SMK Cochrane is a secondary school in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

, Malaysia. Founded in 1957 to provide secondary education to pupils who live near Cochrane Road. The school was inaugurated on 1 September 1965 by Datuk Harun bin Idris

Harun bin Idris

Dato' Seri Harun bin Haji Idris was a Malaysian politician. He was born in Selangor, Malaysia. He worked as a field officer with the publicity department until 1948, when he was appointed District Officer for Gemas and Tampin, in the Malay Administrative Service.After a short spell as magistrate...

, Menteri Besar of Selangor at that time. It offers classes for students from Form 1 to Form 6. Since 1994, the school changed it status from a boys school to a co-ed secondary school.




It was situated on Jalan Cochrane before the school was relocated to a new building in Jalan Shahbandar in late 2004. The school was renamed to SMK Cochrane as it is no longer situated on Jalan Cochrane. The new school building was official opened on 4 February 2005 by Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein

Hishammuddin Hussein

Datuk Seri Panglima Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein is a Malaysian politician and member of the United Malays National Organisation . He is the current Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs. He is the former Minister of Education, having served from 2004 to 2009. He has been mentioned as a likely...

, Minister of Education.
The school, like the road it was once situated on before, was named after the British Chief Secretary and British Resident of Perak, Charles Walter Hamilton Cochrane

Charles Walter Hamilton Cochrane

Charles Walter Hamilton Cochrane, MCS, CMG was the 17th British Resident of Perak and Chief Secretary to Government of Malaya from 1929 to 1930....

.




The old structure on Jalan Cochrane is now called the Cochrane Youth Sports Centre dedicated to the development of young talented sportsmen. The move received many objections initially as many old boys of the school firmly believe that the location of the school and the huge football field that surrounded it embodied the true spirit of the education institution.

School Logo

The emblem worn by all Cochraneans. The Late Mr Jangir Singh introduced the School Badge. The symbol and colours depicted on the School Badge were chosen by him and crafted by a student, Lee Saik Wah, who later taught in Cochrane in the early 1980s. Each symbol in the logo has its own meaning that represents the spirit of Cochraneans.

TIGER - Courage and Strength

SPORTS EQUIPMENT - Spirit of Sportsmanship

BOOK - Determination of Learning

PENGETAHUAN SULUH KEMAJUAN - Motto of the school and every Cochranean

School song

The school song, "Hear Ye Our Alma Mater

Alma mater

Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...

's Call" or "Dengarlah Seruan Alma Mater" was scored by a former Headmaster, Mr. Goon Fatt Chee. The music for it was written by an American Peace Corps

Peace Corps

The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...

 teacher, Mr Dick Halvestadt.

English Version

Hear Ye Our Alma Mater's Call

Love your neighbours

Help serve society

Be fair, unselfish and charitable

Fear nor the rich nor the high and mighty

Trample not the helpless and the humble

Thus do we Cochraneans learn, do and say

Our watchword is one for all, all for one

Strive earnestly for progress every day

In our morals, studies, games and fun

Carry high the standard of loyalty

Come Cochraneans, follow the cosmic light

Heaven's bright beacon shows the way for ye

To honour and glory that noble sight

Cochraneans, hear ye our Alma Mater's call

Yes, we hear! Then must we come one and all.

Malay Version

Dengarlah Seruan Alma Mater

Sayangi jiran

Taburkanlah bakti

Dengan hati suci dan pemurah

Tanpa mengira kaya dan berkuasa

Janganlah ditindas pada yang lemah

Itu panduan kami Cochranean

Satu untuk semua, semua untuk satu

Berusaha mencari kemajuan

Dalam pelajaran, permainan

Moral juga janganlah dilupakan

Oh! Cochranean ikutlah panduan

Ke jalan kemajuan yang mulia

Untuk mencapainya mesti berusaha

Sambutlah seruan Alma Mater

Dengarlah, mari kita semua

History

1957

• The emergence of an Independent Malaya
  Federation of Malaya
  The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
  
   brought about a new School in the State Capital, The Cochrane Road School.
• All there was, a Sikh Temple, Hindu Temple, numerous barren coconut trees, thick bushes and squatter houses stubbornly refusing to move doted the land and amidst these surroundings where cows still grazed, was a 5 roomed single storey school building with a "cowshed" as a canteen. There was also no school field.
• The pioneer group of Cochraneans, consisted of 83 students with 4 teaching staff and one headmaster.

1958

• Both morning and afternoon session school began.
• Student intake shot up to 489 students with 12 teachers (two of whom were temporaries).
• The School Board of Governors had nine members including its chairman Mr. Leong Hoe Yeng, JMN was formed.
• The School Badge was introduced by the Late Mr Jangir Singh.
• The first School Scouts was formed this year under the leadership of Mr.Arul. This group was then known as the "Kumpulan ke-36 Kuala Lumpur".

1960

• The Red Block was completed. This Block consists of 12 classrooms, an art room, 2 store rooms, a library(resource centre) and an APD room.

1961

• 3 upper secondary classes at the level of form 4 were conducted.
• For the first time, Cochrane held its annual Cross Country Run.
• The School Librarian Board was formed.

1962

• Cochrane became a full fledge Secondary school with a Remove Class, six Form one's, six Form 2's, four form three's, four Form 4's and three form 5's.
• Student population doubled to 854 and the first batch of students were sitting for the Overseas School Certificate (now SPM) for the first time. The staff included 3 Graduates, 24 normal and Collegge Trained teachers and 3 Temporaries.
• "The Cochranean" annual school magazine was published.

1963

• Student intake increased steadily to 1060 people with 25 classrooms. There were 36 teachers including a Volunteer from the "Peace corps
  Peace Corps
  The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
  
  " of America.
• A new Administration Building, School Hall, bicycle stand, 2 science labs and an Industrial art building was constructed. There was still a need for twelve more classes.
• The Spirit of friendship was fostered with the launching of the "Friendship through knowledge" project aimed at moving Cochrane towards the Global front.
• Cochrane adopted a Brother School from the United States, DeKalb High School (Illinois). This windows to world of International relations was made possible through the efforts of the then Peace corps teacher, Mrs. Mary Weinhold.

1964

• The Green Block which is adjacent to the red block was built.

1965

• On the 1st September 1965, Cochrane Road School was officially openened by the then Menteri Besar of Selangor, Datuk Harun Hj. Idris. The School celebrated that day by having its "Speech Day" which was followed by a 3 day School Exhibition opened to the Public.

1968

• Finally, 2 concrete 3-storey buildingshousing with 25 classrooms, a large and airy canteen, 4 labs and an air-conditioned library were completed. There was also an administrative block, housing offices, a bicycle stand, volleyball and basketball courts, a staff room, a bookshop, hall, industrial arts block, indoor and outdoor badminton courts and finally CRS's very own School Fields.

1970

• The Late Mr Yeong introduced "The Roll of Honour" award (now known as "Pengurniaan Panji-panji Sekolah"), the award of colours and certificate of merit.
• CRS was also one of the first secondary schools to have a central body to co-ordinate societies activities. The formation of the Council of Societies (known also as "Majlis Persatuan-persatuan" or in 1997 "Majlis Gerko(Gerak kerja Ko-kurikulum)") on June 29 was a bright idea the then senior assistant, Mr Lee Chuan Seng.
• Board of Monitors (Badan Ketua Kelas) on April 2 was introduced.

1971

• Establishment of another Cochrane School symbol, "BERITA SIARES", our very own "Newspaper", launched by Datuk Hj. S.O.K. Ubaidulla.
• Mr Goon Fatt Chee composed our very own School Song, titled - "Hear Ye Our Alma Mater's Call".
• Name of House colours were also replaced by local fauna.

1972

• A Walkathon was organized for the first time. This event netted a bout $10,000.

1975

• Formation of the Sports Captains Board to formulate a programme of systematic development.

1976

• The second walkathon was held to raise funds to complete the new science block. The walk raised $28,000.

1977

• 20th Anniversary, with an enrolment of 1860 students.
• The new Science Block was built. It houses the Staff room, Form six Biology, Chemistry and Physics labs.
• The formation of an Old Boys Association, a move to renew old ties among students.

1978

• Scouts got their very own Den at the cost of about $4000.

1979

• A sports assistants board was formed in 1979 to assist in sports activities.
• Student welfare society was also set up.
• Cochrane's "Berlin Wall" was constructed. Six feet high and 1800 feet long. It encircled the school field and agricultural garden in February at the cost of more than $13 000.

1982

• Silver Jubilee 25 Years celebration.
• The new Multi Purpose Hall and a new "Surau" was completed.
• The 1982 walkathon successfully collected $72,000.

1993

• The Form Sixth block was successfully completed.

1994

• Cochrane changed it status from a boys school to a co-ed secondary school. 1st badge of Female students in Form 1 were accepted.

2004

• 20 August 2004 was the last day for the old school since 1957. It was relocated to a new building in Jalan Shahbandar. The school was renamed to SMK Cochrane.
• On 28 August 2004, Cochrane Reunion Night was held.

2007

• 50th Anniversary of the school.

Past principals

No.	Incumbent	Tenure	Remarks
1	Mr. Chew Ah Kong	1957–1958	He was the first headmaster. In 1957, he was transferred from the Victoria Institution Victoria Institution Victoria Institution is a premier secondary school for boys and one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school is widely known as V.I. and a student of Victoria Institution bears the name Victorian....  to be the headmaster of Cochrane. He built the school from scratch with four other teachers. A year later, 1958, he was transferred again to the Pasar Road English School (Sek. Ren. Jalan Pasar) also as their headmaster.
2	The Late Mr. Jangir Singh	1958–1962	He introduced the School badge. During this period, student intake rose to 484 with 27 staff. He died on 19 July 1980.
3	The Late Mr. Lim Eng Thye	1962–1969	A very long serving headmaster, during this period Cochrane had its new look with new buildings, canteen, administrative buildings, air-conditioned library, industrial arts building.
4	The Late Mr. Yeong Seng Chye	1969–1970	He restructured the clubs and society management in the school. The "Majlis Persatuan-persatuan" or now known as "Majlis Gerko" was formed during this period. The monitor's board was formed during this period. He also introduced the awarding of certificates (Pengurnian Cemerlang, panji-panji, etc.) to honour Cochraneans that excel in academic and sports, which eventually became another Cochrane Symbol.
5	Mr. R.Dayanandan Naidu	1970–1971	His stay in Cochrane was among the shortest as he was promoted as Deputy CEO of the Ministry of Education (Perak) on 6 May 1971. During his stay, the P.I.B.G or Parent Teacher Association was formed.
6	Mr. Goon Fatt Chee	1971–1974	He scored the school song, "Hear Ye Our Alma Maters Call". He was also known as "Farmer Goon" for planting trees and plants within the school compound, some of which stand to this day.
7	The Late Mr. Seow Bin Hak	1974–1979	The Cochrane's "Berlin wall" was built during this period. He organized "Walkathons" to raise funds to build a multi-purpose hall but before he dream could come true, he retired. He died on 6 June 1982.
8	Mr. Ajmer Singh	1980–1989	He was Cochrane's longest serving headmaster. His retirement on 1989 left many in tears. The 25 year Cochrane silver Jubilee celebration was held in 1982 under his leadership.
9	Puan Hoo Nyok Yin	1989–1992
10	Tuan Hj. Hashim	1992-	He emphasised the importance of speaking Bahasa Malaysia as it is the national language and reminded students that they should be fluent in the internationally recognized English language.

School Facilities

The school has opened a small museum, the Bilik Phoenix, or Phoenix Room with the support of the Malaysian National Space Agency to commemorate Cochrane's contributions to science.

School Glories

1962

• U-14 Rugger squad captured the State Championship Title.
• Soccer team managed to get a respectable second spot in The Khir Johari
  Khir Johari
  Tan Sri Mohd Khir Johari was a Malaysian politician and the former Malaysian Minister of Education.Born on January 29, 1923, in Alor Star, Kedah, Mohd Khir was a Member of Parliament from 1955 to 1982...
  
   Cup.
• CRS shuttlers became the state Champion for the King's Cup in badminton beating Victoria Institution
  Victoria Institution
  Victoria Institution is a premier secondary school for boys and one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school is widely known as V.I. and a student of Victoria Institution bears the name Victorian....
  
   3-2.

1964

• U-15 Rugger captured State Title and notched third place in soccer.
• Two ruggers players made the state team while the top soccer player, Hung Hooi Jin donned State and national colours playing in the Malaysia's Youth Team at Saigon.

1970

• Our " Star of the decade", Chiang Jin Choon broke five national and state swimming records each and hauled in 80 medals in the course of the year. He earned a rare place in the school's hall of fame by being honoured with a special award for his yet unparallelled achievements.
• Malaysia Goalkeeper Lim Fung Kee and the school's soccer supremo, Okhtar Ahmad were included in the national team for an international school sports tournament.
• Shutler Lim Cheng Hoe smashed his way to the U-16 singles while Wan Kwong Sum and Lim Took Mee swept the doubles titles in an all-cochrane final in the Selangor Open Championship.

1972

• In the year of the Munich Olympics in 1972, CRS was "there" in the person of Chiang Jin Choon.. Jin Choon also elevated the school's sports prowess by winning two awards - Swimmer of the year award and sportsboy of the year award. Jin Choon's road to Munich capped an already outstanding performance for Malaysia in the SEAP(now known as the SEA Games).
• In Tennis, CRS scored a first by winning the Wilson trophy in the state Championship for the second successive year. Ace player Zulkifli Ibrahim, Onn was also selected as one of the two players to represent Malaysia in Tokyo. Lee Wai Ching represented Malaysia at the SEAP games.
• The shutlers captured the elusive King's Cup- symbol os supremacy in badminton at national school level.
• Our gymnasts made it three in a row by capturing both the U-16 and U20 titles. In fact Selangor gymnastics team was monopolised by CRS with six of the boys from Cochrane. Ng Sik Hoi vaulted himself to gymnastics fame by becoming Malaysian schoolboy champion.
• CRS finally got its first 8A'1 scorer at the M.C.E(SPM) scored by Lim Tee Ngay.
• CRS also emerged champions at the Ungku Aziz trophy quiz organized by the University Malaya Economics Society.

1973

• Chiang Jin Choon grabbed the limelight again when he was voted the nation's Sportsman of the year.
• U-20 footballers won the coverted Khir Johari cup for U-20 Football at School level in the state.
• Lim Poh Chuan tallied 8 A'1 in the MCE.

1974

• CRS won the gymnastics title for the sixth consecutive time.
• Lee Wai Ching gained individual honours when he represented the Malaysian Tennis team in the Davis Cup.
• The Hockey U-15 school team also grabbed the state title beating M.B.S. K.L in the final 1-0.

1975

• Chan Swee Cheong emerged as the best schoolboy gymnast in the country.

1976

• CRS won the gymnastics team title again for the 8th consecutive time.
• Leong Hoong Hin snatched the M.S.S.M gymnastics individual title.

1977

• Kok Chong Fatt played for Malaysia in the 34th World Ping Pong championship in Birmingham, England
• Chiang Jin Guan, brother of Jin choon, swam for Malaysia in the Asian School Swimming Championship in Hong Kong.
• Leong Hoong Hin successfully defended his MSSM Gymnastics Individual Title.

1979

• Chin Chow Sin emerged the best Schoolboy gymnast in the country.

Notable alumni

• Tan Sri Dato' Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing - President, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
  Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology
  Limkokwing University of Creative Technology is a private international university with a presence across three continents: Africa, Europe and Asia...
  
  
• Chiang Jin Choon - Olympic Swimmer in 1972 (Munich)
• Soon Mustafa bin Karim - former national Hockey player
• R. Dhanaraj - national taekwondo coach, former national player
• Azman Adnan
  Azman Adnan
  Azman Adnan is a former Malaysian footballer who last played for Negeri Sembilan FA before retiring. He is also a former member of the Malaysian pre-Olympic team and also the Malaysian national team...
  
   - former Malaysian footballer
• Dato' Rahim Osman - former Pengarah Urusan KTMB
• Datuk Maizan Shaari - current Federal Commercial Crimes director, former Police Chief, Sabah
  Sabah
  Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
  
   (1997)
• Rosalind Kong Siew Kuen - Miss Malaysia
  Miss Malaysia
  Miss Malaysia represents Malaysia in two of the major international pageants.Miss Universe is a beauty pageant run by the New York-based partnership between NBC and Donald Trump....
  
   1985
• Jason Wong Jee Weng - former Badminton national player
• Roslin Hashim
  Roslin Hashim
  Muhammad Roslin Hashim is a male badminton player from Malaysia.He is one of the successful Malaysian badminton players...
  
   - former Badminton national player 1992
• Nor Effendy Rosli - cyclist
• Alvin Wong Fang Yeow - Celebrity, Actor (ASTRO)
• Vimal @ DOUBLE D - Radio DJ, TRAXXfm 90.3FM
• Nicky @ ROUNDHEAD - Radio DJ, TRAXXfm 90.3FM
• Mohd Safee Mohd Sali
  Mohd Safee Mohd Sali
  Mohd Safee Mohd Sali commonly known as Safee Sali is a professional Malaysian footballer who is a Striker for Pelita Jaya FC of Indonesia...
  
   - Malaysian football striker, AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 top scorer

James Moorthy - former national hockey player and national juniors, World Cup in Paris, 1979
Awtar Singh Grewal, former national hockey player

External links

1. Official school homepage
2. Facebook Alumni Page