Brother O'Leary.
KOTA KINABALU: SM La Salle much-loved and revered past principal, Datuk Brother Charles O’Leary, was yesterday accorded with another honour when the school named its administrative block the ‘Brother Charles O’Leary Centre’.
Brother O’Leary, or Brother Charles as he is fondly known among the school’s fraternity, told reporters that he felt embarrassed by the recognition.
“I don’t think it is appropriate in anyway, since there were so many others who have contributed to the history of La Salle and its long tradition, and I am only one of the team members. If I feel proud, it is because I contributed as one of the team members to the development and maintenance of a great school and that it is going to continue even better, but since it (the decision to name the building after him) was the wish of the majority, I have to humbly accept the honour,” he said.
Brother O’Leary has been with the school, more or less, since its early humble beginning. The school was initially established as the Sacred Heart Primary School, and was later renamed La Salle Secondary School in 1958 after the La Salle Brothers took over the management.
He said, the Mill Hill Fathers had secured a piece of land in Tanjung Aru after the war and is the site where SM La Salle now stands.
As one of the pioneers in the development of the school, Brother O’Leary defined the difficult journey as a wonderful experience for him.
“It was wonderful then to see the growth of this campus (the senior block) from the very small beginning. I think the first building were the Science block, the toilets, and then came the Brother’s house and later on, the administrative block.”
He said that he had his office as principal of the school at the Junior Block during the earlier days.
“It was awkward to run the school located at different sites. So slowly, we managed. We had no hall then, so we had our school assemblies under the elements, the rain and the sun, but somehow, that was how the spirit and the tradition developed and finally, we got to get a hall.”
“In those days, we did not get much support from the government and we had to go around the town, around the whole country and their towns to collect funds. We were real beggars. I was very much a beggar.”
The difficulties encountered when raising funds for the school has made Brother O’Leary grateful for the assistance rendered by Senator Datuk Chin Su Phin in helping the school to secure a huge allocation from the Federal Government for its building fund.
“It gives me much happiness that the money is coming in a big way, thanks to Datuk Chin. We are grateful to him,” he said, adding that he feels proud to be able to maintain an active part in the SM La Salle team.
“And to think the building is named after me, I insist that I am only one of many who have contributed so much — the brothers, teachers, Mill Hill priests, all our students, past and present all contributed. In that sense, I am happy today, and very proud that this school is going to be one of the best-equipped in the whole of Sabah.”
He stressed that the school should now build on promoting better quality education and to continue to be a premier school as well as promote better participation between staff, pupils and its alumni.
“We have good record in that respect, but hopefully, that will further develop and that we will continue to be a premier school and educate people holistically to take their places with pride, with distinction, in supporting the country, the State, and of course, I am a Christian, the church too. After all, this is a mission school and that is the way it is supposed to function,” he said.
In the line of the building extension, Brother O’Leary said they cannot do much anymore because of space constraint.