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Peers think I'm mad By Lee Tee Jong
MEET Chua Chee Haow, 36, the "schoolboy" who has never left his school. Don’t got us wrong. This high-flyer graduated from Gan Eng Seng School long ago. But despite his hectic work as a dentist, he has been returning to his school dutifully every Saturday for the past 20 years to help in its after-school activities. Seven principals have come and gone. But Dr Chua, who left his school In 1983, remains a "permanent fixtures in his school’s National Cadet Corps, having mentored hundreds of boys through the years. A desire to make a difference in the lives of his "boys" drives this old boy, what life revolves around work and his NCC involvement. Dr Chua, who also sits on the school advisory committee, said:
"I feel a sense of achievement when I manage to influence a
boy and mould his character." One of them. Mr Beh Chuon Wee, 30, said; “I respect him. In school, he was strict with us and taught us to be responsible people.” Dr Chua's love for the school even rubbed off on Mr Beh, who is now a teacher at tho school. TOUGH PUNISHMENTS
And what keeps the dentist going back to school? Dr Chua laughs and says it’s probably because of the tough punishments that he and his mates received in NCC. "That gave us a common platform to bond together." Often the bond was strengthened during the soccer sessions after training. He believes the experience has helped him in his career. The clinical director of Atria-Pan Dental Group, who manages more than 15 dentists, said: "NCC taught me how to manage people, a vital skill in my job." There were plenty of activities he shared with the cadets. He went canoeing at Sentosa, trekking at Pulau Ubin, conducted leadership camps and started overseas expeditions. He would sometimes make up the shortfall from his own pocket if the funds for the trips were nsufficient. Mr Edmund Ang, 25, a system analyst, recalled the many meetings with Dr Chua when they planned an overseas expedition. The former NCC company sergeant major said: "‘He (Dr Chua) attended all the meetings, twice a week for four months. "He helped us look out for things that we would otherwise have overlooked." Mr Ang recalled a blunder which got him a three-hour pep talk. It was during a camp and he wanted to cook chicken for dinner. He said: "I did not think about the amount to buy and I forgot about the different food requirement for Muslims." Dr Chua says he enjoys going for trips because it's a way of keeping himself fit. But it’s not just all play and no study. He has started study groups two months before 0 levels for cadets who were academically weak. He also asked a few old boys to help give tuitions on Sundays. The school principal, Mr Victor Giam, is grateful to Dr Chua:"I am glad to have him around. He has a good influence un the boys." How do Dr Chua’s family and peers view his intense involvement in his school? "My peers think I am mad," he said, “but to each his own. At the end of the day, I feel good that I have changed someone’s life for the better." When his parents were still around, they used to badger him to get married but eventually gave up. Dr Chua, who has an elder brother and two younger sisters, also spends time doting on his nieces and nephews. Saturdays, of course, are meant for the old school and the NCC cadets. “It has been a fruitful time. There is no reason to stop," he said.
Source : The New Paper Nov 26, 2003 |
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