his record lists those who, at the time of writing, are known
to have excelled significantly, through personal effort, in their
fields of endeavour, and who have been recognised as such by their
peers. Of course, there are many more high achievers among the
scouts. There are many V.I. scholars amongst the scouts including
the first Lewis Scholar Khoo Choong Keow (2nd KL), and many
Treacher and Rodger Scholars. Other Queen's Scholars were Rodney
Lam of the Second Selangor Group and Dr Tharmaratnam s/o Arumugam,
a King Scout. Many scouts, too, have entered prestigious
universities like Cambridge, Oxford and M.I.T. Others have
succeeded in the corporate world like 2nd KL King Scouts,
Ashok Kumar (Vice-President of Operations Planning, Malaysia
Airlines) and Wong Siew Hai (General Manager of Intel, Penang).
To compile a list that does justice to all achievements would
indeed require a comprehensive compendium, and this list is
necessarily selective, though hopefully not irrationally so.
Nonetheless, it is noted that the list is not a static list.
In fact, the list ends with scouts from the 1960's. We can
envisage that in due course, this list will certainly have
to be expanded especially as many scouts of the 1970's, 1980's
and so on will make their mark. So keep watching!
Yong Shook Lin
Yong Shook Lin was in the original list of scouts submitted by Mr Shaw to the London Headquarters in 1910. Shook Lin was Rodger Scholar for 1911. After the V.I., he pursued his studies at the University of Cambridge. Upon his return, he became very active in the local political and legal scene. In the political arena, he was a member of the Federated Malay States Council and also a member of both the Federal Legislative Council and the Selangor State Council until the time of his death in 1955. He was the founding Secretary of the Malaysian Chinese Association (M.C.A.), a post he held for two election terms, 1949 and 1951. In the legal scene, Yong Shook Lin was the first local Chinese to be admitted to the Bar of the old F.M.S. He founded the law firm, Messrs Yong Shook Lin in 1918. In 1938, Mr Tan Teow Bok, a graduate of Oxford University, became a partner of the firm, thus giving the law firm its present famous name, Shook Lin and Bok. Yong Shook Lin's son, Yong Pung How, was also a Victorian (class of 1940), a Cambridge graduate and has been the Chief Justice of Singapore since 1990.
Dato Loke Wan Tho
Born on 14 June 1915, he was a brilliant student of the V.I. academically and extra-murally. He was a Patrol Leader of the Second Selangor Scout group (winning the inaugural Mrs Loke Yew Inter-Patrol Challenge Cup in the process), and when the four V.I. troops merged, he became a Patrol Leader in the First Selangor Scout group. He entered the University of Cambridge in 1933 and graduated in 1936 with a degree in English Literature. After that, he spent two years at the London School of Economics. His subsequent business empire was well-known. He controlled a number of companies, especially in the film industry. He was Chairman of Cathay Organisation for nine years, Chairman of Malayan Airways and one of the Pro-Councillors of the University of Malaya. In spite of his busy schedule, he also indulged in different hobbies. He was an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and the Photographic Society of America. Ornithology was also one of his interests. Above all, he was renowned as a generous benefactor, and his Alma Mater was a lucky recipient many a time. Dato Loke and his wife died in an air crash in Taiwan in 1964.
Dr Lee Siew Choh
Born in 1917, Dr Lee was an outstanding scholar and sportsman in the V.I. from 1931 to 1936. He was Treacher Scholar in 1933 and Rodger Scholar in 1934. On the sporting field he was an athlete, played rugby and swam for the school. He was a Scout, the School Vice-Captain, School Swimming Captain, Hepponstall House Vice-Captain, and House Swimming Captain. At Medical College in Singapore he was the College Rugby Captain for 7 years, set a hundred yard record, and obtained a distinction in his medical studies. He was the Asian All-Blues Rugby Captain in 1949. Entering Singapore politics, Dr Lee won a seat at the 1959 Legislative Assembly Elections and, a year later, became Parliamentary Secretary to the Home Affairs Ministry. The following year, he and 13 other MPs left the People's Action Party to form the Barisan Sosialis which Dr Lee led in the 1963 election to win 13 of 51 seats. As Opposition Leader, he was a man of strong convictions, noted for his long, fiery speeches, often delivered off the cuff. He held the record for the longest speech in the Singapore Parliament - over seven hours - during the 1961 debate on Singapore's proposed merger with Malaya. In 1988, the Barisan was merged with the Workers' Party and Dr Lee contested as a WP candidate. As one of the top losers in the polls, he became Singapore's first Non-Constituency MP. Dr Lee retired from politics in 1991 and passed away in 2002.
Tun Ismail Mohd Ali
He joined the V.I. in 1931 and won the Queens Scholarship in 1937. Whilst at the V.I., Tun Ismail was the Troop Leader of the Second Selangor Group. After earning the Queen s Scholarship, in 1938 he set sail for England, to study Economics at Cambridge University. After graduating with Economics, he studied Law at one of the Inns of Court. During the war, he worked with the BBC Far Eastern Service, and his voice was a source of comfort to many Malayans far away from home. After the war, he ascended the political and economic ranks rapidly, becoming the Economic Minister for Malaya in the Embassy at Washington D.C. in 1958. In that time, he was also an Executive Director of the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (currently the IMF and World Bank). Upon his return to Malaya in 1960, he became the Deputy Governor of Bank Negara, and two years later, he became the Governor, a post he held until 1980. Between 1978 and 1996, he was also Chairman of Permodalan Nasional Berhad, which runs Amanah Saham Bumiputera and Amanah Saham Nasional, the nation's most profitable unit trust schemes. For some time, Tun Ismail was also Chairman of Sime Darby Bhd. He never forgot his old school, as he sat on the Board of Governors for many years.
Dato Dr Keshmahinder Singh
Dr Keshmahinder was a Patrol Leader in the school. In the Scout Notes for the 1939 Victorian magazine, it is recorded that Dr Keshmahinder was the patrol leader appointed to be examiner and instructor for the Second Class Test of "Compass". Dr Keshmahinder later became a surgeon and is reputed as one of Malaysia s best eye surgeons, even to this day. In acknowledgement of his contribution to the medical profession, he was made president of the Malaysian Medical Association for 1970. He is also a fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Malaysia; a body which includes in its ranks eminent ex-Victorians like Dr F.R. Bhupalan, Dato Dr. R.S. McCoy, Dato' Dr M. Jegathesan and Professor Looi Lai Meng. Dr Keshmahinder has also been very active in social circles. He was the founding president (1972) of Balai Ikhtisas Malaysia (Malaysian Professional Centre), a body which unites different professional groups such as the Institute of Engineers, the Malaysian Medical Association and Bar Council of Malaysia. Dr Keshmahinder was also active in the Rotary Club, becoming president of the Kuala Lumpur Diraja chapter in 1966-1967 and later becoming the president of the Rotary Club, Malaysia in 1982-1983.
Tan Sri Dato Dr Abdul Majid Ismail
Coming from humble beginnings in small kampung house in Kampung Bharu, and even being afflicted by a severe illness that left him bed-ridden for months while still at school, Tan Sri Majid's subsequent rise to eminence was phenomenal. He studied at the V.I. between 1936 and 1939, narrowly missing out on the Rodger Medal in his final year. However, he was more than amply rewarded in 1950, when he was chosen as the Queen s Scholar and furthered his studies in England. While at the V.I., he was a patrol leader of the Second Selangor Group, and was also a member of the Beamish Cup team. He was the first orthopaedic surgeon in Malaya, and later became the Director-General of Health for Malaysia in 1971 to 1976. He was also a founding member of the Malaysian Orthopaedic Association (of which he was president) and the ASEAN Orthopaedic Association (of which he was vice-president). Other positions that he held include Chairman of the Council of the University of Malaya (1978-1987); Fellow for Medical Science in the Academy of Science, Malaysia; as well as a member of the V.I. Board of Governors. This octogenarian still keeps an active life, as Chairman of several companies including Syarikat Endah Sari Sdn. Bhd. and Inti Universal Holdings Berhad (Inti College). He enjoys golf, big game hunting, gardening and chess.
Chief Justice Yong Pung How
Born in 1926 and the only son of the six children of Yong Shook Lin (another prominent V.I. Scout), Chief Justice Yong excelled himself at the V.I. He completed his Cambridge School Certificate at the age of 14, clinching the Treacher scholarship when he was just 13! He was the editor of The Victorian, a School Prefect and a Patrol Leader in the Second Selangor Troop, where he also won a First Class badge. Chief Justice Yong then read Law at Downing College, Cambridge University between 1946 and 1949. There are arguably four distinct stages in his career. He dabbled with politics in the early part of his life, becoming the Chairman of the Legal Section for the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) in 1956 and 1957. He was also a member of the ruling Alliance Party's National Executive Committee. Withdrawing from politics in 1959, Chief Justice Yong focused on Law. He was Chairman of Malayan Public Services Arbitration Tribunal (1955-1960) and Chairman of the Malaysian Industrial Court (1961-1967). The third stage in his career was commercial. He became Chairman of Malayan Airways in 1964 and from 1971, he served as Deputy Chairman of Malayan Banking Berhad, helping to reorganise it after a major run. He later set up two banks (Singapore and Malaysian International Merchant Banks). In 1983, he became Chairman of OCBC Bank. Chief Justice Yong was instrumental in advancing the Singapore Public Service in the 1980's when he served as a Managing Director of the Government's Investment Company, Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Alternate Governor for Singapore in the International Monetary Fund. In 1990, he came full circle in his career, becoming the Chief Justice of the Singapore Supreme Court, the highest judicial position of the nation. In recognition of his services, he was bestowed the Order of Temasek (First Class) in 1999, the highest accolade in Singapore.
Dato' Siew Nim Chee
To thousands of Victorians, Dato' Siew occupies a special place in their memory. The ever generous benefactor, he has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars towards different school projects such as helping the Band fund its overseas trips, contributing towards developing the school library and also underwriting the magnum opus of V.I. history, "Victoria Institution, The First Century: 1893-1993" written by Mr John Doraisamy. Dato' Siew was a student of the V.I. before the Second World War, but his tenure was interrupted by the Japanese Occupation and he only finished his studies after the war and left the school in 1947. He was a member of the Second Selangor Group (the Victorian 1940 notes he was a member of Lion patrol). Dato' Siew graduated from the University of Malaya with a Bachelor of Arts (1950) and Bachelor of Economics (1951) and then joined Cornell University in the USA where he graduated with a Masters in Industrial Relations. He became a lecturer and Head of Department of Economics at the University of Malaya in 1957 and later joined Bank Negara. At Bank Negara, he was eventually promoted to the post of Head of the Economic Research Department. Now retired from Bank Negara, he still manages his own company. As well, he has served as president of the V.I.O.B.A. from 1989 to 1993, and was a member of the V.I. Centenary Celebrations Executive Committee. Presently, he is the patron of the V.I.O.B.A.
Professor Arthur Rajaratnam
Also straddling the pre-war and post-war period (1939-1941, 1946-1947) is Queen's Scholar, Arthur Rajaratnam, who was a Boy Scout in the Stag patrol. His accomplishments extended into academia and sports. He played football, cricket (coached by ex-Victorian and international great, Lall Singh) and hockey. His interest in engineering and the physical/ chemical science, which sprouted while studying at the Japanese Technical College, High Street Kuala Lumpur during the war, was later strengthened by remarkable V.I. science teachers like Mr Lim Eng Thye and Mr F. Daniel. Professor Rajaratnam was a Rodger Scholar at the V.I., and later won a Malayan Union scholarship and a Federal scholarship, studying at Raffles College and the University of Malaya in Singapore, before reading for his Ph.D. at Imperial College, London, from 1955 to 1958. After that, he embarked on a career teaching Physics, eventually retiring as Professor of Physics at the National University of Singapore. Indefatigable, he then taught as Professor of Physics at the newly established Universiti Brunei Darussalam until 1991 and helped establish its physics department. His interests include modern physics, classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, electricity and magnetism, electrodynamics, atomic and molecular physics, solid state physics and optics, experimental spectroscopy, laboratory astrophysics, solar and atmospheric physics and nuclear physics. Professor Rajaratnam was a member of many academic and professional bodies. He also served as a volunteer engineer officer and served on various public boards and organizations in Singapore. He was awarded three public service medals.
Colonel (rtd) Khong Kim Kong
Coming from the Class of 1951, Colonel Khong (from 2nd KL) joined the army after leaving school. In the 1950 s Sir Gerald Templer inaugurated the Federation Regiment, to form an elite squad of soldiers that would consist of locals, rather than colonials, where the make-up of this group was of multi-racial character. Col. Khong (from 2nd KL) was one of three V.I. boys recruited for the task. These boys were sent to the Royal Military College in Sandhurst, England to receive their instruction. At Sandhurst, Colonel Khong obtained the highest place in the Order of Merit for passing out, among overseas officer cadets. He served in the Malaysian Armed Forces for 18 years, as a Commissioned Engineer Officer. Upon retirement, he held the rank of Lt. Colonel. Among his many achievements in the army include being a Staff Officer with the United Nations in Congo in 1960 (the first joint operation, after Merdeka, for Malayan soldiers with the United Nations), Commander of an Engineer Squadron and Principal Staff Officer in the Logistics Division of the Ministry of Defence. After leaving the army, he joined Tractors (Malaysia) and rose through the ranks to become Manager of the Parts Division at the Head Office, General Manager of the Parts Division and ultimately Director of Parts and Service Marketing. He later joined Malayan United Industries (MUI) Ltd as an Executive Director. After retiring in 1988, he moved to Canada and is presently the President of property development company (Kepland Homes Ltd) and a Director of another company (TA Properties Ltd).
Dato Jaffar Ahmad Indot
As former scoutmaster Mr Chan Bing Fai recalls, Dato' Jaffar was a member of Fourth KL Scouts (which existed after the Second World War, but was amalgamated with First KL in 1955). Dato' Jaffar kept a low profile as a student, only to unleash his talents in the corporate world after leaving the V.I. In 1953, he joined the Rural Industrial Development Authority (RIDA). Then in 1956, he joined Shell Malaysia, serving the company for 33 years until his retirement in 1989. He was rewarded for his loyal and committed service when in 1983, he was appointed the Managing Director Shell Downstream Companies. His current string of directorships include those in Shell Refining Company (FOM) Bhd, FSBM Holdings Bhd, Cygal Bhd, Pan Pacific Asia Bhd and Guinness-Anchor Bhd. He is also the Chairman of Jaya Sarana Sdn Bhd. This raft of corporate achievements merited him a place in the prestigious International Senior Managers' Programme at Harvard University. Never forgetting his old school, he has served (and still does) as the Chairman of the V.I.O.B.A. Foundation. In 1993, he was a member of the Centenary Celebrations Executive Committee. He is also active in other social work, including as Vice-President of Federation of Family Planning Associations, Malaysia.
General (rtd) Tan Sri Dato' Seri Hashim Mohd Ali
General Tan Sri Hashim was a King Scout of the First KL Group in 1953; he received his award from Sir Gerald Templer himself. In his school days, General Tan Sri was very active in sports - he represented the school in padder tennis (with the now world famous singer Kamahl), gained the life-savers' Bronze Medallion, swam and played tennis. He was also actively involved in various dramatic productions like "The Merchant of Venice". After the V.I., he joined the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. Upon his return, General Tan Sri rose through the ranks of the Armed Forces to ultimately become the Chief of the Malaysian Defence Forces (October 1987 - April 1992). He was also a signatory in the Surrender Agreement between the Malaysian Government and the Malayan Communist Party in 1989. Continuing his passion for sports which had been evident even during school days, he became the Executive Chairman of SUKOM 98 Bhd, the executive organising committee of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. At present, he is the Chairman of Country Heights Holdings Bhd and is also a director on many boards including Arab Malaysian Corporation Bhd, Hong Leong Credit Bhd and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS).
Tan Sri Kamarul Ariffin b. Mohamed Yassin
An avid writer even while still in school, Tan Sri Kamarul seems to have been destined for a career with the arts and print media. Tan Sri sat for his Senior Cambridge in 1953. Together with Scout Master Chin Peng Lam, Tan Sri was recognised as the stalwart of Second KL and was an inspiration to many of his juniors. He was the founder of the 2nd KL magazine, the Second KL Gazette, with Ooi Boon Leong (another very successful businessman) in 1953, the year he was also the Assistant Scout Master of the group. His other journalistic pursuit was as one of the five typists for the V.I. Voice when it first appeared in 1953, under the editorship of (later Tan Sri) Zain Azraai Zainal Abidin. Tan Sri Kamarul left to read Law at Lincoln's Inn in 1955 (an interest he developed as a result of succesfully laying down the law to a lot of very naughty Scouts!). His career milestones include previously being a Senator, Chairman of Bank Bumiputra Bhd and his current chairmanships of Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad, the National Art Gallery (Balai Seni Lukis) and Persatuan Pengeluar Filem Malaysia. He also holds a string of directorships, such as with Dutch-Baby Milk Industries.
Dato Alex Lee Yu Lung
The son of Tun Sir Henry H.S.(Hau-Shik) Lee, one of the founding fathers of the nation, Dato' Alexander Lee was a patrol leader of the First KL scouts in 1952. He later pursued his Bachelor of Arts at Cambridge University, and also studied Law after that. Dato' Lee's subsequent rise in the political sphere is well-known. He was a member of the Gerakan Party, and became a Deputy Minister in the Cabinet for many years. Ever active in the social sphere, he was a President of the Pudu Rotary Club. He was also an avid sportsman. He was the vice-president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia and vice-president of the Malaysian Hockey Federation. In 1990, he became the president of the Squash Rackets Association of Malaysia, a sport which has seen Malaysia become a force to be reckoned with internationally, particularly in the 1990 s. He was also on the Commonwealth Games 1998 Organising Committee. Dato' Alex's school friends knew him as one who enjoyed water sports and was a most generous host at his family's vacation house near the sea. He passed away while scuba diving in Papua New Guinea on 31 October 1999.
Professor Ti Thiow Kong
Like his brothers Ti Thiow Kieap and Ti Thiow Hee, Professor Ti (V.I. Class of 1951-1957) was a member of the First KL Group, becoming a Patrol Leader during his tenure. After leaving the V.I., he joined the medical profession, eventually settling in Singapore. He studied for his MBBS immediately after leaving school, funded by a Pahang State Scholarship (1957-1963). The other decorations to his name include FRCS, FRACS, FRCSE and AM. His reputation amongst the medical community of the region is undeniable. He is presently Professor and Head of the Division of General Surgery, National University of Singapore, Singapore's premiere medical university. As well, he is the Senior Consultant for General Surgery in the National University Hospital of Singapore.
Professor Ooi Boon Teck
Professor Ooi was a Scout in the First K.L. Group, becoming an Assistant Scout Master in 1956-1957. He also held the Scout Cord. His other school activities included serving as president of the Literary and Debating Society, Editor of the Victorian and School Prefect. He was Treacher Scholar in 1954 and Rodger Scholar in 1955. Boon Teck received the B.Eng. (Honours, first class) from the University of Adelaide (Australia), the S.M. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) and Ph.D. from McGill University (Canada), all in Electrical Engineering. He remained with McGill University, where he rose from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and then to Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Two of his research interests have applications in Malaysia. One is on Linear Induction Motors, the motors which drive the Putra LRT in K.L. The second is on Direct Current Transmission, which connects the electric power system of Malaysia to Thailand. His invention of a new generation of such Direct Current Transmission System is licensed by a major multinational manufacturer and installations are in service in Sweden, Denmark, Australia and USA.
Professor Ooi Boon Seng
He was a formidable student, topping his class in all the form tests in the school, becoming Treacher Scholar in 1955 and acing a perfect 8 A1s score (including an A1 for Latin) in the Cambridge School Certificate examination which earned him the coveted Rodger Scholarship in 1956. Professor Ooi was a PL and secretary of Second KL and also held the Scout Cord. He edited both The Seladang and The Victorian, was a prefect, the secretary of the Literary and Debating Society, the secretary of Davidson House, and represented the V. I. in various debates, quizzes and chess competitions. Professor Ooi entered the medical profession, graduating from the University of Singapore and later became Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago, a professor at the University of Cincinnati and in 1989, the Chief of Renal Section at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and Co-Director of the Renal Division at George Washington University Medical School. His research area through his career was on immunology of the kidney. He was a member of American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society of Nephrology and American Federation of Clinical Research. He was listed in American Men and Women of Science which is the Who's Who of the scientific community.
Dato' Dr M. Shanmughalingam
Dr Shan, who was a member of 2nd KL, emerged first in Malaysia for the Sixth Form Entrance Examination in 1957. He graduated with an Honours degree from the University of Malaya with triple distinctions in Economics, Literature and History. At Harvard University, he scored A's in all his 8 subjects to emerge first in his class for his Master's degree. Later, he pursued his doctorate at Oxford University (Balliol College). During his stint there, Dr Shan won prizes in poetry and literature, including a short story prize judged by the famous novelist Iris Murdoch and Oxford Professor Of Literature, John Bailey. Presently, besides being the Managing Director of Trilogic Sdn Bhd and director of GEC and Delloyd Ventures Bhd, he sits on the Oxford University Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee (for Malaysia), the Board of the V.I.O.B.A. Foundation and is Chairman of the V.I.O.B.A. Scholarship Committee. Dr Shan is also a prolific writer and has been on the panel of advisors for Dewan Sastera and Dewan Budaya. He was also a member of the National Committee of Writers at Dewan Bahasa, the national language and literary agency.
Professor Foo Yeow Khean
The first triple academic hat-trick winner of the V.I., Professor Foo was the first Victorian to become a Treacher, Rodger and Lewis scholar; a record which lasted for more than a decade. He emerged as one of the top students of Malaya in 1961 when he scored full distinctions in the Higher School Certificate. Besides being a member of Second KL (which he joined in 1955), Professor Foo was the editor-in-chief of the Seladang, a school prefect, a champion debater and a Club 21 member. His brilliance continued after leaving the V.I. when he won the university medal at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand for his Engineering degree, a subject in which he pursued his doctorate at the University of Michigan, USA. Presently, he lives in Sydney, where he is Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Systems at the University of New South Wales, having previously been Professor of Knowledge Systems at the University of Sydney.
Dato' Ti Thiow Hee
Dato' Ti was a Victorian from 1956 to 1962. He was an active scout of First KL, and became a Patrol Leader. Besides scouting, he was active in other activities, and during his term in the V.I., became the Thamboosamy House Swimming and Water Polo Capt, a school swimmer and a member of the Seladang Editorial Board. After the V.I., he earned his B.Sc (Hons) from the University of Malaya and his Dip. EST from Delft, Netherlands. He excelled in his area of interest, Chemistry and eventually became the Director-General of the Malaysian Department of Chemistry. As well, he is a Fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Chemistry (FMIC). He has also been decorated many times; those awards include AMN (Ahli Mangku Negara) in 1991, KMN (Kesatria Mangku Negara) in 1992, JMN (Johan Mangku Negara) in 1997 and PJN (Panglima Jasa Negara) in 1998.
Dr Tan Kee Kwong
A Senior Patrol Leader of First KL in 1963, Dr Tan later became a School Prefect and subsequently the V.I. School Captain in 1966. He was active also in sports like football, hockey (he was the School Hockey Captain in 1965 and 1966). After leaving the V.I., he read for his M.B.B.S. at the University of Malaya, graduating in 1973. Since then, Dr Tan has been devoted an entire career to medicine, beginning as a houseman at the University Hospital, and eventually setting up his own private practice. His devotion led him to several international stints such as serving as a medical officer in the British National Health Service and as a volunteer in Southern Sudan. Following the footsteps of his father, Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon, another eminent Victorian, Dr Tan was elected as the Member of Parliament for Segambut in April 1995, a position he retained in the November 1999 elections. As Deputy Secretary-General of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan), Dr Tan was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister for Land and Co-operative Development in December 1999. In addition to medicine and politics, Dr Tan is active in charity and community work as Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Methodist Boys' School, Sentul, and also as Chairman of the Sentul Assistance Centre.
Dr Yap Piang Kian
His V.I. credentials are impeccable - his great grandfather, Capitan Yap Kwan Seng, was a founder of the School! In his Upper Six in the V.I. in 1967, Dr Yap was an Assistant Scout Master and King Scout of First KL. In addition to his active involvement in the scouts, he was a school prefect and the editor-in-chief of the Victorian magazine for 1967. After leaving the V.I., he pursued a career in medicine, specialising in endocrinology. He studied at the Universities of Malaya, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dr Yap is currently a Consultant Physician & Endocrinologist at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) and is a member of the Malaysian Endocrine and Metabolic Society. He is also often sought after by the medical community both local and international, such as the Malaysian Ministry of Health, to participate in symposiums on issues like diabetic retinopathy.
Dr Donald Lee Lye Poh
Dr Lee was an Assistant Scout Master of First KL in 1967 and 1968 and completed his Upper 6 in the V.I. during the V.I. 75th Anniversary year. He had a mature flair for the arts - he acted in the sketches that won the 1966 and 1967 Senior Prizes for sketches in the School Concert. He was also the editor-in-chief of the Seladang in 1967. In the Sports arena, he was the cricket captain for Sultan Abdul Samad (formerly Davidson) House, and a member of the school cricket and hockey teams. He was also a School Prefect. After leaving the V.I., he excelled in the field of economics, gaining his B.Econ. (Hons) from the University of Malaya, M.Sc (Econ.) from the University of London and a PhD. from the University of London. He commenced his career as a lecturer in the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya and later became a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Dean at Deakin University, Australia. His many overseas postings include that of Visiting Professor at Chulalongkorn and Thai Chamber of Commerce Universities in Bangkok, Editor of the Asia-Pacific Development Journal and Economist with the United Nations. He was later appointed to the World Bank in Washington D.C. in the late 1990's. In August 2000, he was appointed to the Chair of the Poverty Eradication and Employment Unit in the Social Policy and Development Division of the United Nations.
Dr Heong Kong Luen
Another star of First KL, Dr Heong belonged to the same cohort as Dr Donald Lee. Dr Heong became Assistant Scout Master of the group in 1967 and 1968. Even after leaving the V.I., he returned as a Rover Scout in the 70th KL Scout Group, a group of ex-First KL scouts. In his school days, he was also a keen sportsman, being Shaw House Captain in 1968 and the Class II athletics champion in 1965. Dr Heong pursued a career as an entomologist. He joined the International Rice Research Institute, Manila in 1988 as an insect ecologist and was later appointed the Integrated Pest Management coordinator. His work has contributed to the reduction in farmers' insecticide use in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. In 2000, the University of London conferred the Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree on Dr Heong. The degree he received is the first academic award to an IRRI scientist based on his or her research work at IRRI. He also was awarded a gold medal from the government of Vietnam for his efforts in helping Vietnamese rice farmers. As of 2001, Dr Heong still works at the IRRI, Entomology and Plant Pathology Division, Los Baños, Philippines.
Datuk Wong Siew Hai
Datuk Wong was Assistant Scout Master and Pengakap Raja of Second KL. He joined Intel Penang as an engineer in 1976, and worked in several senior positions in quality, engineering and manufacturing. He was responsible for the starting the Intel Malaysia Penang Design Centre in 1992, and was the general manager of Intel's 8-bit microcontroller business unit. In 1997, he was appointed the Malaysia site general manager and two years later the site received an Intel Quality Award. The site was also the first organization to receive the Malaysian Prime Minister's Quality Award, for the second time in 2000. From the second half of 2000, he had led the Assembly Test organization. His quality leadership was demonstrated by the Philippines (2002), Shanghai (2003) and Malaysia (2001) sites being rated among their countries' best employer, in the Best Employers in Asia Study by Hewitt Associates. He is is the first Malaysian to run worldwide operations of a multinational company from a Penang base. Wong has been managing 12,000 staff worldwide (nearly half of whom are in Penang) by commuting between Intel bases in Penang, the Philippines, China and Costa Rica. He had represented Intel in numerous government, industry and academic boards and commitees, and during his tenure as president of the Free Trade Zone Companies Association (a body that includes Intel, Motorola, Dell, Agilent Technologies, Robert Bosch, Seagate, AMD and Sony), championed improvements to Malaysian infrastruture. He also sits on the boards of governors of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) and Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein Onn in Johor. Datuk Wong received two Penang State Government awards including Pingat Jasa Masyarakat in 1991 and Pingat Kelakuan Terbaik in 1998. In 2001, he was conferred Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) by TYT Tun Datuk Seri Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas which carries the title Datuk.
The V.I. Web PageLast update on 5 March 2004.
Compiled by: Loh Kok Kin
Pagekeeper: Chung Chee Min