By David Koh and Joe Choo | Sep 17, 2009

Centre For The Golden Years

GROWING old is a natural part of our lives. Yet sadly, many people do not plan well for their golden years. Apart from not having active employment, they also end up not having any real purpose in life.

In Ampang, there is a rather unique development called the AUTORR Centre. It is unique from a social, architectural and environological perspective.

AUTORR stands for “Aged Unite To Organise Rest & Recreation.” The AUTORR Foundation was conceived in 1993 to give senior citizens something meaningful and engaging to do in their free time.

Its founder, Yap Swee Lin, popularly known as Lin Chua, said she first got the idea in the 1980s but the project only took off in the early 1990s when she met someone who agreed to work together on it. Unfortunately, he passed away not long after. Undeterred, she decided to push forward and other people joined in.

In 1994, she bought four acres of land in Ampang and donated it to the foundation as the venue for the AUTORR Centre. Today, that dream is almost a reality as construction work has been completed and the buildings are awaiting local council approval.

Life’s lessons
The centrepiece of the AUTORR Centre is its unique multi-purpose hall. Instead of a regular rectangular block, it is artistically shaped like half a vase laid on its side. Not only is it aesthetically and architecturally interesting, somehow through coincidence, this building also happens to conform perfectly with environology principles! From the outside, the building looks like a giant vase half-embedded in the ground. The eye-catching design was Lin’s brainchild as she sees the vase as a symbol of life.

According to Lin, she wants the centre to motivate senior citizens and to give them a sense of purpose. “When I visit the homes of my friends or even my own mother, I notice that the elderly are not happy. Children love their parents but most of the time, they are too busy. Their work and career take up so much of their time,” she said.

“They feel neglected, hurt and unhappy because their children seem to be ungrateful. They are also lonely. Their children are busy with work. Their grandchildren have school, tuition and lots of homework.

“Even those with friends find their group of friends shrinking as they start to ‘disappear’. They are fearful of death as they watch their friends go. They should be sitting back and enjoy life. They should be happy but they are not,” she added.

The idea for AUTORR sprang from a desire to give senior citizens a place to gather where they can give and receive care, and share their experiences with others, including the younger generation.

“They have plenty of stories and lessons to share but often, their own families don’t listen,” she said.

“They can help in giving talks to young married couples on parenting skills, as well as interact with children and young adults. We want to help young couples avoid mistakes and inculcate positive living values in children,” she explained. A calendar of events will be drawn up for such talks.

Legacy of charitable work
AUTORR is not an old folks home, nor does it provide care for the infirmed. It is a rest-and-recreation centre where able-bodied senior citizens can come and network with each other and live a quality life. According to Lin, there are many organisations that wish to extend a helping hand or participate in such a centre and they are waiting for AUTORR to open. They include senior citizen associations as well as volunteers from the scientific community as well as nutrition and health food sector and many others. AUTORR volunteers will teach tai chi, qigong and meditation for health as well as provide therapy. Visitors to the centre can play chess, learn floral arrangements or engage in bonsai and other mentally stimulating activities.

Philanthropy appears to run in the family for Lin. Her grandfather was Yap Kwan Seng, the third Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur.

Yap was renowned for his social and charity work, as he was a man who believed in giving back to society what he benefited from it.

He started the General Hospital, which was later handed over to the government and became the Kuala Lumpur Hospital at Jalan Tun Razak. He set up a hospital to care for the sick and dying, and also the Tung Shin Hospital. He also advocated education and was involved in the creation of the prestigious Victoria Institution. Sadly, apart from having a road named after him, much of his philanthropy and generosity remain unknown to the general public. Ironically, even Lin was unaware of his grandfather’s charitable work. One day, while attending Tung Shin Hospital’s centenary celebrations, she was shocked to see a huge picture of her grandfather hung at the hospital’s main hall.

“I asked about it and was given a commemorative book on Tung Shin Hospital. I then learnt about what he did,” said Lin, who has also been concerned about the needs of the underprivileged.

Her first job was teaching adult students. She then moved on to teach young children at the Jalan Pasar school.

Many students there, came from poor families. Some had no shoes nor school books, recalled Lin.

“Even mid-primary students could not write from one to 100, A to Z or spell their names. I used to stay on after school for about two hours every day to coach them on writing their names, the multiplication table and the alphabet,” she said.

Lin’s teaching career was short-lived as she stopped, soon after marrying Dick Chua. Dick and Lin were the founders of the Dicklin Group. Dick died in a car accident in 1978. Lin soldiered on and the company prospered. Lin still heads the company as chief executive and managing director. Her business acumen earned her many awards in recognition of her work.

After completing a Harvard programme in the region, Lin was even offered a place in the prestigious business school.

“But this was at a time in the 1980s when the market was collapsing. I decided to forego that opportunity to save the company,” she said.

Today, her son and daughter help in managing the family business which enable her to devote more time and resources for the establishment of AUTORR.

AUTORR is funded by donations and fund-raising programmes.

* In aid of the AUTORR Foundation, Prof David Koh and Joe Choo will conduct a seminar on How to Maintain Your Wealth During This Economic Downturn on Sept 26 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. For details, call 012–233 9836 (Gan).