25.11.2022
It was a personal shock to receive the sad news of Hamdan's passing at about 2 pm, Thursday 24.11.2022. He had in fact died that morning, but I only got to my mobile phone on my return from meeting some friends. Soon after his passing Bok had called, but the phone was not with me. Returning his missed called, his tragic news hit me hard. Hamdan was 78 years, 8 months and 3 days. May God Have Mercy on him, amin.
Cikgu Derus and his wife were good friends with my late parents, and they visited each other, staying just 2 km apart. We were in Bukit Temensu (The Hill with Temensu Trees). They were in Sawah Lebar (The Wide Padi field). I even remember one visit when my parents took me along. Both Cikgu Derus and wife were teachers. My father was also a teacher. I knew Cikgu Derus, a tall Malay, well. I met him many times. One time I went to the Malay teachers' club in KP town and borowed "Hikayat Munshi Abdullah" and "Pelayaran Munshi Abdullah" from its library from Cikgu Derus. He was in charge of that library.
Hamdan went to FMC, PD a year before me. He was in fact only 8 months older, but must have enrolled in school 1 year earlier. I think he had 2 younger brothers who joined the college. One I know because we would meet at a few golf tournaments. He's a good golfer. His son in fact was a successful amateur golfer who later tried his hands at the professional level, but I've not heard of his golf since. Another brother went to study in New Zealand, got married to a New Zealander, and is still there. He came back for a short while, but returned to New Zealand. When he came back from his university holidays, he would walk around KP town barefooted. Dato' Mansor, who was the MB, criticised him. They were related.
Hamdan at first joined the University of Malaya, but later changed courses and studied in England. He was there a long time. That part of his life until he returned home is unknown to me. Once back here, OPA activities in KL, and family events in NS made reconnection possible and we kept in touch right up to my last visit to Nyalas, when in fact I spoke to him on the phone. We used to meet for coffee & cakes at KL Central. In fact there's a pending lunch we promised each other, now unfullfilled.
On college holidays Hamdan would cycle to Bukit Temensu, and we would meet and trade news. I knew when he came back he was staying at the INTAN quarters in KL. His wife worked there. Then he moved to PJ. I never visited him in either places, regretfully.
By the time the sad news reached me yesterday, it was impossible for me to visit and pay my last respects. I regret that very much. I'd called Hank, but he already knew. But this was also a sad week for me here in Seremban. All within the last 3 days, 3 sad deaths occurred around me. Two of my neighbours, on the same road, died of old age. My wife's sister-in-law also passed away, aged 82, in Kg. Durian Tiga Batang (The Three Durian Trees), a km away. She was Singaporean, from Telok Blangah (The Cooking Pot Bay).
It's a small temporal world.
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