THIS MONTH IN HISTORY - JANUARY

Notable events that took place throughout the month of January:

January 6
1969 - Rev. Bro. Joseph Yeoh was appointed as the new Director of St. John's after a 22-year absence. He will be at the helm of SJI for the next decade.

Rev. Bro. Joseph Yeoh's message from the 1968-1969 Garudamas

January 15
1904 - Three Brothers arrive in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the opening of SJI. They are Rev. Bro. Andrew Corsini, Rev. Bro. Cyril Alexander, and Rev. Bro. Julian Francis. Rev. Bro. Francis was appointed the first Director of St. John's.

January 18
1904 - St. John's Institution opened its doors for the first time, with an enrollment of 40 students. The school was declared open by Mr. R. J. Wilkinson, Inspector of Schools.

1994 - The Sports Complex, comprising of an open-air hall, badminton hall, and three squash courts, was officiated by Rev. Bro. Visitor David Liao, in conjunction of SJI's 90th anniversary. The building was part of an agreement with Dairy Maid in exchange of acquiring the field for the construction of an office tower and underground car park.

January 21
1989 - Rev. Bro. Cassian Pappu officially retires and Rev. Bro. Michael Wong was officially installed as the new Director of SJI. Bro. Michael, or fondly known as 'the BMW of St. John's' was the last Brother Director of SJI upon his retirement 14 years later in 2002.

Taken from the 1989 Garudamas

January 29
1982 - The body of former Director, Rev. Bro. Joseph Yeoh, lies in state in the school chapel. Bro. Joseph, fondly known as 'Old Joe', passed away peacefully in Singapore three days earlier, in the evening of January 26, due to a jaundice relapse. He was 52 years old. His remains were laid to rest the next day after service in St. John's Cathedral.

1989 - Rev. Bro. John Svrcek, member of the staff between 1935-1937 and 1978-1989 lies in state in the school chapel. Bro. John was involved in a fatal accident two days earlier and was buried the next day.