Boys' Brigade in Malaysia

The Boys' Brigade in Malaysia or Briged Putera Malaysia is part of the global Boys' Brigade movement.

In Malaysia, the movement is recognised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Education as an approved Extra Curricular Activity (ECA). It is also an affiliate of the Malaysian Youth Council (Majlis Belia Malaysia), an associate member of the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM), and an associate member of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF).

History

1946 The Boys' Brigade in Malaya started in the state of Penang with the founding of the 1st Penang Company by Mr. Robert Davis with Mr. Geh Hun Kheng, an educationalist, as the Company Captain. The Company was under the sponsorship of Madras Lane Chinese (English Speaking Section) Methodist Church.

1954 From Penang, the BB began to spread to other parts of Malaya beginning with the 1st Kuala Lumpur Company, which was formed under the sponsorship of Wesley Methodist Church, Kuala Lumpur. The movement then began spreading rapidly to other towns and small rural ares of Malaya to meet the needs of the Members.

1961 The movement spread its wings to East Malaysia with the formation of the 1st Kuching Company in Sarawak by Mr Charles Henry Ingka under the sponsorship of St Thomas' Anglican Church.

1966 The first National Review and Display was held in Kuala Lumpur. The event has subsequently been held 20 more times (as of 2013)^[1] and has been renamed the National Pesta and Convention.

Awards System

Participation and achievements in Brigade activities are recognised by individual companies by the presentation of badges to company members in official ceremonies. Brigade members wear their earned badges on their uniform sleeves, on both upper arms. The highest award attainable in the Boys' Brigade in Malaysia is the Founder's Badge.

National Pesta and Convention

Briged Putera Malaysia during the 2013 Merdeka Day celebrations in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The National Pesta and Convention (also commonly known as 'Pesta' ) began as the National Review and Display in 1966 is said to be one of the biggest events which is unique to the Boys' Brigade in Malaysia.^[2] Today, participation is open to all current members of the Boys' Brigade in Malaysia, as well as members of overseas Boys' Brigade companies.

Whilst games and other activities vary across each Pesta, it has been customary since 1966 for a national band competition to be held at every Pesta except during 1988, 1992 and 2001. A footdrill competition and a group singing competition was added to the tradition in later years. During the Pesta in Malacca, more element were considered for the Pesta overall title, which includes a State Council march past, size of contingent, banner design and other much more complicated processes in determining the overall champion. However, this system was not used in the following pesta, held in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur. The Kuala Lumpur Pesta 2006 more or less reverted to the traditional system of determining the overall champions, with an inclusion of one more event, which is the state sports. The Kuala Lumpur Pesta was won by 2 home companies, the 1st Kuala Lumpur and 3rd Kuala Lumpur. The State Sports competition was won by Penang State Council.

List of BB Companies in Malaysia

As at 2007, there are 101 BB companies in Malaysia. Each BB company in Malaysia is identified by a unique number and the geographical location, namely the town or city, or district or state where the sponsoring authority exist, to represent that company. In general, the smaller the number is, the earlier the company was founded. There are, however, instances of newer companies inheriting the nomenclature of previous companies, especially if the sponsoring authority of the new company was also the same for the defunct company. One example would be the 1st Petaling Jaya Company; established in 1983; which inherited the nomenclature of an older company; which existed from 1959 - 1979; by the same designation.

See also

• Boys' Brigade
• Girls' Brigade

References

1. ↑ A brief history of Pesta. Retrieved on 23 August 2013
2. ↑ History of Pesta. Retrieved on 29 January 2007

Sources

• Senior Section Handbook, Fifth Edition. Malaysia: The Boys' Brigade in Malaysia. 2003. 
• (2003) Berita Anchor, October 2003. Malaysia: The Boys' Brigade in Malaysia.

External links

• Official website
• The BB Directory - International Boys' Brigade Directory
• MyBBKul - Official webzine of the Boys' Brigade in Malaysia
• The 3rd Kuala Lumpur Company
• The 5th Sandakan Company
• The 4th Petaling Jaya Company Boys' Brigade in Malaysia