Dear Edwin:

Thanks for both your e-mails. No, I haven't gotten into the website yet because I am not as knowledgeable about this as my son and will need him to help me. I will, however, do so as soon as I can. In the meantime, I sent my sister the address so she can keep track herself.

I was at MEHS from kindergarten to Standard V (there were ten standards besides KG), when the war broke out in December, 1941. I remember how we had to paste paper in cross shapes across the window panes, practice air raid drills (under the tables), and all that sort of stuff. The schools were closed soon after the first bombings. Our family was stuck in Myitkyina (long story), until it was re-taken and we refugees were flown to India. I completed the first half of my high school near Darjeeling, returning to Burma in 1945. I just sat for my matriculation after a year at St. Mary's and took my freshman year at Judson College just as it was taken over by the University. So you have a fair idea of how old I am!

Anyway, MEHS was a girls' school at the start, with American missionaries as principals. It must have become coed after the war. Miss Maureen Cavett was principal while I was there. Mrs. Logie was a teacher, I think, (her maiden name was Bartels) and became principal after the war. Many of the teachers evacuated and some had to walk out of Burma. We lost several on that trek. Others made it to India.

My mother, Mrs. Louise Ling, taught KG during some of the years you were attending. You may not have known her. Mrs. Logie was her principal. My brother, Michael Ling, was a pupil during those years.

I'm sorry to say that I have no pictures of the old school. When I visited Burma in 1996, I was around the Sandwith Road area but was unable to get to the buildings. I think that it has some miliary usage either on the premises or near it and it is off limits. I do not know if it returned to being a school again.

If I didn't respond to your first message, let me say that a long-time friend sent me your name as a contact. Her daughter, now Dr. Linda Manual Singh, lives in England and my friend lives with her. Her parents were Indian church people; her dad had a church in Rangoon and through our parents, we kept contact. The family was visiting in New York City and we talked on the phone, which is when I learned about the reunion and the list she had. She is sending me the printed list. Also gave me the name of a Robert Fuller as another possible contact. I have not written him yet.

If you can assist me by e-mail with any further information re: MEHS alumni, I'll be much obliged.

Best wishes, Pat Ling Magdamo
Email: rangoon@juno.com

I shall have very wonderful memories of the 1st Int'l Reunion in Kidderminster and Stourport-on-Severn. It was so nostalgic seeing our dear Mrs. Logie and family. They were very good to the Beale family as I am sure they were with all the students at M.E.H.S.

I give much credit to my old school for giving me a good foundation. Of course my dear parents had a great influence on my life as did my grandparents and my Aunty Ann. I try to share these lessons with my grandchildren now.

I do hope that I shall be able to attend more functions in California and on the East Coast where some alumni have been so kind to invite me.

If anyone has digital pictures to share with me I shall appreciate them since I left my camera at home. Also if anyone wants copies of the l955/56 Swaying Palm, please let me know.

There are many friends in INDIA who were students in MEHS and I got the site from one of them. But after going through the directory none of their name was there. It means they might not have entered their name in it. Any how I will try to collect their name, address and email if they have and try to email you. I have read a letter from a friend from Pakistan and suggested that in every country the students and teachers should meet once in a year and if possible we should meet in Yangoon once a year.

We were known for our most popular BANDOOLA BLANKETS and after nationalistion we came and settled in India. I graduated in Yangon through Calcutta University by doing BA. I did my post graduation in Bombay in marketing management. Our is a joint family business having industries of Plastic Packaging, Printed Circuit Board, Mango Pulp Canning amd are doing Import and Export business. In 1990 we opened our office in Yangon known as Bandoola International Ltd. having Industry of Pulses Processing and are distributor of many products of India.

I have also established a chamber known as INDO MYANMAR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES in 1997 and I am the founder president of the same. I have been to Yangon number of time and many top Ministers and officers and also found that the country as well as people are same as they were then in early 1960. Only the international media is projecting it wrongly.

Hello MEHSA,

Having only just bought a computer and thus catching up with the 21st century, I was able to log on to the MEHSA website. This alone is a feat worthy of commendation, in writing, from Mrs. Logie, a pat on the back from Mr. Kan Goon and 100 points for Judson House. In other words I'm a novice at this game.

Let's go back a little. My name is Lester Halhed. I was a student (not a very good one) at the MEHS from the early 50's until 1955. I left Burma to study in Scotland (Glasgow). I then did four years at the Glasgow School of Art, graduating in 1965. London beckoned and after a colourful three years of various character building jobs I was employed on the Beatles film The Yellow Submarine. This led to me working in Thames Television for the next twenty five years as a senior Graphic Designer. Our company lost it's francise to Carlton in 1992 and so I now live in Devon with my second wife Jane, and paint for a living.

I looked up some of the photos on the website and came across the "Class of 57". There I was, second from the right, second row, all ears and very little else. However, it is not the class of 57, as I had left Burma in 55. It was the second standard, and I was about twelve years old, so it must have been about 1952. Gillian Logie is fourth from the right, same row. Reggie Chan, first left, same row. Marina Pereria, third right, front row. Michael Ling,third right, back row. Ronald Bo,fourth, right, back row.

If I can find my very first Swaying Palm, I'm sure all the names are in there. It is in a very safe place somewhere in the house.....but where? I remember the paper was very glossy, hence the printers ink preferred to stay on your fingers rather than the page. I also have the 56/57 issue which is right in front of me and not hidden away.

When I was a student in the 50's, Mr. & Mrs. Logie and Gillian, when on holiday in Glasgow used to, occasionally take me to the cinema and then back to their home for tea. I am eternally grateful for their kindness.

All the years I was in television, I had hoped that some ex MEHS classmate would see my credit on the screen and contact me via Thames TV. Only one did. I got a call from Michael Ling who was on a three year transfer to Cambridge by the American Air Force. This was in about 1990. My partner and I drove down and spent a day with him and his wife. The other ex students I have made contact with are Gillian Hutton, Jacqueline Gill, Francis Porter who is my brother-in-law and lives in Australia, Marina Pereria, Derek Webster also in Perth, Australia, Fay Fencott, my cousin who also lives in Perth. Three weeks ago Robert Barnett was on his way to Cornwall and dropped in to see me. The last time we met was in 1955. He had just come back from another one of his trips to Burma with a pile of photo's. He brought me a catapult, a box of mangos and six tops (the spinning kind). Unfortunately the tops were not the same as they were forty years ago, they are now made of plastic and a 1/3 of the size.

Looks as though I have pressed a button I should'nt have and the above four lines have formed a new sentence!!!!! The other ex student I saw in Australia was Ann Greenwell. When I learn to use this machine a little better I shall scan some photos through which might be of interest to someone.

I would like to contact Leslie Grubert, if anyone can help, my e-mail address is lesterandjane@lineone.net Maybe someone out there remembers me.....if you do, please get in touch.

Lester

Your alumini directory is great! I found one of my class mates that I have not been in touch with for nearly 30 years! However, I would like to suggest that you clarify the directory's listing by having graduating class versus last year at MEHS. I left Burma before I finished 10th standard and therefore the last year in school and the graduating class year are different.
e.g. I am class of 1972
But I left MEHS in 1971

Sincerely,
Pearl

Congratulations to all who paticipated in setting up this home page. It is really a wonderful instrument to see again the names of all the old friends and to become sentimental.

Both sisters also attended MEHS. Angela now also residing in Perth, and Ann in Florida.

Migrated to Australia in 1968.

Spent the last 30 years in mining and now run my own business as a hard rock mining Consultant.

Hi! Great getting this address from my friend Sally Joseph with whom I have managed to keep in touch with all these years. I was at MEHS from 1955 to 1961 (I think).

Does anyone remember my mother, Mrs. Mary Maung Maung? Sadly mum passed away in 1990, but I still remember clearly that she was always in charge of the Lucky Dip and Hat Stall at the fabulous Fun Fairs that we used to have. If anyone has any class pictures I would love to have a look at them and would greatly appreciate it if you could forward it to me. My email address is waclarke@hotmail.com

Great MEHSA .. surprised but happy to find so many friends again.

Dear friends and classmates,

Thanks to Geoff Nash for providing me with the address to this website. What a trip back in time!And all in the comfort of home.

I left Burma in June '65 after sitting for my GCE 'O' levels and and have been a citizen of Sydney, Australia for the past 36 years. Several great years were had at MEHS where I proudly held the rank of prefect, stood guard at the gate to make sure nobody left at recess and also spent time in detention under the watchful eye of dear Mrs.Logie. A contradiction of sorts.

Thanks to the ABC in Australia and my 11 year old daughter, Nicky who won a competetion, our images are out there on http://www.abc.net.au/local/sydney/radio/bestseats.htm The prize was a free trip to the easter show for four people.

Michelle and I have been married for 26 years. The two older girls, Natasha(26) and Jodie(25) have flown the coop and live in Sydney. Jordan(16) and Nicky(11) and two cats make up the roost.

I have passed on this site to my sister, Susan who lives in San Diego with her husband, Michael. Susan was at MEHS in the early 60s.

To all friends and foe (there was a bully as I remember) HELLO and as there say in Australia G'DAY.

Will try and post some photos of the school. I have a good one of the building in the form of a postcard, circa '65.

Regards to all
Digby.

digbyminus@hotmail.com

This is just great ! I feel very nostalgic but am very keen to contact old classmates !

My cousin, Poppet, sent me the web address and that was really wonderful. Actually Gloria (Hengshoon) had told me about it and I wrote it on a piece of paper and lost it! Poppet emailed it, so I could just click on it.

What a wonderful job you have done. I just spent some time going through your site and I can identify someone from the photo gallery - class of 1961, Std. IV A , 2nd row from right to left, 2nd person is Pamela Aung Than (Gloria's sister)

I am at present working at the USC School of Medicine in the Division of Medical Education as Associate Professor (since May 2000). Got here by a circuitous route - worked for the World Health Organization from 1997-2000, first in Geneva (with Peter Kyaw Htoon) and later on in India. Prior to that was the Founder-Rector of the Institute of Nursing in Yangon, worked at the Department of Medical Sciences and earlier on, at the Institute of Medicine (1), Yangon.

Juliette contacted me when I came here to do my doctorate at USC from 1987-1990. Then when I went back to Myanmar, I lost contact. My classmates include Ivan Teoh, whom I have been in touch with, and also Gloria and Jimmy, and John Twe Maung, (whom I met at Gloria's house), Sandra Rahman and Pamela Marshall. My sister, Katherine is working for UNFPA and is stationed in Bangkok, James is in Seattle and Charlie is in London.

Thank you for the good work. I have really enjoyed the site.

I recently found out about our school's web-site from my old friends Leo and Cissy and I am quite excited going through the various pages. I still have somewhere in my drawer, group photograph of our class of 5th standard year 1959-1960. I'll send it to your web site see how many of us can identify the students in the class.

I'll try and make it for our reunion in July.