My father, Fernandez HA of Temerloh, is no more but he will be remembered...

It is a sad day for my father just passed away at 3.30am (10/6/2011, Friday), and his funeral will be at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Church, Jalan Tanjong Kerayong, Mentakab at 3pm on Saturday(11/6/2011)

He was a great man, and he influenced me a lot to make me who I am today. A simple hospital assistant(now they are called Medical Assistant or then commonly known as "Dresser"), he worked for over 20 years at the Pusat Kesihatan, Temerloh. Before that he was in Triang, Kuantan and Frasers Hill for a while. After retirement, he was on contract working at the then Mentakab Hospital for some years.

He was ever willing to help anyone that came for help. Even after office hours, when the Dispensary was closed, he never once complaint whenever people came requiring medical treatment and/or assistance. It could even be 2 or 3 am, but he will uncomplainingly get up and go and provide the required medical care - and, if they needed to be sent to the hospital, he will call the ambulance and wait for it to come with the patients and only then come back to go to sleep.

Even when we were driving around, and he came across persons, most of whom were strangers, walking, he will stop and offer a lift. 

He did not see people based on their ethnicity or religion but as human persons. Your position or title did not matter to him. He played tennis with the HRH the Sultan of Pahang, and was a great sportsperson, winning even tennis competitions when he was past 50 years of age. In his younger days, he was a footballer, and at one time he was playing for the then famous Kampar Indians. His footballing career came to an abrupt end when he injured his shin badly - that required many stitches.(Well, this injury had an impact on me as my parents never encouraged me to play football - though I did  on the quite in the Padang Besar Temerloh. 

It is because of him that today I too see human persons as human being irrespective of the colour, ethnicity, religion or status. 

I have so much to be thankful to my father for he did educate me and nurtured me to also have positive values - and to help because it was the right thing to do - not for reward not for praises.

I am truly going to miss my father, who passed away at the age of 82 (but somehow, as it was common then, I believe that he was at least 85 as he often said that he was the same age as Dr Mahathir).

He may have retired some 20 over years ago, but interestingly many still do remember him. Even when I went to the police station to report his death, the officer there knew him - so did many others. People never forget his kindness...and his ever-willing to help attitude...and this is comforting. He may not be a 'Datuk' or got some titles from the government - but that does not matter to people, who show respect if you had lived your life as a good man. 

He is gone now - but his memories and his values will certainly live on in me, my siblings and the many others that have been touched by him especially here in Temerloh.