RIP: AWOL Doctor Death @ Melbourne
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www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_346713.html
HE HAD disappeared for months without a word, cutting off all contact with even those closest to him.
And the next they heard of him, he was in Melbourne, and he was dead. His body was found beneath a busy bridge in the Australian city on Tuesday.
The tragic story of Capt (Dr) Allan Ooi, 28, a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) doctor, shocked all around him, including his family.
Capt Ooi, a Singaporean, had gone AWOL (absent without official leave) here.
According to an SAF spokesman, he had not attended work since 15 Oct last year.
Bewildered
Since then, SAF had tried to contact him, but had been unsuccessful, the spokesman added.
It is believed that Capt Ooi had suddenly left home and flown to Melbourne, but it is not known who he had been living with there.
A family friend, who declined to be named, said it was known that Capt Ooi had been unhappy at work for 'a long time'.
But he had been serving his bond with SAF, and when he left without a word, his family and close friends were bewildered.
It is not known how many years of his bond he had served.
When contacted, Capt Ooi's older brother, Adrian, declined comment.
A friend, who went to medical school with Capt Ooi, told The New Paper last night that he was still in disbelief over what happened.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said he remembered Capt Ooi as an all-rounder who was good at everything.
He said: 'Allan was the most brilliant person I knew. He excelled at everything he put his mind to.'
He recalled that Capt Ooi became an avid Warcraft player when the game was first released years ago.
'He picked up the game really quickly, without any special training. In a short period, he became one of the top 10 Warcraft players in Singapore, and was among the top 100 in the world,' he said.
He added that unlike most medical students he knew, Capt Ooi had a 'rich life' outside medical school.
'He was a sportsman - he swam competitively, and he was an excellent pool player. He was also really funny, with a great sense of humour,' he said.
Capt Ooi, an alumnus of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College, was a school water polo player and swimmer.
Go-getter
His father, Dr Alex Ooi, is a well-known gynaecologist and former president of the Tanglin Club.
Capt Ooi also took part in pageants, such as the International Man Singapore pageant, where he was crowned Mr Continents 2001, and the Mr Singapore pageant, which he won the same year.
He was a go-getter 'who didn't like to lose,' his friend said.
And his doggedness paid off - Capt Ooi emerged near the top of his cohort in Officer Cadet School and the Medical Officers Cadet Corps.
'Allan had a magnetic personality and loved his family deeply. He lived life to the fullest,' the friend said.
The New Paper tried to contact several of Capt Ooi's close friends, but the others declined to speak to the press without his family's permission.
Melbourne police are still speaking to witnesses, and are preparing a report that will be sent to the Melbourne Coroner's Court.
A spokesman for the Melbourne police said Capt Ooi was seen getting out of his car on the bridge before 4am on Tuesday.
West Gate Bridge, which spans the well-known Yarra River, is the third-longest bridge in Australia.
Capt Ooi's family is in Melbourne arranging for his body to be flown back to Singapore.
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R.I.P Capt Ooi.
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he is actually an RSAF doctor, not with army. they reported wrongly.
i spoke to him several times before. he is very friendly. he is also an ah sia kia.
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existing thread in chit chat forum