(Front, from fourth right) Yong, Gregory, Joseph, Clement, and Wong in a group photo with the 600 attendees.
SIBU (April 3): Some 600 former schoolmates, retired teachers, board of management members of Sacred Heart and St Elizabeth secondary schools gathered at a hotel here Saturday night for a joint reunion.
The much-awaited reunion, graced by Bishop of Sibu the Rt Revd Joseph Hii, was last held in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
This year’s reunion was hosted by St Elizabeth Old Students Association (Seosa), while Sacred Heart Old Students Association (Shosa) will be its next host on March 30, 2024.
Organising chairperson Lily Wong in her brief remarks said the pandemic had not hindered the alumni association from reaching out to help the school.
“We try our best to support the school and help the students, and we are glad we have overcome our struggles during the pandemic and are now here to celebrate this reunion,” she said, while thanking Shosa for giving them the opportunity to host the event.
Shosa president Yong King Sung, meanwhile, commended both school boards of management, as well as retired and current school teachers for their hard work and contributions in keeping the two schools standing strong for the past 121 years.
“This reunion is our testimony of brotherhood and love for the alma mater,” said Yong, while calling for all former students to reach out to their schools.
Citing vice-chairman of Sacred Heart Secondary School Board of Management Tan Sri Clement Hii who is also the school’s Speech Day patron, as a shining example of the school’s alumni, Yong commended Hii’s generosity in giving back to the school.
“Of course, no one does it better than Tan Sri Clement Hii – a corporate titan who has never once forgotten his alma mater.
“While we may not be able to give back to the school in the way he has so generously given, we can still emulate him and do our part in our own ways,” said Yong, who is also Sacred Heart Secondary School Board of Management assistant secretary.
Sacred Heart Secondary School Board of Management secretary Dr Gregory Hii was also among those who attended the event.