MyStory

1. My personal hero is my late father, Saadon Bin Ismail.Memories of him were vague as he passed away on 25th December 1987 when I was seven years old. He was a strict individual by character, being a Scorpio by horoscope complemented with a gritty personality as a reporter with Berita Harian, Singapore’s Malay National Daily, who adhered to the disciplinarian approach when educating me and my siblings. My earliest memory of him was when he would enforce me to take my medicine when i staunchly refused. I did not fancy it too much but father was there to ensure that I recover fast even if it takes me to swallow the prescribed medication by force. I hated it when my father did that to me and would always be remembered as a crybaby.

2. My father used to work late into the wee hours of the morning. He was a workaholic always constantly on the go, twenty four hours, seven days a week, following wherever as the wind blows to any news hotspots around the globe. The nature and sensationalism of being a reporter with a national publication has allowed him to travel beyond the shores of Singapore. I still remember waking up in the middle of the night, walking down the stairs, discovering him sitting on the sofa in the living room going through meticulously a pile of work related documents. We were then staying in a two story mansionette in Jurong West and when i sat next to my father, he would be in his usual ruffled white collar shirt accompanied by his black leather briefcase. I then nonchalantly asked him in my naive tone why must he work even at home?

3. What he shared with me next shaped my life. He told me that journalism was not only his bread and butter but also his passion, bringing the news to the en masses from the lowest of low to the highest of high. It takes sheer dedication, a lot of sincere hard work toiled with blood and sweat but it was worth the cause. My father envisioned that information will evolve in due time and would be accessible to every corner of this world. This is rightly so with the advent of the internet now with Youtube, web based news portals such as Al Jazeera as well as Reuters and popular social networking site Facebook.

4. I greatly admired my old man and despite the huge wealth of time that he sacrificed for his trade, he still manages to dedicate his time to be involved in community work with the Buona Vista Zone ‘C’ Resident Committee. He further reiterated to me that a man’s worth is not measured by the milestones he achieved in his career but what he is able to give back to the community, to grow and nurture the young aspiring generation that would propel Singapore into greater heights of success and a society of graciousness. Presently an award is named after him. The Saadon Ismail Award organized by the Persatuan Wartawan Melayu (Malay Journalists Association) has been conferred to outstanding individuals such as Mr Philip Tan Chin Wen and Mr Isa Kamari for their tremendous contribution in the field of poetry and the arts in Singapore.

5. Although i only knew you for the first seven years of my life dad, i missed you dearly. You have impacted and inculcate in me, values that have shaped my moral ethics and inspire the best in me. I didn’t have the chance to say this when you left but thank you dad.

Adiputera Saadon