Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
from all of us at:

Have you heard of Malaysia Air Charter?

Have you heard of the Lions Club? From what we know:

The first Lions Club in Malaysia, the Lions Club of Kuala Lumpur (Host), was opened on the 18th of February 1959. District 308 of the Lions and Leo Club encompasses 3 countries, namely Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Within the district itself, there are 4 sub-districts – 308 A1 (Singapore), 308A2 (East Malaysia and Brunei), 308 B1 (Johor, Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur) and 308 B2 (Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor and 2 clubs in Cameron Highlands, Pahang). (read more here)

Remember what your old passports looked like, back in the 1960s and 70s?

Now that international borders have been opened, many of you would want to travel. Make sure your passport is up to date…

We thank Ann Kesselring Hamon for sharing this picture with us. We believe this was taken when the Chinese Methodist Church first opened, back in 1954. Could anyone tell us where this place is?

This receipt no. 627, dated 14th June 1957 was issued by Canning Garden Estate Ltd. to acknowledge the payment of $1000 deposit for the purchase of a property Block L No. 17 Type TH2 house at Canning Garden Estate, Ipoh by Miss Wong and Madam Chang. It was signed by the manager of Canning Garden Estate Ltd. and carries a 6 cents Malaya stamp. 

Just curious….what is a Type TH2 House? (And, where was Block L?)

Here’s a Then & Now comparison, of telephone bills. One the left is a Talikom bill from 1965, while on the right is a TM (Telekom Malaysia) bill dated 12 April 2020.

We credit this photo to Lakhbir Singh Bedi. The scene, of course, is the Tanjong Rambutan railway station.

On the occasion of His Majesty’s birthday, DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah.

Here’s another look at the Ipoh Railway Station; this one shows part of the garden, and what seems to be the Ipoh Tree perhaps?

Not too long ago (in the 1990s), the Perak Postal Services Department started a special express letter service between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. There were two dispatches daily except on Sundays and public holidays and letters would reach the same day. The letters will be given special treatment and sent by the first available means. The fee charged is $1.50 excluding postage.

The photograph shows the inside of the Supreme Court with the President of the Court, Lieutenant Colonel J G Adams seated in the Judge’s seat and a number of court officials positioned around the room.

The picture shows a Chinese Hawker peddling medicines while sitting cross-legged in the street, in front of the 5 foot way. Behind him there is a clock shop and to his right what would appear to be a hardware shop or general store…

I wonder…was this a common sight back in the day?

We thank Charlie Choong for sharing these pictures with us. Can you guess which street this carnival passed through?

We have here a picture from Conrad Presgrave-Payne – the grandson of Sir R G Watson. The estimated date is 1914, when Sir R G Watson was on a tour of Perak.

Anyone here travel via elephant before? I haven’t…but I have sat on a ostrich once 🙂

The Straits Times on Thursday 25th of February 1954, while covering the Hussars Cup, reported that St. Michael’s Institution (SMI) whipped visitors Guru Nanak Institution six-nil in a first round tie in the Perak inter-school knockout soccer competition. In another first round tie, home side Anderson School trounced Junior Technical Trade School five-nil.

Here’s another picture from Ipoh: The Town that Tin Built. This is an early shot of the famed Waller Court flats.

If there’s one thing I look forward to during Chinese New Year, it’s probably the Chinese movies featured on TV 😉

I’ve not seen this movie – Pursuit of a Killer – but I’m sure some of you have.

We have here a scan of the synopsis as well as a promotional still from the movie.

The word Thaipusam is a combination of the name of the month, Thai, and the name of a star, Pusam. This particular star is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan (aka Kartikeya) a Vel “spear” so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman and his brothers. It is also commonly believed that Thaipusam marks Murugan’s birthday; though some other sources suggest that Vaikhasi Vishakam, which falls in the Vaikhasi month (May/June), is Murugan’s birthday.

This festival was (according to one tradition) said to have been supposedly created during one of the battles between the Asuras (or to be more specific Soorapadman) and the Devas. At one point, the latter were defeated several times by the former. The Devas were unable to resist the onslaught of the Asura forces. In despair, they approached Shiva and entreated to give them an able leader under whose heroic leadership they might obtain victory over the Asuras. They surrendered themselves completely and prayed to Shiva. Shiva granted their request by creating the mighty warrior, Skanda, out of his own power or Achintya Shakti. He at once assumed leadership of the celestial forces, inspired them and defeated the Asura forces and to recognise that day the people created the festival, Thaipusam.

According to the Hindu Purana Skanda Puranam, the legend of Murugan, and Thirupugal which are divine verses on Murugan, adhere to Shaivam principles. Murugan is the embodiment of Shiva’s light and wisdom and devotees pray to him to overcome the obstacles they face, as He is the divine vanquisher of evil. The motive of Thaipusam festival is to pray to God to receive his grace so that bad traits are destroyed. (source: Wikipedia)

 

We thank Ann Kesselring Hamon for the above picture.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right guid willy waught,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

(extract from Auld Lang Syne, a poem by Robert Burns)

I admit, what first caught my eye was the words “Dancing…Time for a Tiger”. Probably from one of the sponsors of the competition.

Does anyone remember this competition? Perhaps you were one of the dancers? Or maybe you know who the winners were. Did the organisers have more of such competitions after 1954?

All set for that big Christmas feast? Will there be the traditional roast? Or, perhaps you’re doing something different this year. Maybe a vegetarian menu?

Anyway, here’s a Christmas menu from 1959. We thank Keith Nelson for sharing this with us.

Have you heard of this company? Was it a boutique? Or perhaps a hair salon? Maybe even a tailor shop?

In case the writing isn’t clear on the paper bag, the address was 107 Jalan Lau Pak Khuan, Ipoh Garden.

A Rumah Kutai only has one spacious room, with additional rooms being created by hanging cloth between the pillars. It is built for comfort in the Malay style and the tradition of sharing.

Have you ever seen / lived in a Rumah Kutai?