A legend in his own right

Those were the days: A 1953 file photo of Anderson School, Ipoh. Shahrum Yub was in the last row, eighth from right; and the writer was second from left in the second row.

THE passing of Datuk Shahrum Yub, the former director-general of the Department of Museums Malaysia, last Friday is a great loss to the nation. To me, it is the loss of a good friend as well.

I remember the day in January 1951 when Shahrum and I joined Anderson School in Ipoh. After a brief session, the headmaster Mr E.H. Bromley placed both of us in Standard VII B (now Form Three). Shahrum was from Methodist English School, Tanjong Malim, while I was from Clifford School, Kuala Kangsar. We were classmates for the next two years.