La Salle Brothers reenact 1852 arrival in Penang to take over St Xavier’s

Former students of St Xavier’s Institution celebrate a homecoming tonight after the La Salle Brothers reenacted the arrival of their predecessors in Penang to take over the school in 1852.

A heavy rain delayed the reenactment at Swettenham Pier which was originally scheduled for 5.00pm. The rain cleared at 5.20pm for about 10 minutes – just enough time for the Brothers to board a row of trishaws and head for the school in Farquhar Street a short distance away – followed by the school band and uniformed groups.

Tonight, several thousand ex-Xaverians are expected to turn up for the reunion.

But one person will be missed; Brother Charles Levin, the longest serving Brother Director of the school, who had been looking forward to today’s event. He passed away on 14 October.

The church school was established in 1787 next to the original site of the Church of the Assumption along Church Street. The school was later relocated to Farquhar Street with the arrival of the Brothers.