My life as a New Boy

My life as a New Boy-Part 1

I first knew about Boys Wing in 1971, when there was a visit and career talk about the RMC at my school in Alor Star, the Sultan Abdul Hamid College. I did not attend the talk though but knew that the RMC group was there. Maybe there was a rugby match but i cannot be sure..

I did not remember much about the talk, but i remember the truck that came and there was a boy from the college, also a former student of SAHC that went to RMC and he played tennis.His name was Zahran Sheikh Halim. I think he was in Form 5.He gave quite an impression to me then....
I remember all of my classmates in SAHC getting excited and all of us wanted to join RMC then....
One of us was so excited about RMC that he wrote down the word RMC with the blackboard chalk on his shorts buttock.

Anyway he did not managed to get in despite undergoing the interview, but later on ended in RMC as an Air Force cadet and became a chopper pilot. Now he is with MHS(Hussein Shah is his name).
I don't remember filling in the application form but i reckoned i must have done so.

In 1972, most of my friends from my Form 3A. was called up for the interview.
I remember that i was called up quite late in the series of interviews held at RMC and most of my friends went earlier... even the Railway Warrant that they sent got me excited...

When my turn came i was definitely very excited.
I remember my gangs sending me to the railway station at Alor Star then...
I remember too the big crowd that sent me off when i finally got called up after passing the interview...

Amongst those from SAHC were Mashal Ahmad, Mohamed Abbas and Zakaria Md Zin.
I remember two others rejected even though they got through...
The train that took me to Kuala Lumpur passed through Sg Patani and that's where i first sighted Ng Goot Seong and Ismail Yaakub from Ibrahim School.

Ng Buck Hooi came in later at Bukit Mertajam...
That was also my first trip on a long train ride from Alor Star to Kuala Lumpur.My other ride was only confined to Alor Star-Butterworth only..

And it was my 3rd trip to Kuala Lumpur. My earlier trip was back when i was in Std Two or Three...
I remember getting on the 3 tonner from the Railway station to the college...
The sight of the college was awesome...

It was like a dream coming through to be selected to join Boys Wing, where the best and selected few from all the schools in Malaysia were admitted.
And i was amongst the four from Sultan Abdul Hamid College...and less than 10 from Kedah...maybe Goot Seong remembers the rest from the other premier school in Kedah then, the Ibrahim School in Sungai Patani..

On the selection process, i remember staying at A block maybe C Company.
I remember very well the Leadership test where we had to carry a heavy thing over an obstacle...and i remember very well that i took the leading role there at that moment in time...

I remember being asked to play football but not tennis and cricket during the interview..

I think there was a fitness test at the gymnasium where we had to climb the rope...
I remember the seniors as being very friendly and helpfull...(how they became sickening once i was admitted is still a puzzle)

.......to be continued.....

Mohamad Azudin Othman Fuad,
Regimental No. 420325
F Coy,1972-1973