The Houses of Sungai Rokam
Somewhere in the late 1960s, this was part of a low-cost housing scheme in Sungai Rokam (off Gopeng Road), in Ipoh. These houses were constructed mainly of timber, following the traditional Malay-styled home. There were about 410 units of such houses which covered over 100 acres of land. The houses were raised on timber columns, resting on concrete bases, and had tie beams which also served as floor joints.
Are they still around today? Or have they been replaced by modern brick houses / flats?
Yes,I used to have a friend called Noraini Win staying at such a house in Sg Rokam when we were both in lower secondary in MGS Jalan Kampar back in the late 70s. We lost contact after leaving school.
I used to go to her house with other classmates during Hari Raya.Her mum cooked the most delicious curry chicken,beef rendang and lemang,served with iced rose syrup.They used the best cutleries and Pyrex for guests which on ordinary days were kept on display in a cupboard.And she told us these are very expensive,paid by monthly instalments from her father’s pension.VIP treatment..hahaha
The house is very spacious,well kept and airy -typical of a kampung house.But there is something she told me which I can’t forget.According to her,the area is very prone to theft,not a human thief but a toyol which was kept by a bomoh who was staying not far from her house.
One night,she saw a greenish being,almost transparent,the size of a toddler,climbing through the window into her room which she shared with her mum.She screamed out loudly and woke up the whole household.The greenish being quickly fled.Upon searching,they found some coins and jewelleries which was kept in a milo tin under the kitchen cupboard went missing.
I wonder where is Noraini today and what she is doing….
Hi Ipohgal.
thanks for your comment!
don’t know about the toyol, but i’ve heard of the ‘orang-minyak’. they usually cover themselves with black oil/grease, makes it easier to slip through the grill bars. so they can slip in and out of your house quickly (with what ever they’ve stolen). i think there was even an old black and movie about the ‘orang-minyak’….
Hi Felicia
Try “Sumpah Orang Minyak” a 1956 P.Ramlee Film
Hello friends.
The low cost Sg. Rokam still exists.
Located at the corner of Jalan Sukun-Jalan Rokam.
thank you faisal! Welcome to the blog
Not many is still in its original form, there are a few before, but I don’t see any ore today, my grandfather’s house is in Jalan Tampoi next to ‘Sungai Rokam’ itself, which when i grew up, it looks more or less a monsoon drain lol. My mom then bought a house in Aerodrome instead of Rapat Setia where ‘all’ the malays teachers purchased their house, and my father even when bolder, by buying his first house in First Garden which cost him 22k for a 4 bedroomed terraced house in 1973. In the 80′s, Sungai Rokam was the place to be every Hari raya, I remembered seeing all these cars parked in almost every compound of almost all the houses, smiles everywhere. Today, most of the older generations are gone and the children have created their own legacy in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Sungai Rokam is not as merry as it was before, anymore.
thanks for sharing your memories with us, Iqbal. would you happen to have any pictures from you younger days? We don’t know much about Sungai Rokam, perhaps we could feature it on our website someday…
When my father B M Iversen retired from Ipoh after having lived there for almost 40 years, my parents gave our faithful cook Rameli who had been with them since 1938 or so – one of these houses as a thank you for his loyalty. I am still in contact with his sons, one of them lives in his father’s house and I have visited him often! Last time I was in Ipoh in 2009 Hong (Perak Heritage Trust) and I went round to find him, but did not recognise the house – later I was told that he has recently done it up.
im a resident at sungai rokam,,the area still same but majority of the house had changed,,,but the environment still same..huhu
Thanks for the update muhaimin. Do you have any photos of life at Rokam, old or new?
Hi All. I moved from Kampong Kepayang and lived in Sungai Rokam in the year of 1963 when I was just turn 2 year and the half. I still remember all the thing happening around the kampong during the early 1960th. The location was scenic where Sungai Rokam being surrounded wholly by forest. The infra-structure with less traffic and small roads leading to our kampong from town. It was so wonderful to see how the malays lived and got together when celebrated Ramadan festive season. I can still remember how I cycled to school when I was in Form 1 at Anderson School Ipoh in 1974. There were many houses that not renovated and less people owned cars that made us all equal in standard of living. I can still remember how the mamak pasembor’s peddler pushed his cart down to our kampong selling his magical “pasembor rojak” where housewives queued with their plates to buy his “pasembor rojak”. Most were liked hungry craving customers when the mamak dumped potatoes, fried cuttlefish, fermented prawn paste into his “kuali” and with some of his secret rojak recipe. Live was so simple that time where not much entertainment outlets available when most parents were concentrated to bring up their families…
Azami…..do you have pictures of the good ‘ol days at Sungai Rokam? perhaps you could share them with us, and tell us MORE about what life was like back then
Hye, Im a journalist for the News Straits Times and I’m writing an article on Sungai Rokam and on how it was one of the first low-cost housing area in Malaysia. I was wondering if you could provide me with more information, pictures and stories on Sungai Rokam that I might use. It might be published so if you could leave your full name and age as well. To Felicia, thank you for the wonderful blog and I hope you’ll let me use it for information I need. Incidentally, my mum is from Sungai Rokam, so it feels good to know that my hometown is still remembered. Thank you so much guys.
Hi aisyahs, welcome to ipohworld. I am afraid we do not have any more photographs of Sungai Rokam. Regarding stories, I only have one and that is in my book to be published next month and obviously that is copyright so I regret that we really cannot help although if any of our readers can send us what you are looking for then I can let you know.
great picture… i am so proud of sg rokam.. born in hospital besar ipoh and raised entirely in sg rokam… i am more to 80s kid, back then funfair park in front of sg rokam (now terminal bas medan gopeng) was the most waited event for me..
as a kid, only playing was on my mind, therefore, the best thing in sg rokam for me was the playgrounds.. there are 3 playgrounds in sg rokam (still exist today) plus the best soccer field in Malaysia, Padang Bola Sek. Keb. Sg Rokam… however, as time goes by i noticed that the playgrounds are not as cheerful maybe since not many small kids around any longer.. most of the sg rokam permanent resident nowadays are 1st and 2nd generation, where most of 3rd generation and their children have migrated to other places..
Dear All,
My school bus made a round everyday through Sungai Rokam. I love the village, next to mine (Gunung Rapat) where some of my schoolmates stayed.
Every Raya, I would get invited to my classmate’s house, with the river flowing directly behind. I would cycle there in late morning (as instructed), and my classmate would serve me the most delicious rendang and other treats.
The public bus serving the area still goes through it now as of old. But the nice restaurant near the kampung entrance directly in front of Gopeng Road is gone.
It was a beautiful area then, very very safe and green together with the Kampung leading to the airport and the later developed Rapat Setia where me and my buddies cycled every evening. When you reach Rapat Setia, you could see the whole ring of hills. Beyond was the Chinese vegetable farms and fish and lotus ponds (former mining pools.) Many a young boy drowned there. This was all before the present residential developments sprang up.
The whole area is all built up now, with the giant angsana rain trees at the side of Gopeng Road all gone….
I do not remember hearing of any snatch theives or robberies then. A theif did steal my family’s offerings left outside overnight on the eve of Chinese New Year in the early 70s. They also some pots and pans…….those days were when the tin industry collpsed and everyone was really poor……..
Incidentally, Lat – a fellow Andersonian – also hails from Sungai Rokam, but he was born somewhere near Kampung Kepayang I think.
Cheers!
Ipohgirl61
hi guys.
i am among the villagers of kampung sg. rokam. i was born in my grandpa’s house in jalan sukun (sorry cannot reveal house number)just near our menteri kewangan kedua house Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.my birth is delivered by mak bidan.my father still keep a good care to the room,bed and furniture that held my birth delivered as it is was known to a sentimental values (thank you so much abah!). i was raise in lenggong,kuala kangsar but mostly in ipoh (kg sg rokam) due to fathers job that always kept us moving on.life in kg sg rokam is very peace,soothing and memorable.back then there’s lack of technology that make us exlplore all the tradional games such as guli,gasing,galah panjang,konda-kondi and etc.it was quite an memoir experiances.the neighbour and yet the villagers is all hooked up with each other that we can visit or enter all the house as at almost anytime like a family! and they still recognise us by names or by our father names!(he,he). the houses is very well manage by the owner from inside and outside brought the Dewan Bandaraya staff so happy due to lighter job that need to be done.they did it in responsbility. i was in sek. keb. sg rokam located only at the back of my house that took 7 minutes walking.it was a great school indeed.held a top 5′s excellency in perak! the school field is very merrier almost everytime with a all kind of sport even in hotter days! back then we always watching our kampong soccer team known as team G.M.Rokam trained by coach Baharin that held a training almost every evening (even fasting month!) the team is quite success back then with a few medals. congrats! fluent by it, my fellow friend always comes by knocking at my door “jom la main bola.bebudak dah tunggu tu.”ha,ha! creating a rutin hobbies.ha,ha! of course there is no handphone only housephone (i dont have it). dear readers. there’s so much more that i want to share and tell about kg sg rokam but this time i have to end it.perhaps another time. lastly,kg sungai rokam is indeed a peaceful and a mesmerize village. it’s the people and sceneric view that kept it alive and soothing.but nowadays most of a teen or higher educate is moving to big city such as kl or putrajaya for a better career and opportunity (like me). of course,same to all village in this millenium.ok.until next time.i hope i didn’t bored the readers.forgive me in my rojak writing language.he,he!Take care. bye………..
Hi Hasry, thanks for the memories. Did you know Lat in those Sg Rokam days? He kindly wrote an article for our book about growing up in Sg Rokam complete with original cartoons.
Hasry . talking about football, Baharin Kamis was Perak football players together with Hasbollah and Hassanuddin (all living around Sg. Rokam).
hi ika.yup, i know where,s lat residency.in fact,i once being a classmate to his nephew (also my guitar sifu.he,he!). lat house is situated at taman golf.you probably know where the taman golf is located right? taman golf is a neighbour to pekan razaki.100 percent of all the house is bungalows.at the end of the corner,ipoh swimming club is located.his house is just at the main road opposite the golf course.his bungalow is build with a wooden structures.yet almost 90 percent of it foundations is build with wood.you wont miss it if you enter taman golf.his house is so beautiful and fascinated.design by himself with a lot of creativities.i always adore his creativities.no wonder he is so successfull with cartoonist career.opps! know datuk lat secret hideout adress is ‘bocor’ le ika.he,he,he!
hi hasbi. is it true? wah good for him.thanks for the info hasbi. did you know back then, baharin never missed his jogging session? he jog almost every days.! what a heck of the player he is. keep it up baharin….!
hai all
i am a CUCU of opah halimah or mak limah..an old timer of Sg rokam..used to open a grocery next to kedai mamak (still exists la the kedai mamak).what i can say about the village. it is very memorable. indeed, until now i still go back to sg rokam every raya and simpang pulai. still remember when i was a kid, i used to walk all the way from the medan gopeng (as the bus express stop there) and me and my family walking from the minang kabau bangalow (currently own by my uncle) until my opah’s house. i love the moment..and my opah will always get ready with “kueh sampan” or tepung pelita…yummy~
there is one original house of sg rokam that still exist but has been abandoned. but still the Y generation can see how Sg rokam has changed and produce so many stars such Datuk Seri husni, wahid senario,datuk Lat and many more. tho i am not originally from sg rokam.but yes i am proud with the village. the people is nice and the place is soothing…:)
When I was young at the aged of 2 yrs 6 months old,in July 1963, our family moved to Kampong Sungai Rokam from Kampong Kepayang of Fair Park, Ipoh
Those days our Kampong Sungai Rokam was isolated at the outskirt of Ipoh Town. Our Kampong Sungai Rokam was surrounded by forest at its back. It was situated neighbouring to Gunung Rapat .and Kampong Melayu that was on the opposite of Gopeng Road.
In 1963, as I passed through along the Kampar Road at night by bus toward the Ipoh town with my dad, I usually spotted many cars broke-down along the road shoulder of Gopeng Road leading to Ipoh Town. Out of curiosity, I asked my dad why those cars were pulled over on the roadside. My father quickly explained that it was the “kereta rosak” without elaborate further
In 1972, one of the days, I was standing and waiting along the Gopeng Road where my uncle’s house was situated at the end corner of the Sungai Rokam next to the river. I knew our primary school was invited to welcome for flag waving for our beloved Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak’s visit at Ipoh airport. I hope that I could see Tun Abdul Razak in flesh. At that point of time, I suddenly saw a big black car pull-in on the bridge. A man with his hat on appeared to be “ Tun Abdul Razak” instructed his driver to stop. I saw Tun Abdul Razak stooped through the window to view the surrounding. I glimpsed Tun Abdul Razak’s complexion was fairly reddish like his son’s Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak
I went for Primary School at Ashby Road in 1968. In 1974 I went to secondary school, Anderson School of Ipoh. I started cycling to school in 1974 that was when I was 14 years old. During the years of cycling I was distracted by the advertisement of bunting over the electrical poles along the Abdul Jalil field. showed our beloved Second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Badul Razak shook his hand with People Republic of China, the Chairman, Mao Tze Tung. Sometime in June 1974, whilst I cycled to school, I witnessed a shooting in front of my eyes when a Perak Police Chief, Tan Sri Khoo Chong Kong was shot dead by subversive at the junction of road of Cator Avenue leading toward Fair Park. Ipoh
Kampong Sungai Rokam was mainly occupied by various kinds of malays majority ethnic groups such as Bawean, Jawanese, Banjar, Rawa etc. Most of them were mainly working as civil goverment servants and ex-serviceman like ex arm-forced, police, most horse-racing course pre-dominantly controlled by the Bawean ethnic etc.
In 1963, shuttle bus services were available at our kampong. Most residents of Sungai Rokam relied on bus service as their main transport to Ipoh town. Those years where people couldn’t afford to buy cars, as car prices were far too expensive. Such cars I saw buzzed around on the road were Hillman, Viva Commodo DS, Datsun, Mini-cooper, Morris–minor, Volkswagen, Volvo etc . Motorcycle was not available until only appeared in the late sixties, where “Kapchai” version was introduced by Boon Siew Honda. Scooters like Umbrella , Vespa etc were found almost everywhere. Normally its acronym as “Lumbretta” instead of Umbrella.
Those days I saw few Indian running door to door retailed business, selling clothe they carried over the head to the households
The mamak of “Passembor Rojak” used to paddle his cart into the kampong street. Selling his famous delicacy the delicious “ passembor rojak”. Everyone got distracted with excitement by his presence when he pushed along his cart into the streets of the Kampong Sungai Rokam when he shouted loudly “ Passembor ROOOOOOOOJAAAAAK” at 5.30 pm. It was a common sight to see his normal attire with a blue shirt and white sarong despite at old age of 60 somethings.
Men, young boys, housewives carried their plates while queued to take their turns for passembor rojak, mee goreng, Mee rebus etc. The price for a plate was ranged from RM$ 0.50 to RM$ 1.00 per plate. Sometimes, cendol peddlers were also available.
The passembors were tasted nice with all sort of ingredients such as prawn cracker, fried squid, potato, fried egg, vegetable, gravy etc. Those days fried prawn contents were more than flour
Thank you
Thank you Azami for such great memories and welcome back to ipohWorld. Presumably you knew Lat and some of the others above as well.
hi!azami,perhaps we have bounced into each other.i was in anderson in 1974.form 1e1.good day to you.
Thank Ika
How are you Ika?
Yes I know Lat. We bumped onto each others for couple of times at our Old Andersonian Club or OAC where we held our AGMs meeting last year. Whenever I saw him, I would imagine his cartoon’s character in his LAT’s version collections.
There’s lots of fond memories I wanted to share with you about Sungai Rokam.
Sungai Rokam was one of the kind at that time where mostly populated by malays communities such as malays, jawanese and Bawean. I stayed at Sungai Rokam from 1963 until 1979. My house is situated at Jalan Dahlia. I studied at SRK Sri Kinta which formerly known as Primary school, Ashby Road from 1968 until 1973. Then I continued my secondary school at SMK Anderson which formerly known as Anderson School of Ipoh from 1974 until 1978. I went for tertiary education at Universiti Teknologi MARA which formerly known as ITM for diploma and advanced Diploma in Civil Engineering until I pursued Master Degree at University of Surrey, United Kingdom. I am already at 51 years old now.
The sweet memories still played in my mind during my childhood as a little boy who brought up in the kampong, played hide and seek, konda-kondi,marble, congkak, police and thief, galah panjang etc. Fond to eat “ais kepal”and ” Ais Kerim Malaysia” . Started to watch TV in 1965 at neighboring houses. The value in remembering past lives is that feelings which have been long buried can be allowed to come up to the surface and be released. Just imagine by biting a young rambutan fruit, you can feel the bitter taste through your tongue of the premature fruit that can make you feel you went back to the past.
I read some comments from all ages until the y-generation ( born after 1980 )like agzamry, hasry,hasbi,ipohgirl61,raie,aisyah, felicia, muhaimin, Ruth Inversen Rolitt, Iqbal, Faisal and ajt.
You can contact me through my email address jimmysurrey2000@gmail.com
One day we can meet up to share our thoughts regarding the history of Sungai Rokam. We might set up a Sungai Rokam Community Club so we can share writing a book with photos and history about the merry day of Sungai Rokam
Thank you
Hello Mah,
How are you doing mate. I was from Form 1E4 in 1974 until 3E4 and 4Sc4 in 1977 until 5Sc4 in 1978. My class teacher was the chemistry teacher, named Mr Chong Pong Khoo My Form 1 and Form 2 class teacher was a sweet lady, by the name of Miss Lee. My Form 3 teacher was Selvamany .Those days a star was born in our class, his name was Paul Parinbum Ponnudurai. He played a guitar in our class in 1975. He plucked a good song ” Kissing Me Softly “. He won a Bakat TV in 1975. He had just passed away last month. Another friend was a joker by the name Nirmal Kumar, he had passed away too and Salman Hatim of Harkam coffee passed away about two years back.
I can’t remember your face but we might bump onto each others as you came from different class.
Thank you.
Hu Azami, more great memories. A book about Rokam would be fun and actually important as the Kampung was a very special project when it started. However I guess it would need to be written in Malay which rather takes me out as my Malay is appalling.
Incidentally, have you seen my effort at a book, “Ipoh, My Home Town?” There is a great story written by Lat in it together with some original cartoons all about growing up in Sungai Rokam.
Hi Ika,
Thanks Ika for your reply.
Yes I saw your “Ipoh, My home town”
I wish that we can combine our efforts to produce more writing up on our Kampong so that we can commercialize it in local and international, I prefer to be written in English.
What say you?
Thanks
The rules for a book like this is that you would have to call for information/stories/photographs about the kampong and once you have some idea of the support that you would get we could certainly consider coordinating a book in English, but make no mistake about it – it is not easy and requires dedication.
However I believe that with the current politics about using the National language, Satu Malaysia etc and all the other happenings in the country these days, it would not be a good move to write about a very Malay kampong in English, nor to have a British expatriate involved. This would need to be very much a Malay led project. Having said that, I do hope that you can get the project off the ground. There were many successful people came out from Rokam and they are the people to help you.
Hi Ian @ IKA. I didn’t know about you until I saw this book at MPH of Mid-Valley , ” Ipoh, My Home Town “, a 276-page coffee table book compiled by Scottish expatriate Commander Ian Anderson who has lived in the Ipoh city since 1999. Oh my goodness, I have thought earlier that IKA was a timid little lady who used to be from Sungai Rokam and intended to share her thoughts of the past.
Until you mentioned about your book that made me to pull on my hand brake. I have never thought a Scottish expatriate like you got interest to write about Ipoh. For you information, I have bought your book which cost me RM$ 100.00.
Yes now I know, I saw your photo with Datuk Lim Kheng Yeik, Datuk Lat on the launching day.
haha..my father and my grandfather is include with the group come and stay on this kampung..the 1st Kampung Tersusun in Malaysia..where many Orang Boyan inside there…
Hello there. I lived in Sungai Rokam since 1963. Last week, I bump onto a kampong friend, a Bawean ethnic who lived at end’s corner house of Jalan Sukun adjacent to Jalan Rokam. According to him, apparently, the Kampong Sungai Rokam was built for the purpose of earlier settlement for Bawean community who lived scattered around at horse stable at Ipoh Race course. However, these Bawean community couldn’t afford to purchase the $RM 4000 per house that paved way for other Malay etnics to purchase over the houses at that point of times. I ponder whether such claim was genuine. Perhaps, he stated the earliest construction of such houses was already took place as early as in 1957. He claimed the first stage covered the area from the entrance of Jalam Rokam until the shop-house premises. I have no idea of such claim, as far as I am concern, my parents told me the first recorded date was in 1959 when Sungai Rokam was built
Saudara Azami,
Saya juga mendengar cerita yang sama sejak dua minggu yang lalu. Antaranya dikatakan terdapatnya kampung Melayu di Jalan Thomson. Malah dikatakan berhampiran Sekolah Latihan Wanita terdapat perkampungan Melayu juga. Tentang Jalan Thomson saya tidak tahu, tetapi disekeling Sekolah Latihan Wanita diantara tahun 1959 hingga 1963 dan selanjutnya tidak pernah terdapat perkampungan Melayu di situ. Saya cuba membetulkan cerita itu tetapi orang yang berkenaan tidak mahu mendengar.
Yang saya tahu Sungai Rokam adalah satu projek perumahan kerajaan Perseketuan Tanah Melayu (Malaya)dan kerajaan negeri Perak bagi mengatasi masalah perumahan yang terdapat pada masa itu di Ipoh. Mereka yang berminat untuk membeli rumah di kawasan tersebut hendaklah mendapatkan borang permohonan di Pejabat Setiausaha Kerajaan Perak. Permohonan yang dipertimbangkan adalah daripada mereka yang berpendapatan rendah dan mempunyai pendapatan yang tetap setiap bulan serta mampu untuk membayar pinjaman yang dibuat.
Projek ini dibahagikan kepada beberapa fasa diatas tanah seluas 100 ekar yang difahamkan Rizab Melayu. Penyerahan kunci bagi Fasa Pertama dilakukan pada tahun 1962 dan pembeli mula berpindah ke situ. Sehingga tahun 1965 masih ada rumah yang dalam pembinaan dan pembeli berpindah masuk.
Kos pembinaan awam seperti jalan,parit,letrik, talian telefon dan bekalan air adalah dibiayai oleh kerajaan.
Terdapat projek yang sama dengan reka bentuk rumah yang serupa dibina berhampiran pekan Rawang, Selangor pada masa itu.
Dear friends . just to comfirm it here, there was a Malay settlement called Kampong Haji Marzuki around Thompson Road before Kampong Sungai Rokam was built. It was named after the landlord Haji Marzuki, a rich man who built small wooden squatters for his fellow Javanese countrymen at lower token charges. Much of the land were later sub-divided and sold and his name still remained around Persiaran Harimau and Lengkok Harimau as Jalan Marzuki.
Another Malay kampong most likely none of you ever heard of around Sekolah Raja Perempuan (RPS) and the airport runaway along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah Selatan next to Pasir Pinji. It was called Kampong Batu Bertudong and all the lands were acquired by the government for the aerodrome project. The name is still being used in the name of the Syarikat Bekerjasama Kampong Batu Bertudong.
Saudara Hasbi,
Berhampiran dengan Sekolah Raja Perempuan saya akui memang terdapat kawasan perkampungan iaitu Kampung Batu Bertudong dan Kampung Batu Bungkal. Kedua-dua buah kampung ini sehingga tahun 1972 masih ada di situ. Kampung ini didiami oleh mereka daripada keturunan Jawa. Saya mempunyai beberapa orang kawan yang tinggal di situ. Pada masa itu saya selalu pergi ke kampung tersebut. Disekitar tahun 1965 kawasan kampung tersebut telah dikurniakan oleh kerajaan negeri kepada pemaju untuk dijadikan kawasan perumahan. Malah sebatang jalan di situ dinamakan Jalan Batu Bungkal.
Yang dipertikaikan sekarang ialah ada pihak yang membawa cerita di sekitar Sekolah Latihan Wanita, Jalan Seruan terdapatnya kampung Melayu.
As far as I remember, in 1961 there used to be a very big quarter block for married staff of the Education Department along the Kinta Health Office road opposite the present Impiana Hotel. The quarter block was some sort of 3-storey flat that can accommodates about 15 or 20? families of gurus, kerani etc. As a kid I used to visit friends in this block on my way back home after school. This site is only a few hundreds meters away from that particular road, are they confused by this staff quarter?
Saudara Hasbi,
Bangunan tersebut ialah Bangunan Persatuan Guru-Guru dan hanya dua tingkat sahaja. Yang besarnya adalah bilik mesyuarat. Disebelah bilik mesyuarat tersebut Cikgu Yusuf bin Abdul Rahman tinggal. Beliau kemudiannya menjadi Guru Besar Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Putih. Bahagian atas pernah terdapat seorang guru tinggal. Di belakang bangunan terdapat seorang penjaga/tukang kebun Encik Yahya dan keluarga tinggal.
Dihadapan bangunan ini terdapat sebuah rumah batu yang diguna oleh sebuah persatuan kebudayaan Melayu “PUSPA”, seperti dicatat pada papan yang digantung dihadapan bangunan tersebut. Nama penuh persatuan ini saya tidak tahu. Terdapat dua atau tiga keluarga Melayu tinggal di bangunan ini.
Baru-baru ini saya dimaklumkan Cikgu Yusof adalah seorang pencipta Terengkas Bahasa Melayu. Saya tidak mempunyai sumber untuk mengesahkan maklumat ini.
Masalahnya kumpulan ini hanya mahu bercakap dan tidak mahu mendengar.
Maaf, Cikgu Yusuf adalah Guru Besar Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Pasir Putih
I attended school at Sekolah Umum Jalan Pasir Putih next to the Government English School and Chinese Primary School, Jalan Pasir Putih, Ipoh, most remembered as Sekolah Melayu Sentral Jalan Pasir Putih. Sekolah Umum Kampong Pasir Putih was our arch rival in football . then.
Prof. Datuk Dr. Zainal Kling attended the ‘remove class’ at Government English School before transfered to the new Malay Secondary School (MSS) in Ashby Road and later when moved to Tiger Lane, named as Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Ipoh (STAR).
Datuk Seri Mohd Annuar bin Zaini attended at Sekolah Melayu Sentral and passed the Special Malay Class exams and transfered to the Anderson School Ipoh. His father was stationed at Balai Polis Jalan Pasir Putih, Ipoh.
Regarding Malay Shorhands . in late seventies, tutor En. Kamarudin was claimed by his students as the man behind this creation as he is the main tutor at the Medan Kidd Shorthand Class. Where else the actual Kamarudin who transformed the Malay shorthand was the Assistant Secretary to Datuk Senu Abdul Rahman, the UMNO Secretary-General in 1950′s. I think En. Abdur-Razzaq Lubis can give the details and Puan Zaharah bte Kamarudin, his daughter can be contacted at Istana Billah, Papan.
Saudara Hasbi,
Terima kasih atas maklumat.
Encik Kamarudin mencipta trengkas Bahasa Melayu dengan menggunakan sistem Pitman. Saya difahamkan Cikgu Yusof mencipta dengan menggunakan sistem Gregg.
Untuk makluman, Cikgu Mohd Yusof bin Abdul Rahman yang saya ingat daripada tahun 1961 hingga 1963 mengajar di Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasir Putih semasa saudara bersekolah di situ. Pada tahun 1964 atau 1965 beliau telah dilantik sebagai guru besar Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Pasir Putih.
Pada tahun 1960an saya selalu melihat beliau menghadiri acara pertandingan dan penyampaian sijil trengkas sebagai VIP di Ipoh.
Dear friends,
My mother was brought up in Sungai Rokam (Jalan Sukun to be exact) and even though when my sister and I was brought up in the newer part of Ipoh (Ampang), we still have the chance to experience the nice vicinity of Sungai Rokam by having our primary education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Rokam. Spent 6 years of good education there, was one of the top primary school in Perak, or even Malaysia maybe? Because we were awarded with the ‘Johan Sekolah Harapan Negara’ back then in 2001.
As Datuk Lat is quite frequently mentioned here, mind sharing if anyone can help me on what are the possible ways to contact him? I am currently working in a joint venture company between the Malaysian government and Singaporean government. Will be having a big event soon and planning on requesting for Datuk Lat’s famous artwork if possible. Anyone have idea or info on that? Thank you friends
Hi Ridzuan and welcome to our world, ipohworld and thanks for your happy memories.
Regarding Datuk Lat, all I can offer is to send hime an email containing your request. He is a very busy man who frequently travels and I cannot guarantee you will get an early reply. It is not our policy to give out contact details without permission.
Do you have any family photographs from your younger dayas?
Hi ika, good morning to you.
I enjoy reading all the memories above because as far as I can remember, they are very much similar to those stories that my mother used to tell us. In fact, I have the thought of sharing this blog with my mother when I have the chance to go back to Malaysia.
Datuk Lat’s son, Haris was actually my former schoolmate back then in primary (the same school mentioned above), only that we’re not that close. Ika @ Mr. Ian (correct me if I am wrong), is it possible for you to provide his correspondence email such that he can receive our request? Alternatively, I am sure you are quite close to him too, is it possible to request for your kind help to provide us with your contact info such that I can pass the request officially to you?
Appreciate your help very much
P/S: I think my mother still have some of the old photos in her safe keeping. Will try to share this with her too
Ridzuan, I have already emailed Datuk Lat with your requests and email address. I can do no more as the ball is now in his court as to whether he contacts you or not.
Salam Kamy Suria, thank you for your comment
I don’t know whether we can retrieve back the old Ipoh maps so that we can trace back the earlier generation of malays kampong settlement around Ipoh. The implosion of growth of Ipoh after Taiping in the 1884 due its tin mining. We believed many Jawa ethnic origin migrated from Indonesia and other part of Nusantara as well as Chinese emigrants from mainland China. For you information, my grand-mom’s younger brother, Mohd Hashim Bin Haji Abdul Halim had just passed away on December 4th, 2012, told me this story. The last time I met him was in 2004, he told me that his family settled down at Kampong Mengkuang Ladang, Ipoh as in the early 1912. Kampong Mengkuang Ladang was situated at the surrounding area of now Chinese Maternity Hospitalof Jalan Kampar and toward Ipoh Airport. Our anchestry migrated from Penang and settled down at there. My grand father, Haji Abdul Halim worked as tin miner with British Colonial. Ipoh booming in tin mining industry during the British Colonial period in the early era 1900. According to Mohd Hashim, during the Japanese occupation in Malaya in 1942, the Kampong Mengkuang Ladang was turned into their monetary stock for their food and military supply. One day,the Japanese soldier found their food supply was stolen. The Japanese soldier arrested the men, slaughtered them to death and burned down the kampong. The villager fled to surrounding area like Kampong Batu Bertudong, Kampong Bungkal Kampong Kepayang, Kampong Simee etc. I don’t know whether this information was genuine as there were no such record from Arkib Negara or the British goverment
Ridzuan, I have received the following reply from Lat.
“Thank you for Sungai Rokam Boy story, Ian…. I shall contact Ridzuan when I can…”
Dear Ika,
Thank you for your kind help. I appreciate it very much. Previously I also managed to get his contact number through New Straits Times Malaysia (quite surprised as the operator was able to give Datuk Lat’s direct number). However, I have no knowledge on what is the progress / decision from the top management on whether to proceed with the request or not, thus I am not sure whether they have contacted Datuk Lat or not.
But still, thank you very much for your help. If anyone from our side to contact / in touch with Datuk Lat, it will be the marketing manager.
Thanks Ika! I hope to share this blog with my mother next month when I go back to Malaysia.
Cheers
im also cucu one ot
i used to stay there to…No 20 Jalan kelubi..near cikgu house…& now i staying at taman meru…all the neighbour are my mom best friend n really have a good realionship…especially among Boyyan race..my really special neaighbour is one of Senario group..it’s really a great year n time off my life…so many sweet thing happend there..i usually cycle my car (old fashoin one) at the playground…n used to have a big2 tree there..now it’s gone…
Sweet Memory
Noly
My mom Maimon
My Dad Ismail Jockey