Malaysian-born Hassan A 'Father' To Hundreds Of Children, And Wants More

ADELAIDE, July 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysian-born Hassan Salleh has more than 200 children from all over the world and he wants to add even more to his brood. His property management business, Adelaide International Village in South Australia, manages student accommodation for around 250 international secondary and university students at Bradford Lodge and Highgate Lodge. The former Johorian (person from Malaysia's southern state of Johor), affectionately known as Hass, has had an enduring career of nearly 50 years in Adelaide, but if it had not been for chance, he may never have found his way to Australia. During the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), Hassan’s father was the Chief Medical Officer of the General Hospital in Malaysia's southern city of Johor Baharu. “My father, Dr Mohd Salleh, got a call one night to come into the hospital; a British military officer had a very ill daughter,” he said. “After being treated by my father, she recovered and the officer always said it was my father who had saved her life.” After migrating to Adelaide, the officer became bursar of King’s College for boys (now Pembroke School) and, as a sign of his gratitude, offered five of the Salleh children scholarships – Hassan was number five in the family. “We were excited to come to Australia but there was no such thing as flying back then, so we took a ship that stopped at a small coastal town called Carnarvon on the way to Perth,” Hassan said. “A group of us went on a long walk into the township and the first live Australian I came across was on a post – a big black crow; it was February and the weather was so hot and I said, `If this is Australia, I want to go back home'.” Little did Hassan know that this story would become a part of Australian migration history and is now displayed in Sydney on a plaque near the Migration Museum, at Pyrmont Wharf. Although his first impressions of Australia were discouraging, Hassan said he found it easy to settle in once he landed in Adelaide. “After my schooling days, I got married to an Australian. I made up my mind where I wanted to live and settled in very early,” he said. “Even after leaving school, the Malaysian students at King’s College who came after me would keep in touch because they were lonely and a Malaysian restaurant was unheard of.” Hassan took it upon himself to become a social coordinator for the students, organising Malaysian cook-ups at his home. Every weekend, he and his wife would host around 20 to 30 students, with their house becoming something of a social centre. In 1968, the role of Liaison Officer was formalised by the Malaysian High Commissioner. Hassan’s commitment to the Malaysian people was further recognised with his appointment as Honorary Consul for Malaysia in South Australia in 1978, and the award of a "datukship" in 2011 from the Malaysian King. While Hassan manages Bradford Lodge, his son Adam manages and keeps an eye on the students at Highgate Lodge. “It’s kind of a one-stop shop for students. We help them with everything here and the service and support we give is my pride and joy. “I teach the students how to do their washing, their cooking, what phone services they should subscribe to. I help to guide them, but also let them experience for themselves so they can become independent. "I believe in letting the students achieve full maturity as their growing up years take place in Adelaide; our service is supportive, but not intrusive.” By providing support and watching over thousands of Malaysian students over the years, Hass has certainly earned his "datukship" from the King. -- BERNAMA