A friendship that has stood the test of time
They met as young teachers in Sabah in 1980 and became fast friends.
Forty years later, Ng Sau Chan, P. Sreetharan and Mohd Saad Yaacob are still the best of friends.
Ng said all three of them met at SMK Arshad in Kota Belud, Sabah, and stuck together until they were all transferred out to different schools some five years later.
“We just clicked as we had the right chemistry with each other and could talk about anything and everything under the sun for hours,’’ said Ng, 66, who retired in 2012 from SMK St Mary in Kuala Lumpur.
Ng recalled how all three of them, as well as a few other teachers, would gather at the teacher’s quarters to play scrabble every night.
“We also made a lot of trips together and being away from our respective homes and families, we became each other’s family,’’ said the former English teacher who lives in Desa Park City with her husband and two sons.
Sreetharan reckoned that they became close friends because they understood and respected each other very much.
“We had a lot of mutual respect for each other and that was one of the pillars of our friendship,’’ said Sreetharan, 68, who retired from
SMK Ulu Kelang in 2007.
He, too, narrated how the three of them used to spend many happy hours at the teachers’ quarters or make short trips during the weekends and holidays.
Sreetharan also said the three of them made the effort to remain in touch until today due to the strong friendship they had forged during their early days in Sabah.
“We were and still are very close,’’ said the father of three daughters aged 32, 29 and 24 and two grandchildren, who lives with his family in Taman Melawati.
As the baby of the trio, Mohd Saad said both Ng and Sreetharan were like his older siblings.
“I am the only boy in my family and have six sisters with whom I have a very close relationship.
“So when I met Sau Chan, she became a sister and I used to pour my heart out to her like how it was with my six sisters,’’ said Mohd Saad, 61, who retired last year from SMK Taman Maluri.
Mohd Saad added that he had even taken Ng to his home to meet his sisters and parents when they had come down for their holidays from Sabah in the early 80s.
The father of eight children aged between 35 and 19, who lives with his family in Taman Maluri, said the bond he shared with Ng and Sreetharan was still very strong.
Although busy with their own lives and families, the three retired teachers make it a point to meet around Christmas time every year.
“We usually meet at a mall, have our meals there and spend the entire day catching up.
“We go back to our routine after that and pick up from where we left the following year when we meet again,’’ said Mohd Saad.