THE smiles on Datuk Teh Kew San’s face said it all as friends and family gathered to celebrate his 90th birthday with a dinner at the Noble Restaurant in George Town last night.
To be precise, today marks Kew San’s actual 90th birthday, with the celebration held a day earlier. Also present at the dinner was his wife, Datin Ng Mei Ling.
Most of the 60-odd attendees, aged between 50 and 80, have been touched in some way by Kew San’s life.
While Kew San, fondly known as ‘Ah Pek’ to the badminton fraternity, is best known for his international badminton achievements, he was also a multi-talented athlete, excelling in cricket, hockey, basketball, and football at both club and state levels.
From the late 1950s to the late 1960s, Kew San established himself as a formidable force in badminton, competing in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. One of his proudest moments was captaining the Malaysian team to victory in the 1967 Thomas Cup.
His notable singles titles include the Mexico City International in 1960 and the Asian Badminton Championships in 1962.
The year 1959 was particularly remarkable for Kew San and his doubles partner Lim Say Hup, as they clinched victories in the men’s doubles at the Glasgow World Invitation, All-England, Canada Open, US Open, Malaysian Open, and Mexico International.
In mixed doubles, Kew San and Mei Ling triumphed in the 1962 Malayan Open and the 1965 Malaysian Championship.
Former national player Ho Khim Soon, the chief organiser of Kew San’s annual birthday gathering, expressed his joy at seeing such a wonderful reunion of badminton friends.
“He is a badminton legend. We hope he continues to enjoy good health and happiness,” Khim Soon said.
Khaw Cheow Kheng, another former national player, commended Kew San for his kind and generous nature.
“I have never seen him lose his temper. During training, whatever knowledge he could share, he freely imparted to us.
“Even when he was 80 years old, he still organised matches for us and encouraged us. Nobody else would do that, and that is why you see so many former players attending his birthday celebration to show their respect and gratitude to him.
“You won’t find anyone as dedicated as him. He taught us for free – we only had to pay for the shuttlecocks and court rentals. When I was 17, Ah Pek was already in his mid-40s. It was a privilege to play against him. We youngsters would try to attack him but he had such solid strokes and foundation that we could not ‘kill’ him,” said Cheow Kheng, now 63.
One notable attendee at the celebration was Prof Datuk Dr Wong Tat Meng (former Vice-Chancellor of Wawasan Open University), who despite having to walk with the aid of a cane having suffered a stroke in 2012, has regularly attended Ah Pek’s birthday dinners over the past five years.
Prof Wong, who hails from Alor Setar, was a precocious badminton talent and had represented the Kedah state while still a schoolboy. He recalled that during the 50s, in an attempt to improve his badminton skills, he had to ride a Vespa scooter all the way to Penang after school every Thursday in order to train under Kew San’s guidance and practise with his group at the Long Say Building on Burma Road. He would then make the return trip on Saturday afternoon so that he could get ready for school on Sunday.
Prof Wang added, “I found Kew San to be such a humble, friendly, helpful and caring person. He would patiently impart to us his vast array of badminton strokes. I have learnt a lot from Kew San both as a badminton player as well as a sportsman. I am grateful to have come under his tutelage.
“Because I have so much respect for Kew San and Mei Ling, I make it a point to attend his birthday celebration whenever I have the opportunity.
“I wish him well and hope that he will continue to be blessed with good health and happiness for many more years to come,” Prof Wong shared.
Another attendee, R. Karunakaran, 78, cherished the opportunity to celebrate Kew San’s birthday while reuniting with many players who had once been trained by him. Karunakaran expressed his deep appreciation for Kew San’s humility and valuable advice on improving as a badminton player.
Karunakaran fondly recalled a year when he aimed for a treble at the Penang Junior Badminton Championships but ended up securing the mixed doubles title with Khor Lay See. He eventually gave up competitive badminton due to his shift work as a technician at Malayawata Steel Berhad. However, in 2018, when Penang hosted the Asia Pacific Masters Games (APMG), he competed in the over-70s category and emerged as the runner-up. To this day, he continues to enjoy social badminton.
“Kew San was an excellent player – disciplined, calm, and friendly. He taught us how to play the right strokes and position ourselves effectively,” said Karunakaran, who had also assisted the legendary Eddy Choong in coaching players like Khaw Cheow Kheng and former Malaysian No. 1 Ong Ewe Hock.
Towards the end of the celebration, Kew San, despite recently suffering from a left knee issue, graciously walked from table to table to personally thank all the attendees for joining him on this special occasion.
The evening concluded with a joyful cake-cutting ceremony as friends and family sang the birthday song and wished Kew San and Mei Ling a very Happy Chinese New Year.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by K.H. Ong and courtesy of Ho Khim Soon