學生時代的雷大慶與愛人陳桃。
第六屆校友雷大慶同學如何從華校獨中生成為英文報海峽時報記者，後來又成為馬華公會會長，李三春部長的政治秘書呢？
在上世紀六十年代初，麻坡中化中學的學生如想提升自己的英文水平，自己必須自發地加一把勁，作出更大努力和付出。雷大慶校友就是有這種精神，從而奠定了後來他成為英文報章記者的基礎，並從這個基礎，升為部長的政治秘書。
下午唸英校
在中化中學唸高中的時期，雷大慶同學就立志要打好自己的英文根底，自覺地加倍努力學英文。
他早上在中化中學上課，下午他到麻坡Maharani英校上課，以提升自己的英文水平。此外，在中化唸書時，他經常買海峽時報，通過閱讀英文報章，進一步提升英語水平。他勤於翻查英文字典，記錄下英文生字，記憶英文詞彙。
雷大慶回憶道，當年他和邱奕銅同學兩人一起早上在中化唸書，下午到Maharani 英校學英文。第六屆的邱奕銅同學後來到澳洲深造，成為電子工程師，最後出任美國國防通訊與航空導航公司Rockwell Colline 亞洲地區的董事。雷大慶高中畢業後，自己在巴莪鄉下苦修英文一年，準備到新加坡南洋大學深造。隔年，他終於如願以償，考進南大現代語文系。
(圖片：唸中化時，雷大慶（左）和邱奕銅兩人下午一起到英校學英文。）
他說，他進入南大現語系時，班上共有43名學生。有些老師是畢業於英國牛津大學。有一位來自牛津大學的詩人老師對學生十分嚴格，不少同班同學被淘汰，最後只剩下15人畢業。
工作中提升英文水平
畢業後，他大膽地申請海峽時報記者職位，成功被錄取。當時新加坡前總統黃金輝還任職海峽時報，雷大慶是在黃金輝主考和面試下，獲錄取加入英文報海峽時報。
成為海峽時報記者後，由於他是大馬人，報館後來調他到吉隆坡海峽時報辦事處。在英文報工作了五年，並不是一帆風順，有時遇到不好的上司，常為難他，調他到夜班守夜。不過，雷大慶說，在報館的實際工作中，才是真正的磨練，真正提高他使用英文和英語的能力。
513過後，形勢有很大的變化，作為華人，雷大慶同學覺得繼續留在新海峽時報，不會有什麼前景。於是他萌起離職念頭，想另謀發展。
1971年，他的機會來了。當時的星洲日報記者曾子才告訴他，馬華公會會長李三春在物色一位政治秘書，建議他提出申請。於是雷大慶的人生發生重大轉變，從報界踏上政界。雷大慶成為李三春的政治秘書，一做十多年，經歷三屆大選，並曾代表國陣，參加國會大選。
作為60年代獨中生，在當年未具備良好學習英語的環境下，雷大慶卻能打進英文報海峽時報，並成為部長的政治秘書，個人的決心和毅力發揮重大的作用。當今年輕一代獨中生可以雷大慶作為借鏡，發奮學好英語。
退休後，雷大慶與太太陳桃重遊南大雲南園。過去的南大已變成南洋理工大學。
雷大慶同學在2008年第六屆同學團聚餐會上致詞。
1 comment:
Ah, I really did not expect some of my chitchats could become material for pubication in this blog! But Chow Sien has called me and asked me to write some of my experience so that the younger generation can learn from me.
Honestly I do not write the best English, my training as a journalist in The New Straits Times has schooled me to write simple English easy for as many people to understand as possible.
I have stuck to that style ever since
Where did I get this interest to study English harder than the rest?
In a way I have to thank my English teachers at Chung Hwa, from primary school to high school: Mr.Chan Tat Ming, Mr.Yen Chee Ren , Mr.Zen Wen Jin, Mr.Dai Yee Fat and Mr.Wong JIn Fook.
I was lucky to be taught by them, they were all good teachers: competent, serious and dedicated to their jobs.
I was not outstanding but I liked their English classes and I really paid attention to them.
I also have to thank Khoo Yik Tung who happened to be my best friend and I followed him almost everyday after school.
So we read The Straits Times together and we enrolled in an English school in Jalan Maharani for the afternoon session. It was tough but we had some good time there.
I was admitted to the National University of Taiwan but my wife who had just become my fiance objected. Haha! that was the advantage of getting engaged so soon!
It was too late for me to apply to Nanyang University then. So I decided to spend the one whole year studying by myself and during that year I did nothing but reading English newspapers,magazines and books in my kampong house at Pagoh.
I went to cinemas to see English movies and I paid close attention to the Chinese translation on the screen. Sometimes I saw the same movie a few times over.
My favourites were Gone With The Wind and Tarzan. I read Gone Wtih Wind about 15 times.
The next year I was enrolled in the Modern Languages Department of Nanyang University to major in English.
There I was fortunate to meet young poet Michael Thorpe from London, he taught us English poetry. He was really good and inspring.
I did not become a poet but I learned to appreciate the good things of English literature :English as an art and language.
I thought I had learned quite a bit of English until I started to work in The New Straits Times as a journalist.
There in the newspaper office in Kual Lumpur for more than five years I really went through the mill of writing everyday English for the common people.
There I must write and rewrite until my seniors or my news editors were happy with the style , simple and precise.
A newspaper does not have space to waste, you just have to do it right.
After leaving the newspapers I spent another 11 years working for the former President of MCA, Tan Sri Lee San Choon as his political secretary.
I did not leave alone, I persuaded my colleague Mr.Hng Hung Yong to join me .
Mr.Hng is no ordinary person, after graduating from London University and Harvard Unversity with degrees in political science and law, he came to The Straits times to write editorials . We became close friends.
So he became the special advisor to Tan Sri Lee preparing many of his speeches and project papers in English. Many of the papers I translated into Chinese to be delivered by the President at party assemblies.
(Mr.Hng later became managing director of The Star, continued to write his popular editorials and turned The Star around from heavy losses.)
We shared the same office and I had a good chance to learn English writing at a different level from him at close range .
But I do not treat learning English as a chore or a burden, I treat it as an interest, it helps me make many friends, commnicate with many people and enlarge my knowledge.
I am not perfect, I know, I am not the best, I know . Once in a while someone will tell me: Lui, you write well, that still makes me happy, I have my weaknesses, I know.
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