The Uniqueness Of Brinsford – The Brinsford Spirit
There’s no denying and I am sure all my fellow Brinsfordians will agree with me that we all are a unique lot – unique in many special ways. It’s not that we were the branded ones that were trained in England that makes us so. In actual fact we came from a small Malayan kampung known as Brinsford Lodge in the coal-mining hamlet of Featherstone . It’s that Brinsford Spirit that we had conceived there that gave us the edge against the others.
Brinsford Lodge was a mini Malaysia where students of all races, creed and religion gathered ‘far from the federation beneath cool England’s sky to work for our young nation whose ways and past we prized ‘
When we first landed there, many of us were all raw and fresh “languts’ just out of “bangku sekolah” . Many among us too had never even ventured out of their rural homes . Imagine the rude shock we experienced when we were greeted by the overcast sky and the cold biting wind of winter at a place that was so alien to us. It was a dream came through. The climatic and cultural shock were the first conflict that besieged us during the first few months . This was further aggravated by one long month of ragging during the Orientation Period. Ironically that was the most interesting and valuable period for many of us. That was the period when the real training began. That was the time when the “langut” freshies underwent a total revolutionary transformation to reintegrate ourselves for new social networks ; the pampered ones graduated as independent individuals while the arrogant ones became more humble.
When we left Brinsford Lodge after two years we were all a confident, versatile and responsible lot of teachers ready ‘to turn the lock of sorrow and set achievement free’ Above all we all had in us that Brinsford Spirit ! It was sown in Brinsford ; it had rooted deeply into us ; it had sustained the test of time and was the seal that has united us right up to this day. It’s without fail that Brinsfordians will make every effort possible not to miss out on the fun and nostalgic thrills at every Brinsford Reunion to strengthen fraternity and reminiscence those nostalgic memories and ‘ to remember the good things of the day (s)’ It’s the Brinsford Spirit. It is its uniqueness that has kept the get-togethers active to this day.- a living testament to the Brinsford S04 ( Sentiments overflowing the four chambers of the heart ) .
In Brinsford we were a family; one big family comprising of the main racial groups of Malaysia. We were all Malaysians, Malays, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups. We had made Brinsford Lodge our home away from home. We always celebrated the main cultural festivals with pomp and gaiety. In this way we not only preserved our identity as Malaysians but also projected our rich culture to the people there. Every detail was scrutinized in the preparation for each cultural festival ( food, decorations, music, dances , costumes etc. ) to make sure that it is in keeping with traditions and customs. These were the times when the Brinsford Spirit was put to test. These were the times when Brinsfordians, irrespective of race, put their heads and hands together be it Hari Raya, Deepavali, Christmas or Chinese New Year and of course the grandest was Brinsford Ball when we played host to a wider spectrum of the Midlands community comprising of educationists from colleges and schools, families we lodged with during our teaching practices and those in our fraternity circle. These were the platforms where Brinsfordians exhaled the Brinsford Spirit !
The motto on our college crest reads “For Malaysia”. Since its inception in 1955 Brinsford Spirit has been disseminating all over Malaysia and many parts of the world too. The ground that Brinsford Lodge once stood may be gone today but Brinsford Spirit continues to live on until the last Brinsfordian takes his/her last breath. Brinsford has a rich legacy that has spread over 52 years. It has stood firmly on “our rock the discipline of liberty “ and all through the years Brinsfordians have contributed immensely to nation building. We have fulfilled our aspiration –
“ Malaysia ! Malaysia ! We dedicate to our land “
Brinsfordians Cemerlang ! Malaysia Gemilang !
There’s no denying and I am sure all my fellow Brinsfordians will agree with me that we all are a unique lot – unique in many special ways. It’s not that we were the branded ones that were trained in England that makes us so. In actual fact we came from a small Malayan kampung known as Brinsford Lodge in the coal-mining hamlet of Featherstone . It’s that Brinsford Spirit that we had conceived there that gave us the edge against the others.
Brinsford Lodge was a mini Malaysia where students of all races, creed and religion gathered ‘far from the federation beneath cool England’s sky to work for our young nation whose ways and past we prized ‘
When we first landed there, many of us were all raw and fresh “languts’ just out of “bangku sekolah” . Many among us too had never even ventured out of their rural homes . Imagine the rude shock we experienced when we were greeted by the overcast sky and the cold biting wind of winter at a place that was so alien to us. It was a dream came through. The climatic and cultural shock were the first conflict that besieged us during the first few months . This was further aggravated by one long month of ragging during the Orientation Period. Ironically that was the most interesting and valuable period for many of us. That was the period when the real training began. That was the time when the “langut” freshies underwent a total revolutionary transformation to reintegrate ourselves for new social networks ; the pampered ones graduated as independent individuals while the arrogant ones became more humble.
When we left Brinsford Lodge after two years we were all a confident, versatile and responsible lot of teachers ready ‘to turn the lock of sorrow and set achievement free’ Above all we all had in us that Brinsford Spirit ! It was sown in Brinsford ; it had rooted deeply into us ; it had sustained the test of time and was the seal that has united us right up to this day. It’s without fail that Brinsfordians will make every effort possible not to miss out on the fun and nostalgic thrills at every Brinsford Reunion to strengthen fraternity and reminiscence those nostalgic memories and ‘ to remember the good things of the day (s)’ It’s the Brinsford Spirit. It is its uniqueness that has kept the get-togethers active to this day.- a living testament to the Brinsford S04 ( Sentiments overflowing the four chambers of the heart ) .
In Brinsford we were a family; one big family comprising of the main racial groups of Malaysia. We were all Malaysians, Malays, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups. We had made Brinsford Lodge our home away from home. We always celebrated the main cultural festivals with pomp and gaiety. In this way we not only preserved our identity as Malaysians but also projected our rich culture to the people there. Every detail was scrutinized in the preparation for each cultural festival ( food, decorations, music, dances , costumes etc. ) to make sure that it is in keeping with traditions and customs. These were the times when the Brinsford Spirit was put to test. These were the times when Brinsfordians, irrespective of race, put their heads and hands together be it Hari Raya, Deepavali, Christmas or Chinese New Year and of course the grandest was Brinsford Ball when we played host to a wider spectrum of the Midlands community comprising of educationists from colleges and schools, families we lodged with during our teaching practices and those in our fraternity circle. These were the platforms where Brinsfordians exhaled the Brinsford Spirit !
The motto on our college crest reads “For Malaysia”. Since its inception in 1955 Brinsford Spirit has been disseminating all over Malaysia and many parts of the world too. The ground that Brinsford Lodge once stood may be gone today but Brinsford Spirit continues to live on until the last Brinsfordian takes his/her last breath. Brinsford has a rich legacy that has spread over 52 years. It has stood firmly on “our rock the discipline of liberty “ and all through the years Brinsfordians have contributed immensely to nation building. We have fulfilled our aspiration –
“ Malaysia ! Malaysia ! We dedicate to our land “
Brinsfordians Cemerlang ! Malaysia Gemilang !
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