Alma mater

1. My father’s alma mater was the Penang Free School. I suppose he was proud to be an old Free School boy. An article in the Straits Times dated 30 September 1915, page 9, reported that he presided over a meeting of all the old Free School boys in Alor Star. It was held at the Government English School on September 26, 1915 to discuss the steps to be taken to celebrate the centenary of the old school on a grand scale the following year. A committee was elected to make arrangements; the elected members were Messrs. M. Sheriff, M. I. Merican, A. Manaff, Goh Soon Leong, S. M. Idid, and S. Mohamed.

2. According to a newspaper report in the Straits Echo and Times of Malaya dated 26 November 1956, my father was one of Mr. Hargreaves’ brilliant pupils in the Queen’s Scholarship class, but he had to give up his study for the Queen’s Scholarship examination. According to the report, his uncle, who was also his guardian, “would not allow him to proceed to England even if he should win such a scholarship.”

3. My father joined the tutorial staff of his alma mater upon leaving school. He was a popular teacher and took a great interest in the School. Being fond of writing, he would lend a hand with the school magazine. This is evident from an acknowledgement note in one of the issue: “Mr. M. I. Merican has very kindly taken considerable interest in this issue of the Magazine.” Occasionally he would contribute articles to the papers, writing under his initials M.I.M.

4. He was a member of the Cadet Corps with the rank of Colour Sergeant. In a report of its activities published in the Free School Magazine, he wrote:

“…Second-Lieutenant Mann, our very energetic Second-Lieutenant, has gone on long leave. His absence accounts for the dulness [sic] now prevailing in the P. V. C. C. circles. Our commandant (1st Lieutenant Hamilton) is too […] to attend to the Cadets for obvious reasons. It follows that we are suffering from a dearth of officers and it is high time that someone was appointed to act for Lieutenant Mann. It is a pity to let things go thus for it disheartens a good many Cadets and discourages those who wish to join the Corps. Night marches which have been something of a stimulus to the Corps’ are conspicuous by their absence. There should be a night march once a month. In our circles there is a whisper that many of us would welcome Mr. Cheeseman if the authorities could see their way to make him an officer. We feel sure he would be the right man in the right place.

“It is hard to get recruits now and something must be done to encourage boys to enlist. To remedy dulness [sic] and lack of interest in the Cadets we must have an officer who will put some keeness [sic] and energy into the Corps and unless this be done, things will go from bad to worse.”      

5. It was during his time as a teacher that his name appeared in the List of Qualified Jurors, Penang, 1904. He continued service on the staff until Mr. R. H. Pinhorn replaced Mr. Hargreaves as Headmaster in 1904. About six years later, he resigned his post in the Penang Free School and came over to Kedah and assumed the headmastership of the Government English School in February 1911.

Grandson of a merchant

1. My father, Mohamad Ismail Merican, was born into a family of merchants. His grandfather, Mohamad Merican Noordin, was a very prominent merchant and the founder of the Noordin family in 19th century Penang. In his endeavours that spanned five decades or so Mohamad Noordin amassed great wealth through extensive trading and mercantile activities. Mohamad Noordin died in 1870 about a decade before my father was born.

2. My grandfather, Vapoo Merican Noordin, was also a merchant in his own right. It was fated that he would never see Mohamad Ismail grew up. After Vapoo died, his two-year old son was brought up by his younger brother, Habib Mohamad Merican Noordin who was a merchant, shipping agent and a public figure.

3. Habib, Mohamed Noordin’s third son, was appointed executor and trustee of his father’s estate upon his demise. He entered his father’s business in 1862, spending several years in one of the firms, sailing ships and trading with Burma. He also assisted his elder brother, Nina Merican Noordin, with the latter’s company which was established in 1863. Habib died in 1909 at his residence “Noordin Hall,” Hutton Lane, when Mohamad Ismail was 27.

4. Another one of my father’s uncles, Nina Merican Noordin, was also a merchant, magistrate, Justice of Peace, juror and Municipal Commissioner. He was the second son of Mohamed Noordin and inherited his father’s businesses. Later, Nina formed his own company with its business headquarters at King Street.

5. Nina was appointed as one of the arbitrators to settle the disputes between secret societies which gave rise to the Penang Riots of 1867. He was also one of the Commissioners that reported to the government about the Riots inquiry. He died in May 1880 after a long illness.

6. Lastly, my father’s uncle, Mashoruddin Merican Noordin, was an import-export trader, land owner, Municipal Commissioner, juror and philanthropist. He was the youngest son of Mohamed Noordin and inherited the business from his father. He was successful in expanding his family’s business empire in the latter half of 19th century. He was involved in the import-export trade of locally produced raw materials with major European trading ports.

7. Mashoruddin’s great wealth was evident in the properties that he owned. These include several bungalows and warehouses. Some of his properties which include a prominent mansion named ‘Clifton,’ Marble Hall, Babington estate and Suffolk House were sold after his death.

8. Mashoruddin was a well-known philanthropist. In recognition of his contributions, he was appointed as a Municipal Commissioner and made a Justice of Peace. After he died in January 1924, his business empire was inherited by his family members.

9. When Vapoo passed away in 1884, my father was still a child to inherit his business. No doubt my father was born into a family of merchants, but he was not destined to become one. It was evident since his schooldays that he would be his own man. A writer wrote that he was “the best English educated of the Noordin’s family.” and that “he gave early promise of great ability and distinguished himself at studies.”

10. It was reported in the Straits Echo that “Upon leaving school he joined the tutorial staff of his old School (Penang Free School). He was a popular teacher and took a great interest in the School.” I quote the following anecdote from the same paper:

During Mr. Merican’s career at the P.F.S. (Penang Free School), Sir John Anderson, Governor of the Straits Settlements, visited the school. Mr. Hargreaves in introducing him to Sir John, said: “This is a young Malay of means who takes to teaching because he likes it.” Sir John smiled and said, “Very exceptional! very exceptional, indeed!”

Mine in brackets.