Hands up if you know where the Convent of the Holy Infant
Jesus was first opened in Johor Bahru.
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| Ceramic tableware and silver tea service used by the Sisters in Convent Johor Bahru |
In 1925 three nuns and two teachers, Miss Ethel Filders and
Miss Winifred Allen, came to Johor Bahru to start a school for girls and while
it was intended for girls, they also graciously admitted boys.
The humble Convent school they started occupied two rented
shophouses along Jalan Ibrahim.
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| The school facade in 2011 |
The work they did with the children in the Johor Bahru Convent
soon caught the attention of His Royal Highness, the then Sultan of Johor, Sultan
Sir Ibrahim Abu Bakar and Her Royal Highness Sultanah Rugayah.
They were so impressed that they awarded the Sisters with a
piece of land along Jalan Yahya Awal to build a proper school.
When construction of the building was completed, it was
opened for enrolment in 1927 and the grandchildren of His Royal Highness were
among the students who studied in the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, Johor
Baru.
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| Metal trunks that the Sisters used in their travel to the Far East |
The school achieved a proud record in 100% passes and with
a consistent record of academic achievements the Convent Johor Bahru became the
parents’ preferred choice to enroll their daughters.
Convent students were proudly distinguished by their
uniform of a smart Blue pleated pinafore worn with a White short-sleeve blouse,
teamed with White canvas shoes and socks.
During the Japanese Occupation, the school building was
requisitioned by the military and the Sisters were forced to leave. When the
war was over in 1946, the Sisters returned to Johor Bahru and by 1948, the
school was restored to its former grandeur.
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| Wooden pews used in the Sisters' chapel |
In the early years, the Sisters were dressed in habits that
were Black in colour but in later years, their floor-length habits were changed
to a cooler White colour.
Throughout this time, there was only one section in the
school that occupied what is known as the Primary school while construction on
the Secondary school was only completed in 1960.
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| Bell used by the Sisters to signal meal times |
As the role of the Sisters gradually decreased in the
school administration, many of the Sisters returned or retired to their home
countries. In 1993, the last of the active-serving Sisters left the school and
their living quarters upstairs were converted into classrooms and an art
room.
The departure of the Sisters marked the close of an era in
the history of Convent Johor Bahru. The Sisters left a precious legacy in
education as well as a wealth of interesting artifacts that date back to their
arrival in Johor Bahru in the 1920’s.
As a premier school in the city, the history of Convent Johor
Bahru holds a special interest to its students, both past and present, and even
to the general public.
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| Hand-driven sewing machine used by the Sisters for their sewing |
Over the last 17 years, a wide range of artifacts and
valuable memorabilia have been collected and organized into different
categories for display in the Convent Gallery.
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| A class desk-and-chair set among the old furniture collection |
Among other things, you will see the bell which the sisters
used to ring to signal their meal times. Have a seat on the wooden pews from
the sisters’ chapel which is so narrow that it will compel you to sit upright
and remain attentive.
Take a look at samples of old uniforms and the nun’s habit
and the many photos displayed.
Former students will have fun trying to find their names in
the gigantic class registers that class teachers meticulously filled up line by
line, in neat handwriting!
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| A copy of my published piece was postered on the notice board in the Primary school |
Important
Note:
Readers may recall that a version of this was published in
January 2011, in a cover and centerspread feature in Johor Streets, a
(now defunct!) pull-out section of The New Straits Times. This was 14
years ago and in 2025, the display in this Gallery had already changed.
To commemorate the 100-Year Anniversary (1925 – 2025) of
the IJ Convent Johor Bahru, this piece is reposted here for a touch of
nostalgia and to showcase my photographs of some of the school’s precious
artefacts from a bygone era.
Meanwhile, I am pleased to learn that work is in progress
to set up a fresh Gallery, located in the Secondary school building. As this new
Gallery gradually takes shape, it is exciting to know that the school is making
an effort to preserve significant mementoes for future generations to
appreciate. [More about this later.]
Thank you for sharing this wonderful history of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, Johore. My Sri Lankan (then Ceylon) paternal grandmother studied at this school somewhere between 1925–1939. She must have been among its very first few students. She came to British Malaya as a very little girl with her two elder sisters a teacher and a nurse who likely migrated through the British colonial skilled recruitment scheme.
ReplyDeleteShe attended the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus while her sisters worked. My mother still keeps my grandmother’s school leaving certificate as a souvenir. After living in few other cities including Kuala Lumpur, my grandmother later returned to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and got married , while her two sisters stayed in Malaysia and lived there as some of the early settlers of Ceylonese in Malaysia.
She passed away in 1994 when I was only 4 years old. I grew up hearing the lovely stories she had shared, which remain as vague memories for me. This article brought those memories to life. Thank you once again.
Gayathri Habarakada