The Oxford University Malaysia Club (OUMC) held its Annual Dinner for incoming students, current members and alumni at the Ritz-Carlton in Kuala Lumpur this year on Saturday, 8 September. The occasion bore special significance as the Club — while technically a year late — took the opportunity to celebrate two decades of bringing Malaysians together in Oxford.

The evening began with pre-dinner drinks and snacks, providing ample opportunity for our alumni, members and incoming students to mingle around and enjoy each other’s company in a friendly space.

Before dinner was served, Shivanand Sivamohan, President of OUMC, gave his opening speech. He updated the members and alumni on the Club’s most recent events, and extended a warm welcome to all the new students joining the OUMC family, assuring them that fond memories of Oxford would soon be imprinted in their minds.

Immediately after, Tim Gardam, Principal of St Anne’s College, delivered his address. He also took the opportunity to provide much-appreciated words of encouragement to our new students, echoing the words of Aung San Suu Kyi, who — in her speech after receiving an honorary doctorate from Oxford — said:

Today, many strands of my life have come together. The years that I spent as a student at St Hugh’s; the years that I spent in Park Town as a wife and mother; the years I spent under house arrest – when my university, the University of Oxford, stood up and spoke up for me. During the most difficult years I was upheld by memories of Oxford. These were among the most important inner resources that helped me to cope with all the challenges I had to face.

Also present at the Annual Dinner were Datin Kathleen Chew, Group Legal Advisor of YTL Corporation Berhad; Dr David Harris, Vice Principal of St Anne’s College; Dr Anne Mullen, Senior Tutor of St Anne’s College, Margaret Hall and Mark Disney, President and Vice President respectively of the Oxford & Cambridge Society Malaysia; Elizabeth Lee, Senior Executive Director of Sunway University College; and Munir Abdul Aziz, Partner at Wong & Partners.

After dinner, our President introduced the incoming students of the Matriculating Class of 2012, 22 of whom were present at the dinner. This year’s batch of students will be studying more than 19 different disciplines, ranging from Law to Mathematics to Biology to Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Approximately 4 in 5 of these students will be studying for their undergraduate degree.

The evening ended shortly after, with more opportunities to forge networks and build friendships over tea or coffee.

We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who came to our 20th Anniversary Dinner, whose presence was essential for its huge success. We would also especially like to express our deepest gratitude to YTL Corporation Berhad, who have generously sponsored the entire event.