People

The Board of Trustees was established in 1921 to administer the School Trust Fund after Penang Free School was taken over by the Straits Settlements government. Today, the board consists of the Chief Minister of Penang as the Chairman, the State Education Officer, the State Treasurer and up to five Old Frees.

After Malaya’s Independence in 1957, a Board of Governors was formed to govern the school. The board would consist of members representing various interested groups such as the school trustees, parents and Old Frees. The Penang government and the Minister of Education were also represented.

The Headmaster is responsible for the day-to-day administration of Penang Free School. He is supported by his senior assistants, counsellors, heads of departments, academic staff and the administrative staff. The Board of Prefects assists in maintaining the school discipline.

The Old Frees network stretches across the globe. In almost every corner of the world, one can discover an Old Free. And all the Old Frees find themselves connected through a common bond: their old school or alma mater. The Old Frees’ Association in Penang is the mother of all the alumni clubs. It was formed in 1923, seven years after Penang Free School celebrated its Centenary. The next oldest body was the Old Frees Association Kuala Lumpur and Selangor which was set up in 1959. Although the newest among the alumni bodies is The Old Frees’ Association Singapore which was registered in 1962, they were already in existence, although unofficially, since 1929.

1816-1821 William Cox
1821-1822 David Churcher
1822-1826 George Porter
*1826-1827 William Cox
1827-1828 William Anchant
1828-1843 John Colson Smith
1843-1846 Bruton
1846-1853 Fitzgerald
1853-1871 John Clark
1871-1891 George Griffin
1891-1904 William Hargreaves, MA (Dublin)
1904-1925 Ralph Henry Pinhorn, MA (Oxon)
1925-1926 William Hamilton, MA
1927-1928 David R. Swaine, MC, MA (Wales)
*1929 Leslie W Arnold BA, BSc (Econ) (London)
1929-1931 DW McLeod, MA (Aberdeen)
*1931 Edgar de la Mothe Stowell BA (Cantab)
1931-1933 MR Holgate, MA (New Zealand)
1933-1934 J Bain, MA (Edinburgh)
1934-1941 Leslie W Arnold, BA, BSc (Econ) (London),
*1945 Koay Kye Teong
1945-1946 NR Miller, BSc (Leeds)
*1946-1947 Major JN Davies, BSc (Birmingham)
1947-1950 Dennis Roper, MA (Oxon)
1950-1951 Philip F Howitt, BA (Oxon)
1951-1957 JE Tod, MA (Cantab & St. Andrews), Dip Ed (London)
*1957 G Pitkeathly, MA (St Andrews)
*1957 WV Hobson, BSc (Hons) (Leeds)
1957-1963 John Michael Broome Hughes, MA (Oxon), Cert Ed (London)
*1963 Mr. Brian Smith BA (Hons), Cert Ed
1963-1968 Tan Boon Lin, BA (Hons), Dip Ed (Mal)
1969-1971 Poon Poh Kong, BSc (Hons), Dip Ed.(Singapore)
1971-1974 Kandiah Gnana Yogam, BA (Hons) (Singapore), NT
*1974 Lim Boon Hor, BA (Hons), (London), FRGS (London), NT
1974-1979 Goon Fatt Chee, PKT, BA (Hons) (London), FRGS, NT,
*1979 Mr. Lim Chin Kee, BA (Hons), Dip Ed (UM) (Acting)
1979-1983 R Visvanathan, BA (Hons), Dip Ed
1983-1988 G Krishna Iyer, BA (Hons), Dip Guidance
1988-1993 Goh Hooi Beng, AMN, B Rur Sc (NE), Dip Ed (NE), MSc (OAC)
1993-2000 Haji Mohd Ismail bin Ibramsa, AMN, PJK, B Econs (Hons), Cert Ed (SITC)
2000 Haji Abdul Rahman bin Salim, M Ed (Birmingham), BA (Hons) (Mal), Dip Ednl Admin (Birmingham), Cert Ed (TITC)
2001-2004 Arabi bin Sulaiman, PKT, BSc (UM), Cert Ed
2005-2006 Haji Muhammad Yusof bin Omar, BA (Hons) (UM), M Ed (UM), Dip Counselling (UKM)
2006-2012 Haji Ramli bin Din, B Sc (Ed) (USM)
2012-2016 Jalil bin Saad, PJK, PJM, B Sc (Ed) (UPM)
2016-2020 Omar bin Abdul Rashid BSc (Hons), Dip Sc Ed
2020-2021 Shamsul Fairuz Bin Mohd Noor, B Sc (Hons), Dip Ed
2022- Present Syed Sultan bin Shaik Oothuman BA (Hons) (UM), Dip Ed (UM)

Fifteen former Head Boys at the 150th Anniversary of the Prefects Board, May 2015

1865 Eng Tin, 1866 Charles Nelligan, 1867 Low Ah Maing, 1868 Chan Kim Keat, 1869 Quah Beng Poh, 1870 Hobart D. Caunter, 1871 Beng Hong, 1872 John Anthony, 1873-1878 No records available, 1879 T Cawthorne, 1880 Yu Phung C, 1881 Koh Cheng Siew, 1882 Lim Teow Chong, 1883 Khoo Ee Ghee, 1884 Yeoh Lean Hong, 1885 Percival Vincent Saville Locke, 1886 Tan Choo Choy, 1887 Law Ewe Ee, 1888 Toh Lip Khoo, 1889 Ung Bok Hoey, 1890 Lim Chin Poh, 1891 Koh Leap Teng, 1892 Gun Chaik Seang, 1893 Koay Thean Chin, 1894 Gnoh Lean Tuck, 1895 Phuah Chin Beng, 1896 Quah Sin Keat, 1897 Phung Chock Kong, 1898 Saw Whee Leow, 1899 Yeoh Guan Seok, 1900 Koh Kheng Seng, 1901 Reginald H McCleland, 1902 WW Davidson, 1903 Lim Guan Cheng, 1904 Axel Hastrup, 1905 Lim Keat Leong, 1906 Kam Chin Poh, 1907-1908 Khoo Heng Kok, 1909-1910 Abdul Kareem, 1911-1913 Saw Whee Seong, 1913 Ong Huck Chuan, 1914 Cheah Tiang Lim, 1914-1915 Lee Boon Hock, 1915 Chee Chuck Lum, 1916 Ng Cheong Yew, 1917 Cheah Teik Hong, 1917-1918 SM Zainul Abidin, 1919-1921 Basha Merican, 1921 Syed Omar, 1922 Ong Chong Keng, 1923 Lim Khye Seng, 1923 Ch’ng Eng Hye, 1924-1925 Tneh Say Koo, 1925-1926 M.M. Hasim, 1926-1927 Yeap Choong Yow, 1928 Lim Peng Koon, 1928 Cheah Heng Sin, 1928 Tan Wee Chong, 1929 JWD Ambrose, 1929-1931 Yeoh Bok Choon, 1931 Lim Keng Eok, 1932 Tan Ah Ee, 1933-1935 Khoo Phin Hong, 1936 Chung Shiu Tett, 1937 Chiu Ban It, 1938 Leong Mun Sen, 1939-1940 Tan Ah Fee, 1940 Lim Teik Ee, 1940-1941 Joseph Isaac, 1941 Lau Kam Phooi, 1946-1947 Lee Chin Thuan, 1947-1948 Lim Chiang Choo, 1948 Chew Kim Seng, 1948 Chan Kong Thoe, 1948-1949 Lim Ewe Hin, 1949-1950 Goh Hock Lye, 1950 Yiap Khin Yin, 1950-1951 Lim Ah Soo, 1952 Eddy Chung, 1952-1953 Boey Khoon Loong, 1953-1954 Mahinder Singh, 1954-1955 NA Ogle, 1955-1956 Lee Teng Chye, 1956 Teoh Soon Teong, 1956-1957 Kee Yong Tau, 1957-1958 Thong Kar Cheong, 1959 Tan Teng Nam, 1960 Koe Eng Ghee, 1961 Chin Wah Seng, 1962 Chan Hen Sam, 1963 Lim Chin Kee, 1964 Tan Poh Seng, 1965 Teng Kok Seng, 1966 Teh Ping Choon, 1967 Tan Heng Soon, 1968 Goh Hong Guan, 1969 Tan Kheng Kooi, 1970 Lim Hun Soon, 1971 Yew Teck Chye, 1972 Lim Siang Jin, 1973 Ng Beng Lee, 1974 Tan Hock Guan, 1975 Yeang Hoong Kheng, 1976 Lim Kew Seng, 1977 Goh Kok Yew, 1978 Ch’ng Geam Liang, 1979 Lim Hoon Chong, 1980 Soh Yew Siang, 1981 Tan Poh Eng, 1982 Khoo Guan Huat, 1983 Ong Ewe Lee, 1984 Yeoh Hock Thye, 1985 R Angappan, 1986 Boo Soon Yew, 1987 Khor Seng Teng, 1988 Y Narendran, 1989 Abdul Aziz bin Haji Sulaiman, 1990 Eric Chang Choong Yin, 1991 Lye Chien Chai, 1992 R Murali, 1993 Jerry Chang Shang Yu, 1994 Adrian Tay Peng Kuan, 1995 N Sunderaj, 1996 Santhosh Raj, 1997 Tan Hee Seng, 1998 Ding Teng Yew, 1999 Jeffery Woo Kin Keong, 2000 Lim Teong Keat, 2001 Lee Teong Ghee, 2002 Kenneth Teow Kheng Leong, 2003 Goh Kok Yun, 2004 Teo Lee Ken, 2005 Ivan Ooi Jieun Vei, 2006 Yeoh Jit Wei, 2007 Ritchie Lee Zhe Zin, 2008 Kenneth Tan Yu Shen, 2009 Jashan a/l Gunaselan, 2010 Prabu a/l Siva Sankar, 2011 Koh Cheang Huat, 2012 Por Kai Yann, 2013 Ooi Jian Ming, 2014 Teoh Ewe Mun, 2015 Amirul bin Akbar Khan, 2016 Shawn Stanly a/l M. Anthony Dass, 2017 Hemaviknesh a/l Supramaniam, 2018 Krishan a/l Renganathan, 2019 Inesh Singh Dhillon, 2020 Muhammad Umar bin Abdul Rahman, 2021 Harish Jeyarishi, 2022 Jax Ch'ng Xue Han

Ahmad was an active unionist in Singapore. He entered politics in 1955 and became a member of the Singapore Legislative Assembly. He served as a Minister in the Singapore Government. He died at the General Hospital there after a prolonged illness.

Sandosham was well known for his work in parasitology. He was the head of the Department of Parasitology at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore and later, the University of Malaya. He was also the coordinator of malarial studies at the World Health Organisation and a director of the Institute for Medical Research.

Cheah was a shipping agent and general merchant before branching into opium and spirit revenue farming. He was a Justice of the Peace, Penang Municipal Commissioner, member of Chinese Advisory Board, trustee of Penang Free School, founder member of Poh Choo Seah, and Visitor to prisons and hospitals. He built the iconic Penang clock tower near the Esplanade to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign.

Eddy Choong’s claim to fame was as a badminton player. Four times he was the singles champion at the All-England championship between 1953 and 1957, and three times he was the doubles champion with his brother, David Choong, at the All-England.

Elyas began his career in the Public Services Commission in 1960 and also worked in various others capacities before his appointment as the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur in 1981. During his 12-year tenure, he introduced an integrated public transport system to improve public travel facilities in the city. He was also an active leader in the field of sports, especially badminton.

Eusoffe Abdoolcader was a lawyer and then a respected judge whose judgments were well-read across the Commonwealth. Thus, he was often referred to as the Legal Lion of the Commonwealth. He displayed great courage during the judicial crisis of 1988, ruling against the federal government, which eventually cost him his job as a Federal Court Judge.

Foo was a co-founder of the mining firm of Tye Sin Tat and Company, a household name in the Straits Settlements. He was appointed to the commission to inquire into the causes of the Penang Riots of 1867. He was a Justice of the Peace, Penang Municipal Commissioner in 1883, principal director of Kwantung and Tengchow Public Cemetery in the 1880s, founder of the Seh Foo Kongsi Ann Teng Tong in 1864 and founder member of the Penang Chinese Town Hall in 1881.

Sir Husein held a distinguished career of over 30 years in the public service. He was a member of the Straits Settlements Legislative Council for five terms. In 1948, he received a knighthood from George VI. He was also a Municipal Commissioner, member of the Indian Immigration Committee, chairman of the Penang Free School Board of Governors and chairman of the School’s Sesquicentenary Celebrations committee.

Khoo was a landed proprietor and entrepreneur. Before World War Two, he was a Penang Municipal Councillor, a member of the Chinese Advisory Board and a nominated member of the Straits Settlements Legislative Council. He left politics after the war but remained active through services to public bodies, schools, charitable organisation, temples, associations, societies and clubs.

Koh was a co-founder of the mercantile firm of Tye Sin Tat and Company. He was made a Justice of the Peace. As a Municipal Councillor, he spoke up against the municipal’s policy towards hawkers. He presented George Town with a fountain and donated an annexe building to Penang Free School in 1879. He also built a hospital at Balik Pulau and donated land in Ayer Itam for a reservoir.

Lim served as an officer of the Chinese Army Medical Service. At the end of World War Two, he practised privately in Penang and then as a medical officer in the Malayan Air Force. Then entering politics, he was appointed to the Straits Settlements Legislative Council and then the Federal Legislative Council. After becoming Chief Minister in 1969, he transformed Penang into a world-class electronics manufacturing and exporting centre.

MM Noordin was a wealthy businessman with a thriving import-export business. He was known to have a deep concern for the rights and future of the merchant community in Penang. He was also a substantial landed proprietor.

Mohamed Sheriff rose from being a translator in the Kedah civil service to become the State Secretary in the Kedah government. From 1948 till 1954, he was the first Menteri Besar of Kedah.

Mustapha was the Acting Professor of Pathology and Bacteriology at the University of Hong Kong. He was later to become the State Surgeon in Kedah and a member of the Kedah State Executive Council and the Federal Legislative Council. After his retirement from government service, he continued practising as a clinical pathologist in Penang. He also served on the Malayan Education Committee.

Ong was a medical practitioner but at the same time he was a Penang Municipal Councillor, an unofficial member of the Malayan Union Advisory Board and a member of the Federal Legislative Council. He spoke up often against dual nationality and the communists, and for that he was a marked man. In 1948, he was lured from his clinic and was killed at a lonely spot off Jelutong.

P Ramlee was the ultimate entertainer. Not only could he act and sing in films and on records, he was also a composer, director and producer. But despite all his talents, he wore his success like a mask. Beneath his many successes, he was a rejected man yearning for the adulation and financial rewards that eluded him late in his life.

Quah was a ship owner and commission agent. He introduced the first ferry service between Penang Island and Province Wellesley. He held considerable private interests in rubber, coconuts and tin mining, and was a prime mover in the establishment of The Old Frees’ Association. He was a co-founder of the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Chinese Advisory Board, a member of the Straits Settlements Legislative Council, and trustee of several organisations.

Syed Mohamed Alwi was an eminent gastro-surgeon in the country. He pioneered a tetanus unit at the Penang General Hospital. Later he was transferred to Kuala Lumpur as the senior consultant surgeon.

Syed Omar was the third Menteri Besar of Kedah from 1959 to 1967. He served in the Administrative Office in the Kedah civil service and was also the District Officer of Kulim and Kubang Pasu, a Senior Customs Officer and worked in the Kedah Treasury Department. After his retirement, he entered politics in 1954. As Menteri Besar, he implemented the Muda River irrigation scheme and established the Kedah State Development Corporation. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace.

Tan joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1955 and served as Magistrate and later Deputy Registrar of the High Court. He became Solicitor-General in 1963 and was Attorney-General from 1969 to 1992. He was founding chairman of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the chairman of Singapore Petroleum Company and Insurance Corporation of Singapore, a director of Development Bank of Singapore and a roving ambassador to Hungary, Austria and the Slovak Republic.

Tunku was the Grand Old Free. He was the Prince that became the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. His life had always been in the public service. He started out as a District Officer, then went into politics and led the country to Independence in 1957. After stepping down in 1970, he was appointed secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. His passion was football but he also had interests in golfing, horse racing, sailing and photography.

Tuanku Syed Putra was the sixth Raja of Perlis and the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He ascended to the Perlis throne in 1945. In 1956, he received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. He was Second Magistrate in the Criminal Court in Kuala Lumpur. During his term as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he was known as the last King of Malaya, the first King of Malaysia and the only King that Singapore had ever had in her modern history. When he died in 2000, he was the longest reigning monarch in the world.

Wee was the first Asian lawyer to be appointed as a Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He rose to become the republic’s Chief Justice and for a very brief period of time in 1985, he was the Acting President of Singapore.

Wu was a hero in China because he eradicated the dreadful plague epidemic there in 1911 and saved millions of lives. For his efforts, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1935. He returned from China in 1937 and became a successful private medical practitioner in Ipoh until he retired back to Penang in 1960.

Yeoh was the first schoolboy to win a Malayan Amateur Athletic Association championship in 1930. He was the senior surgical tutor at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore. During the Second World War, he volunteered his services to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He was also the senior assistant surgeon at the Singapore General Hospital and the state surgeon of Johore. For his contributions to the world’s orchid community, he had an orchid genus named after him.

In the 1940s, Yeoh became a consultant surgeon to the Singapore General Hospital and was appointed Professor of Surgery at the University of Malaya. He took to politics and became a Member of Parliament in Singapore in 1966, made Deputy Speaker in 1968 and elected Speaker two years later. On three occasions, he was the acting President of Singapore. He was also a Justice of the Peace and the chairman of various boards including the University of Singapore Council.