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.