March 04, 2009
TOGETHER AGAIN: The class of '63 with Brother Patrick (in jacket) at the Ang Mo Kio coffee shop where they regularly meet. Mr Joseph (standing, extreme left) is in the striped T-shirt. PICTURES: COURTESY OF MR REG JOSEPH
THE first words from the 80-year-old man of the cloth to the 62-year-old freelance writer who came to visit him were: 'I remember you, rascal.'
Surprising, because the last time they had set eyes on each other was 46 years ago.
And not surprising at all, because the former was then a teacher at Saint Joseph's Institution (SJI) and the latter was a student there.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Old SJI boys crack mystery of the missing Brother
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Brother Basil Patrick retired from SJI in 1989. And for more than four decades, the class of '63 had not heard from their form teacher.
In November last year, some of the old boys decided to change all that.
Nostalgic
Click to see larger image
IN THE OLD DAYS: A class photo taken in a studio on the last day of school in 1963 with Brother Patrick (in robe). Mr Joseph is the second last student seated on the right.
Mr Reg Josephand three former classmates - Mr Gerry De Souza, Mr Malcom Maurier, Mr Anthony Arul - had got together and were reminiscing about their secondary school days.
'We had all gone our separate ways,' said Mr Joseph, a columnist for The New Paper.
They began talking of organising a reunion of all the boys from the 1963 batch, and of getting Brother Patrick to attend.
But it took a fair bit of detective work for them to find him.
The four friends, all 62, discovered that another group of former SJI students had been meeting regularly at a coffee shop in Ang Mo Kio for the past five years. They met this larger group, but heard different accounts of what had happened to Brother Patrick.
According to one, he had left the church, got married and had two children.
According to another, he had died.
Determined to find out what had actually happened to him, the friends contacted as many people as possible from their network of old SJI boys.
Then they sought the help of Ms Anita Sebastian of the SJI Old Boys' Association.
After contacting a former colleague of Brother Patrick's, she gave them the lead that he had gone to live in Seremban, Malaysia.
And after numerous phone calls, they finally reached the man.
Yes, he was very much alive, yes, he was in Seremban, and yes, he had left the Catholic fold. But no, he had never got married.
Part of the confusion came about because of a mix-up with another more senior Brother Patrick in Malaysia, who had died.
In late January, the friends drove to Seremban. And as soon as they met, the memories came rushing back.
It was easy for the former teacher to recognise all the four senior citizens who came to visit him as they had been among the few non-Chinese students in his class.
And of course the strict disciplinarian had not forgotten what a 'rascal' Mr Joseph had been.
Brother Patrick told them of how he had taken teaching jobs in Kuala Lumpur and Penang and become pastor of a church called the Sanctuary of God in Seremban.
Lifelong learner
He had also taken a PhD at the age of 75.
The four friends decided to bring Brother Patrick to Singapore to meet the group that gets together in Ang Mo Kio.
They put together a list of some 500 e-mail addresses of friends they had been in contact with, both in Singapore and overseas.
And 48 people turned up for the gathering at the Ang Mo Kio coffee shop last month.
Brother Patrick made a speech. 'He stood up like a master, and everyone kept so quiet that you could hear a pin drop,' said Mr Joseph.
Back in the old days, Brother Patrick was known as the man who could not be moved.
But on that day, before he flew back to Malaysia, he was certainly touched by what the old boys had done.
He said to those present: 'I have never dreamt in my whole life that I would see all you boys again, or that anyone would arrange this for me.'
Before they parted, the old boys told Brother Patrick what they wanted from him: To be back with them next year.
Geraldine Yeo, newsroom intern, additional reporting by Sing Keng Loon, newsroom intern
It has been a long time since I left SJI in 1969 after completing Form Six, and I always remember Bro Patrick Arokiasamy to be a kind, helpful and considerate teacher. During his time at SJI, Bro Patrick has become a family friend whom I have lost touch with.
I shall be much obliged if someone would be kind enough to let me know how I could get in touch with him.
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