CheGu Ahmad Yahya Tohar - CheGu Saadiah. Form 3A Class teacher, 1966; the latter Form 1A Class teacher in 1964Sekolah Menengah Padang Midin (Sekolah Menengah Dato' Sri Amar DiRaja), Kuala Terengganu. He taught us Art, but I opted out this subject for my SRP, in favor of Math II. When 1966 came in Jan, and we were in Form 3, the school had to know of the option the pupils would take: the Art group and the Math II group, because they would be registered as early as in Feb for the SRP exam in Oct. The key subject was either taking Art or Math II, the rest seven other subjects were the same. So one early Jan morning, CheGu Ahmad Yahya briefed us on the plight of Art and Math II.
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Both CheGu Ahmad Yahya and CheGu Saadiah knew me personally very well. It was thus a rather warm 'reunion' when I met them in Pasar Payang, apperently on their 'balik kampung' to CheGu Saadiah family in Ladang. And they especially knew me as the batch valedictorian. When the SRP results were announced on the 26th Dec 1966, I arrived late at the school; I found no one around except a friend who told me to go to CheGu Saadiah's qtr. So I went to CheGu Saadiah's qtr, in the school compound; she and CheGu Ahmad Yahya were very delighted to see me, because my results, 6A's, was not only the best in my school, but in fact the best in Malaysia for the Malay Medium Schools. Through the windows of her qtr, she informed me my results, "Mat, all one," and told me that the Head Master CheGu Nordin Nasir was very happy.
CheGu Ahmad Yahya and CheGu Saadiah were among those who dedicated to bringing up the rural pupils education in Terengganu in the 60s and 70s. Without their guidance, encouragement and facilitation, these class-mates might not have been as they are. We are very much grateful and indebted to them.
Updated 2005, Jun 18 Sat
  CheGu Ahmad Yahya Tohar and I in 1966 Sep in Padang Midin, Terengganu; and in 2005 Jun 18 Sat in Kapar, Klang, Selangor;  CheGu Saadiah, CheGu Amad Yahya, Mohd Embong and Mat Zakaria; |
Mission Acomplished After the ASAS AGM#21 I towed Mohd Embong for a Beriani Gam Putrajaya, then a break at my home. It was at this moment he managed to get contacted the retired CheGu Alias Radzi (Padang Midin 1964-66) who he met twice recently, and acquired the address of CheGu Saadiah_CheGu Ahmad Yahya. Wasting no second, we drove (in his Pajero) to Kapar Klang ca. 3.30pm; to reach the designated address at ca. 4.45pm (after two stops to locate it), to find both were healthy in their retirement and in a full amazement, welcomed our visit (present was their #2son family who was born in Padang Midin). CheGu Saadiah was my form One form teacher in 1964, while her husband CheGu Ahmad Yahya was my form three form teacher in 1966 in Padang Midin Secondary School. We set down rather quietly through to almost sun-set. We prayed Asar at their home and asked for their continued blessed of health for both of them had a strong bearing in our equally blessed well being today. We reminisced a lot during my timid boy years of 1964 to 1966 years when they were my teachers who handled almost all my parental task the teachers today can forget about. Then my plight to SAS in 1967 and took off ourselves from there; their continued stay in Trg to 1972; then they moved to Kuala Selangor and settled down to these days. We even compared notes on their times in early sixties in Brinsford Lodge, Wolverhampton, in their Malayan Teachers Training College and my mid seventies-early eighties in Manchester (I located both sites in 1975, the one Kirby Fields near Lonsdale, Liverpool and the other near Wolverhapton in the Midlands - they were actually former army barracks on the fields - a tribute here). CheGu Saadiah also related that she met (with tears) the one Azizah in KL, the one who did not move to Padang Midin from Sultan Sulaiman SS in Oct 1964. I drank the tea my teacher made, for the first time today since the last forty years. It wasn't any sweeter than the sweetness of their education I drank to almost drowning during my early secondary school years. As the sun drew nearer to set we apologised that we have to go; and stepping out of the door, I asked both of them that I wanted to hug them. I got it, and I felt a strange sort of mission accompalishment for she could have not realised that her uncareless care for us (one was I) in the early years of 1964 when she was my class teacher (in a complete void of my parent ability) that made in the final result that my schooling clock kept ticking louder the day after every day.