Legendary Football Club Manager Sir Alex Fergeson: "[BB] was a very important part of my life"

Not sure how many of you have ever seen this, but did you know that legendary football (the English kind, not the American one!) club manager Sir Alex Fergeson was a Boys Brigade member? He says that “That spell [in the BB] from nine to 16 was a very important part of my life. It gave us discipline and confidence and trust in the relationships we developed with the officers." 

Imagine that! 

The full article is here. 

Sir Alex still takes a keen interest in the organisation

BB background a big plus

BEING part of structured training programmes like those offered by the Boys’ Brigade can seriously improve a young person’s life chances.

A training programme such as the BB Queen’s Badge or the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award can also be a decisive factor in determining whether a youngster gets a training place, a place at university or a job.

The Boys’ Brigade, which recently launched a major new recruitment drive, says that more young men aged 15 and over are joining its ranks as they seek to differentiate themselves in the job and education markets.

Parents and boys alike are increasingly recognising the life advantages that being a member of the organisation can bring.

Bill Stevenson, director for Scotland, said: “We believe this represents a growing recognition that the training and broad life skills we give young men are second to none.

“The modern Boys’ Brigade is a rejuvenated organisation that gives young men discipline, fitness, mental stimulation and leadership skills.

“For the first time in a number of years, we have seen an increase in the number of our senior boys, aged 15 plus, and many of them are working for the Queen’s Badge.”

The organisation, founded in Scotland more than 125 years ago, has changed a lot since former Aberdeen Football club manager Alex Ferguson signed up, but he never stops reminding audiences that his career owes much to The Boys’ Brigade.

Sir Alex said: “That spell from nine to 16 was a very important part of my life.

“It gave us discipline and confidence and trust in the relationships we developed with the officers.

“When we went to camp in places like Stonehaven, we were given a list of everything we had to bring with us, and at the bottom, in big capital letters, he’d put ‘and football boots’.

“As soon as we arrived it would be, ‘Right, everybody, get your football boots on’.

“But it was not just football. We had all the other parts – Bible classes, learning to play the bugle, going for our badges.

“I did the signalling badge, the camping badge – about nine or 10 badges in my time there.”

All of which taught him discipline, self-respect, respect for others and leadership – the type of qualities employers seek today, according to motivational speaker Mike Stevenson, of Thinktastic, an Edinburgh innovations company.

“Leaders, leaders and more leaders – that’s what Scotland needs now more than ever,” he said.

“The Boys’ Brigade produces strong and compassionate leaders – gold dust to today’s employers and just what the Scottish economy needs if it is to thrive in the future.”

Sandy Campbell, chief executive of Working Rite, a social organisation that secures apprenticeships for young men agrees.

“Youngsters learn important things such as the importance of endeavour, discipline, punctuality and respect in the Boys’ Brigade and get an excellent training for life and the workplace.

“It gives boys the chance to rise to a challenge, learn about teamwork, achieving success by seeing things through.

“It also teaches the kind of resilience that you need to bounce back from failure so you can go on to succeed in the end.

“These kinds of skills and attitudes are exactly what employers are looking for, particularly in hard times – and can make all the difference in getting into vocational and higher education, too.”

While no one is suggesting that those who sign up with their nearest brigade will become a legendary football manager, it’s clear that this organisation has a lot to offer youngsters, particularly those on the cusp of joining the working world.

For more information or to find your nearest company, visit http://scotland.boys-brigade.org.uk

Meet Mr. John Cheah, founding member of 1st KL

This came by way of both 1st KL's Facebook Fan Page and 1st KL's Facebook Group - the story of Mr. John Cheah who was a founding member of 1st KL in 1954. He went on to become the founder of the 1st Melaka BB Company as well as a dedicated member of the Rotary Club. It is very inspirational to me that the seeds of good works planted early on in his life has come to bear much good fruit!

[By the way, this reminds me of my encounter with another founding member of 1st KL, Mr. S.Y. Shim!]

This story originally appeared in the New Straits Times, which you can read online here. 

John Cheah when he was a member of the Boys Brigade.

From Boys' Brigade to stalwart Rotarian
I JOINED the Boys' Brigade when I was 12, and was in the Kuala Lumpur Boys' Brigade (B.B.) Company in 1954 when it was first chartered.

The Boys' Brigade was attached to the Wesley Church Kuala Lumpur, while I was studying at Methodist Boys School Kuala Lumpur. With the help of the late Kuah Beng Choon, a primary school assistant principal of Anglo Chinese School (ACS) primary school, we proposed the idea of forming the first Malacca B.B. Company.

At that time, I was 21 years old and with Kuah, we formed the Malacca B.B. Company which helped a great many youths.

With ardent support from fellow church members, Kuah and I recruited 70 boys to join the Malacca B.B.
With donations, we bought uniforms for the boys and instruments such as the three-sided drums, a bass drum, two tenor drums, a cymbal, six flutes, six bugles and a maze.

We got the Australian and New Zealand officers from the Terendak Camp in Malacca to assist with the training of the boys, especially in the drill and marching.

With regard to the flute and bugle band, we were fortunate to have the help of the late Dr Willie Low, who taught the boys to play the drums while I taught them to play the bugle as I was a bugler.

Together, with the help of the Terendak Camp B.B. officers, we got the band going in tune.

The band later won the first prize in the Bugle section of the Malaysian B.B. Band Competition in 1966.

I left the B.B. in 1967 to further my studies in civil engineering at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, United Kingdom.

A deluge of pleasant memories with the B.B. inundated me recently as I was escorted into the opening of the 21st District 3310 Presidents Elect Training Seminar (PETS) and Assembly held in Johor Baru, recently, by the B.B.

I arrived for dinner, accompanied by my wife, Doreen, who was introduced to me by Kuah.

Back in 1966 when I married Doreen, the B.B. was the guard of honour at our wedding.

After serving as a Rotarian for 36 years, I am happy to be invited to be the guest-of-honour at the 21st District 3310 PETS and Assembly.

The Rotary, which is 106 years old, has been guided and led by illustrious presidents and their Rotary International (R.I.) boards of directors and legislation councils, which have made R.I. a successful non-governmental organisation serving the community worldwide.

When I joined Rotary in March 1975, its motto was To Dignify the Human Being, a theme which struck a chord in my heart and those of caring Rotarians to do what we could for children born in slums and ghettos. We were committed to end the suffering of polio-stricken children.

In 1979/1980, I became the president of the Rotary Club of Johor Baru. The motto of the club was Let Service Light The Way.

Our service in bringing hope can be seen by countless examples with success stories both locally and internationally.

R.I.'s most successful endeavour is the Polio Plus programme which was started by Rotarians in 1985.

Recently, we had Rotarians in our district who walked from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Baru to raise funds for the programme.

When I was a public health engineer in 1970, I was involved in the malaria eradication programme.

My fellow Rotarians and I were invited by the state government to sit in the committee of the communication for behavioural impact programme, launched by the Health Ministry, recently.

If the programme is found to be successful, Malaysia can use this to reduce, control and eradicate the spread of dengue.

John Cheah, 70, was the Rotary District Governor of District 3310 for 1990/1991 and is also the Johor Baru MCA Division Public Complaints Bureau chairman.

Interview by Chuah Bee Kim.

Original article: From Boys' Brigade to stalwart Rotarian 

Family: Band of Brothers (New Straits Times)

2010/05/28
INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL

Lt Wong of the first KL Boys’ Brigade and his band of brothers are raring to get their names into the Malaysian Book of Records

Boyhood bonds formed during days with the Boys’ Brigade transcend time. Wong Giok Leigh of the 1st KL Boys’ Brigade tells INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL more.

I’D always wanted to be part of a uniform association when I was young. I had good friends who were in the Brownies and prospective boyfriends in the Boy Scouts. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to be in either.

I used to listen wide eyed as they regaled me with tales of camping exploits, of knots they learnt to tie and the fun they hadwhile I was stuck at home, my violin propped under my chin and pretending to be virtuoso violinist Vivaldi.

So when Lt Wong Giok Leigh of the 1st KL Boys’ Brigade (founded in 1954) began to wax lyrical about life in the Brigade, I knew exactly where he was coming from.

Who needs video games when you can be out there bonding with fellow brothers and doing your bit for the community?

Take the Brigade’s involvement with the Dutch Lady Malaysia’s Largest Milk Drinking Event, organised in celebration of World Milk Day 2010 for example.

Together with nutrition advocates Persatuan Pengakap Malaysia, Persatuan Pandu Puteri Malaysia, Malaysian Red Crescent Society as well as various car clubs and cyclist groups and AMP radio stations and their cruisers, Wong and his “boys” will be on hand to aid Dutch Lady Malaysia in this United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation initiative to give away 250,000 limited edition milk packs to celebrate the global importance of milk.

“They’re thrilled to be a part of something so big,” says KL-born Wong, a communications personnel with a bank. “It’s the world’s largest milk drinking event so they’ll have a part in the Malaysian Book of Records. They won’t forget this in a long time.”

Memories formed with the Boys Brigade, which has 9,000 or more members nationwide, never leave you, says Wong, who joined when he was 12 at the encouragement of his friends.

At 31, this former KL Methodist Boys’ School pupil continues to be a part of the organisation, helping to nurture young boys towards adulthood.

Are uniform associations still relevant these days, I ask, referring to the younger generation’s penchant for hanging out at mamak stalls or the malls for bonding sessions?

“Definitely,” nods the father of two boys.

“An interesting point was brought up by a presenter during a market research study talk on social media that I attended recently. He pointed out that technology may change but people generally remain the same.

“In their teens, our boys are looking for identity. How they look for it depends on the time they’re living in. Maybe they use Facebook, but at the heart of it, they’re still trying to discover themselves.”

The set-up at the Boys’ Brigade, with their character-building activities and strong support network, are conducive to helping the youngsters discover themselves.

“My colleagues and I volunteer a lot of our time here, and we find that the kids end up confiding in us. They know we’re here for them.”

That aside, Wong acknowledges that more can be done for the organisation to remain relevant.

One such endeavour can be seen with the Boys’ Brigade in the UK which launched the Video Games award. The KL counterpart, meanwhile, recently came up with LAN (Local Area Network) parties.

“We brought some computers, hooked them up and let the boys play. It’s definitely a step up from the hide-and-seek in the dark!"

He is not against traditional games.

“Urban kids, despite toys and malls, actually find our activities exciting because they’re new to them. You don’t get the same kind of thrills from video games.”

Parents should let their kids have some adventure, he suggests.

“Don’t fret too much about them wilting under the sun or getting dirty! Their life shouldn’t just be about piano lessons or tuition. There are jungles and beaches to discover, trumpets to play and friends to knock about! I think these are the things that parents forget as they become more urbanised and ‘sanitised’.”

Being a part of uniform organisations such as the Boys’ Brigade allows the young to revel in adventure and instils in them timeless values. For Wong, he learnt leadership skills here.

“The system provides ample leadership opportunities. When you come in at 13, you spend a year learning the environment. At 14, you’re tasked with organising a camp. By 15, you start taking care of your squad members. It grows from there. I learnt how to deal with people and make decisions.”

You also build character.

“Social activities that are fun but they don’t actually make you a better person,” says Wong. “Here, we talk about values and respecting parents. Youngsters are guided.”

The deep sense of brotherhood is something Wong holds dearest.

“Our school days may be over but we remain great friends. This is the place where genuine friendships are formed. There’s no hierarchy. We take care of each other.”

NB: World Milk Day 2010 will be launched at Pavilion KL today, with celebrations from 10am to 10pm. There’ll be celebrity appearances and performances, distribution of free milk packs and a charity sale, with all proceeds going to Yayasan Nur Salam.

Read more: Family: Band of brothers

Encountering Living History

It’s not every day that one encounters living history. At least, it certainly seemed to me as I drove down with a very special 1st KL BB guest to our Band Camp, held over the 16-18 of November. Even as we journeyed down from Shah Alam, he was busily pointing out various landmarks along the Federal Highway and vividly relating to me “how things were like” almost 50 years ago, just as Malaysia celebrated its very first Independence Day.

It was around August that I first came across Mr. S.Y. Shim in an article published in The Sun newspaper. The newspaper article featured Mr. Shim’s story as one of the people who was actually in Merdeka Stadium when Tunku Abdul Rahman rallied the nation with cries of “Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!”

What really caught my attention, though, was that the 75-year-old Mr. Shim was at the Merdeka Stadium as a 22-year-old Lieutenant of the 1st KL BB! Now, I have always known that the 1st KL BB Band had participated in the very first Merdeka parade… but here was someone who was actually there! Not only was he actually there, in fact, Lieutenant Shim was the one who led 1st KL’s 60 Boys aged 15-18 in the Merdeka Parade’s march off!

Fascinated, I arranged to get in touch with him and to invite him over for our Band Camp so that he could share with the current BB members about his experiences in BB and especially during that first Merdeka celebration. Several telephone calls and bouts of amateur detective work later, I managed to get in touch with Mr. Shim, who very graciously agreed to come and speak with our Boys.

Mr. Shim, as I came to learn, joined 1st KL BB as an Officer shortly after the Company’s inception in 1954, after becoming a Christian in the Methodist Boys’ School, KL. During his service with 1st KL BB, he was also one of the pioneers involved in the formation of other Kuala Lumpur-based BB Companies such as 2nd KL and 3rd KL. (Incidentally, when Mr. Shim was an Officer, Mr. Tung Kam Seng – another KL Wesley stalwart, pioneer 1st KL BB member and former Captain – was only a young Sergeant! This anecdote, really helped some of us place Mr. Shim historically!). Shortly after his service as a BB Officer, Mr. Shim then joined the civil service and, in the course of his duties, he travelled the world to various countries.

As we pulled into Jalan Wesley, Mr. Shim was amazed to see all the changes that have occurred over the 40 years since he last visited the MBS primary and secondary school, as well as the many changes that have occurred to the Church Sanctuary. It was astonishing for me to imagine along with Mr. Shim’s stories of how “this used to be nothing” or “this looked different” more than 40 years ago.

Then, it was time for Mr. Shim to talk with our Boys. We opted for a simple question-and-answer “talk show” format, which I moderated. That way, we could keep things more informal and cosy.

Obviously, the first question on everyone’s minds was “What was it like on that Merdeka morning?”

According to Mr. Shim, 1st KL was “given the honour of being the first band after the Royal Police Marching Band to lead the march off. The rest of the groups like the Scouts and Red Crescent societies were positioned much further away. Officers and Boys had to assemble at the Merdeka Stadium car park at 5am. Everyone was excited, even though it was so early in the morning. The march began after Tunku Abdul Rahman declared Malaysia’s Independence and we marched through the route before finally dispersing at Jalan Raja Laut.”

As the Boys warmed up to Mr. Shim, they started asking him all sorts of questions. Some asked about what kinds of instruments were used in the Band back then. To this, Mr. Shim replied that today’s 1st KL Boys are certainly far more blessed with a full Brass Band instrument range. Back then, all the Boys had were side drums, a bass drum, bugles and flutes. Not only that, today’s 1st KL Boys had the benefit of being trained to read musical notation, while back then – all songs had to be memorized.

Another question asked was why Mr. Shim had joined the BB and was so active in it. To this, Mr. Shim merely replied, “Because it’s a Christian organization!” He then went on to elaborate that he was active in the BB because he felt believed that it was so important for a person to have strong character traits – like self-discipline. In fact, Mr. Shim believed that many of the successes we will enjoy in life, many of the troubles we will overcome, and many of the temptations we will resist is due to the fact that we have strong character traits.

Others asked about what BB was like in the 1950s. To everyone’s surprise, BB met only for several hours, without many other activities. A typical meeting day would include Band Practice for 2-3 hours, a short time for discussions (a time for Members and Officers to hang out, catch up and counsel each other) and, if there was additional time, they would do Drill. What a contrast to the vast line up of 1st KL activities today!

There were many other questions asked, but as time drew to a close, Lieutenant Leong Soo Ming asked a final question that captured everyone’s attention: What was the 1st KL Girls Brigade like in the 1950s? Ever the gentleman, Mr. Shim replied that the GB members then were certainly very nice, simple girls… one of whom, in fact, he eventually married!

At this last question, I asked Mr. Shim to share with us a few last thoughts. Assenting, Mr. Shim stood up and reiterated on how vital it was for BB members to nurture strong character traits within themselves. Being self-disciplined, for example, is a vital trait that many pioneer 1st KL Boys took with them when they went on later to become successful people in various fields and industries. “Thus,” he said, “the programmes of 1st KL and Boys’ Brigade are geared to develop the character of its members… In fact, that’s why we started the Band – it was a good way to develop discipline.”

At the end of his sharing, Deputy Captain Yee Mun Theam came forward and presented a small token of our appreciation for the time Mr. Shim had graciously taken to speak with us. Then, we took a few pictures together before I drove Mr. Shim back to Shah Alam.

As I drove him back to Shah Alam, I thought about how very glad I was to have met Mr. S.Y. Shim. I learned so much just from talking with him. More than that, however, I was greatly inspired to hear his stories. His stories reminded me of the long tradition that the 1st KL BB stands for – in nurturing the Characters of our Boys and developing them into Leaders, all in the context of an unbroken Brotherhood that spans years and generations.

These thoughts played around in my mind as I thanked Mr. Shim for his time once again. As I waved goodbye to him and drove back home, I smiled to myself and hoped that I would also one day leave a legacy like that of Mr. S.Y. Shim.

- LT WONG GIOK LEIGH

[An online copy of the original The Sun article can be found here]