Sibu Taloes : A Short History of Methodist Secondary School

History of SMB Methodist Sibu



For more than half a century, SMB Methodist Sibu has been pushing ever upwards. Defeats and set-backs notwithstanding, this school has ever been in the forefront of education in this colony. As early as 1903 "the first Methodist Boys' School in Sarawak" opened its doors at Sungai Merah. Eight years later Mrs. James M. Hoover started the Uk Ing Girls' School in Sibu. 1914 a new building was put up for the school and a kindergarden was started. English classes for boys began in 1925 with Mr. J. B. Chong as principal and Rev. James Hoover as part-time teacher of English. For a time the school merged with Chung Hua School on its present site but separated from Chung Hua in 1940 after the death of Mr. J. B. Chong. In 1941, Mrs. J. B. Chong and Rev. Gerald Summers opened the Methodist Boys' School on Island Road (Jalan Pulau) with 98 pupils. Chinese was also taught in this school.

In December 1941 Rev. Summers went to Singapore to attend the Annual Conference and after war broke out, he was imprisoned, and died in concentration camp just before he was to be released. Mrs. Chong carried on the teaching and the administration of the school while Mr. Summers went to Conference, but the school was orded closed by the Japanese in March of 1942.

After the war, Mrs. Mary Hoover with Mr. Luk Sung Sing as dean, reopened the kindergarden and the Uk Ing Primary and Junior Middle School in June 1946. Following that year in June, Rev. E. O. McGraw re-opened the Methodist Boys' School with Mrs. J. B. Chong as Vice-principal. The name was changed to Methodist English School, because there were many girls attending. In 1950 the school had its first Junior Cambridge class and the first Senior Cambridge class soon afterwards in 1952.

In 1949 the first Chinese Senior Middle School in Sarawak was opended in the new premises on the present site of the school with Mr. Ling Wen Tsung as principal. In 1951 the Methodist English School Secondary Department moved in to join the Chinese Secondary school, occupying the first unit of the Gerald Summers Memorial building. This building was built with funds raised in the Rev. Summers' Home conference, the Nebraska Conference, as a memorial to him.

The Chinese school and the English school were combined in 1951 as one school with Mr. J. Pilly as principal. The next year Rev. D. P. Coole became principal after Rev. L. R. Dennis volunteered to fill vacancy between Mr. Pilley's furlough leave and Rev. Coole's arrival. In June of 1957 Rev. Coole left on furlough, leaving Mr. Eugene Teng as principle. Mr. Teng was followed by Mr. William Funk, who was followed in turn by Rev. Ralph Kesselring and he by Mr. Pilley again.

During these years, the school Committee has stood behind the school financially and in other ways. Were it not for Rev. Ling Kai Cheng, Rev. E. O. McGraw and Rev. Wong King Hoo this valueble piece of property that we now occupy would not have been acquired. May we always seek; and as we find, let us serve.