My Classmates in Clementi

Cheung Chiu Shan

Coming home from a two-week vacation, I found the redesigned Clementi website bustling with activities. Many classmates enthusiastically embraced Sue's idea of a fund-raising show for our Alma Mater.

One classmate said he would contribute $10,000, followed by other classmates who pledged the same amount.  Some classmates put up money in the amount of $5,000, $2,500 and $500 (U.S. dollars). Sue has achieved the impossible with her amazing persuasive power.  She not only broke down the barrier between boys and girls in our class, but also made the boys part with large sums of their hard-earned cash.

How did she do it? Who could resist Sue's charming, articulate voice on the phone urging strong support that would give her a chance to perform for us and raise funds for Clementi at the same time? If I were a boy in our class, just thinking about Sue performing on stage as a dazzling beauty would make my heart melt.  I would have no choice but to pledge my wholehearted support for Sue's cause.

In February 2005, I received a surprise letter from Winch Heung, a name conjuring the image of a tall lanky young man. I remember Winch very well. He has an uncommon family name. An extremely shy guy, Winch never talked to me in high school even though he sat next to me, separated by an aisle. At Chung Chi College, he just didn't see me every time we walked past each other on campus.

Winch's letter informed me that he had created a website for our classmates. I wrote an email expressing my appreciation for Winch's efforts to bring old friends together. I thought that would be the end of our communication. My high school days were over more than four decades ago, and I really didn't feel any connection with that part of my life. Winch wrote again. This time he asked me to write a short essay for our website. His exact words were:"We need to enrich our website otherwise nobody will visit it again."

I decided to do a thorough study of our website. Seeing photos old and new brought back fond memories of our youth. Chui Ka Ng looked so grown-up and proper in his business suit, but I still thought of him as a young man with a boyish grin.  Being late to school on the first day of class, he sat down next to Sue in the only empty seat available that morning. I remember how sorry I felt for Ka Ng when the boys kept teasing him for several days. Sitting at the front row close to the teachers was Tsai Ming Yuen. He left a distinct impression on me too. A very quiet person, he was often the last person among the boys to leave the classroom during lunch break.

While looking at the pictures, I noticed that names were being added. Our webmaster was tediously updating the website in the wee hours of the night, nurturing the website as if it were his baby. Winch is a changed person. Since he asked nothing in return except our friendship, I made up my mind to give him a helping hand.

For a while our website was in the doldrums, as only a few writers were regularly writing essays.   At one time, Winch asked if I had any ideas on how to help classmates open up to one another.  I had no answers. Before Christmas, Winch told me he had exceeded his goal of posting 100 essays before year end. It was an auspicious sign. Finally through Sue's fund-raising show for Clementi, our classmates are in communication with one another. On the anniversary of the Clementi 62 website, I wish Winch continued great success in his capacity as our webmaster. Additionally, I hope that many more inspired essays will be posted for years to come.

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