Formed in 2015 to rekindle the true spirit of Melaka hockey’s golden years, this informal circle comprises former Melaka Hockey Association officials, coaches, umpires, players, supporters and enthusiasts.
Their first reunion was held on Sept 19, 2015 at The Malacca Club Townhouse, Melaka Raya. The original The Malacca Club once stood beside A Famosa and St Paul’s Hill, complete with its own hockey and cricket grounds – the cradle of hockey development in the state.
Fittingly, the venue was chosen for its nostalgic ties. Over 80 attended the joyous gathering, where four stalwarts – K Balakrishnan, the late P Ponenderajah, the late Hilary D’Cruz and Wong Choon Hin – were honoured.
Our second reunion was held in 2017 and we honoured the legendary hockey coaches, the late Machap Kali and V Kalimuthu and former MHA secretary P Manickam and hockey great Yang Siow Ming.
This year, we held our third reunion on Aug 31, 2025, at The Malacca Club once again, and the organising committee, helmed by K Balakrishnan, decided to honour Melaka-born athletes who had featured in the Olympics and World Cups.
Eleven of them attended the reunion: MP Haridas, Koh Hock Seng, Sulaiman Saibot, Tam Chiew Seng, Erling Wallace Tan, Chin Boon Gee, V Sasidharan, Michael Chew, Paul Lopez, Wong Boon Heng and Mary Soo.
MP Haridas, a pioneering PE specialist, was among the first in the National Sports Council (1983), developing national junior teams and athletes. He later served as the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s first general manager (1998–2008) and was instrumental in establishing the OCM Hall of Fame, National Olympic Academy, and National Olympians Association. In 2011, he helped the Asian Hockey Federation set up the Raja Ashman Shah Asian Hockey Academy in Ipoh.
Haridas represented Malaysia in hockey at the 1970 Asian Games and later coached state and national women’s teams in the 1980s and 1990s. A multi-sport player and coach, he authored guidebooks on hockey, badminton, volleyball, and athletics. An accredited IOC leadership instructor and Sports Science instructor with the National Sports Council, he now serves on the National Hockey Foundation’s Executive Board.
Koh Hock Seng, a rare double international, won bronze at the 1965 Asian Youth Football Championship in Tokyo before representing Malaysia in hockey at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. Remarkably, he was also selected for the Asian All-Stars in 1968.
Sulaiman Saibot, an Olympian at Munich 1972, later coached the National LLN Hockey and Melaka state teams to the 1979 Piala Merdeka title and led Malaysia at the 1982 Junior World Cup.
Tam Chiew Seng, a double international, represented Malaysia in the 1981 Hockey World Cup (Bombay) and 1984 Olympics (Los Angeles). Captain of the 1977 Junior World Cup team and nominee for Sportsman of the Year, he also played cricket for Malaysia and was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame in 2023.
Chin Boon Gee played in the 1979 Junior World Cup (Paris) and 1981 World Cup (Bombay), earning Best Player honours in Malaysia’s U23 tournament (1978) and the Nehru Memorial Cup (1982).
Erling Wallace Tan, captain at the 1982 Asia Cup (Karachi) and 1979 Junior World Cup player, was Melaka Sportsman of the Year (1982) and later coached Malaysia to a runner-up finish in the 2024 World Cup Hockey 5s.
V Sasidharan holds the distinction of umpiring at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Barcelona Games, Champions Trophy, and the 1994 Asian Games final, as well as the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He is also an FIH Umpires Educator.
Michael Chew represented Malaysia at the 1984 Olympic Games, the 1982 Asian Games (New Delhi), and the Esanda World Hockey Tournament (Melbourne) the same year.
Goalkeeper Paul Lopez played for Malaysia at the 1992 Olympics (Barcelona) and the 1998 World Cup (Utrecht).
Wong Boon Heng competed in the 1971 (Auckland) and 1975 (Edinburgh) Women’s World Cups and received the Best Player Award in 1974 from the late former Prime Minister Tun Hussein Onn.
Mary Soo, who also played in both Women’s World Cups, captained the national team before becoming team manager in 1985.
We also celebrated two distinguished Malaccans that night – Lt Gen Datuk Johnny Lim Eng Seng and Lt Col Professor Madya Dr Inderjit Singh. Lt Gen Lim’s recent promotion, widely reported in national media, made all Malaccans proud. Prof Dr Inderjit, captain of the Malaysian Masters Hockey team, led them to back-to-back Asian Championship titles in Tokyo (2023) and Hong Kong (2024).
It was a memorable night with 100 attendees – some travelling from London, Melbourne, Perth, Sabah, and Singapore, others arriving despite ill health or in wheelchairs, driven by nostalgia and friendship.
Vintage newspaper clippings from the 1970s, preserved by our organising chairman and the late Herman Sequerah, were displayed – including an article by the late P Govinderaju on the origins of Melaka hockey and the founding of MHA in 1931. Till we meet again in 2027 – long live Melaka hockey!
