In 1964, in the Prang Besar rubber estate adjoining an equatorial rainforest, Malaysia, a 14-year-old boy named Racket Boy (RB) found himself lost and lacking confidence. Struggling with academic studies, RB felt the weight of societal expectations imposed by his Asian parents and elders, who sought to see their children excel in traditional professional fields. Despite being an expert badminton player, his sporting prowess did not fit with the parochial thinking prevalent in Asian culture.
Feeling like a fish out of water, RB wandered aimlessly through the streets of Kajang after school hours. One fateful day, he stumbled upon the Kajang main badminton hall, where the local high school team was playing an important match against the Sg Chua Chinese school. The court was momentarily empty, and RB cheekily managed to engage another student to play some badminton. It was at this very moment that Coach Chan noticed RB’s talent and promptly enrolled him in the Shell Oil Company’s training program.
For RB, this opportunity was gift-wrapped and sent from heaven. He immersed himself in rigorous, painful weekly training sessions under the expert guidance and coaching of Coach Chan. The Shell Training Book became his record of progress, with every detail carefully noted and signed off and sent to Shell’s Kuala Lumpur headquarters. The oil company’s foresight and contribution to nurturing young sports talents like RB proved to be priceless.
The badminton training became a game-changer for RB, projecting him upwards and instilling in him valuable life lessons of perseverance, hard work and positivity. Without a doubt, the role played by badminton, Coach Chan, and the Shell Oil Company was instrumental in shaping RB’s journey through life.
Thanks to this fortuitous turn of events, RB’s life took a different trajectory. He went on to have a successful career as a lawyer in England before ultimately settling in the tranquil beauty of his San Romano di Garfagnana village, where rests his beloved Labrador, George.
RB’s journey from a lost teenager to a contented individual living in Tuscany is a testament to the transformative power of sports, dedicated coaches, and the foresight of institutions like the Shell Oil Company that recognised the potential in RB and afforded him the opportunity to grow into the person he is today.
