Methodist Boys School

Methodist Boys School (3 September 2008)


Methodist Boys School (GPS: 5.4108, 100.30622), or nowadays called SMK (L) Methodist, is a secondary school in George Town, Penang. It was founded by Methodist missionary Reverend B.H. Balderstone who came to Penang from Prince Edward Island in Canada.

The History of Methodist Boys School

The history of Methodist Boys School goes back to 1885, when Methodist missionary William Oldham arrived in Singapore on 7th February of that year. A little over a year later he began the first Methodist school for boys, on 1 March, 1996.

Methodist Boys School was initially called the Anglo-Chinese School, Penang or ACSP. The school was started on 28 May, 1891, with classes held at a rented house at Carnarvon Street. (As such, the school celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2011.) In the very beginning, the Anglo-Chinese School had only one student. Nevertheless, Rev. Balderstone persevered. A few months later, he was joined by Rev. D.D. Moore, also from Canada. Reverend Moore later went on to found the Methodist Girls' School.

Failing eyesight forced Rev. Balderstone to quit in 1892, and his place was taken over by Rev. G.F. Pykett, who was to play a monumental role in the growth of the school for the subsequent forty years. From a small school with an enrolment of just 173 students at Carnarvon Street, the enrolment increased year by year.

In 1895, a site along Maxwell Road was purchased (with donation coming from local tycoons such as Foo Choo Choon), and in 1897, the Anglo-Chinese School moved there. Through the efforts of Rev. Pykett, the school earned the esteem of the Chinese community, which gave it their full support, enabling further expansion.


Methodist Boys School (3 September 2008)


The first Scout Troop in Penang was established by Rev. Pykett. The first meeting has held at the YMCA Penang in 1910, but it was only registered in 1916. Still, it was the oldest scout troop on the island.

The growth in enrolment necessitated the purchase of ten shophouses along Penang Road. When this too was full, a building at 422 Chulia Street was rented.

Rev. Pykett finally retired in 1932 due to failing health. He left for England but passed away the same year. Rev. Peach took over the reins as headmaster of the Anglo-Chinese School Penang. At that time, the school had to be conducted at three different venues: primary school at Chulia Street, middle school at 193 Hutton Lane, and high school at Maxwell Road.

Suffolk House was once used as premises for Anglo-Chinese School Penang (30 June 2006)


In 1929, Rev. Peach purchased the grounds of Suffolk House for $20,000. Mr Lim Cheng Teik donated funds for the purchase of the land for the school field in memory of his wife, and hence the playground was named Khoo Guat Lee Playground. The site was still without a school building, and $140,000 was needed to build it. The government was only willing to fund half the amount. The on set of the Great Depression put the building project on hold. A sum of $6000 raised by the school committee was used to renovate Suffolk House.

The present school building, at 250 Jalan Air Itam, was only completed in 1955, propelled by a grant of $50,000 from the Department of Education. The first block, with 12 classrooms, was declared open by Malcolm MacDonald, Commissioner General of Southeast Asia, in June 1955. It was then that the Anglo-Chinese School Penang became known as Methodist Boys School.

For a long time, Suffolk House functioned as part of the school. It was used as the school canteen until 1975, when it was declared unsafe and vacated. From then on, Suffolk House remained in a state of neglect until in was restored in 2006.

Headmasters of Methodist Boys School

Mr Gan Hua Beng, the headmaster of Methodist Boys School (10 January 2014)


At time of writing (January 2014), the headmaster of Methodist Boys School is Mr Gan Hua Beng, who has been serving in this position since 2011. All the headmasters of the school and their years of service is shown below:

Methodist Boys School crest

The crest of Methodist Boys School was designed by its most famous art teacher, Abdullah Ariff. It was used from 1930 to 1971, originally with the acronym ACSP (Anglo-Chinese School Penang) and from 1957 with the acronym MBSP (Methodist Boys School Penang). From 1972 to 1983, the school adopted a design created by members of the school Art Club, but reverted to the original crest designed by Abdullah Ariff in 1983.

Methodist Boys School song

The anthem of Methodist Boys School Penang was written in 1951. It was composed by teachers Mr E.Y Beltran who wrote the music and Mr Khoo Kay Hock who wrote the lyrics.

Methodist Boys School bell tower (10 January 2014)

Methodist Boys School bell

The Methodist Boys School bell is now close to a hundred years old. It was first installed at the Anglo-Chinese School Penang, at its premises at Maxwell Road, when the headmaster was Mr Baughman (1917-1919). In its long life, it has gone places, having been relocated to Suffolk House in 1937, and later on to the school at Pykett Avenue, before finally being installed at Methodist Boys School. There had been attempts to steal it, and it indeed disappeared once, in 1952, but was re-discovered at a garbage dump on Sek Chuan Lane.

The steel bell tower was erected in 1991, to celebrate the centenary of the school. It was funded by former student, local philanthropist Datuk Khaw Bian Cheng, a descendant of the famous Khaw family that once owned the land on which Pykett Methodist School sits. It was designed by Mr Oh How Tat and unveiled by then chief minister of Penang, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

MBS Heritage Centre

The MBS Heritage Centre was established in 2011 to immortalize the school's history. It includes a Hall of Fame celebrating of the former students of the school who have carved a name for themselves in various fields.

Contact

Methodist Boys School
250 Jalan Air Itam
10460 George Town, Penang

Getting there

Rapid Penang Bus 102, 201, 202, 203, 204 and 502 pass along Jalan Air Itam in front of it.

Updates

15 March, 2014: The old boys of Anglo-Chinese School Class Form 5A of 1954 held a 60th Anniversary Reunion at the Methodist Boys School on 15 March, 2014. This Diamond Jubilee celebration is believed to be the first ever in the whole country that the old students of a school could have a reunion at the school sixty years after they graduated. Many of them have done well in life, and have over the years contributed to their old school, including donating for the construction of new buildings for the school.

60th Anniversary Reunion of former students of Anglo-Chinese School Class Form 5A of 1954 at Methodist Boys School (15 March 2014)

Nearby Sights

Methodist Boys School is on the Map of Jalan Air Itam

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