He spent his childhood in Malaysia before coming to Singapore in 1982 after his o levels exams. Coming from a poor family background, he recounted those days when he had to wake up early every day to help his parents tap rubber till 11am before going to school in the afternoon. Those days, schools were very run down and had really low ceilings. There were only basic facilities such as chalkboard and classrooms; there weren’t any projectors and study corners. After school, most students would rush back home to help to do some household chores and help out in their family business. As for him, he recounted that he used to help his mother to bake cakes, fry banana and sweet potatoes. He also mentioned about the arduous journey he had to travel to school. He recounted about how he had to crawl under the train whenever they had to pass by the trains. Unlike today, he told us about how strict the teachers were and parents were less protective then. The principal once did a public caning on a few school delinquents in front of the whole school when they were found smoking. Apart from all these horrible experiences, he also talked about those fond memories he had playing games with his friends during recess like badminton and ball. He had a best friend in school that was very rich and owned a motorbike. However, his friend was very naughty; he stole money from his father. As part of his co-curricular activities, he joined the school's badminton team and was a good sports player. He won in numerous sport competitions, including cross country, and even had a chance to leave his town to participate in sports activity. His Chinese teacher has also made a deep impression on him. She visited him when he was sick and was said to be caring and nurturing. Despite all his hardships, he felt that school life was his better part of life where he could spend lots of time with his closest friends.
Besides school life, we also gained greater insights of his childhood life at home. He recounted an incident at home. He was being naughty and wanting to frighten his sister, hence he climbed up to the roof of the house. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and fell from the roof. His head hit the drain and that left a scar on his face. At that time, due to the low level of first aid knowledge, his neighbours helped him treat his wound by using a boiled egg to rub his wound when his parents were not at home. He had to suffer the pain for a few hours before his parents return from work to send him to the clinic to get it stitched.
After Mr. Lim left his hometown, Malaysia, for Singapore, he joined the MINDEF agency and became a navy officer. In the navy, he was given many opportunities to travel aboard to different countries in Europe, such as Sweden. Although he conceded that his job was challenging and tough, he enjoyed his vocation very much and took great pride in his work.
Mr. Lim is now a volunteer and the chairman of the Community Sports Club (CSC), and he is actively involved in organizing community games for the residents to participate in. As a chairman of the CSC, he forged friendships with the rest of the members of the CSC and his is well-liked by everyone. Mr. Lim strongly believes that CSC will allow Singapore to become a more cohesive and united nation. It is a platform for Singaporeans of different race, language and religion to come together to participate in a friendly match. Through these friendly matches, citizens can get to know and interact with other Singaporeans from all walks of life. This will promote racial integration and harmony as residents make friends with people of different races. Moreover, organizing community games is a good way to cultivate healthy lifestyle as this will allow citizens to stay physically and mentally fit. In addition to the CSC, Mr. Lim is also part of the organizing team for cross-country marathons, such as the One Community Walk which is held annually.
Besides doing a lot of voluntary work, Mr. Lim also strikes a balance by spending time with his family members. During the weekends, he will have breakfast with his family at parks, and will regularly organize family outings. He spends time with his children by playing different sports with them, such as games like basketball and archery.
Mr. Lim came from a humble background and faced many adversities in life. However, due to the hardships he had gone through, he learnt many life lessons that shaped his character and his beliefs. He has learnt to manage his expectations, to cherish and be grateful for what he has. He is very contented and satisfied with his life, and he will continue to put in his best for the community, the society and the nation.
* This memory was collected as part of a collaboration between Nanyang Girls' High School & Yuhua CC in 2012.
