Aidiladha Greetings
From all of us at: 
July 2020
‘current affairs’
This Pamphlet, issued by the National Electricity Board’s Information Section, is all about electrical accidents and how we can avoid them. It was published in July 1967 and the pamphlet sketches were by Ibrahim Ismail.
The publication was most likely prompted by the 1966 statistics which showed that 16 people died as a result of electrical accidents and, according to the Chief Electrical Inspector, the majority of these accidents were found to be due to carelessness and faulty apparatus.
Some of the hazards, shown in the above picture, include:
EPF Records, from 1957
Does anyone recall what the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) records looked like back in 1957? Well, here’s a sample.
‘watchman’
No, we’re not talking about security guards. Have any of you used a Sony Watchman?
Swatow Coffee Shop
While we’re still on the topic of coffee shops and kopitiams…some of you may have heard of Swatow coffee shop. From the picture below, we know that this coffee shop operated at No.8 Aylesbury Street in Ipoh.
“fancy a cuppa?”
Does anyone remember Tong King Coffee Shop? Apparently they were at No.34 Cockman Street…
The SMI School Play
Remember this play?
Perhaps the next picture might jog some memories. This second picture shows part of the cast.
We thank Michael Ho for the above pictures.
Improving traffic?
Just wondering: those of you who frequented the areas mentioned in the article above, did the traffic lights help? Or perhaps further endeavors were needed for improvement?
This 1985 article, which appeared in The Star, was courtesy of Philip LaBrooy.
Times of Malaya & The Straits Echo
Just in case some of you were wondering, this was the front page of the famous Times of Malaya – dated 6th August 1959. Back then, this paper cost 15 cents 😉
M.R.C.S.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Malaysian Red Cross Society, which later became the Malaysian Red Crescent Society. No, we’re not recruiting members….just wondered if anyone of you remember the badges from back then. Perhaps you were members of such clubs back in school? [As Ipoh Remembered has pointed out, the actual Red Cross badges have a red coloured cross, not white as in the above images]
On that note, here’s a little history from Wikipedia:
The Malaysian Red Crescent has its beginnings in 1948 as branches of the British Red Cross Society in the former British North Borneo (now the Malaysian state of Sabah) and Sarawak. In 1950, the British Red Cross Society established the first branch in Penang in the Federation of Malaya from which it rapidly expanded its presence in the other states.
Upon the independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957, the branches in Malaya were reorganised as the Federation of Malaya Red Cross Society and the society was officially incorporated by statute with the passing of the Federation of Malaya Red Cross Society (Incorporation) Act 1962 by Parliament. On 4 July 1963, the Federation of Malaya Red Cross Society received official recognition as an independent national society by the International Committee of the Red Cross and subsequently admitted as a member of the League of Red Cross Societies on 24 August 1963.
With the formation of the larger federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the Malaysian Red Cross Society (Incorporation) Act 1965 to incorporate the Federation of Malaya Red Cross Society and the branches of the Red Cross Society in Sabah and Sarawak under the name of the Malaysian Red Cross Society was passed by Parliament and gazetted on 1 July 1965. On 5 September 1975, the Malaysian Red Cross Society was renamed the Malaysian Red Crescent Society by the passing of the Malaysian Red Cross Society (Change of Name) Act 1975 by Parliament.
“Wayang Pacak”
Apparently “Wayang Pacak” was a thing in Malaya, once upon a time. Has anyone heard of it? Was it a popular feature here in Ipoh? You tell us 🙂
A Walk in the Garden
We thank Charlie Choong for this photograph. Yes, the building in the background is none other than the Ipoh Railway Station. Pity this scene garden is no longer around today…
Chin Street
Yes, Chin Street exists! It’s in Gopeng Town, by the way. And this lovely scene is brought to you by August E Kaulfuss.