KOTA BHARU – For six decades, life took the former students of Sultan Ismail College (SIC) in Kota Bharu down different paths.
Some became soldiers, policemen, teachers, civil servants and professionals. Others ventured into business, pursued higher education or built careers far from home. Time, distance and responsibilities gradually pulled them apart after they left school in 1966.
But six decades later, the Class of ’66 discovered that some bonds never truly fade.
This year, the alumni celebrated their Diamond Jubilee — 60 years since they completed Form Five and embarked on their separate journeys — with a reunion that was more than a celebration of age. It was a reminder of friendship, shared memories and the values shaped during their formative years at SIC.
For Emeritus Prof Datuk Ab Latiff Mohamed, who has served as the group’s chairman emeritus since 2017, the reunion represented a remarkable chapter in the lives of former classmates who found their way back to one another after almost half a century apart.
“In this year, Class of ’66 celebrates the Diamond Jubilee — 60 years after we parted ways at the end of 1966 and pursued our own careers and journeys,” the prominent Kelantanese botanist and Merdeka Award recipient said.
“Starting from 1967, we began our own paths in life. Some chose to become soldiers, policemen, customs officers, teachers, while others continued their education at universities and colleges or worked in the private sector.”
The reunion story, however, did not begin immediately after graduation. It took nearly five decades before old friendships were rekindled.
In 2015, the former students from the Form Five Arts classes began reconnecting, led by the late Ariffin Mahmood and several other classmates. A year later, students from the Form Five Science classes joined, bringing together a wider circle of SIC alumni from the Class of ’66.
“Only in 2015 did the late Ariffin Mahmood and friends from Form Five Arts 1 and 2 and Form Five General begin reconnecting. Those from Form Five Science 1 and 2 joined in 2016,” said Ab Latiff.
“Since then, our activities have created history, except during the Covid years.”
The reunion grew from a simple gathering into a yearly tradition that strengthened friendships and created a support system among former classmates.
The prime mover of this group is Syed Mahadi Syed Jaafar who had painstakingly managed to trace and locate classmates and teachers. Prof Abdul Hamid Mohamed served as its first Chairman from 2014 until 2016.
The alumni returned to SIC, visited former teachers and maintained connections with the school community. They also established a welfare fund to assist classmates facing difficult times, including illness, hospitalisation and bereavements.
“Among our activities are visiting our school and meeting the principal and teachers. We visit friends who are unwell. We established a welfare fund to help and support members, especially when deaths occur,” said Ab Latiff.
“We often meet in Kota Bharu and Kuala Lumpur to strengthen the bonds of friendship and brotherhood among us.”
The SIC Class of ’66 currently has 96 registered members, with about 63 remaining active in its activities. Beyond annual gatherings, members continue to look after one another through visits, financial assistance and communal support.
The group’s Tabung Prihatin SIC66, funded through contributions from members and managed by three trustees, has become a symbol of their enduring commitment to each other.
“We request those who are able to contribute to the fund. When there is a need, we provide assistance,” Ab Latiff said.
SIC’s Legacy: A School that shaped generations
Behind the memories of the Class of ’66 is the legacy of Sultan Ismail College (SIC), one of Kelantan’s most historic educational institutions.
Established on January 5, 1936, as Ismail English School (IES), SIC was the first English government school in Kelantan. The school was established following discussions between Tengku Mahmood Mahyideen, A.C. Baker and J.A. Harvey, which led to the formation of the Kelantan Education Committee tasked with developing an English-medium school in the state.
Initially located at the Padang Garong Malay School in Jalan Hospital, Kota Bharu, the institution later moved to its present location in Telipot. It was officially opened on April 7, 1955, by Sultan Muhammad IV, the then Sultan of Kelantan, and renamed Sultan Ismail College in honour of Sultan Ismail, the reigning monarch at the time.
Over the decades, SIC expanded from an English-medium school offering lower secondary education into a fully developed secondary institution with Form Four, Form Five and Form Six programmes covering science, arts and commerce streams. The school also provided facilities including science laboratories, a large hall, hostels, teachers’ quarters and other amenities that supported generations of students.
Throughout its history, SIC has produced numerous prominent figures who went on to contribute to the country in politics, business, academia, royalty and public service.
Among its notable alumni are former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, former investment, trade and industry minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, former International Islamic University Malaysia rector Tan Sri Mohd Kamal Hassan, and entrepreneur Datuk Seri Ameer Ali Mydin.
The school has also educated members of the Kelantan royal family, including Sultan Ismail Petra and Sultan Muhammad V.
But for the Class of ’66, SIC’s greatest contribution was not only producing successful graduates. It was the foundation of values, friendships and shared experiences that continued long after students left its gates.
The Diamond Jubilee reunion, held in Kota Bharu from July 18 to 20, was the latest milestone in their journey. The celebration included a dinner at DSH Tunjong, a gathering by the beach at Rhu D’ Kandis in Bachok and a final breakfast at a Kopitiam in Kota Bharu.
For Datuk Mohammed Che Hussein, a prominent corporate figure and former deputy president, executive director and chief financial officer of Maybank, the occasion carried a deeper meaning.
Having hosted fellow alumni at Rhu D’ Kandis, the beach-facing villa and event space he owns in Bachok, he said school friendships remained among the most genuine relationships people form in life.
“The closest of friends is actually your school friends,” he said.
“When we are friends, we are friends for friendship’s sake, not because of anything else. Then we all move on to separate ways and pursue our own lives. So when you come back, it is always a pleasure to get together.”
But this year’s gathering also carried a bittersweet reminder of time passing.
The original cohort, numbering about 91 alumni, has lost several members over the years, including six friends in the first half of 2026 alone.
“Every year when we get together, there are fewer and fewer of us, but there is more and more happiness in seeing those who are still around,” said Mohammed.
“It is special every year because we never know whether we will still be around next year. The old feeling is never gone. The friendship is always there. Genuine friendship.”
For him, the importance of SIC went beyond academic achievements. The school years, particularly Forms Four and Five, were where many students developed the values that shaped their adult lives.
“Values shape your behaviour,” he said.
“Values are formed in the early years, especially in my case, I think the most formative years are Form Four and Form Five.”
He believes those years instilled principles that stayed with the students throughout their careers and personal lives.
He added that success should not only be measured through wealth or status.
“You can be a successful teacher, you can be a successful actor, a successful singer, a successful writer, a successful politician, a successful businessman.”
For retired consultant geologist Richard Koe, the Diamond Jubilee reunion represented more than a chance to meet old classmates. It was also a celebration of a lifelong journey that began at SIC.
Richard, who now divides his time between Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, attended the gathering with his wife, Yu Hui Chu, who is also an SIC alumna. Their own story is deeply connected to the school, having known each other since their student days before building a life together that has spanned decades.
The couple, who have been married for many years, eventually settled in Sydney, where they are now enjoying life with their children and grandchildren while continuing to return to Malaysia several times a year.
For Richard, coming back to SIC gatherings is a return to the place that shaped his early years and created friendships that endured long after graduation.
“We were in Form Five in 1966. Two science classes, three arts classes. So I was in a science class and we really never mixed,” he said.
That changed decades later when former classmates began reconnecting.
“Somewhere in 2015, 2016, a few people brought us together and they expanded to include us, the science students. So it became a Form Five class reunion.”
Richard said the reunion allowed former classmates to develop relationships that had never fully blossomed during their school years.
“The important thing is that we knew of each other, but we never really got close to each other. So now all got time to get close.”
He recalled being touched when former classmates reached out after decades of losing contact.
“I felt good. I felt that good that they still remembered me.”
For Richard, the SIC reunion also represents something larger than nostalgia. He believes the friendship among the alumni serves as an example of how people from different backgrounds can maintain meaningful relationships.
“I think the most important thing is setting an example,” he said.
“This group of people, we mix, we can talk, we can communicate. Whereas you look at the new generation, they think they are all very polarised.”
As one of the few Chinese alumni in the group, Richard believes the friendships forged during his generation were built on openness and understanding.
“It is not a question of me trying to maintain a friendship. It is a question of the other side,” he said.
“The Malays of my generation are much more easy-going. Their thinking is more broad-minded compared to the new generation.”
For the Class of ’66, the Diamond Jubilee was not merely a celebration of six decades since leaving school. It was a celebration of the friendships that survived distance, careers, changing times and the passing of years.
From Kota Bharu to Kuala Lumpur, Sydney and beyond, the former SIC students have carried the lessons of their school days with them.
And after 60 years, they have proven that while students may graduate, true friendships never do. – July 25, 2026