Alumni
Meet the distinguished alumni of Radin Mas School, including a former minister, award-winning artist, and welfare champion who have left their mark on Singapore.
Tuan Haji Othman Wok
Tuan Haji Othman Wok was born in 1924 and is the most respected former resident of Kampong Radin Mas.
He excelled in many ways, from winning awards as a journalist to becoming a respected assemblyman and Minister. He joined the People's Action Party in 1954 and subsequently became the Minister for Social Affairs. He was also an ambassador to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. After his retirement in 1981, he was author of several best-selling books on horror, mystery and the macabre.
"Radin Mas was an English school that admitted only boys. In those days, schools believed in corporal punishment. Being hit by teachers was commonplace and I remember being slapped at least once."
"Kampong days were happy times for me. Life was carefree. I had many friends, with whom I played catching and marbles in the Radin Mas School padang (field). I would take advantage of every situation to play."
Dr Tan Cheng Bock
Dr Tan Cheng Bock or simply Doc to his patients and those who know him well, attended Radin Mas School from 1948 to 1953. He was a Member of Parliament from 1980 to 2006, having been re-elected five times into office.
His achievements were not limited to his political career. He was also Chairman of several Medical Organisations.
"What I have done in life so far is partly inspired by my teachers from Radin Mas School, especially Mr Ratnagopol. He mentored me even after I left school and we stayed as friends for years until his passing at the age of eighty-nine. He was truly one-of-a-kind."
Mr Ong Kim Seng
Mr Ong Kim Seng is the first and only Singaporean and Asian to have won six awards by the prestigious American Watercolour Society (AWS). In 1990, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts by the President of the Republic of Singapore.
A self taught artist, he never had any formal art training. In him, we see the Radin Mas Spirit : To Never Give Up. This painting was drawn by him for the school.
"Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. Fortunately, I'm able to capture those memories through my Art." - extracted from www.ongkimseng.com
Mr Ron Chandra-Dudley
Mr Ron Chandra-Dudley was a blind activist and handicap welfare champion. He had been accepted to study medicine when he had an accident during a rugby match which blinded him at the age of 19. Despite the physical setback, he graduated with a degree in social anthropology from the London School of Economics. He founded the Disabled People's International in 1981 and the Disabled People's Association in 1986. He received the National Day Award in 2001.
"At different times of our lives, we do different things. Sometimes we quit. Sometimes we camp. But all of us can climb." - extracted from "A Man With a Mission: A Life Well-Lived"