Malacca Bar Idol Nite at the Melaka Charity Nite

contributed by Pierre Lim and Desmond Ho

What do the Bee Gees, Willie Nelson, Everly Brothers and a Mandarin rendition of a Chinese nursery rhyme, “Father Is Not Home”, have in common? Why, nothing of course! Except that they were all sung by our very own Bar Idols and members of the Malacca Bar on the first ever Malacca Bar Idol competition in conjunction with the West Coast Charity Night jointly organized by 4 state Young Lawyers Committees.

The fund-raiser, attended by more than 110 people which was organised in Malacca together with the Liason, Charity and Welfare Sub- Committee of the Malacca Bar in aid of the Pusat Kanak-kanak Terencat Akal Bahagia witnessed a Malaccan version of the Popular TV Show American Idol, featuring our very own panel of the famous threesome, Simon Ng Kong Peng, Randy Desmond Ho and Paula Fiona Tan. It was an evening to remember as our Bar Idol hopefuls belted out tune after tune of tone-challenged popular hits much to the delight of the diners. And that’s not all folks. We had a “slave auction” in which a rather sporting member of the Malacca Bar volunteered his “Man-Friday” services for the night to the highest bidder, all in the name of good fun and charity. Our Man-Friday did not only raise funds from the auction but when his Master for the night instructed him to sing, he was paid to stop singing candidly by another Bar member.

Not only did we indulge in the trade of ‘human trafficking’ albeit a legal one, we also auctioned off lots of stuff to raise money for the children. The items that went under the hammer included paintings, much sought after cross stitched pieces by a fellow Bar member, books, a computer game, branded cosmetics bags, a baba nyonya dress in almost mint condition, ladies’ handbag, romantic novels, law books, a radio, and much more. “Auctioneer” Wong Fook Meng saw to it that the stuff sold got top dollar for what they were worth and his banter with the crowd raised a bidding war for some items.

When it came to the turn of the Malacca Bar Idol aspirants to once again test the cerebral fitness of the diners, there was much applause and laughs followed by boxes labeled with the names of Idol hopefuls making the rounds for donations. After one contestant sang Willie Nelson’s “You are always on my mind”, Simon Ng Kong Peng remarked “After that performance, you are always on my mind” bringing about much light hearted laughter. The boxes receiving the most donations won the Bar Idol contest and prize eyed was a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand for 3 days and 2 nights for two persons. After a spirited rendition of ‘Sejati’ his schoolboy days anthem backed by the band PG165, and ‘Draw Me Close’, Damian Yeo was crowned Malacca Bar’s first Idol. Shukor clinched the second spot and Yoong How Vei came in third.

The Special Children’s Home is a private charity home which is not aided by the Government. It provides shelter for abandoned and disabled children. From the Charity Night, a total of about RM4,500 was collected in aid of the Special Children’s Home and the organizing committee shall utilize the monies received to purchase necessities for the residents of the Home.

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