It was eight years ago when the sad news of the passing of Br Columba Gleeson in Castletown, Portlaoise, Ireland reached the shores of Sarawak in the early evening of 3 February 2016, which fell short of his 81st Birthday by about one and a half months.
Now, eight years on, he is still very fondly remembered by many past pupils of St Joseph’s School Kuching, especially during class reunions and conversations on St Joseph’s School of yesteryears.
Born to a family of farmers in the small town of Cullenwaine, County Offaly in Ireland on 18 March 1935, James Gleeson (“Jimmy boy”, as he was fondly known) was the eldest among his siblings.
At the tender age of 13, he left home to join the De La Salle Brothers’ Junior Training Centre at Mallow and Castletown (where he adopted the name of Br Columba). Upon completion of the training, and at the age of 20, he set sail eastwards to a country unknown to many Westerners in those days.
He started his teaching career at St George’s Institution, Taiping for two years. In 1957, he went over to Sibu, the “Land of the Foochows” (as he often called it), where he taught at Sacred Heart School until 1962 when he went back to his home country to further his studies.
He returned to Sarawak to teach in St Joseph’s School Kuching In 1966, and he took over the Principal’s post of the School from the late Br Albinus in 1970 and held that post until his retirement in 1987.
During his superintendence at St Joseph’s School, the School continued to achieve splendid performances not only in academic results, but as well as in sports and other extracurricular activities, so much so that the School was branded as the “Power House” in Kuching (First Division, as it was administratively called) at that time.
He interacted very well with all teaching and non-teaching staff, and also the students, though many of the latter were “fearful” of him in School, as he was a strict disciplinarian and educationist. Use of rotan, as a form of punishment, was common in those days. An ex-pupil recalled his “‘on-the-spot discipline’. His cane would suddenly appear, hidden from inside his long sleeve…..”
Despite his ferocious approach in School, most, if not all, of his pupils were / are very grateful to him for shaping them during their formative years into what they are today, and instilling in them strong moral values. His strong commitment and dedication to his vocation was indeed second to none. His strong bond with the pupils and teachers earned him high admiration and praises from people of all walks of life.
After his retirement in 1987, he headed home to his native country to earn his well-deserved two-year holiday break, spending time with his siblings, family, and friends, though I strongly believe that he had very few friends, if at all any, back in his “kampong”, after spending almost his entire career in Sarawak, which he often referred to as his “real home”.
He returned to Sarawak in the 1989-90 period, and found “employment” in the Archbishop’s Office under the then Archbishop Peter Chung, doing pastoral work. It was during that period that Today’s Catholic was born, and Br Columba was instrumental in / the main driving force behind the birth of this newsletter. He also served as the Chairman of the St Joseph’s School Board of Management.
He made a difficult decision in 1997, after being “employed” for seven years, to go back to Ireland, not because he had fallen out of love for Sarawak, but due to the strong feeling of wanting to be back and be united with his siblings and family, he being the eldest in the family, when he saw his siblings and family members deteriorating in health one by one.
I remembered vividly he said this to me, “Sometimes, we have to follow our heart, and not our head. Not that I can be of help in their health situation, but to stay with and be closer to them in times like this can make a difference.”
Upon his return to Ireland in 1997, he was attached to the La Salle Monastery in Castletown till 2004, which was a place nearer to his family.
When back in Ireland, he never stopped his work. He contributed without fail and authored the “Signpost” in Today’s Catholic from 1997 to 2012. These short articles were his own personal reflections of what it meant to be a Christian today. With his choice of very encapsulating words, coupled with some little humour at times, he made it easy to be comprehended by many Christians and non-Christians alike.
These short stories, 104 in total, were later compiled into a book in 2013 entitled, “Living Our Faith”, which Archbishop John Ha then (now Archbishop Emeritus) had put it – “…was born out of the desire to share wholesome and salutary reading materials on the Catholic faith, presented in a light and easy reading manner, by an acclaimed teacher, a De La Salle Brother, who has devoted almost the whole of his working life teaching in Sarawak, Malaysia.”
From 2004-2012, he served in the La Salle Community, Glanaulin, in Belfast where I had the privilege of being housed in this Residence during my visit in 2010, and “chauffeur-driven” (by Br Columba) in Belfast, to Castletown and Knock-shrine. Trust me, as a passenger, it was not without thrills and suspense when he was behind the wheels!
After serving at Glanaulin in Belfast, he requested his Superior to transfer him to Castletown. The request was granted and he was relocated to La Salle Monastery in Castletown, where he assumed the post of a Director of the Centre in 2012.
In 2014, due to his poor health, he stepped down as Director of the Centre, and moved across into the La Salle Nursing Care Home, the Miguel House, where he was well-loved and respected by all. He never failed to bring joy and often laughter in some of his humourous conversation and interaction with his fellow inmates, the nurses and staff of the Home.
After he left Kuching for his home country, and at the invitation of his ex-pupils of the School, he often made regular visits to Kuching, Sarawak, which in itself spoke volumes of the love and bond he had for Sarawak and its people. Many Josephians had travelled great distances to Castletown to visit him and the other Brothers who had served in St Joseph’s School (whom Br Columba referred to, including himself, as the “Oriental Contingent”), either during the time he was residing in Miguel House or after he had passed on – again this is the testimony of how he and the “Oriental Contingent” touched the lives of so many Sarawakians.
The Sarawak State honoured him with awards, with the latest being the “Pingat Terpuji Jubli Emas” (P.T.E.) in 2014 during the 50th Anniversary of Independence of Sarawak, for his invaluable past services to the State. There were only a handful of recipients of this prestigious P.T.E. Award given to non-Malaysian citizens.
He was called home to the Lord on 3 February 2016 at around 6.30 pm (Malaysian time), and was laid to rest in the La Salle Community Cemetery at Castletown.
A great man indeed, filled with great love, full dedication, commitment and humility, and truly upheld the philosophy of the Brothers of the Christians Schools founded by St John Baptist De La Salle in providing education to “The Least, The Lost, and The Last”.
In memory of these La Salle Brothers and the early Mill Hill Missionaries, the School Board of Management of St Joseph’s School, Kuching has set up a Heritage Gallery, in the form of a living museum, at the Mill Hill Block of SMK St Joseph, Kuching.
Contributed
