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A TRIBUTE
It is a dinner that never materialized.
Vern Shion and I had been wanting to bring
Mike out for dinner one of these days, to
taste his favourite Hainanese Chicken rice
and spicy malay dishes. A dinner where we
can just chit chat about anything under the
sun, without the stress of AIESEC work nor
any agenda.
Busy schedules of Mike and us, and laziness
on our part, leads to this sad conclusion.
We always thought, there's always next time,
always another chance to ask him out. Besides,
we meet him so often during official events.
Gone is the man who never admit to being
old, who was always so full of energy and
wit.
I still remember vividly the first time I
called Mike up. It was when I was the National
Committee Secretary. I was rather worried
as predecessors had advised that he "was not
someone easy to handle". But in the end, he
turned out to be really friendly.
However, I can understand why some members
were rather scared of him. He was very straight-speaking,
always speaking his mind, never bothering
to be politically correct or reserved. Meetings
with him often left us feeling embarassed,
because he was always quick to pick on things
that were not clear.
However, he was also quick with praise and
encouragement when a job is well-done. With
his guidance, I learnt and grew a lot. Everyone
who had met him would know how enthusiastic
he was in youth development.
He was also a strong supporter to the "not-so-young"
ones -- the alumni.
It is unbelievable that we would lose him
so suddenly, when we just met him less than
a month ago, at our recent Alumni AGM on 23
August. As usual, he came with an AIESEC t-shirt
under his jacket, and was eating and chatting
heartily with us.
At the end of the event, he left us with
words of encouragement towards the alumni
committee.
We will always remember him most fondly as
a mentor, "grandfather figure" and friend,
who had been always enthusiastic about AIESEC
and concerned about each individual AIESECer
he knows, and had touched the lives of countless
AIESECers over the years.
His warm laughter, his humour, the way he'd
make an effort to speak to us in our mother
tongue, his insistence on Scotland over England,
the way he always wore an AIESEC T-shirt for
all AIESEC events..... all these little pieces
of memories and many more, we will hold most
dearly in our heart.
Angeline |
SOME MESSAGES
I remember one occasion (years
after graduation) when Mike was once again
invited to give a talk to a group of students.
When he was asked what would
be an appropriate amount as an honorarium,
he replied that he is a Scotsman and would
like a bottle of Scotch (Whisky). Being a
stat board (another educational institution),
this presented a bit of a problem. I cannot
remember how it was finally resolved.
Another fond memory of Mike. Please
feel free to share.
Best regards,
Lim Thim Veng
Mr. Mike Gorrie was a fine gentleman
with old world charm, graces and integrity. He was
a mentor to most of us including myself and I for
one am indebted to him. He made time for all of
us and was constructively critical when the occasion
called for it but always with the interests of the
individual or organization at heart.
He was honest and frank and approached
issues from this noble perspective.He never took
expedient or politically correct stands and so one
always knew his true inner thoughts.The world has
lost a great soul but I confident there is a place
in heaven for him.
I could continue but suffice to say
that all of us who have had the benefit of his counsel
and friendship can attest to many more fine attributes
that he has been blessed with.
Kind Regards
P.Jeyaratnam
Most of you would remember Mr
Gorrie well. He has served on the board of
advisors for AIESEC Singapore since the 1970's
and has been an enthusiastic supporter of
our organization.
Always interested in youth and
always ready to give of his time, I am sure
he has touched the lives of countless AIESECers
over the years. We will miss his wise counsel
and friendship.
Vincent Chen
Found this poem quite appropriate:
"Like the cover of an old
book,
Its contents torn out
And stripped of its lettering and gilding,
Lies here food for worms.
But the work shall not be lost,
For it will - as he believes - appear once
more
In a new and more elegant edition,
Revised and corrected by the Author."
~ Benjamin Franklin
Disi
More
messages
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