Bishop Hii (fifth left) congratulates Robert Lau, a walkathon participant while Chang Kee (left), Dr Lau (third left), Teo (fourth left), (from third right) Swee Nguong, Dr Hii, Wong and others look on.
(Seated from seventh left) Bishop Hii, Swee Nguong, Dr Hii, Wong, Dr Lau (seated fourth left) and Chang Kee (seated fifth left) posing with former students and teachers during the 50th anniversary of Sacred Heart Secondary School Relocation.
SIBU: Sacred Heart School (SHS) board of management chairman Bishop Joseph Hii assured that the school will stay put at Oya Road here.
He is committed to ensuring the secondary school will not be relocated, the present site being the fourth for the school which moved from Mission Road five decades ago.
The school was founded in 1902 near the present Rajang Port Authority building and godowns before the relocation to Lane 1, Lanang Road here and later Mission Road.
“I am quite sure we don’t want to relocate again. I know there was a rumour about relocating the secondary school again, but thank God it did not materialise.
“I will say in my capacity as Bishop of Sibu, this place will still be SHS. I won’t relocate it,” Bishop Hii said when officiating at the opening ceremony of the 50th anniversary of Sacred Heart Secondary School Relocation (from Mission Road to Oya Road) here yesterday.
Among those present were SHS board of management vice-chairman I Lau Swee Nguong, treasurer Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau Lee Ming, vice-secretary Yong King Sung, principal David Teo, Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee who is Sacred Heart Old Students Association (Shosa) president, Dato Sri Bartholomew Wong Kee Kho, PTA chairman Dr Lau Ngi Chuong, Shosa past president Robert Lau and a political secretary to the chief minister Romeo Christopher Tegong.
Lack of room for expansion forced the school to be relocated from Mission Road to its present location at Oya Road here in 1967.
On another front, the Bishop thanked the school board, PTA and Shosa for their contribution to the school, helping it grow .
He noted old boys had played a pivotal role by chipping in for their alma mater. This year’s old boys’ gathering in April raised an amount making up for the shortage caused by redevelopment projects.
He commended the Class of 88 under the leadership of Bartholomew Wong for their contribution to the school, Class of 86 for the caring spirit, and Class of 85 led by Chang Kee for getting the ball rolling to help their alma mater. He described such efforts as a step forward in the development of the school with the Sacred Heart spirit and unity egging them on.
Meanwhile, organising chairman of the celebration, Dr Hii Sui Cheng pointed out that because of the relocation, the school was able to have space for sports including basketball, volleyball, squash, tennis, rugby and football.
“I am proud to observe that even after 50 years, our students from SHS still dominate in sports as well as academic pursuits. Last year, SHS emerged top in the country in the STPM examination,” he said.
Hii who is also secretary of the school board of management said SHS is a school that achieves milestones in providing more than a century of educational excellence.