Board of Governors, Principals, Staff and Students of St Andrew’s Junior School and St Andrew’s Secondary School

The Theme

The theme for this year’s Founder’s Day is something that I believe you sing at least every other week.  I certainly hope you recognize it.  It is found in the middle of the second verse of the school hymn and it is the end of a sentence.  The whole sentence reads “The days of old have dowered us with gifts beyond all praise”.

This is quite an unusual sentiment in modern day busy Singapore.  We look ahead all the time, preparing for difficult times no doubt, but also looking towards the next set of opportunities to open up. The students among the audience today are always told to look forward and prepare for the PSLE or the N levels or the O levels or beyond the O levels to Polytechnic and the Junior College and so on.

Yet this sentence reminds us that we owe much of what we achieve to what was done in the past.  We need to remember this in the long term, taking note of what we had even as we prepare for the future.  It helps us to avoid thinking short-term……looking only at the here and now!

Two memorial events

This leads us as to why today, Founder’s Day began with the opening of the “Harry Tan Mathematics Room” and will end with the “Tan Teck Meng Photography Exhibition”.  They are in memory of two faithful old boys who affected the school in different yet significant ways.

Mr. Harry Tan was the long-serving principal of this school from 1976 to 1994 and in remembering him, remembering his passion for Maths and for the School and for the students, and his impact on 18 cohorts of students and their parents, we are remembering a tradition that will always be a part of this great school.

Mr. Tan Teck Meng impacted all of us differently.  He was the unobtrusive old-boy-parent-photographer whose photos made immediate and strong our emotions at each game and match.  Later in the exhibition if you see your own face or the faces of those you know, you will know what I mean.  His photos capture the exuberance of school life…which incidentally is often remembered as the best years of our lives

I still have vivid memories of my school life at St Andrew’s despite having left school 47 years ago and the many physical changes to the premises that have taken place. The best are the memories associated with the many rugby, football and cricket matches that I played for the school, especially the epic battles with Raffles Institution. Yee Teck Peng remains clearly in my mind…who can forget him…and the loud and sometimes cutting advice from the sidelines of the rugby pitch. Then there was Canon Dr D D Chelliah who taught me and my father before me, additional maths. He made the subject so very alive and interesting.

Some of the schools’ successes

Both the junior school and secondary school felt very happy with their results at the end of last year.  More boys than ever have qualified for the express stream from the junior school while in the secondary school, their average grade was a highly commendable 2.93 which meant on average, the boys were getting better than a B3 (what in my days was called a very good credit, just short of the distinction).  The principals tell me that the desire to excel is not born overnight.  You cannot suddenly make a boy wish to achieve.  And even if you could make him want it bad enough, the wish is still not enough.  It needs a sustained steady programme of gradual but persistent improvement that is delivered by teachers continually thinking of better ways to engage students to facilitate their learning successfully.  Their gifts of insight, patience and perseverance have indeed been a precious endowment to our boys. Thank you dear teachers!

I believe the rugby teams from both junior and secondary school teams have had their ups and downs this year.  The team that won the B division this year also won the under 13s in 2005.  But they also lost the C division in 2007.  What am I trying to say?  That winning is not an overnight phenomenon; every sportsman will tell you it doesn’t just happen.  It comes from practice, it comes from discipline, and above all it comes from burning passion.  I heard that the B Division team this year, won because they showed they really wanted it and they wanted it that much because they won it 4 years ago but also because they lost it 2 years ago.  Just as significant, their coaches and teachers, all Saints rugby players from 2004, 2000, 1999, 1994, 1993 and further back, all wanted it too!  You don’t play rugby or any other game or win anything just for yourself – you win it for your family, your friends, your coaches and teachers, your school.

Whilst on the subject of winning and lest I sound unforgiving of losing, let me also say that the manner in which we lose a game is as important as the winning. Losing a well played game with good grace, is a victory in itself. Sportsmanship is the paramount aim.

The secondary school was ecstatic when the Band got the Gold with Honours this year.  They won it this year because they lost it two years ago.  They knew how it felt not to get the honours two years ago.  And so they went all out to make sure they won.  Just as important, the supporters – the alumni that came to encourage them – were there in full force. School was in session the day of the central judging so none of their classmates could come.  But band alumni now in JC and polytechnic and university stole out of classes to stand by them.  I was told that when the results were announced, they all broke out in the School Song!  Each band that performs plays with the heart of all the alumni who have gone before them, on to higher courses.  It certainly showed when the Junior School band played at the Diocesan Centenary Concert.  They played with the echoes of the secondary school band, the junior college band and the alumni band resonating in their heart.

The days of old have dowered us with gifts beyond all praise. Although there are many schools called Saint something or other, only we are referred to as SAINTS!! That groundwork to be Saints was laid by those who went before us in the past BUT, it is also being actively laid by the junior school where important early life lessons are learnt.  To be given the Outstanding award for Character Development shows the presence of a quality programme that builds on good values and the successful teaching of these values.  Congratulations to the Junior School, its Principal, teachers and students!

Continuation of the theme

However, the school hymn didn’t stop there.

The days of old have dowered us with gifts beyond all praise

Our Father make us faithful to serve the coming days

I am told that a new scholarship was started this year called the “Kheng Whay Scholarship”.  It was given by an old boy in memory of his mother.  Similarly the new award last year, the Koh Cho Phuan Award for Combined Humanities was given by a former student in memory of her father.  Another old boy, Mr. Lim Teck Cheng, has donated funds to help the schools start off their programme of Understanding the Hearts and Minds of Boys.

When the Centre for Design and the Arts did their first photographic competition and exhibition with the National Geographic this year, I was told that several of their partners were old boys.  And that after that exhibition, even more old boys stepped in!

Clearly these alumni and many, many others are showing great faithfulness to their old school in their ready willingness to bless the school with scholarships, awards, expertise and outright donations.  Others like those in many of the CCAs come back to serve as advisors.   One quarter of the teaching staff are former students of the school or JC.

I would like to ask you how you will serve in the future.  Some do it with money, some do it with time, and some do it by returning to teach.  I hope all of you will do it by sending your sons back here to be taught.  Sending your sons back here shows a faith in the School that what it teaches is more important, more long lasting and more impactful than what you can get elsewhere.

My father and his brothers were pupils of St Andrew’s in the 1930’s. Dad was Captain of the school as well as the rugby team. My younger brother and I were proudly sent to St Andrew’s along with a cousin. My two sons are also old boys with the older son serving on the PTA. Now two of my three grandsons (the 4th generation McCullys) are in primary school. (Grandma, by the way, was a pupil at St Andrew’s at the JC and my classmate!). The youngest grandson is destined to enter St Andrew’s Junior School in 3 years time…he is now only 4 years old….and they will all play rugby. Oh yes, Yee Teck Peng made me the captain of the rugby team in 1962. All of us haven’t done too badly for ourselves which I think is recommendation enough for more to follow our lead.

We come from THE great St Andrew’s family – a cloud of unseen witness our elder comrades stand.  And that Saints family will remain great and become greater as you do your part so that we can all stand with our heads held high in the name of St Andrew’s.

Thank you for having my wife and I, here today. God bless you all.

Capt Leonard McCully (Retired SIA Pilot)