Marching into history

Memories of Sarawak Merdeka Band 1993

AS an eager crowd of thousands jostled for the best view of Padang Merdeka on the morning of August 31, 1993, on the sidelines of the open field anxiously awaiting their turn to perform stood over 500 band members and flag girls made up of students from SMK Green Road, SMB St Joseph, SMB Kuching High, SMK Kuching Town and SMB St Teresa.

The year 1993 marked the first time National Day (Hari Kebangsaan) celebrations had been held outside of peninsular Malaysia and also coincided with the 30th year of the state’s independence since joining Malaysia.

With the national spotlight firmly trained on the normally laid-back city of Kuching, Sarawak was determined to put its best foot forward.

When the cue came, the students snapped to attention at commands barked by their drummajors. Their souls steeled with courage, they marched onto the field with military precision – shoulders back, heads held high, eyes trained forward – each step crisply in time with the beating drums, their instruments and flags firmly held at the ready.

As music from hundreds of musical instruments began to swell over the cheers of the crowd, the immaculately straight rows of people, instruments and flags on the field began to move, unfurling and whirling into a colourful kaleidoscope of beautiful shapes, patterns and imagery.

Fifteen minutes later, the seemingly narrow confines of Padang Merdeka reverberated with thunderous cheers and applause as the audience, including the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, his consort and a stage overflowing with federal and state VIPs, roared their approval of the performance they had just witnessed.

Then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was said to have declared it was the best of all National Day performances he had seen thus far.

Mission (im)possible?

However, what most people who witnessed the historical performance didn’t know was just eight months before, many of the young performers didn’t have a clue how to read sheet music, let alone play marching band instruments, perform gymnastics, juggle flag poles and execute complicated formations – all while marching in time.

Steering the transformation of these diamonds in the rough into polished gems was a close-knit team of three Singaporeans who had been brought in specifically for that purpose — Richard Png, Patrick Goh and Simon Ng.

Png, a well-known and respected marching band instructor, was key to roping in Goh and Ng to help with the task at hand.

Before agreeing to take up the task, Png paid a visit to five selected schools in Kuching in late 1992 to conduct reconnaissance.

He expected to find marching bands of similar standards he was used to in Singapore. Instead, the more schools he visited, the more worried he felt.

St Teresa had 200 girls ready to be trained but with absolutely no knowledge of band instruments or marching. Green Road and Kuching Town had good bands but were playing recorders, fifes, bugles and drums – not exactly a complete brass band. Kuching High was also in a similar situation with a strong band who were mostly Scouts.

Of the five schools, St Joseph’s had the most complete band in terms of instruments but members were relatively few.

Png realised he had an important decision to make.

“I thought to myself ok, this is what I have, and I have eight months and I have nothing to start with. So how? So I decided and I said, Ok, let’s give it a go. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” he recalled.  

Labour of love

Many of the students also didn’t realise the magnitude of the endeavour they were about to embark on.

“Basically, we just followed instructions. They (the school) just asked us hey, you want to join the Merdeka band? and we were like Alright! It was the best unknown decision we ever made,” remembers St Teresa’s clarinetist Linda Chin.

“We didn’t know what to expect. Some people couldn’t even read notes. It’s really amazing how they could train us within such a short period,” said fellow clarinetist Priscilla Chuo who was one of the many who had to learn to play their instrument with no prior knowledge.

“Of course, our parents grumbled because they didn’t understand. As parents ourselves now, we really feel what it must have been like for them,” she added.

For eight months, band members trained together, ate together and got punished together. If someone was late for practice or dropped an instrument, everyone got pushups. No excuses and no special treatment.

Training was physically and mentally demanding on the young students who spent countless hours drilling each step, playing each note and tossing each flag to perfection – often to the point of exhaustion.

All of them developed the infamous sock and shirt lines – the visible borders on the skin delineating covered and exposed parts of the body made light and tan respectively due to hours of marching under the sun.

The legacy

Despite the strict discipline and relentless work ethic enforced by the instructors, section leaders and teachers, life as a band member wasn’t as bad as it seemed despite thinking otherwise at the time, some band members confessed candidly.

The Singaporeans became role models and friends to many, making sure students were getting enough water, food and rest during gruelling rehearsals, advising them about their studies and motivating them to go further than they thought they could.

They could also be as fierce as mother bears defending their cubs when it came to standing up for their students.

The impression Png, Goh and Ng left on their young charges still reverberates today.

Mentioning blur like sotong or drop down and give me 20 (pushups) – just two of the common phrases the Singaporeans used to shout at the students during rehearsals – can still evoke smiles and grins from former band members followed by a nostalgic recollection or two of Merdeka stories, including of the Singaporean instructors scaling up the gnarled giant kapok (cotton) tree at Padang Merdeka to get an overhead view of field formations.

For St Teresa’s Jean Voon who played the cornet, it will be an experience she will always cherish.

“There was so much hard work put into it and all the fun times you shared with your friends. I have so many great memories. I think it gave us a sense of pride because we never knew we could do these things,” said Voon, now a freelance graphic designer.

Former St Joseph saxophonist Kenneth Chan shared similar sentiments.

“The most memorable thing for me was that we actually made it on national TV. It was a big thing for a 13-year old. Back then, we were young so all we cared about was having a good time but it was one of the milestones of our school days.

“I didn’t appreciate it back then, but I appreciate it more now,” said the dance instructor, adding that many of the principles he learned at the time such as working well as a team were still very applicable in the present.

Sarawak united

Sarawak Merdeka Band 1993 is more than just a tale about the proverbial underdogs overcoming the odds. The project brought Sarawakians together on a scale that still inspires — even today.

The band’s success would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all involved – the state government, especially the late former Deputy State Secretary Datuk Taha Ariffin; International Music House (IMH) teachers, staff and its director Dr Geraldine Law- Lee; the respective schools and teachers-in-charge; the countless civil servants and volunteers working behind the scenes, the parents, and, of course, the students.

Post-Merdeka 1993, Goh (Patrick) left the music industry to set up his own business in Singapore, selling kueh which is very popular and has received a lot of media coverage there. He is also the head of an interior fit company.

Ng (Simon) continues to teach music and bands in Singapore but has also pursued a career as a professional singer. He has set up an event management company and has ties with a number of countries, including China to do events, concerts, and TV shows.

As for Png (Richard), he returned to teaching and is presently running a small company dealing with instrument manufacturing and retailing. He also carries out musical consultation work throughout the region.

AS an eager crowd of thousands jostled for the best view of Padang Merdeka on the morning of August 31, 1993, on the sidelines of the open field anxiously awaiting their turn to perform stood over 500 band members and flag girls made up of students from SMK Green Road, SMB St Joseph, SMB Kuching High, SMK Kuching Town and SMB St Teresa.
The year 1993 marked the first time National Day (Hari Kebangsaan) celebrations had been held outside of peninsular Malaysia and also coincided with the 30th year of the state’s independence since joining Malaysia.
With the national spotlight firmly trained on the normally laid-back city of Kuching, Sarawak was determined to put its best foot forward.
When the cue came, the students snapped to attention at commands barked by their drummajors. Their souls steeled with courage, they marched onto the field with military precision – shoulders back, heads held high, eyes trained forward – each step crisply in time with the beating drums, their instruments and flags firmly held at the ready.
As music from hundreds of musical instruments began to swell over the cheers of the crowd, the immaculately straight rows of people, instruments and flags on the field began to move, unfurling and whirling into a colourful kaleidoscope of beautiful shapes, patterns and imagery.
Fifteen minutes later, the seemingly narrow confines of Padang Merdeka reverberated with thunderous cheers and applause as the audience, including the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, his consort and a stage overflowing with federal and state VIPs, roared their approval of the performance they had just witnessed.
Then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was said to have declared it was the best of all National Day performances he had seen thus far.

Mission (im)possible?

However, what most people who witnessed the historical performance didn’t know was just eight months before, many of the young performers didn’t have a clue how to read sheet music, let alone play marching band instruments, perform gymnastics, juggle flag poles and execute complicated formations – all while marching in time.
Steering the transformation of these diamonds in the rough into polished gems was a close-knit team of three Singaporeans who had been brought in specifically for that purpose — Richard Png, Patrick Goh and Simon Ng.
Png, a well-known and respected marching band instructor, was key to roping in Goh and Ng to help with the task at hand.
Before agreeing to take up the task, Png paid a visit to five selected schools in Kuching in late 1992 to conduct reconnaissance.
He expected to find marching bands of similar standards he was used to in Singapore. Instead, the more schools he visited, the more worried he felt.
St Teresa had 200 girls ready to be trained but with absolutely no knowledge of band instruments or marching. Green Road and Kuching Town had good bands but were playing recorders, fifes, bugles and drums – not exactly a complete brass band. Kuching High was also in a similar situation with a strong band who were mostly Scouts.
Of the five schools, St Joseph’s had the most complete band in terms of instruments but members were relatively few.
Png realised he had an important decision to make.
“I thought to myself ok, this is what I have, and I have eight months and I have nothing to start with. So how? So I decided and I said, Ok, let’s give it a go. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” he recalled.

Labour of love

Many of the students also didn’t realise the magnitude of the endeavour they were about to embark on.
“Basically, we just followed instructions. They (the school) just asked us hey, you want to join the Merdeka band? and we were like Alright! It was the best unknown decision we ever made,” remembers St Teresa’s clarinetist Linda Chin.
“We didn’t know what to expect. Some people couldn’t even read notes. It’s really amazing how they could train us within such a short period,” said fellow clarinetist Priscilla Chuo who was one of the many who had to learn to play their instrument with no prior knowledge.
“Of course, our parents grumbled because they didn’t understand. As parents ourselves now, we really feel what it must have been like for them,” she added.
For eight months, band members trained together, ate together and got punished together. If someone was late for practice or dropped an instrument, everyone got pushups. No excuses and no special treatment.
Training was physically and mentally demanding on the young students who spent countless hours drilling each step, playing each note and tossing each flag to perfection – often to the point of exhaustion.
All of them developed the infamous sock and shirt lines – the visible borders on the skin delineating covered and exposed parts of the body made light and tan respectively due to hours of marching under the sun.

The legacy

Despite the strict discipline and relentless work ethic enforced by the instructors, section leaders and teachers, life as a band member wasn’t as bad as it seemed despite thinking otherwise at the time, some band members confessed candidly.
The Singaporeans became role models and friends to many, making sure students were getting enough water, food and rest during gruelling rehearsals, advising them about their studies and motivating them to go further than they thought they could.
They could also be as fierce as mother bears defending their cubs when it came to standing up for their students.
The impression Png, Goh and Ng left on their young charges still reverberates today.
Mentioning blur like sotong or drop down and give me 20 (pushups) – just two of the common phrases the Singaporeans used to shout at the students during rehearsals – can still evoke smiles and grins from former band members followed by a nostalgic recollection or two of Merdeka stories, including of the Singaporean instructors scaling up the gnarled giant kapok (cotton) tree at Padang Merdeka to get an overhead view of field formations.
For St Teresa’s Jean Voon who played the cornet, it will be an experience she will always cherish.
“There was so much hard work put into it and all the fun times you shared with your friends. I have so many great memories. I think it gave us a sense of pride because we never knew we could do these things,” said Voon, now a freelance graphic designer.
Former St Joseph saxophonist Kenneth Chan shared similar sentiments.
“The most memorable thing for me was that we actually made it on national TV. It was a big thing for a 13-year old. Back then, we were young so all we cared about was having a good time but it was one of the milestones of our school days.
“I didn’t appreciate it back then, but I appreciate it more now,” said the dance instructor, adding that many of the principles he learned at the time such as working well as a team were still very applicable in the present.

Sarawak united

Sarawak Merdeka Band 1993 is more than just a tale about the proverbial underdogs overcoming the odds. The project brought Sarawakians together on a scale that still inspires — even today.
The band’s success would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all involved – the state government, especially the late former Deputy State Secretary Datuk Taha Ariffin; International Music House (IMH) teachers, staff and its director Dr Geraldine Law- Lee; the respective schools and teachers-in-charge; the countless civil servants and volunteers working behind the scenes, the parents, and, of course, the students.
Post-Merdeka 1993, Goh (Patrick) left the music industry to set up his own business in Singapore, selling kueh which is very popular and has received a lot of media coverage there. He is also the head of an interior fit company.
Ng (Simon) continues to teach music and bands in Singapore but has also pursued a career as a professional singer. He has set up an event management company and has ties with a number of countries, including China to do events, concerts, and TV shows.
As for Png (Richard), he returned to teaching and is presently running a small company dealing with instrument manufacturing and retailing. He also carries out musical consultation work throughout the region.