Tokonang Den ( 5 )

The year was 1971. The event was the school annual sports day. This particular sports day was being remembered as something special, something spectacular, not only by me, but to the rest of the school.. It was special because during the opening ceremony, the march past was graced and led by the newly revival school cadet band.

Months before, prior to the event, at the beginning of the school term, words were already being spread around that Headmaster, En. Ahmad bin Dahan, would revived the school cadet band (one that has been 'hibernating' for so many years) and he wanted the band to perform during the school sports day. Hearing that news, together with other hopefulls and budding musicians, I enrolled and became the new cadet band member. There were others as well from batch 73 who answered the call - Awang Adek, Ahmad Abu Khair, Ansor, Zainudin Omar, Rashid Abdullah and Linggam. Each and everyone of us then opted for our favourite equipments - the one we love to learn and to play - Awang Adek, Ansor and Abu Khair opted for the flute, Rashid went for the bugle and Zainudin, Linggam and yours truly opted for the drums.

The training was anything but easy and it was conducted once a week. Nearing the sports meet, training session was double to twice a week. We were lucky two have two instructers, ex-army officers, (En. Yusof and his friend) to train and teach us, playing the equipments as well as marching. Personally, it was not that easy task to play the blowing instruments - be it the flute or bugle. I have tried playing the bugle but no sound came out of it. Rashid must have that extra 'wind' to have succeeded in blowing and getting sound out of the 'twisted brass' (bugle). Awang Adek and Abu Khair also practising hard on their flutes. Linggam was the obvious choice and the only one strong enough to carry the bass drum. And by the third month, Linggam was able to play the drum like Steve Thorntorn!!.

We were not without pressure. In fact the pressure was intense and enormous, to say the least. We had a deadline and it was blood, sweat and tears all along. Even though En. Yang Razali told us that the school encountered some financial problem and could not raised the money to buy the band uniform, that did not dampen our spirits. Due to our lack of practice and short of time for the instructers to prepare us, we had to be content to learn just a few songs, enough to carry us through the opening ceremony. Typical songs being prepared for us by En. Yusof were Malaysia Berjaya, Nona Zaman Sekarang and Rasa Sayang Eh and the side drum routines.

And when the actual day came, we were excited. Very much excited. You could tell from the look on our faces - grinning from ear to ear. The moment truth. The one we have been waiting for all this while. Yes, it was show time!!. We were dressed in an all white attire, olde-worlde, and we did ourselves and the school proud with the performance. And I was sure that Tun Hamdan who was there to witness the ceremony would have agreed to that.

We had our setbacked then but that didn't stop us from giving our fullest on that day. We were not accomplished musicians nor were we dressed in the proper uniform. But nevertherless our spitirs were high and everybody wanted to contribute to the special event. That brief encounter and during that special moment, we were in cloud nine. Never mind the marching steps that was out of paced and not synchronised, never mind that the 'pitching' and sound was a bit out, I was sure that the school cadet band that day made the school proud.

End of Part 5