From footballer to President of Bintulu Football Association (BIFA)

BGSS team, wearing dark stripe jersey in 1965 at BDC Padang, Bintulu.
I am at the center front row as captain of the BGSS team (Bintulu Government Secondary School)

1992

In the year 1965, a footballer I became.  Football has been my favourite game since primary school in the early 60's.  When I continued my schooling at BGSS or Bintulu Government Secondary School I became the captain  of its junior soccer team. In 1965 while at Form Two B, our soccer team won the final match  in the Junior Soccer Championship held to promote the game of football among the primary schools and BGSS, the only secondary school then at Bintulu.( see top picture)  My interest in football grew with the times and I continued with the game while I was a teacher in 1975 - 1977.  It was in the early 90's that I became the President of the the Bintulu Football Association (BIFA) which was affiliated with the Sarawak State Football Association. A major achievement while heading BIFA  was when the full BIFA Under 21 team was selected to represent Sarawak to compete  in Kuala Lumpur.  In October 1992, I was the organising chairman of the Sarawak State level "Sarawak Cup" held at the Bintulu Civic Centre.  The BIFA senior team won the prestigious championship title.  It was one of my proudest moments as a footballer and the President of Bintulu Football Association. 

News cutting dated 25 October,1992 (Borneo Post)

To be a President of a football club is basically a volunteer job. There's no salary to the post.   For the five years I headed the Bintulu football association I was assisted by very cooperative and hard working officials, members, coaches, referees, and team managers.  The Bintulu public especially the business sector was very responsive to our fund raising activities.  At the time when I decided to handover the Presidency to new blood, I left the association with a healthy balance of about RM 50,000 in its banking account.  I thought that was the best thing I could do to the association which  courted me to become its president in order to revive it just months before it was about to be de-registered by the Registrar of Societies.   Well, that is all history now.  During my time, Bintulu footballers were a much respected lot, and I felt great to be its President.  I guess it was those secondary school days as a footballer that made me love the game and the passion to lead Bintulu football to state and national level in later chapters of my life. 
Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak.

1979 - group photo with teachers and invited players . I am sixth at the back row standing.
Picture taken at the SMK Bintulu football field.

(Note: This is the 1st of my post on what it is meant to be a Malaysian as part of my writing contribution to Malaysia Day which will  to be celebrated on the 16th of September.)

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog - My Sarawak (2nd Ed.) and the link is here. )

In the year 1979 a headmaster I became

Friendly football match between school teachers and members of Bintulu public at the school football field.  I am standing 6th from right (back row)

In the year 1979, a headmaster I became.  It was one of the most challenging times in my life.  For one thing I was given very short notice about the appointment.  Immediately after a midnight fire leveled down the school’s main administrative office - cum staff room, I received a call from the Education Department to see the Director of Education.  I was then working at the Educational Mass Media Office in Kuching. When I reached headquarters, I was instead directed to a room and met the Deputy Minister of Education Malaysia, Salleh Jafaruddin.  We had an hour of discussion after which he said, “Tomorrow you go to Bintulu and take over the administration of the school.  The letter of appointment as Headmaster will follow later.”  Upon checking in at the school (which happened to be the school I attended in the 60's)  I found the Headmaster’s office, clerk’s office and the staff room in ashes. That’s how I started administering the school.  I had no records, no files, no office etc.. That incident meant that all the school records since it started in 1963 turned to ashes. 

 As the principal of SMK Bintulu (Sekolah Menengah Kerajaan Bintulu) or  previously known as BGSS (Bintulu Government Secondary School),   I had to perform many official, semi-official and non-official duties related to the school.   In order to track my daily work schedule and  keep record of the events happening each day, I devised a ‘Travellogue” ( see inset).  Even as the headmaster I find time to mix around with the teachers.  One way was to play football with them.  (see top picture)   Often I would join them in the staff room during morning or afternoon break and night study time, chatting and getting to know them better.  One of the many activities that brought me to town often was to collect mail from the post office, bank in money to the local treasury, visit students in the hospital or attend official meetings with other government departments.  In those days, the school was the main source of "flower girls" and I had teachers responsible to get ready these girls in time and transport them whenever VIP's were to be officially welcomed at the airport.  Being the Principal of the only secondary school in a small town of Bintulu then, the post was a very high profile one.  You get to know people quickly and it worked both ways.  The public would  normally address you as "Cikgu" or teacher.  In Malaysian society being a teacher is one of the most respectable job, not to mention the Headmaster.  I was at the SMK Bintulu for about two years and by the time I finished my five years bond or scholarship contract with the government,  I decided to move into greener pastures and joined a newly formed statutory body specific for Bintulu called BDA ( Bintulu Development Authority) in November, 1980.

Thank you SMK Bintulu for the rare and challenging experience you gave me.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak.

(Note: This is the 6th of my post on what it is meant to be a Malaysian as part of my writing contribution to Malaysia Day which will  to be celebrated on the 16th of September.)

Arrival of Prime Minister, Hussein Onn at Bintulu Airport.
Note the flower girls in traditional costume.

" Flower girls" from SMK Bintulu

Typed manuscript of Principal's message in the School Magazine, 1980.

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog - My Sarawak (2nd Ed.) and the link is here. )

The BDC Padang and the footballer in me

Bintulu town in the 60's showing the Kemena River and the airport strip at left of the picture.

Aerial photo of Bintulu town, pre-first boom period (1950's - 1978)
The Bintulu District Council Padang or Padang BDC in Malay is the rectangular open space (partly seen) at the bottom most center part of the picture above.  It is surrounded by two Police barracks (seen at the left of the picture) and some government quarters around the padang edge.  A simple pebbled road connects it to the town as seen at the right of the picture.

In the very early days of Bintulu town especially the period before the first boom which started in 1979, there was only one public football field serving the town population of about 5000 people.  This field can be seen in the top picture.  It was maintained by the Bintulu District Council and as such was fondly named as BDC football field of "Padang BDC" in Malay. " Padang" means field or large open space.  It was here that as a young secondary school student I used to play competitive football.

MOOD (seen kneeling at the centre) as captain of the Bintulu Government Seconday School (BGSS) football team C in striped black and red jersey.........photo taken in 1965

Footballers playing at the BDC Padang in early 1970's ; Note: the Police Barrack is partly seen in the background.
When the first boom catapulted the tiny and sleepy town into a developing and dynamic region, there arose many other public football fields built by the new development authority entrusted to spearhead the town into an industrial showpiece.  I am glad to have played on this humble field in the early 1960's.

( Note: This is a re-post from my blog my Bintulu History (3rd Ed.) and blog link is here. )