt Yew Trophy for athletics from Davidson House, which had held it for the last six years.

The Headmaster spoke his first words of Malay at the school assembly on 3rd August. His "Selamat Pagi" was reciprocated with great enthusiasm by the students as well as the staff.

The Society of Drama deserves to be congratulated for their successful annual production of Shakespeare's "A Comedy of Errors" which was staged at the Town Hall from 7th August to 11th August. It made a profit of eight hundred dollars after deducting all expenses.

Mr Lim Eng Thye and Miss J.I. Floyd attended a short course in biology at the University of Malaya during the holidays.

Mr J.P. Doraisamy spent six weeks in Singapore attending a seminar in economics at the University of Malaya.

The library is in the process of being renovated and air-conditioned. The work was originally estimated to cost twenty thousand dollars. The library is expected to be ready for occupation at the end of October. Meanwhile the Lower Six Arts room is being used temporarily as the library.

Work on the Sixth Form Block is progressing satisfactorily. The building will be completed in January 1957 but will not be fitted fully and ready for accommodation until May 1957. The animal house will be ready soon.

On October 31st the Schol was given a holiday in honour of the visit to Malaya of H.R.H.Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. In the afternoon, the boys from Form I, II, and III lined the route in front of the school padang during the Duke's State Drive.

Members of the Photographic Society will assist the Malayan Photographic Society at its annual exhibition to put up and take care of the entries which will be displayed at the Bristish Council Hall from November 9th to 12th.

10-14 January: Inter-Sixth Form Games. Won by Upper Sixth.

31 January: The school received the sad news of the death of Mr Richard Sidney, a former headmaster from 1923 to 1926. Mr Sidney succeeded Mr B.E. Shaw as the second Headmaster of the school. He was an active participant in the modernization of the school. He started the prefects system in 1923. Under his administration the school magazine, The Victorian, began publishing. Drama developed in V.I. under his aegis and the reputation of the V.I. Musical and Dramatic Society grew far and wide.

9-19 February: Inter-school Sixth Form games for the Dato' Rajasooria Shield. The V.I. was the Runner-up to St. Johns/Convent. The three schools competed in football, badminton, netball and debating.

11 March: Thamboosamy House won the finals of the Inter-House Science quiz.

The school soccer XI defeated the Malay College, Kuala Kangsar, 6-1, the widest margin ever, to win the annual Laksamana Cup competition.

The School Cricket XI retained the Alan D. Baker Shield when it defeated King George V School, Seremban. During the first term vacation, the school cricketeers went on a tour of Singapore. They played 6 matches and won 5, conceding one to a prominent team, the Singapore Recreation Club.

6 April: Speech Day, Concert and School Exhibition of pupils' work. The Guest of Honour was the Minister of Education, Enche Mohd. Khir Johari and his wife, Che Tom binte Abdul Rahman. After the prize giving there was a tea party in the quadrangle followed by a fashion show, featuring designs by a member of the staff, Mr. Derrick Row, who was also a well-known dress designer. A total number of 32 dresses were modelled by 17 mannequins.

In the school concert the VI staff sprang a surprise item by staging a parody of a classroom scene, in which they played rowdy pupils in a fictitious class, L6A3, while a real pupil, Vinayak Pradhan, played their fierce tyrannical teacher. To round off the day, there was a tattoo by the cadet band and the night ended perfectly with a fireworks display by the Science and Maths Society.

2-27 May: Qualifying Rounds were held for all Houses.

11 June: The 64th Annual Athletics Meet. The meet was declared open by the Chief Education Advisor, Mr. K. Arianayagam, an Old Boy. 23 records were broken and 3 equalled, this being a record in itself. YKS emerged as overall champion. The Victor Ludorum was Nah Seang Hoo.

26 June: In a fiercely contested competition, VI beat the Royal Military College by 11 points in their annual athletic meet.

In the Selangor Combined Schools Athletic Meet, the VI gained 18 golds, 9 silvers and 4 bronzes. Nine records were broken by our athletes and 2 equalled. The Class Two relay team clocked a new Malaysian School record of 44.1 seconds in the 4x100 metres relay finals.

Istiaq Ahmad was selected to represent Malaysia in athletics at the Asian games in Bangkok and won a bronze medal in the 110 metres hurdles event.

The school now has 29 holders of the Bronze Medallion for Life-saving. We also have 4 qualified instructors and the number will probably be increased by the end of the year.

25-27 July: The Sixth Form entrance exams were held for Fifth Formers.

The VI Cultural Society successfully staged "Arise O Youth", a play written by The Vice-President, Mr. E.N. Dorall.

The Civics Society organised a drive to collect magazines for hospitals. Its main activity, the Charity Campaign, realised a sum of $3,200. The money will be donated to the Selangor Cheshire Home, the Spastics Children Association, the Malaya Association for the Blind, the Malayan Association for the Prevention of TB and the Malayan Leprosy Relief Association.