Heng Ee owes its humble beginnings to the lifelong dedication of Rev. Father Arthur Julien. Born in Belgium in 1917, young Julien embarked on the road less taken after witnessing the hostility his father faced as a customs official.1He joined the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (M.E.P.) upon completing high school to be trained as a missionary. During the turbulent years of the Second World War, Julien, at the young age of 27, became a priest.2
After completing his missionary work in France, northern Africa, Vietnam and Italy in 1946, Father Julien went on to China and gained invaluable experiences there which altered his perception of life.3 While the Chinese language posed a huge challenge to Father Julien as a preacher, the young man soon fell in love with the language and the culture which he had once perceived as a great barrier. Not only did he begin to learn the language, but through his quest to master Chinese, Julien realised the central importance of education.
He established a school for the local community, although it later had to close down following political instability due to the increasing rivalry between the nationalists and the communists.4
After six years in China, Father Julien arrived in Penang in 1952, where he lived until his death in 2004. From his experience in China, Father Julien was inspired to set up a school in Jelutong for social outcasts and school dropouts after observing the large number of youngsters in the area who failed to receive a basic education owing to poverty. And so, the idea to establish Heng Ee was conceived.
