George Frederick Pykett was born in Brandon, Grantham in Lincolnshire, England on December 20, 1864. He attended school at Hough, England and later became an assistant master at Rawmarsh Free Grammar School, Rotherham and at All Saints’, Plumstead, Woolwich. 

In February 1891, Reverend Pykett went to Singapore to assume the position of teacher at the Anglo-Chinese School in response to an advertisement posted by William Shellabear in the “Methodist Times” in England.^[1]

In April 1893, he was transferred to Penang as principal of the local Anglo-Chinese School (now known as the Methodist Boys’ School) which had been founded two years earlier on May 28, 1891 by Reverend Benjamin H. Balderstone. Pykett replaced Reverend Balderstone who had to return to Canada due to failing eyesight.

This marked the beginning of Pykett’s 40 years of illustrious service in Malaya until his retirement in 1931. He served mostly in Penang except for a short break between 1914 and 1919 when he was principal of the Methodist Boys’ School, Kuala Lumpur. He is honoured by Methodist Boys’ School as a trailblazer in education in Malaya after establishing three branches in the state: a primary school at Chulia Street, a middle school at Penang Road and a secondary school at Maxwell Road.^[2]

The Anglo-Chinese School of Penang, located in a shophouse at Carnarvon Street, had only one pupil when it started in 1891. Two years later, there were almost 200 pupils occupying five shophouses along the same street. The school grew under Reverend Pykett and by 1896, a new building was erected in Maxwell Road at a cost of $21,000. The enrolment continued to grow rapidly until the school had to purchase the adjoining building which they used for the Anglo-Chinese Girls’ School.^[3]

Thereafter, branch schools were started for the higher forms at premises in Chulia Street and Suffolk House at Dato Kramat Road. By 1932, there were nearly 2,000 pupils. The driving force behind the impressive growth was undeniably Reverend Pykett who was noted for his high academic standards, which attracted many students.^[4]

Reverend Pykett became a renowned educator in Penang where he was principal of the Anglo-Chinese School for most of the years from 1893 to 1927. He was also the education secretary of the Methodist Mission to the government from 1918-1919 and 1927-1931. He started many extra-curricular activities for students such as the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in 1905, St John’s Ambulance in 1907, and the first Boy Scout troop in 1910. The first school magazine was published in 1909.

Besides education, he was also heavily involved in missionary work and was described as excelling in both school development and the church pulpit. His charitable works were mostly done quietly. Many who knew him said that his heart was always bigger than his purse as he was always kind and generous to the poor and downtrodden.^[5]

In 1905, as district superintendent of the Methodist Church, Reverend Pykett sent a Tamil lay preacher by the name of Salomon S. Pakianathan to Medan, Sumatra to supervise a private school owned by Hong Teen, an old boy of the Anglo-Chinese School Penang. This led to the founding of the Methodist Church in Medan with Pakianathan as the pioneer minister.[^[6]

Reverend Pykett was married to Japonica Amelia Towers, the daughter of a ship captain who  sailed between Japan and London. Amelia’s mother died a few weeks after Amelia was born off the coast of Japan. Amelia was the widow of W.R. Young. Young had worked in the Government Survey Department in Penang and the couple had six children. After marrying Pykett in 1892, Amelia had five children with him.^[7] 

Mrs Pykett, who was fluent in both Tamil and Cantonese, did significant church work among the Indians and Chinese. She also started an orphanage and a home for aged women and built Alexandria Home, a refuge for the destitute and lost.^[8]

Reverend George Pykett retired and returned to England in April 1931 due to an illness for which he had sought treatment in Singapore. He passed away on September 9, 1932 at Bedford Park, London, at the age of 68. He was survived by two sons, George Pykett and Dick Pykett and several step-daughters: Mrs MacDonald, the headmistress of the Anglo-Chinese Primary School, Mrs Keymer of the ACS Continuation School, and Mrs J.M. Hoover of Sibu, Borneo.[^[9]

At a memorial service held in Penang, Reverend L. Proesbstel, his co-worker of 18 years, said that “the monument to Mr Pykett would not be in stone, not in building, but in the lives and the hearts of those who knew him and of those whom he influenced. He was a Christian first, and because he had a desire to follow Jesus Christ that he gave his life to Malaya”.[^[10]]

Pykett Avenue and Pykett Lane in Penang are named after Reverend George Pykett as a tribute towards his contribution to society. A school, Pykett Methodist School, was also named after him.