The Early Years

The Origin and Growth of  Anglo-Chinese School, Malacca

Malacca ACS had a hard struggle...

Newspaper page from 1949

MACS premises through the years, pages 16 and 17

A poem in Bahasa written in 1969 on page 18

Old boys and Newpaper clippings on MACSians

Newspaper clippings on Malacca ACS and Concerts

Old Municipal Map on page 24 and a Recent Map on page 25

Google Maps of the MACS vicinity

The Grand Opening Day of MACS in 1941

Attending School during the Japanese Occupation

Malacca ACS duirng a Photo-shoot on 19.10.2010

Our Coffee Table Book

MACS Centenary 1910-2010: Dear ACS, We're proud of thee


Starting today, I will post pages from the book in page sequence. I hope that you will find the contents interesting. This full-colour, 300 pages, 260mm x 260mm hardcover book with 1,100 illustrations and pictures is now available for RM120.00 per copy.

The back, spine and front cover. Cover design by Ben Toh ('79)

The inside cover by Ben Toh ('79)

ISBN and National Library Cataloging Data

Our School Song and Table of Contents

Table of Contents (Continued)

Preface, Foreword and Messages

Aerial Photo of MACS on Page 01

A Brief History of Malacca

Malacca Town, an essay by Chao Say Hin in 1955 (Form 1A)

The late Chao Say Hin's article written in 2011

Malacca Today

Specialities of Malacca

A Note of Thanks.

MACS 100 Fund Raising Efforts

The MACS Centenary Projects Group would like to thank all those who have worked hard to raise funds and those who responded positively by contributing generously. Special thanks to Roy Chung who gave an immediate contribution of RM10,000 to start us off and who stayed the course despite the uncertainty of whether the book will materialise due to an apparent lack of support from others in the early stages. Thanks also to Classes of '71, '72 an '78 who were the early contributors and also to Class of '73 for their DVD and Polo-Shirt fund-raising efforts that followed.

Without funds, it would have been impossible for us, although working on a strictly voluntary basis, to carry out any of the Centenary projects, especially the printing and publishing of the Coffee Table Book even though the entire authoring, editing and graphics were done “in-house” without any costs for outside professional services.

The funds raised, along with proceeds from the pre-payments for the book, profits from the sale of MACS 100 T-Shirts and the The Macsian Pdf DVDs will be used to finance the cost of printing and publishing this Coffee Table Book. After publication and after reconciliation, a decision will be made on how any balance funds and profits will be disbursed for the benefit of the school or alumni association, if successfully formed.

In response to our appeal for funds, Class of 1973 undertook, as their contribution, to design and supply the MACS 100 T-Shirts at their own cost for sale by the MACS Centenary Projects group. Just over RM12,000 was raised through this initiative. They also primarily managed the digital conversion of all the available editions of the school magazines for the The Macsian Pdf DVD project and to date, profits amounting to RM3,690 have been raised. Almost RM8,000 in pre-paid orders for the Coffee Table Book have been collected before going to the printers.

Our thanks and appreciation to all those who have generously contributed in cash and kind (please see page below for the list of contributors).

 I hope that you will find the book up to your expectations and read-worthy. While I have striven to make it as good a publication as possible, the underlying objective was to do my very best without incurring the very costly professional services for editing, graphics and publishing. The photographs in the book, even though enhanced and corrected, are more often than not, third generation  prints or scans - certainly not ideal and I apologise that it had not been possible to find better copies or the originals.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who have in one way or another helped to make the Coffee Table Book a reality:

Our Dental Nurse, Vikki

Malacca ACS was one of very few schools that could boast of having her own Dental Clinic in the 60s until the 80s. It was part of the Methodist Mission's program to ensure good dental care especially in the bigger Methodist schools.

It was probably through this dental care program that many of us now have better teeth, a denture here and there, bridging, crowning and an implant or two notwithstanding.

One thing for sure though, our young minds then, and for quite a few even today, were often pre-occupied with day-dreams and dreams of our dental nurse. Till this day, she remains fresh in our memories...

Page 112 and 113 of the Coffee Table Book features "Vikki, Our Dental Nurse"
Screen-shots (resolution lowered) below:

Index of MACSians

An Index of MACSians is included in our  coffee table book
MACS Centenary 1910-2010: Dear ACS, We're proud of thee


For your easy selection and reading of the coffee table book, an Index of MACSians is included. This Index, on pages 279 to 282, lists about 1,770 names with the respective pages in which they have been mentioned in an article or often as a caption to a photograph.

To see if you or your classmates, friends, parents and/or siblings are listed. I post below, screen-shots of the Index pages:

Page 279 of the CTB, first Index page

Page 280 of the CTB, 2nd Index page

Page 281 of the CTB, 3rd Index page

Page 282 of the CTB, 4th Index page

Atlas Ice Celebrates a Century of Achievements

The Atlas Ice Company Berhad celebrated their 100th Anniversary last Monday 27th February 2012

At a grand gala dinner for staff and guests at the Straits Ballroom, Holiday Inn Melaka, the company announced a Centenary Charity Giveaway of One Million Ringgit! The first installment of RM300,000.00 was presented to the recipients that evening itself.

The first recipient of RM100,000.00 is the Sekolah Menengah Methodist (ACS) Melaka (Malacca Anglo-Chinese School). Five of the present directors of the company had their early education in Malacca ACS. Chairman and CEO Chee Kim Hoon is a MACSian, Class of 1966.

L-R: MACS Board members Koh Tiam Guan, Kua Chong Beng
and Principal See Haw Yeow receiving the mock cheque from
Atlas Ice Chairman Chee Kim Hoon (MACSian Class of 1966)

The other recipients are the Haemodialysis Centre (SJAM), Bacang, Malacca (RM100,000.00),  SKE Mudita Home (RM50,000.00) and the Seck Kia Eenh Cancer Fund, Malacca (RM50,000.00).

The Atlas Ice Company has been a long time supporter of the Malacca ACS through their advertisements in The Macsian yearbooks.

The founder and first chairman of the company, Chee Swee Cheng was a prominent Straits born Chinese businessman.

The Straits Times, 5 June 1938, Page 29

Chee Swee Cheng was well-known to be a careful and thrifty businessman with a nose for spotting new business opportunities that came his way. Another trait that Chee Swee Cheng was fondly remembered for was his philanthropy with various hospitals having enjoyed his generosity, to the extent that an x-ray department was named in his honour at the Bukit Pala Hospital in Melaka.

At Malacca Anglo-Chinese School during the pre-war years, the blue house was named the Chee Swee Cheng House in his honour. The red house was named after Loh Kim Swi, also a director of The Atlas Ice Company. The yellow house was named after Rev Dodsworth and the green house after Rev Shellabear.

The houses were renamed when the MACS School Badge which highlighted the ideals and virtues espoused by Tagore, Lord Baden Powell, Sun Yat-Sen and Abraham Lincoln was introduced after the war.

To commemorate the centenary, the company has published a coffee table book  A Century of Achievements which traces the major events throughout the company's 100 years of existence. This book was presented to all staff and guests during the gala dinner.

Photographs from the Grand Gala 100th Anniversary Dinner below:-

Directors blowing off the candles on the Centenary Cake

"Pop!" goes the champagne bottle cork

Fireworks (above) and a confetti shower (below) after the toast

A One Million Ringgit Charity Giveaway to mark the Centenary.
The recipients pose with the mock cheques after the presentation

Guests and staff were treated to a gymnastics performance by a troupe
from Shanghai, apart from oldies from the 60s and 70s by local entertainers.

Churning Out Cold Hard Cash

The Star, Saturday 25th February, 2012
By CECILIA KOK
cecilia_kok@thestar.com.my

Atlas Ice prides itself on having built a sound business as it commemorates its 100th anniversary

Be it on the highways or on the byways, those white delivery trucks bearing the Atlas brand are a familiar sight all over Malaysia for a long time now. They are owned by the leading edible ice producers in the country, The Atlas Ice Company Bhd, which happens to also be one of the largest in South-East Asia.

Chee: Competition is very stiff. It
all boils down to striking a balance
between pricing and service

Often, their drivers are seen unloading the goods from the trucks to deliver to their customers in the increasingly busy streets of Malaysia especially in the Klang Valley. One driver explains the hectic schedule truck attendants have as he leads the StarBizWeek team to the company's office-cum-factory, which is tucked within the concrete jungle of Sungai Besi in Kuala Lumpur.

In their kind of business, speed is also of utmost importance. They have to move fast, lest they risk letting a business opportunity melt away to competitors, the truck attendant explains.

“Competition is very stiff in this industry,” concedes Chee Kim Hoon, the executive chairman and chief executive officer of Atlas Ice Co.

As it turns out, the sale doesn't always go to the strongest brand. In fact, in this game where all players sell an identical or homogenous product, the brand name doesn't even count.

“It all boils down to striking a balance between (right) pricing and (reliable) service,” Chee says of the most effective way for the company to gain an edge over its competitors.

By that, he means selling the company's product at competitive prices, while maintaining a  reasonable profit margin, and ensuring timely and orderly delivery of goods to its customers, which range from large chain store retailers, convenience stores and restaurants to small-time street vendors.

A simple strategy and yet it has been one of the most effective ways to keep the company alive and going strong over the last 100 years.

Coming of age

From a cottage industry co-founded by Chee's banker grandfather, Chee Swee Cheng, in Malacca in 1907, Atlas Ice today is one of the largest tube ice producers in South-East Asia, churning out 10,217 tonnes of tube ice per day, with a total of 84 branches spread across the region.

The company, which was incorporated on Feb 27, 1912, today boasts a total asset worth more than RM500mil.

Cool machines: Atlas Ice is planning to acquire new trucks to
 increase its fleet, which now stands at about 1,700 nationwide.

According to Chee, Atlas Ice was first initiated with a primary aim to break the monopoly of European-owned ice manufacturers that had been making huge profits by selling their products at high prices.

Atlas Ice came in to produce block ice for sale at affordable prices to ordinary folks in Malacca, and it had been a successful business from the start. But incisive businessmen always know that change is the only constant in life.

While producing block ice had been a solid business for Atlas Ice, its early leaders had noticed new industries and services emerging and creating new demands and business opportunities since the end of World War II.

In an increasingly competitive business, Chee says, the company's leaders reckoned with the need to re-adapt and change by diversifying beyond the company's traditional scope and into plantations to remain relevant and competitive.

Plantations remains one of Atlas Ice's core businesses today. It owns 1,090.17 ha of oil palm plantation and 44.29 ha of rubber plantation all in the peninsula.

Prominent leaders

Since its inception, Atlas Ice has boasted of having prominent individuals on its board. These included co-founder Swee Cheng, Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Tan Sri Lee Kong Chian, Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan and Chan Seng Kee, among others.

Chee gives them the credit for laying a solid foundation that has enabled the company to grow to where it is today. Nevertheless, Chee is no less capable than his predecessors.

A banker, like his grandfather, Chee took over the helm of Atlas Ice in May 1990 after resigning from a lucrative job with OCBC Bank's finance subsidiary.

He managed to implement a roadmap to re-energise and modernise the company's ice operations when demand for block ice was clearly on the decline.

Chee led the company's diversification into production of tube ice in the early 1990s. The product has since become the company's mainstay.

He also led the company's diversification into property business by acquiring several commercial units in Singapore's prime business areas.

Regional focus

“While we have reformed and adapted to the changing trends of the business world, we've never lost focus in what we do best,” Chee says.

“We are very clear about our strengths and what our core businesses are, and hence, we will continue to build on that,” he adds.

Chee wants to build Atlas Ice into the largest (not, just one of the largest) tube ice producer in the Asean region. The company is currently operating 13 plants in Indonesia, and one each in Brunei, Singapore and Cambodia.

He plans to set up four new factories across Indonesia this year to strengthen the company's presence in the country.

“Indonesia is our main focus in the region; it's an attractive market for us because of its huge population,” Chee says.

Atlas Ice is currently building its second factory in Brunei. The plant is expected to start operations in June this year.

This year will also likely see Atlas Ice venturing into Vietnam its sixth destination in Asean after Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Cambodia. It is currently in the advanced stage of negotiations to acquire a piece of land in Ho Chi Minh City to build its plant.

“Our next target is Myanmar,” Chee says.

While regional expansion is high on its agenda, Atlas Ice is not about to forsake its business plan for Malaysia, where it has more than 60 plants in operation nationwide.

“Malaysia's market is not saturated for our industry. There's still potential of growth, only at a slower pace compared with before,” Chee explains. Atlas Ice is currently looking at opening two new tube-ice plants in Malaysia.

To up its game, the company is drafting a plan to acquire new delivery trucks to increase the size of its fleet, which currently stands at about 1,700 nationwide.

As for its plantation business, Atlas Ice is exploring opportunities to expand its acreage in Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

There is no plan to increase its acreage in Malaysia, Chee says, as land in the country has become too expensive to justify the investment.

Cash business

With such extensive multi-million-ringgit expansion plans in the pipeline, how does Atlas Ice finance its ambition? Chee indicates that financing will be mainly through internally generated funds.

“Ours is a cash-flush business,” he points out, adding that more than 90% of its business is conducted in cash.

“We do borrow from banks, but our borrowing policy is very conservative,” Chee says, highlighting the company's preference to remain as lowly geared as possible.

For its financial year ended Sept 30, 2011, Atlas Ice managed to rake in a pre-tax profit of RM55mil on turnover of RM262.2mil, compared with a pre-tax profit of RM49.7mil on turnover of RM245.3mil in the corresponding period the year before.

The company declared a dividend of RM1 per share for financial year 2011, compared with 30 sen per share for financial year 2010.

On whether the management would list the company on the local stock market, Chee says there's no such plan as yet. They are contented with the status quo as it does not need the company to comply with complex capital requirements.

Chee says the company's present priority is to focus on enhancing and improving its ongoing operations as well as to explore new business opportunities and the possibility of venturing into non-traditional activities to generate high growth for the company and bring in more return to shareholders.

It also plans to continue upgrading and modernising its business operations to boost efficiency and productivity in the face of rising energy and labour costs and intensifying competition.

Indeed, the company is already laying the next foundation to ensure it is well-positioned to be competitive and relevant in the next century.

thestar online page: click here