Wednesday, November 08, 2006
FREDO GAYONDATO
1950-2006. Fredo called me two days ago. We spoke about his health; he couldn't wait to get better so that he could start his sales pitch again with our new mag. We spoke about friends; he had many. And we spoke about the newspaper we left. I had the pleasure of working with this well-known and well-liked advertising man when I was the editor of Business Times and then The Malay/Sunday Mail. He taught me how to throw darts; he was a Rhino Darter. He loved his food and he loved life. A wonderful man. I shall miss him.
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Hi Rocky!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Rusdi Mustapha and I have the pleasure in loving and knowing Fredo Gayondato as my friend and my brother, and I shall always miss him and may he rest in peace! To his family I know you are as sad as I am but I do believe he will be playing dart singing his Tom Jones and Englebert numbers in heaven! Remember there is no tears in heaven always happiness!
Fredo will be missed. I received an SMS from his son Christopher while still in bed before 630am. Fredo is an amiable character, always full of life. He coined this term KTM for friends who do a little bit of investments in the lottery business - KTM is for kuda, toto and magnum!! Trust the guy to be creative! May you rest in peace my friend!!
ReplyDeleteHiBro,
ReplyDeleteWe miss a fun loving guy.
May his soul rest in peace and our deepest condolences to his family.
His food was heavenly.
ReplyDeleteI don't eat mutton, but his Mutton Curry Fried Rice is the best fried rice dish in town.
And the sambal was just perfect. Especially with Prawn Mee.
Anyway, the person will be missed more than the food.
Rest in Peace, Fredo.
Hi Rocky,
ReplyDeleteI received a text message from his son about the demise early this morning. My condolence to his family. Fredo has always been a great guy to me with a great heart and a great voice.
May he rest in peace.
Hi Rocky,
ReplyDeleteI met Fredo for the 1st time at the NPC dinner back last year at Sheraton Subang. He was a very friendly and warmth person. I do not know him well, but he took me around and introduced me to a lot of people. He made sure I was comfortable as he found out that I didn't know a lot of people there that night. He was genuinely pleasant. Initially I thought he was friendly as I was a client/advertiser. But from my experience, i learn to sieve out the no-so-genuine ppl. He was one of a kind. The people I met that night have only great things to say about him & his singing. I agree with them. Rest in peace, Fredo.
Bro,
ReplyDeleteWe have lost a good bro. My condolences to his family, Tony G and other loved ones. May he rest in peace and may his loved ones have the strength to continue.
Sivaraman
Hi Rocky,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Human Resources Fredo sometimes comes over and jokes about life....in a positive way.He can bring in the sunshine on gloomy days when there seems no end to problems. For those of us in NST during the 'era' sweating it out for the company was meaningful and fulfilling although there were challenges.We were proud of the products NSTP produced and Fredo was among those who made it possible for us then to celebrate each time the advertisement revenue hit more than a million a day.May Fredo rest in peace.
Regards
DUK
The best measure of the man is the number of friends he had.
ReplyDeleteDeepest condolences to the family.
Oh dear! I met him at the Press Club's Deepavali do last week and said 'Hi' to him and nothing else, since he looked a bit strange on that night. I swear he looked so different back then... as if his eyes were swollen or something like that. I remember that he once told me he had health problems - "Semua ada dalam lahh.." were his exact words. What was the cause of death?
ReplyDeleteFarewell, Fredo.
Azlan.
Hi Rocky,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Roger Moo and I have worked with Fredo Gayondato since 1976 (if I am not mistaken), those early days in The Malay Mail before I ventured out to do my own business.
Fredo is full of live and he live it well. The Sales Department of MM those days are full of laughters and chamerie(sp?)amongst all - no matter what race, color or creed you are. All worked as a team and the team spirit was very high.
I remembered 1 incident whereby he and a few of the sales guys gave the team supervisor a hard time (only through jokings and 'duku') (the supervisor just couldn't control them) and within a couple of week, the supervisor's hair turned white!
Without him and the rest, the laughters, jokes and all are missing in that department today, likewise in all surroundings that he was present.
Fredo will be missed.
My deepest condolences to his son Christopher and the family. May god bless his soul and he walk beside his lord. He had walk a good path in life and he will do likewise there with his lord.
Fredo was a great guy, with a great heart. He loved his food, drinks, family, friends and of course NSTP. May his soul rest in peace. And Rocky, its great that you included this memory spot for Fredo. Cheers bro.
ReplyDeleteChris Nicholas
my condolences to fredo's family.
ReplyDeletehe was a gem of a person. always cheereful. never once have i seen him down in my encounters with him. a person full of life.
a good buddy in my good old days of hanging out at the press club.
tony - hang in there buddy.
harris iskandar taib
Hi Rocky,
ReplyDeleteFormer NST/MM guy here. I am truly sad that another friend has left us. Last we met was during one of the MM reunions at the Press Club. He was a great friend and colleague. Rest in Peace friend.
Anwardi
Hi Rocky,
ReplyDeleteFormer NST/MM guy here. I am truly sad that another friend has left us. Last we met was during one of the MM reunions at the Press Club. He was a great friend and colleague. Rest in Peace friend.
Anwardi
WILFREDO ANDRE GAYONDATO... All i remember of this man, is a good friend, a wily poker player, an excellent darter, a fantastic cook who made the best mutton fried rice and hokkien mee, an ebullient person who loved life, spread laughter through his circle of friends, showed us how to live life like there was no tomorrow, and kept us entertained with his melodious voice that never missed a beat. but when his heart did, it left that circle of friends without a man who showed us how to smile and laugh through all our bad times.
ReplyDeleteGoodbye my friend, fellow Johannian, darter, drinker, and poker mate. We will miss you.
i will miss you, my friend. but i will not shed a tear for i know you lived your life the way u you wanted to.
ReplyDeleteto his sons, tony and the rest of the family...know that we all loved him. he brought laughter to everyone who came in contact with him.
farewell dear fredo.
Hi Rocky.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to learn about Fredo's passing. I will miss him for his jokes, his sincerity and his food. May his soul rest in peace and my condolences to his family.
Rafina
Hi Rocky.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to learn about Fredo's passing. I will miss him for his jokes, his sincerity and his food. May his soul rest in peace and my condolences to his family.
Rafina
Hi Rocky,
ReplyDeleteMy last meeting with him was during the VSS gathering. We all love him. His songs. His jokes. His company. But I guess God loves him more. Rest in Peace my friend, Fredo.
Sally Wong
It is with great sadness, I read the news of the "Katayan's" passing. We had some great times together. The last I saw him was when I was down in KL at the NPC. I guess you were there too Rocky. He was always buzzing and I am sure his mutton curry is a huge hit in heaven. May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteFredo was my classmate in St John's Institution.
ReplyDeleteGreat fun guy, even in school. Been meaning to jam with him, being a musician myself, but never got around to doing it. My loss.
Goodbye my friend.