MOHAMED SALEH PFORDTEN

My father, MOHAMED SALEH PFORDTEN was born on July 11th, 1941 at a Maternity Home on Bras Basah Road, Singapore. He is the third in a family of five. Soon after that, the family moved to Cameron Highlands.

When World War ll broke out towards the end of 1941, things changed. My father was only six months when my grand father, ARTHUR REGINALD PFORDTEN volunteered to join the British reserved army to fight with the Japanese. When a few Europeans left Cameron Highlands to join those in the lowlands, they were rounded up by the Japanese and taken to Changi Jail, Singapore. He has advised my grand mother that should he not come back, she should take the three children back to Bagan Dalam. They went down to Tapah Road to take the train to Butterworth. When the train arrived Parit Buntar, the bridge was bombed and they were stranded. The family went for shelter at a village called Bagan Tiang. My father was left there when my grand mother and the other two children went back to Butterworth. The family in Bagan Dalam came to know of it. My grand mother's aunt-in-law hurried to Bagan Tiang to take my father. Since then my father became the adopted son of Hajjah Zaharah bt Mohamed and Hashim b Dahaman.

My father grew up in Bagan Dalam. At 6 years and 6 months he went to Sekolah Melayu Kuala Perai until Standard 4. Then he went to Hutching's School in Penang. On finishing his primary education, he went to Georgetown Secondary School, Penang. Later, he joined Kota Bharu Teacher's College in January 1958. Upon graduation, he was transferred to Kuala Terengganu. He taught in Sekolah Umum Wakaf Mempelam from January 1961 till August 1963. He had his first transfer to Sekolah Inggeris Temenggong Abdul Rahman 2, Johore Bahru.

It was on February 28, 1963 that he married my mother, Salbiah Aziz. They were bestowed with four children;

1. EDDEE PFORDTEN
2. NUR ELEEZA PFORDTEN
3. NOR EFFUANDY PFORDTEN
4. NUR ESYIKEEN PFORDTEN

My father had his transfer back to Cameron Highlands on January 1st, 1975. I lost my grand father, ARTHUR REGINALD PFORDTEN two weeks before we moved to Cameron Highlands. My father taught at Sekolah Convent, Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands until January 31, 1982 when he decided to join MARA as an English Master. It was when he was in MARA that took him places. His first appointment was in Sungai Petani, Kedah - February 1st, 1982, Jasin, Malacca - January 1st, 1989, Manjung, Perak - January 1st, 1992. He became Head of English until retirement on July 11th, 1996. He went back to stay in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

He rejoined MARA on contract basis as an English master in October 1996 until his services no longer required in March 1999. His most satisfying time in his vocation was when he joined University Utara Malaysia on March 14th, 2002 to teach English. At the time of this writing of the momento he his still teaching at UUM


March 30th, 2005
Written by : Mohamed Saleh Pfordten - Thanks Dad
Edited by : Eddee Pfordten