It was a stroll down memory lane for me visiting my former primary school teacher, Mdm Manonmoney who taught me at ACS Lumut from 1964 - 1968.

I have been attempting to meet her for many years now but was unable to get in touch with her. I’m fortunate to have recently met a relative of hers, Shan, a practicing lawyer in Kuala Lumpur, who was gracious to arrange this meeting between us.

Mdm Manonmoney was the acting principal of ACS Lumut at that time –– a very stern one. She emphasised discipline and commanded absolute silence from us each and every time she walked into our classroom. Despite this, she never once resorted to the cane or any form of physical punishment. I believe her stern stature was always sufficient to keep us on our toes and well behaved!

Her dedication and passion to teaching was unparalleled. She lived in Sitiawan but rode on the public bus to school daily. That is not an easy journey to make, daily. She never compromised when it came to education and always went above and beyond to ensure we received the best education possible.

I’m truly grateful to have met up with her after so many years. Despite her age, her heart remains ever so gracious and kind to have prepared tea and a variety of snacks for us. We spoke for over an hour on many things and reminisced about life in Lumut in the past, former classmates and students of hers and how the education system has transformed over the years since.