Racial Harmony in Sibu 1950's

Once in a while you come across an old photo in your friend's album which reminds you of your childhood. It sort of makes your heart miss a beat and you exclaim..."Yes I remember pretty women wearing clothes like this for special occasions!! In those days you really wanted to grow up quick and wear clothes like them!!"

And I remember the faint fragrance they would leave behind them after they had passed you by - the Florida water for example. I also remember the nice talcum powder they would have put on after their bath. These scents just sort of float into your mind and warms up your soul.

But most importantly these were the women who had formed a great relationship  because of shared faith and they practised Godly ways. It would be wonderful if we could identify all of them in this photo. What kind of lives did they lead? How many grand children do they have now?

After more than 6 decades are we doing better in the arena of social and racial harmony?

Group photo of Methodist girl students

The Methodist Secondary School was founded in the 1949 in Sibu.

It was actually another phase of the older Yuk Ing School for Girls founded by the Hoovers. Because of the needs of the expanding population and the limited human resources it was decided to establish a secondary school for both boys and girls. the Methodist Primary School had already become co-ed since after the war. With funds available from the United States in memory of Rev Summers who died during the Japanese War the secondary school was established.

One  of the philosophies of the  instutition was to instil amongst the students the love of all mankind.
Here you see in this photo a very multi-racial presentation by the students. the fashion of that time was very similar to our fashion today!! And clearly these fresh faced students  were innocent and reaching out to each other without fear and favour.
This photo is very symbolic of the peace and harmony of Sibu in those days. I wish I could identify all these students.

(Photo from the collection of Rev. Ling Kai Cheng)