Seria, 1965

I resigned from my temporary teaching job in Miri and went to Seria in 1965 to say good-bye to my sister, Cecilia. I was going to Kuching to work for Sesco because the job came with a sponsorship for a Colombo Plan Scholarship! My younger sister, Cecilia came to Kuching to visit me in early 1966. I was leaving soon for Australia!



Rose also came back for holidays from Australia. She took me to a tailor in Padungan to make a suit  for me. It turned out to be just the thing to wear at the Raffles Hotel Singapore. The dress code was formal for the dining room: coat and tie only.

In Sydney, all the students must attend briefings at the Department of External Affairs. I wore this suit almost every day during my first week in Australia; must have gained much face for all Malaysian students! The African students were all wearing dark suits.

Rose & Cecilia

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Rose was really thin in 1966. That was probably due to the fact that she didn't like lamb chops served at Mary White College, Armidale. She had been there for 3 years and has just qualified for her free holiday trip home to Sarawak, as per kind courtesy of uncle Bob Menzies. After her holidays, she returned to do her dip Ed. at the University of New England, NSW for one more year. In 1966, two in our family were studying in Australia under the Colombo Plan Scheme!
Later on, I discovered the real reason why I needed to have a suit: the convocation. I was her partner. Tee shirts and jeans not allowed!