Hockey Personalities... featuring S.BALA

Interviewed by Charles Lim

Born on 15th November 1947 in Ipoh, Balasingam Singaram or better known as S.Bala, grew up mainly in the Klang valley under the watchful eyes of the La Salle brothers at La Salle Brickfields and subsequently at St John's Institution. Back in the school days, he played in many positions but found his niche as a left-half, a position which gained him prominence and place in the Malaysian national team in 1968.

Making his national debut at the 1968 International Hockey Tournament in Lahore, S.Bala will always remember how he first rubbed shoulders and competed against the hockey legends of that era as a young 21 year-old player. He had many more such opportunities in the next 8 years as he continued to make his name as a regular in the national team, participating in the Munich (1972) and Montreal (1976) Olympics, as well as 2 world cups in 1973 (Amsterdam) and 1975 (Kuala Lumpur). 

He laughs as he recalls how the national team of yesteryears trained at PULAPOL, staying at the 1st barracks and taking showers at the Bomba station nearby, mischievious team-mates stealing towels and leaving them stranded until it was dark enough to run back to the barracks, and meals were mainly 'mamak' food! Things were much simpler then, and players did not ask for much.

When asked what other sports he played, S.Bala said 'Hockey, only hockey!', which he continued to play until the age of 60 in 2007, representing RSC in the KL Hockey League since 1977. But in reality he was also a good golfer, a game which he excelled naturally, playing off a single handicap until the day he gave up the game in 2004.

Despite giving up the sports the he enjoys so much, S.Bala continues to be a Hockey and Golf section member until today and led the annual RSC 9s Hockey Tournament organising committee for 8years until 2009, when he had to slow down due to his health condition. Having survived surgery and colon cancer, he now enjoys his sports via television and was 'guilty' of watching every single day of the recent London 2012 Olympics.

After contributing 22 years service to the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) as a Technical Soil Surveyor (and hockey player!), S.Bala ventured into the fertiliser business, with the support of his wife Indra in 1993. He readily admits that being a very public and recognisable hockey personality back then helped him to open many doors.

Today, he spends most of his days at his office from sunrise to sundown as he has done in the last 20 years. In his office on the 1st floor of his shop in Brickfields, the framed photograph of the 1975 Malaysian national hockey team commands a prominent and visible place behind his office chair. This is how much hockey means to the man many also fondly refer to as Bacardi Bala!

S. Bala has a son who lives in Australia, travels for leisure whenever time permits and believes that in a team sport, every member of the team is equally important, as there's very little any single player can do without the support of the other 10.