Tan puts aside music for a career in shipping

IF Harry Tan Kim Yam, general manager of Perkapalan Balisa Sdn Bhd, was not in shipping, he would probably be pursuing a career in music, his favourite pastime.

This is because the talkative and affable 42 year-old used to sing in pubs and hotels for a living before starting off in shipping.

"My eldest brother, Captain Tan Ek Long, who was with the Royal Malaysian Navy however thought that it would be better for me to get a more stable job and helped me get a job in a shipping firm.

"He told me that I was a good singer but asked me whether I was really sure that I could record an album and build a career as a recording artiste.

"That made me think twice and I came to the decision that I should take up a job offer in Borneo Shipping despite the fact that I was earning RM600 monthly as a singer compared to RM228 a month as an accounts clerk," recalled Tan, who hails from Malacca and is of Baba descent.

Although the entry into shipping marked the end of his musical career, it did not stop Tan from moonlighting in pubs after office hours.

He continued to sing to earn extra money and according to him it was also his way of relaxing and unwinding.

"I don't do it regularly now but sometimes I sing at weddings and other functions or help out my other musician friends who need a replacement at their gigs," he said.

Tan who grew in Pengkalan Rama, Malacca, says that his love for music was "always there even as a young boy" and is something which is "natural and in-born in me".

"I come from a poor family with 15 children (of which he is the second youngest), and my father was labourer who used to carry goods from a junk to the godown.

"We led a simple life but music was always there, and I used to mix with the local Portugese."

Tan joined MISC in 1980 and said that it was there that he learnt a lot about shipping.

He also decided to improve his qualification by taking up several shipping courses and the Chartered Institute of Technology, UK.

From a freight clerk, he joined Evergreen as a sales officer.

"Although I was not trained to do sales, I had the gift of the gab. When I first started doing sales, I did not have a vehicle to move around, so I travelled by mini-bus," he recalled.

He then worked in Cergas Marine as a senior executive and was promoted to assistant manager before joining Balisa four year ago as general manager.

Being in the industry for the past 22 years, Tan has seen the changes taking place, such as the use of conventional ships to container vessels, and computers and internet compared to typewriters.

"Now what you get in shipping is real-time information which is crucial and what customers want these days. My job requires me to be on my feet every minute.

Tan has a five year-old son and a three year-old daughter.

Besides singing, he also plays the trumpet, clarinet, saxaphone, guitar and organ.

"I participated in Bintang RTM talent show in 1980, which if I'm not mistaken was also the year local singer Jamal Abdillah took part.

"However, I only made it to the semi-finals. I sing mostly rock and roll, ballads and a bit of reggae numbers, and can sing in Malay, Thai, Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien," he said, adding that his voice sounds like a cross between Elvis and Cliff Richard.

Tan has two electric guitars, two accoustic guitars and an organ at home. He also enjoys painting landscapes scenes.

Another passion of his is assembling and collecting model ships. He painstakingly builds and paints each ship and has 10 such models.

"You will see these ships displayed in my house as it is a popular belief among the Chinese that a ship brings in bountiful luck and prosperity."

Tan describes his years in shipping as "very interesting" and says that it is already in his blood.

"In shipping you are able to see things from all angles and get a 360-degree view of things.

"Shipping is like the lifeline of a country, like the blood vessels in the heart which is constantly pumping and moving".

back to top