Balik Melaka, sambung cerita kita

Nobody warns you how quickly a school field can turn white.

At 7.30 am, the first cars rolled through the gates. Within the hour, KYSERs were streaming in from every direction: some alone, many with spouses, parents and sleepy children perched on their shoulders.

Almost all of them wore the same customised white KYSER T-shirt, pre-ordered weeks ahead. One shirt became ten, then a hundred, until the whole field was a sea of white.

More than 680 KYSERs had RSVPed for the homecoming on Saturday, 17 October 2026. Judging by the noise, it felt like every one of them had turned up.

Then there was the heat. By mid-morning, the Melaka sun was blazing through a hazy sky, the kind of heat that bounces off the field and glues your shirt to your back within minutes.

Water bottles emptied fast, and every patch of shade became prime real estate. Thankfully, the organisers had planned for it. Domes lined the field and there were more than enough seats, so nobody had to fight for a spot out of the sun.

Soon, the cheers started.

Aliff Adam Zulkiflee (class of 2005), better known as Ringgo, this year’s KYSER president, took the mic to open the day. He called on each house in turn, and every corner of the field roared back, each louder than the last.

He also shared memories of KYS teachers, in keeping with this year’s homecoming theme: Balik Melaka, sambung cerita kita!

“My wish to all KYSERs is to always remember where you come from,” Aliff said. “No matter where you are or who you are right now, we have a responsibility to give back to fellow KYSERs and to the school.”

The theme fits. Every KYSER left this school with a story: the first night away from home, the house banners, the friends who slowly became family.

Somewhere along the way, those stories were put on pause. Careers took over, families grew, and trips back to Melaka became fewer and further between.

Homecoming pressed play again. For one day, job titles didn’t matter. We were simply KYSERs, back where our stories began, ready to write the next chapter together.

And that next chapter already has its authors. Next year’s KYSER Weekend will be in the hands of Batch 2009, and they have big shoes to fill. Until then, keep the stories coming. We’ll see you back in Melaka.

Game On

The haze had other plans for part of the programme. Rugby and netball were postponed, but the fun run went ahead.

At 9.45 am, KYS principal Mr Tan Cheh Li flagged off the run alongside Prof. Dr. Mohd Azizan, chairman of the board of governors. The 3 km route looped around the school.

For many of us, the route was familiar. It is one of the tracks seniors used to train juniors for cross-country, and some legs still remembered every turn.

That is no accident. Sport is a huge part of life at KYS, and house spirit runs deep.

From your first week, you belong to a house, and that house becomes your tribe. You train with them, shout yourself hoarse for them on sports day, and carry their colours long after you leave.

Ask any KYSER which house they were in, and the answer still comes instantly, usually with a cheer attached. Years on, the old rivalries are friendlier, but no quieter.

Muiz Zafri (class of 2019) felt it the moment he stepped back onto the field.

“The first rush of memories would probably be here at the padang,” he said. “We shared so many memories here, from sports day competitions to cross-country. I remembered how big house spirit was back then, and all the emotion came rushing back.”

Familiar Faces

For most of us, the last time we stood here was 10 or 20 years ago, when we came back to collect our SPM results slip.

So the real action happened under the tents. Batchmates found each other, and conversations picked up as if they had never stopped.

Some reconnected through a sport they still share. Former teammates who once trained side by side fell straight back into step, comparing who still plays and who has swapped the field for the sidelines.

Talk quickly turned to old matches: the wins people still brag about, and the losses nobody has quite forgotten.

Some things had changed. The buildings wore new colours, and the trees at the dusun had grown far bigger than we remembered.

Others had not. Many of the teachers who shaped us were back on the field, and for a lot of KYSERs, finding them was the highlight of the day.

Some teachers recognised former students at a glance. Others needed a name and a batch year before the memories clicked into place.

Either way, the conversations came easily: old classrooms, school trips, and the lessons that stuck long after the exams were over. For many, it was a chance to say the thank-you they never quite managed at 17.

Alumni stopped to shake hands, pose for photos and catch up on years of news.

For Mr Chris Wee, one of the teachers there, seeing familiar faces return was the best part.

“Seeing my ex-students come back was very exciting for me,” he said. “The faces are still the same, just more mature. I wish you all the best in your endeavours, and bring the KYS spirit with you in life.”

Mr Tan Cheh Li’s message was about staying together.

“It is important to stay united at all times, because to achieve greatness, we need unity,” he said. “All the best.”

Meeting them again was a reminder of how much they shaped who we became at KYS.

Sambung cerita

In the end, homecoming was never really about the games.

It was about running the same track, standing under the same trees, and finding that the people who knew you at 13 still know you now.

It was also about giving back. Fiona Amelda (class of 2003) put it simply.

“As we progress further in life, don’t forget to give back to where we came from,” she said.

As the day wound down, one hope stood above the rest. That this homecoming marks the start of something stronger.

That KYSERs, wherever life has taken us, stay united, look out for one another, and keep finding our way back to Melaka.

So come back more often. Bring your batchmates, your families, and the friends you haven’t called in years.

At the next homecoming, we hope to see even more familiar faces on the padang.

Balik Melaka, sambung cerita kita.