IPOH, March 24 — Teachers and students of St Michael’s Institution paid a special tribute yesterday to Brother Datuk Vincent Corkery who passed away at the age of 87 on Tuesday.
The remembrance ceremony was held at the school’s assembly ground where hundreds of students and their teachers observed a minute’s silence for Vincent who spent a large part of his life at the school.
Vincent, who was born in Cork County, Ireland, on November 4, 1928, was posted to St Michael’s Institution in 1958 where he remained until his death from pneumonia on Tuesday.
In paying tribute to Vincent, St Michael’s principal Chan Nyook Ying, 59, said he was “an inspirational icon to countless lives and careers”.
She said Vincent recognised the individual uniqueness of every student and encouraged weaker pupils and those coming from poor families to strive for excellence.
“He pushed competition and one-upmanship to the sidelines and truly understood the psyche of the adolescent who was entrusted to him ... his was the approach that is today known as ‘the last, the lost and the least’,” she said.
“Countless boys and girls were shaped by his loving kindness, deep wisdom and broad learning.”
As a religious person, she said Vincent, who retired as the school principal in 1988, lived a life of poverty, celibacy and obedience.
“As a teacher, his lessons were most interesting and reflected the great philosophical and ethical values which had been ingrained into his character from young.
“As a friend to many Brother Vincent was always soft-spoken, considerate and captivating.”
Chan said as a master of the English language, Vincent had great affinity for Shakespeare and poetry besides his deep knowledge on many other subjects such as politics, the Bible and languages such as French and Latin.
She said apart from his intellectual achievements, Vincent was an effective counsellor and guide and continued to be active even after his retirement.
He was particularly active in the La Salle Centre and in programmes for young people and was also involved in the Regional La Salle Education Council which was a movement and think-tank to consolidate and revitalise the La Salle schools, she added.
“It is going to be difficult to imagine him not being around and I am not sure how we will cope especially during the important school functions.
“He was a person who had inspired, motivated and taught us to strive to become the best of ourselves in all ways,” said Chan.
“Brother Vincent has carved his name on our hearts and not tombstones. We are truly blessed by his presence and how he touched our lives.”
The school’s head prefect, Derek Leong Wei Jian, 19, said he was introduced to Vincent about four years ago during a regional La Salle Camp.
“In him, I witnessed great humility and friendliness. He gave sound advice and always extended help to those in need of it,” he said.
“I will forever remember his advice to me: ‘No matter what struggles or obstacles you face, always get up, stand firm on your feet and move forward in life’. Those words have never fail to motivate me.”
