The former Thomians also bring along their families to the reunion.
Joe (back, third left) and Ismadi (front, fifth right) with their fellow ‘Class of 96’ Thomians striking a group pose during their first reunion.
KUCHING: Hari Raya Aidilfitri has always been touted as the day of reunion for family members and friends who have not seen each other for a while.
It was this reason that prompted a group of former SMK St Thomas students to hold a gathering for them to catch up with one another and further strenghen their brotherhood.
“It’s been almost 19 years since we left school. Many things have changed but we strive to stay connected.
“For our maiden reunion, we choose Hari Raya as many of us are on leave and have returned home for the holidays,” said Muhammad Firdaus Joe Abdullah, 36, who together with former classmate Ismadi Riji hosted a mini reunion of their ‘Class of 96’ at Top Spot Seafood Centre here recently.
Firdaus – or Joe to his friends – said he was proud to see many of his alma mater buddies had made a name for themselves after finishing secondary school.
“I can see that many of us are serving in the government, as well as working in the private sector. Some have become successful entrepreneurs,” said Joe, who runs his family business.
For Ismadi, who is a police corporal, he was thankful for the existence of various social media platforms that helped them a lot in locating former classmates.
“Roughly there are over 100 former students in the ‘Class of 96’and so far, we have managed to gather around 30. However, only 19 could make it for the reunion tonight. Still, we’re very happy to see each other and are pleased to hear that everybody is doing well,” he said.
“Yes, everyone’s doing well, especially our friend here Ismadi,” Joe interjected. “Tonight,we also celebrate his recent win as the champion of an international bodybuilding competition in Virginia, US, last month. It makes us proud to see that a former Thomian has gloriously represented our nation in the international arena.”
Adding on, Joe said it would be their aim to gather all members of the ‘Class of 96’ in the next reunion to be held by December next year, which would mark the 20th year of them leaving SMK St Thomas.
“Again, we would use social media to locate more friends. We also hope that those whom we have yet to hear from would read the newspaper and from there could see our effort in gathering all from the ‘Class of 96’.
“We always look forward to hearing from our friends again. They can certainly go to our Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/thomian96/ to reconnect with us.”
Apart from catching up with one another, Joe said the mini reunion was also held in memory of some of their former classmates who had passed on.
“One of us Mazwen Mohamad passed away right after we finished sitting for SPM. We lost Zulnizam Bojeng in 2001, after he was killed in an accident in Sabah where he was posted as a policeman. Just a couple of years ago, we heard the news that our fellow mate Arthur Jubang had also passed away.
“It is really sad but we have to come to terms with reality. This is why it is a big deal for us to locate our former classmates so that as friends, we could offer their families aid as well as comfort in times of bereavement.
“As a new alumni body, the objective is not merely to stay connected with one another but also to strengthen our brotherhood,” stressed Joe.