Our History
The Society of the Orthopaedically Handicapped Malaysia, or known as Persatuan Orang Orang Cacat Anggota Malaysia (POCAM) was officially established on 10 August 1975. The establishment meeting for POCAM was held at the Youth Hall, Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur, and was attended by 217 Ordinary Members and 4 Associate Members. It was officiated by Mr. E.J. Ross from The Malaysian Department of Social Welfare at the time.
The society, founded by Mr. Storey and Mr. Appu Raman, was officially registered with the Registrar of Societies Malaysia on 21 June 1976 with Datuk A.S. Dawood being the first president of the society.
Founding Fathers
Hugh Richard Myrddin Storey
"Father of Disability"
Chairman of the Sponsor Committee (1974)
Vice President of POCAM (1975-1977)
General Secretary (1977-1993)
President (1999-2001)
A pioneer in the development of power lifting for athletes with disabilities in Malaysia. His greatest achievements include winning a bronze medal at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games and the Seoul 1998 Paralympic Games.
In 1994, he received the title of Kesatria Mangku Negara (K.M.N.)
He then received the National Sports Award – Sports Leadership Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions and dedicated service towards the development and progress of sports in Malaysia in 2001.
In 2002, he received the “Tokoh Orang Kurang Upaya Dalam Kenangan” Award in conjunction with the 9th National Day for Persons with Disabilities.
During his lifetime, he was an avid enthusiast of collecting various species of butterflies from all over Peninsular Malaysia. His research work can be found in a book published in 2007 by the Department of Museums Malaysia titled “Butterflies: Selected Collections from H.R.M. Storey.”
Appu Raman
Vice President (1977-1983)
Since 1965, Mr. Appu Raman served as the Principal of the Rehabilitation Centre for the Physically Disabled in Cheras, which not only provided skills training for persons with physical disabilities but also assisted them in finding employment.
In 1974, he and his colleague, Mr. H.R.M. Storey, took the initiative to establish the Malaysian Association for the Disabled.
In 1976, he retired from the Public Service. His last position was Deputy Director of Welfare Services at the Ministry of Social Welfare.
Previous Patrons
Tun Dato’ Seri Utama (Dr.) Hamdan bin Sheikh Tahir
1995 to 2005
1976 to 1999
Almarhumah Yang Maha Mulia Tunku Puan Besar Kursiah Binti Almarhum Tunku Besar Burhanuddin, D.K., D.M.N., S.M.N., D.K. (Kedah)
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor
2006 to 2022
Former Presidents
