atuk Dr Ronald Stephen McCoy was awarded the Victorian of the Year Award at the Victoria Institution Old Boys Association (VIOBA)) Annual Dinner at the PJ Hilton recently. The dinner, with the theme "Night of Magic: 111 years of Magic", also featured a citation of the award winner who epitomised the Victorian spirit through his immense contributions to the school and nation.

The two previous winners were Datuk Siew Nim Chee (former Head Economist of the EPU, and founder and chairman of Ancom Bhd) and Tan Sri Shamsuddin Kadir (founder and chairman of Sapura Bhd).

Dr McCoy was born on May 5, 1930. He developed a close and personal relationship with his mentor headmaster, F. Daniel, from whom he learnt the principles of working and playing hard. He learnt that self-discipline, personal initiative, reliability and taking modest pride in one's work were the key to self-fulfilment in life. He represented the school in hockey, cricket, soccer and athletics and was the captain in the first two sports. He later became the Editor of The Victorian school magazine and was the School Captain in 1948. He won the Treacher Scholarship (first in the Standard 8 exam) and the Rodger Scholarship (first in the School Certificate exam) in 1948. In 1949, The Victorian remarked that "in the history of the VI, no other boy had ever been School Captain and Rodger scholar in the same year or had combined successfully academic study and other school activities".

He became a key member of a team of 13 core specialists and helped develop the Pantai Medical Centre. As a VIOBA life member, he set up scholarships in memory of his teachers, Messrs Foo Chong Choon, Ganga Singh and S.V.J. Ponniah.

He was both a pioneer member and past president of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA). He was chairman of the MMA National Health Plan Committee that has helped shape Malaysia's National Health service. The committee has proposed universal coverage and equitable access to health care for all but the government has not implemented it yet. His social convictions have made him a perpetual NGO live wire. He is a member of the Aliran Board of Trustees, Vice-President of the International Movement for a Just World, Founding Member of the Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity (an affiliate of Transparency International) and a member of the National Art Gallery Board of Trustees in the 1970s and 1980s.

He founded the Malaysian Chapter of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in 1987 and has been a leading advocate for nuclear disarmament in Malaysia.

His credentials were embellished further by his inclusion in the Malaysian delegation to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1995, where he gave a lecture on the illegality of nuclear weapons. As a member of the 1996 Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons commissioned by the Australian Government to independently propose practical steps towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, his place in the global anti-nuclear movement was cemented. Dr McCoy is President of IPPNW which is accredited to the United Nations. In this capacity he has addressed the United Nations, meetings of Nobel Peace Laureates and the NATO Staff College in Rome, Italy.

He was awarded the DPMP by Sultan Raja Azlan Shah of Perak. Above all Dr McCoy remains a family man at heart. He is married with three children and has three grandchildren. His life is a summary of real success and contributions. A survivor of the last world war, he served his Victorian community with rigour as a student and, in his adult years, has healed lives and provided joy to countless patients. He is passionately committed to the personal development of others. Also present at the event were VIOBA President Yusli Yusof and VIOBA Foundation chairman Datuk Jaafar Indot.

The VIOBA also paid tribute to the late national footballer Mokhtar Dahari (1953-1991). A challenge trophy in his name was dedicated to the VIOBA seven-a-side Alumni Football Tournament and presented to the VIOBA sports convenor Mohd. Talha Masodi.

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