By Leslie Tan
85ers at ACS OBA Past vs Present Games 2015. Back row (left to right): Leslie Tan, Leong Jenn Chuan, Anderson Wong, Martyn Chew Shih Yin, Ng Chong Heng, Michael Koh, Felix Tan, Chua Tju Siang, Lim Heng-Yu, Bryan Choa, Joey Lau Keok Kwang. Front row (left to right): David Lee Yeow Chor, Chng Nai Wee, James Lye Hin Siong, Daniel Khoo, James Loke Pooi Yin, Kenny Teo Kheng Guan. (Photo 1 © Jeffrey Chiang)
It all started with a WhatsApp message from Chew Shih Yin on Sunday, 8 February, at 12.23am.
“Hi Leslie! I am getting some Sec 1G guys together for dinner on Tues, 10 Feb, 7.30pm at Anderson Wong’s Shinkei Japanese Restaurant in Toa Payoh. Are you available to join us?” Anderson too was from Secondary 1G in 1982.
Shih Yin was my Secondary school football buddy, and the best player in our cohort. We had spent countless hours playing football together before school, during recess, and after school. If we weren’t talking about football, we were talking about the girls on the bus we took home together to the East.
Two days later, I walked into Shinkei Japanese Restaurant.
I had stepped into a time machine.
In front of me were ex-schoolmates I had not seen for 30 years. Some of them I have known even longer because we entered Primary 1 together in 1976, 39 years ago.
Stories poured out. Whatever I had forgotten, someone’s story filled the blanks and reminded me. We were plugging into each other’s memory banks, like so many external hard drives daisy chained together with lightning cables. The lights were going on, the cobwebs were falling away. We were traveling back in time together to a place we had not visited in 30 years.
We were talking and remembering.
After that evening, the conversation continued feverishly on WhatsApp. If I was away from my mobile phone for a few hours, a few hundred unread messages were waiting for me when I picked it up again. One hundred old boys were downloading and uploading memories from 30 to 39 years ago. The floodgates were open. The memories were flooding out.
Shih Yin naturally found himself appointed captain as talk began about playing football at the 2015 Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) Old Boys’ Association (OBA) Past vs Present Games. And true to form, Shin Yin started drawing up a team formation.
“You and James Lye will be the pillars of our central fence. Chng Nai Wee and Joey Lau Keok Kwang will also fill in the role when you need a break,” Shin Yin messaged me excitedly. He also sent me a digital image of the team formation. It was typed and photoshopped. We used to draw it out with pencil and paper.
“Hahaha I feel like I am in Sec 1G again talking tactics with you,” I replied.
We were talking and remembering.
Next thing I knew, we had team jerseys with the number 85 and school crest printed on the front. One of my Red Crew asked why my jersey number was so big. I explained that it stood for 1985, the year my cohort finished our O Levels. Naturally, there was ever only going to be one name for our team – 85ers.
“By the way, you will take all our direct free kicks. Still remember its your speciality!” texted Shih Yin.
Saturday, 28 February came, and we found ourselves playing against Old Boys older and younger than us. We talked like 16 year olds, but ran like the 46 year olds we actually are. Each 15-minute game felt like 45. The 2006 ACJC batch, 20 years younger than us, made us dizzy because they twisted us inside out. But we celebrated the only goal we scored in open play by Joey Lau Keok Kwang like we won the World Cup. We spent the time waiting for our next game catching up, drinking 100PLUS and eating bananas.
We were talking and remembering.
The 85ers actually made it to the semi-finals but only because one team pulled out. We eventually finished fourth after losing a penalty shootout to ACS International. “We let them win lah,” I joked with a teammate.
The conversation on WhatsApp turned to what to wear for the Founder’s Day dinner the next day. We settled on wearing our school uniform again. Some fit into their son’s school shirts, most grabbed a white shirt and yet others ran out to Bibi & Baba to find a white short-sleeved shirt. School badges were dug out to be polished. Photos of badge collections were shared on WhatsApp.
At the Founder’s Day dinner, 200 85ers commandeered 20 tables. It was a new record, beating the last record of 15 tables by an older cohort. However, we did not spend much time sitting down because we were all on our feet, jamming the aisle, looking for old friends, ignoring or not even hearing the emcee’s plea to sit down and give the serving staff space to walk. Some had even flown in from overseas to attend this gathering.
We were talking and remembering.
We took a group photo of all 200 of us at the front of the ballroom, and destroyed a Year of the Goat sculpture in the process. (Sorry, Orchard Hotel.) One of the goat’s leg ended up on the plate of one of the younger Old Boys and freaked the boy out, said Benjamin “Miyagi” Lee. “You guys are chaos,” Richard Seow, the Chairman of the ACS Board of Governors, said to me with a smile. (At least, I think it was a smile.)
We took photos by class or by ECA. Some continued on into the night until 5am. My primary schoolmate Kelvin Ho woke up the next day and wrote on WhatsApp, “Morning all, what happened last night? I think my truck is still in the hotel.”
We were talking and remembering.
It was the rowdiest Founder’s Day Dinner some of us had ever attended. A usually more sedate affair like a Chinese wedding dinner, 200 85ers had turned it into a cross between recess time at the school canteen and a 7th Month Hungry Ghost Festival.
Thank you to all my old friends for talking and remembering. We reminded each other of who we are, and where we have come from. Memories are made of this.
We cannot go back, and we can just be 16 once. But we shall always be, the class of ’85.
To God Be The Glory.
The Best Is Yet To Be.
O Captain! My Captain! Chew Shin Yin in action against ACS International. This is my first ever photo with my Sec 1G football buddy. Both of us played for school in the C Division, 1983. We finished third in South Zone. Then we went to Nationals and got massacred 8–2 by Changkat Changi. (Photo 2 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Shih Yin: “I read on the WhatsApp chat group, ‘Shih Yin, why don’t you form a football team to participate in the Past vs Present games?’ My reply in jest: ‘Only if Michael agrees to be my goalie!’ To my surprise, an immediate reply from Mike was ‘Yes!’
“Next, I asked Pooi Yin if he was keen. He replied emphatically, ‘ON Lah!’ My silent and excited thought: ‘Here we go again.’ Joey said, ‘Now I only play soccer with my thumbs.’ Leslie said, ‘I had knee surgery and hung up my boots 12 years ago. Also, my wife wouldn’t let me play.’ Anderson said, ‘You must be kidding,’ and laughed.
“I knew this was not going to be easy. How do you inspire and convince 46 year olds to put on their boots again to do battle on the field?
“Then some momentum started to build up. Joey, James Lye, Yeow Chor, Bryan, Kenny, Nai Wee and later, Daniel Khoo, all signed up for the team. After some persuasion, Anderson and Leslie signed up too. Later on, Jenn Chuan, Chong Heng and Tju Siang joined us too. Add in a few guest players and we had a team. There was no turning back now.
“From here on, it was Pooi Yin who quietly put together many of the jigsaw pieces. Inviting guest players to shore up the weaker positions, getting the jerseys and full kits so that we would look good in photos for everlasting memories. Even using mathematical calculations to work out how much play time per player!
“We discussed tactics and formations. He also googled 9-a-side playing strategies as we worked out a team built up on solid defence to start with. He then booked Premier Pitch at Turf City for our only training session.
“The Past vs Present games came and went, but not before leaving memories that will remain etched in everyone’s minds for a life time.
“James Lye said after the group stage, ‘We have exceeded all expectations.’ To me, that summed up everything. Everyone put in 110% in the soaring heat and in spite of aching bodies, injury and even fever!
“The 85ers tenacity and never-say-die spirit was demonstrated time and again. Michael defying age and gravity, Leslie marshalling the defence, James Lye solid as rock, Bryan running all day, Joey’s perfectly taken goal and the less conditioned players doing their part whenever they came on, else as a team, we would not have gone all the way to the 3rd/4th placings!
“Finally, there was Pooi Yin’s crunching shot cum tackle in the semi-finals when the score was at 0-0. He was so focused to put us through into the finals! He was injured but we thank God for a speedy recovery!
“We also thank Jeffery for the photos in the blazing heat and Leslie for making us famous on Redsports! It was truely a team effort all round. These memories will last another life time. Above all, the friendships formed are priceless. To God Be The Glory! The Best Is Yet To Be! (Photo 3 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Goalkeeper Michael Koh in action at the Past vs Present Games. Michael was our goalie when we were in Sec 1G together. “Blessed to have spent the day taking to the playing field once again with old friends,” said Mike. “Les, my old centre back and protector, that afternoon, moments before the start of the first game, you said to me, ‘It’s been a long time since I stood in front of you.’ I pray my sons will have similar experiences 30 years from now. Sports without the pressure of excelling or getting into the school team. Playing with friends and simply having fun. Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.” (Photo 4 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Joey Lau Keok Kwang celebrating his goal. He scored the only goal in open play by an 85er. (Photo 5 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Daniel Khoo of the 85ers in action. He took a blow to the eye minutes into the first game which left him with a shiner and a nose bleed.
Daniel: “After I left school, the name ACS wasn’t known to many of those I shared meals with or even my time with. Further afield, when I was overseas, building a career, ACS hardly mattered to those around me. Only to me, ACS mattered.
“I moved back to Singapore six months ago, landing on 2nd August 2014. Three months into my new surroundings, I was reunited with ACS. First the invite to WhatsApp ACS Channel 2, then the invite to Founder’s Day dinner. Wow, reuniting-reconnecting with long lost friends on March 1 boosted my feelings, I was elated and excited.
“Then came the soccer invite. I was so apprehensive after I replied that I would play. My biggest fear was simply that I could not recognize any of my teammates. I felt like fuel being injected and an explosion was about to happen in me not because of the soccer, but because I was meeting my old schoolmates.
“On game day, I felt like a happy child again. Despite that we were grown-ups, with families, with careers, I simply felt proud of my friends, my schoolmates, my brothers. They played with their heart soul. Skill was never a topic. Simply being there. Even those who did not play, came to cheer us on. Such was the spirit on that day.
“March 1st came. My only recollection of this feeling happening before amongst my school friends was the day after graduation from Secondary 4 when we arrived back to school to collect our results. I think everyone had a blast. For me, it was the best weekend I’ve had in a very very long while.
“I have to thank many people who made all this possible, the list is very long. I’ll do it personally. For this article, I’ll just say a big thank you and I’m proud to be an ACS boy from the year 85 cohort.
“Now, memories of the ACS flag at the Padang flood back to me whenever we gather in big groups again.” (Photo 6 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Bryan Choa (extreme right) still has the legs to chase down a player 30 years our junior. Bryan and I were in primary school together. He also sat behind me in Sec 1G and gave me nightmares for the whole year. 😉 (Photo 7 © Jeffrey Chiang)
(L-R) Chew Shih Yin, David Lee Yeow Chor, James Lye, Bryan Choa. Apart from football, Shih Yin also ran cross-country and track. James played football and rugby for school, while Bryan was in the Boys’ Brigade. Yeow Chor represented school in badminton (Sec 1), the discus (Sec 2) and football (Sec 3). (Photo 8 © Jeffrey Chiang)
James Loke Pooi Yin of the 85ers in action. Pooi Yin played for school in the C and B Division. He made a crunching tackle in the semi-finals that belied his 46 years of age.
Pooi Yin: “As I walked out the gates of ACS(I) after the Past vs Present Soccer Tournament, I felt like the day was sprinkled with magic sparkles only found in fairy tales. It was surreal but suddenly I felt 16 again. It’s almost as if time stood still – that most perfect moment. I felt that we had been brought together by God’s grace.
“From not having met each other for over 30 years, we banded together to form a football team, competed with all our hearts, reminisced about our past experiences with much laughter along the way. All that done spontaneously with everyone contributing to the whole event in one way or another. We played 6 matches of the beautiful game under cloudless skies and a scorching sun to win fourth place.
“We are a great bunch. The camaraderie we shared that day is priceless. We have indeed renewed those bonds of friendship built over 30 years ago. The ACS spirit lives on. Thanks be to God.” (Photo 9 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Kenny Teo Kheng Guan in action for the 85ers. Kenny said the much-needed group prayer before we started. It certainly worked – we all made it through the day. (Photo 10 © Jeffrey Chiang)
85ers at 2015 Past vs Present Games. Back row (left to right): Jeffrey Chiang, James Lye Hin Siong, Chng Nai Wee, Chua Tju Siang, Anderson Wong, Michael Koh, Leong Jenn Chuan. Front row (left to right): David Lee Yeow Chor, Joey Lau Keok Kwang, Leslie Tan Wee Ming, Ng Chong Heng, Daniel Khoo, Martyn Chew Shih Yin, James Loke Pooi Yin. (Photo 11 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Ng Chong Heng of 85ers in action. Chong Heng and I were classmates in Sec 3E and 4E. He in the Life Guard Corp and and NPCC all the way to ACJC.
Chong Heng: “Bodies and legs not as strong and fit 30 years ago but the opportunity to meet and play along old friends was too hard to resist!” (Photo 12 © Jeffrey Chiang)
85ers with younger ACS talent to help us stand up after we fall down. Back row (left to right): Reginald Chua, Felix Tan, Kenny Teo Kheng Guan, Joey Lau Keok Kwang, James Loke Pooi Yin, Najib (ACS(I) 2014). Middle row (left to right): Brandon (ACS(I) 2014), Bryan Choa, Martyn Chew Shih Yin, Daniel Khoo, Chua Tju Siang, Ng Chong Heng, Colin Tung (ACJC 2006). Front row (left to right): James Lye Hin Siong, Anderson Wong, Leslie Tan Wee Ming, Leong Jenn Chuan, David Lee Yeow Chor. (Photo 13 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Lionel Goh of the 85ers turning on the style. Lionel, from the ’86 cohort, was there to boost our ranks for the Past vs Present Games. (Photo 14 © Jeffrey Chiang)
Chng Nai Wee of 85ers. Nai Wee and I were in Sec 2C together. (Photo 15 © Jeffrey Chiang)
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