For the good times…

My first posting as a qualified teacher was to this little town called Kanowit in 1978 and in December that year, I went on a holiday to visit some of my friends in Kuala Lumpur as well as Singapore. That was the time when I bought my very first radio-cassette player in the island republic – my SHARP GF9191…

*My SHARP GF9191, 2012*

It was my constant companion all my five years in that small and somewhat isolated town and to entertain myself, I would play my cassette tapes on it and listen to my favourite songs all through the day and night…

*My SHARP GF9191 and me, 1981*

It was also my means of communication with the outside world as I would listen to the news and all the programmes of my choice on the radio. We did not have any FM then so I had to listen to the local Sarawak station on the medium wave (MW) band and to the stations of other countries on short wave (SW).

We were the pioneers of that secondary school in the little rural town, the founding fathers, and temporarily, we had to share the premises of a Chinese primary school in the town. Thus, we had to make do without many things and the school did not have much when it came to audio-visual equipment. School assemblies were held in the open and the principal had to use a portable loud hailer to speak to the kids.

But thanks to my SHARP GF9191, I was able to use it in my English lessons whenever I had the opportunity to use songs to teach the language in the classroom. Needless to say, the students enjoyed its high fidelity stereo sound reproduction a lot and were all ears and very interested throughout.

It certainly came in useful as well during school functions like Teachers’ Day when we would hold concerts and I would play the music on my SHARP GF9191…

*Teachers’ Day, 1980*

…while my students performed the dances that I taught them…

*National Day (Hari Kebangsaan), 1979*

…and we also used it for talks and forums like this one which we, the teachers, conducted at the town community hall to share with the students our views on the importance of reading…

*Forum on Reading, 1979*

One advantage of the SHARP GF9191 was the fact that it was portable and it could run on batteries. Thus, I could bring it along whenever I went on picnics…

*November, 1979*

…with my friends and students…

*At the Kanowit sandbank, 1980*

…at strategic scenic spots along the Kanowit or  Rejang River.

It has been over 30 years now but the beautiful memories of those wonderful times, all the joy and the laughter that we shared remain crystal clear in my mind to be treasured and cherished forever.

Thank you so very much, SHARP, and congratulations on your 100th Anniversary…