Heart and Soul: Coach Guna – The untold story of a kampung hero

Guna (sixth from left) with his close friends at his 60th birthday celebration. Thomas Samuel (far left) is the former Honorary Secretary of Flames FC, and next to him is Malaysian football legend in the 1960s and 70s, Datuk N. Thanabalan. Datuk P. Kamalanathan (fifth from right) is former Deputy Education Minister.

Heroism is more often associated with people who put others first, even at their own peril. Their actions are not selfish and often in the interest of others, be it an individual, a community or even a nation.

In recent times, I have personally lost many of my "heroes" who have passed on too soon with so much knowledge, wisdom and experiences still to share. I will greatly miss doyens of the media fraternity and legends in their own right, like Datuk Ahmad Talib, Datuk Wong Sai Wan and Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing who were illustrious sons of this soil. They were all eminent personalities, and tributes to them are still coming in. They all deserve every bit of the recognition.