Calling for passionate contributors to the OVA website!

Do you:

a) Have a knack for writing?

b) Have a collection of photos that must be shared with fellow Victorians?

c) Have a memorable quote from a past teacher to add to our quotes collection?

d) Have a memory of an event/ teacher/ place that cannot be erased?

e) Want to help out in the bolts and nuts behind running a website, eg, Drupal, WordPress, Photoshop or payment integration?

f) All of the above?

If you are any of the above, get in touch with us now! Please indicate how you would like to contribute and how we can get in touch with you.

430 Comments. Leave new

  • There are photos of VS at Tyrwhitt Road from this famous nostalgic site where the owner is also an old VS boy.
    Check it out! http://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2007/04/

  • I do not know how to create a new posting. So I am putting it here.
    Can someone shed some light on this part of the history of VS?
    1. Victoria Morning School, which is actually Victoria School (?)
    2. Victoria Afternoon School, which co-existed with Victoria Morning School using the same building. Victoria Afternoon School does not have a principal but has a supervisor. The purpose was to cater to overaged students after the War (?)
    3. Victoria Afternoon School was renamed Victoria Continuation School (?). The students were transferred to a new school call Beatty Secondary School, which was near VS at that time.
    Found this from Beatty Sec School history which is rather interesting:

    In March 1953, the Deputy Director of Education, Mr R.E Ince invited the Principal of Victoria School, Mr R. F. Bouford, to visit a school building which was almost ready to be taken over by the Education Department from PWD. This was situated near the former Rumah Miskin Police Station along Serangoon Road. The Supervisor of Victoria Continuation School, Reverend Daniel Elijah Sundram, was asked to accompany them as an interested party. The school was later named BEATTY SECONDARY SCHOOL.
    The school began with 323 students in eight classes: 3 Standard Six classes from Bartley Secondary School and 3 Standard Seven and 2 Standard Eight Classes from Victoria Continuation School. http://www.beattysecondaryschool.net/cos/o.x?c=/w

    So what is the status of Victoria Afternoon School and Victoria Continuation School? It is part of VS? another sister institution of VS, like VJC? Or just another institution bearing the same name, 'Victoria'?

  • Roshaizan Bin Sapan
    24 May 2009 13:14

    Great Reading!
    And I remember all the 5 of you!!
    Just that, can't figure it out, which one is you!!!

  • Another similar site:
    Vanishing Scenes of Singapore – Part 6 (My Secondary School Days) http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2005/11/vanishing-s

  • Lim Eng Chong
    27 May 2009 01:23

    History of Victoria School
    It's enlightening to know that there are Victorians who are interested to probe into the long history of Victoria. Like that gentleman who put up those questions about Victoria Morning/ Afternoon/Continuation school etc, I have many questions as well. It would be interesting to gather Victorians who have an interest in the History of Victoria to exchange information and perhaps even to do a research project which could culminate into a published book for all past, present & future Victorians to appreciate the long and illustrious history of this great institution. Can the gentleman pls contact me at my email: eclim.pals@gmail.com as I would like to get to know you and discuss on this. Thanks

  • Reply to Lim Eng Chong,
    I came across them and it was merely out of curiosity. At this moment, I don't know how much I can contribute, esp due to my work commitments.
    Your idea of a book is a good one. I have seen Raffles, ACS, SJI, etc…even Outram Sec have came out with book(s)
    – Kelvin Y.L. Tan. Labour Conquers All: 100 Years of Outram Secondary School (2006). Singapore. ISBN 981-05-5775-2.
    I believe they have been on sale to public before and kept in our libraries. Hopefully, Victoria will have a book one day too.

  • Lim Eng Chong
    28 May 2009 02:02

    Thanks your reply. Yes most of us don't really have the time to contribute as much as we would like to. I can see you have a keen interest in the history of the school and you also have lots of knowledge & references about other schools as well. Like you, I hope there can be a book published on the history of
    Victoria, like some the other schools with a long history and rich heritage. To make this a reality, we can first gather the people who have the interest and/or the knowledge to see how we can go about doing it. You dont have to get actively involved but can just provide whatever input, suggestions, advice on sources etc or whatever you already know or want to help with. We can get others to help research and contribute more, to collate, compile, edit etc as a first step. We can also obtain the help of other Victorians who are writers, poets, journalists, historians, retired VS teachers & students etc to help. For instance, I am sure we can seek the help and advice of Prof Edwin Thumbo who would most forthcoming to contribute to Victoria as he has always done. I am willing to help coordinate and take the lead on this project. I hope you can leave me your email in case I need to ask for your advice.

    I hope other Victorians who are interested in
    "The History of Victoria" could also contact me to explore this project together. My email: eclim.pals@gmail.com

  • I believe that when the late Dr Ong Chit Chung was an academic at the NUS, he had supervised a thesis on the history of VS (it was then discovered that the school could trace its early days to the school in Kg Glam started in 1876, Henceforth, the official yr of founding of VS was stated as 1876 and not 1890 which was until then accepted as the yr when was founded.) From a check of NLB record, it is found that a copy of this thesis may be available at the Bedok library

  • I did not know our libraries keep copies of such thesis. My guess is that the student who did the thesis is a Victorian too.

  • A list of notable Old Victorians of VS and/or VJC is listed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Victorians

  • Whoever have time can help to improve the pages on Victoria School and Victoria Junior College. They need to be neutral, or else moderators may come in to edit/delete/put special tags on these pages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_School http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Junior_Coll

  • re posting dd 29 may, it was an academic exercise completed by an honours student Mr Ernest Cheong for the year 1987/88, entitled "Victoria School 1876 – 1987".

  • Syed Alwi site vs Victoria Street

    All the while, it has been recorded that during the years 1900-1932, VS was known as Victoria Bridge School, situated near the Victoria Bridge, at Victoria Street.

    Howcome the site is call the Syed Alwi site now? http://itclub.vs.moe.edu.sg/newschool/gallery/ima
    The site was later used by the Kota Raja Malay School.

    Is Syed Alwi site at Syed Alwi Road? If it is, Syed Alwi Road is actually separated by Jalan Sultan from Victoria Street.

    Any one can clarify?

  • jalanbesar
    9 August 2009 17:52

    The list of notable old VS boys (as gleaned from Wikipedia) features several Malaysians. To be added to the list is Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman, the former Chief Executive of Malaysian Airlines System and a prominent Malaysian businessman. According to the attached infor, Mr Aziz attended the post certificate class (equivalent to today's GCE A Level) in 1953 in VS after completing his senior cambridge in Kota Bahru.
    http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn6207/is_2

  • In 1932, the SULTAN OF TRENGGANU sent his 2 sons to study at Victoria Bridge School. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Search_Result.aspx?keywor

    The Sultan at that time was Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah. After he passed away in 1942, his eldest son, Tengku Ali, was made the Sultan until 1945. http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/legal/general_news

    It is not known whether the Sultan, Tengku Ali, is one of the two sons that was sent to study in Victoria Bridge School. Sultans at that time were known to have a few wives and many sons.

  • It was previously recorded that the school name, Victoria Bridge School, was changed to Victoria School, in 1932.
    But it seem more likely to be in 1936, as Victoria Bridge School name was last used in the newspapers in 1936, and Victoria School name first appeared in the same year 1936. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Search_Result.aspx?keywor

  • Owing to some dispute in Wikipedia, which was a matter of time, as it is not the right place for the listing of prominent Old Victorians, the list has been transferred to http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2209767942&…

  • It was recorded that VS Arrow Scout Group is founded in 1922. Raffles Institution scout group was also formed in the same year, and it is the earliest scout group in Singapore.
    However, there was scout group formed in VS as early as 1919. It was known as the 5th Singapore (Malay) Troop.
    See below:

    ———————————————————
    It was recorded that a scout unit was first established in 1919 at Victoria Bridge School (presently Victoria School).

    "In the post-World War I environment, many parents in the Malay-Muslim community did not support the idea of their sons joining the Cadet Corps. As a result, Hashim changed his plans and opted for the founding of an All-Malay Scout Troop at Victoria Bridge School. This led to the establishment of the 5thSingapore (Malay) Troop in 1919."[1]

    "First appointed as Scoutmaster of the 5th Singapore Malay Scout Troop in 1919, Alsagoff would later be promoted to District Scoutmaster (Malay Scouts), District commissioner (Malay Scouts) and Assistant Chief Commissioner (Malay Scouts)."[2]

    Little was know to the 5th Troop. We don't know who founded it or when it was closed down. In the Annual Report on Education in the Straits Settlements, it was clearly stated that a scout troop was established in 1922.

    "22. Singapore – The three Government Schools, Raffles Institution, Outram Road School, and Victoria Bridge School, formed School Troops in 1922, and depended entirely on pupils and masters for officers."[3]

    It was not clear who founded this 6th Singapore Troop. However, it was mentioned in Scouting in Singapore 1910-2000 that Scoutmaster of 6th Singapore Troop was Mr. S. R. Williams and Assistant Scoutmaster was Inche Hamid Bin Omar.

    References
    1. Kevin Y.L. Tan and Wan M. H., 2002. Scouting in Singapore 1900-2000. In :Campfire Yarn No 8. pp 174
    2. Kevin Y.L. Tan and Wan M. H., 2002. Scouting in Singapore 1910-2000. In :Campfire Yarn No 8. pp 174
    3. E. C. H. Wolff, (Director of Education, Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States),1923. Annual Report on Education in the Straits Settlements for the Year 1922. pp 213
    http://deletionpedia.dbatley.com/w/index.php?titl

  • "Scoutmaster of 6th Singapore Troop was Mr. S. R. Williams" – Mr Williams later became principal of VS.

  • VS, before it was known as Victoria Bridge School, was more commonly known as the Government English School, an English school that catered exclusively to Malay pupils. The name is quite a generic one, as there are a few other schools known as Government English School in Malaya.

  • It was recorded that VS NCC (Land) was formed in 1948. However, according to NCC Singapore history, NCC was formed in 1918 in VS.

    ———————————————————
    In 1917, steps were taken by the Education authorities to revive the Cadet Corps on a new basis. It was decided that six schools (Raffles Institution, St Joseph 's Institution, Anglo-Chinese School , St Andrew's School, Outram Road School , and Victoria Bridge School ) should each form a Cadet Unit. This time, the Cadet Corps in school would be entirely separated from that of the Volunteer Corps. The aim of the movement was to improve the physique and discipline of the boys, and to inspire them with ideals of esprit-de-corps and patriotism.

    In 1918, all the six selected schools formed their Cadet Units under the command of their own Cadet Officers.
    http://www.ncc.org.sg/The_Corps.htm

  • Level Up @ Victoria School Open House 09 Video (14 Nov 2009 Sat)

  • Victoria School Anthem

  • Former MP Sha'ari Tadin laid to rest after suffering a heart failure
    By Daud Yusof, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 14 December 2009 2317 hrs

    SINGAPORE: Former Member of Parliament for Kampong Chai Chee and Bedok, Mr Sha'ari Tadin, has been laid to rest.

    The ex-Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture died on Sunday.

    Mr Sha'ari's body was brought to the Ba'Alwie Mosque for prayers before being buried at the Muslim cemetery.

    He suffered heart failure after a 10-year battle with Parkinson's disease.

    The former PAP MP was instrumental in spearheading a movement to uplift the Malay community educationally.

    And the Colombo Plan Scholar led by example, being the first graduate Malay MP at the age of 36.

    Former students like Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and MP for Aljunied GRC, Zainul Abidin Rasheed regard Mr Sha'ari as a beacon of education.

    He said: "He in fact imbued me with a lot of values. Value of education. Value to serve the community and the importance of what we do as a collective effort for the community.

    “And I also know in fact that the late Haji Shaari was a source of inspiration to many other Malay MPs, and he in fact put my name up in 1976 as a candidate for the PAP to consider." – CNA/vm

  • PM Lee sends condolences to family of former Malay MP, Sha'ari Tadin
    Posted: 15 December 2009 2248 hrs

    SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has paid a glowing tribute to the late PAP MP Sha'ari Tadin who passed away on Sunday.

    In a letter to Mr Sha'ari's wife, Mr Lee said without Mr Sha'ari and his generation of Malay leaders who served the party and Singapore loyally, the country would not be where it was today.

    He noted that Mr Sha'ari was the first Malay graduate MP and belonged to a new generation of better educated Malay leaders.

    This, he said, reflected the steady progress of the community.

    Since then, Mr Lee said in each successive election the government have upgraded the quality of the Malay MPs elected, not only in terms of educational attainments, but also their participation in and contribution to national issues. – CNA/vm

  • Sha’ari Tadin is a distinguished Old Victorian. He was Guest-of-Honour at VS Speech Day in 1968 and 1974.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sha%27ari_Tadin

  • You can support VS here: http://www.nemation.sg/

  • Jan 29, 2010
    PA gets historic new home
    By Nur Dianah Suhaimi

    The conserved the old school building while converting the classrooms into sleek offices. The school hall-cum-canteen is now a dance studio and storage area for Chingay and National Day props. — ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

    WHEN the People's Association (PA) was set up 50 years ago, its headquarters was a former airport in Kallang. On Friday, it officially moved to another old building: the former Victoria School building in King George's Avenue.

    This time, however, the PA engaged architects and gave its new home a $47 million makeover.

    The conserved the old school building while converting the classrooms into sleek offices. The school hall-cum-canteen is now a dance studio and storage area for Chingay and National Day props. A new five-storey extension block was built behind the old school and a sprawling lawn fronts the entire structure.

    The changes won it the Architectural Heritage Awards last year, an annual honour given to well-restored monuments and conservation buildings in Singapore.

    On Friday night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is also PA's chairman, officially opened it new home in a ceremony attended by about 1,000 people, including Cabinet ministers and grassroots leaders. The event, held on the lawn, was like a mini National Day celebration, complete with floats, performers in colourful costumes as well as a fireworks and pyrotechnics display.

    Mr Lee also opened the PA heritage gallery, an exhibition which charts the association's growth over the past 50 years. The gallery will be a permanent fixture at the building's atrium. These events are the first in a series of activities to be held this year to mark PA's 50th anniversary.

    Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
    http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapor

  • I am reposting this enlightening piece of VS history in this thread, so that it can be easily refer to, if in future, a book on the history of VS and/or VJC is written.

    ========================================================

    By Tyrwhittdays, February 8, 2010 @ 09:20

    In the yesteryears, especially during the 1960s, Victoria School was a hive of activity and pioneer in helping to raise funds for charity and in giving the students the space to exercise their creativity and spirit of kindness and love for the school. There was a pop band concert successfully organised at the Singapore Badminton Hall and spontaneously spearheaded by the students in 1965 to raise funds for a former Victoria School great distance runner Justin Rozario who was paralysed after a diving accident. I think many students would have recalled with pride and fond memory of the efforts they put in to selflessly helped a fellow Victorian in need. I think Mr Phil Wong, a popular blogger now living in Sydney had recalled with pride in his involvement in putting up the banner for the show. See his blog. Then there was the 1968 Carnival of the Year held at the school compound and having the then Minister of Social Affairs Mr Othman Wok as Guest of Honour to raised funds for charity. It was a roaring success, with a myriad of popular activities staged, including a beauty contest won by a lady who later went on to become the first Miss Tourism Singapore and a talentime contest whose champion turned out to be a VS boy Subronto who later became a well know professional trumpeter. By the way the carnival was conceived by two Pre U students Arthur Goh and Raj Kumar and subequently taken on by the OVA whose stalwarts included the former Head Prefect Mr Richard Teo Cher Aik and the late SRS Naidu and their committee. Then in those years the school annually held a talentime concert in which there was tremendous particpation by the students. I recalled that among the prominent particpants were Baharom Salleh, the great sportsman and footballer who had a golden voice to match, and Chong Seng Choi, the then Head Prefect who was an accomplished guitarist. There was no dearth of talents and the the event was held in the school quadrangular which were looked forward to enthusiastically by the students. Some years later, the talentime was discontinued perhpas by the more conservative principals. Then there was the beautiful garden and pond created by students of Pre U 2 Arts in 1967 in the school quadrangular and it was spearheaded by Philip Lee, a Queen’s Scout and a very creative person who is now a high flyer in the corporate world. Also in the 1960s, Victoria School was the first school to introduce a school supporte’ cap which was won proudly by our students at inter school sports meets, especially at the Serangoon District Annual Athletics Championships where Victoria Scool was the perennial champion. Our hero athletes of those years were people like Alagirisamy and Dr Siah Kim Bin, both middle distance champions, Giang Toh Chye, the top sprinter and Fok Keng Choy, the best shot putter of his time. They brought joy and cheers to the fellow Victorian supporters who were equally up to the task in their vociferous support and the mass turnout. There was one year when a large contingent of supporters marched from Farrer Park Stadium back to the school in Tyrwhitt Road, waving the school banners and singing the school song and shouting out the school cheers all along the way after yet another triumph at the Serangoon District Championships. It was really a sight to behold and an experience that will not be forgotten by those who had taken part. Come to think of it, this could have been considered as an infringement of the law forbidding public demonstration. But hey, the students were in really high spirit. By the way, the student who came up with the supporter’s cap which was Arthur Goh who was a very creative and innovative fellow who later made a name for himself in the publishing business, Although a somewhat simple item, no other schools had had ever thought of making one those day and this was quickly copied by schools like RI. Then during the 1960s there was a proliferation of school newsletters published by “rival” groups. There was the ‘Victory’ dominated by the science students and there the ‘Victorian Forum’ spearheaded mostly by the Arts students. The newsletters even carried serious articles including an interview with the the US Consul in Singapore. Some of the promient editors of these newsletters were student like Chung Chee Kit and Mok Kong Chua. Then many graduating Sec 4 and Pre U claases published their own commemorative class magazines. One of the popular one was the “VICSON” which was the class magazine of Sec 4 Sc One in 1968 and edited by that most loyal of Victorians, the evergreen Alwi Said Abdullah, who was a champion campaigner for everthing Victoria School. What great days those were! I am sure that the Victorian Spirit is still as strong as ever now.

  • Tyrwhittdays
    9 February 2010 21:14

    Hi Old Boy

    Thanks. May I just put in a little correction. The beautiful pond in the quadrangular was created by the students of Pre-U One Arts in 1967 spearheaded by Phlilip Lee. The "VICSON" was the commemorative class magazine of Sec 4 Science One of 1966.

  • Here are two interesting postings taken from the popular blog of Uncle Dicko, an old Victoria School boy. The first one was on the 1984 annual campfire of the Victoria School's 6TH Arrow Scout Group. It was acccompanied by a historic picture showing the guset of honour, the grandson of the founder of the scout movement Baden Powell and Mr Mansor Adabi, an ardent old Victoria School boy who was the Editor of the Malayan Law Journal and for had served in the OVA Committee faithfully for many years.

    The second posting was that on Mansor Adabi and his marriage to Maria Hertogh, the Dutch teenager who was the subject of a controvery when her natural parents won a court decision to return her to them from her Muslim foster parents. This resulted in riots in Singapore during which there were some casualties.

    Victoria School is indeed something more. It is full of history and many personalities, prominent, controversial or colourful have been associated with it over the years of its existence.
    http://uncledicko.blogspot.com/2010/01/1988-meeti

    http://uncledicko.blogspot.com/2010/02/mansor-ada

  • Re-posting oldvic entry here for easy reference:

    ———————————————————

    By oldvic, January 27, 2010 @ 09:56

    re Old Boy’s posting of 25 Jan. In the old days, it was common for the established schools such as VS, SJI, ACS, SAS,to have “Afternoon School” named after them and operate in the afternoon session in the same school premises. These “Afternoon Schools” are not administratively part of the main schools and they operaterated independently. They took in over aged students, lesser qualified students and Chinese Schools’ students who attended such schools in the afternoon after their normal Chinese classes in their own shcools. I believe one such Chinese school student was the late Prof Chao who studied at Cahtolic High School and then attended Victoria Afternoon School later in the day. Interestingly, Victoria Afternoon School was the “founding school” of the present Beatty Secondary School when the latter was established in the 1950s with its first student intake all transferred from Victoria Afternoon School. In due course, Beatty began to admit in its own students. Although Beatty was then labelled by some as a “rugged” school, it had produced its fair share of oldd boys who later distinguished themselves in the professional lifes, including a cabinet minister, high court judges, top medical and education specialists and most well known of all, Mr Shih Choon Fong, the former distinguished President of NUS and now founding President and Professor of the ultra modern Sultan Abdullah University in Saudi Arabia. Beatty School also excelled in sports in those days, especially athletics, football and hockey. It was a fierce rival of VS, SJI, RI especially in these sports. One of the school’s most renowned sportsman was Mr Low Sin Chock, now a retired SIA Jumbo Captain who was Singapore’s top sprinter in the late 50s and early 60s. After finishing his School Certificate at Beatty he joined the Pre U classes in Victoria School and much glory to the shcool as the fastest schoolboy of his time. In the early 60s, Mr Low more often than not made his presence at the VS Sports Day by taking part in the old boys 1oo m race. He was proud of his VS links.

  • tyrwhittdays
    16 February 2010 21:06

    Hi Old Boy, Glad to inform that one of my classmates of Pre U One Arts in 1967 had read my posting of 8 Feb above. He reminded me that our class monitor Mr Lim Lay Hock, who later carved out a successful career in the banking world, had played a big part in getting the beautiful pond done and leading our class of students to a forested area in Bedok to cut and collect the bamboo to build the pond. I now recalled that we worked very hard and tirelessly to cut, collect and bring back the big amoung of bamboo to the school. The pond was symbolic of our class wanting to show ourselves as role models for the younger students and played our role in contributing to the school. Our then form teacher, the late Mr P K Hernon, a long serving British expatriate educationist in Singapore who had been posted not long ago to our school from RI (where he served for many years) performed the opening ceremony much to the applause and admiration of our other fellow Victorians. Besides, Messrs Lim Lay Hock, Arthur Goh and Philip Lee (mentioned in my posting, our Pre U One Arts Class of 1967 had produced a number of other well known Old Victorians, inclduding the great middle distance runner R Alagirisamy (a one time Secretary-General of the Singapore University Students' Union, the late Dr Ong Chit Chung (who needed no introduction) and Rajoo Gopal who is a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police in our Singapore Police Force. We are trying to search for photographs of the beautiful pond that we had proudly built and will contribute them to the school heritage centre or post them on the OVA blog if we can find them. Thank you.

  • tyrwhittdays
    19 February 2010 20:35

    For the information of interested readers, the quadrangular was the school's courtyard which was surrounded on three sides by the claarooms and laboratories and one one side by the toilets. It was the place where the school assemblies were held, where the school annual talentime contests were held and at times speech days were held there. In 1967 the then Pre U One Arts class initiated the project of contstucting a beautiful garden cum pond in the quadrangular.In the mid 1960s, the toilet building was torn down to make way for the constuction of new additional classrooms. A temporary toilet in the form of a large wooden shed was built on the side of the school field facing King George's Road. It was really quite an eyesore but the students endearingly dubbed it the "White House."

  • Thanks to tyrwhittdays and oldvic on the above information, especially on Victoria Afternoon School.

    Victoria Afternoon School started as early as 1938. It was possibly re-opened in 1946 after the War. In 1953, it was renamed Victoria Continuation School. In 1954, Victoria Continuation School students were among the pioneers of Beatty Secondary School. In those days, Victoria School was also known as Victoria Morning School.

    Thus, Victoria Afternoon School/Victoria Continuation School is part of the Victorian family/OVA.

    Besides renowned forsenic expert, Prof Chao Tzee Cheng, another prominent person who attended Victoria Afternoon/Continuation School was an Indian Singaporean (cannot remember his name) who became the first-ever Singapore Chief of Defence Force (before SAF was set-up).

  • Victoria School has always been a power house in inter schools' cross country championships since yonder years. Every year, inevitably it will capture either the B or C Division titles, though there were the occasional lapses when we finished without any title. Whatever the results, the highlights of the natiional secondary schools' championships is always the largee contingent of VS supporters present to rally behind their runners. For many years now, VS always has the biggest group of supporters present on the occasion, including many old boys. The Victorian Spirit is best seen best when the VS supporters gatherr together holding the School Flag in the colours of the various houses – red (glam house), yellow (

  • ,,,(rochor), blue (kallang), green (kapor) and purple (whampoa)(whampoa used to be the "White" house.) and waving the flags proudly while at the same time shouting out the school cheers. Looking forward to this year's championship which is scheduled for 24 Mar 2010? (can this date and venue be confirmed). Nil Sine Labore

  • Re Old Boy's post of 20 Feb. It is known that before the SAF was set up, there was the Singapore Military Force which was part of the Malaysian Armed Forces when we were briefly in Malaysia from Sep 63 to Aug 65. According to Victor Morais' "Who's Who In Malaysia and Singapore" series of publications, the the then MAF brigade commander in Singapore was one BG Syed Alsagoff, an old boy of Victoria School. He was the de facto Singapore armed forces chief then (?). Later he was promoted to Major General in the Malaysian army in the post merger era.

  • re my post of 20 Feb, I recalled reading the commemorative magazine marking the 130th anniversary of the school and seeing a photograph of a SAF officer with the rank of one star general standing smilingly shoulder to shoulder with a Victoria School representative at a national schools' cross country chamnpionship. I believe he was present during the meet possibly as a guest of honour. The said general appeared to the incumbent Chief of Defence Force, LG Neo Kian Hong. He must have been a great sportsman during his days in Victoria School.

  • Perhaps some can help to fill in the blanks on VS placings in the previous years' X-Country Championships here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_School_Cros

  • MG Syed Mohamed Syed Ahmad Alsagoff http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&da

  • tyrwhittdays
    13 March 2010 19:08

    There is a fair bit of information on VS during the 1960s in the postings here. During that era, VS had its "ups and downs." Nevertheless, the school still had its fair of students who excelled in their studies or the sports fields. VS had its first President Scholar in 1966 when Lam Chuan Leong was awarded the scholarship after topping the Singapore HSC results. Then there were outstanding sportsmen like the all rounder Nga Thio Hwa, athletes Dr Seah Kim Bin, Giang Toh Chye,

    R Alagirisamy and Fok Kheng Choy, footballers Yong Chong Fatt, Eric Paine, hockey and cricket star Neethianathan, and softball maestro Kader Sultan. However, the school lost its status as one of the three premier govt schools to have their principals holding the substantive grade of Superscale G after the departure of Mr Cheong Hock Hai ln 1963. Subsequent principals were either holding the Superscale G grade in an acting capacity or on timescale.

    There seems to be a dearth of information on the school during the golden era of the 1950s when VS was indisputedly one of the top schools in Singapore and the then Malaya, in both academic and sporting achievements. Perhaps Old Boys of that generation may want to share their recollection of the school then by postings the infomation on the OVA blog.

    In the 1950s, up till about the latter part of the 50s, VS had two very dedicated British headmasters. The first was Mr R F Bomford who designed the first Science Block in Singapore in 1951. A very popular headmaster, the Bomford Memorial Science Awards for the top students were created by old boys of the school in memory of him and the awards continue to be given out till these days. Also in 1951 the first batch of Post School Certificate Sixth Form classes was started in the school and VS also saw its inagural intake of female students. The "Red Brigade" as they were known (because of their distinctive maroon skirts)had contributed much to the success ofthe school then. Famous alumni include Dr Kanwaljit Soin who topped the medical course at the then University of Singapore and Emeritus Professor Wong Kim Ping of the Medical Faculty of NUS.

    In 1954 another Bristish educationist Mr Michael Campbell was appointed VS' headmaster and he continued on the achievements of Mr Bomford. Under his leadership the school continued to be one of the premier schools and in fact in 1955, it topped the School Certificate results for boys in Singapore.(Mr Campbell donated the cup for the inter house cross country champions and I remember that the Campbell Cup continued to be the symbol of cross country supremacy in the school. Wonder if the Campbell Cup is still being continue these days?) The school also produced the fastest schoolboy in Singapore and Malaya in 1956 in the person of Kesavan Soon. He represented Singapore in the 1956 Olympic Games thus becoming the first Malayan schoolboy to do so. In 1957 VS won two of the three Queen's Scholarships given out that year. The scholars were Teh Ee Kheng for arts and Yap Choon Teck for science. In 1958 a VS student surnamed Sitoh was also awarded the Queen's Scholarship.

    During the 1950s, VS did not only excel academically, it was one of the top schools in the sports arena, including in all the major sports – athletics, football, hockey, cricket, rugger and even swimming.

    Btw, besides Messrs Bomford and Campell, VS also had several outstanding British teachers in the 1950s. The most famous of them were Mr Shamus Frazer who composed the ever rousing VS School Song. He was a literature teacher and he wrote the book " The Crocodile Dies Twice" which became a popular Sec One textbook in Singapore schools until the early 1960s. It was interesting to learn from one of his former students that Mr Frazer was so earnest in his teaching that he would even lie down on the table while he was teaching the class Shakepeare's plays. Then there was Mr West, the geography teacher who also wrote textbooks on the subject which were used by Singapore schools even up to the 1960s.

    Thank you. Nil Sine Labore

  • tyrwhittdays
    14 March 2010 07:58

    Victoria School in the 1970s

    On the academic front, the 1970s saw some of the current most prominent Singaporean administrators and professionals studying in Victoria School. Among them were Mr Chiang Chie Foo, now the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister's Office who completed his entire six year secondary and pre u education at the school. A rare breed indeed as top students of those days including those of other premier schools were mostly enrolling themselves at the then newly opened National Junior College, the first junior college to be set up in Singapore, then the supposedly elite place of study for the best GCE A level students. Another two promient Victoria School boys who followed the path of Mr Chiang by doing their O and A level education of at VS were Dr Wong Kais, a top GCE A level student in Spore in 1975 and Dr Suresh Sahadevan who topped the 1975 GCE O level for all Singapore schools. Presently Wong Kais is private medical practitioner and Suresh Sahadevan is an Associate Professor/Senior Consultant in Geriatrics Medicine at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He is also one of the doctors attending to MM Lee (PMO Press Release dated 1 Dec 2008), These three top students were fullfuling the Victorian Spirit by completing their full secondary education in Victoria School inspite of the lure of NJC, as epitomised by Mr S Dhanabalan, Chairman of Temasek Holdings, who was reported in the press some years ago to have disclosed that he was reluctant to leave VS after completing his School Certifcate in VS in the early 1950s and managed to canvass (?) for the school to start a Post School Certificate class (now GCE A Level) for arts students so that he could continue his studies at the school!

    In the 1970s VS also had a student who was later to become the Singapore Chief of Defence Force from 2003 to 2007. LG (NS) Ng Yat Chung was a student at VS from 1974 to 1977 and continued his Pre U education at Hwa Chong JC. He was awarded the prestigious SAF Overseas Scholarships in 1980 to study at Cambridge University. He is now a Senior Managing Director in charge of Portfolio Management at Temasek Holdings. He continues to render his services to his alma mater by currently serving as Chairman of the Victoria Executive/Advisory Commiitte.

    On the sports front, VS continued its traditonal prowess. Among the well known sportsmen were Song Koon Poh and Goh Lai Hoa in the school rugger team of the early 1970s. Song Koon Poh was later to captain the Singapore national team and subsequently as national coach. His playing career reached its zenith when he was awarded the Sportsman of the Year in 1978 after spearheading the Singapore national team to its ever first third place in the 1977 Asian Rugby Championships behind Asian perenhial power houses in the game ie Japan and South Korea, a feat not to be repeated thereafter by any of our other national team in the sports.

    Two star athletes graced the school grounds in the early 1970s. They were Goh Pi Tuan, one of the finest all round school athletes of all times. He excelled especially in pole vault and the high hurdles events in which he was the national schools champion. He represented Singapore in the 1973 SEA Games held in Singapore in the decalthon. He is now the General Manager of the Jurong Country Golf Club, having served a short stint as the golfing manager at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzen, the biggest of its kind in the world.

    Following Goh Pi Tuan, there was Noor Mohd Merican, who was the national schools middle distance champion in the early 1970s. Popularly nicknamed Singapore's Sammy Davis Junior (he has close resemblance to the late legendary American entertainer), Noor is now a senior lawyer in private practice well known for his contributions to society by offering his services on a number of legal cases on a pro bono basis. Incidentally Goh Pi Tuan and Noor Mohd Merican were "foreign talents" who joined Victoria School for their pre u education from Gan Eng Seng School and Siglap Secondary School respectively.

    Hope that the above information on the school in the 1970s is of interest and Old Victorians especially those who were students then would come forward to give their recollections of the school and share the moments of triumphs and travails of the school during that era. I am sure that there are many. Thank you.

  • Thanks for the info, tyrwhittdays.
    Another member of the Red Brigade in the 60s, (Ms) Daylily Pan Soon, Head Prefect, also went on to top the medical faculty at University of Singapore.

    Archives of Straitis Times are now available online at the National Library too.

  • There were also Old Victorians like T A Mugam who was the Superintendent of Customs and Low Siow Chek who was the Postmaster-General.

  • while reading up the Victoria School milestones, found that in 1993 Victoria School produced its first perfect 10 As student in the GCE 'O' Level Examinations. He is Mandeep Singh, an Asean Scholar from KL who had started his education at VS in 1991. Completed his A Level at VJC and then medical school. An up and coming prominent ophthalmologist, he is now pursuing his Ph D in eye surgery at the Oxford University on a Singapore Government Scholarship. See attached feature article on this brilliant young man who was quoted to have said of his years spent at VS: "Eveyone learnt from each other and it's wonderful that we remain as friends to this day."
    http://mystory.sg/content/1593/Close_Tiong_Bahru_

  • Came across the Victoria Executive/Advisory Committee on the VS Website. What was listed was the 2007-2009 Committee (last updated 14/8/09). Has there been a new committee appointed? Thanks.

  • There is incorrect information at VS Milestones -http://vs.moe.edu.sg/ -> School Information -> History -> Milestones –
    "2002 Victoria School maintain the record of having won at least one division of national cross-country championships for the 9 conceptive years."
    Not only there is a typo, 'conceptive' -> 'consecutive', but in 2002, VS has won the B/C X-Country title for 15 consecutive years. And by 2006, it is 19 cosecutive years.

  • tyrwhittdays
    21 March 2010 10:39

    Victoria School In The 1980s

    As a humble and loyal Old Boy of Victoria School from the 1960s, I have been regularly following the news of my old school in the press and the internet. I find especially the OVA blog a very useful platform for Old Victorians to connect with each other and to reflect on and share their schooldays and views on the school including its present progress and development.

    There were several ephocal events taking place in Victoria School in the 1980s. In November 1984 Victoria School moved to Geylang Bahru from its historic site at Tyrwhitt Road off Jalan Besar. There was the "long march" of the whole contingent of Victorians, including many Old Boys, led by Major (retd) Abbas Abu Amin, then an MP and Chairman of the Football Association of Singapore, from Tyrwhitt Road to its new campus in Geylang Bahru (during his schooldays in the 1950s, Mr Abbas was a star football player for the Combined Schools). This was given prominent coverage in the newspapers and TV. Earlier another ephocal event took place in April 1983 when the Victoria School Executive Committee was formed with all its members being old boys of the school. The Chairman was Mr Wong Hung Khim, then a Permanent Secretary in the government service and later the founding CEO of Singapore Telecoms. Mr Wong was one of those distinguished Old Boys who had continued to render their contributions long after they had left school to the alma mater. The formation of the VEC was to lead to the establishment of the Victoria Junior College in 1984. With the establishment of VJC, the pre u classes in VS were discontinued and that ended the presence of female students in the school. (Over the last couple of years, there was this controversy when it was mooted that Victoria School turn co-ed so as to go the Integrated Programme path. This was mostly strongly objected to by present students and the OVA and many Old Boys came forward to voice their disapproval. The idea has since been dropped, and hopefully never to be brought up again. Victorians of all generations appear to treasure the female cohorts in the Pre U classes of the past but not to entertain the idea of admitting girls students to its secondary classes. VS has remained as the only government boys' school in Singapore.)

    In the 1980s, the school had consistently done very well in the O Level Examinations. In 1987 Teo Cher Min obtained a perfect score of 9A1s to become one of Singapore's top O Level students.
    It is with great pride to gather that Victoria School had produced a good number of outstanding students through the 1980s who had gone on to become leaders in the government, military, police and corporate sector. In particular several Victoria School students of that generation were awarded SAF and SPF scholarships and have gone on to hold the senior most positions in the military and police forces. Among the SAF generals, the incoming Chief of the Defence Force, MG Neo Kian Hong, and until recently the Air Force Chief MG Ng Chee Khern are Old Victorians of that vintage. These two prominent Old Victorians have continued to serve the school in their capacity as members of the Victoria Executive and Advisory Committee. (The committee looks like a 'Defence Council' what with Mr Chiang Chie Foo (PS Defence), LG (NS) Ng Yat Chief (ex CDF), LG Neo and MG Ng as members (see VS Website). Then there are the incumbent BGs such as BG Tan Meng Dui (Director of Military Intel Org) (former Head Prefect of VS) and BG Jimmy Tan Cheng Yaw (Director of SAFTI Military Institute) and others.
    In the police force, Old Victorians who had become Police Scholars and now holding key Police appointments include SAC Soh Wai Wah, the former Chief of Staff and now Director of Prisons, a very prestigious position which saw two previous appointees later becoming the Police Chiefs, ie Mr Tee Tua Bah (an Old Victorian from the late 1950s) and the new Police Commissioner Mr Ng Joo Hee (from ACS.), Supt Masagoes, an Asst Director in the Police National Service Dpt and former Singapore's Asian Games hockey star, and ASP Goh Yu Xiang, a newly return SPF scholar with a Master degree (1st Class Honours) who is now head of a neighbourhood police centre (he was featured in a recent Straits Times supplement on government scholars.)

    Old Boys of VS from the 1980s who are prominent in the political arena include Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Lim Biow Chuan of the PAP and Mr Lim Bak Chuan of the opposition Singapore Democratic Alliance. Mr Teo is the
    the Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministries of Community Development, Youth & Sports and Transport, and Mr Lim Biow Chuan (an MP from Jalan Besar GRC.) Mr Teo had made great contributions to OVA as its immediate past president (during his term the OVA organised the VS 130th Anniversary Dinner which had brought in more than $200,000 for the school welfare funds.) He is now the defacto "Mr Sports" of Singapore having been instrumental in Singapore winning the bid for the inaugural Youth Olympics Games to be held in Singapore this year and bringing in a fresh perspective to the development of sports in Singapore. Mr Lim Bak Chuan is the Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Alliance, a coalition of opposition parties whose Chairman is Mr Chiam See Tong, one of two long established Opposition MPs. Wonder whether the two Lims are related given that they share the same surname and the last name?

    On the sports front, Victoria School appeared to have had continued its prowess on the playing fields. In 1981 Victoria School achieved one of those rare "once in a generation" feats in winning all three divisions (A, B and C Divisions for Boys) of the National Schools Track and Field Championships. There seems to be a dearth of information on the sporting achievements available on the Internet. Perhaps Old Boys who have intimate knowledge of the school in this area will want to do their postings here. I am sure that there are many famous names and great achievements to be featured here.

  • "Victorians of all generations appear to treasure the female cohorts in the Pre U classes of the past but not to entertain the idea of admitting girls students to its secondary classes."
    – although VS had Pre-U co-ed classes in the past, it was still known as a boys' school (with Pre-U co-ed classes); if VS had admitted girls into secondary classes, then it could no longer be a boys' school.

    In the army, there are also BG Kwek Kok Kwong, present Commander, Air Defence and Operations Command, and BG Loh Wai Keong, former Commander, 3rd Division and former President's Scholar, who has since left the army.

    For the oppostion, besides Lim Bak Chuan, those who have run for the opposition include Ken Sunn, former Secretary-General of National Solidarity Party, and Lim Tung Hee & Sarry Hassan, formerly of Singapore Democratic Party.

    "In 1981 Victoria School achieved one of those rare “once in a generation” feats in winning all three divisions (A, B and C Divisions for Boys) of the National Schools Track and Field Championships. "
    – this information recorded in the school website is incorrect. VS won Under-20 Boys, Under-20 Girls and Under-14 Boys in that year, but not the Under-16 Boys. And in that year, there is also a fourth division – Under-18 Boys.
    However, Chinese High (Hwa Chong Institution) total dominance of the C Division Boys Track and Field Championships from 1969 to 2009 was broken only 3 times in 1981, 1992 and 2000 – all by VS!

  • Typo:
    Chinese High (Hwa Chong Institution) total dominance of the C Division Boys Track and Field Championships is from 1979 to 2009, and not 1969 to 2009.

  • tyrwhittdays
    22 March 2010 12:29

    Thanks Old Boy.relay team did not do as well as expected.

    I believe last year VS almost won the C Division Boys but miss out by a couple of points when the sprint VS won the first and third places in the individual C Boys.
    Looking forward to this year's National Meets.

  • tyrwhittdays
    22 March 2010 12:34

    Correction, I think given his age, late 20s? Mr Goh Yuxiang was probably from the later years of the 19990s. Believe there are other Old Boys from the 1980s and 1990s who were awarded the prestigious SAF and SPF scholarships.

  • Obtained from school website:
    “1981 The first school to win all three Age Divisions in the National Athletics Meet.”
    — VS is the first and only school to win 3 team titles (Under-20 Boys, Under-20 Girls and Under-14 Boys) in 1981 at the Inter-Schools Track and Field Championships, but not all three Age Divisions.

  • In the 2009 Inter-Schools Track and Field Championships, VJC lost to RJC by 3 pts (164 to 167) in the A Div Boys. VS lost to HCI by 18 pts (103 to 121) in the C Div Boys, this was closely followed by S'pore Sports Sch who obtained 102 pts.

  • The Reverend Sik Kwang Sheng, Abbot of the Phor Khark See Monastery and President of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, is an Old Boy of Victoria School. He is also an accomplished musician and composer.

    Please see attached.

    http://www.kmspks.org/events/thdyrs_img/Press_en0

  • Reply to: tyrwhittdays, March 22, 2010 @ 12:34

    Goh Yuxiang (VS/VJC) was SPF overseas scholar in 2002.
    Each year, it seem that there are about 5-6 SAF overseas scholar and 1 (sometimes 2) SPF overseas scholar.
    Many from VJC (not necessarily VS) have obtained the SPF scholarship.

  • tyrwhittdays
    24 March 2010 11:16

    the golden girls of 1967-68

    My friend Arthur Goh (from the Pre U classes of 1967-68), one of the main cheer leaders of the Victoria School athletics team in the Serangoon District Annual Championships held at the the Farrer Park Stadium and the guy who came up with the idea of having our students don the first introduced (in Singapore) school supporters caps (made simply from papers, beautifully designed with the scool colours of red and yellow) when we turned up en massse to cheer our school, has recalled that the girls of the then Pre-U classes, especially those of the one and only art class then, were actively involved in preparing the banners and placards that were displayed by the Victorians to exhort our representatives to run faster, throw the shot put and javelin futher, leap over a longer distance in the long and triple jumps, clear the steeplechase hurdles more deflty and quickly than their rivals from other schools. These girls from the arts class rallied and got together their counterparts from the two science and one medicine classes, to help buy the cloth for the banners and sewn them and prepare the cardboards for the placards. Arthur wishes to acknowledge the wonderful role played by the Pre U girls, he remembers the names of Maureen, Yin Fong and others. Arthur also recalled that many of the Sec Four boys, inspired by the selfless and dedicated contributions from their senior "sister Victorians", helped in chipping in to defray for the cost of the paraphernalia and also stood in the hot sun on the actual days of the district and inter-districts meets to hold the banners and placards proudly in support of our athletes.

    Indeed, inspired by the fantastic turn-out of the VS supporters and their loud cheers and the words imprinted on the banners and placards, our athletes did all they could and to their very best to bring glory to the school. For the years 1967-68 VS was the overall champions in all three divisions in the district championships, as we had had achieved in the many previous years. The star athlete then was the Pre U Arts student, school prefect and Champion/Best Peformance Winner of three successive VS Annual School Athletics Meet (1966-68) R Alagirisamy, who was the district champion in the 800 metres, 1500 metres, 3000 metres and the 2000 metre steeplechase and the uno numero in the steeplechase and runner up in the the other three events in the inter-district championships (now the National Schools' Track & Field Championships), The tussle between Alagiri and his nemesis Mirza Namazie from ACS was the highlight of the annual national inter school championships then.

  • 1. The strong cheering tradition has been kept by VS and VJC. This is well-known among schools in Singapore. In particular, no other JC can beat VJC in terms of cheering.

    2. VS has done quite well in the National Schools Track and Field Championships, usually coming in second, third or fourth in B/C Division for Boys, but not strong enough to dethrone HCI except for 3 occasions.

  • According the VS website, the Principal has announced that VS this morning captured both the B and C Divisions National Cross Country Championships for 2010. Congratulations!

  • Victoria School Cross-country http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_School_Cros

    Perhaps those who know how VS perform in these years can help to fill in the blanks:
    B Div: 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1995 and 2000
    C Div: 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1998 and 2001

    Thanks!

  • tyrwhittdays
    25 March 2010 10:42

    Victoria School in the 1990s

    The 1990s saw Victoria School excelling academically and in the CCA, especially Sports and the cadet corps, in particular in the first half of the decade.

    In the 1st Schools' Ranking Exercise in 1992, VS was positioned 15th. In 1993 the school was ranked 10th. Victoria School achieved its first ever 100% 5 'O' Level passes. In that year, Mandeep Singh, a KL-born Asean Scholar, obtained a perfect score of 10 A1s making him one of the top students in the 1993 GCE 'O' Level Examinations (Mandeep went on to VJC and then the medical school. Today Mandeep, now a Singapore Permanent Resident, is an eminent opthamologist in the making and is currently pursuing a Ph D in Eye Surgery at the Oxford University on a Singapore Government Scholarship.) Of his years of study at VS from 1991-1993, Mandeep has this to say: "Everyone learnt from one another and it's wonderful that we are still friends to this day." (info from VS Milestones and myStory.sg)

    In 1994 Victoria School achieved its best ever ranking of 6th position in the Schools' Ranking Exercise since its introduction.

    The years 1990-1994 saw VS having one of its best principals in its history in the person of the Klang-born Mr Tan Tiek Kwee. Under Mr Tan's leadership, the school excelled both in the academic realm and the CCA sphere, especially in sports and the army and police cadet corps. (The NCC was annually ranked the best unit in Singapore successfully for more than seven times during the 1990s, continuing a tradition set by their counterparts of yesteryears. It is a testimony that Old Boys of Victoria School have had gone on to outstanding achievements in the SAF and the police, holding very senior appointments in both these two services.)

    A truly dedicated and excellent principal, Mr Tan even sent his son to study in Victoria School during his tenure of leadership at the school. He was featured in a special one full page article in the Straits Times under the Outstanding Principals series. In the mid 1994, Mr Tan left VS to become the Headmaster of Raffles Institution, a position of which he was apparently head hunted by the RI Board. It is interesting to note that he took over as that school's headmastership from Mr Wijeysingha, who was the principal and he the vice-principal when the two gentlemen were both serving in Chai Chee Secondary School years earlier. It was a 'career move' by Mr Tan to assume the position in RI admist "playing up" by the English press, alluding that his decision to leave VS was strongly criticised by the students and teachers for having "jumped ship." Ever the fine man he is, Mr Tan subsquently clarified in an interview with the vernacular press that he had discussed with and explained to the school why he had wanted to take up the post at RI and the students and teachers had accepted his reasons for deciding to do. He continued his love and sentimental attachment to VS after this move and was ever willing to make his presence at important VS functions, including the speech days and OVA functions. Mr Tan Tiek Kwee capped his distinguished career with the Singapore Educational Service by leading RI back to its premier position as the top school during his tenure there and subsequently as Principal of Anderson Junior College where he brought up AJC to even greater height before retiring from the service. He is reportedly still serving in AJC as a teacher mentor after his retirement. Many old boys of Victoria School who had gone to the school during Mr Tan's term as Principal had testified to the wonderful education, in all sense of the word, that they had the privilege to have had received.

    Victoria School had a change of three principals in a period spanning about ten years after Mr Tan Tiek Kwee left the school in 1994. (In 2005 Mr Low Eng Teong, a Singapore Government Scholar and an established artist in his own right, became the principal and has remained so to this day. Under his leadership, the school continues to achieve outstanding successes in both the academic and CCA areas admist the changing educational landscape in Singapore and the many challenges posed. Mr Low has therefore itched his name as one of Victoria School's outstanding headmasters. )

    The 1990s was a period that saw VS having had outstanding students leading the school as head prefects. Among them were Suresh Divyanathan, Narong Wongsriyanon and Muhd Khair Hamid. Allan Yue Kah Kheong, a student of the school from 1997-2000, was the Head Prefect in 2000, was one of the finest student leaders that the school has had. Allan was also the best NPCC cadet. In 2005, upon his completion of full time national service as a commissioned officer in the SAF, he was awarded the prestigious Singapore Government Scholarship to study Economics at the London School of Economics after which he would return to serve in the Singapore Police Force.

    Then there was Goh Yuxiang who studied in VS from 1998-2001 and was awarded the SPF Overseas Scholarship in 2002. He obtained a Master degree (Ist class honours) in Mechanical Engineering and has returned to serve with the police force as an ASP. A senior to Yuxiang at VS, Lim Chee Koon studied at the school from 1995-1998, he was selected by the prestigious Australian Military Academy in Canberra as a cadet in 2000. Another VS student from 1998-2000 cohort, Zhang Weijie was given the Overseas Merit Scholarship in 2002 to do his studies at the John Hopkins University (for Biology and Politcal Science) and the Stanford University (for International Policy Studies). Yet another student from the same years in VS, Pang Zenyu, was awarded the Local Merit Scholarship to do Computer Engineering at NUS. Significantly, all the scholars mentioned above had competed their 'A' Level at VJC (information from PSC Scholars' List),

    In sports, Tan Wearn Haw proved himself to be the most outstanding sportsman cum scholar of Victoria School during the 1990s. A student at VS from 1993-1996, he was the winner of the Sports Boy award for the year 1996 for his excellent achievements in sailing. He joined RJC for his 'A' Level studies and was again bestowed the Sports Boy of the Year for the second time in 1998. Wearn Haw aced his GCE 'O' Level exams with 8 A1s and his 'A' Level with 4 'As'. He was awarded the Singapore Overseas Merit Scholarship and graduated from the Imperial College in London with a Master degree. A Sydney Olympian, he also participated in the 2007 America Cup, the world famous yatching challenge race. (Info from Redsports)

    Hope this information of Victoria School is of interest to Victorians, both present students and alumni and all who have the interest of the school at heart.

    Thank you.

  • Here's a video of the VS B and C boys on their double victory at the recent National Schools Cross Country Championships. Wow, notice the sports entire of the young Victorian athletes!

    V for Victory, Victory for Victoria School!

    http://mrsiow.blogspot.com/2010/03/keep-faith.htm

  • Like in previous years, some of Raffles A Division winning team members are formerly from VS. If they had represented VJ this year, VJ top 4 runners would be 21 pts (versus Raffles 29 pts), and Victoria would have had a grand slam, something which they have achieved 4 times in the past.

    Someone had pointed out before that every year, Raffles poached VS top student athletes after their O levels. And there are allegations that some of them are rejected by VJ – not good enough for VJ but good enough for RJ academically.

  • Reply to tyrwhittdays, March 25, 2010 @ 10:42

    I think from the 80s onwards, VS has always been unofficially the top school for Uniformed Groups. No other school can rival VS in terms of Uniformed Groups achievements. For NCC Land, I think VS has won the Best Unit competition for 7 consecutive years from 1981-1987 (?). I am not sure if they have won more after 1987. But the format of the competition has changed now. Nowadays, Gold (Best Unit) is awarded to a no of schools who have attained certain level.
    For NPCC, Red Cross, military band, etc, VS has always been ranked among the top as well.

  • With regard to sports, despite last year's achievements, VS only managed to win 3 team golds (cross-country, hockey, floorball – all C Div) out of a total of 52 team golds in B and C Divisions Boys.
    The schools sports scene has changed a lot from the 60s and 70s. Many new sports competitions have emerged, and VS does not have the resources to particiapte in them. But VS has done well as it is competing in the popular sports which are participated by most schools. Some schools concentrated on the less popular sports which are easier to win a top-4 placing.
    Despite producing former national softball coach and captain, Sunny Sultan, VS does not have a softball team.
    Despite having produced the best rugby player Singapore ever had – former Sportsman of the Year, Song Koon Poh, VS does not have a rugby team.
    VS used to do reasonably well in gymnastics in the late 70s-80s too.
    VS does not have resources to form teams for basketball, canoeing, golf, judo, sepak takraw, squash, bowling, etc as well.

  • Former Sportsman of the Year, and former national coach and captain, Song Koon Poh, has stated in the Straits Times, that the greatest wish in his life is to go back to his alma mater, VS, to coach the rugby team.

  • BG Tan Meng Dui is not the same (Ms) Tan Meng Dui who was co-Head Prefect of VS in 1982 when VS still have Pre-University classes.

    http://vs.moe.edu.sg/pg.cgi?id=sch_past_head

    > Then there are the incumbent BGs such as BG Tan Meng

    > Dui (Director of Military Intel Org) (former Head

    > Prefect of VS)

  • Geyalng Bahru
    28 March 2010 12:59

    Daniel Yun, the person responsible for the successes of Raintree Pictures and now CEO of Homerun Pictures, is an old VS boy.
    Kelvin Tong, who attended VS and VJC, and a former lawyer, is one of the leading film directors in Singapore. One of his films, "Kidnapper" is now being shown at the cinemas.

  • Last week, VJC thrashed ACS (International) 16-0 in an A Division football match. The referee probably had a hard time recording who are the scorers!

  • VS will be meeting RI in the B Division Cricket finals on 7 Apr. VS beat defending champions ACS by 7 runs in the semi-finals. VS had lost to ACS in the B Div finals last year. However, RI start as favourites, having beaten VS by 22 runs in a preliminary match.
    All the best to VS!

  • tyrwhittdays
    4 April 2010 08:19

    Thanks Old Boy's of 27 Mar.
    BG Tan was listed in Prominent Old Victorians' List as a former student of VS. Is he? If not, we would want to make the correction.

  • 28 March posting of Geylang Bahru.
    VS is apparently the old school of several leading film makers and producers of Singapore. Besides Daniel Yun and Kelvin Tong, there is Boris Boo, the outstanding film director in the making.

    Does the Art Elective Programme (AEP) have something to do with the school being able to produce a good number of leading Singaporean personalities in the creative industry?

  • OldBoy 27 March refers.

    VS was also a top swimming school in the 1950s and early 1960s. producing Singapore representatives in the Asian and SEAP Games. This sport gradually phased off in the school and it is understood that the school no longer holds the annual swimming competition. The last VS boy who won a medal in the national schools' swimming championship was Teo Hong Tee in the late 1960s (?).

  • The ST this morning carries a report on the school winning the finals of the National Sch B Div Boys Cricket Championships against RI with the caption "Victorious Victoria after 41 years".

    Congratulations to the boys and all who have put in the hardwork. Nil Sine Labore

  • In the last two years, VS has some very good players in the cricket team but they finished second in the B Division, when they could have been champions. This year, ACSI and RI have better players and are favourites for the B Division title. However, VS rose to the challenge and beat ACSI in the semis and RI in the final. RI is coached by former national player Goh Swee Heng.

    Most of VS success must go to teacher-coasch Fred Martins, who coached the successful VS hockey teams too. Interesting to note that these two sports which VS have much successes in the past are not coached by old boys.

    Another point to note is that VS winning the title after 41 years is really not reflective of the real situation, as cricket was dropped from the schools' sports calendar for about 30 years before its revival.

  • I believe Fred Martens, the coach of the victorious VS hockey and cricket teams, is a former national great in the two sports. The school is blessed to have this distingushed coach who is giving his all to the boys. Thank you, Mr Martens.

    I think the VS admininstrators are a very enlightended lot, as evidenced by their willingness to engage whoever are best in their ability to coach the various school sports teams and bringing in the results. It is noticed that VS has both old boys and non old boys guiding the school teams to great successes in the various sports that the school excel in – track and field, cross country, football, hockey, cricket, volleyball, wushu, sailing.

  • Apr 8, 2010
    SCHOOL SPORT MATTERS
    Victorious after 41 years
    By V.K. Santosh Kumar

    Victoria School players carrying their captain Yusuf Aslam after beating Raffles Institution by 37 runs in the Schools National B Division cricket final. — PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM

    POWERED by Siddharth Sikka's half-century and captain Yusuf Aslam's brilliant batting and fielding, Victoria School won the Schools National B Division cricket final at the Ceylon Sports Club ground yesterday.

    They beat favourites Raffles Institution by 37 runs to claim the title after 41 years. Victoria were second in the past two years.

    'Both teams were good and the match was of high quality,' said Fred Martens, the Victoria coach. 'Raffles dropped a couple of crucial catches, we didn't. That cost them the match.'

    Victoria should be thankful Yusuf was dropped when the 16-year-old had just begun his innings.

    Yusuf and Sikka, after initial consolidation, tore the Rafflesians' bowling apart with some powerful hitting.

    Sikka smashed 56, including four sixes and three fours, and Yusuf contributed a swift unbeaten 38, with two boundaries and a six, as Victoria totalled 141-4 in 20 overs.

    Brief scores: Victoria School 141-4 in 20 overs (Siddharth Sikka 56, Yusuf Aslam 38 n.o.). Raffles Institution 104 in 17.2 overs (Divesh Dadlani 23; Shabab Chowdhury 3-24, Abdul Hareesh 2-8).

    Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
    http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Sport/St

  • Youth Olympic Games-bound Sean Toh of VS won the gold medal and set a new National Schools record for the 110 metre hurdles in the National Schools Track and Field Championships for B Boys.
    However, Straits Times missed this feat and it was not reported.

  • Henry, you have highlighted something that seems to afflict the newspaper when it comes to news about VS.
    It is either grossed over or not published at all, although the news is definitely worthy of publication. Sean Toh's winning time of a sub-14 seconds for the 110 metre hurdle is actually the best achievement of this season's schools track and field championships thus far, and will probably be unsurpassed for the entire championships. In young Sean, we see a potential "Osman Merican" in the making. Congratulations, Sean and the school coaches!

  • When VS did the double for X-Country this year, it was hardly mentioned in the papers.

  • Sean Toh betters YOG benchmark in Boys’ B Division 110 metres hurdles

    Story by Erwin Wong/Red Sports. Photos by Marvin Lowe/Red Sports

    Sean Toh in action during the B Division Boys 110m Hurdles final. (Photo 1 © Marvin Lowe/Red Sports)

    Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Friday, April 9, 2010 – Victoria School’s Sean Toh became the first athlete to better the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) benchmark set by the Singapore Athletic Association (SAA) when he won the Boys’ B Division 110 metres Hurdles in 13.98 seconds at the 51st National Schools Track And Field Championships.

    The benchmark was an integral part of the selection criteria for the YOG, and was put in place with the objective of having at least one or two athletes in the top ten placing in the Games. It was collated from the average of the 10th-placed performances of the previous three World Youth Championships.

    The target was 13.99, but Sean strived for a quicker time.

    “I was aiming for a 13.77. That was my specific target. But since the race is over, I have no regrets,” said Sean, who is coached by Yu Long Nyu, the women’s national Long Jump and Heptathlon record holder.

    A false start from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)’s Teh Jing Long made things more difficult for Sean, as whoever committed a second infringement would be automatically disqualified.

  • “I was already mentally ready for the race, but after the false start, I felt a little nervous. If I ever made a mistake, then that would be it. But when the gun went off, I managed to get a good start. I’m very happy with my result and I’m very satisfied.”

    He may have beat the YOG benchmark by a hair’s breadth, but according to SAA’s selection criteria, this performance at the Schools’ Track and Field meet had no bearing on his YOG status.

    Sean had already clocked 14.62 and 14.53 at the All-Comers Meet and National Junior Championships respectively to earn a nomination to the Asian Area Qualification for the YOG, which will be held next month. Eight boys and girls each were nominated in various other disciplines.

    The average of his performance from the National Junior Meet (14.53s) and the Asian Area Qualification would then be leveraged against the YOG benchmark (13.99s), as will that of the 15 other nominated athletes. From there, five boys and five girls will then be put up for final consideration for the Games.

    All things considered, it still augurs well for Sean, who picked up his third consecutive sprint hurdles gold medal at the Schools Championships.

    His 13.98s performance would go into the record books as a new mark as well, as the B Division race had previously been competed over 100 metres. It was just as well, as Sean’s existing mark in the C Division was erased one race earlier.

  • Linus Chong from Singapore Sports School clocked a 13.81 to beat Sean’s 2008 record of 13.93. They are the only two C Division hurdlers ever who have gone below 14 seconds in this event.

    Sean and Linus already have four individual gold medals between them, but the final race of the morning session gave Raffles Institution’s Ng Jun Rui an opportunity at his first.

    The 18 year old had consistently finished in the top eight of the Long Jump and sprint hurdles events throughout the years, but only collected his first individual medal in last year’s 110m hurdles final when he finished second.

    This time in the same event, Jun Rui’s quick start helped him on his way to his maiden gold medal, edging out Hwa Chong’s Joel Chia by 0.16 seconds to win in 15.41s.

    “My strong point is my start, so I decided to get a good start and try to maintain my lead, because I usually slow down towards the end. The same thing happened today, when I hit the last three hurdles,” said Jun Rui, as he talked through the race proceedings.

    As it turned out, it was the closest 1-2 finish in this event since 1995.

  • An Old Victorian from the 1960s now living in a distance land made this comment in a letter to a friend:

    "The Straits Times is still the same – always pro RI. I remember this point very clearly in the 1960s when VS could not make the news in the paper but RI was always reported. I wonder why the prejudice…."

  • In recent years, Straits Times is very pro-ACS. Like last year, all divisions of schools football was hardly reported. There was no mention of A and C Divison finals, B Division finals was reported in a few sentences. However, full article reporting were dedicated to reporting on schools rugby on many occasions, when only a few schools participated in inter-school rugby competition.
    It probably has to do with the reporters' schools background.

  • Calvin Quek wins C Division 400 metres gold
    Story by Erwin Wong/Red Sports. Photos by Marvin Lowe/Red Sports

    Calvin Quek leads the pack to finish first, more than a second ahead of Sports School’s Chua Kia Loon (#75) who finished second. (Photo 1 © Marvin Lowe/Red Sports)

    Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Friday, April 9, 2010 – Victoria School’s Calvin Quek broke his school’s C Division record en route to winning the Boys’ C Division 400 metres final in 53.62 seconds at the 51st National Schools Track and Field Championships.

    The time is a personal best, and a hundredth of a second faster than Shawn Chua’s school record set in 2002, but Calvin had a faster time in mind.

    “I was aiming for Chin Hui’s record. It’s an inspiration to do better,” said Calvin. The Schools’ C Division record is 51.97, set by Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)’s Ng Chin Hui in 2008.

    Calvin claimed two silvers in the 400 metres and 400 metres Hurdles last year, and will aim for a double gold this time round.

    “I’m also trying for the record in the 400 metres Hurdles (58.73s). I would try to go through the first 200 metres in 28 seconds, and the final 200 in 30 seconds.” The final is on Monday.

  • Results of VJC A Division Boys Football (Prelim Round):
    VJC 16-0 ACS International
    VJC 7-0 Temasek JC
    VJC 8-0 Catholic JC
    VJC 5-0 Dunman High

  • well done, Calvin Quek, for winning the national schools' C Div Boys 400 metres with a good time of sub 54 secs.

    what has happened to the other Calvin ie Calvin Kang, the VS old boy who represented Singapore in the blue riband event of the 100 metres sprint in the 2008 Olympics Games held in Beijing?

  • Calvin Quek won the C Div Boys 400 metres hurdles as well, in addition to the 400 metres.

    Multi-talented Venuraam Selvam won the B Div Boys 2000 metres steeplechase gold. He was in this year B Div X-Country gold medal winning team and last year C Div X-Country gold meal winning team. He also scored the winning goal in last year's C Div Boys Hockey Finals. He is only Sec 3 this year.

    Calvin Kang should be still in the national team. His name was mentioned in the Straits Times not too long ago.

  • a check on the list of Victoria Executive and Advisory Committee on the VS Website comes up with this statement: "the list being updated and it will be up asap." It has been there for quite a while now.

    Has a new committee being appointed?

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 April 2010 09:44

    The updating of the site is pretty slow.
    I believe a new committee has been appointed.

  • VS B and C Div boys both came in 5th overall in the just concluded National Schools Track and Field Championships.

    Results in other sports have not been too outstanding either.

  • I think notwithstanding the team results, both VS B and C Divison boys put up strong performances in some individual events. Notably among them are Sean Toh in the 110 m hurdles, Calvin Quek in the 400 metres and 400 metre hurdles and Venu in the 2000 metre steeplechase and all the other medal winners and finalists. Overall the boys and their teachers and coaches must be congratulated for their achievements and above all for the spirit of sportsmanhsip and giving their all. Nil Sine Labore!

  • Observer, I agree with you. Sports achievements in VS are quite good these few years, but there is still a lot of improvement to be made.
    VS has given up on some of the sports that VS used to have, while other schools have ventured into them. I don't recall there is gymnastics in ACS, but this year they almost took the team gold from HCI.

  • Hi all,
    What are some of the school sports that VS can revive/venture into?
    – basketball
    – canoeing
    – golf
    – gymnastics
    – judo
    – rugby
    – sepak takraw
    – softball
    – squash
    – swimming
    – tenpin bowling
    – water-polo

    I remember there was one year when VS B Boys came in Second in the National Inter-Schools Squash Championships, beating other schools which have squash courts, when VS does not have one.

  • whampoahouse
    15 April 2010 21:19

    I had the pleasure of attending the National Schools Athletics Championships finals at the CCK Stadium yesterday. I was delighted at the big turn out of VS students and teachers to support the school. It was with great nostalgia that I saw the students cheering the school representatives and watching them parading the schoolflag in the colours of the five houses. It was interesting to notice that my old house, Whampoa House now carries the purple colour wherelse during my time it was white. During the 1960s, Whampoa House was perenially in contention with Kallang House for the school championships. How is Whampoa House of today? VS is apparently one of the few schools if not the only school in Singapore that names the houses after the localised names of the areas around the school, hence Whampoa, Kallang, Kapor, Glam and Rochore. And these names have been around since the 1950s spanning the era of the Colonial Government, self government, and Independant Singapore. No wonder, the students of VS are known to be "down to earth" people who cherish their roots and strong ties to their old school. From the postings in this blog, it is with pride as an Old Victorian, to know that old boys and girls of the school have made great contributions to society by being leaders in all fields covering politics, government, business sector, social activists, religions, sports, art, and other areas. Nil Sine Labore!

  • 2010 Inter-School Sports, VS results:

    Badminton: B, C not in top 4 (Nat); B 1st, C not in top 4 (Zone)
    Cross Country: B 1st, C 1st (Nat)
    Cricket: B 1st, C ongoing (Nat)
    Floorball: B 2nd, C ongoing (Nat)
    Football: B not in top 4, C ongoing (Nat); B not in top 4; C 3rd (Zone)
    Hockey: B 3rd/4th(?), C ongoing (Nat)
    Sailing: Not started (Nat)
    Shooting: B, C not in top 4 (Nat)
    Table-tennis: B, C not in top 4 (Nat); not sure of zone
    Tennis: B not in top 4, C 4th (Nat)
    Track and Field: B 5th, C 5th (Nat)
    Volleyball: B not in top 4; C 3rd (Nat); B 3rd, C 1st (Zone)
    Wushu: B not in top 4; C 3rd (Nat)

  • It was on the CNA news this evening that the Asian Film Archives has restored the original print of a 1950s local produced film "Moon Over Malaya" which was shot in Singapore and the then Malaya. Starring the then Cantonese heart throb Patrick Tze, the film showed the scenes of the then British colonial territories.

    In relation to the revival in interest in restoring things of the old, perhaps the MOE and the school would want to look into making reprints of that iconic literature textbook for lower secondary schools of the 1950s and 1960s entitled "Crocodile Dies Twice" whose author Shamus Frazer was a teacher in VS in the early 1950s and composer of our school anthem. The book told the story of a VS schoolboy Ali bin Mustapha and his group of schoolmates and their adventures, starting off with Ali stumbling onto two men, including the one-armed feared Ketam, who were searching the pocket of a dead man at the Botanic Gardens in Napier Road and the adventures unfolded ….This would give a glimpse of the depiction of the schoolboy life in Singapore of the yonder years as portrayed by Ali and his mates and names of places in Singapore which their escapades brought them to, including the Botanic Gardens, and others which are no longer around. Will serve as a good read for school libraries and even possibly as a textbook for the younger students. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • Apr 15, 2010
    6 new Junior Sports Academies
    By Jonathan Wong

    THE Ministry of Education has set up six new Junior Sports Academies (JSAs), adding to the current 15 centres, to help develop budding primary school athletes.

    Two new sports, bowling and artistic gymnastics at Singapore Sports School and Hwa Chong Institution respectively, have been introduced to the current roster.

    Among the new schools added are Cedar Girls' Secondary School (athletics), Ai Tong School (table tennis), Rosyth School (badminton) and Victoria School (football).

    The MOE pilot programme, started in 2008, will now involve 930 young athletes. There are a total of 21 JSAs that feature 11 sports island-wide.

    Said Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Education and Home Affairs) Masagos Zulkifli at the official announcement on Thursday at Ai Tong School: 'The six newly appointed JSAs have been selected based on their achievement records, sporting culture and management support.

    'I am confident that they will provide selected students with appropriate exposure to sports and allow their talents to be systematically developed.'

    http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapor

  • Reply to tyrwhittdays, April 4, 2010 @ 08:19

    A Tan Meng Dui studied in VS from 1980-1983. He is also a prefect and one of the top students in VS. He is also likely to be in the pioneer batch of VJC. BG Tan Meng Dui is of the same age as the Tan Meng Dui from VS. They are likely to be the same person.

    > Thanks Old Boy’s of 27 Mar.
    > BG Tan was listed in Prominent Old Victorians’ List as
    > a former student of VS. Is he? If not, we would want
    > to make the correction.

  • The Air Defence Systems Division (ADSD) bade a fond farewell to
    BG Jimmy Tan and welcomed its new Commander, BG Tan Meng
    Dui, during the Change-in-Command Parade on 25 Jul 05. The
    Parade, held at the ADSD Complex was offi ciated by Chief of Air
    Force, MG Lim Kim Choon.
    BG Jimmy Tan joined the RSAF in 1980 and was awarded the
    prestigious SAF Scholarship (Overseas) in 1981. He received
    his Basic Air Defence Artillery training and Air Operations and
    Communications training in 1983 and 1985 respectively. In his
    25-year career with the RSAF, BG Jimmy Tan has held a variety
    of senior leadership positions, such as Commander Air Force
    Systems Brigade, Head Air Intelligence Department and Director,
    National Security Secretariat, before his appointment as COMD
    ADSD in August 2002. BG Jimmy Tan attended the United States
    Air Command and Staff College in 1991 and attended the Master
    of Science (National Security Strategy) programme in National
    Defence University, USA, where he was named a Distinguished
    Graduate. BG Jimmy Tan is currently Commandant, SAFTI Military
    Institute.
    BG Tan Meng Dui joined the RSAF in 1985. An SAF (Overseas)
    scholar in 1986, BG Tan received his Basic and Advanced Air
    Operations and Communications training in 1987 and 1994
    respectively. In the last 20 years, BG Tan Meng Dui has held
    several senior appointments, which included Head Defence
    Studies Department, Head Air Plans Department, Commander Air
    Defence Brigade and Head Air Training Department. In 2001, BG
    Tan Meng Dui was named Littauer Fellow when he graduated with
    top honours for his Master in Public Administration programme at
    Harvard University.
    Air Force News would like to congratulate both BG Jimmy Tan and
    BG Tan Meng Dui on their new appointments!
    BG Jimmy Tan (left) handing over the ADSD CAF witnessing the oath-taking by BG Tan Meng Dui (left). symbol of command to BG Tan Meng Dui.
    http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/mindef_websites/

  • this is a useful list for the VS community for reference. The OVA and the school may want to consider updating it.

    http://vs.moe.edu.sg/pg.cgi?id=sch_milestone

  • Reply to observer, April 19, 2010 @ 09:49:
    There may be a no of mistakes in the link:
    1932
    Formation of the first Scout group, which was called the Sixth Troop under the leadership of Mr. R E Smith.

    1933
    The school presented its first candidates for the Junior Cambridge Examinations. On 18 September, the school moved to the Tyrwhitt Road premises and was renamed Victoria School.

    1981
    The first school to win all three Age Divisions in the National Athletics Meet.

    2002
    Victoria School maintain the record of having won at least one division of national cross-country championships for the 9 conceptive years.

    And other significant milestones like 2 out of 3 President's Scholars were from from VS in 1983 was not mentioned.

  • tyrwhittdays
    19 April 2010 10:45

    Old Boy dd 19 Apr
    thank you for confirmation.
    There is something wonderful and fascinating about our old school, we seem to be able to continously produce students who have been appointed to the most senior positions in our uniformed services and of course, other key sectors of our community. The leadership programmes in the school for the students must have been a contributory factor. Nil Sine Labore!

  • Reply to tyrwhittdays, April 19, 2010 @ 10:45:

    Another significant milestone not capture by the school is the no of NCC Land Best Overall Unit titles VS has won. I believe there was a consecutive 7 years in the 1980s and possibly in the 1990s as well, before the format of the competition was changed. This is significant as the other top schools in Singapore have not even won it a single time. NCC has produced MG Neo and BG Jimmy Tan amongst others.

    NPCC too has consistently done very well although there was no Best Overall Unit competition (correct me if I am wrong). NPCC has produced BG Loh Wai Keong and LT Iskandar Abdullah who was the first SAF officer in 14 years to be named Best Overseas Cadet at Sandhurst, a few years ago.

    It is said that numerous Victorians have won the OCS Sword of Honour (Best Cadet) although this is not captured anywhere as they are basically national servicemen.

  • Old VS Boy
    19 April 2010 22:31

    For a change, a VS girl from VS Pre-U in the late 1970s

    Assoc Prof CHIA Ngee Choon
    Deputy Head (Teaching)/Director
    Undergraduate Programme
    NUS Department of Economics

    Ranking of CPF flawed

    AN EXPERT on the Central Provident Fund (CPF) system has criticised a recent global report of pension plans that rated Singapore poorly in some key areas.

    National University of Singapore (NUS) Associate Professor Chia Ngee Choon has raised her concerns with The Straits Times over a report released by consultancy firm Mercer last month. She pointed out it failed to take into account some unique but significant features of Singapore's system that would have altered the country's relatively low ranking.

    http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/My+Money/Sto
    http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/ecs/people/CV/ecscnc.pd
    http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/ecs/undergraduate/intro
    http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/ecs/people/profile/ecsc

  • strange, after so long, still no list of new VEC/VAC posted.

    similarly, with the list of new OVA Committee.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    22 April 2010 01:34

    I am not surprised. The updating of site may take months.

  • Congratulations to our very distinguished Old Victorian, Dr Chew Chin Hin, aged 79, for being the first Singaporean to be elected to the prestigious Mastership of the American College of Physicians on 22 April 2010. As one who has devoted his entire life to public service, Dr Chin is reputed for his contributions to help break the stranglehold of tubercolosis in Singapore and to initiate the Advanced Medical Directive or living will in our country. (see Straits Times feature article dated 23 Apri 2010, Page A13)

  • PreUClass67-68
    25 April 2010 09:27

    We are a group of former students from the class of Pre U Arts 67-68.
    We meet regularly. Oftentime, we feel that something is missing, as we had some 30 students in our class and hence, there are quite a number of others whom we have not seen or met for many years, stretching back to more than 40 years. Names like Bharathi Mohan, Leng Kok, Chew Chai, Chandranlingam, Yock Mun, Maureen, Noraini, Chui Har, Prema, Evelyn and others. Mohan was a journalist with the Straits Times, best known for his scoops on crime news, and then as a senior officer with the Ministry of Culture before he emigrated to Canada many years ago. Well, Mohan and the rest of you of you good guys, if you read this, you know what to do……Thank you.

  • It has been reported today that old boy Iskandar Jalil, renowned potter and Cultural Medallion winner, is losing 90% of one of his eyesight due to hypertension.

  • Besides MG Neo and BG Tan Meng Dui, there are a no of other old VS boys in the present Mindef top hierarchy:
    – COL Ong Ann Kiat Milton, Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Intelligence)
    – COL TAM Peng Yew, Hd, Air Intelligence Dept http://app.sgdi.gov.sg/listing_expand.asp?agency_

    COL LIM Yoon Boon, Chief Artillery Officer http://app.sgdi.gov.sg/listing.asp?agency_subtype

    BG KWEK Kok Kwong, Commander, Air Defence Operations Command http://app.sgdi.gov.sg/listing.asp?agency_subtype

  • Song Koon Poh
    26 April 2010 13:41

    Just a slight correction to para 3 above. The ARFU (Asian Rugby Football Union) tournament was held in 1978 hence you find the 1978 Sportsman award was given out in following year, 1979.

  • I am a firm believer that experienced sports teachers are able to help students raise their game and build character at the same time. After all, teacher-coaches of yore had no problems training an entire generation of excellent sportsmen.

    There were the likes of Mr R.B.I. Pates of Raffles Institution, Mr Retnam Pierre of Victoria School and Mr John Chia of St Gabriel's Secondary – teachers who taught mathematics, history or physical education during curriculum time, yet produced some of the best schoolboy soccer teams, with national players to boot.

    On the hockey pitch there was Mr S. Sooceleraj from Victoria School, Mr Rudy Mosbergen and Mr Koh Boon Long from Swiss Cottage, Mr Peter Martens from St Joseph's, Mr Himmat Singh Gill from RI and, of course, Mr H.S. Loomba, who as a teacher helped Singapore win its only South-east Asia Games men's hockey gold medal.

  • And who can forget Mr Natahar Bava (also a former national coach) and Mr Yee Teck Peng producing some of the best clashes in the Kiwi Cup between the Saints and the Rafflesians in rugby, with players who went on to play for Singapore as the best of friends.

    And some of these teacher role models, like Mr Lim Tiang Quee and Mr Patrick Zehnder, are still at it, producing some of the best in school athletics.

    As a parent of four sports-loving kids aged 12 to 17, I would like to see my children handled by the likes of Mr Bava and Mr Lim, even if they do not win any medals in their chosen sports.

    At least, I know that my children will grow up with the right values and approaches to sports, and to life.

    santokh@sph.com.sg

  • Attached is an opinion piece in the Straits Times of 27 April 10 by its dy news editor Santokh Singh discussing whether it is better that Singapore schools have teacher coaches instead of outsourcing the training of their sports and games teams to professional coaches.
    <a href="http://meltwaternews.com/prerobot/sph.asp?pub=ST&sphurl =www.straitstimes.com//PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_519566.html” target=”_blank”>http://meltwaternews.com/prerobot/sph.asp?pub=ST&amp;…” target=”_blank”>=www.straitstimes.com//PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_519566.html

    The article highlights the names of two former great sports secretaries of VS, Messrs S Soccelaraj and Retnam Pierre and their contributions in the coaching and guidance of the school's teams,in particular in the sports of football, hockey and cricket of which VS reigned supreme under their charge. Another name cited is that of Mr H S Loomba, who as a teacher (in another school),coached the Singapore national hockey team to the gold medal in the 1973 SEA Games. Mr Loomba is incidentally an Old Victorian and former skipper of the national team.

    The writer of this ST article Mr Santokh Singh was himself a teacher in VS in the 1990s and guided the school's hockey teams to great distinction in the national championships.

  • I believe another teacher mentioned, Mr Koh Boon Long, who became a principal and later, Deputy Director, MOE, had represented Singapore in track and field, and also an Old Victorian too.

  • Koh Boon Long was 51-yr-old in 1998. That made him born in 1947. So he was probably in VS in early to mid 1960s.

    ————————————————————————————————————————————
    From managing 500 students to 1,300 of them [ARTICLE]
    The Straits Times, 7 January 1998, Page 35
    From managing 500 students to 1,300 of them Bodok Town Secondary MR KOH Boon Long, who helped to build up Christ Church Secondary into a top value-added school, is now principal of Bedck Town Secondary School. Mr Koh, 51, who headed Christ Church Secondary for five years, was one among… (158 words)

  • Mr Koh Boon Long, an Old Victorian? He is a senior adviser in Educare, a cooperative of Spore Teachers' Union – see attached
    http://www.educare.sg/profile/our_team_educationi

    Other senior consultants/advisers in Educare had close ties with VS – Mr Nicholas Tang, a great scouting enthusiast, was a principal in VS in the later part of the 1980s. Dr Ho Wah Kam was a senior teacher in VS in the early 1960s. He was the Form Master of Form V Science One in 1961. Among the students of the class was Quek Leng Chan, who was later to become a billionaire business tycoon and remains one of the richest men in Asia.

  • I am quite sure Koh Boon Long is an Old Victorian. I think he specialize in track and field. It was reported in Straits Times that he coached hockey when he was at Swiss Cottage Sec. He has been in education industry for around 40 years. So I think he must be in VS in the 1960s.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    28 April 2010 18:34

    there are many good suggestions
    but i doubt any of the school administrators are reading this site

  • Came across this upload on the Internet – the 2004 editon of V.zine, the annual magazine of the Victoria School Police Cadet Corp (VSNPCC)
    http://home.vs.moe.edu.sg/laiss/vzinee.pdf

    what creative juice the students had….the magazine was so informative, yet so fun and ingenious in its presentation.

    perhaps the school would want to consider creating a a site on the Internet whereby all the published issues of the magazine could be uploaded for the reference of the Victorian NPCC fraternity in particular and the Victorian community and the general public.

    In relation to this, it is suggested that the school upload all issues of The Victorian, the annual school magazine, on a shared site on the Internet, so that the Victorian community, especially the old students, would have easy and ready access to it.

  • We have an englightened VS administration and I am sure they monitor this wonderful OVA blog, and would consider suggestions beneficial and of interest to the Victorian community. We mus also be mindful that the adminstration have to myriad things to care for, the top priority being the Victorians now attending the school. Nil Sine Labore!

  • The VJC A Division Boys football team, with their key players mostly from last year's VS B Divison National Runner-up team, are in the National Semi-finals for the 11th consecutive year. They have not conceded a single goal so far:

    Preliminary round:
    VJC 16-0 ACS International
    VJC 7-0 Temasek JC
    VJC 8-0 Catholic JC
    VJC 5-0 Dunman High

    Quarter-final round:
    VJC 5-0 Serangoon JC
    VJC 6-0 HCI
    VJC vs MJC (last year's runner-up) (4 May)

    Semi-final: (12 May)

    Final: (19 May)

  • .
    2010 Inter-School Sports, VS results:

    Badminton: B, C not in top 4 (Nat); B 1st, C not in top 4 (Zone)
    Cross Country: B 1st, C 1st (Nat)
    Cricket: B 1st, C 3rd (Nat)
    Floorball: B 2nd, C ongoing (Nat)
    Football: B not in top 4, C ongoing (Nat); B not in top 4; C 3rd (Zone)
    Hockey: B 3rd/4th(?), C ongoing (Nat)
    Sailing: B 4th, C 4th (Nat)
    Shooting: B, C not in top 4 (Nat)
    Table-tennis: B, C not in top 4 (Nat); not sure of zone
    Tennis: B not in top 4, C 4th (Nat)
    Track and Field: B 5th, C 5th (Nat)
    Volleyball: B not in top 4; C 3rd (Nat); B 3rd, C 1st (Zone)
    Wushu: B not in top 4; C 3rd (Nat)

  • The New Paper 3 May highlighted the VJC midfield maestro Dilip Thapa as the "Player To Watch" in the ongoing National Schs' A Div football championships of which VJC is the defending champion and favourite to retain the title. As in the case of Dilip, it is understood that the bulk of VJC players are ex VS boys and some other VS boys have gone on to represent other JCs. VS seems to be like the 'Brazil' of Singapore schools, grooming footballers for VJC and others. It is essential that VS boys should form the core of the VJC team, and all efforts should be made by VJC to ensure this. Nil Sine Labore!

  • About the ex VS boy now representing VJC, Dilip Thapa being a Nepalese, it is interesting to recall that in the years before the withdrawal of the British Forces from Singapore, there was quite a number of children of Gurkhas (Nepalese) servicemen studying at the British-run Alexandra Grammar School. (AGS). AGS had participated in local schools sports championships and football was the school's core sports. The school's football team comprised predominantly Gurkha children who were really skillful in the sports and Alexandra was often among the tops in the national schools championship. There was one year (in the 1960s) when AGS and VS were involved in the "Champions League" (in which the winning teams of the various districts particpated) and VS, if I remember correctly, was dealt a hefty defeat by AGS. It was no exaggeration to say that AGS, with the Gurkhas children forming the core, could easily take on the Singapore Combined Schools and win convincingly.

  • About the ex VS boy now representing VJC, Dilip Thapa being a Nepalese, it is interesting to recall that in the years before the withdrawal of the British Forces from Singapore, there was quite a number of children of Gurkhas (Nepalese) servicemen studying at the British-run Alexandra Grammar School. (AGS). AGS had participated in local schools sports championships and football was the school's core sports. The school's football team comprised predominantly Gurkha children who were really skillful in the sports and Alexandra was often among the tops in the national schools championship. There was one year (in the 1960s) when AGS and VS were involved in the "Champions League" (in which the winning teams of the various districts particpated) and VS, if I remember correctly, was dealt a hefty defeat by AGS. It was no exaggeration to say that AGS, with the Gurkhas children forming the core, could easily take on the Singapore Combined Schools and win convincingly.

  • Not sure how much effort VJC is doing to ensure the football continuity within the Victorian family.

  • Some of the MJC players are from VS.

  • oldcadet
    5 May 2010 14:27

    While reminiscing about VS in the 1960s, one topic that came up was the Army Cadet Corps or what is now known as National Cadet Corps. The cadet corps, then as now, was one of the best in Spore, continually winning prizes in competitions. Among the teachers in charge of the VS Cadet Corps in the 1960s were Messrs Surendranath (who later became Principal of Bartley Sec Sch), Annamalay (who was drafted into the SAF) and Daniel Tan Ngee Khiew (who joined the Trade Dept or MFA). Outstanding cadets then included Chung Chee Kit (also head prefect and top scholar), Mohd Moghni, Low Ah Teh and Swee Boon Chai, popularly known as "Sgt Ah Fatt" who later became a regular soldier and Commandant of the NCC. Would be interesting and worthwhile for a compilation be made on the history of the Army Cadet Corps of VS from its beginnings to the present time, if such has not been done yet. Perhaps some Victorian scholar doing his academic studies may want to venture on this and old VS cadets and students and teachers could contribute recollections of the corps and their involvement and participation.

  • oldcadet
    6 May 2010 10:52

    On the cadet corps in VS in the 1960s, we must also mention about the air cadet corps, then known as the Malayan Air Training Corps (MATC). VS was a squadron of this MATC, which was housed at Kolam Ayer (where the former Civil Defence HQs was.) The VS squadron was among the best, producing outstanding cadets, among whom were Karmjit Singh and Dickie Tan, who won the Best Cadet Award in different years and were among the few who obtained the PPL. Going back to the early 1950s, VS had produced the most prominent air cadet of all time in Singapore and Malaya in the person of Sulaiman Sujak. Sulaiman subsequently enrolled in the Royal Air Force in Britain and won top honours as a cadet before serving as a fighter pilot with the RAF. Eventually he returned to this part of the world and became the first Malaysian Chief of Air Force. After his retirement, Sulaiman Sujak became a prominent member of the business community in Malaysia in which he is believed to be still active.

  • VS' footballing star, Jeffrey Lightfoot, one of three Sporean youngsters featured in Visa world wide campaign to promote the upcoming Youth Olympic Games
    http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporel

  • Whither Victoria Executive/Advisory Commitee? Who are in the new committee? According to the committe's page on VS website, the list is pending updating.

  • It's sad to learn of the demise of Hira Singh, one of VS sporting heroes of the late 1960s. He was one of the double greats, in Hockey and Cricket, with the likes of M Neethianathan and S Muruthi during that era.

    Arthur Goh, the great cheerleader of VS and originator and designer of the first VS supporters' cap, remembers fondly Hira as one who while only a sec one or two student was already helping out in mustering the massive VS supporters' contingent at the inter schools sporting championships, especially the Serangoon District Athletics Championships in 1968.

    May Hira rest in peace.

  • It has been reported in the Sunday Times today that former Victorian and Singapore hockey captain, Hira Singh, has passed away. Hira Singh assisted VS in various ways in hockey after leaving school.
    Can OVA post the news article here? Thanks!

  • I suggest that the OVA subscribed to Straits Times Online so that news articles related to VS, VJC, OVA or Old Victorians can be reproduced here. Very often, they are only partly (sometimes, not at all) reproduced on the Straits Times website. The subscription is only — 24-month subscription for S$102 ($4.25 a month) http://subst.asiaone.com/sub/Registration.jsp

  • Thank you for the words of encouragement.

    Some of the history here has been really eye-opening and has been a source of motivation and reflection for us, as we are sure it has been for many of you.

    To generate more awareness of our history, we will be re-posting periodically some of the well-researched and well-written historical notes in this comment thread.

    If you wish to contribute as a writer or photographer on a regular basis (once a month, for example), please get in touch with us (info@ova.org.sg).

  • We must thank the OVA for starting this space for Old Boys of VS to inform each other of matters of interest, both past and present, concerning the school. We should all volunteer to post here news related to the Victorian community reproduced from whatever media sources available. More interestingly, we should have more Old Victorians posting recollections of their days in VS. There is a great story to be told about this wonderful institution.

  • tywhittdays
    11 May 2010 01:48

    Does OVA have plan to hold the OVA Dinner to commemorate the 135th Anniversay of the school at our old beloved premises at Tyrwhitt Road, now occupied by the People's Association, next year? I am sure that many old boys and girls (who attended our Pre U classes) would want to re-charge their batteries by going back for a day or an evening to the grounds which must hold many cherished memories for them. To allow as many Old Victorians as possible to do so, perhaps the OVA may want to confirm the venue early and the date, and publicise this in as many channels as possible so that our brudders and sistas far and near would put this in their diaries as a 'must attend" event. Nil Sine Labore!

  • Over the years, OVA has had a long line of prominent Old Victorians in Singapore to grace the Annual Dinner and Dance events as Guest of Honour. In one year, several years ago, an Old Victorian from Malaysia was invited as the Guest of Honour. He was the late Dr Ahmad Ibrahim, the distinguished Professor of Laws from the Islamic International Universtiy of Malaysia. Dr Ahmad was also Singapore's first Attorney General and a former President of OVA. Perhaps for one of the future OVA dinners, the association may want to consider extending an invitation once more to an Old VS boy from overseas to be GOH. Notable names that come to mind include Messrs Quek Leng Chan and Sulaiman Sujak, both very prominent Malaysian businessmen.

  • Glad to read about another Old VS boy making his mark, this time in the area of physical education in schools. He is Randall Lim, Head of PE at Hougang Pr Sch, who was rptd in this morning's ST (Pg B16) to have been bestowed the prestigious Outstanding PE Teacher Award by the Singapore Physical Education Association. Randall is continuing VS' fine traditions of producing students who have become great teachers and mentors in physical education, among whom are Messrs Low Wing Kee (ex Hong Kong University Sports Dpt Head), Lau Teng Chuan (former Spore Sports Council CEO)and Goh Ek Piang (current Dy Director in charge of MOE CCA Dte). Just an aside, why did the ST reporter describe Randall as a former "Victoria Secondary" student? Does not everyone know that there is but only "Victoria School"? Perhaps he is a rookie or an ex Rafflesian who never misses a chance to rub the Victorians on the wrong side? Just joking, he's only doing his job, only that he should be mindful that VS is not Victoria Secondary, but Victoria School. Thanks.

  • Victorian63-68
    14 May 2010 13:22

    Condolences to our former Physics Teacher in VS, Madam Dr Phua Swee Liang, on the demise of her husband, the great Singapore statesman Dr Goh Keng Swee.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2010 21:31

    The VEC/VAC list is updated on the VS website:

    2007-2010

    LG (NS) Ng Yat Chung
    Chairman, VAC

    Mr Chiang Chie Foo
    Vice Chairman VAC

    Mr Richard Teng Eng Moo
    Treasurer VAC

    Mr Teo Wee Leong Vernon
    Member/OVA Rep

    Dr Sim Hong Gee

    Member

    Mr Lee Sek Leong Christopher
    Member

    Mr Goh Chye Boon
    Member

    Mr Lim Biow Chuan
    Member

    Mr Tan Cher Liang Sebastian
    Member

    Mr Ho Toon Bah

    Member

    Mr Syed Ahmad b Abdul Rahman

    Member

    Mr Ang Kiam Meng

    Member

    Mr Soh Wai Wah

    Member

    Mr Suresh Divyanathan

    Member

    Mr Low Eng Teong
    Secretary, Principal of Victoria School

    Mr Chan Poh Meng
    Secretary, Principal of Victoria Junior College

    List updated on 14/05/2010

  • BG (Ret) Kirpa Ram Vij, who studied at Victoria Afternoon School, became SAF's first Chief of Staff (equivalent to present Chief of Defence Forces), 1970-1974.

  • Sorry, Old Boy, there is only one Victoria School. Victoria Afternoon School, Victoria Continous School, they might have been housed in same premises in Tyrwhitt Road, neither could be considered VS. This was a quirk of the education scene during the bygone days. Btw, Kirpa is rptd to be ex RI, and he was Director of General Staff and even then, not the first. The first DGS was the late Mr Tan Teck Khim, who later became Commissioner of Police, He by the way was an Old Saints, our fellow and great rival school in the then Serangoon District. I think VS has our long list of prominent Old Boys and we are very proud of them all.

  • tyrwhittdays
    15 May 2010 11:08

    http://www.sji.moe.edu.sg/admin/userfiles/file/pd

    interesing to note from attd list of schools with their PSLE intakes and entry points that VS continues to attract students with T-Score as high as 271 and more importantly maintain its median of 250. VS must carry on its policy of taking in students from a diversity of backgrounds, and keep evolving to continue getting these students who want to and qualify to come to our fold. Nil Sine Labore!

  • Hi oldvic, below is an extract of the introduction of OVA in this website.
    I believe Victoria Afternoon School, although not Victoria School, is also part of the Victorian family. The same goes for Victoria Continuation School. Please correct me if I am wrong.

    "The Old Victorians’ Association was established in 1941 as a formal channel for ex-students to continue to associate with our alma mater after we have left the school or the college. These include Victoria Afternoon School, Victoria Bridge School, Victoria Pre-University, Victoria School and Victoria Junior College."

  • It is noted that it is now just Victoria Advisory Committee

    Good that this committee has a mix old Victorians and non-old Victorians, so long as all have the foremost interest of the school at heart

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    15 May 2010 15:14

    Who can shed light on these members of VEC/VAC? Are they Old Victorians?

    Mr Richard Teng Eng Moo
    Dr Sim Hong Gee
    Mr Lee Sek Leong Christopher
    Mr Goh Chye Boon
    Mr Tan Cher Liang Sebastian
    Mr Ho Toon Bah
    Mr Syed Ahmad b Abdul Rahman

    Mr Ang Kiam Meng is the parent of a VJC student. He is the boss of Jumbo Seafood.

  • Reply to observer:
    Does this mean that the last school's Executive Committee in Singapore cease to exist now? Does this also mean that the Committee has now less executive powers?
    During the VJC IP saga, it was reported that the Committee was divided on the IP issue, with a no of absentees during the vote. I wonder if the present members are more pro VJC Sec 1 IP or against it.
    Also, we have not heard anything on the IP issue for more than 6 mths now. VAC is still keeping mum.

  • Former Cadet
    16 May 2010 06:09

    A former NCC cadet, Lee Kok Khim, 1977-1980, became the first person in NCC histroy to be promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class I in 1980. His leadership and command, as a secondary school student, surpassed the average Encik in the SAF. Mr Retnam Pierre, a teacher who had seen scores of VS student leaders over his years in VS, had even commented he had never seen such a character. The present Chief of Defence Forces, MG Neo Kian Hong was in the same batch as Lee kok Khim. Lee, like many VS good students during that period, went on to study at the Singapore Polytechnic. It is learned that he was the Best Navy Cadet during his OCS.

  • Hi, I am Hira's niece. I was missing him terribly and had decided to search for any news related to him and his hockey days when i chanced upon this site. I grew up on the sidelines of his games and still remember how very important the game was to him. Thank you for remembering him through his passion.

    Rgds,

    RJ

  • tyrwhittdays
    18 May 2010 16:27

    It was the eve of the 1968 Serangoon District Annual Athletics Championships, before we knew it, the actual day arrived ….here's a narrative of the 'happenings' in VS on the eve and at the Farrer Park Athletics Centre on D Day, done vividly and raw by the great Arthur, one of the '*tok kon' cheerleaders we had those days:

    1. The preparations for the student supports and preparations of supporters materials actually started at least a month in advance, but intensified one week before hand. On the day before the meet (11 June 1968), when i went on my "rounds" i saw students everywhere, along the corridors, in the canteen, in the school halls, painting and colouring the banners, placards etc…..our girls and other classes girls worked upstairs along the corridors outside our class (i remember them sitting on the corridor floors as they painted the words on the cloth!!)…..When the banners were ready they were hung on the corridors walls to dry. I didnt see too many (posters, banners) actually even as i went around….. but on the day of the Meet (12 June 1968), at around noon, there were a huge sea of supporters assembled at the school field in front of the school flag poles, i almost fainted in delight, to see such great waves of banners and flags, placards, posters, sign boards etc (where did they come from, i remember saying to mysefl!!)…. i went up to staff room to collect the school flag, and was most surprised that sooceraj asked someone (forgot who) to hand me FOUR school flags!!…. the school clerk also handed me the microphone…. Then as soon as I came down, there was a shout to start the "march"… i told the supporters that many were asked to assemble at 1pm…. but as the crowd swelled and the students got impatient, there was a spontaneous decision to just move…….

    …but the most facinating sight was as we moved out along the way through various roads and lanes towards race course road, and farrer park, at every intersection, there were scores of students (as if coming out from hiding) walking out and linking up with the main column…… (if you have watched the video "beat it", which shows – as the gangster chief moved out of his "headquarters", along the way to his meeting place, more and more of his gangs, joined him on his way to meet the other gang)……

    …i tried moving up and down the column to ensure that every thing is orderly, but some of my sec four friends asked me not to worry and just move up to the head of the column to lead the march….. at the junction of jalan besar and kitchener road, and serangoon road and rangoon road, traffic was held up as the columns of students crossed the road……. i was told later the traffic was held up for some time, but there was no ugly scene….. in fact some students told me there were honking and cheering from motorists even (although I dont know if they were honking in anger)

    …whne we reached the farrer park stadium, more cheers awaited us…… on the stand there were already a couple of victorians…….it was like as if it was planned…… but i assured you, nothing was scripted….. all the supporters inside the stadium stood up and cheered and immediately burst into the school song as the columns of supporters moved in…..understandably, the boisterous cheers kept on non-stop throughtout the match….

    … but thats not all,…… druing the march past, another wonderful sight presented before us….. the great alagrisamy led the school team in the match….. all the athletes wore the paper school caps….. and as they reached the grandstand where the VIPs were, all the victorian athletes spontaneously took off their caps and placed their caps on their left chest as they marched past……it was such precision, you would have thought we had rehearesed for weeks…… alagrisamy later told me it was his last minute idea……

    ….alll these showed the kind of resourcefulnesses our generation of students were brought up…. and dont forget, we did not do it for CCA points or any rewards ………NOT EVEN A MENTION IN
    OUR TESTIMONIAL

    *hokkien word for 'the best' or 'one and only'

  • Victoria School is something more ….. Old Boys are very well represented in all strata of accomplishments in Singapore society …. attached is a recent NLB write up on Mr David Lim Kim San, the "elder stateman' of music in Singapore, a pioneer of the schools' bands and chorale movements.
    http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1664_2010-04-

  • tyrwhittdays
    20 May 2010 08:27

    re 18 May post, Arthur has requested that the following be added:

    "…since "tyrwhittdays" mentioned me by name, i shall have to add my comments under that name, to correct any impression of self glorification that may arise…..

    … mark twain once said, " true facts are easier to write than fiction"… the above was actually a spontaneous account to my good friend who loves reminiscing about the good old days when the Victorian Spirit was manifested extensively and openly in the support of our various school activities (such as THE SCHOOL CARNIVAL OF THE YEAR) and sports meets… he and many of the students of my generation possess the passion and loyalty that embrace the zenith of the Victorian Spirit, the kind of spirit alien even to the elite schools at that time (and i am not exaggerating!!) … but every thing we did to support our school was done purely out of spontaneity… there was never an "official" school organising, or any urging or plea from any teacher or sports master …..and i reiterate, none of us did it to beef up our school resume or for any recognition…….. even the monies spent on the making of the paraphernalia for the support for the Serangoon District Annual Athletics Championships. as described above, came entirely from the students' own pocket money….. hundreds and hundreds of dollars were used to buy various materials , but none were from any school funds……and considering that our school pocket money at that time was only a dollar a day, you have to really appreciate the kind of sacrifice the students made….. only the true Victorian Spirit can ever induce that….

    …one important point that i wish to state as a permanent fact here is that, even though i may be the organiser of this massive support for Serangoon District Annual Athletics Championships , it is truly a entire school students' efforts…… many went about preparing the banners, placards, signboards, in school, at home, or friends' home, quietly and never claimed any credit for it…….it's a unique attitude and character that give pure meaning to the statement that "VICTORIA SCHOOL IS SOMETHING MORE…
    nil sine labore

    Arthur"

  • big_brother
    20 May 2010 10:25

    I think it was reported in one afternoon newspaper that some 800 Victorians were there at the Serangoon District Sports Meet .(June 1968). We were the overall champions.

  • carnival68
    20 May 2010 13:06

    OVA Carnival of The Year

    attached is a ST report of 25 Sep 68 announcing OVA holding 'Carnival of The Year 'at Victoria School ground in Tyrwhitt Road on Saturday 28 Sep 68 under patronage of then Minister for Social Affairs, Mr Othman Wok
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

    Perhaps OVA may want to consider holding a similar Carnival at present VS ground in Siglap Link in 2011 to commemorate its 70th Anniversary of Founding (OVA was established in 1941). Suggested GOH, the Minister for Community Development?

  • re big_brother post, the report was probably carried by The Eastern Sun, one of the two dailies then. TES folded up after a couple of years. The paper regularly gave coverage on VS achievements, on sports and others.

  • "Elite government schools are another interesting group…….Victoria Schools (founded 1876) can be considered another of the group. 'Nil Sine Labore' declares the school badge (a shield within a garter) and the school anthemn proudly says: "For others came before and went / And carried to the world / Victoria's fame and our intent / To keep her flag unfurled." Current President of Singapore, SR Nathan, is an alumnus of the school; so too, S Dhanabalan, current Director of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation."

    Extracted from this 2005 seminal paper on 'The Proxy Arena – Singapore Education History as a Clash of Contending Global Perspectives' by Alistair Chew
    http://homepage.mac.com/WebObjects/FileSharing.wo

  • debatevic
    23 May 2010 09:39

    VS once used to have a vibrant debating culture. Intra classes, inter classes contests were a way of school life in past years, these often translated into the school producing excellent debaters and orators in national schools competitiions. The school does not seem to feature in inter school debates anymore.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    23 May 2010 11:23

    Replies:
    a. on dr chew chin hin: interestingly, dr chew, an old boy of vs, and who had served on VEC, later also served on acs school advisory board; dr chew was never a former student of acs

    b. ova dinner at tyrwhitt rd premises: pa's permission will be needed for such an event; almost 30 years of vs students are not from tyrwhitt rd; but this is an interesting proposal; i supposed ova need time to explore it

    c. debating: vjc is quite strong in debating (taking vjc to be the equivalent of vs pre-u); however, agree that vs has not been one of the top debating schools in the last few decades

  • Ref was made by well known playwright Stella Kon to Victoria School's staging of Twelfth Night at Alkaff Gardens in Sennett Estate
    http://www.emilyofemeraldhill.com/SK%20Rememberin

    this must have taken place in 1950s as site of Alkaff Gardens, was replaced by Willow Avenue Sec Sch, now defunct, in the 60s. Alkaff Gardens, with its scenic pond and hillock, was also the place where many a delightful Malay films produced by Shaw Bros and Cathay, were shot. Good days those were.

    VS used to have a prolific drama culture, up at least until 1970s. Among Spore's outstanding theatre directors were T Sasitharan and Chandran K Lingam.

  • A Tan Wearn Haw In The Making

    This year's National Sec Schools' Sailing Championships, VS' Ryan Lo emerged overall Individual Champion in 'C' Div
    http://vs.moe.edu.sg/achievement.cgi

    Ryan hailed from Tao Nan and was also the National Primary Schools' champ last year.

    Looks like we have another Tan Wearn Haw in the making.

  • Wonder if Ryan Lo is related to Lo Jun Hao (former VS) who came in second in World Byte Championships a few years ago, and Lo Man Yi (former VJC), a female Beijing Olympian.
    However, VS came in only 4th for both B and C Divisions this year, despite Ryan Lo winning the individual title. There is still a long way to go before VS can claim to be among the top schools for sailing.

  • Speech by Mr Masagos Zulkifli BMM, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs, at the 10th NCC Affirmation Ceremony on Saturday, 10th April 2010, at the Singapore Expo Hall 2 at 3.00pm

    "……………….
    I am told that almost one-third of the senior SAF Officers were former NCC cadets. The Chief of Defence Force, Major-General (MG) Neo Kian Hong, was a former NCC Cadet from Victoria School. This speaks volume of the positive role that NCC has played.

    Nicholas Tay, awarded the President’s Scholarship last year, was a former NCC cadet while he was studying at Catholic High School. Nicholas acknowledges the edge that NCC has provided him in preparing him for National Service. The skills which he picked up during his time in the NCC provided him with a head start over his contemporaries who were not in the Uniformed Groups.
    ……………
    (Nicholas Tay was from VJC)
    http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/2010/04/10/1

  • Alistair Chew
    27 May 2010 02:01

    oldvic: thank you for posting a link to my 2005 paper; I've found it unfortunate that VS does not have the prominence it deserves in Singapore's narrative. I confess that I am an ACS old boy; but in my defence I must add that the eminent Victorian, Dr Chew Chin Hin, mentioned above is my uncle, an excellent sportsman according to those who knew him in school.

    The reason he was part of the ACS(I) Board of Management was that because of WW2, my grandfather (an ACSian) had to split the children between VS and ACS. Three of my uncles are therefore Victorians.

    I wish you all the best.

  • Thank you, Mr Chew, it was an excellent, well researched paper that you did.
    According to records on the Internet, Mr Chew comes from a distinguished scholar family.,
    It is great to know that three of your uncles are Old Victorians, including the eminent physician Dr Chew Chin Hin.

  • Does anyone know what happened to VS principal Nicholas Tang?

  • VS used to have some affinity with ACS, though this may or may not be widely known. In the mid 1960s, the school had the privilege of having the late Mr A Kanayson as our principal. This kind, unassuming and scholastic man was an Old ACSian who was very proud of the school he came from and the one he was the headmaster for several years. Then we had some students in the late 60s who had joined us from ACS, names like Douglas Ooi, Frank Choo and Dr George Soh. Then there was that very distinguished and loyal Old Boy of ACS, the late Dr Tay Eng Soon, who was apparently a keen supporter of VS. According to a prominent Old Victorian who was for many years a senior OVA office bearer, he had the pleasure of having Dr Tay as a guest to the Annual OVA Dinner & Dance for some years, and the good doctor would always make his presence. As a Senior Minister of State for Education, Dr Tay was the Guest of Honour at one of VS Annual Speech Days, and he was reported to have mentioned about his admiration for the school, especially its grand school building in Tyrwhitt Road from his schoolboy days.

  • In a delightful conversation with some Old Victorians, we recalled that in the 1960s, OVA had this practice of using a 'bill collector' to collect the annual subscription fees from members. This venerable
    old Indian gentleman would come with his trusted bicycle to our homes to ask to see 'so and so' and would hand over the prepared receipt upon receiving the money. He would be offered a drink and he would always decline it in a polite way. Life was that simple, and yet so memorable!

  • VS used to have some affinity with ACS, though this may or may not be widely known. In the mid 1960s, the school had the privilege of having the late Mr A Kanayson as our principal. This kind, unassuming and scholastic man was an Old ACSian who was very proud of the school he came from and the one he was the headmaster for several years. Then we had some students in the late 60s who had joined us from ACS, names like Douglas Ooi, Frank Choo and Dr George Soh. Then there was that very distinguished and loyal Old Boy of ACS, the late Dr Tay Eng Soon, who was apparently a keen supporter of VS. According to a prominent Old Victorian who was for many years a senior OVA office bearer, he had the pleasure of having Dr Tay as a guest to the Annual OVA Dinner & Dance for some years, and the good doctor would always make his presence. As a Senior Minister of State for Education, Dr Tay was the Guest of Honour at one of VS Annual Speech Days, and he was reported to have mentioned about his admiration for the school, especially its grand school building in Tyrwhitt Road, from his schoolboy days.

  • Former Cadet
    3 June 2010 22:28

    Wasn't Dr George Soh, the dental surgeon, from Bartley before joining VS?

  • Hi Former Cadet, I was told that the Dr George Soh was in the arts class, so he may not be the dental surgeon you mentioned. Thanks

  • Former Cadet
    11 June 2010 12:45

    Then it must have been a different Dr George Soh who was in NCC 😉

  • Yusuf bin Ishak, the first President of Singapore, was born in 1910, Padang Gajah, Perak, to civil servant Ishak bin Ahmad, Yusuf Ishak rose from humble beginnings to become the first Malayan-born Yang Di-Pertuan Negara on 3rd December 1959 and subsequently, as President of the Republic of Singapore on 9th August 1965. In his 11 years as Head of State and President, Yusuf Ishak dedicated his life and efforts to the service of his nation and people and provided the moral courage and leadership during the difficult early years of nation-building.

    The eldest of nine children, Yusuf Ishak in his youth displayed sterling qualities that marked him for high office in later life. At school, Yusuf Ishak was an exceptional student, excelling in both his studies and sports. At Victoria Bridge School (now Victoria School), Yusuf topped the 1927 Cambridge School Certificate with Distinction. At Raffles Institution, Yusuf again scored Distinctions for the Senior Cambridge exams. On the basis of his results, he was admitted into the Queen's scholarship class – one of the 13 and the only Malay.
    http://www.polymernotes.org/biographies/SGP_bio_b

  • In today's Straits Times, it is reported that the Old VS NCC member Neo Kian Hong, current Chief of Defence Force, has been promoted to the rank of a three star general. LG Neo is the second Old VS boy to attain this rank, the first being, LG (NS) Ng Yat Chung, a former CDF too. They belong to a distinguished group of only seven SAF officers to have held this rank so far in the history of the SAF. Of the other five LGs, two are old boys of ACS and three from RI.

  • …Another school, the Kampong Glam Malay School, was set up in the same compound. An experiment of teaching Malay and English together was carried out at the Kampong Glam Malay school in 1884. By 1894, it was reported that the boys in the English class at the school, then the largest school in Singapore, could acquire a knowledge of English up to Standard VII, while at the same time they continued their Malay studies. This was the only school in the Colony at which pupils were taught both the languages. The experiment was considered to have been successful, and it was recommended that it should be tried in other Malay schools also situated in important centres. (Chelliah, p68)

    The two branches of the school, the English and Malay, were united into one larger school in 1897, called Victoria Bridge School, today’s Victoria School. (Makepeace, p468)

    • Walter Makepeace, Dr. Gilbert E. Blake, Roland St. J. Braddell. One Hundred Years of Singapore, Vol. I, John Murray, London, 1921.

  • Former hockey skipper dies
    By Santokh Singh
    Sunday Times
    May 9. 2010

    Former Singapore hockey captain Hira Singh, whose uncompromising tackles and astute reading of the game marked him out as an outstanding defender in the early 1970s and 1980s, died of liver failure on Friday. He was 57.
    Yesterday, as I joined the hockey fraternity at the Mandai Crematorium to pay my last respects, I could not help but recall the year 1986.
    That year, he and I joined the Singapore Khalsa Association in preparation for the then Singapore Hockey Association’s Premier League season the following year.
    The changing room was loud and noisy, which prompted Hira to comment: “Why are all these fellows talking so much? Can you please tell them to do all the talking on the field, where it matters most?”
    He was 34 then and felt that he had passed his used-by date.
    Instead, the hard-hitting Hira led the team by example to the Premier League, Knock-Out and F&N Elite Cup trophies in 1987, an unprecedented treble for the club.
    Hira started playing hockey at 12, represented the Combined Schools at 14 and Singapore at 18 in Test matches. He captained the national team from 1978-1982.
    He had also played hockey and cricket for Victoria School and Singapore Schools.
    He wore the national colours at the South-east Asian Games and on the Asian stage.
    The India-born Hira came from a family of hockey players. Elder brother Veer captained Singapore to their only South-east Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games gold in 1973 and younger brother Permjit once made the left-half position in the national team his personal territory.
    Hira leaves behind wife Sovinder Kaur, who is in her 50s, and son Tripthipal, 17.
    His legacy and the 17 stitches on my left eyebrow left by his stick slipping out of his hands in a friendly against the Australian Armed Forces will forever be with me.

  • Mr Eu Chooi Yip, an Old VS boy from the pioneer batches of students at the Tyrwhitt Road campus, and former CPM leader in Singapore, was among a group of close friends of the great Singaporean, the late Mr Goh Keng Swee (GKS) when they were in Raffles College (now NUS.

    This extract from the book "Goh Keng Swee – A Patriot" by Tan Siok Sun, published in 2007:

    "Eu was a year junior to GKS, but according to GKS, he was very intelligent and witty, and easily the best student in his year. Born in Kelantan to a Chinese physician, Eu had come to Singapore with his sister for their education…Eu was effectively bilingual and had topped his class at Victoria School. In Raffles College, he studied in economics, like GKS."

    With Dr Goh's help, Mr Eu returned to Singapore from China in the early 1990s and became a research fellow at the Institute of East Asian Political Economy (IEAPC) (now East Asia Institute).

    This, another extact from Ms Tan's book:
    "There was a tacit understanding between GKS and Eu that the latter would not contact any former communist comrades living in Singapore. Eu violated the unwritten prohibition, and an altercation over this ensued between GKS and Eu at the IEAPE. The Director of IEAPE, John Wong, said wryly: :Seeing them quarrel, it was almost akin to a quarrel between a husband and wife." The old familiarity has returned."

  • Among the School Houses in Victoria Institution (VI) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is one named after one of its most distinguished Old Boys who shared the same name as Singapore's Minister Mentor. According to the attd posting, the late Mr Lee taught briefly in Victoria School, Singapore, in 1936 after he completed his studies at the Hong Kong University. http://www.viweb.freehosting.net/Houses.htm

  • Victorians Ryan Lo and Edward Lim doing Singapore proud – being part of the team that won the Overall Best Nation at 2010 IODA Asian Optimist Championship.

  • 2010 IODA Asian Optimist Championship http://www.sailing.org.sg/news/10/066/index.php

  • Victorian Hfaisirr Khann is Singapore's fastest footballer for Under-14 category at the F50 adizero Light Speed Challenge.

  • Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, Sunday, June 27, 2010 — adidas’ search for Singapore’s fastest footballers at the F50 adizero Light Speed Challenge ended with Hfaisirr Khann, Gary Tran, and Muhd Nawas coming out top.

    The three of them won their respective Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 categories to win a pair of F50 adizero boots, the official 2010 FIFA World Cup Jabulani ball, and adidas football apparel for their school football team.

    Participants had to dribble around cut-out figures of world class football players like “The Spark – Lionel Messi”, “The Bomber – Diego Forlan”, “The Blaze – David Villa”, “The Link – Steven Pienaar” before taking a shot at goal. They had to do all this while wearing a pair of adidas F50 adizero. Timings were clocked and the fastest person of that round advanced to the next stage.

    “It was quite competitive and it was a tough fight during the final,” said Hfaisirr Khann, winner of the Under-14 category. The 13-year-old Victoria School student won his final in 8.44 seconds, edging out Aniq Iskandar, who finished in 8.81 seconds.

    “I knew I had nothing to lose so I just went for it!” explained Hfaisirr. “The boots are really nice, it feels like I am not wearing any shoes! I think the prizes are really great. Participants come here with nothing but they stand a chance to win a lot of expensive stuff.”

    Gary Tran, winner of the Under-16 category, eventually finished as the fastest participant, clocking a time of 8.12 seconds in the final. In a previous round, he went sub-eight seconds, managing a time of 7.31 seconds. His final competitor, Xavier Smith, was nowhere near his time as Xavier only finished in 9.07 seconds.

    “It was challenging as the artificial pitch is rather slippery after the rain,” said Gary, who is from Jing Shan Primary School. “To prepare for this tournament, I just trained my speed by running up the stairs. Overall, this event is very fun!”

    In the Under-18 category, Serangoon Junior College’s Muhd Nawas came out as the winner with a time of 8.32 seconds. Second-placed Aktar Yacob could only managed 9.81 seconds in the final after he lost control of the ball halfway through the course.

    “I feel really lucky to win this as I was only 0.03 seconds faster than my semi-final opponent,” said Nawas. “Then in the final, I was very fortunate again when my opponent made a mistake. I didn’t really expect to win.”

    When asked what he felt about the F50 adizero, he said, “It is very light and it makes dribbling very easy.”

    Besides the Light Speed Challenge, there were other attractions at the event such as the gaming zone where attendees could try out FIFA Online 2 and see a display of old adidas World Cup match balls. A couple of players from S.League side Albirex Niigata also made an appearance.

  • nostalgian
    20 July 2010 16:50

    It is nice to know that there are several Old VS boys who are active/well known on the bloggers' circuit. We can find from their postings some interesting references to events concerning VS during their times there (in the 60s to early 80s), and they all seem to share a common feeling of having had a treasured and nostalgic time with the school. These Old Victorians and their blogs are:
    Victor Koo/Taking up the Challenge
    Dick Yip/The Wise Old Owl
    Phil Wong/A Singaporean Uncle in Sydney
    Chris Yew/Times of My Life.

    Nil Sine Labore!

  • Who is the guest-of-honour for the coming VS Speech Day?

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    23 July 2010 23:37

    VS Speech Day was on 19 Jul. Guest of Honour was Liak Teng Lit, CEO, Alexandra Health

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    23 July 2010 23:58

    23 July 10 The Strait Times
    by Amelia Tan

    Free YOG Village stay for 200 boys

    NEARLY half of the 500 places taken up by students for a two-day preview of the Youth Olympic Village have been filled by Victoria School (VS) and St Joseph's Institution (SJI) boys, thanks to their schools' alumni.

    The Old Victorians' Association (OVA) has forked out $15,000 to send 100 VS boys to the Village, located in Nanyang Technological University, next Friday and Saturday.

    Similarly, 100 SJI boys will also be at the Village. Their stay will be sponsored by SJI old boy Ronnie Lum, 42, who is the chief executive of an insurance brokerage company.

    The 'stay and play programme', which spans two days and one night, gives organisers a chance to test the Village's readiness to host the world's best young athletes during the August 14-26 inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore.

    Participants will tuck into the same buffet spread that will be served during the Games, spend a night in the rooms where the athletes will stay, and attend cultural and educational activities such as workshops, exhibitions and a dialogue session with Deputy Village Mayor and former Olympian C. Kunalan.

    They will also get to preview the YOG official opening ceremony.

    A $150 early-bird fee was charged for those who signed up before June 30, and $188 for those who signed up after.

    Youth Olympic Village director Sheryl Lim said participants are required to pay fees to defray the costs of meals and services at the Village.

    About 1,000 people have signed up for the programme. Half of them are students, and most of the rest are YOG sponsors, partners, staff, and their families and friends. About 15 members of the public are also taking part.

    The students, most of whom are athletes and leaders of sports co-curricular activities, are from 10 secondary schools and the universities.

    Besides SJI and VS, other participating secondary schools include Jurong West Secondary, Boon Lay Secondary, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Cedar Girls' Secondary. The students either pay the fees themselves, or are sponsored through funds such as those from residents' committees.

    OVA president Vernon Teo, who is also the show producer of the YOG opening and closing ceremonies, said he learnt about the two-day stay earlier in the year and brought up the idea of sponsoring VS boys during a gathering with other OVA members.

    'The association felt that it would be an eye-opening experience for the students. They will be able to experience how a large-scale international event is run. Not many people have such a chance,' said Mr Teo.

    VS student Marcus Ng, 14, who is a cross country runner, said: 'I've been looking forward to staying in the Village since my school told me a few weeks ago that I'd been selected. The experience will be special for me because I am an athlete. I feel inspired to work harder in my sport so that one day I can take part in international competitions and use such world-class facilities.'

    Applications for the programme have closed.

    ameltan@sph.com.sg

    Additional reporting by Hoe Pei Shan

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    23 July 2010 23:59
  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    25 July 2010 09:37

    Wed, Mar 31, 2010
    The Straits Times

    Aiming for the bottom is no way to go

    By Alan John, Deputy Editor

    LAST Friday night's annual general meeting of the St Joseph's Institution Old Boys' Association (SJIOBA) drew a record turnout, and that should not have surprised anyone.

    Ahead of the meeting, some old boys had said they were worried their alma mater was becoming too 'elitist'. That was controversial enough to attract a crowd.

    'Elitist' is an odd label for a school that is anything but. SJI was not elitist before it went independent in 1988, and it has not become elitist since.

    It has improved and expanded its range of programmes, and the mission of the Christian Brothers remains alive in a religious and moral education programme.

    For parents anxious to ensure the best for their children, the elitist label smacks not only of exclusivity but also unfairness. For loyal old boys who love their alma mater, it means their sons are being blocked entry.

    The source of Josephian unhappiness is this: Not enough Catholic boys are making it to SJI, despite attending affiliated primary schools.

    So last Friday's meeting attracted more than 250 old boys, lasted four hours, and from what some who attended say, saw a robust debate over elitism, entry criteria, and not a little nostalgia for the way it was in the good old days in Bras Basah.

    Like other independent schools, SJI has shrunk its class size, introduced new programmes, raised standards and tightened entry requirements. Its students come from everywhere, not only from Catholic primary schools.

    Although the school sets a lower cut-off for boys from its feeder Christian Brothers schools, many still don't get in.

    The SJIOBA debated a suggestion to reserve half the places for boys from SJI Junior – previously St Michael's School – and another 25 per cent for those from other feeder schools.

    The old boys plan to collate their views to present to SJI's board. While their concerns may be legitimate, this exercise threatens to damage their old school.

    I attended a Christian Brothers school and by the time I finished I was glad for my time there, grateful for life. So when the time came to enrol my son in Primary 1 here, there was no question about where to send him. It had to be St Michael's School.

    I remember his PSLE Results Day like it was yesterday. The boys were assembled in the school hall and, as we parents waited anxiously within earshot, a teacher launched into a rambling prayer beseeching God to help the parents accept their sons' results.

    Then came the announcement of results so disappointing that one in two boys had no hope of going to SJI. My son was among boys who got into SJI, and I remember his first hour in Secondary 1 like it happened this morning.

    The new Josephians from dozens of primary schools were assigned to 12 classes, ranked by their PSLE scores. As they trooped to their classrooms, it was heartbreaking to see the majority of the St Michael's boys in the bottom four classes. In the years that followed some did make the leap to the better Secondary 3 and 4 classes, but most stayed put in the bottom half all their years at SJI.

    So I am dumbfounded that the SJIOBA would consider an idea that will result in even more Catholic boys crowding the school's weakest classes. Parents who believe there's nothing wrong with that, because getting into SJI is all that matters, ought to think again. It's not a great experience to spend four years eclipsed by better performers not only from non-feeder schools, but also from Asean countries.

    In pressuring SJI to lower entry standards significantly, a move guaranteed to set the school on the path to mediocrity, the SJIOBA has the wrong end of the stick. They ought to ask why Catholic primary schools have failed to get more boys into SJI, and into its best classes.

    My son's school, St Michael's, had boys mainly from middle-class homes, speaking good English. Yet it has struggled to get more of its boys into SJI.

    A name change that turned it into SJI Junior did nothing but raise parents' expectations that their boys would sail into SJI secondary. No such thing has happened, and parents want to know: Why?

    It is apparent that while SJI correctly raised standards, the same did not happen enough in its feeder schools.

    You still hear parents lament that mother tongue results pulled down their boys' PSLE performance. Is that true? Other primary schools which had the same problem have managed to fix it.

    At many neighbourhood schools, principals and teachers work hard to help their children do well at the PSLE and work on areas of weakness. Their efforts are all the more admirable because they often work with children from humble socio-economic backgrounds, who start Primary 1 handicapped by poor English. Some of their boys make it to SJI, despite the higher cut-off for those from non-Catholic schools.

    Instead of demanding lower entry standards, the SJIOBA would do the Catholic community a greater service by prodding the feeder schools to do better. They should also ask the primary school leaders what Catholic parents need to change or do more of, to help their sons get into the secondary school of their choice.

    The old boys cannot be unaware that loyalty can transform miraculously into pragmatism on PSLE Results Day. Many who swear they want their sons in SJI and nowhere else, behave quite differently the moment their boys qualify for Raffles Institution, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) or Victoria School.

    They buy into these other schools' emphasis on meritocracy, they prefer the through-train programmes that bypass the O levels and want their sons to have more options after secondary school. For the same reasons, SJI students have left after Secondary 2 for more attractive integrated programmes at non-Catholic schools and junior colleges.

    The SJIOBA members should consider carefully the changes they recommend. Loyalty, devotion and nostalgia are wonderful, but they should not be wielded to damage a good school. If the old boys persist, I hope the school's board of governors will reaffirm persuasively the reasons why it must not abandon its efforts to keep moving up.

    Because it will be a sad day when Catholic parents tell their sons the SJIOBA has assured them of an easier ride into SJI, and add: 'Aim for the bottom, son.'

    This article was first published in The Straits Times.
    http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Sto

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    25 July 2010 09:40

    "The old boys cannot be unaware that loyalty can transform miraculously into pragmatism on PSLE Results Day. Many who swear they want their sons in SJI and nowhere else, behave quite differently the moment their boys qualify for Raffles Institution, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) or Victoria School."

    ———————————————————-
    Seem like some SJI old boys prefer their sons to be in VS if they qualify.

  • The same "pragmatism" was manifested during VS Speech Day when the Valedictorian and some award winners were seen donning blazers with RI's (the former RJC's) crest instead of VJC's, much to the chagrin of some old boys.

  • Many years ago, at an OVA dinner, a prominent Old VS guy proudly told the gathering that he would send his two sons to VS when they reached secondary school age. Sure enough, he sent this first son to VS. However, when the second boy's turn came, he went to another secondary sch. It was not known why the younger boy did not follow his elder brother to VS. Perhaps he did not qualify to get into VS or that the parents had a change of mind and felt the pressure of sending their son to a more 'prestigous' institution.

    Looking at the PSLE T scores of Sec One students admitted to VS over the recent years, it is noted that there have consistently been students with grades in the high 260s and even 270 opting for VS.
    It would be interesting to know if these students completed their studies in VS or opted for the IP schools after their secondary two. Perhaps the Valedictorian and award winners at this year's Speech Day belonged to the category of high PSLE scorers who chose to do their secondary school education in VS and opted to do their A Level in RI. Whatever the case, we should be proud of all VS students who have excelled in their studies and gone on to greater achievements.

  • It does not help when RJC poached the most outstanding sportsmen from VS. Some were deemed not good enough for VJC. What is the relationship between VS and VJC? This year's Sports Day was rained off at Simei. They could have postponed it to the next day to be held at VJC track, if it was held at VJC in the first place.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    26 July 2010 01:26

    Check this entry by a young Victorian who just left VS:

    ———————————————————
    Sunday, July 18, 2010

    "I have this sudden urge to sing the Victorian Anthem. And I just did. All alone, in my room, but yet I have this urge to cry. This song, sang many countless times, and will keep on singing in my heart. The brothers and bonds I got from here, can never be and will never be replaced by anything.

    It's a regret that I could not attend the 134th Speech Day, because I had a graded speech. If not, I would have definitely skipped class to attend this event. This place where I grew from a boy to a man, how I miss you so.

    Every time I walk pass the gates of Victoria, I know I'm home."
    http://iambeno.blogspot.com/

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    27 July 2010 23:49

    Mon, Jul 12, 2010
    The New Paper

    Male nurse is top student

    By SHREE ANN MATHAVAN

    HE IS one of the few thorns among the roses. And also the one who stands out the most.

    Mr Shaikh Ihsan Idris Mattar, 26, is the top student in the pioneer batch of nursing students from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies.

    He is among the four male students in a class of 49, and graduated with first-class honours in Bachelor of Science (Nursing) yesterday.

    Mr Ihsan's accolades include being on the dean's list for seven out of eight semesters and bagging numerous awards such as the Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal.

    On being the exception in a woman-dominated field, he said that it was not so much a gender issue as a second chance.

    Said the former Victoria Secondary School and Pioneer Junior College student: "I was a mediocre student then, so now it's my second chance to work hard and do well in university."

    Mr Ihsan developed a passion for nursing while serving as an army medic four years ago. He became so enamoured of health care that he even rejected an offer to study engineering at a local university.

    Mr Ihsan hopes to pursue a PhD in nursing one day.

    It appears that more men are enrolling in nursing courses at the two polytechnics that offer them here.

    At Ngee Ann Polytechnic, men made up 15 per cent of the total of 180 students in 2005, when the programme began. Today, the figure is 23 per cent out of a total of 500 students.

    Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) would only say that it has seen an increase of 4 per cent in male nursing students from 2006 to this year's current intake. It began its nursing course in 1992.

    Likewise, at NUS, the cohort of male nurses has risen from about 8 per cent in 2006 to last year's 10 per cent.

    More men are joining the nursing profession too.

    Singapore Nursing Board statistics show there were 1,596 registered male nurses last year, compared to 998 in 2001.

    To become a registered nurse, one has to go through any of the nursing courses offered by the three institutions.

    How do male nursing students in Singapore fare?

    Both polytechnics said their top students tend to be female.

    One top male in 19 years

    Ms Chee Nguk Lan, deputy manager (academic) for the school of health sciences at NYP, said: "We had only one top male student in the past 19 years but we can't really comment as to what is the reason for this."

    Ms Siti Muslehat Mustaffa, 45, deputy director of Ngee Ann's school of health sciences, said the school does "have many male students who do well and graduate with a diploma with merit".

    The three schools pointed out that gender comparisons are inevitably skewed because male nursing students are the minority.

    Professor Debra Creedy, head of the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, welcomes more men in the nursing profession.

    She said: "More men are entering nursing because there is 100 per cent employment of its graduates."

    Ms Shirley Lim, the executive director of the Singapore Nurses Association, said that male nurses sometimes have the physical advantage, which is useful when dealing with patients in prison, for instance.

    But, she stressed that "the caring should remain" the same no matter the gender.

    shreeann@sph.com.sg

    This article was first published in The New Paper

    http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Sto

  • Sports Update:
    Victoria School C Division football team has qualified for the National Schools semi-finals. They will be meeting a very strong Sengkang Sec team on 2 Aug at VJC.
    This is the C Division 6th National Schools semi-final this year, having qualifed for cricket, hockey, floorball, tennis and volleyball as well. VS finished third for all the sports except for tennis where they finished fourth. Perhaps it is due to a lack of mental strength that they have lost 5 semi-finals this year.
    If you are free, come and support the football team at the semi-finals. This is the last chance for VS to go beyond the semi-finals.

  • VS needs a sports psychologist to give the boys the extra push to get them into the finals.

  • If there is a reunified Victoria School cum Junior College, these outstanding VS sportsmen would most likely not leave or have to leave for another school.

  • In the past, many RI sportsmen cannot make it to RJC too. With their Integrated Programme, all their sportsmen progress to Pre-U level in RJC (RI). And they roped in more sportsmen from other schools.
    VJC hockey team had to get novices to the game for many years.
    So when is VS merging with VJC?

  • Ask not when VJC will be reintegrated with VS. Ask what I can do to make it happen.

  • Couple holds wedding in primary school http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Sto

    Mr Lin was from Victoria School, while Ms Goh went to Tanjong Katong Girls' School. But they were reunited in junior college, when they both attended Victoria Junior college.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    1 August 2010 22:15

    Sat, Jul 31, 2010
    AsiaOne

    Couple holds wedding in primary school

    Holding a wedding in school may not be new, but this happy couple took it a step further – by inviting guests to turn up in their school uniforms!

    Mr Terence Lin and Ms Goh Fang Ying, both 28, met in Temasek primary school, and returned more than 16 years later to hold their wedding at their alma mater.

    What's more, at the couple's behest, 40 of their close friends and relatives donned their school uniforms for the special occasion.

    "Some of them were very very enthusiastic about the uniform idea and it wasn't difficult to persuade them (to do it)," said Mr Lin, a senior executive.

    The unusual wedding ceremony was held in a classroom, crammed with more than 70 guests including many "over-aged students".

    Said the bride, Ms Goh Fang Ying, a market researcher: "My husband and I were each others' first loves. We met when we were in Primary Six, in the school garden. We decided it would be meaningful to hold our wedding in the school, to start a new beginning together at the place where we first met."

    Using the projector in the classroom, the groom proceeded to present a multimedia presentation on their love's journey, a relationship that spanned 10 years, since university.

    "The relationship began when Fangying was in the first year of University, and I was in the army. However, we maintained contact since we left Temasek Primary and went to different secondary schools," said the groom.

    Mr Lin was from Victoria School, while Ms Goh went to Tanjong Katong Girls' School. But they were reunited in junior college, when they both attended Victoria Junior college.

    A memorable wedding

    Although decked out in their wedding best for the ceremony, the bridal couple quickly changed into their school uniforms right after to join their fellow "classmates" for pictures.

    According to Ms Goh, she had always hoped to be able to hold a memorable wedding, one that her guests would never forget.

    "I'm reminded of many happy memories when I see the school. I believe this unusual wedding ceremony will be unforgettable for both of us."

    In their invitation, they encouraged guests to turn up in their school uniform. They even took measurements for willing guests, to hunt for suitable uniforms for them!

    They spent about two months getting the outfits for their 40 guests who agreed to bridal couple's request.

    They contacted a supplier, who provided them with made-to-measure uniforms of different schools.

    Effort was also put in to ensure that their secondary school friends were provided with the appropriate secondary school uniforms.

    "The whole preparation process took about two months", said Ms Goh.

    Although it was stressful time for them, but it was a happy process. "Seeing our guests in their uniform and having fun, I feel very happy!" said Ms Goh.

    http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Sto

  • VS C Division football team beat Sengkang 4-1 in penalties after the game ended 1-1 after extra-time in today's semi-final.
    VS will be meeting Sports School in the National Schools finals on 5 Aug (Thurs), 4.30 pm, VJC.
    This is VS 5th National Schools finals since 2006. In the first four finals, VS lost to Sports School all four times. We hope not to be 5th time unlucky this time.
    Gather all your schoolmates and friends to give our boys all the support they need this Thursday!

  • what about passing the message to the 250 old boys who attended the ova football carnival?

  • Hockey boys go back to the place where it all began

    by Shamir Osman

    05:55 AM Aug 04, 2010

    SINGAPORE – Four of the 16 boys charged with flying the Singapore flag at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games hockey competition returned to their alma mater yesterday and received a heroes' welcome.

    There were greeted by a guard of honour, surrounded by hordes of autograph-hunting fans and showered with various pledges of support.

    Ashriq Ferdaus, Haseef Salim, Fadhil Rizaini and Fadzly Adam – they led the school to three national titles between 2003-2005 – were back at Chongzheng Primary School in collaboration with Pilot's project, "The Write Choice for Champions".

    Fadzly, who is now in Victoria School, said: "The Youth Olympics is coming: we can feel it in school and on the training pitch. We can feel a bit of the pressure but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and we're working hard to get ourselves ready."

    The hockey team have pulled together in the face of adversity as they move into the final stretch of training before the round-robin tournament, which kicks off on Aug 17 and will also feature Australia, Pakistan, Belgium, Chile and Ghana.

    The tournament will feature players aged between 15 to 17 years old.

    All but one of Gerard Danker's 16-strong squad have been hit by illness recently, with one player even spending four nights in hospital.

    Speaking to MediaCorp yesterday, Danker said: "There's a flu bug circling the squad and all except (goalkeeper) Samudra Ong have been infected. Right now we've got three players who are recovering from it."

    Karleef Sasi Abdullah was the worst hit, experiencing a 40-degree fever and seizure that saw him hospitalised last week.

    Danker's squad was down to as low as 11 boys at training last week, but he said: "The boys are not too bothered at all, they've accepted it, rested, and moved on. They feel a little bit of pressure to recover fast, but they are taking it in their stride."

    The boys have been set a target of fourth, but Danker believes a medal is possible.

    Sengkang Secondary School's Ashriq, the skipper, agrees.

    "Getting a medal is achievable. We've seen a lot of progress in this team. We're confident and won't be intimidated even if our opponents are bigger than us," said the 17-year-old.

    Chongzheng's Elyn Tzen, 10, is in awe of the school's old boys.

    "I'm proud that my seniors are representing Singapore at the Youth Games. I'm very inspired by their message that no matter what you choose to do, you can achieve success if you work hard. I hope they win," she said.

    The squad leave for a four-match training tour of Kuala Lumpur from Aug 6 to 10.

    Singapore face hockey giants Australia in their opening match on Aug 17. Shamir Osman

    Image 1 of 1 enlarge this photoFadzly (right, front) and his team-mates demonstrate the finer points of hockey at Chongzheng Primary School. OOI BOON KEONG Fadzly (right, front) and his team-mates demonstrate the finer points of hockey at Chongzheng Primary School. OOI BOON KEONG

    Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd

    http://www.todayonline.com/YOG/EDC100804-0000079/

  • Of the 4 boys, Haseef Salim, Fadhil Rizaini and Fadzly Adam are from VS.

  • Victorian Anthem at Victoria Soccer Challenge:

  • nostalgian
    8 August 2010 14:42

    Attd is a ST report of the 1960 VS Speech Day which was attended by the then Education Minister Yong Yoke Lin. One of the three outstanding students honoured on the occasion was Ms Khadijah Karim, who later reportedly went on to win a Colombo Plan Scholarship and become a prominent educationist in Malaysia.

    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=freepress19601013.2.101&sessionid=41cd35f62a82482581f672fe0b067696&keyword=singapore+victoria+school+speech+day&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • A student who completed his HSC studies in VS in 1971, Dr Philip Choi, is President of Shell International Eastern Trading Company based in Singapore since 2007.

  • Some online photos of Victoria Afternoon School Boys

    http://picas.nhb.gov.sg/picas/public/internetSear… afternoon school

  • Some online photos of Victoria Bridge School

    http://picas.nhb.gov.sg/picas/public/internetSear… bridge school

  • notstalgian
    8 August 2010 21:41

    From Straits Times archival reports, it was noticed that prior to the pre war days, the five houses in VS were named after animals, ie Lion, Leopard, Tiger, Panther and Bear. In the 1950s, the houses were renamed after colours and this continued for much of the decade. In the late 50s' a new way of naming houses was introduced and it has remained to this day. The houses are known charmingly by the names of well known neighbourhoods around or not far off from the old VS site at Tyrwhitt Road, ie Glam, Kallang, Kapor, Rochore and Whampoa. Interestingly, these were also the areas from which most of the former VS students had hailed from.

  • notstalgian
    9 August 2010 12:34

    Attd is a ST rpt of the first known VS boy who won a Queen's Scholarship in 1951. He was Dr Poh Soo Jin. He received his primary school education at McNair and Rangoon Road schools.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19511208.2.79&sessionid=b14530c073a74e6ea73e903b6a678d0c&keyword=victoria+school+singapore+scholars&lang=en&quot; target="_blank" rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

    Other old boys of VS who had won the Queen's Scholarships were Dr Teh Ee Kheng and Dr Yap Choon Teck, who were two out of the three recipients of the prestigious award in 1957.

  • The Queen's Scholarship is the predecessor of the President's Scholarship.
    * Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim: Queen's Scholar, 1936
    – attended VS when VS was still a primary school, went on to RI; there are probably other Queen's scholars like him who attended VS at primary school level

    ** Attended VS
    * Poh Soo Jin: Queen's Scholar, 1951
    * Teh Ee Kheng: Queen's Scholar, 1957
    * Yap Choon Teck: Queen's Scholar, 1957
    * Si Hoe Sing Yin (Ms): Queen's Scholar, 1958
    * Lam Chuan Leong: President's Scholar, 1967
    * Ng Chee Khern: President's Scholar, 1984
    * Loh Wai Keong: President's Scholar, 1984

    ** Attended VJC
    * Sng Chem Wei: President's Scholar, 1990
    * Brandon Lee Tian Boon: President's Scholar, 1991
    * Nicholas Tay: President's Scholar, 2009

  • News: The Straits Times – 30 January 2010

    A grand old building for PA

    Its new HQ is the renovated former Victoria School

    By Nur Dianah Suhaimi

    (Picture: Some of the guests took the opportunity to get up close and personal to Mr Lee for a quick photograph (above) as he mingled with the crowd. – ST Photo)

    WHEN the People's Association (PA) was set up 50 years ago, its headquarters was a former airport in Kallang.

    Yesterday, it officially moved into another old building: the former Victoria School building in King George's Avenue.

    This time, however, the PA engaged architects and gave its new home a $47 million makeover.

    They conserved the old school building while converting the classrooms into sleek offices. The school hall-cum-canteen is now a dance studio and storage area for Chingay and National Day props.

    A new five-storey extension block was built behind the old school and a sprawling lawn fronts the entire structure.

    The changes won it the Architectural Heritage Awards last year, an annual honour given to well-restored monuments and conservation buildings in Singapore.

    Last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is also PA's chairman, officially opened its new home in a ceremony attended by about 1,000 people, including Cabinet ministers and grassroots leaders.

    The event, held on the lawn, was like a mini National Day celebration, complete with floats, performers in colourful costumes as well as fireworks and a pyrotechnic display.

    Mr Lee also opened the PA heritage gallery, an exhibition which charts the association's growth over the past 50 years. The gallery will be a permanent fixture at the building's atrium.

    These events are the first in a series of activities to be held this year to mark PA's 50th anniversary.

    Grassroots leader and Victoria School alumnus Chia Hoon Chye, who attended the opening ceremony, was dazzled by the changes.

    'The building is very grand and it reflects the PA's achievements over the last 50 years,' said the 77-year-old.

    – end of ST article

    <a href="http://www.pmo.gov.sg/News/Transcripts/Prime+Minister/A+grand+old+building+for+PA.htm&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://www.pmo.gov.sg/News/Transcripts/Prime+Mini…” target=”_blank”>;http://www.pmo.gov.sg/News/Transcripts/Prime+Mini

  • notstalgian
    10 August 2010 11:37

    Queen's scholarship was replaced by State Scholarship in 1959, which then changed to Yang Di Pertua Scholarship in 1965. Since 1966, the award is known as President's Scholarship.

    A VS student Han Cheng Fong won the State Scholarship in 1963. Dr Han later went on to become a Permanent Secretary in the govt sve.

  • notstalgian
    10 August 2010 14:25

    VS once ruled the wave when it was the champion swimming school in Singapore, in 1953 and 1955, and narrowly missed the title in 1954. The star swimmer of VS then was Ong Choon Lim, one of Singapore's finest swimmers and water polo players.

    Although the sports went into a decline in VS in the 1970s and 1980s, the school continued to hold its annual Swimming Carnival, and occasionally it seemed one or two good swimmers would emerge even if they did not feature in the national championships.

    Regrettably, swimming is no longer on the sports curriculum of VS and the Swimming Carnival is now a thing of the past.

  • Online Photo of Ong Choon Lim

    WINNER OF 100 METRES FREE-STYLE EVENT ONG CHOON LIM (LEFT) WITH TAY PING HOO (CENTRE) AND HENRY CHIA, WHO CAME IN SECOND AND THIRD RESPECTIVELY, AT ANNUAL SWIMMING CARNIVAL OF VICTORIA SCHOOL IN SINGAPORE CHINESE SWIMMING CLUB (1952)
    http://picas.nhb.gov.sg/picas/public/internetSear
    (Type victoria swimming in search)

  • STUDENTS OF VICTORIA SCHOOL

    Date: 08/09/1975
    http://picas.nhb.gov.sg/picas/public/internetSear

  • LAM CHUAN LEONG OF VICTORIA SCHOOL WAS ONE OF THE TOP STUDENTS FOR THE CAMBRIDGE HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION

    Date: 16/02/1967
    http://picas.nhb.gov.sg/picas/public/internetSear

  • Eminent Old Girls of Victoria School

    Khadijah Karim
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=freepress19601013.2.101&sessionid=42d3630cf7364264aae6ea775a8224fd&keyword=khadijah+karim+victoria+school+singapore&lang=ms&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

    Wong Kim Ping
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19640826.2.55&sessionid=15b57b8d8ec24f5a8d19f542cc7168c4&keyword=scholars+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&search=advanced&fromdate=&todate=&articles=1&advertisements=1&illustrations=1&letters=1&obituaries=1&miscellaneous=1&newspaperTitles=dailyadvertiser%2ceasterndaily%2cfreepress%2cmalayansatpost%2cmiddayherald%2csingchronicle%2csingdailynews%2csingfreepressa%2csingfreepressb%2csingweekherald%2cstoverland%2cstraitsadvocate%2cstraitschinherald%2cstraitseurasian%2cstraitsmail%2cstraitsobserver%2cstraitstelegraph%2cstraitstimes%2cstweekly%2ctoday%2cweeklysun&fuzzysearch=Off&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

    Kanwaljit Soin
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19590523.2.73&sessionid=89bd97a964d84b4fb1ebcd5815563c0b&keyword=kanwaljit+soin+singapore+victoria+school&lang=fr&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19590523.2.73&sessionid=89bd97a964d84b4fb1ebcd5815563c0b&keyword=kanwaljit+soin+singapore+victoria+school&lang=fr” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19590523.2.73&sessionid=89bd97a964d84b4fb1ebcd5815563c0b&keyword=kanwaljit+soin+singapore+victoria+school&lang=fr

  • Reply to notstalgian:

    Thanks for pointing out that Poh Soo Jin and Han Cheng Fong are Queen's and State scholars respectively. I think Victoria School may not even have these information, probably because the school did not keep track of such info in the early days.

    Today, another Victorian, Chow Yi Ling, won this year's President's scholarship. She was from VS unofficial sister school, Cedar Girls' and VJC IP.

  • So, for the record:
    ** Attended VS (when VS was primary school)
    * Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim, Queen's Scholar, 1936

    ** Attended VS
    * Poh Soo Jin, Queen's Scholar, 1951
    * Teh Ee Kheng: Queen's Scholar, 1957
    * Yap Choon Teck: Queen's Scholar, 1957
    * Si Hoe Sing Yin (Ms): Queen's Scholar, 1958
    * Han Cheng Fong: State Scholar, 1962
    * Lam Chuan Leong: President's Scholar, 1967
    * MG Ng Chee Khern: President's Scholar, 1984
    * Loh Wai Keong: President's Scholar, 1984

    * Sng Chem Wei: President's Scholar, 1990
    * Brandon Lee Tian Boon: President's Scholar, 1991
    * Nicholas Tay: President's Scholar, 2009
    * Chow Yi Ling (Ms): President's Scholar, 2010

  • Did not find any info that Wee Seng Pah was a Malaya Cup star at that time though.

    Charlie Chan represented Singapore in the Malaya Cup when he was still a schoolboy at Victoria School. He founded the now-defunct football club, Tyrwhitt Soccerites. In a Zaobao interview previously, he spoke passionately about his love for Victoria School.

    Besides Sharif Madon, a former Victoria School football captain, Abdul Rahman, represented Singapore in a record nine Malaya Cup finals from 1933 to 1950!
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • It is mention in this ST report that half of the 1970 Singapore national hockey team were former Victorians: http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • T F Hwang takes you down memory lane:
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • President's Scholar with a Big Heart

    For having demonstrated excellence in academic ability and co-curricular activities, a willingness to serve and the capacity to lead, Yi Ling, the daughter of a deliveryman and a sales executive, was awarded the President’s Scholarship concurrently with the Overseas Merit Scholarship from the Public Service Commission to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. The first ever female student from Victoria Junior College and the first graduate from the Victoria Integrated Programme to receive the most prestigious award conferred by the Public Service Commission, Yi Ling studied at Cedar Girls’ Secondary School in Secondary 1 and 2 and was then admitted in 2006 into the Victoria Integrated Programme, a four-year course leading to the A levels.
    http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg/website/presidents-scho

  • YOG Soccer: Singapore vs Zimbabwe @ Jalan Besar Stadium
    http://mrsiow.blogspot.com/2010/08/yog-soccer-sin

  • Mohd Ariff Suradi was a 17-year Member of Parliament from 1959 to 1976. He was an old boy of VS. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • write ups on the late Prof Ahmad Ibrahim
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar
    <a href="http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_529_2005-01-07.html9a8a14176b54d75e57c956124&keyword=victoria+bridge+school+singapore++scholar&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_529_2005-01-0…” target=”_blank”>;http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_529_2005-01-0

    Significantly, he had once served as President of The Old Victorians Association (OVA), signifying his link to Victoria School.

    Prof Ahmad Ibrahim was a guest of honour at the OVA Dinner in 1996. He passed away in early 1999.

  • It is stated here:
    "Receiving his early education at St Anthony's Boys' School, he went to Victoria Bridge School and obtaining rapid promotion there entered Raffles Institution. He passed his junior and senior examinations, was exempted from sitting for the London Matriculation, and went to Raffles College.
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/singfre

  • Reply to nostagian:

    Ahmad Ibrahim went to VBS (Victoria Bridge School) and RI. He obtained his Queen's Scholarship in 1936. VS started its secondary level in 1931. I wonder if Ahmad Ibrahim had his secondary education (or part of it) in VBS and not primary education as it is widely thought.

    VBS was only renamed to VS in 1936.

    In 1951, the Post-Secondary education classes in VS were started. Prior to 1951, how do students continue their post-secondary education after their secondary education. Was it available at RI? Or do they do it at Raffles College (NUS predecessor)?

  • As the above report mentioned, Ahmad Ibrahim left VBS to join RI at Standard V and completed his Senior Cambridge in that school. Standard V was equivalent to the present Primary 6.

    Given that he did only Primary education at VBS, it would seem that the man took great pride in being a Victorian when years later, he took on the Presidency of the Old Victorians Association.

    He is a worthy of emulation by the many Old Victorians who have had their secondary education at the Victoria School. For the pride he had in wanting to be connected the School. Nil Sine Labore!

  • http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_529_2005-01-0

    Tan Sri Datuk Professor Ahmad Ibrahim

    Educated at Victoria Bridge School, Raffles Institution, Raffles College, and Cambridge University where he graduated with first class honours in economics and law. Appointed a Singapore Magistrate in 1946, District Judge and Magistrate in 1955, he became Singapore's first State Advocate General in 1959, and Singapore's first Attorney-General in 1966. He was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D) from the University of Singapore on 5 June 1965. Known to the law fraternity as an expert on Muslim law, he drafted the Administration of Muslim Law Act which revamped the Syariah Court's jurisdiction, and established the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore. From 1969 he worked in Malaysia as Professor of Legal Studies at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, next as Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya, and then as Sheikh and Dean, Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University, Malaysia.

  • http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_529_2005-01-0

    Ahmad Ibrahim, the politician

    There is another famous Ahmad Ibrahim, leading to many instances of confusion over these two personalities, especially when both played important roles in the development of Singapore. Older Singaporeans identify Professor Ahmad as Singapore's first Attorney-General. Whereas the other Ahmad Ibrahim was a politician and once a Minister of Labour, and then Minister of Health in Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's Government. This latter Ahmad Ibrahim was whom Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim and Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School are named after.

  • http://www.iiu.edu.my/laws/founder.php

    Al-Marhum Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Datuk Ahmad bin Mohamed Ibrahim

    •Victoria Bridge School, Singapore
    •Raffles Institution, Singapore
    •St. John's College, Cambridge
    •Middle Temple, London
    •B.A. (London) 1935, Queen's Scholar, 1935
    •B.A. (Cantab) 1939, 1st Class Economics Tripos I and 1st Class Law Tripos II, University of Cambridge
    •Exhibitioner and Scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge
    •George Long Prize for Roman Law and McMahon Law Student, St. John's College, Cambrige
    •Certificate of Honour, Bar Final Examination, Middle Temple, London 1941
    •M.A. (Cantab) 1962, Cambridge
    He was also awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D) from the University of Singapore on 5th June 1965.

  • http://www.ahmadibrahimsec.com/about_us/schinfo_h

    Ahmad Ibrahim, the politician

    AI was named after Encik Ahmad bin Ibrahim who was PAP's assistant secretary-general of the Central Executive Committee. He became Minister of Health in 1959 and the Minister of Labour in 1961. He died in 1962 at the age of 35.

  • Abdul Rahman was at one time VS school football coach – the years when VS was the undisputed school champions of Singapore . http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/freepre

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    17 August 2010 12:35

    Suggestion for Victoria School uniform:
    I have a suggestion for VS school uniform. I always like the khaki shorts because it is the only sec school in Sgp wearing it (Chinese High wear it too but they have a different shirt). VS boys used to wear it from Sec 1 to Sec 3 and it is quite prominent as VS boys are easily idenified from afar. Now it is being wore by Sec 1 to Sec 2 students only.
    I never like the white pants wore by Sec 4 and Pre-U students of VS in the past, and by Sec 3 to Sec 4 now. The reason being that white pants are too common among sec schools in Singapore.
    I suggest that Sec 3 and Sec 4 students wear the same colour pants as VJC students.
    Another main reason for this change is to forge a closer identity with VJC. (One of the reasons highlighted during last year's VJC IP saga was that VS and VJC have not been working closely together. Why must 2 schools of the same family have different colour school uniform?)
    What do you guys think?

  • An Old VS boy who was a 1994 winner of the prestigious Magsaysay Award, the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, the late Samad Ismail

    http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Biography/Biograp

  • Dolfattah, the Singapore football legend, was a former VS student.
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits
    http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/dream/life/ref/100.h

  • Aug 16, 2010 (Straits Times Forum Page)
    Victoria boys

    'Their action was so infectious that other fans also began to clear their litter.'

    MR GOH KIM CHUAN: 'At last Friday's football match between Singapore and Zimbabwe, Victoria School students were out in strength to support the Singapore team. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, and I must say the students had a big part to play in that. After the game, as the fans were leaving the stadium, I noticed the Victoria boys, supervised by some teachers, busy clearing the litter in the spectators' stands. Their action was so infectious that other fans also began to clear their litter.'

  • Not forgetting Singapore's greatest football coach, Uncle Choo Seng Quee, also studied in VBS..

  • press report on the 1971 Shell Inter School Science Quiz, won by VS students
    this was the most prestigious national science quiz for Sec 4 students in those days. It was organised by Gan Eng Seng School, which was reputed for its science classes then.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19710529.2.97&sessionid=376d89c676db4e03b8a91e3ca974cb53&keyword=shell+science+quiz+singapore+victoria+school&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

    for the pre u level, the Paul Abisheganaden Science Quiz, organised by VS and named after a former VS headmaster, was the most prestigious of its kind. VS won the annual quiz in 1966, and the representatives on that team included Lam Chuan Leong who went on to bag the President Scholarship in 1967 and Daylily Pan Soon, who emerged as the top medical graduate of the Singapore University in 1972.

  • In May 1950 VS was the first school in Spore to produce d a full Shakepeare play, Twelve Night. It was held over four days in open air at the then Alkaff Gardens in Sennett Estate. The man behind the play was Shamus Fraser, an English teacher and well known author. The cast consisted of some twenty students, from five different racial groups, and including several who were later to become well known in various fields of profession in Spore, including medical, business, education, architecture. Among them was Lim Bok Hai, a former Principal of NJC.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=freepress19500512.2.78&sessionid=c427b03fc8a74f569873773d0dea1752&keyword=alkaff+gardens+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=freepress19500519.2.115.19&sessionid=c427b03fc8a74f569873773d0dea1752&keyword=alkaff+gardens+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19500519.2.147&sessionid=c427b03fc8a74f569873773d0dea1752&keyword=alkaff+gardens+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    20 August 2010 08:16

    Some bad news here. No VS student on this year's government scholarships, let alone the President, SAF or SPF scholarships…. http://www.pscscholarships.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/CF

    VS, together with RI, used to take in the best pupils at PSLE, but this change with the introduction of SAP schools. Later, VS failed to get independent status, allowing some of the present independent schools which were way behind VS academically to surge ahead. Next came the Integrated Programme (IP) which VS was not included. SAP schools like Dunman High and River Valley High offer IP to Pre-U 2. We need to quicken the pace of merger with VJC (with VS staying a boys' school) and offer a full-fledged IP asap.

  • Except for a VJC student, there is also no VS student among the 2010 Special Awards winners.
    http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2010/08/2010-sp

  • It is noted that Catholic High School, a non IP school, is doing very well on all fronts, academc, cca, and scholarship awards. Two President Scholarships in last two years, a feat rivalring that of the best of IP schools.

    The T scores for PSLE students admitted to VS and CHS are almost within the same range.

    Then again, winning scholarship awards is only one facet that define a good school. VS has a reputation for producing students who have excelled in various mainstream professions and not many among them are necessarily scholarship holders. Likewise, not all scholars are high achievers in their working life. Leadership qualities demand more than just academic success.

  • The PSC, SAF and Police scholars are accorded a high prestige and given lots of media coverage. In the schools consistently producing these scholars, their names are engraved and proudly displayed. These could also be viewed as efforts to attract outstanding students to such scholarships.

    There are outstanding students who don't want to apply for such scholarships because they don't want to pursue a career in public, military or police service.

    There are also students, or their parents who encourage their children, to apply for such scholarships mainly for the prestige and later found that they have no aptitude or passion for public service.

  • In a typical scholarship fair at some premier schools, you will find recruiters from

    GIC (Government Investment Corporation)
    MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore)

    for their scholarships.

    Some outstanding students may prefer to join GIC or MAS directly rather than getting posted to different government ministries or serve in the SAF or SPF.

    However GIC and MAS scholars are not accorded the same "prestige" and media coverage as the PSC scholars.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    21 August 2010 14:21

    As far as I can remember, during the ST-Ranking years, Catholic High was always been behind VS. Parents are pragmatic. They are likely to send their children to IP schools, saving their children exams stress and their own stress too.

  • see this 1985 ST report of the inaugual years of VS
    then ti seemed that there was was going to be real integration between VS and VJC
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19850609.2.47.2&sessionid=158a946aaac842b6a795a73758b4d99f&keyword=the+team+leaders+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

    now, what's happening? VS boys opting for other JCs or VS boys not accepted by VJC

  • a 1989 ST report of the first election held in VS for students to select the school's Head Prefect.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19890926.2.61.25&sessionid=0f77a299ad6a4b9589cfe8fe0534495f&keyword=the+team+leaders+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

    a novel initiative by the then Principal Mr Nicholas Tang, and a great way for young Victorians to be introduced to democracy. The students must have a great time with the election campaign.

    is this still the practice in VS?

  • VS and VJC: Prime location but no MRT Station on the doorstep

    Raffles Institution has 2 MRT stations on the doorstep.
    Bishan Station: RI (Sec)
    Marymount Station: RI (JC)

    Hwa Chong Institution has a future MRT station on the doorstep
    Tan Kah Kee Station (Downtown Line) in 2016 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Kah_Kee_MRT_Stat

    VS and VJC
    No MRT Station

    When VS and VJC are finally reintegrated into a single Victoria School and Junior College, the school should relocate to a bigger combined campus close to an MRT Station.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    22 August 2010 10:37

    No chance of a MRT station being built near Siglap in future? The present locations are very good. It may not be easy to find another piece of land there to build a school. They govt stand to gain more by selling it to a property developer.

  • There is no MRT station planned on the doorsteps of VS and VJC in the Eastern Region Line. It is not possible as the sites are sandwiched in between prime private housing estates.

    ***
    The Eastern Region Line

    The Eastern Region Line will serve the residential restates of Tanjong Rhu, Marine Parade, Siglap, Bedok South and Upper East Coast and link them to Changi in the east.
    http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/proj_rail_future.h
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Region_MRT_L

    ***

    The VS and VJC sites can be exchanged for a larger combined site close to an MRT station in the East.

    The govt should be pleased with getting the two sites rezoned back to residential which will be very valuable.

  • The details of the stations on the Eastern Line are not available yet. There will be stations in the Marine Parade and Siglap areas but not likely to be on the doorsteps.

    However a bigger site for an integrated Victoria School and Junior College with an MRT station on the doorstep could be a long term twin objective (reintegration of the Victoria family and new campus) for our generation of old boys to work on.

    The previous generation established VJC. This generation hopefully can reintegrate it into a single Victoria School and Junior College.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    22 August 2010 14:24

    I think as long as the MRT station (if there is going to be one) is walking distance, it will be good enough, not necessarily to be at doorstep, although that will be most ideal.

  • Zaibun Siraj, famous feminist, was a teacher at VS http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • Seck Hong Chee, former VS boy – best all-round student at University of Singapore, 1964 http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • I <a href="http:// nhttp://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19830522.2.10&sessionid=8d32a4a631a844c3ae70bc5b1e43a575&keyword=old+victorians+dedicated+teacher+singapore&lang=en" rel="nofollow"> <a href="http://nhttp://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19830522.2.10&sessionid=8d32a4a631a844c3ae70bc5b1e43a575&keyword=old+victorians+dedicated+teacher+singapore&lang=en” target=”_blank”>nhttp://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19830522.2.10&sessionid=8d32a4a631a844c3ae70bc5b1e43a575&keyword=old+victorians+dedicated+teacher+singapore&lang=en

    In the 1980s, a highlight of the OVA Annual Dinner was the presentation of the Distinguished Teacher Award. Attd is a press report on the teacher who was bestowed with the award in 1983, Mrs Kok Shook Kwang.

  • Here's a 1989 ST profile of another Distinguished Teacher of VS, the late Mr S Soocelaraj.
    The great school sportsmaster that he was, Mr Sooci, as he was popularly known by the students, had represented Spore in cricket, hockey and rugby.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19890727.2.43.17&sessionid=414108162e7a47478b9c97c9f080c1a8&keyword=teacher+cricket+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Another Distinguished Teacher of VS, the late Mr Retnam Pierre was best known as a football coach. He led the Singapore Combined Schs to joint champions with Thailand in the 1972 Asian Schools Tournanemt. For that he was named a nominee for the Coach of The Year for that year. Among the Singapore players in the team was Victorian Ronnie Liew who was later to represent the Singapore National Team.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19730202.2.116.1&sessionid=5b96534b4e084db597dc5ea25ecec9a0&keyword=retnam+pierre+singapore+coach+of+the+year&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Yet another sports loving Distinguished Teacher was the late Mr Mok Khoon Yam, who was better known for his coaching prowess in athletics. He was a qualifiedd national athletics coach and was at one time a Vice President of the Spore Athletics Assoc.

    Mr Mok was also an excellent Additional Maths teacher. He continued to teach in the subject even after he was promoted to Senior Assistant of the school, the equivalent of today's Vice Principal.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19790522.2.101.15&sessionid=49e3353184c64ce69f5fc2a5751756a8&keyword=mok+khoon+yam+singapore+saaa&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Thru the 1950s, VS had teachers who were great sportsmen themselves and they led their charges to sporting glory for the school. Among them were Mr Woon Sui Kut and the late Mr Edwin Doraisamy. Mr Woon, a 1956 Olympic Games representative, was the teacher in charge when VS reigned supreme in schools' swimming in the 50s. Later he became a prominent official with the Spore Swimming Assoc and FINA (World Swimming Fed). The late Mr Doraisamy was a Spore hockey great. In later years the school named an award for outstanding students who excelled in arts subjects after this much admired teacher.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=freepress19600405.2.131&sessionid=9d840c8670804a1f9869b40531223da5&keyword=woon+sui+kut%2c+doraisamy%2c+school+singapore&lang=nl&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • An excellent all round sportsman who rose in the education service to become the Princial of Victoria School from 1963-66 and then as an advisor to MOE, the late Mr Low Kee Pow was best known as Captain of Spore Putra Cup Golf Team. In his younger days, he had represented Spore in a variety of sports including rugby, cricket and tennis. He was also a champion sprinter during his schooldays at SJI and Raffles College (now NUS). He passed away at the age of 72 in 1988.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19760916.2.133&sessionid=672fd4ec23a441e1af901408ab8e1720&keyword=low+kee+pow+golf+school+principal+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19880428.2.64.30&sessionid=69339b59366448f784ecaa9fa36f03dc&keyword=low+kee+pow+golf+school+principal+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • A press report on the reviewing of the Victoria School Cadet Corps Annual Parade in 1960 by the then Brisish Army Commander in Spore. It would be like a school's annual cadet parade now being inspected by the Chief of Defence Force Such was the prestige enjoyed by the VS Cadet Corps then, It is understood that the VS NCC continues to be an excellent unit and has produced a number of cadets who have gone to hold senior commands in the SAF, including the present CDF, LG Neo Kian Hong.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=freepress19600929.2.75&sessionid=09a0ef0b94464c1a94c699e66e3f24fa&keyword=paul++victoria+school+principal+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Another well known Principal of Victoria School was Mr Paul Abisheganaden, who was and is still well known in the music circle in Spore. During his tenure in VS, he started the first Talentime in school in 1960 and this became a regular feature in the school for several years after. He also donated a trophy for the first inter school pre u science quiz organised by VS in 1960 and the Paul Abishiganaden Trophy became much coveted among participating schools.
    Mr Abisheganaden subsequently became Principal of the Teachers' Training College, the predecessor of NIE today.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=freepress19610902.2.16&sessionid=fecdf44c2ad44ea2a76fcb888fa984ce&keyword=paul++victoria+school+principal+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Another former notable Principal of VS, in more recent times, is Mr Nicholas Tang, who headed the sch from 1987-89. He initiated the Victoria Challenge in 1987, an event which continues to today and which all Victorians participate in at least once in their school years.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19890105.2.25.1&sessionid=ace89e6b4c974178aafb510f6ec02522&keyword=nicholas+tang+victoria+school+principal+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • a 1956 Straits Times report on Sulaiman Sujak when he became the first Malayan to enrol at the Royal Air Force College in UK in 1955, after completing his Senior Cambridge in Victoria School
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19560819.2.115&sessionid=5f6315ea86bd48b2a1d6064b69732741&keyword=matc+singapore+cadets&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Another VS Old Boy who won the coveted Gold Medal was the late Dr Ong Chit Chung. who graduated with a First Class Honours in History from the University in 1973 and was cited for his leadership among students.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19730816.2.75&sessionid=23ae940d7fb64d718a323a818dee1ba0&keyword=ong+chit+chung+gold+medal+university+singapore&lang=ms&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • From the delightful blog of VS teacher Mr Randell Siow, this posting of visit of Zimbabwe YOG delegation to the school. A commendable feature of YOG was the fostering of relationships and understandings between youngsters of different countries admist their particpation in sports and related cultural and educational exchanges. VS students and staff have contributed to this meaningfully by their hosting of the Zimbabweans.
    http://mrsiow.blogspot.com/2010/08/visit-by-yog-z

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    29 August 2010 21:34

    Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said 7 more schools will go IP during the National Day Rally. I wonder if VS will be one of them.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    30 August 2010 00:08

    "Changes in education include expanding the Integrated Programme from 11 to 18 schools. These schools will also offer the regular express stream so that students can switch between the two tracks. "

    7 more schools could be: VS, SJI, Catholic High and 4 more (girls schools? SAP schools?)

    IP schools/JCs:
    2004
    – RI
    – RGS
    – HCI – Chinese High, Nanyang Girls'
    – ACS
    – NJC

    2005
    – Duman High
    – VJC
    – TJC

    2006
    – River Valley High

  • "The Straits Times understands that Cedar Girls' Secondary School and Victoria School are among the schools that the IP will be extended to."

    Seven more schools to offer IP
    by Leow Si Wan
    Straits Times dated August 30, 2010 page A3

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    30 August 2010 09:14

    In the VJC IP episode, it was mentioned that TKGS was not for the proposal of combining with VS for IP (TKGS principal is an Old Victorian from VJC). It will be interesting if VS 'sister school' Cedar Girls' is teaming up with VS. Cedar Girls' is not in East Zone and recently had large-scale upgrading of their school campus.

  • Guesswork on other IP schools

    SJI stand alone or with a partner girls' school (CHIJ Toa Payoh) with CJC

    Catholic High with CHIJ St Nicholas with CJC

    Methodist Girls' Schools with ACS partner boys' school

    Singapore Chinese Girls' School with NJC

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    30 August 2010 20:14

    MOE seem to treat the former HCJC, Chinese High and Nanyang Girls' as 3 schools, that's why there are 11 IP schools now.
    Not sure if SJI can go standalone. CHIJ Toay Payoh seem to be in Band 2 or Band 3 if I remember correctly. TKGS is in Band 2 I think.
    Catholic High and St Nicholas probably yes. They can have their Pre-U in Catholic High, like what Dunman High and River Valley High are doing.
    ACS(I) is already a co-ed school, but MGS can still combine with it.
    SCGS probably too. Not sure if it can be with NJC though.

    Now come the bigger question. Will VJC stop having its own IP? Will there be an immediate merger?

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    31 August 2010 18:54

    Maverick, it seem like Cedar Girls' is going to partner VS for the IP.

  • We will know tomorrow, 1 Sep (Teachers' Day)

    According to The Strait Times, August 31 2010 Page B4

    "The list of new schools to offer the IP, a programme which to date has either the A levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB) will be announced by the Ministry of Education tomorrow."

  • We will tomorrow (Wed 1 Sep) whether that is going to be the case.

    According to the The Strait Times today, August 31 2010, Page B4

    "The list of new schools to offer the IP, a programme which to date has either the A levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB) will be announced by the Ministry of Education tomorrow."

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    1 September 2010 18:21

    15MOE will expand the Integrated Programme to seven more secondary schools, namely, Victoria School, Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, Methodist Girls’ School, Catholic High School, CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School, Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, and St. Joseph’s Institution.

  • Victoria School and Cedar Girls’ Secondary School will partner Victoria Junior College
    http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2010/09/more-pa

  • The details on the IP in the various schools are in Annex B http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/files/2010/09/s

  • Bingo

    Possible IP Schools with 2009 median PSLE score (non-affiliated) in brackets
    Bingo

    Boys
    1. VS (249)
    2. Catholic High (252)
    3. SJI (245)

    Girls
    1. Cedar (250)
    2. St Nick (252)
    3. MGS (253)
    4. SCGS (254)

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    1 September 2010 22:30

    Previously, VS could not merge with VJC because there is no girls' school to partner with. Now VS can do the same following the RI and HCI models. Hope the VAC is working on this.
    Can VS bring back the Gifted Educated Programme (GEP) which was cancelled previously?

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    2 September 2010 22:44

    In a joint statement, VS, Cedar and VJC called their partnership an "ideal alliance", with shared traditions of excellence in sports, the performing arts and uniformed groups.
    – Straits Times, September 2, 2010

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    2 September 2010 22:52

    For those who missed the tv news:

  • Most grateful to know that a former teacher of VS of yesteryears Mr Tng Kim Guan is among those pivotai in getting VS on the IP (today's Straits Times report). Recalled that Mr Tng joined the school in the late 1960s as a rookie teacher. Subsequently he went on to distinguished achievements in the Education Service as attached
    http://uncledicko.blogspot.com/2008/04/1st-tahan-

  • Victoria Reunite
    4 September 2010 10:15

    More Victoria-Cedar President's Scholars in the future ?

    With the new VCA, Victoria-Cedar-Alliance, we can look forward to more Victoria-Cedar President's and PSC Scholars in the future after the first one this year.
    http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg/website/presidents-schohttp://www.cedargirlssec.moe.edu.sg/

    Hopefully, also more VS-VJC President's and PSC Scholars from the VS-VJC IP in the future.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    4 September 2010 10:37

    President's Scholars:

    ** VBS
    * Ahmad Mohamed Ibrahim, Queen's Scholar, 1936

    ** VS
    * Poh Soo Jin, Queen's Scholar, 1951
    * Teh Ee Kheng: Queen's Scholar, 1957
    * Yap Choon Teck: Queen's Scholar, 1957
    * Si Hoe Sing Yin (Ms): Queen's Scholar, 1958
    * Han Cheng Fong: State Scholar, 1962
    * Lam Chuan Leong: President's Scholar, 1967
    * Ng Chee Khern: President's Scholar, 1984
    * Loh Wai Keong: President's Scholar, 1984

    ** VJC
    * Sng Chem Wei: President's Scholar, 1990
    * Brandon Lee Tian Boon: President's Scholar, 1991
    * Nicholas Tay: President's Scholar, 2009
    * Chow Yi Ling (Ms): President's Scholar, 2010

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    4 September 2010 10:44

    The academic feats of Victorians is shown by the three Leong brothers at the first batch of engineering graduates of NTI (NTU). http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    4 September 2010 10:50

    Old Victorian – Tay Teo Chuan – Mr Singapore http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/freepre

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    4 September 2010 10:53

    Victoria School produced a famous Malay film director and actor – S Kadarisman http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    4 September 2010 11:10

    There is a good chance that the Eastern Region MRT Line will pass by VS/VJC, hopefully with a MRT station within walking distance, since there are a no of schools in the area – VS, VJC, St Pat's, Katong Convent, etc http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Region_MRT_L

  • Victoria Reunite
    4 September 2010 11:27

    There was a gap of 8 years between 1991 and 2009 when VJC did not have a President's Scholar

    Brandon Lee Tian Boon: President's Scholar, 1991
    Nicholas Tay: President's Scholar, 2009

    and a gap of 7 years from founding in 1984 to the first in 1991.

    Hopefully with the VS-Cedar-VJC Alliance, more from the Victoria family.

  • Victoria Reunite
    4 September 2010 11:28

    Correction

    There was a gap of 18 years between 1991 and 2009 when VJC did not have a President's Scholar

  • Cedar Girls' Secondary School was established in 1956. Its pioneer batch of students comprised the girl students who moved in to the new school from Bartley, Beatty and Sigap Secondary Schools.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19560921.2.87&sessionid=9534f8612d2c4d1195379b7723182f6d&keyword=bartley+secondary+school+singapore+cedar+girls&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    4 September 2010 14:35

    History of VS:

    Another school, the Kampong Glam Malay School, was set up in the same compound. An experiment of teaching Malay and English together was carried out at the Kampong Glam Malay school in 1884. By 1894, it was reported that the boys in the English class at the school, then the largest school in Singapore, could acquire a knowledge of English up to Standard VII, while at the same time they continued their Malay studies. This was the only school in the Colony at which pupils were taught both the languages. The experiment was considered to have been successful, and it was recommended that it should be tried in other Malay schools also situated in important centres. (Chelliah, p68)
    Figure 35 An Old Malay Vernacular School
    The two branches of the school, the English and Malay, were united into one larger school in 1897, called Victoria Bridge School, today’s Victoria School. (Makepeace, p468)
    http://www.hsse.nie.edu.sg/staff/blackburn/Malaye

  • "It is the general policy of the Ministry to segregate boys and girls in secondary schools" in 1956.

    It was noted that the seven new IP schools are all single sex schools at the secondary level

    1. VS
    2. Cedar

    3. Catholic Hign
    4. St Nick
    5. SCGS

    6. MGS
    7. SJI

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    4 September 2010 16:17

    There is a need to increase the present 9 classes intake per year. Some of the other IP schools have 12 classes or more per year.

  • Rather than wait for it to happen, we should be proactive and ask for a station.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    5 September 2010 04:12

    The infamous Sunny Ang (an Old Victorian) who committed the perfect murder in Singapore. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • Another OVA Distinguished Teacher Award Recipient Mrs Lim Fang York for her contributions to VS in the field of Literature and Drama
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19801109.2.67.1&sessionid=a43638bee0424ca6a6b46f61721434f8&keyword=mrs+lim+fang+york+victoria+school+singapore+teacher&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Most heartening to come across this posting by an Old Victorian paying tributes to his former teachers in VS, on the ocassion of Teachers' Day

    http://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/rem

    A school is only as good as its teachers, and VS is blessed with having many in its fold over the years.

  • The Victorian Spirit……..

    a 1965 Straits Times report on a drive by VS students to help raise funds for a former Victorian Justin Rozario who was paralysed from the neck downwards after a diving accident. Justin was a champion middle distance runner during his schooldays and was blooming into a great Spore national athlete when he met with the accident. Justin passed away some years later.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19650728.2.23&sessionid=0a0fda3c0e104d2aa127b2d47cd80c2a&keyword=justin+rozario+victoria+school+singapore+francis+yeo&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19650925.2.21&sessionid=99890f6e090a4dbf97e7881d67ed2d8e&keyword=justin+rozario+fund+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • 3 Sep 2010
    The Straits Times
    BY JENNANI DURAI
    jennanid@sph.com.sg
    Victoria School’s IP a long time coming

    New Cedar-Victoria programme was down primarily to efforts of 8 men

    BEHIND the Cedar-Victoria Integrated Programme (IP) are eight men who took their alma mater’s motto – Nil Sine Labore, or Nothing Without Labour – to heart.
    The programme, announced by Education Minister Ng Eng Hen on Wednesday, was a long time coming for this group of mostly old boys and teachers from Victoria School (VS), and it had many detractors along the way. But they stuck to their guns, because they knew from experience that “the Victorian brand of education has merits”, said Mr Vernon Teo, president of the Old Victorians’ Association (OVA) and leader of the group.
    After fighting off the idea of turning VS into a co-educational institution, first mooted in 2005, the OVA had to go head to head with Victoria Junior College (VJC) in August last year, after VJC submitted a proposal to start its current IP from Sec 1 instead of Sec 3. The OVA feared that the move would pit VS against VJC, with brighter students bypassing the secondary school altogether.

  • Mr Tng felt that Cedar Girls’ School, also an autonomous school, would be a good fit: “Both schools have a strong sports background, they both emphasise character-building, and they have more or less the same academic calibre of students.”
    Mr Ho Kiat Chong, a former VS teacher in the group, said: “People usually associate Cedar
    and
    Advisory and VS as brother-sister schools unofficially, even before this.”
    Mr Tng met Cedar’s principal, Mrs Ou Yang Geok Cheng, in January. “Her only requirement was that the girls should remain in the current Cedar campus for their four years of secondary school before moving on to VJC, and that was fine with us,” he said.
    The task force then firmed up the proposal and met VS principal Low Eng Teong, VJC principal Chan Poh Meng and Victorian Advisory Committee chairman Ng Yat Chung on Feb 2. After that, the task force thought it best to leave it to the principals.

  • The principals of the three schools confirmed in a joint statement that the OVA had approached Cedar to suggest the collaboration, and that Cedar had subsequently sought and received approval from their own school advisory committee and alumni.
    Not everything in the proposal was accepted wholesale, said Mr Ho. “We had originally proposed that VS and VJC should merge. But it was felt that we were not ready at this point in time.”

  • Principal's note
    8 September 2010

    Dear Parents, Old Boys and Victorians,

    Victoria School to offer the IP in 2012

    As announced by the Ministry of Education, Victoria School will offer the Integrated Programme (IP) in 2012 at the Sec 1 level. Similarly, Cedar Girls' Secondary School will do likewise. Students on the IP will be on the thru-train to offer the A level at Victoria Junior College.

    VS will continue to offer the O level programme. As the affliated school to VJC, VS students will continue to have access to VJC via the JC admission based on their O level results.

    Attached is a list of FAQs for reference to questions you might have on the IP.
    Click here to view/download the FAQs.
    http://vs.moe.edu.sg/temp10/FAQ%20on%20IP%20by%20

    Nil Sine Labore.

    Low Eng Teong, Principal

  • Kampong breakfast on Saturday, 18 Sep 2010 ?

    "Victoria Bridge School moved to its present premises at Tyrwhitt Road on 18th Sept. 1933 and the school came to be known as Victoria School."

    The Victorian, 1976, page 22.

    18 Sep, 2010 happens to fall on a Saturday.

    Would the organisers like to consider holding this month's Kampong Breakfast on Sat, Sep 18 instead of the last Sunday of the month, as Sep 18 was the day Victoria Bridge School moved to Tyrwhitt Road and became known as Victoria School ?

  • Someone has previously proposed that the OVA dinner be held at Tyrwhitt Road. Is this in the plan?

  • From OVA Facebook
    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11683824650

    21 at 7:18am · Comment · Like · Flag
    Lim Yue Wen is OVA organisinsg something big for 135th anniversary in 2011?
    July 17 at 10:56pm · Comment · Like · View Feedback (6)Hide Feedback (6) · Flag

    Lim Yue Wen do you know the date? my class graduated 30 years ago in 2011 and we'd like to celebrate together as well…
    July 19 at 7:59pm.

    Lim Yue Wen where can I get more info please. I need to start communicating this to our group as many are overseas
    July 20 at 9:23pm.

    Lim Yue Wen I understand from PA HQ that someone has booked PA HQ for Sep 18, 2011 for this event!!!!!
    August 3 at 2:27am.

  • Corrections

    From The Faithful & Grateful Sons of Victoria Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11683824650….

    21 at 7:18am · Comment · Like · Flag
    Lim Yue Wen is OVA organisinsg something big for 135th anniversary in 2011?
    July 17 at 10:56pm · Comment · Like · View Feedback (6)Hide Feedback (6) · Flag

    Lim Yue Wen do you know the date? my class graduated 30 years ago in 2011 and we'd like to celebrate together as well…
    July 19 at 7:59pm.

    Lim Yue Wen where can I get more info please. I need to start communicating this to our group as many are overseas
    July 20 at 9:23pm.

    Lim Yue Wen I understand from PA HQ that someone has booked PA HQ for Sep 18, 2011 for this event!!!!!
    August 3 at 2:27am.

  • From Victoria School class of '81 A levels Facebook
    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-School-cla

    "We would like to inform… you that there is a big group of Victoria Alumni (including retired teachers of Victoria School) approached PA recently enquired about renting PAHQ field and other facilities on 18 Sept 2011 for celebration of “135th Anniversary of Victoria School”, estimated size of invited guest between 1000 to 2000 over guests. They had shared with us that Victoria School was established on 18 Sept, 134 years ago.We have reserved the facilities for them for this big day of the school."

  • The name Victoria School is actually 77 years old this year, as the name change took place in 1933.

    Briefly during the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese renamed the school Jalan Besar Boys' School.

  • Thanks for the info.

    However, I think it was previously recorded that the school name, Victoria Bridge School, was changed to Victoria School, in 1932.

    But it seem more likely to be in 1936, as Victoria Bridge School name was last used in the newspapers in 1936, and Victoria School name first appeared in the same year 1936.
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/

    But there is a chance that the newspapers did not get the correct information as it was then in the 1930s.

  • I don't have access to the official records. According to the school magazine, The Victorian, 1976, page 22,

    "Victoria Bridge School moved to its present premises at Tyrwhitt Road on 18th Sept. 1933 and the school came to be known as Victoria School."

    However "and the school came to be known as Victoria School" might not mean the name change took place on the same day or the same year.

    So this is only a guess:

    "The name Victoria School is actually 77 years old this year, as the name change took place in 1933."

  • At Cedar Girls', one key programme for IP students will be on the culture and language of the region, to equip them with the skills to work regionally and globally, said principal Ou Yang Geok Cheng.

    Her school and Victoria School will partner Victoria Junior College.

    Mrs Ou Yang said teachers and key personnel from the three schools will work together on a curriculum for scientific and mathematical studies, languages and humanities and character, as well as citizenry and leadership development.
    http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100902-00

  • Can anyone help to upload some VS pictures to wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_School ?
    I have tried previously but do not know how to do it properly.
    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2209767942&amp;… (Pictures from facebook)
    <a href="http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0S0zu.e5YxMaA4AQ4Ul4gt.?p=%22victoria+school%22+singapore&fr=yfp-t-712&ei=utf-8&x=wrt" rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_…” target=”_blank”>;http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_… (Pictures from yahoo)
    <a href="http://openhouse.vs.moe.edu.sg/tournew.php&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://openhouse.vs.moe.edu.sg/tournew.php” target=”_blank”>;http://openhouse.vs.moe.edu.sg/tournew.php (Picturs from VS official site)

  • Can anyone help to upload some VS pictures to wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_School ?
    I have tried previously but do not know how to do it properly.
    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2209767942&amp;… (Pictures from facebook)
    <a href="http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0S0zu.e5YxMaA4AQ4Ul4gt.?p=%22victoria+school%22+singapore&fr=yfp-t-712&ei=utf-8&x=wrt" rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_…” target=”_blank”>;http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_… (Pictures from yahoo)
    <a href="http://openhouse.vs.moe.edu.sg/tournew.php&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://openhouse.vs.moe.edu.sg/tournew.php” target=”_blank”>;http://openhouse.vs.moe.edu.sg/tournew.php (Picturs from VS official site)

  • VS sister school – the talented Cedarians:





  • Let's give more credit to VS sportsmen and staff than this. Although VS had won only three titles, looking at the School Website, one can see that the school had won the first top four positions in quite a number of sports for both B and C boys. Ask any school, it is not easy for a school to reach a semi final spot in a national schools championship, let alone to come in first. RI, ACS and HCI have more titles, simply because that they have more resources, and they are able to attract the cream of sports talents to their fold, DSA or otherwise.

  • Of course credit should be given to the principal, staff and students. But it has been like this for decades – VS usually do well but don't win the title. Perhaps there can be some better strategy.

  • four victorians have won the Best School Boy and Best School Girl awards for their respective sports. This is a new award given out by the Singapore School Sports Council (SSSC).

    * Best School Boy Award :
    Jeffery Adam Lightfoot (Soccer, Victoria School)
    Fung Jin Jie (Wushu, Victoria School)

    * Best School Girl Award:
    Nur Harilyn Bte Mohd Tahir (Floorball, Victoria Junior College)
    Astri Noorbaini Bte Samsuri (Softball, Victoria Junior College)

  • Interesting to note that there is no mention of OVA at all on the VJC website under its Alumni section
    http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg/website/alumni.html
    No wonder VS and VJC are drifting apart.

  • During his tenure as Principal of Victoria School since 2005 to date, Mr Low Eng Teong has done an exemplary job. Working very hard and creatively, and without much fanfare, he has brought back the school academic standing by consistently featuring on the Band 1 list, notwithstanding the hollowing out of a good number of Sec 2 students in each cohort opting for IP at VJC and other JC. It is a testament to Mr Low's leadership, as much as as it is to the credit oll those who have helped to get the MOE finally agreeing to VS being allowed on the IP. It is hoped that Mr Low will stay on in VS for more years or be made the Principal of the VJC come 2012 when VJC, VS and Cedar come together on a common education journey.

  • VIctorian_Vintage
    28 September 2010 19:19

    Hi "Old Vic", "Tyrwhitt Vic", "Vicson",Tyrwhitt-Tan and others

    You are invited to join this Yahoo Group,

    Victorian_Vintage http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Victorian_Vintage/

    an initiative by a group of old boys and retired teachers to identify and research distinguished Victorians who studied at Kampong Glam Malay School, Victoria Bridge School, Victoria School and Victoria Junior College.

    Just Click "Join this Group!" with a short description about yourself.

    Victorian_Vintage Group Owner and Moderator.

  • Victorian_Vintage
    28 September 2010 19:33

    Hi "Old Vic", "Tyrwhitt Vic", "Vicson",Tyrwhitt-Tan and others

    You are invited to join this Yahoo Group,

    Victorian_Vintage
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Victorian_Vintage/

    an initiative by a group of old boys and retired teachers to identify and research distinguished Victorians who studied at Kampong Glam Malay School, Victoria Bridge School, Victoria School and Victoria Junior College.

    Just Click "Join this Group!" with a short description about yourself.

    Victorian_Vintage
    Group Owner and Moderator.

  • Victorian_Vintage
    30 September 2010 13:09

    Hi "oldtime" and others who have written about distinguished principals and teachers in VS,

    You are invited to join

    Victorian_Vintage http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Victorian_Vintage/

    to identify and research outstanding Principals and Teachers who had made longlasting contributions to the schools.

    Just click "Join this Group!" with a short description about yourself

    Victorian_Vintage
    Group Owner and Moderator.

  • Victoria School featured on China CCTV News:

  • Seem like the school did not know that Ahmad Mohd Ibrahim, Poh Soo Jin and Dr Han Cheng Fong were former Queen's and State Scholars (predecessors of President's Scholarship)
    http://mrsiow.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=201

  • It will be great if someone can help to upload some pictures of VS to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_School
    I have tried previously but do not know how to do so correctly.
    Pictures can be found in http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2209767942#… and <a href="http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0S0zvj0fs1MVkwAZLwl4gt.?p=victoria+school+singapore&fr=yfp-t-712&ei=utf-8&x=wrt" rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_…” target=”_blank”>;http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_

  • VS Sec 1 student, Ryan Lo, is Singapore's youngest representative to the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China http://www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC101104-00001

  • "In VJC, only girls' hockey is given support but not boys' hockey." – Mohd Fazly, a RI hockey player who went to VJC and became its player-coach.
    No wonder VJC has not won the boys' hockey title for the past 25 years.
    http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/chronicle/sports/vol14no9/

  • The Kampong Glam Malay Branch School was established in 1876
    (Murray 1971) as a ‘feeder’ school to Raffles Institution (Doraisamy et al. 1969, 37). In 1897
    the Kampong Glam Malay Branch School and the Kampong Glam Malay School, “known as
    the Kampong Glam English Class” were combined into one school, known as the Victoria
    Bridge School, in a new building erected close to Victoria Bridge (Elcum 1898, 210). The
    Victoria Bridge School functioned as “a separate and entirely English school” (Wilkinson
    1899, 87). Up to 1930 the highest class was Standard V, but in 1931, owing to the demand
    for secondary education and the lack of accommodation at Raffles Institution, it became a
    secondary school (Young 1953, 2).
    http://majlis.fsktm.um.edu.my/document.aspx?FileN

  • Randell Siow, the excellent teacher, mentor and motivatior to the many cohorts of VS boy who have had the privilege of coming under his tutelege, is leaving the school after more than seven years of dedicated service to join the MOE HQ as Head of its National Education Branch. VS will surely miss this extraordinary teacher. At the same time, we wish him all the best in his new assignment, which is apparently a promotion and a recognition of his excellent work in VS. Thank you Mr Siow.

  • Unofficial Secondary Schools COP for 2010 PSLE students

    NUS High 264
    Nanyang Girls' High 262
    RGS 260

    RI 259
    Dunman High 257
    HwaChong Institution 257
    NJC 257
    Methodist Girls' 253
    River Valley High 253
    SCGS 251

    Cedar Girls' 248
    Catholic High 247
    Victoria 247
    St Nicholas Girls' 246
    ACSI 245
    Anderson Sec 245
    Bukit Panjang Govt High 243
    Crescent Girls' 243
    Nan Hua High 243
    Anglican High 242
    SJI 241

    St Margaret's 239
    Xinmin Sec 238
    Commonwealth Sec 237
    Chung Cheng High (Main) 236
    Zhong Hua Sec 236
    Nan Chiau High 234
    Swiss Cottage Sec 234
    Tanjong Katong Girls' 234
    Tanjong Katong Sec 234
    Ngee Ann Sec 232
    Maris Stella High 231
    Dunman Sec 230
    St. Andrew's 230
    Temasek Sec 230

  • 'Exotic' Old Victorians

    Aaron Tan, a former OVA President and successful insurance man was among the pioneer batch of cabin crew chosen to man the inaugural SIA-British Airways joint Concorde supersonic flights (now defunct)
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19750622.2.24&sessionid=89d70d6b9b3d40a3bdaf5ee10e5a6035&keyword=aaron+tan+singapore+sia+concorde+air+steward&lang=itrful&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

    Osman China, born in Trengganu and educated in VS where he passed his Senior Cambridge, he was one of the few top Malay CPM leaders and was the party's propaganda expert. He was captured by the security forces in 1954 when he was 28 years old. If alive today, he would be at least aged 84 now.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19541230.2.12&sessionid=405f08812ef74fb08fcdfa5ac871dd46&keyword=osman+china+terrorist+victoria+school+singapore&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    11 January 2011 12:39

    Victoria School’s Muhammad Amirul
    Haqim Ghazali (picture) — who scored
    nine A1s in the O-level examination —
    emerged the top Malay student. He also
    scored a distinction for his second
    language which was Chinese.
    Following in the footsteps of his
    two older siblings, Muhammad had
    taken Chinese since primary school.
    Even after scoring a B3 in the June
    paper, the 16-year-old was not satisfied.
    So he decided to do away with
    tuition and relied solely on self-study.
    “I do feel it’s quite a challenge for
    someone like me to do well in a subject
    which isn’t my mother tongue.
    But I do firmly believe that if an individual
    has the perseverance, your
    hard work will pay off,” he said.
    Another challenge he faced was
    keeping his spirits up after his father’s
    illness last year. “When my dad had a
    heart attack, it adversely affected me. I
    want to realise my ambition to become
    a heart surgeon to not only help my
    family but other people stricken with
    this illness,” said Muhammad.
    http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/document

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    24 January 2011 20:51

    45% of Victoria School students have graduate parents

    SINGAPORE : Students from families with at least one or both parents being university graduates are likely to have a better learning environment.

    The correlation was evident in statistics released when Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew visited Dunman High School on Monday.

    Mr Lee also released a table which showed the proportion of students who have graduate parents in some of Singapore's leading and neighbourhood schools.

    For "brand names" schools like ACS Independent, it is nearly 72 per cent; Dunman High 42 per cent and Raffles Institution 55 per cent.

    At schools like Crescent Girls, the figure is about 50 per cent; and Victoria School 45 per cent.

  • Past VS school magazines are now available online – http://www.vs.moe.edu.sg/heritageonline/?dir=
    However, the text are too small to be read.

  • Wong Yi Quan – a VS boy who is one of Singapore's top bowler. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/1http://www.teamsingapore.com.sg/content/teamsinga

  • It was recenlty reported that 45% of VS students and 55% of RI students have graduate parents……

    seems like the family background of VS students today has changed somewhat as compared to the old days……..
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=freepress19600727.2.76&sessionid=a5f7de5442ac435085265d00bf8082bf&keyword=loh+soo+ann+singapore+victoria+school&lang=en&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Very good performance by VS Chinese Orchestra



  • Since moving to Siglap, it seem that there are more VS students coming from middle-class families.

  • S Socceleraj, the former VS teacher, who has produced 3 great national cricket players for Singapore: – M Neethinathan, Stacey Muruthi and S Sivalingam.
    Socce was born in Penang and educated at Penang Free School. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • Recently, Straits Times profiled on Teck Whye Secondary School hockey successes in recent years. The school coach is Malkit Singh, who was a former VS hockey captain and was already playing for the national team when he was still a Pre-U student in VS.

  • Question for Oldtime:
    Is the former national football coach, Robin Chan, the same Robin Chan from VS?
    He is 58 yrs old in 2002: http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/today20
    This means he was probably in VS from 1957 to 1962.
    There was a Robin Chan from Bartley Sec who played against VS in 1955. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straits

  • Would be interesting to know how many of these senior Old Victorians sent their children to VS? it is noted that among them is one who used to be a prominent govt official and his son attended RI and topped the A level for all Spore schools for his year,

  • Even last year's VS top O level student and S'pore top Malay O level student chose to go RI. And 2 years ago, all top 5 VS sports captains were poached by RJC and all went there. During VJC prime, a no of RI and RGS students chose to go VJC instead.

  • This morning's ST Sports Page has a report on Tan Wearn Haw, the newly appointed CEO of Sailing Singapore.
    A former PSC Overseas Scholar, he chose to venture into a career path so unlike that of his scholarly ilk.
    His love for the sports has seen him taking frequent breaks from his former jobs in the civil service including a two year stint as a professional sailor.
    Wean Haw, as we all know, is an old boy of VS, and had btained 8A1s in his GCE O level exams. He did his A Level at RJC and excelled in the exams too with straight As.

  • The former national coach, Robin Chan, played for Singapore mostly in the years from 1964-1966, as a striker. His Chinese name is 陈光荣..
    There was a Chan Siew Kay who played alongside Yong Chong Fatt for Old Victorians in 1961, but he is not Robin Chan. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/freepre
    It is unlikely that Robin Chan is from VS.

  • Hi there. I'm very much like to share my experience to all in this OVA. I went down to the Ministry of Education sometime in December a week before Xmas to file a complaint against the principal, Mr Low Eng Teong and a member of the PE department teaching staff, namely, Mr Amir Hamzah. Both principal and Amir have played key roles in the leaking of and dissemination of my son's confidential documents and information to a third party without my consent and prior knowledge. The bold and irresponsible action taken by the school body could prove to be detrimental to my son's stand in his case and by extension, his immediate future. Their detrimental act to use my son's medical history against him failed nonetheless. The irresponsible actions of the principal and teaching staff of Victoria School is a reflection of the Ministry and by extension the Minister himself. As such I demand this matter to be taken seriously and also demand a formal apology and explanation by the Superintendent in charge of VS. As a result of these unpleasant events, I am under the impression that the dissemination of students' confidential information and documents to be a normal practice of the Ministry.Thank you.

  • STEVE TAN, Executive Secretary, Young NTUC
    a likely PAP candidate for coming general election, is a former student of VJC
    however, don't think he is from VS

  • last monday's straits times' life section carried an interview with Sonny Liew, an old VS boy. great to know that this Cambridge alumni is a highly acclaimed comic artiste and illustrator. There are other young Old Victorians who have made a name for themselves in the various creative fields, including Brian Gothong Tan, Kevlin Tong, Boris Boo, JC Sum, Lee Teng, and so on.

  • Volleyball: VS was National C Div 4th in 2009 and 3rd in 2010. The B Div team, made up of the C Div teams of the last 2 years, was 3rd in East Zone this year. However, in the National last 16, VS failed to make it to the last 8.

    Cross-Country: Based on the SAA and Swift cross-country results, VS is expected to retain the B Div title. However, VS is likely to lose the C Div title to RI. RI has a very strong team this year. Their top 4 runners out-run VS best runner in the C Div. Hope this is not the end of an era for VS.

    Table-tennis: Some good news on table-tennis. The C Div team emerged East Zone champions while the B Div was 3rd in East Zone.

  • interesting records from national archives oral history
    according to this interviewee, he studied at VS and his classmates included Messrs Devan Nair (former President of Singapore), Samad Ismail (a Magsaysay Award Winner) and P V Sharma

    <a href="http://cord.nhb.gov.sg/cord/public/internetSearch/catalogueForm.jsp?command=loadUpdate&id=21890&xAccess=false&total=199&currentPageNo=7&startPageNo=1&startNoBatch=0&thesaurusFlag=on&searchType=0&startIndex=60&count=10&simpleSearch=victoria+school&B1=Search&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://cord.nhb.gov.sg/cord/public/internetSearch…” target=”_blank”>;http://cord.nhb.gov.sg/cord/public/internetSearch

  • LKY had mentioned that it was Devan Nair who introduced him to Samad Ismail.

  • Desmond Lim, not from VS? Probably mistaken for Lim Tung Hee, of another opposition party, who was a student leader during his days in the school.

  • You are right. There is no evidence that Desmond Lim Bak Chuan is from VS.

    "By tyrwhittdays, March 21, 2010 @ 10:39

    Old Boys of VS from the 1980s who are prominent in the political arena include Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Lim Biow Chuan of the PAP and Mr Lim Bak Chuan of the opposition Singapore Democratic Alliance. "

  • A check show that Desmond Lim Bak Chuan is NOT from VS.

  • this is not the malkit of VS

  • the list of vs advisory committee not updated?
    together with the ova, the committee has been doing good work for the school

  • it is available on the VS official website

  • Song Koon Poh, former VS and Singapore rugby great, had expressed desire to coach a VS rugby team.

    VS used to be one of the top rugby schools until the 1970s. It is a pity that the sports is now no longer on the school's curriculum.

    Perhaps the school should consider re-introducing it for the students?
    <a href="http://cord.nhb.gov.sg/cord/public/internetSearch/catalogueForm.jsp?command=loadUpdate&id=20501&xAccess=false&total=0&currentPageNo=1&startPageNo=1&startNoBatch=0&thesaurusFlag=on&searchType=0&startIndex=0&count=10&simpleSearch=song+koon+poh+victoria+school&B1=Search&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://cord.nhb.gov.sg/cord/public/internetSearch…” target=”_blank”>;http://cord.nhb.gov.sg/cord/public/internetSearch

  • That was from an interview with Straits Times several years back. It is a bit of an irony that the best rugby player Singapore ever had came from VS but VS does not have rugby any more. Most of the traditional English schools in S'pore and M'sia has rugby.
    However, based on present situation whereby schools focus on a few sports to excel, the rugby-playing schools have given up football as their CCA for more than 20 years:- RI, SJI, ACS, St Andrew's, etc. ACS and St Andrew's have revived their football teams but they are still quite weak, as football is the most competitive competition in schools' sports.
    Some schools concentrate on sports where there are very few schools participating so that there is a high chance of winning the title or at least getting into the top 4.

  • Perhaps VS can also offer some of the sports which VJC already offer. It will serve as a feeder team to VJC and for the eventual merger between the 2 institutions. These sports are offer at VJC:
    Basketball, Fencing, Golf , Softball, Squash, Swimming and Tenpin bowling . VS used to have Gymnastics for more than 20 years too.

  • For gymnastics, only 4 schools participated. Water-polo has 6 schools. Squash has 7 schools. VS used to offer squash too, and have been National Runner-up before.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    17 April 2011 16:31

    .You can look out for Victoria School in the 3rd semi-final of the "Chinese Language Challenge" on Channel 8, 23rd Apr (Sat), 8 pm. A total of 64 schools have been featured from the preliminary round.
    In the 1st semi-final, VS was leading until towards the end when Hwa Chong Institution overtook VS and became the 1st school to qualify for the finals. The same thing happened again in the 2nd semi-final. VS was leading until towards the end when Tanjong Katong Girls' School overtook VS and became the 2nd school to qualify for the finals. VS will have another chance again on 23rd Apr (Sat).

  • the list is for 2007-2010 and updated May 2010

  • when the list is updated, perhaps photos and occupational background of committee members be provided too, as what the OVA does.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2011 03:45

    Victoria School is one of 4 schools in the finals of the "Chinese Language Challenge" on Channel 8, 14th May (Sat), 9 pm. A total of 64 schools have been featured from the preliminary round.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2011 19:32

    即将参与直接收生活动
    维多利亚和四德 明年开入直通车学校

    (2011-05-13)

    早报

      明年开办直通车课程的维多利亚学校和四德女子中学,即将通过直接收生活动让学生报名。
      维多利亚学校和四德女中明年中一的学额将维持不变,分别有约360个和320个。不过两校还在探讨直通车和O水准源流学生的比例。

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2011 19:32

    维多利亚学校校长刘荣忠表示,他们考量的是资源分配、申请人数等,还要根据申请学生的素质而定。校方不会只通过直接收生活动录取直通车学生,也会预留一些学额,在小六会考后开放给学生申请。另外,维多利亚将继续通过直接收生活动招收在运动方面有才华的学生,预计人数约30人。

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2011 19:33

    教育部去年宣布将分阶段增加直通车学校,七所新的直通车学校将同时设有直通车和O水准两个源流。维多利亚学校和四德女中是这些学校中最先“开车”的,其余的将在2013年才开课。

      

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2011 19:33

    维多利亚和四德的直通车计划称为“维多利亚—四德联盟直通车课程”(Victoria-Cedar Alliance Integrated Programme)。他们除了核心的学术课程,还有三个旗舰项目:品格发展及生活技能、“跨国界”外国体验和选修单元。在外国体验方面,中二、三和四的学生将有机会到外国参加学习之旅、社区服务、探险营等。至于选修单元,学生可选修亚洲电影学、科技技能等课程。

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2011 19:34

     中一到四的直通车学生将在各自的学校上课,到了第五和六年,一起到维多利亚初级学院上课。前四年的课程,两校学生将能通过外国体验、选修单元等,参与联合活动。刘荣忠说,这么一来学生在最后两年升上维初一起念书时,才不会感到陌生。

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2011 19:34

      他说,他们也将安排维初的学长参与这些联合活动,如审核和指导中学部学弟妹的专题作业等。他说,学生可从下周起,通过维多利亚学校的网站报读他们的直通车课程。四德女中则表示学生可即日报读她们的课程。

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    14 May 2011 19:34

    教育部昨天发文告表示,今年有84所学校参加中学直接收生活动,包括明年开办直通车课程的维多利亚学校和四德女中。参加直接收生活动的学校主要是开办直通车课程、自主、自治、有专长项目等的学校,其中44所属于专长项目中学。

  • can an English translation be provided, pl?

  • The 2011 VS Open House received excellent response from parents and prospective VS students.
    The principal Mr Low and staff have have been rendering invaluable services for the school. One can feel the meticulous care, concern, and planning that they had put in for this occasion, as reflected in
    the attd message
    http://vs.moe.edu.sg/

  • Hey, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog site in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, very good blog!

  • Is the list of members for 2007-2010, the incumbent office bearers? Or there have been changes? Good to update. Thanks.

  • nostalgian
    16 July 2011 18:02

    a December 1935 newspaper report on Outram (Primary) School's Speech Day.

    seemd like it was also a feeder school to VS until then, when VS started to have its own feeder schools.
    <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=singfreepressb19351205.2.38&sessionid=94476c9d372a4598adea655143c6793d&keyword=chan+kum+weng+football+victoria+school+singapore&lang=ms&token=singapore%2cschool%2cchan%2cvictoria%2cfootball%2cweng%2ckum&quot; rel="nofollow"&gt <a href="http://;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar…” target=”_blank”>;http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?ar

  • Football: Old Victoria School set to roar on Saturday
    By Ian De Cotta | Posted: 19 July 2011 2331 hrs
    http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sportsnews

  • VS won second place in Grand Finals, HCI took first place.

  • List of Award Recipients on occasion of VS Speech Day on Sat 30 July 2011, from the school website.

    Proud to note that the recipients (as reflected in their names) mirror the multi racial mix of Singapore, (a proud tradition that the school continues to uphold from its founding years up to now), with inclusion of foreign-born students, all making their contributions to the school.
    http://vs.moe.edu.sg/temp11/2011%20speech%20day%2

  • Who is the Guest-of-Honour of this year's Speech Day?

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    2 August 2011 07:28

    Prof Cheong Hee Kiat, President of SIM University. Think Prof Cheong is not an old boy.

  • Prof Cheong Hee Kiat, together with former teachers and Old Boys, contributed to the realisation of IP for VS
    http://160.96.186.100/lib/pdf/2010/Sept/ST0311.pd

  • Yes it is still practiced in VS to this day. However, "democracy wise" VS still lags behind other top school such as RI and RGS, who have a student congress to suggest improvements to their schoolastic experience or even VJC which conducts regular surveys.
    H Yaacob
    Current VJC student, ex-VS student (class of 2009)

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    15 August 2011 19:07

    anybody want to contribute memories of VS to http://www.iremember.sg/ ?

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    21 August 2011 15:13

    Watch Victoria School on television in the National Science Challenge 2011 on Tues, 23 Aug 2011 (7.30 pm). Out of 62 schools who have participated, 12 schools have been selected to compete in the final rounds.

  • Raymond Han
    17 October 2011 21:38

    The Queen Scholar in 1958 was Si Hoe Sing Yin who eventally became a medical doctor.
    She was a female student who joined the A level medicine class.

  • I was wrong earlier. Tan Meng Dui is indeed the head prefect (Sec 3) for the afternoon session then.

  • All four runners of the 4 x 100 metre relay team who who a silver medal for Singapore at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games were former Victorians: Calvin Kang, Gary Yeo (both VS), Amirudin Jamal and Lee Cheng Wei (both VJC). So was one of the two reserves in the team, Lim Yao Peng (VJC).
    Another Victorian, Lance Tan (VS/VJC) was in the 4 x 400 metre relay team.

  • Teo Hong Kee
    19 November 2011 00:22

    Hi OldVic,
    Thanks for recalling my past achievements in swimming.It was in 1968 that I won third place for 50m Backstroke at the Schools National Meet. I am sure this has now been surpassed by many new generations of Victorians given the fact that our young swimmers are achieving tremendous success at the recent SEA Games at Palembang. To me it is still a pleasant memory to recall those days, I guess.
    I am now a retired architect, after 30-years of private pactice.
    By the way, my name should be spelt as Teo Hong Kee, and not Teo Hong Tee. (Hong Tee happens to be my older brother who used to be afraid of getting his ears wet.)

  • Teo Hong Kee
    19 November 2011 00:32

    Hi OldVic,
    Thanks for recalling my past achievements in swimming.It was in 1968 that I won third place for 50m Backstroke at the Schools National Meet. I am sure this has now been surpassed by many new generations of Victorians given the fact that our young swimmers are achieving tremendous success at the recent SEA Games at Palembang. To me it is still a pleasant memory to recall those days, I guess!
    I am now a retired architect residnig in Vancouver, after 30-years of private pactice in Singapore.
    By the way, my name should be spelt as Teo Hong Kee, and not Teo Hong Tee. (Hong Tee happens to be my older brother who used to be afraid of getting his ears wet.)
    Report

  • Teo Hong Kee
    19 November 2011 22:13

    ,

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    27 November 2011 11:45

    Make it all in the Victoria family…

    Published on Nov 24, 2011
    The Straits Times

    NOW that Victoria Junior College (VJC) and Victoria School (VS) are moving ahead with the launch of an Integrated Programme along with Cedar Girls' Secondary School from next year, VJC and VS should consider renaming themselves collectively as Victoria School ('More schools to offer Integrated Programme'; Nov 19)

    Victoria School has produced three former Singapore presidents – Yusof Ishak, Devan Nair and S R Nathan – as well as many other prominent alumni, such as Mr S. Dhanabalan and Professor Edwin Thumboo, in its 135-year history.

    VJC will share Victoria School's unique heritage.

    The two schools already have 'Victoria' in their respective names so a collective renaming would strengthen ties and identities among its student bodies.

    VS supplies a large number of the junior college's yearly cohort and the sharing of a common name will build upon the unique relationship that both schools have.

    Hong Chou Hui

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    30 November 2011 00:35

    LEE KUAN YEW ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHINESE-EDUCATED AND ENGLISH-EDUCATED

    Published on Nov 29, 2011
    The Straits Times

    This was why I decided to save the good Chinese language schools as Chinese schools switched into English as the main medium of instruction. The Chinese schools taught students to be bilingual, disciplined, and have self-confidence. The best Chinese schools thus became Special Assistance Programme schools. Over time, the English language schools like Raffles Institution, Victoria School and others have also become effective in teaching Chinese to its students. We have unified the system but in the process, also preserved some of the values and virtues of the old Chinese school system.'

  • best voip provider…

    […]Old Victorians’ Association » Contributors wanted[…]…

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    23 December 2011 13:29

    Victoria is tops in ST news contest
    NPS International takes silver, while RI takes bronze; Victoria last won the national competition in 2006

    Published on Dec 18, 2011

    By Sheryl Quek
    The victor: Victoria.

    It was a sweet victory for the school. The last time it won The Straits Times National Schools Newspaper Competition was in 2006, but in subsequent years, it had made it to the finals but failed to clinch the title.

    The contest gets students to battle it out as aspiring newshounds.

    At The Straits Times' first inter-school prom, called the U18 Locked IN Party, to celebrate the win last night were the Victoria team and 11 schoolmates. Also present were more than 200 students from 30 schools.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    23 December 2011 13:29

    Tengku Sharil, 15, a second-time participant in the contest and editor of the Victoria team, did not expect the win. He said: 'We were really surprised. We expected to get silver, or less, because in the past years… we've always taken second prize.'

    The lads walked away with a cash prize of $3,000 and a trophy, as well as a Straits Times internship each.

    There to present the prizes to the winners was Ms Serene Goh, editor of The Straits Times' school magazines IN and Little Red Dot, who said the Victoria team scored well in all judging categories. 'The judges all had their favourites, but Victoria emerged with the best score overall. I'm so happy for them winning this. It must be especially sweet after so many years.'

    Last year's champion NPS International School took the silver award and $2,000, while Raffles Institution claimed the bronze and $1,000.

    The winning Victoria School team members (clockwise from bottom right) Tengku Sharil, Yew Wei An, Patrick Seet and Stanley Low, all 15. — ST PHOTO: TED CHEN

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    23 December 2011 13:30
  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    3 January 2012 01:55

    the monday interview with T. Sasitharan
    Published on Jan 2, 2012
    The Straits Times
    Clarissa Oon
    …………….
    'I've never ever not done theatre,' says the man who acted in school plays all the way through Victoria Secondary School and the National University of Singapore (NUS), from which he graduated with an honours and master's degree in philosophy in 1986.
    ………………
    It was on stage that he found himself. 'I never had stage fright,' he declares. Back in the 1970s, Victoria Secondary was active in promoting drama and 'everybody in the school had to do it as an extra-curricular activity', which was how it started for him.

  • Tyrwhitt-Tan
    3 January 2012 01:57

    the ST journalist, Clarissa Oon, use Victoria Secondary School instead of Victoria School even though she herself is a Victorian (VJC)

  • GCE O Level results – VS on tv news

  • Special GCE O-Level performers
    By Qiuyi Tan | Posted: 09 January 2012 1505 hrs

    SINGAPORE: It was a day of anticipation and relief for students who sat for the GCE O-Level examinations last year as they collected their result slips on Monday afternoon.

    A total of 36,955 school candidates sat for the examination.

    95.3 per cent achieved three or more passes, while 81.9 per cent got five or more GCE O-Level passes.

    Amongst them are some special performers who have overcome physical disabilities and other challenges.

    Diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy since he was four months old, Shalom Lim has very limited upper body movement.

    That did not stop him from scoring two A1s and three A2s at the O-Levels.

    The Victoria School student said he could not have done it without support from his school and the Presiding Examiner.

  • "He was there all the time, and he helped me a lot by placing my hand on the table. Because of my weakness, I was unable to do it myself, but he was always there to help me, and make sure I was comfortable before I started the paper. I am very thankful for that," said Shalom.

    Shalom told Channel NewsAsia he is applying for a business course at a local polytechnic.

    Success did not come easy for Victoria School's top student either. Jervis Ong lost his father and grandfather in 2010, so the ASEAN Scholar had to go home to Malaysia for a few months during the school term.

    Jervis said: "After I came back, I missed out a lot of lessons and I actually have to thank many teachers who stayed after their work time, their normal school time to help me, especially in subjects I was weaker in."

    Putting in the extra miles himself, Jervis scored 10 A1s. He said he is applying for a humanities course at Raffles Junior College.

  • Faridah HARON
    21 December 2020 07:49

    Hello – I stumbled upon this OVA conversation threads. I attended Victoria School 1977-78 and left for the US (current home too). I noticed that there has been no mention of girls attending VS (which was a coed for a few years). I’d be interested to know how some the female students of VS had fared as I feel certain there must be a number of stellar female students who attended VS before it became an all-boys (?) school again. Thanks

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