Ex-Students Of Maxwell School Recall Late Headmaster's Compassion For His 'Chaps'

At almost every reunion organised by ex-students of the 108-year-old school, his name – rather his mighty cane which he used to punish students who failed their exams – inevitably crops up. They still fondly remember their beloved headmaster (HM) even though he passed away 14 years ago at the age of 81.

The Class of ‘74’s golden jubilee reunion dinner last month was no exception. Some 100 “old boys”, some of whom came from as far as the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore, reminisced about their  bittersweet memories of Maxwell and, of course, their HM’s dreaded cane 

“All of us surely remember the mighty cane he lashed on our backsides for failing our exams,” Eusuff Ibrahim, a former senior banking executive, said in his speech as the master of ceremonies at the dinner.

“The fear of the cane prompted some smart alecks to pad their backs with extra clothing to dull the pain. How wrong they were!”

 

No doubt the all-boys school had a somewhat notorious reputation, but the HM saw it from a different perspective.

 “I was looking out for gangsterism and vandalism, but I found none, only naughty boys,” Nadarajah was once quoted as saying in a letter.

Born on May 19, 1929, in Rawang, Selangor, Nadarajah married fellow teacher Ivy Chia Choon Hock, who stood by his side through thick and thin. They have two children, Sunita and Arvin.

Mainly teaching maths and geography, he was first posted to Sekolah Kebangsaan Tunku Besar in Tampin, Negeri Sembilan, at the age of 19 and later to Maxwell School at Jalan Tun Ismail here.

His son Arvin Nadarajah told Bernama: “Maxwell School defined my father’s teaching career. He couldn’t wait to go to school each morning. He was stern but greatly respected for his fairness and dedication. The boys could see that he really cared for them. He had their best interests at heart.”

 

Having only compassion for the boys whom he described as “my chaps”, Nadarajah nurtured them with strict discipline to prepare their young minds to face real-world challenges.

Firmly believing in motivation being the panacea for guiding students to the right path, he churned out not only students who excelled academically but also some of the finest athletes and sportsmen the nation ever had.

Among Maxwell School’s Hall of Fame sportsmen were footballers Datuk Dell Akbar Khan, Zainal Abidin Hassan, Yeo Swee Hock and Azhar Md Sharif, and hockey player ManinderJit Singh.

Maxwell School teacher Poovan Raj said Nada, as the former HM was fondly referred to, was himself active in sports.  

“He was a gem of a person, I loved that man. As HM, he was fair to all teachers,” Poovan, who was an active all-round sportsman himself and a national soccer referee, told Bernama.

 

Many students went on to become successful doctors, lawyers, engineers, bankers, accountants, consultants, public administrators, service industry professionals as well as businessmen. These Maxwellians played a crucial role in contributing in their own way to Malaysia’s social and economic development.

In honour of their HM, a group of students from the Class of ’74 set up the P. Nadarajah Award in 2006 for students of SMK Maxwell who excelled in their SPM and STPM examinations. 

Despite Nadarajah’s strict demeanour, few were aware he had a gentler side, according to Eusuff. Arvin concurred, saying his father was also very generous, giving free tuition to underprivileged students and paying the school fees of students whose families faced financial difficulties.

"From his own pocket, he (even) gave money to students who couldn’t afford to eat during recess,” he recalled.

Arvin also said his father had a profound impact on many lives.

“My father inspired me, and everyone he knew, to reach out and help others. To live a life that makes a difference to our community. That was his legacy,” he added.

 

Meanwhile, former head prefect Dr Yee Meng Kheong, who was also organising chairman of the Class of ‘74 reunion dinner, said the many games, clubs, societies and outings the boys participated in, as well as the fights they got into, created bonds of brotherhood and friendship among them. 

“Evidently, this spirit of camaraderie still exists among many Maxwellians even now,” he said.

Eusuff said being an all-boys school, “we looked forward to the social events which many of the clubs in our school would organise, particularly when girls from other schools were invited.

“We took the trouble to dress smartly and it was the only time we used a splash or two of cologne that we borrowed. We used to have games, music and dancing.” 

Eusuff also recalled that during the 1970s “we could buy ice cream for 5 sen, cendol for 10 sen and a bowl of mee for 15 sen” and claimed that the popiah sold in Maxwell’s “tuck shop” at 10 sen a piece was the best in town!

An unforgettable incident for the students was the ‘Big Floods’ of 1970. As the school is located next to a river, it was affected by the floods and suffered huge losses as books, files, office equipment like typewriters and printing machines, furniture and blackboards were rendered unusable.

The Maxwellian spirit shone through as “we rallied behind the teachers and staff to help clean up, only to be hit by another round of floods months later”, recalled Eusuff.

 

Eusuff, Dr Yap and many other former students of Maxwell School are beaming with pride that their alma mater, which turned 100 years old in 2016, is now classified as a heritage building. This means it cannot be redeveloped, unlike the Bukit Bintang Girls School which was demolished in 2001 to make way for Pavilion KL.

“The Maxwell landmark will always remain and we can always have a glimpse of the school and reminisce whenever we drive past the building,” said Eusuff.

And more than that, the school will remind them of the late P. Nadarajah – teacher, coach, motivator, husband, father, headmaster extraordinaire.