Proud father: Father of five Rozalli (seated, in the centre) with his family and grandchildren during a recent gathering at their home in Melaka. — Photo provided
WITH no car and no milk for his baby daughter, Rozalli Hashim braved the icy cold weather in New York state and walked to the store even though it was snowing.
“At that time, I was studying in Syracuse city in the United States and my family was with me.
“We ran out of milk and since we had no vehicles, I walked and accidentally fell into a ravine filled with snow.
“But I got up, got the milk and went home,” recalls the now 60-year-old father of five.
Remembering the incident which took place over 30 years ago, he says he almost got frostbite and could barely feel any sensation in his toes by the time he got home.
And that’s just one of the many times Rozalli, a retired university lecturer, went the extra mile for his children.
He retired early at the age of 56 from his job because he wanted to care for his second child who has cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects a person’s ability to move.
“I was supposed to retire at 60 but I decided to leave my career early because I needed to care for my daughter.”
The daughter, whom the family affectionately calls Kak Ngah (the Malay term for female middle child), is 30 now, so she has an adult body but needs help to be carried and has other special needs.
“My wife needs my help to manage her,” shares Rozalli, whose other children are now aged between 24 and 35.
It’s no surprise that this dedicated dad was recently given the Exemplary Father Award by the Better Dads Malaysia (BDM) NGO.
He was one of two fathers in Malaysia who received the award this year in recognition of their inspiring journeys as dads.
On receiving the award, Rozalli, who has four grandchildren, was speechless because he feels there are other more successful fathers out there, he said humbly.
“Nevertheless, I am grateful to God.
“This Fathers Day has been made more special to my family and we feel very happy,” he says.
He hopes that his story will let other parents who have children with special needs know that they are not alone and others in the community do support them.
“I also hope the government will support fathers like us, including new parents.
“Fatherhood is a big responsibility. If we fail, the family fails. If the family fails, then the country fails too.
“But fathers are truly special as they have the ability to lead the new generation,” Rozalli says.
He says he tries to impart good values to his kids such as politeness, respect and tolerance for all people regardless of colour and creed.
“I’m sure this is what all fathers in Malaysia, be they Malay, Chinese or Indian, want too,” he adds.
Father of five and grandfather of 13, Yasir Dawat @ Robert, 76, is the other man chosen to receive the Exemplary Father Award, for leading his children to become successful individuals.
The padi farmer from Sipitang, Sabah, who also grows rubber, corn and other vegetables, considers one of his greatest achievements is keeping his children away from alcoholism.
Father of five Yasir Dawat @ Robert, 76 (seated in blue) with four of his children (from left to right) Edward, Neomi, Eddy and Agnes. The farmer from Sabah says one of his greatest achievement is to keep his family away from alcoholism.
Dawat, who is from the Lundayeh community, also inculcated his children with a strong faith in Christianity which helped them get through challenges, including the various restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I’m truly happy and excited as I didn’t expect to receive such an award.
“For me, it is the highest honour I’ve ever received,” says Dawat, who will be celebrating Fathers Day with his family with a good meal.
He believes that as a father, it is his duty to be a good example to his children and prays for them every day.
In conjunction with Fathers Day this year, BDM and Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia, an Islamic organisation focusing on public education and community work, are jointly hosting an online forum tonight on resilience and men’s mental health; the English session will take place from 8.30pm to 10.30pm.
The forum is entitled “Resilient Fathers Build Resilient Families: Promoting Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing”, and will be free to the public online via Facebook Live at facebook.com/ betterdadsmalaysia and facebook.com/ ikrammalaysia.
