HOME AT LAST

 After a long lost sojourn, I'm back! Just checking the heartbeat 💓 and shall find the inspiration to restart the blog on a gunner officer mode. So here goes it.

GUNNERS ALIVE!

THE BEGINNING?

After a long period of idleness ( I cannot describe it any other way) I've decided to rise again. In mainly a retirement mode, I suppose I'd have more time now to fill that gap and plod along. It's tough to keep this blog apolitical, away from race and religious sensitivities, but nevertheless, one must persevere and move forward. Another attempt is being made to write the regimental history of the Malaysian Artillery. Some serious attempts resulted in some long forgotten publication. The spirit to write accurately, with the full extent of the development of the Corps, from its inception to date has been somewhat missing. When gunners gather for social occasions, its lively banter streak across years of history and forgotten moments. What a loss, when you think that all of these shall disappear to oblivion by the memory bearer.

So, my provoking question is...Where do we go from here? I am of the belief that a team comprising dedicated, wholeheartedly "determined" veterans and a select few of serving gunners worth their salt, can pull this off over a timeline of two years involving research, collection of facts, verification, interviews and drafting the master document. Then comes the question...who is this for?....Who's going to read it? Well to put it simply, if I asked you where you came from and and about your family tree and you couldn't respond, that would indeed make you a huge embarrassment. In Tamil society, its a derogatory remark if it is said that you do not know where you came from.

The team can now look forward to a purposeful effort and the result should be nothing less than phenomenal. A living document of Gunners "BY US, OF US, FOR US". I say no more. Not forgetting.....SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL ADHA.

ALWAYS A GUNNER

Selamat Hari Raya 2017

Selamat Hari Raya to all our Muslim Gunners.  Maaf Zahir & Batin.

God bless and take care.


With fond memories from
Peggy & Allen Lai

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2017

Kong Hee Fatt Choy to all our Chinese Gunners. Blessings and Good Health always. From Peggy and Allen Lai.

Lo Yee Sang has always being the order of the festive season. Also known as battle of the chopsticks. 

Happy makan makan.

Once a Gunner Always A Gunner

Allen Lai

Happy New Year 2017

A very happy new year 2017 to all Gunners. Blessings and good health always.

From Peggy and Allen Lai

Happy birthday ye old fellas

Happy birthday ye olde fellas

Many happy returns of the day

The boys

Gunners all

Awed

Master story teller

Past Tiga Suku

Tiga Suku

As his usual self

Fantastic memories

If you still cannot recognise him. Here is a mugshot

David and Kathy Lam hosted a surprise warm pot luck birthday party in their home on 23 August 2016. It was Kathy’s and birthday boys Lt Kol David Hermon's and Lt Kol H’ng Hung Meng's bash. We asked the boys how old were they. David Herman replied 70ish and Hung Meng said he was “tiga suku”.

These pictures reflect the closeness of some old Gunners. The night was filled with old stories, many not heard before, particularly stories from David Hermon and Mejar Andrew Teoh, who were senior enough to be in the know. David Hermon, Hung Meng, Andrew and David Lam had served in 1 ARTY. They were of Kajang vintage. We were awed by their episodes and encounters during the Konfrontasi days in Sarawak; of gun firefight in Lubuk Antu; of the 108 rounds Gun Salute using the 25 pounders which were notoriously known for misfires. The barrels were obviously melting hot. But alas the night ended too soon.

I propose the Gunners Club organize a get-together, specifically for the purpose of sharing old stories and of course to have it recorded on video / tape. Lest we forget.

Always a Gunner.

Allen Lai

Visiting Lt Kol Maskan bin Katan on 2-6-2016

Lunch time

With Maskan ( From left. Allen Lai, Lee Kong Kok, Omar Mohd, David Lam, Heerah Singh

Yesterday 5  retired Gunners visited Lt Kol Maskan bin Katan at his home in Seremban. Maskan has been ill for sometime now. He is bed-ridden but in good spirit.  The visit was well coordinated by Lt Kol Lee Kong Kok who also resides in Seremban.

We are all pleased that Maskan has recovered somewhat over the past several months when we last visisted him in the Seremban General Hospital. We will continue to pray for his speedy recovery to full health. Our visits would be a great morale booster for Maskan.

We were all treated to a sumptuous lunch at his house, whilst waiting to see him after his daily rawatan kampung.

Take care all.

Allen Lai

Hi-Tea with the Master Gunner

I attended the afternoon tea with the Master Gunner at the Royal Chulan Hotel KL on 3 April 2016. I was glad that I did as there were about 50 other retired Gunners present. It was a pleasant gathering with the adage Once A Gunner Always A Gunner. There were so much to stories catch up. A favourite GPO of mine confessed that he had played a trick on me. We were in Bau area Sarawak. I wanted to deploy a troop of guns at 1800 hours to which the GPO was not too keen to do so. He preferred a first light deployment the next day. However how could he disobey his BC? A simple but very effective plan.

I called him on the Bty command net on the HF radio and ordered for him to deploy urgently that evening. He pretended the radio conversation was full of static interference and kept telling me so. I eventually gave up giving the orders that evening and he deployed the next morning, when the Bty command net was at strength five. We had a good laugh but I could not pick a bone with him now as he retired as a two star general. That was regimental life then. No harm done. The prank was worth his sleep.

I also took the opportunity to snap some photos with my old iPhone of Gunners not seen in this blog for sometime. I forget some of the names though. I hope Rama or Ganeson will help out naming them. I wish to apologise for the poor quality and low resolution of the photos below. I have taken a new hobby of photographing birds instead. I have lost my skills in taking portrait photos of people and I am also using an old iPhone to boot. I hope somebody can take on this important task to update us with photos of old Gunners not met/seen for sometime. This blog will be a treasure in prosperity for new Gunners to come.
Thank you.

Master Gunner Lt General Jaafar Mohammad

Lt General Aziz Hassan

Maj Rahim

Maj Jen Dato' Ibrahim

Col Zainal

Major Jamaluddin

Capt Asri

Lt Col Kasiran

Maj. Najibuddin

Brig General Dato' Hussein Kamal

Lt Col Basri

Lt Col Heera Singh

Take care all

Once a Gunner always a Gunner

Allen Lai

OF THE GUNNERS, FOR THE GUNNERS, BY THE GUNNERS

On Sunday 3rd April our very own Master Gunner hosted a Hi Tea at the Warisan Cafe, Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. About fifty officers were invited and the turnout was excellent. A full spread of local and western dishes made up the scrumptious lunch. It goes without saying that the camaraderie was incredible. Being informal and relaxed the atmosphere was too inviting to miss.

Finally, as the event moved on The Master Gunner opened his speech on an impromptu note to address why he gathered the "Eagles"of the Artillery, or rather the "old war horses". The message was simple and direct - The "Gunners" welfare is of utmost priority in these twilight years. There must be some means for us to take care of ourselves rather than depending on other agencies to do it for us. A fund raising is required to realise a "Home for The Gunners", medical equipment for bedridden, physically challenged members and also the wives. There is simply too much need, and too little resources. Many ideas need to be tapped, many roads need to be walked, and also many doors need to be knocked.

The clarion call of the Master Gunner was loud and clear with the Gunners Club Advisor taking on the rostrum to echo and further detail out plans. He made a powerful appeal to all gunners present to start the ball rolling, and as true gunners, garner all means and resources to meet the objectives of fund raising.

The Hi Tea presented an excellent platform to exchange views and also quite expectedly, there simply was no objection to the fund raising effort. Yes, my fellow Gunners, we have to do this "Of the Gunners, For the Gunners, By the Gunners". There is no other recourse. Let's make it all happen.

ALWAYS A GUNNER

ONE MOMENT IN HISTORY

As the Ubique 300 mission in Malaysia comes to a close, it was a fitting gesture to get the Director of Artillery to sign the scroll as an acknowledgement of the baton's journey, as well as to put on record his participation in the greetings. Lt. Robbie Lee Knowles RA accompanied by Maj Rama and Maj Ganeson dropped in to the Director's office for a courtesy call. With typical Malaysian hospitality, warm greetings and informal chats were held. It was indeed a meaningful final moment before the baton left our shores to Brunei. "FAREWELL THEE, THE QUEEN'S BATON, AND SAFE JOURNEY ONWARDS TO THE REST OF THE WORLD".

The Director Artillery with his staff officers taking a pose

Lt Robbie chatting over tea

Discussing the fine details of the historical baton

The Scroll with the Director's endorsement below left

HISTORY IN THE MAKING - UBIQUE 300 MALAYSIA

A PHOTO GALLERY OF THE EVENT ON 13TH JANUARY 2016

MAJ THOMAS OH RECEIVING A GIFT

LT COL ALI REPRESENTING THE DIRECTOR EXCHANGING MEMENTOS

THE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT RECEIVING A MEMENTO

THE PATRON HANDING OVER MEMENTO TO LT ROBBIE KNOWLES

THE MEMENTO FROM THE EX GUNNERS ASSOCIATION TO 43 BTY/47REGT RA

POSING WITH THE QUEEN'S BATON

FOR THE GOOD TIMES

THE TEAM WITH THE DA BRITISH HIGH COMM KL