MELAKA - UNESCO World Heritage City since 2008. GPS: 2°11'58"N 102°15'02"E
Preserving the heritage and legacy of one of Malaysia’s oldest schools
BANDA HILIR: They are a dying breed, but the teaching brothers of the St John’s Baptist de La Salle mission – an order of the Catholic church – are a resilient and dynamic lot.
These men – laypersons who have committed their lives to religious and educational service – have put in tremendous effort to ensure their legacy remains intact among the 29 La Salle schools in peninsular Malaysia, and six associated schools in Sabah and Sarawak.
SFI director Brother Ambrose Loke, his younger sibling and La Salle Malaysia director Brother Andrew Loke, and Brother David Liao officiated the launch, which was attended by Lasallian alumni and others.
The three rang the 112-year-old Heritage Bell 12 times to symbolically declare open the RM100,000 centre.
According to Andrew, his elder sibling had mooted the idea for the heritage centre in 2016. Ambrose – the longest-serving SFI director who has held this position for 33 years, and also the centre’s patron – had a “strong desire to see it happen as his mission was to do something good for the school and the future generation of students”, Andrew said.
“This was his earnest effort for all of us to remember the extraordinary services rendered by the 150 Lasallian brothers to SFI over the past 120 years, after they took over the school in 1902.”
Andrew recommended for every school in the country to establish a heritage centre of its own. “This way, the history and legacy will be preserved for the benefit of future generations.“I hope the SFI Heritage Centre will encourage more schools to do likewise – to reflect on the character and ethos of the multitude of institutions in the country.”
Franciscan Club of Kuala Lumpur president Eric Chan added that the centre is aimed at conserving SFI’s storied past and ongoing efforts.
“We wish for its history and legacy to be safeguarded through continuing research and the documentation of past events. At the same time, we want to promote and disseminate knowledge and information on the school’s artefacts, culture, and written heritage,” he said.
Items displayed at the centre include medals, shields, school building replicas, commemorative souvenirs, and other memorabilia.
170-year journey
The Lasalle Brothers have provided quality education to hundreds of thousands of Malaysian youths of all races and creeds across generations.
According to Malaysian Federation of Lasallian Alumni Associations secretary James Sia, the brothers arrived in Penang in 1852 and established St Xavier’s Institution, their first mission school.
Half a century later, in October 1902, three brothers – Irish-American Maurice Josephus Freeze, Burmese Andrew Corsini Peter, and Malaysian Constantine Jeremiah – took over the administration of SFI from the Catholic church, officially making it a Lasalle school.
SFI was, at the time, housed in a two-storey building formerly occupied by St Mary’s School, located across the road from St Francis Xavier Church on Jalan Banda Kaba. But it wasn’t long before it became clear that bigger premises were required.
“SFI’s first building was the ‘U’ building on Jalan Parameswara, where the school is located today,” Sia said. “It was built in 1906 and opened in March 1907.”
On Jan 1, 1922, the brothers acquired the adjacent Malacca Rubber Plantations Ltd building as part of SFI’s expansion plans.
“Since then, SFI has flourished, providing quality education to generations of pupils across all levels of society,” he added.
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Birdwatching in Batu Berendam planned as latest tourism attraction
Monday, 10 Oct 2022
Taman Mutiara in Batu Berendam, Melaka, is said to have about 3,000 birds from 16 species. — Bernama
MELAKA is set to introduce its newest eco-tourism product, birdwatching at the Taman Mutiara swamp area in Batu Berendam.
State tourism, heritage and culture committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis said the area had been identified as a habitat for about 3,000 birds from 16 species.
They include Black-Crowned Night Heron, Purple Heron, Asian Openbill, Great Egret, Javan Myna, Cinnamon Bittern and Lesser Coucal.
Jailani said the bird species were identified by the Malaysian Nature Society.
“We plan to turn the area into our new tourism product by organising birdwatching activities to draw not only tourists but also local and foreign bird enthusiasts.
“We already have ‘raptor watch’ in Tanjung Tuan and this new product will offer one more attraction,” he said at a press conference.
A detailed discussion on several aspects including legislation would be conducted involving various parties including the tourism promotion division, Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan), Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council and the respective landowners to realise the effort.
Jailani also said the area would be turned into a conservation hub for the birds in an effort to protect the area from development.
He said a sub-committee had been formed to monitor the area to prevent activities that could disturb the birds’ habitat.
He added that a photography competition, in conjunction with the Bird Watching Programme @ Taman Mutiara in Batu Berendam, would be held until Nov 7.
The competition themed, “Save The Birds, Protect Their Habitats” is offering total cash prize of RM7,000. Registration is free. — Bernama
MELAKA: The traditional Deepavali Carnival at Little India at Jalan Bendahara here will return this month after a two-year break, says a Melaka exco member.
State youth development, sports and non-governmental organisations (NGO) committee chairman VP Shanmugam said the carnival at Padang Nyiru here will begin on Saturday (Oct 8) and end on Deepavali eve, Oct 23.
"The dazzle of the Festival of Lights will be back after two years of pandemic hiatus and we are expecting a crowd of 30,000 to visit during the festive season," he said here on Sunday (Oct 2).
Shanmugam said the highlight of the event will be the launching of the carnival by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali on Oct 22.
