GEORGE TOWN – A marble plaque dated 1888 with names of donors has been returned to St Xavier’s Institution (SXI) here 75 years after it was salvaged by a contractor – the late Datuk Loh Hoot Yeang.
He found it among debris after the school’s main facility was bombed by the Japanese during World War II.
Loh’s son – popular architect Laurence Loh, who is also an SXI old boy (class of 1966) – and his wife, Loh-Lim Lin Lee (class of 1969), returned the plaque ahead of the school’s 170th celebration next year.
A beaming Laurence could not help but recall the day he informed his father that he was keeping the plaque for restoration before returning it.
On hand to witness the occasion are Brother Director Jason Blaikie, board of governors chairman Victor Tan, principal Goh Hong Peng, the school’s heritage committee chairman Ooi Gim Ewe, and design consultant Christopher Woolley.
Loh-Lim said the plaque has the who’s who of Penang society that previously donated in Straits currency to expand the school.
Among the donors are then vice-consul of China Cheong Fatt Tze – who donated 200 in Straits dollars through his company Ban Joo Hin – and Chua Yu Kay, the owner of Penang’s largest rice mills and steam ships.
Also listed are Kapitan Chung Thye Phin – founder and administrator of modern Taiping – representatives of the Brown Estate, and David Logan, lawyer and grandson of James Richardson Logan.
A statue of James has been erected here as gratitude by the local community for standing up for their rights in colonial Penang.
Some other notable names include Mohamed Ariff Esq, H.N. Merican and A. Md Ghouse.
“It is a testimony to how open Penang society was in the 1800s,” said Loh-Lim.
Blaikie thanked the couple on behalf of the school, adding that the heritage committee has been inviting alumni to donate memorabilia to mark next year’s celebrations.
The school’s ground floor will be renovated and renamed as the heritage wing, with memorabilia displayed.
Among the notable Xavierians who have made their mark on the country are former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, the late DAP chairman Karpal Singh, and Penang Port Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan. – The Vibes, October 29, 2021
