I first met Jesse van den Driesen in January 1964 at St Joseph’s Training College (SJTC), Pulau Tikus, Penang. We were both there to attend a two-year teacher training programme alongside the La Salle Brothers.
The Catholic college lacked enough Brothers to staff their many primary and secondary schools across Malaysia, so they recruited lay former students, including Catholics, Buddhists, and Hindus, who were interested in pursuing teaching careers. These applicants typically had strong recommendations from the Brother Directors of their respective schools.
