Posts photos held by ipohWorld about which we have no information
Does this place look familiar? We have no idea where it could be, and we’re hoping someone could tell us. Notice the Esso sign (extreme right). It was probably part of a garage. There’s also the decorated arch.
As stated in the bottom left, this is a postcard of a Chinese Temple. Does it look familiar? Can you guess which temple it is?
Were you one of those ladies/gentlemen who used handkerchiefs? Do you still use them? Is your preferred handkerchief as fancy as the one in the picture (below)?
We’ve heard from the fans of model aeroplanes and model cars. Now we’d like to hear from those who played with model ships. Did you have your own fan club?
We were told that this photo was taken at Jubilee Park. Could it be so? You tell us 🙂
Special thanks to SK and Ooi Kean Chye for these photos. On the left is NTPS Pasir Puteh back in 1962, on the right is the same school today (2019).
SK also shared with us: “In the 1962 picture, in between the buildings in the middle was where we took our pictures. On the left of the picture was the School Lavatory, then School Tuck Shop. We used to hang around the Tuck Shop….The school field on the further left had gone & replaced by double storey classes. The Headmaster residents, the Day Teacher’s Centre, The Dental Clinic on the left all gone“.
picture courtesy of SK
Students from NTPS Jalan Pasir Puteh are probably grinning at the screen now. As for the former students…has the school changed much over the years? Maybe some of you have old photos of the building back then…do share them with us.
On that note, how many of you remember YOUR first day at school? Was it exciting? Scary? Did it end in tears? Did you make friends with everyone? Or…maybe you preferred to sit in the corner of the classroom with your head down? Do share some of your “First Day at School” stories with us 🙂
2018’s come and gone within a few blinks of the eye. We may have experienced the good, the bad, and perhaps the ugly in the last 12 months but here we are heading into 2019 leaving 2018 behind.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year from all of us here at IpohWorld.
It’s the day after Christmas or as its better known in the west, Boxing Day. After going through our presents this year, we found this interesting set which didn’t come with any figures. Part of the wild west set of toys, have you played with one of these before? Do let us know…
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year ahead!
May this Christmas bring a good end to the year 2018 and a fresh challenge ahead for the new year.
From all of us at 
Ever had one of these in your home? This one shown above is of course for children; the adult-sized ones are larger.
I do wonder if such an object is common in modern homes today….
If they ever came to life (like in those Disney cartoons), perhaps these vehicles would have been good friends 😉
Here we have a bicycle, a car and a van; all three of them ‘worked’ for Ho Yan Hor.
We’d like to hear from the car-lovers out there – can you identify the type of car shown in this picture?
You’ve seen multilingual signboards; what about multilingual greeting flyers? Here’s one from Kailey Associates Pte. Ltd. Can you identity the various languages? 🙂
Believe it or not, Mercantile Bank existed in Taiping too 🙂
Does anyone know if this bank is still in business? Or…maybe it goes by another name now?
courtesy of: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
From: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
Many of you managed to ‘solve’ our Monday puzzle. Let’s see how many of your can guess THIS one.
Ruth, if you are reading this…don’t give up the answer too soon 😉
from: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
Familiar area? Yes? No? Well, I don’t blame you if you can’t recognise this place. It is SO VERY DIFFERENT now. For those of you who know the answer, feel free to drop us a comment (or two). By the way, this place is in Ipoh…
courtesy of Ann Kesselring Hamon
Remember this school? It started out as a primary branch of ACS.
The building is still there today, in Canning Garden.
You may know it as SK Ho Seng Ong Methodist.
We’ve had lots of similar advertisements over the years. But what I would like to draw your attention to is the fine line below the picture of the camera – “Prices: Singapore $ 24.75; Penang $ 25.50; Malaysia $ 30.45”
Did we always pay a few dollars more than folks from Penang?
from: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
It’s not Universal Studios…rather Universal Cars Ltd. Yes, I’m sure some of you remember this building. Last I heard, it functioned as a nightclub for a while. Now, it seems to have been abandoned. Unless…there is something going on behind the scenes, which we don’t know about; in which case, we’d like to hear from anyone who could tell us more 🙂
Take a good look at the building in the picture below. Looks familiar? They used to be at No. 84 Hugh Low Street. Anyone know what they traded? 😉
courtesy of Ruth Iversen Rollitt
courtesy of Charlie Choong
Thanks to our donor, we have an interesting photograph here. These boys (and their Teacher perhaps?) are in the middle of a cross-country run. Any guesses as to what building that is in the background? 🙂
Said to have originally belonged to a Village Chief (Penghulu), this particular spear has a simple forged blade about 10 inches long with a wooden shaft. Overall it is around 56 inches long.
Have you seen one similar to the one we have? Or have you wielded one before? 😉
Some of you may already recognise this person. For those who don’t, here are some fun facts about him:
Yes, he is none other than C H Labrooy!
picture courtesy of: Royal Perak Motor Club
After all those photos of the city, we thought of showing you something from a village instead.
…in Taiping. These were taken by Percival Moss, a tailor who sewed uniforms for the Malay States Guides and other military organisations. We thank his grandson Bernard for sharing them with us. We estimate the date to be early 1900s.
No, we’re not being ‘bitter’ about it…but did anyone realise that this beautiful floral clock is no more? For those who’ve never had the chance to see it, here are two pictures for you; both are from Ann Kesselring Hamon. The lady in white (left image) is Ann’s mother Florence Kesselring. As for the right image, it was taken from a 35mm Kodachrome slide.
For those (like me) who have never seen this lovely clock, it was once part of the Japanese Garden along Tambun Road.
courtesy of: Ann Kesselring Hamon
Remember this memorial? Any idea where in Ipoh Town it stood? Or…maybe you might know WHO built it?
Ever wondered what was at the back of the Ipoh Railway Station? Well, here’s a late 1930s view (picture courtesy of Winson Saw):
Wishing all our readers and followers a very Happy Deepavali!!!
From all of us at 
P.s. Don’t forget to save us some murukku & achi murukku yea…hehe
from all of us at
courtesy of: Ang Eng
Remember the Times of Malaya? Well, here’s a photo of their second building; probably around the 1930s (we could be wrong though). Last we heard, this building was rented out to the Yayasan Perak company.
Anglo Chinese Girls School? Well, if you didn’t know what the ACGS building looked like here’s an old photo.
courtesy of: Ang Eng
Looks like the Methodist Girls School building? That’s because it IS the MGS building 🙂 ACGS was named MGS back in 1959.
picture from: Ann Kesselring Hamon
Yes, the building in the background is none other than the Veterinary Research Institute at Tiger Lane. Our donor estimates that this photo was taken around 1955. Have you been to this place? If so, do share your thoughts with us 🙂
courtesy of Ann Kesselring Hamon
Yes, folks…believe it or not, this is what the YMCA building looked like back in 1954. Pity the beautiful garden is no longer there today 🙁
Left image: Simee New Village, 1951 (from the Kinta Valley Book) Right image: Simee today (picture from the Star, 12th October 2018)
courtesy of Ann Kesselring Hamon
No, this was said to be the temporary building for the Anglo Chinese Girls’ School, back in the 1950s. For those of you who don’t know, Anglo Chinese Girls’ School (or ACGS Ipoh) later became Methodist Girls’ School (MGS). Of course, the MGS building now looks nothing like this one pictured above.
MGS Alumni, we’d love to hear from you! 🙂
We’ve all heard (and seen videos) of shopping-adventures (and misadventures too). For those of you who’ve been to Emporium Perak, do share some stories with us 😉
courtesy of: Ann Kesselring Hamon, USA
Perhaps this was once a familiar sight in Ipoh town – dulang washers walking through the town, either going towards or coming back from the river. Anyone wants to guess which part of town these ladies are passing through?
We know you lot are good at puzzles 🙂 So here’s one for you –
from Keith Nelson, UK
We believe this building is somewhere in Ipoh, since our donor was a former British serviceman who served here from 1958-59. Well, put those thinking caps on, folks!
courtesy of the Estate of William Kellie Smith
We’ve had this photo in our archive for some time now. But we don’t know much about it. The estimated year is around 1935, and we think this is part of a market. Would anyone like to help us out?
courtesy of: Charlie Choong (click to enlarge)
Where were YOU back in 1979? Did you witness the Castrol ASEAN Rally? Do you remember seeing this car (picture above) in action?
Although the photo is not too clear, but do you recognise the driver? 😉
Some of you may recognise it. Some of you are still scratching your heads. Worry not, this is in fact the ruins of a brick bungalow built by none other than William Kellie Smith. Last I recall, these ruins were within the grounds of the famed Kellie’s Castle (hope they haven’t disappeared or made way for ‘development’).
Today’s puzzle is brought to you by Ipoh Remembered.
click to enlarge
Can you guess what the green, blue and orange sections are in the photograph?
And while you’re at it, can you also guess the year?
from: Ipoh Remembered
Yes, you read it right. This is the old Town Hall…in Taiping 🙂 We think this photograph was taken in the early 1900s (we could be wrong). Anyone from Taiping reading this? We’d like to know what’s become of this building.
courtesy of Ipoh Remembered
In the back row, right, is a gentleman by the name of Charles Green. History-buffs may tell you that ‘Greentown’ was named after him. This photograph was taken in 1902, after a cricket match. Do you recognise anyone else in this photograph?
Wishing all our fellow readers and followers a very Happy Malaysia Day!
From all of us at
1948 to 1960 proved to be troubling times as Malaya had to experience attacks within its borders in the form of Communist insurgents. The brave men in the photograph above did their part in helping to keep their towns safe through patrolling the streets at night, they were the Auxiliary police and for that we are truly grateful for their deeds.
Do you have any stories you could share with us about the auxiliary police? Was your father, grandfather part of the force or were you part of the force yourself? Let us know…
Taken at the Birch clock tower in the late 60s, the two boys added a third member into their group by posing with the bust of J. W. W. Birch…
The donor of the photograph above attended continuation classes at ACS in 1946 and graduated in 1948. The principal, Mr. Wong Wai Lam is seated (4th from left). How many of you attended ACCS? What were your fondest memories there?
61 years ago, the Union Jack was lowered signalling the end of the British administration in what was then Malaya,
61 years ago, a new flag was raised and a new anthem was played signalling the dawn of a new age,
61 years ago, one word echoed throughout the Selangor Club Padang as the crowd chanted,
The photographs above was taken on the opening of the Fatimah hospital which was officiated by the Late Sultan of Perak, DYMM Sultan Idris Shah on the 6th of December 1974. Were you there on the day of the opening of the hospital? Do you recognize anyone from the photographs?
from Gurpal Singh Bhuller (click to enlarge)
We received this via email from SK (who sent it to us on behalf of the donor). According to SK, Gurpal is looking for his former classmates.
Anyone out there from Lower Six Science 2? Gurpal is looking for you. Incidentally, SK told us that this picture was taken in April 1967 – Gurpal’s last day at Anderson School; apparently one of his classmates lent him a coat to wear – yes, the young man in the dark coat is none other than Gurpal.
Yes, “Visit Malaya” posters existed back in 1961! Here’s one which some of you may have seen… (you can read more about this poster here).
Chettiar (or Chetty) is a title used by various mercantile castes and social levels in South India – especially in the state of Tamil Nadu. They claim a legendary relationship with the Hindu God Murugan; according to the legend, Murugan married Valli (who was from a tribal group), hence her tribe was later called Chettyars – in order to restore Valli’s status as a consort to a god.
Interestingly, here in Ipoh there were more than 100 Chettiar families once. They were known as the Nattukottai Chettiar. These financiers were preferred to the usual bankers back in the day. On our database we have an interesting interview with the last of the Nattukottai Chettiars in Ipoh.
Here’s a picture of what may have been the inside of a Chettiar’s ‘office’…
from the book “Legends, Lessons and Love” by Jamilah Ariffin
courtesy of Charlie Choong
But I must say, between the precious stones and a beautiful car….I would choose a car (but that’s just me!)
Quite a view, eh?
courtesy of: Charlie Choong
Here’s a photo taken in Kampar. Recognise the car? By the way, the lady leaning against the car is our donor’s mother.
Here’s a picture of the FMSR Locomotiv Class G.
The locomotive was built by R. Stephenson. It was placed in Perak Railway with the name FMSR 47 in July 1901. It was scrapped on November 1931. A series of 34 4-6-0 locomotives were built by Kitson (16), Hunslet (5), Neilson Reid & R. Stephenson.
And just for interest sake, here’s a picture of what the inside of a first class coach looked like 🙂
No, we’re not ‘collecting’ on behalf of LAP (Lembaga Air Perak). Instead, we’re featuring a Then & Now comparison of two water bills; on the left is a bill from 1970, and on the right is a bill from 2016.
When was the last time you saw / or even used this?
This is an aerial view of Market Street. No, not Market Street in Ipoh…rather this is Market Street in Teluk Intan 🙂 This is a view from the famous water tower.
Could this have been a branch of Cold Storage? Or, perhaps Cold Storage’s competitor? We don’t know, so we’re hoping someone out there could help us out. Our anonymous donor didn’t say much about this photograph (and unfortunately, we are no longer in contact with this person). I’m sure someone out there visited 47 Cockman Street at some point in their life…
This photograph was courtesy of Lian Kim Keong, whose father (2nd from left) was a practicing chinese physician
Held at the town hall, this photograph was taken on the 50th anniversary of the Perak Chinese Physicians & Druggist Association between 1970 and 1980. Dr. Ho Kai Cheong, the founder of Ho Yan Hor tea can be seen in the photograph (8th from right).
To see more photographs from the 50th anniversary celebrations, click here.
from the Yeoh Family album
At least that’s what I think it says on the signboard. Does anyone know which restaurant this is? Wonder if it’s still there…
Picture from Winson Saw, Penang
The picture is not that clear, but I’m sure you can more or less see what our featured celebrity looks like. Born in 1884, he joined the Malayan Civil Service as a cadet in 1907. In 1932 he was appointed British Resident of Selangor and the following year as British Resident of Perak, a post he held until 1939 when he returned to London as Head of the Malay States Information Agency. He is none other than Sir Geoffrey Edmund Cator, CMG.
And yes, the famed Cator Avenue was named after him 🙂
Wishing all our muslim followers and readers Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, maaf zahir & batin. Be safe on the roads to all travelling back to your kampung this weekend! Don’t forget to save us some lemang and rendang 😉
picture courtesy of: Haji Musa & family
Yes, those in the leading car in this parade were the Perak State Table Tennis Team. Incidentally, the team won the National Table Tennis Championship back in 1967. The winners went on parade through Hugh Low Street – passing the premises of the Oversea Chinese Banking Corporation. The President of the Perak Association, Towkay Chong Kok Lim (later Tan Sri) was said to be in the leading car. Does anyone remember this parade?
Yes, you read it right – Anglo-Chinese Girls’ School. Maybe you’re more familiar with its current name – Methodist Girls’ School (MGS).
Anyway, here is a nostalgic photograph taken during the sports day. The guest of honour is none other than Mrs Florence Kesselring.
photo courtesy of: Ann Hamon (nee Kesselring)
[ Yes, FIFA World Cup is upon us! 😉 ]
This was once a common sight in the tin mines. When was the last time you saw THIS object (below)?
from the Yeoh family
Here’s another Kaulfuss postcard for you. Do you recognise the building in the background? Wonder if it’s still there in Gopeng…
After a history-making election, here’s a throwback to the first general election that took place in 1955. The photograph above is that of a Bomoh in Pasir Salak, who with his sheep’s head and other paraphernalia of his trade, keeping the crowd in suspense.
Manufactured by Shibata Industrial Co. Ltd and distributed by Taiwo Trading (Penang) likely before Independence, this manual paddy treadle thresher definitely requires a bit of effort or footwork to say the least. Those who have used threshers like these will tell you it’s no easy task. Have you had to work for your meals (literally) in the past?
A book written by Lee Weng Onn and published in 2006 is the story of Nephew and the FMS Bar & Restaurant. To all those who used to frequent the FMS Bar & Restaurant I’m sure you’ll remember Nephew, the barman well. Do share with us, what’s your fondest memory of Nephew and the FMS bar.
A custom printed envelope from P. S. Jamnadass & Co. who were at 15 & 17, Market Street. Do you know of any other tailors whose businesses were at Market Street back in the day as well??
picture courtesy of: Bernie Binge, Australia
According to the business card (above), this photo studio operated from No.7 Chamberlain Road, Ipoh. Does anyone remember this studio?
The form above is that of a Hire and Purchase Agreement issued by the Eu Tong Sen Finance (Malaya) Ltd. for the purchase of an Austin 7 Super Saloon in the year 1962 at the cost price of $4338.25.
How many of you have heard of the Eu Tong Sen Finance Ltd? We’d like to hear from you.
Courtesy of one of our blog reader and contributor, this advertisement for the Austin Se7en was provided to us by Ipoh Remembered.
from: Mrs Alagan
This photograph was taken high up from a nearby building. Yes, it’s the Yau Tet Shin Market. You can also see some of the shophouses in Cockman Street.
How much did YOU pay for electricity back in 1977? Well, according to this bill (below) Madam Koo paid $ 4.67 (June-July 1977).
Imagine paying only this much today… 😉
(click to enlarge)
courtesy of: Veronica Wong
I can’t help but wonder if the label was meant to say ‘lychee’ instead of ‘lichee’. But then again, I could be wrong…maybe ‘lichee’ was the type of leaf / herb added to the tea? I’m sure the Chinese tea lovers out there would know better 😉
courtesy of Nicholas Jennings
This picture is a follow up to a previous blog entry.
We thank Ipoh Remembered for his untiring efforts (and creativity!) in producing this picture – complete with labels of the various landmarks in Ipoh Old Town.
(click to enlarge)
More details (also provided by Ipoh Remembered) can be found on the database entry.
courtesy of: The Sinniah Family
Our donors told us that this was taken in the 1950s, outside the Perak Education Department offices. Seated 4th from the left is Sinniah S/O Sinnathamby (Inspector of Indian Schools, Perak).
courtesy of: Ngai
Here’s another photo from Michael Ho’s collection. This one was taken on 14th July 1966, during a dinner held in honour of Rev Bro Assistant Superior General. We think this was probably held at the school hall of St Michael’s Institution. Do you recognise any of the gentlemen in this group?
picture from: Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya
special thanks to Anonymous
I only recognise Bro Pius Kelly, standing in the back (between the ‘gentleman’ with the top hat and the ‘maiden’).
Yes, this IS Clayton Road – named after Mr R J B Clayton who retired as British Adviser in Kelantan, in November 1930. He was also the brother of Tubby Clayton, founder of Toch H during the Great War.
Yes, that’s what I’d like to ask our local coffee drinkers out there. How come this particular bag of coffee came in 11 kilos? I always thought such goods were packed in either even numbered weights or in multiples of 5 (or basic 1 kilo or 1/2 kilo). Could it be a misprint? Or, did this factory just want to stand out and be different…by selling coffee powder in 11 kilo bags 😉
For those who are still wondering, her name is Lin Dai. Here she is featured on a Shaw Brothers Calendar – for the month of January, 1963.
What we’d like to know is: if YOU had a chance to produce a calendar with pictures of celebrities, who would you feature? You’re allowed to have more than one celebrity-crush, of course…come on, tell us…don’t be shy 😉
Our donor Alan Steel shared the following story with us: “Xmas day, we entertained the children from the local Dr. Barnados home. Staff Battersby turned this jeep into a train to take them on a tour.” According to Alan, the one dressed as Santa (in picture) was Battersby himself!
We’re all familiar with Christmas cards (paper and e-cards too!). Have you received a handwritten Christmas greeting in Chinese, complete with hand-painted bamboo motives and a poem?
This is indeed a rare finding!
Our featured celebrity was educated at ACS, Ipoh. He studied medicine in Singapore and subsequently spent his entire working life in Ipoh. In recognition for his contributions to the medical profession, this gentleman was given the highest award of Honorary Membership (in 1984) by the Malayan Medical Association. Besides his dedication to his job, he also played cricket, rugby, and hockey.
By now some of you may already know WHO our featured celebrity is. He’s none other than Dato Dr. A. W. E. Moreira; the picture shows him (seated on the left) together with his wife Mavis. As you all know, there is a road named after him too!
courtesy of: Michael Ho
courtesy of: Charlie Choong, Ipoh
This was not taken in Ipoh, but we thought of sharing this rare find with all of you. These photos were part of a series, taken back in 1956 (some were faded, some were damaged).
Here we have HRH the Duke of Edinburgh visiting a dredge in Jinjang. The gentleman in the dark sunglasses is George Seddon – the General Manager of Anglo-Oriental. We know the photos are not as clear as they should be, but can you recognise any of the other gentlemen?
A rechargeable battery, storage battery, secondary cell, or accumulator is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or primary battery, which is supplied fully charged and discarded after use. It is composed of one or more electrochemical cells. The term “accumulator” is used as it accumulates and stores energy through a reversible electrochemical reaction. Rechargeable batteries are produced in many different shapes and sizes, ranging from button cells to megawatt systems connected to stabilize an electrical distribution network. Several different combinations of electrode materials and electrolytes are used, including lead–acid, nickel–cadmium (NiCd), nickel–metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), and lithium-ion polymer (Li-ion polymer). [for more click here]
That being said, do any of you remember this object (pictured above)? Have you ever used something like this before? ‘Recharge’ us with your stories….
Oops, I guess the decor in the malls must have gotten me in the Christmas mood early this year. This here is a photograph taken in 1956 of the soldiers from the 12th Infantry Workshop REME (Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers) organizing a Christmas party at their base in Ipoh for the orphans and the helpers of the Main Convent orphanage.
Photo courtesy of the late Bro. Vincent Corkery
After the Japanese surrendered in 1945 many Victory Parades were held, in Malaya as well as other parts of the world, to mark the occasion. The largest was said to have taken place in London, on 8th June 1946. Our featured photograph today is that of the Army Cadet Force of St Michael’s Institution, marching through the streets of Ipoh. We believe this parade was held on 6th January 1946.
I’m sure some of you can guess WHICH famous street in Ipoh this is!
Looks like the grand opening of a store in Ipoh. The back of these photographs say it’s the Premier Store, Ipoh (dated 11 Jan 1968). Any idea where in Ipoh this place was?
The gentleman cutting the ribbon is none other than Sultan Idris Al-Mutawakkil Alallahi Shah, and the lady beside him is his consort YTM Che Puan Negara Aminah. We thank our anonymous donor for sharing these photographs with us.
picture courtesy of: Vivien Lian
Anyone want to make a guess as to what this is?
Heard of a place called Pekan Getah? It is said to be about 2km from Tapah town. I’m sure some of you out there have a story or two to tell us about Pekan Getah. This photo shown above was probably taken in 1958, during the time the New Village was set up.
After the Second World War and the Japanese occupation, parts of Malaya were devastated and the need for a similar organisation spawned the introduction of the British Red Cross into Malaya. The earliest Branches were set up in Sabah (then North Borneo ) in 1948. The first Red Cross Branch in Peninsular Malaysia was established in Penang in 1950. By the end of 1952, Branches had been formed in Perak, Terengganu, Selangor, Malacca, Johore and Pahang…(read more here)
ps: Any Red Cross / Red Crescent members out there? We’d like to hear from you 🙂
For those who are curious, you can visit the school’s current website here.
from all of us at
This is the Meikai EL, a camera introduced in 1963 by Togodo, a minor japanese camera manufacturer. This simple and cheap camera was targeted at a young audience and was often sold in toy and stationary stores back then.
With that said, what was your memory of your first camera? Come and share them with us. =)
picture courtesy of Daniel Doutriaux
Yes, one look at this machine and all that comes to my mind is: a bowl of shaved ice, drenched in brown sugar syrup and topped with jelly (of various shapes, sizes and colours), kidney beans, sweet corn and peanuts. Oh, and not forgetting a dash of santan too!
Ah, bet some of you are already salivating 😉
What better way to cool down on a hot day, eh?
UPDATE: We believe that the bridge in the background was the once wooden structure of the Hugh Low Bridge; therefore the village shown was most likely Kampong Laxamana.
This postcard, from the J. J. Series, shows Selibui Road in Ipoh. We believe the postcards from this series ranged from 1905 – 1910. From what we found out from the book ‘Perak Postcards: 1890s-1940s‘, this photo probably shows the early intake dam and waterworks in Selibin (Silibin today). To quote from the book: “Water supply to Ipoh was originally conveyed from Selibin (also spelt Selebin). The great want there [in Ipoh] at present is a good water supply. This can be met by bringing water in pipes from Selibin, a distance of some three miles, and the Datoh Penglima Kinta has offered to undertake the work“.
Anyone care to guess the exact date of this postcard?
We’ve all heard the usual salesmen rhetoric about ‘magical’ products. But have you heard of Miraculous Insecticide Chalk? If you’ve used it before, we’d like to know if it works. Also, do you use it like regular chalk?
As the story goes…… “in 1889 two brothers, Édouard Michelin and André Michelin, ran a rubber factory in Clermont-Ferrand, France. One day, a cyclist whose pneumatic tire needed repair turned up at the factory. The tire was glued to the rim, and it took over three hours to remove and repair the tire, which then needed to be left overnight to dry. The next day, Édouard Michelin took the repaired bicycle into the factory yard to test. After only a few hundred metres, the tire failed. Despite the setback, Édouard was enthusiastic about the pneumatic tire, and he and his brother worked on creating their own version, one that did not need to be glued to the rim. Michelin was incorporated on 28 May 1889. In 1891 Michelin took out its first patent for a removable pneumatic tire which was used by Charles Terront to win the world’s first long distance cycle race, the 1891 Paris–Brest–Paris” (read more here)
Thanks to persistence and hardwork (and creativity too), we now have a famous name in the world of tyres. As for the mascot shown…yes, his name is Bibendum…but we usually call him the Michelin Man 🙂
…the Ipoh Trade School? It was founded in 1930, to what we know. The initial intake was 25 young men of which 23 were Malays with 1 Chinese and 1 Indian. The Chief Instructor was transferred from the Federated Malay States Railways Central Workshops and his assistant from the Kuala Lumpur Trade School.
The students’ first task was to assist in the construction of the school building and installing machinery. Practical training took place on Albion and Thornycroft lorries of the Public Works Department Ipoh….(read more here).
Here’s a picture of the building.
Photograph courtesy of Irene John
Have you ever heard of the Jubilee Transport Company or rode on their buses before? The company was running a bus service from Lumut to Ipoh from 1932 to 1935. Incidentally, an article from The Straits Times dated 24th of July 1937 read “Ipoh To Have New Bus Service. If Transport Board Approves Scheme”, which is basically about the company requesting approval for a scheme to run a bus service in Ipoh which would expand to Ipoh’s suburbs.
We’re not encouraging you to take up smoking; we’re just curious to know if any of you remember Lucky Strike Filters 😉 Could you buy these tins off the rack at your local grocery store? Or were they sold by the man who rode on a cigarette tricycle?
Should you wish to see a real cigarette tricycle, drop by Sarang Paloh today anytime between 5pm – 9pm. Our exhibition started yesterday and will end on 10th September 2017.
courtesy of: Mrs Alagan
Have you heard of the Perak Institute of Electronics (PIE)? We’re hoping someone out there can help us out with this little mystery…
courtesy of: Sybil de Roquigny
This lady needs no introduction….I think EVERYONE knows who she is 😉
Rose Chan was born Chan Wai Chang in Soochow, China, in 1925 to acrobat parents. She arrived in Kuala Lumpur at the tender age of six. Despite having no formal education, she demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit at an early age of 12 by charging her classmates to have their photo taken. After the failure of her first (arranged) marriage to an elderly Chinese contractor more than twice her age, a 17-year-old Rose became a cabaret dancer at Happy World in Singapore where she excelled as a dancer (read more here).
How many of you remember The Drifters?
How many of you saw them perform at the Rex Cinema?
How many of you remember the dragons on the walls, which ‘watched over’ the cinema goers?
Here’s a fun fact: This building was opened by the British Resident of Perak, Mr R W Thomson, in 1928.
This building was also the 3rd Ipoh Court House (read about the others here).
What else did YOU ‘recycle’ or ‘reuse’ back then?
Before the invention of stainless steel, knives were very hard to keep clean and shiny. If they got too wet, they would get rusty and water could leak down into the handles, which were made of wood or bone. After simply wiping the knives after use, Victorian maids would use this special knife-cleaning machine to polish them up…(read more here)
Yes, such a thing actually existed – see the picture below.
I wonder how many of you remember this advertisement. We got this off the back back of an old exercise book.
What other products were advertised on the back of exercise books during your school days?
During my school days, the backs of our exercise books had no adverts – just the Rukunegara and probably the school song 🙂
Measuring at 55 centimetres tall, this kerosene lamp was manufactured by Drawing Petrol Lamps.
How many of you have seen or had this at home?
This particular enamel sign was likely hung in the premises of a ‘Rubber Dealer’, anyone remember any rubber dealers that were in town?
courtesy of Mohamad Sharizan
click to enlarge
We thank Ruth Rollitt for this 1957 photograph. The lady in the trishaw is Mrs Iversen – yes, the same Iversen who built a number of iconic buildings in Ipoh (like the Telekom building along Cockman Street, the Geological Museum, as well as quite a few cinemas).
Do you see the building in the background? Recognise it? If you do recognise it, do let us know what it is…and WHERE it is 🙂
These are handheld rattan Punkahs, not to be confused with the large swinging fans that were fixed to the ceiling and pulled by a coolie. The word Punkah / Pankha is Hindi and originates from the word Pankh which means the wings of a bird which produces a draft when flapped.
Have you seen one of these before or even better, have you used one of these before? Let us know…
We thank Graham Barton for sharing this picture with us. He was once part of the 12th Infantry Regiment Workshop REME, at Gunung Panjang, Ipoh.
Is that a ‘Beetle’ in the background, or do my eyes deceive me?
picture by: Alan Steel
The Dingo Scout Car was a light armoured car built in Australia during Second World War. They were produced by the Ford motor company during 1942. (read more here)
Familiar? Yes, we did have a Capitol Cinema in Ipoh once. But not anymore. However, the cinema shown in this picture does not look like the one in Ipoh. But I could be wrong. Where do you think this cinema is? Is it still there?
Picture courtesy of Michael Ho
This was taken outside the Chartered Bank in January of 1985 back when Jalan Dato’ Maharaja Lela was still known as Station Road / Jalan Stesen.
Kindly click on picture to enlarge.Some of you may recognize this bridge, most of you pass it driving up North. With the caption Sg. Perak Bridge, July 1984, we believe that this is the Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge located on the northern part of the North-South Highway.
courtesy of Mohamad Sharizan
picture courtesy of: Mohamad Sharizan bin Mohd. Supian
Our featured Celebrity was born in Wuhua, Guandong, China. He began as an apprentice in the Menglembu Tin Mines. His hard work eventually paid off when he could afford to run his own tin mines. He was also quite a philanthropist. Among his many good deeds include:
In case you’re still wondering who this gentleman is, well let me put you out of your misery. He’s none other than Lee Kwee Foh!
Ais krim potong anybody? The weather in Ipoh has just been crazy for the past few weeks, scorching hot in the afternoon, heavy thunderstorms in the evening.
We remember seeing a man on his motorbike selling ais krim potong near the roundabout of Persiaran Greenhill a couple of years back, we haven’t seen him since. What’s your fondest memory of this sweet treat? Do tell…
No, not our website….but this beautiful icon of Ipoh is said to be turning 100 years old this year!
This special heritage building was even mentioned in the Star recently (read the article here).
No, this is not a treasure chest that you’d find in a cave. This is an ice box that the ice man would load on his bicycle where he’d then go round selling. Two whole blocks of ice covered in sawdust to keep it from melting any quicker than it should, on a hot day.
How would he cut the ice you ask? Here’s your answer, a huge saw.
Do you remember the ice man that cycled around on his bicycle selling ice? Do let us know if you do.
We have here a postcard from V. Radnell, showing an Indian trader at the wet-market, former Super Kinta. Anyone remember him..or this stall?
The next time you’re on Jalan Tun Perak (formerly Conolly Road) and you’re heading to Buntong via Jalan Sungai Pari, keep an eye out for this long-ish building after the turn. This particular building believed to be more than a century old was once the quarters for staff members of the ‘Public Works Department’ or what we call today as the JKR (Jabatan Kerja Raya).
There also used to be another similar looking structure across the road but has been demolished since late 2013. Has any of our readers out there stayed here in the past? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
Click here to read an article written by Star Metro Perak on the structure.
Photograph courtesy of Richard Saxey
This was taken in the 1960s when the new turbines and controls were installed at the Malim Nawar Power Station. Do you recognize these men?
According to our picture-source (Heritage Asia, Feb-Apr 2008), the above mine was opened by Leong Fee in 1902. Leong Fee of course was also the founder of Han Chin Villa (Han Chin Pet Soo).
picture source: Heritage Asia magazine, January-March 2007
The first headquarters of the British in Kinta was Kota Bharu, the lowest landing stage on the Kinta River, and also the river port for the important mining centre of Gopeng. However, Kota Bharu was so malarial that it had to be abandoned, and in 1884 the capital was shifted to Batu Gajah, the next landing stage.
“Have you ever seen a pot the size of a fist!?”. Wait a minute. I didn’t get that quite right, let’s try that again, “Have you ever seen a fist the size of a pot!?” is a Cantonese phrase often used by actors like Stephen Chow in movies when trying to scare someone into not getting into a fight with him.
This cast iron pot (bigger than one’s first of course but smaller than one’s head if anyone wanted to know how big it was) was likely used at home for soups and herbs, how many of you have used this in your homes back then and do you have any interesting experiences or stories which you’d like to share with us? We’d like to hear from you.
Dear all, we are saddened by the passing of Lee Siew San better known as Mrs. Hew, one of Dato’ Lat’s iconic characters in his Kampung Boy series.
A wake will be held tonight and tomorrow night at the Our Mother Of Perpetual Help Church’s (Ipoh Garden) Funeral Parlour and her funeral will take place on this Saturday, 11th of March at 1pm.
Click here to read the coverage done by New Straits Times.
Mrs. Hew, seated in the second row, the second person from the left
The photograph above was taken in 2015 at the National Type Primary School (NTPS), Jalan Pasir Puteh’s reunion, where the students met up with their primary school teachers.
This picture was taken off Heritage Asia magazine, back in 2004. The description reads as:
Perak, as in many parts of Malaysia, has a large number of pre-war and colonial shop-houses. Distinctive in their decorative sturdy look with sculpted openings and large columns guarding the shaded five-foot ways, they were the mainstay of retail business then. Somehow, new shop houses lack that character. Quiet towns like Papan still have these old edifices.
So, is this a photo of Papan? Or, could it be another town in Perak….?
Anyone remembers Kwong Sang Tailors or had been a patron of the business in the past? We’d like to hear from you if you do or were a patron. =)
We featured Van Houten some time ago, and many of you shared your thoughts on it. Today we’d like to know if any of you are familiar with Droste Cocoa – a product by a Dutch company founded in 1863. Was it as famous as Van Houten?
Photograph courtesy of Tom Eadie
This was taken in 1955 as the ‘A’ Troop rolled out of the Old Convent (Taiping) and was headed for the Cameron Highlands via Tapah.
“The climb beyond Tapah with its claustrophobic intimidating high-rising jungle crowding the eternally bending narrow roadway was enough to make everyone feel vulnerable and on high alert, though failing to prevent the Troop Leader from charging on in front standing in the turret of the Dingo armoured car making a perfect target for any watching Communist Terrorist (CT).”, described Tom.
To read more about Tom’s ‘A’ Troop experience while serving in Malaya, click here.
I am writing to you to ask for your help in finding an old room-mate, Alan Tan. I shared a room with Alan back in 1979/80 in a house in Kingsland Road, Birkenhead, England. At the time Alan was attending Birkenhead Technical College studying for his ‘A’ levels. Although many years have passed Alan is not forgotten. I am a member of a WhatsApp group (15 members) who met each other at that time while studying, and we would love to rekindle our friendship with Alan. I am from England (now living in Australia) and the others are from Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Hong Kong. I kept in touch with Alan for a while after he returned to Malaysia in 1980 but we lost contact. Unfortunately, the Internet was non-existent then.Alan Tan – I think his initials were TC, so could be Alan TC Tan.Last known address in Ipoh was 4 Jalan Mui Fah, Victoria Park.Studied ‘A’ levels at Birkenhead Technical College in England. I think his ‘A’ level subjects were Maths, Physics and Chemistry.Lived in Kingsland Road, next to the college. The landlady’s name was Mary.Liked Tae Kwon Do.Worked as a waiter in a restaurant many miles away – I think the restaurant was in Whitchurch.Here’s a photo of Alan and me:This one includes Mary and some of the students that lived in house. I have circled Alan:
I would be eternally grateful for any help in tracing my old friend. I’m hoping there is somebody (relative/friend) in Ipoh that could put me in direct contact with Alan, wherever he may be.Kind regards,Ian
Looks like a wooden bird, but it’s not quite a wooden bird. This is said to be a tool used in paddy planting. Does anyone here know HOW it’s used?UPDATE:
We received this from our reader Ngai, who recently visited the Rice Production Museum in Kedah. Apparently this tool pictured above is known as Renggam (see picture below).
![WP_20170303_10_17_31_Pro_LI[2305843009213733166] (2) (1)](http://www.ipohworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WP_20170303_10_17_31_Pro_LI2305843009213733166-2-1.jpg)
We thank Ian for sharing these photos with us. Ian Sheldrick used to study at BACS Ipoh from October 1962 – October 1964. The photos he shared with us were taken during the school’s Sports Day. Any BACS Alumni out there? Are you in any of these pictures?
No, I didn’t make that up! Apparently (as stated in good ‘ol Wikipedia), the ‘HP’ in this popular brand actually stands for Houses of Parliament! Just a show of hands – how many of you knew this little trivia? 🙂
Have you heard of this company before – Sharikat Sim Lim (M)? It used to be along Brewster Road (as seen in the picture above).
For those who are still staring at this picture in disbelief, yes…Brewster Road used to be a two-way street once….
We thank Chan Kok Keong for the above picture.
…a collector of those Nestle labels? The one we have below had a simple recipe printed on the back.
My aunt and I used to collect some of these back then. Then I decided to paste them in an old diary. Do they still print such things today? On a lighter note…were you also a recipe-hoarder? 🙂
An old Dunlop sign with the man himself John Boyd Dunlop at the bottom of the sign. We think its from the 50’s, have you all seen this sign with J. B. Dunlop before?
We thank Pat Price (from Sydney) for this picture. Price was formerly an engineer with Anglo-Oriental. This dredge was said to be in Kampong Gajah, Perak. Perhaps you’re wondering why the dredge buckets are all lined up on the extreme right. Back in 1976, one of the dredge buckets broke; hence, fixing the problem was quite a task for the engineers and the coolies.
Some say chicken, some say fish, some say other things. From the design, we think this rattan basket was used to transport fish. What say you?
I’m sure everyone recognises the gentleman seated in the middle. 🙂
Yes, he’s none other than Rev Bro Vincent Corkery – of St Michael’s Institution. The photograph was part of a tribute to Bro Vincent, congratulating him on his award (he was conferred the title ‘Dato’ back in 2014). In this same tribute were some of the names of the students:
Sivagami; Askari Badsha; Winnie Te; Khoo Kay Hock; Beatrice; Mary Ann; Lim Jo Hock; John Wai; Raja; and Telk Raj Sharma
SMI Alumni, are you in the photograph? Or, perhaps you know someone in the photograph?
(Note: This photograph was scanned off an article, hence the poor quality)
The picture above was taken from a postcard, on the back are the words “Enclosure surrounding Town Hall”. Our guess is that this was taken in the early 1900’s, before the railway station was built. What do you think photo detectives?
Located in Kroh (known as Pengkalan Hulu today), a town in the northern district of Perak bordering Thailand is Cheun Fong, a coffee shop where this cup and saucer originated from. With that said, has anyone been to this particular coffee shop or Kroh lately?
From all of us at 
I’m sure many of you are still engrossed with the picture in our previous post but here’s something to give your detective minds a break. The iconic 555 notebook, we know this small little notebook was used for a lot of things but what did you use this notebook for back in the day?
Here’s something to start-up your week. The building in this particular picture is said to be a hotel in Ipoh, Federated Malay States (FMS). Anyone recognizes the building or knows where this hotel might have been?
P. S. We’re not too sure of the name of the hotel or where this building was located.
Looking at this picture (from Lay Jin Chew), I couldn’t help but wonder how much Ipoh’s landscape has changed over the years. Could that bridge (far left) be part of the Hugh Low Bridge, or part of the Birch Bridge? I would also like to draw your attention to the area on the left of the shop houses (other side of the bridge). Any idea what that building is?
…when many a shop used doors like these (picture above). Remember them? Reminds me of those saloons in Western movies. 😉
I’ve never heard of such a thing, but apparently it did exist once. I’m talking about paraffin gauze. Any First-Aid experts out there? Perhaps you could share more details about this product. From what I found out, the paraffin prevents the gauze from sticking to the open wound…
Yes, Ipoh streets today are not as quiet as they used to be…as you can see in the picture below (from Lay Jin Chew).
Care you make a guess as to WHERE this street is?
Ever wondered how people back then managed to fill up tin bags without spilling the contents? Believe it or not, this simple looking funnel played a key role in keeping the tin ore in the bags. These work similar to how an oil funnel would work.
Here’s how things work: First you insert the funnel into the bag, pour in the dried tin ore until it reaches the designated level (the top of the tube), remove the funnel carefully and “VOILA”, you’ve filled a bag of tin without spilling any.
Have you seen one before? or better yet, used one before?
Rather BIG for an egg beater, don’t you think? Or, maybe just to fold egg-whites into the batter..in really large bowls! But I haven’t seen pastry/cake shops use these. What do YOU think?
This advertisement came with fuse wires (for 5 Amp and 15 Amp).
We’ve heard from the car lovers, the food lovers, the history buffs too. Now, we’d like to hear from the music lovers…have you ever played the mandolin? The one shown here is said to be from the 1930s.
The photo doesn’t really show this once famous bakery, but you can see the sign on the wall (extreme right). I vaguely remember this bakery, which was a family-run business. One of the daughters (or maybe the grand daughter) was my classmate in primary school. Sadly, we lost touch in later years. I never got a chance to ask her about the history of this bakery. Does anyone know the story behind this famous shop? We thank Lay Jin Chew for this photograph.
We also received this photograph from Ruth Iversen Rollitt – showing the Paris Bakery Factory.
We thought we’d tease you all today…with this little artifact. Do you know what this is? Apparently, it’s a ‘modesty cap’ for little boys? Don’t believe us, look at the photo below!
We took this off the 1977 edition of the AMCIAN – the Ave Maria Convent school magazine. This is an aerial view of the school building and the surroundings.
We’ve had a lot of feedback from SMI, ACS, NTPS, and even HIJ Convent Alumni over the years…but not much from the Ave Maria Convent girls. So, here’s a shout-out to you young ladies out there!
From what we know, there was a parade in Ipoh town back in 1947 – in support of the Kuomintang. We believe the above picture (from Lay Jin Chew) was taken at the same parade, which ran through the streets of Ipoh. Can anyone guess which street this is? On that note, do you know what business Barlow & Co Ltd was?
This sundry shop was once at 40 Jalan Lee Kwee Foh, in Canning Garden. But that was back in the 1960s – 1970s. This shop was later taken over by a book store.
Does anyone remember the sundry shop…or even the owner?
Texas Instruments made a line of laptops called “Travel Mate”.
The 4000E meets the system requirements for DOS, Windows 3.x and 95, but not Windows 98. According to the manual, it came with 4MB of memory, which could be upgraded to as much as twenty megabytes. (read more here)
Imagine this: you’re travelling along a random road in Ipoh, and you encounter a car, a bullock-cart and bicycle moving one behind the other in the opposite lane! It might have been a familiar sight back in the 1960s, but not today. We thank Alan for the above photograph.
The photograph above is part of a set of Leong Fu’s, ‘The Chinese Kung-Fu Karato (Atado)’ which was generously donated to us by Dato’ Lim Si Boon. The entire set consists of a promotional booklet (small booklet in the centre) and a 21 part series of illustrated loose sheet instructions. According to peterharrington.co.uk, no copies have been recorded by the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) in any libraries internationally, and no trade records in the usual channels. So tell us, were you a big fan of Kung Fu?? Click here to see the front covers of the complete set.
This was taken during the 4th AGM of Shaw Organisation’s Employees Welfare Association (Ipoh branch). Do you recognise anyone in the photograph? Were you once part of the Shaw ‘cinema family’? If so, we’d love to hear from you….
Stuffy noses ‘fear’ this very potent rub….I wonder if their original formula has changed over the years.
I recall a recent purchase of a small bottle of Vicks which was made in India. I don’t know what was added to the original formula, as I found the scent was different from the usual bottles bought at our local stores. I wonder if every country has their own ‘recipe’ for Vicks…
Feeling tired? Need a pick-me-up? Take Yeast-Vite! From what we found out, these tablets contained not only caffeine but also Vitamin B1 and B2.
Looks like they had Vit.B supplements back then too 🙂
The “A Troop Experience” is an 8 part series which we have recently put up on our database, the entries are of Tom Eadie, a retired Bombadier (Bdr) of the ‘A’ Troop and his experience when he served throughout 1955 to 1956 in Malaya.
Click here to read the first part of The ‘A’ Troop Experience.
Have you used these to write? Perhaps not…maybe your parents or grandparents did? Anyhow, these were what I would call the ‘early pencils’. And of course, you used them on slate boards (not paper, as they were rather costly back then). Incidentally, I looked up ‘slate pencils’ on YouTube…and to my surprise, there were many videos of people EATING slate pencils!
Yes! Tripadvisor travellers worldwide have voted Ipoh World at Han Chin Pet Soo into the Top 1% of Attractions Worldwide. Ipoh’s Number 1 attraction since April 2015 continues to go from strength to strength and is also voted the 4th Best Museum in Malaysia!
With a Certificate of Excellence and voted the Traveller’s Choice, isn’t it time you visited? Visit www.ipohworld.org/reservation to book your visit today!
No, we’re not selling these! But do any of you remember the time when such souvenirs were popular? I once saw a souvenir plate / saucer (somewhere in my grandfather’s cupboard) with a picture of Prince Charles, Princess Diana and little Prince William (issued at the time of Prince William’s birth). I do wonder if people merely collected such cutlery or if they intended to use them…
Did you own a Brownie Reflex? Do you remember the very first camera you owned?
If you’re one of those who took up photography as a hobby, we’d love to hear from you too 🙂
Everyone had a favourite hairstyle that they stuck to when they were younger….what look did YOU prefer? On that note, do any of you remember Hoong Ying Hair-Waving Saloon?
Here’s a nice one of happy faces, taken at the Main Convent (HIJ Convent) back in the late 1940s. We thank Marea Smith for sharing this lovely photograph with us. Incidentally, Marea is the girl standing in the back row, third from the right.
Courtesy of: Darren Teh
I was staying in Greentown then and used to go to a classmate house in Fair Park where we all learn to dance the A Go-Go , The Shake and Off Beat Cha Cha!
…even before those smaller Nokias too, THIS was what a hand phone looked like! Yes, it was heavier than a bar of chocolate. No, it didn’t have a tiny camera 😉 Do you remember this model?
The majestic view of the railway station has often left many of us in awe over the years and even more so today after the landscaping of the garden.
Around the Ipoh tree are plaques that tells the story of Perak and its districts, upon closer inspection we found that most of these plaques are either damaged or have faded away over time.
The map of Perak pulling a ‘Houdini’
With most tourists utilizing the convenient and easy services of the ETS to come to Ipoh, we find these fading plaques worrying as nothing seems to have been done to maintain them. If you were a tourist, what would your impression be upon seeing this?
I don’t know if any of you remember this, but back in 1955 we had a visit from a famous Olympian – Jesse Owen!
picture courtesy of: Dato Pu
Facing the camera, on the extreme left, is Mr Kandvanam. Next to him is Mr Bulwant Singh. Jesse Owen (winner of 4 gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics) is the gentleman in the checkered shirt.
Convent Girls, do you recall what your classroom looked like? Well, this was a typical classroom at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (or Main Convent) back in the late 1940s / early 1950s. We thank Marea Smith for sharing this nostalgic photograph with us. Looking forward to hearing from any CHIJ Alumni 🙂
Picture courtesy of Tom Eadie
Here’s something to start your Monday engines, this is a picture of a sort of busy street taken in 1955. Take a wild guess where this could be, not the street but the place. I’ll give you a clue, it was named the capitol of Perak after the assassination of J. W. W. Birch, the British resident at the time.
Happy guessing! 😉
picture from: Rosemary Palmer
Remember the Home Guards? Here we have troop-in-training. The gentleman in white shorts is our donor’s father – M L Bernacchi. I’m sure some of you remember seeing the Home Guards on patrol, especially if you were one of those who lived in the New Villages during the Malayan Emergency.
picture from: Gogan Singh; click to enlarge
We know old school photographs are rather popular on our blog. So here’s another one. Were you one of these handsome young men? Or, maybe you recognise a former school mate? We’d love to hear from you!
Remember these? How many of you recall those days at the barbers, while the Indian uncle patiently snipped at your hair?
picture courtesy of: Harchand
Can anyone guess where this was taken? Maybe the shops look familiar…was this somewhere in Ipoh? Or could is be in another town in Perak?
Does anyone remember Hung Wang Restaurant? The address says it was along Leong Sin Nam Street…but for the life of me, I can’t seem to place where exactly it was! Perhaps the Foodies might know better 🙂
We received this photograph from Harchand (one of our Readers) some time ago. However, we do not know the names of these gentlemen. Do you recognise them? We were told that this photograph was taken somewhere in Perak (where in Perak, we haven’t the faintest idea 🙁 ).
Come on, History-buffs….put those thinking caps on!
UPDATE: Thanks to a link from Ngai, we now know that: the person making the announcement is John Gladwell (Officer Commanding the Kuala Lumpur Jungle Squad); also in the control room are Inspector Alma Singh (left) and Sub-Inspector Rustan Ali (holding a notebook). This picture was taken around 1958 – in the midst of the Malayan Emergency.
From past blog posts, we’ve had Readers sharing their memories about some of the many smaller departmental stores in Ipoh. With the coming of hypermarkets and malls, these small businesses eventually folded. On that note, does anyone remember Angel Departmental Store? Do you remember where it was located?
HIJ Convent girls, this one’s for YOU! Do you remember this badge? Did you have trouble remembering the lyrics of the school song? Do you recall the motto? Come on, girls…we want to hear from you 🙂
picture courtesy of: Duncan Paterson
Look carefully…THIS is how you feed a baby elephant! 🙂 We thought we’d share this cute picture with all of you this Monday, just to take a break from the monotony.
Sometimes, families make day trips / weekend trips during school holidays and such. I wonder if this how these children found themselves posing next to the canon (picture below).
Do you recognise the building in the background? I’m making a wild guess and saying it’s probably part of a museum. But I could be wrong though.
We thank Rosemary Palmer for the above photograph 🙂
We know you like puzzles and mysteries. So, this picture should intrigue you further. Can you guess the name of the street shown in the picture?
This is said to be the original building of the Batu Gajah Police Station. Our donor, Daljit Singh Guram, told us that his late grandfather is in this very photograph (back row, 11th from the left). Daljit’s late grandfather – Gurcharan Singh Guram – was in the Malaysian Police Force from 1920 to 1945.
This photo was taken in the late 1950s / early 1960s. Yes, it’s none other than the Straits Trading Building, in Ipoh!
A few blogs ago, we featured some members of the St John’s Ambulance brigade marching in front of some shop houses. Well, this time…the members seem to be assembling a first aid kit. Do you know who the man in the bow-tie is? For that matter, does anyone recognise the interior of the building?
This was sent to us via email from Ann & Mano. According to them, the owner of this driver’s license was an RAAF personnel, and would have worked on aircrafts almost daily. The Singapore-issued license (1955) is the picture on the left. The picture on the right, however, is a photo of a particular airplane attached to his driving license. Therein lies the mystery!
Was this a common feature for such licenses issued back then? Anyone care to shed some light on this?
We thank Duncan Paterson for the above photograph. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to tell us where in Ipoh this place is?
Do the buildings look familiar? What about the street?
The festival of the Fifth month which is also known as the Dragon Boat Festival or commonly known as the Dumpling Festival which is held on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese calendar is said to have originated from dragon worship according to Wen Yiduo, a Chinese poet and scholar. Dumplings may have originally represented an offering to the dragon king.
What is your version of the history of this festival?
These young men belong to the St John’s Ambulance brigade. Do you recognise them? Or, can you identify the shop houses in the background?
click to enlarge
Do you recognise this panorama? Can you guess which part of Ipoh this is? While you’re trying to name the buildings and streets, can you also give us a rough date? We look forward to your comments 🙂
Have you ever come across this brand? I’ve never heard of the brand, but the bull dog (in the logo) is similar to the one used by Guinness 😉
Anyone remembers this handy stationary? Despite being more than 60 years old and less glossy than its modern day counterpart, this machine marked The “Hazel” still packs a “Punch” or two as good as its grandchildren, but the question is do you know what it is?
picture courtesy of: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
Remember these shop houses? Yes, this was Fair Park back in 1938. These shops were Iversen’s designs nonetheless. Sadly, they’re no more 🙁
Anyone remember this store? According to the label, Hup Hing Shoe Store was along Laxamana Road. I wonder what happened to the place….
Yes, for those of you who didn’t know…..flour actually came in linen bags in those days! Do you remember those linen flour bags? Did you keep those bags once they were emptied?
picture courtesy of: Ooi Kean Chye
How many of you remember this comic book? It wasn’t that long ago…..this edition also featured a picture of a WW2 aircraft – the Hawker Typhoon.
So, can we hear from the comic fans?
Remember these fruit-flavoured sweets? I’ve never heard of this brand though…more familiar with Foxes and Sugus 😉 If you were a fan of these sweets, do share some of your memories with us.
picture courtesy of Gary Lai (via SK)
We received this photo and description from SK:
This picture was send to me by Gary Lai from Anderson School, Ipoh. I have his consent to use the picture & story. He joined the Police Volunteer Reserve back in 1970s when he left Ipoh, in KL. Gary is pictured on the left & he lost touch of his friend in 1975. Hope Ipohworld can publish this & also at the same time to look out for Gary’s friend. Gary told me he joined the PVR as a duty to the nation. Both of them patrolled the street with a regular policeman and enjoyed their task. They were also paid by their employers while performing their duties or when they took 2 weeks off for training.
They had also opportunity to practice shooting with wesson smith pistols in 6 bullets chamber & Mark 5 bolt action rifle (10 or 12 bullets ) in sniping, squatting & sitting positions but missed the M16 practice as it was then newly issued. Gary recalled it was fun time walking the streets twice or thrice a week 6 pm to 11 pm at 40 sen an hour. It was not about money as they spent more than the stipend paid but the experience & the duty to the country. Well, Ipohworld, hope you will publish this for awareness in the Police Voluntary Reserve Unit. We have also other voluntary units like Civil Defence & Rela. The other unit is Polis Bantuan.
In a subsequent email, SK told us that Gary’s friend went by the name of Chuah (Gary doesn’t know the full name). If Chuah, or any of his family / friends, are reading this, we’d love to hear from you!
On a car-free morning in Ipoh, I just happen to pass through Hugh Low Street and noticed this building. It’s at the corner of Hugh Low Street and Jalan Che Tak. I’m not sure what building this is…but I’ll say kudos to their restoration work! Does anyone know who / which company owns this building? For that matter, what was this building originally used for?
Tania Gotzes (nee Fairnington) whose family once lived at Godwin Close and Canning Gardens back in the 60s is trying to locate the amah who took care of her when she was younger. She remembers her full name being Tho Leen Ho, who’d likely be in her 80’s and that she also has a daughter called Ah Choo. If you happen to recognize Ah Leen and have information of her whereabouts, we’d be grateful if you could kindly drop us an e-mail at info@ipohworld.org.
A familiar sight once upon a time, a forgotten memory over time. The building in the picture above, consists of 4 residential units linked together. It is located on a plot of land behind the Syeun Hotel known as Lot 32630 of Jalan Idris, Greentown. According to the donor of this photograph, the image in this picture is what’s remaining of the Old Greentown before it was extensively developed to what it looks like today.
What is your memory of the Old Greentown?
Our photographer recently visited Kedai Makanan Rasa Lain, in Bercham, where he sampled the above dish. The dish is none other than Claypot Glass Noodles with Crab. Have any of you tried this dish? Do share your thoughts with us 🙂
Has anyone tried this brand of butter? I wonder if this brand costs as much as Golden Churn. Or, perhaps this was a cheaper alternative to Golden Churn?
Have you heard about the ‘King of Trishaws’? We’re talking about Boon Eng Keat, who was born in Sumatra in 1928 and came to Malaya in 1933 with his family. His early years were spent working at ‘Sin Meng Hong’, a bicycle shop at No. 8 Anderson Road, Ipoh.
In the years following the Second World War, transportation was greatly effected – especially with the shortage of fuel and rubber. And so, the people had to adapt to this – thus the birth of the trishaw. The trishaw is actually an amalgamation of a bicycle and a rickshaw. The earlier models retained the springs while the later ones had no springs and solid tyres.
When Eng Keat was 19, he went on to work in a Hale Street trishaw shop (in Old Town) called ‘Sin Seng Huat’. After 23 years, Eng Keat decided to go into business for himself as a trishaw manufacturer and renter. But what happened to Eng Keat’s trishaws when the requirement for them was no longer there?
According to an interview we did with Eng Huat some years ago:
…some were sold off locally and several went overseas. Two particular customers, both British he remembers, were a College Professor in Kuala Lumpur and an engineer working locally in Ipoh. When the former was due to return to UK after his term of employment was over, his students asked him what he wanted as a gift and he chose a trishaw, saying that he owned practically everything else. The students took him at his word, bought a trishaw from Eng Keat and presented it to the professor who took it back to England. The engineer also took his back to England, but being mechanically minded he stripped it right down and packed it flat, presumably reassembling it later. Neither has been heard of since, but they may well still be rolling along English country lanes. Two more of his machines found their way to Spain and Thailand.
More about this story can be found here.
Recently, we received a message on Facebook about one of Eng Keat’s trishaws. Subsequently, we also received an email from Steven Day, from UK, – one of the owners of this same trishaw (see pictures below).
According to Steven, he and two other friends decided to buy this trishaw for rides around their village and the surrounding areas. Who would have thought that this Ipoh-born trishaw would one day make its home in the UK!
Do you recognise these panels? They can be found on the four sides of the Birch Clock tower. Still wondering what I’m talking about? Well, the next time you pass by the clock tower, take a closer look 🙂
THE J W W BIRCH MEMORIAL CLOCK TOWER PANELS
The Growth of Civilization.
The following is a description of the figures represented in the painted panels:
PANELS A AND B: Prehistoric Times to the Time of Christ.
PANEL A NORTH.
The Stone Age – A Hunter.
A Fisherman.
A Woman spinning.
The Iron Age – Man and Woman.
The Early Eastern Peoples – A Nubian with gold and ivory.
A Chaldean Astrologer.
A Woman making pottery.
An Egyptian.
An Assyrian.
A Persian.
PANEL B WEST.
The Eastern Meditteranean – Judaism.
Moses.
David
A Phonecian.
A woman representing the Agean civilization.
The Far East – Confucius.
Buddha.
Lao Tzu.
Greece and Rome – A woman representing Greek Art.
Alexander the Great.
A Greek Philosopher.
Augustus.
PANELS C AND D – From the Time of Christ to the Present Day.
PANEL C SOUTH
The Byzantine Empire – Constantine the Great.
Islam – Mohammed (pbh).
The Age of Chivalry – A Crusader.
The Age of Faith – St. Clara.
Gothic Art – A Bishop with a model of a Cathedral.
The Renaissance – Science – Galileo.
Art – Michael Angelo.
Literature – Vittoria Colonna.
Enterprise – Columbus.
The Reformation – Luther.
The Elizabethan Age – Shakespeare.
PANEL D EAST – Modern Science, Art and Social Services.
Physics – Newton.
Medicine – Harvey.
The use of steam – Watt.
Easter Art – Embroiderer.
Music – Beethoven.
Engineering – Stephenson.
Photography – Daguerre.
Social Service – Miss Nightingale.
Natural Science – Darwin.
Electricity – Edison.
Humane Surgery – Lister.
Picture taken from Tin Phil Sinnappan’s Facebook Post
Dato’ Brother Vincent Corkery passed away peacefully today at 12:18pm. Wake services tonight, 22nd of March and tomorrow night, 23rd March is at 8pm. His funeral will be at 10:30am on Thursday, 24th of March at St. Michael’s Church.
Dato’ Brother Vincent has been associated with St. Michael’s Institution, in one role or another for more than 50 years. To read more about the twice Brother Director of St. Michael’s Institution, click here.
Farewell Brother Vincent, you will be missed.
Yes folks…this building is now home to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). This photograph was taken in the 80s. I wonder if much of the outer facade has changed over the years….
This here is a fragrance manufactured by Firmenich, a Swiss fragrance and flavor manufacturer founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1895. We were wondering if any of you could help us shed some light to this fragrance (Chettiar Kathambam) in particular. Anyone?
Dear antique lovers….do you recognise the two ‘handsome blokes’ on either of the curtain? I wonder what make/brand they are…they sure look grand, don’t they?
Sometime ago, we featured this building – the former Oriental Hotel, which was turned into an electrical store.
One of our readers, Charlie Choong, sent us the following photographs recently.
Looks like the electrical store is closing down….or perhaps they are relocating….we don’t know. Does anyone know what’s going on?
Brooklax Chocolate Laxative, something that you would probably be looking for in an emergency. Have you ever encountered other brands of laxatives back in the day?
Ever tried Pan Mee? The one our photographer tried contained the usual egg noodles, sayur manis (those green leaves), fried anchovies, wood-ear mushroom, and meat. Our photographer told us that this bowl of Pan Mee cost RM 5.
Any SMI Alumni remember this? Why were the buses parked in the compound? Were the students on their way to a field trip?
Take a good look and give us your thoughts 🙂
source: Charlie Choong
I’m sure you have driven past this building in New Town Ipoh. This is the side view of a former hotel – which is now an electrical store. This building is opposite the Kamdar textile store, just in case you’re wondering. I’m sure some of you already know which building I’m talking about. What we would like to know is what those Chinese characters on the upper wall mean. Below is a close up of the words.
Above is a type of Vehicle lubricant manufactured by Shell but we are not too sure which category it falls under. From the design of the logo, we believe that this particular lubricant was manufactured between 1955 to 1961. The unique design of the canister is reflected through the spout at the top as well as the wooden handle that can be seen in the picture below. Any idea which category this lubricant would fall under?
Here’s a blast from the past! This photograph (taken in the 80s), given to us by Lim Lean Seng, shows the Brewster Road Fire Station. We believe this fire station was built around 1915; it started off as a single storey building and the second storey was added in 1936.
The fire station later relocated to Jalan Kompleks Sukan (opposite the Perak Stadium) in the 90s. From what we were told, the building pictured above is in the process of becoming Brewster Village – Wedding & Events.
Dear Ipoh-ites…..was there a hill named after Sir Hugh Low somewhere in Perak? We were wondering based on the picture below.
picture from: Charlie Choong
On that note, do you recognise the young men in picture? Are YOU one of them? If you are, we’d like to hear more from you 🙂
A simple altar with offerings to the Jade Emperor
Hokkien New Year is celebrated every year on the Ninth Day of Chinese New Year. Some may wonder, why the ninth day, why not the first day?
Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Hokkiens were attacked by bandits and to save themselves, they hid in a sugar cane plantation until the ninth day when they were sure it was safe to return home. Coincidentally, it was also the Jade Emperor’s birthday; they had been saved by his divine intervention and the protective cover of the sugar cane stalks. (which explains the significance of the Sugar Cane stalks during this celebration)
Having missed the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations, they celebrated their salvation that day and ever since then, the Hokkien dialect group have regarded this date as a symbol of their survival and a time for major celebrations every year.
Here’s another one from Richard Saxey’s collection. Yes, this is Malim Nawar! I know some of you can name all the gentlemen in this photograph.
But I’d like to draw your attention to the man with the coolie hat (extreme left). What is he doing?
We were told that this was the Form 3 Class of 1967 at Methodist English School (later known as Methodist High School or MHS). Our source also mentioned the teacher’s name – Mr Thanarajan. Do you recognise any of the faces in the picture below?
picture courtesy of Gogan Singh, click to enlarge
Not much longer now til the sound of fire crackers fill the skies marking a New Year in the Chinese Calender. Reunion dinners are where most families are at on this New Year’s Eve and the dish above is a traditional yet unmissable one on this auspicious occasion.
The “Bangkuang Char” sometimes also called the “Jiu Chu Char” (if dried squid is added) is a traditional nyonya dish where thinly sliced radish / sengkuang is stir-fried with carrots, onions and pork. Wrapped in Chinese Lettuce is often how this traditional dish is eaten. Is “Bangkuang Char” one of your favourite New Year dishes?
Hope you all had a good New Year’s Eve dinner with your family members and have a very Happy Chinese New Year!
picture courtesy of: Kalwant Singh
Remember the milkman from days of old? Well, this milkman looks rather young…and here he is at his bicycle (the milk churn is hidden, on the back of his bicycle). This picture was taken at the Malay kampong at Lahat Road.
Once a famous grooming product for men, Potter & Moore’s Solidified Brilliantine is said to soften hair (including facial hair). Anyone remember this product?
Recognise the wallpaper? What about the reception desk? Well, keep looking for clues….and tell us WHERE you think this place is 🙂
It’s beginning to look like Chinese New Year, everywhere you go. You hear songs of prosperity, at every mall that you go, its the cheerful kind that sets your hearts aglow. With Chinese New Year being less than two weeks away, preparations for the auspicious celebration would have started for most. Traditional cookies like “Kuih Kapit” are often served to guests on the day of the celebrations. What’s your favourite type of traditional cookie served during Chinese New Year?
Picture courtesy of Janet Ferguson & Nellie Cumming
Field trips are usually educational and fun. Visiting an open cast tin mine? Couldn’t have been more educational and fun could it? A picture of Nellie and her classmates on a field trip to one of the open cast tin mines (unnamed). Where have you been for your field trips? Do share with us…
It was definitely a pleasant surprise to have the boy and gals from the Ipoh Classic Car Club in Old Town this morning. They parked their beauties at the corner of the Ho Yan Hor Herbal Tea museum which is of course right next to our very own Han Chin Pet Soo. Guess I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves, enjoy. 😉
A photo of a Military Band in Ipoh taken in 1951, we believe this is the Chamberlain Road round-about but are not 100 percent sure if it is. Anyone recognizes where the location could be?
A picture possibly depicting a policeman or a home guard patrolling a street in Chemor in the 1950s after the declaration of the Malayan Emergency two years earlier.
source: Road to Nationhood, NSTP
Interested in connecting with aspiring writers? Sharpened Word is back and they are meeting at the Sepaloh Art Gallery on the 16th of January at 2:30pm. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/sharpenedword.kinta
Were you a fan of the famed cat eye lens glasses / sunglasses? (picture below)
It is said that this style was made popular by stars like Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly…
….so, how many of you once owned a pair of cat eye glasses? Come on, own up….. 🙂
source: NSTP
Sometime ago, the NST featured the Taiping Central Market – which was built between 1884 & 1885. Yes, the market is 130 years old! The above picture shows the wood and cast iron latticed structure which is a prominent feature of this landmark.
Taiping folks, we want to hear YOUR stories / adventures about this market 🙂
Wishing our followers a very happy 2016 from all of us here at Ipoh World! May the year 2016 be a great one for all.
On the 6th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me sweet Christmas treats! Hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas like we did.
Picture courtesy of Ganesh C.
A photo of the second batch of committee members of The Perak Cheng Clan Association (Persatuan Puak Cheng Perak) to be voted into office in 1st January 1962.
Picture courtesy of Mr. Au
On a hot and scorching day, who wouldn’t love a dip in the pool. As pictured above with waist-deep waters was one of the floods that hit Ipoh in 1930.
Season’s greetings from all of us at Ipohworld! Wishing all our followers and readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Two days away from Christmas, anyone up for a Pre-Christmas party? We believe that this photo was taken during a sketch that took place at a Christmas party that was held in Tronoh.
Picture courtesy of Marea Smith
A picture of the dredge in Tanjung Tualang taken in the 70s. You can still see this ‘Monster of the Mines’, Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No. 5 (TT5) along Jalan Tanjung Tualang when you travel from Batu Gajah to Tanjung Tualang.
source = Charlie Choong
Do the shops look familiar to you? Yes, this is none other than Brewster Road. Note that traffic was not as heavy as it is now….back then you could still have parades and processions on the streets!
How many of you ‘swear’ by this brand of polish? Is Brasso still in production?
Just thought some of you would like to click Han Chin Pet Soo on Facebook and see what our visitors have been up to lately.
Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/Han-Chin-Pet-Soo-389066454583533/
Curious onlookers surrounding the “Ting-ting Man’s” bicycle
The man and his “Ting-Ting”
As I was on my way for an appointment, a sound that would have been very familiar to the older generation could be heard along Jalan Panglima (Panglima Street). Out of curiosity, I looked around and I saw this man on his bicycle.
According to patrons nearby, he’s does his “Ting-Ting” at the end of Concubine Lane where Thean Chun and Kong Heng are at.
What’s your memory of this sweet delicacy? Do share with us.
Picture courtesy of Poh Choo Lim
Thanks to Ipoh World, our plan for organizing a reunion with our primary school teachers has finally materialized. From the few postings in their blog, exactly five years to the date after the first posting, Nov. 22, 2010. We were able to gather about 30 former students to participate in this low-key but yet auspicious occasion.
Former students of NTPS, Jalan Pasir Puteh, were able to honour their teachers to a dinner at the Eurasia Cafe on 21 November, 2015.
Annual dinners among alumni are very common but none can lay claim to organizing one for their primary school teachers who are already in their eighties. The 30 or so students who turned up for the hurriedly organized occasion are mostly retirees themselves in their sixties. Tears and cheers of joy flowed freely when the students and teachers met, some for the very first time after almost 50 years! Another surprise in store for the organizer was that some of the attendees, unknowingly to him, were from the same class way back in the late 50s and nearly 60s.
Everyone was so engrossed in catching up with each other that the MC had a difficult time controlling the crowd and gave up after a few attempts at restoring order before the start of dinner. In fact, he had to take a back seat for the rest of the night as everyone, teachers and students alike, took turns to introduce themselves as well as taking centre stage unannounced at the karaoke session.
Among the distinguished attendees were Dato A. Paramasivam, the newly retired deputy CPO of Perak, Dato Dr. N. Raman, former Director of Hospital Bahagia, Datuk Lean Meng Seong, retired banker, Prof. Dr. Mohd. Jamil Basha, retired university lecturer, Ir. Oon Eng Hock, a consultant, several doctors and many others, who were all former students of this school. They paid tribute to their all time favourite teachers Mr. Charlie Foo, Mr. Yeoh Seng Choon, Mdm Joycelyn Aw, Mrs. Kamala Ramanathan and Mrs. Hew Chai Kee (who is immortalized in Lat’s cartoon) by playing the song “To Sir, With Love” to these few dedicated and selfless teachers.
SH ONG
As Mdm. Chow was unable to be present for the dinner that night, a special lunch was organized for her before she caught the flight to Singapore with her grandson. This was another last minute arrangement and only the initiator, Datuk Lean Meng Seong and a small group of former students were able to attend the lunch. It was another warm and emotional gathering for all present.
“Remember the ’50s when you can get a bun with scraped coconut in brown sugar as fillings costing only 5 cents to 10 cents? For those interested in buns with scraped coconut fillings, there is a shop in Pasir Pinji, Ipoh selling them for 80 sen each. Besides those with coconut fillings, they also sell buns without fillings and also those with kaya (egg jam). They also have the regular size loaf. If you think 80 sen is expensive, try going to the cake shops in the shopping complex. Anyway, this shop is only open from Mon to Fr at 6.00 pm and on Sunday at 2.00 pm. It is closed on Sat. I went once at 2.30 pm on Sun. and found that the buns with coconut filling was sold out. The shop is Ban Guan Foong Bakery. The signboard in inside the shop and you will not be able to locate it until you are in the shop. The address is 50, Jalan Sultan, Pasir Pinji, Ipoh (near the market). The difference between the buns sold and those sold in the local bakeries and cake shop is that you buy it fresh from the oven and they are still hot and smells good. The oven is at the back of the shop and it does not look like it is run by electricity. The queue is long and you find people buying as many as 25-50 buns though you may buy one. From the signboard and the premises (single storey semi concrete and wooden walls and zinc roof) it looks as if this bakery (family run) has been around for over 50 Years.”
Ipoh has so many places we can go to for breakfast that we sometimes miss out the good stuff. Sin Kong Meng, a coffee shop along Jalan Bandar Timah is often overlooked by hungry patrons as they drive past to get to Sin Yoon Loong and Nam Heong, located at the end of that particular street.
Little do people know that the stall operating in Sin Kong Meng with their famous Beef noodles or ngau lam fan (Cantonese) and also Hakka mee had actually appeared in The Star a couple of years ago.
A familiar street which Ipoh-ites would definitely recognize. If you do know, don’t tell us where but tell us what was your best memory of the street?
*Hurry! Hurry! Seats are running out, due to overwhelming support. Seats will only be allocated on a first come, first serve basis.
Old Boys / Girls of NTPS, Jalan Pasir Puteh, Ipoh are honouring their former teachers with a Halal Buffet Dinner at EURASIA CAFE, No. 28, Jalan Medan, Ipoh 3, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh on 21 November, 2015 (Saturday) at 7:00 p.m.
Teachers invited are:
Mr. Charlie Foo, Mdm. Chow, Mrs. Hew Chai Kee, Mr. Yeoh Seng Choon, Mdm. Joyce Au and others.
Those interested to join the party, kindly contact the following before / by 17 November 2015:
If you look closely, you’d notice the pipeline on the far left of the picture. That should clue you in on the location. The men running belong to the HHH – yes, the popular Hash House Harriers! This picture was taken off their 650th Run Souvenir Magazine, 1977. Any members of the HHH reading this? We’d like to hear about your running (and drinking!) adventures 🙂
The program book for ‘The Other Festival 2015’
The Other Festival, a festival of Arts, History and Food organized by Kakiseni kicked off in Ipoh on the 22nd of October and would be active until the 8th with fun filled events over the course of 3 weekends. A couple of famous Ipoh-ites would also be involved in the festival namely, Patrick Teoh and Bernice Chauly, who would be taking participants on their respective trails.
More information on The Other Festival can be found on Kakiseni’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/mykakiseni?fref=ts
Source: Janet Ferguson & Nellie Cumming
We thank Sally Everist for the above postcards. Does this building look familiar? We’re wondering what it is – is it a house, or some kind of monument? We’re also wondering which village is pictured in the postcards…
Extract from: New Straits Times, 2-10-2015
We would like to extend our condolences to the family of the late Tan Sri Dato Seri Yuen Yuet Leng – a true hero and a well-loved individual who always believed in putting the ‘nation before self’.
picture courtesy of Star Publications
We admit that it was not easy, but through much hard work and determination we managed to restore the Han Chin Villa (Han Chin Pet Soo) and turn it into a museum. As can be seen in the above picture, the restored Villa stands proudly amidst the other shops. Our up-and-coming project is the blue building next to it (a secret we shall reveal in the near future, so stay tuned!).
From what today’s Star newspaper says, restoring / maintaining such buildings can be a burden to the owner(s). What do YOU think? We’d like to hear your views on the matter.
You can read the full Star article here.
About a month ago, a mysterious fire broke out at the shop lot behind the former Rex Cinema and razed the two vacant lots (top picture). The lot across the street was also razed by another fire, 3 years prior. This lot has since faced major re-development and the first picture at the bottom left shows how the lot looks like today.
The third and final picture on the bottom right is one taken along Anderson Road (Jalan Raja Musa Aziz) where another major re-development is taking place after the pre-war shop houses were knocked down and according to comments from one of our readers, a fire broke out at one of the lots prior to it being knocked down.
Could we be seeing another major re-development of these lots behind the former Rex Cinema?
Special thanks to our donors – Janet Ferguson & Nellie Cumming – for the following picture. Somewhere in the above photograph is Nellie Cumming, who was a student at Anglo Chinese Girls’ School (ACGS). Nellie did her Std VII back in 1949….what about you? Are YOU one of the girls in this picture?
The car-lovers out there are probably drooling over this beauty! Yes, it’s the two-seater Ford V8. We thank Sally Everist (our donor) who sent us this quite some time ago. This picture is part of the collection of the late J M Allison – who was killed by Communists, sparking the start of the Malayan Emergency. (The story can be found here)
Coffee is an essential part of breakfast for most people and no, this isn’t the famous Ipoh White Coffee if that’s what you’re thinking. Our photographer had this at Wah Nam Coffee Shop this morning. All you coffee lovers out there, where would you recommend that serves the best coffee?
P/s. not White Coffee but just normal Coffee
I was heavily involved in the Singapore Motor Club in this period overseas with the British Air Ministry and thoroughly enjoyed our Rallies and the Mobilgas Economy Runs of that period. In particular though I remember the rallies where we were not allowed to even have a boiled sweet in the car in case Chin Peng popped out of the jungle to either shoot u or lob a hand grenade into the car.
In this days motorways were not even though of and the main roads though they had well maintained surfaces by the Public Woks department were narrow and tortuous. In particular, a rally that took us through Slim River was a drivers nightmare encompassing I think some 26 miles of hairpin bends with a huge drop on one side and high jungle cover on the other. If taken at a leisurely pace it was no problem but in our rallies we were give precise speeds and expected to arrive at any hidden checkpoint within plus of minus fifteen or thirty seconds, The problem was the speed we were expected to complete those miles. Not, I may say a frantic racing speed but modest but extremely difficult to keep knowing that breaking on every hairpin added time and accelerating out onto yet another short straight made navigation a nightmare. Often these rallies involved not only night driving but twelve hour stints before any food or sleep. Quite hard when you remember that cars in those days were not air conditioned the first ones only appearing in Malaysia around 1960.
The Mobilgas Economy event drew excellent entries but the rallies far less but perhaps because they were too grueling and folks still had to go to work on Monday.
The statue of Saint John Baptist De La Salle on the gable of St. Michael’s Institution
A reporter from The Star newspaper, Christina Koh wrote about the story of how the brothers at St. Michael’s Institution rushed to save a large bronze statue of Saint John Baptist De La Salle by removing it, loading it onto a bullock cart and taken to the St. Michael’s Church where it remained until the end of the war.
To read the full article, click here.
picture from: Star Newspaper
Recently, there was a report about the public pool (near the Perak Stadium) being closed for renovations. From what I’ve observed before it closed, this pool is rather popular among Ipoh-ites – especially the little ones.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know WHEN the pool was built?
A box of these could light up 10 of your childs’ nights according to the print on the box. Price’s Childs’ Night Lights, does the box bring back memories of the good ol’ days? Let us know. =)
Any Sam Tet alumni reading this? Well, I’m sure you recognise this building. According to our donor, Ruth Iversen Rollitt, her late father – B M Iversen – designed it!
source: Alexander
We received this photo from Alexandar, the curator of the Heritage Gallery of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL), in Silibin. According to an article from the Straits Times, heavy rain caused the banks of the Pari River (or Sungei Pari, as it’s more popularly known as) to overflow. The flood occurred on a Thursday back in 1928. Shown in the above photo is the old wooden structure of Our Lady of Lourdes’ Church (before the new brick building came into being).
Written by an alumni of the band, Master Tan Wei Shern is a book about the St. Michael’s Institution school band or popularly known as the Michaelian Military Band (MMB) which includes history of the band and more. The book also includes an array of photos from various years, you might just find a picture of yourself in the book.
Those who wish to order a copy of the book kindly e-mail: mmbhistorybook2014@gmail.com
We thank Marea Smith for this picture. She told us (via e-mail) that she was once a student of the HIJ Convent (now Main Convent) in Ipoh. Here’s a shout out to all the Convent Alumni – do you girls recognise this picture? What was the special occasion?
In the photo are Marea Smith (our donor) and C.A. Thurling. This was taken at the Ipoh Airport back in 1953.
We’d like to draw your attention to the wooden bracket around the racket in Marea’s hand. If I’m not mistaken, the racket was placed between the wooden brackets and the four screws at the corners were tightened to hold the racket in place. One of my uncles used to store his badminton rackets this way – before specialised sports bags were made.
Do any of you remember this old fashioned way of storing rackets? 🙂
Yau Char Koay Chee Cheong Fun – yes, that’s what this dish is called! Unique isn’t it? For those who want to give it a try, you can find it at Kedai Kopi Enam Belas (near Eu Yang Sang in old town)….the cost? RM 4.50 🙂
courtesy of: Charlie Choong
Does anyone remember Olympic Inn? Could it have been the old name of ‘Tambun Inn’? Or, was it at another building along Tambun Road?
We thought we’d share this interesting article with you, about the 6 mile long bridge in Gerik. What’s so special about this bridge? Well, it has no pillars! 😉
We thank SK for sharing this with us. I know some of you recognise the leaves and the white substance 😉 Well, we’d like to know how many of you out there once indulged in the chewing of daun sirih (betel leaves)!
We thank Marea Smith for sharing this photograph with us. Incidentally, this view is from a car which was following an armed vehicle. Driving on Brewster Road back then seemed to be a breeze…..
After featuring mostly Chinese dishes in our previous blog posts, we thought of doing something different this time by featuring the ‘Garlic Naan Set’ which usually comes with a huge piece of tandoori chicken from “Restoran Kapitan Briyani Claypot”, located between Jalan Kledang Utara and Jalan Lahat.
Over the years quite a number of Northern Indian restaurants have opened up in Ipoh, what is your favourite dish?
picture courtesy of: Steven Chow
Since we live in the tropics, mosquitoes have always been a menace. Here’s a good old fashioned mosquito coil – the Angel Fish Brand Mosquito Destroyer! Has anyone used this coil? Was it effective in getting rid of those notorious blood-suckers?
I do wonder why such a beautiful, serene place (above) was named Python Lagoon. Anyway, this 1948 picture (from Marea Smith) was taken at the Kuala Kampar Tin Fields. Marea is the pretty girl in the canoe 😉
We thank Marea Smith (from Australia) for sending us this rare close up of a tin dredge. This photograph was taken at Kuala Kampar Tin fields, Malim Nawar.
Since we missed our food blog yesterday, we decided to feature a rather popular dish – the famed Chicken Rice!
Apparently, this simple yet delicious dish comes in many varieties. The common type being rice served with the signature roasted chicken or steamed chicken; some stalls offer other side dishes together with the chicken rice.
Which is YOUR favourite variety?
courtesy of Charlie Choong
Whenever the subject of cafes and coffee houses enter our blog-sphere, many of our Readers mention Green Fern. Well, here’s an old receipt from Green Fern. Does anyone remember their signature dish/dishes?
picture courtesy of: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
Some time back, our Readers mentioned the Lido Cinema in Taiping. We have here a 1937 picture of the aforementioned cinema. For those of you who spotted it, YES..this is indeed another Iversen building!
special thanks to Ruth Iversen Rollitt
Believe it or not, this was what Ipoh looked like back in the 1930s. The area under construction is none other than the Mercantile Bank!
courtesy of: Charlie Choong
We were told that these are gambling cards. Does anyone know the proper name for this pack of cards? Furthermore, how do you use these cards in a game?
Well, I certainly do……(But my weakness lies in anything containing chocolate!)
This delectable dish comes from Thean Chun restaurant (in Old Town, Ipoh). Our photographer paid RM 2.60 for this plate of caramel custard. The custard is served with a glass of water too 😉
courtesy of Ruth Iversen Rollitt
Here’s another angle of a once famous hotel. I’m sure most of you recognise this building (and Iversen-design, if I’m not mistaken). Does anyone know what shops occupied the left part of the photo?
For those of you who remember, we featured this photo in our Falim Exhibition two years ago. What’s fascinating about this hawker on wheels, in that he’s determined to peddle his wares – in spite of the traffic along the road 🙂
I wonder what he was selling. On another note, does anyone recognise the building in the background?
Source: Jamal Hashim
Some of you may recognise this object. The others are probably wondering what this is 😉 Well, for those of you who are clueless…..why don’t you make a guess?
We received this (picture below) from LY Tai. Note that this product cost 36 cents!
Picture courtesy of Yeoh Lam Swee
Here’s something to kick-off your week, can anyone guess the location of bungalow in this picture is? I’ll give you a hint, it’s a place where travellers meet to go somewhere.
Happy guessing!
Xiangqi is played on a board nine lines wide and ten lines long. As in the game ‘Go’, the pieces are placed on the intersections, which are known as points. The vertical lines are known as files, and the horizontal lines are known as ranks.
Centered at the first to third and eighth to tenth ranks of the board are two zones, each three points by three points, demarcated by two diagonal lines connecting opposite corners and intersecting at the center point. Each of these areas is known as gōng – a “palace” or “fortress”.
Dividing the two opposing sides, between the fifth and sixth ranks, is the “river”. The river is often marked with the phrases chǔ hé, meaning “Chu River”, and hàn jiè, meaning “Han border”, a reference to the Chu-Han War. Although the river provides a visual division between the two sides, only two pieces are affected by its presence: soldier pieces have an enhanced move after crossing the river, and elephant pieces cannot cross it. The starting points of the soldiers and cannons are usually, but not always, marked with small crosses. – extract from Wikipedia.
Here we have a picture showing a game of Xianqi or Chinese Chess in progress. Note the placement of the tokens.
Yes, folks. This trap door opens up to a tunnel!
The door can be found in the court room floor of the Ipoh High Court building, and it leads to the Town Hall. During the Emergency, it was used to moved prisoners in temporary lock ups in the Town Hall (which at that time was a police station) to the court house. These prisoners were from the Taiping and Batu Gajah prisons. Today however, there is only a few metres of tunnel left as it has been blocked.
“Lady Justice is most often depicted with a set of scales typically suspended from her left hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case’s support and opposition.She is also often seen carrying a double-edged sword in her right hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party. Since the 15th century, Lady Justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold represents objectivity, in that justice is or should be meted out objectively, without fear or favour, regardless of money, wealth, power, or identity; blind justice and impartiality.”
This icon can be seen on the outer wall of the first floor, of the Ipoh High Court (the wall facing the flag poles).
Wayang kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen. The plays are typically based on romantic tales, especially adaptations of the classic Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Some of the plays are also based on local happening or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or dalang or master puppeteer to decide his direction. (source: Wikipedia)
Thought we’d share this picture (taken from a calendar) with our dear Readers. Here you can see the Puppet Master in action, as he presents his story. From what I’ve read, this form of theatre has its roots in Java, Indonesia. This art caught on in Kelantan….did it ever take flight here in Perak? Wonder if our Arts experts know more….
We thank Ruth Iversen Rollitt for this photograph. It was taken in 1947, showing her father B M Iversen at Fair Gardens? Does anyone know WHERE Fair Gardens is?
Remember these insurance agents? They used to operate at No. 168, Brewster Road, Ipoh. Wonder what’s become of this business…
Our donor Richard Saxey tells us that this was taken around 1959-1960. He also mentions his teacher Mrs Kumar. So today we’d like to ask the ‘members of the Malim Nawar family’ – do you remember the Methodist School in Malim Nawar?
ps: In a recent email, Richard talked about his childhood friend Cynthia Hunter. Cynthia’s father William Hunter worked for Anglo-Oriental (Malaya) Ltd. If anyone out there remembers them, do leave a comment or two on this post 🙂
donated by Lim Soo Ken
Did you know that the character in the picture above does not exist in the Chinese dictionary? The character ‘Ngai’ which means ‘Me’ in Hakka.
The image above was on the wall of the Hakka museum of China (Meizhou). Any other Hakka characters you know of that doesn’t exist in the Chinese dictionary?
artifact donor: Jamal Hashim
The William Mitchell heritage in making pen nibs began whilst working with his brother John Mitchell in the early 1820s. William Mitchell established his own business in 1825 to become one of the leading nib manufacturers and famous for lettering pens. Almost 100 years later William Mitchell merged with Hinks, Wells & Co another pen manufacturer to form British Pens employing around 1000 people in the Bearwood Road area of Birmingham. During the early 1960s British Pens acquired the pen business of other pen manufacturers Perry & Co and John Mitchell once again reuniting the two brothers. Joseph Gillott who were famous for their artist drawing and mapping nibs amalgamated with British pens in 1969. [more can be found here]
Do you remember these pen nibs? Ever written with “the pens with a pedigree”?
The William Mitchell heritage in making pen nibs began whilst working with his brother John Mitchell in the early 1820s. William Mitchell established his own business in 1825 to become one of the leading nib manufacturers and famous for lettering pens. Almost 100 years later William Mitchell merged with Hinks, Wells & Co another pen manufacturer to form British Pens employing around 1000 people in the Bearwood Road area of Birmingham. During the early 1960s British Pens acquired the pen business of other pen manufacturers Perry & Co and John Mitchell once again reuniting the two brothers. Joseph Gillott who were famous for their artist drawing and mapping nibs amalgamated with British pens in 1969. – See more at: http://www.williammitchellcalligraphy.co.uk/about#sthash.B60zWCrN.dpufThe William Mitchell heritage in making pen nibs began whilst working with his brother John Mitchell in the early 1820s. William Mitchell established his own business in 1825 to become one of the leading nib manufacturers and famous for lettering pens. Almost 100 years later William Mitchell merged with Hinks, Wells & Co another pen manufacturer to form British Pens employing around 1000 people in the Bearwood Road area of Birmingham. During the early 1960s British Pens acquired the pen business of other pen manufacturers Perry & Co and John Mitchell once again reuniting the two brothers. Joseph Gillott who were famous for their artist drawing and mapping nibs amalgamated with British pens in 1969. – See more at: http://www.williammitchellcalligraphy.co.uk/about#sthash.B60zWCrN.dpuf
Here’s another blast from the past from Richard Saxey. He tells us that this is “the picture of the badminton team, showing my elder brother Mr. E.H.White (know as Mick), I cannot remember if the team was a Malim Nawar team or a Perak River Hydro team (Malim Nawar)”.
Can’t wait to hear more from the you folks – who were once part of the Perak Hydro / Malim Nawar gang!
photo from: Michael Ho
By looking at the background, you’ll probably guess that this was taken in St. Michael’s Institution and the man in white is none other than Brother Ultan Paul.From the short description at the back of the photo we only know that this is the “Champion House for Swimming” in 1970, any idea which ‘House’ this was and if you could recognize any of them in this photo?
Do let us know.
We received this (one of the MANY) from Ruth Iversen Rollitt. Do you recognise this row of shop houses? Do you know which street this is? Well, we think it’s somewhere along Cowan Street…but then again, we could be wrong.
Thanks to Alan, we’ve managed to find out what those Mandarin words meant. This time, we don’t have any words…but I’m sure there’s a clue in those shop houses in the background. Can anyone venture a guess as to which school this is?
Click to enlarge
We thank Charlie Choong for this photograph. As written on the photo itself, the year is 1970. What we’d like to know is where this photo was taken. If anyone could help us translate the Mandarin, we’d be grateful. Perhaps, some of you out there may even recognise the people in the photo?
This is the inside of the projection room of Glory Cinema. The boys in ‘action’ are Bakar and Sangiva. I’m sure many of our local cinemas had similar projection rooms. Now that they’ve closed, I do wonder what happened to all the equipment…anyone know a thing or two about this?
picture from Mr & Mrs Rasiah Anakili – click to enlarge
We recognise Bro Pius Kelly, who was the 9th Brother Director of St Michael’s Institution, seated in the centre. Do you know who are the teachers on his left and right? Were you in Standard 2B, class of 1956? If so, where are YOU in the photograph?
Have you heard of the Hopoh Association? The Hopoh Association is formed by members from the Hopoh area of Guangdong, China. They speak the Hakka dialect but with the Hopoh intonation which is quite different. The picture below shows the Perak Hopoh Association, celebrating their 9th anniversary. The building in the background is along Jalan Che Tak, Ipoh.
click picture to enlarge
We’d love to hear comments from you, especially if you recognise some of the people in this picture….
We’ve had such an overwhelming response on our previous posts about the Perak Hydro Plant at Malim Nawar, which led us to uploading this photo (see below).
click to enlarge
This photograph was sent to us via email from Richard Saxey. His father – Frederic James Saxey – was the Superintendent at the power plant back in the 1960s. We thank Richard for this photo (which is part of collection of photographs he sent us). Those of you who were part of the ‘Perak Hydro family’ may recognise these faces. Could we have some names please?
This was formerly the headquarters for the Dunlop Rubber Company in Ipoh, which was behind the railway station.
As you can see in the pictures (above and below) this building has long been abandoned.
These pictures (donated by Kinta Heritage Group) were taken back in 2009; from what we were told this place has been converted into a Hindu Temple.
We thank Martin Allen for this photograph – showing an aerial view of Cameron Highlands, back in the 1930s. So different from what it looks like now, eh?
picture from: Leong Kai Loong, Ipoh
Did you own a Mobo horse when you were young? My cousins and I used to play on a Triang car – which was passed down to us from our uncles.
We had great fun with that car, pretending we were adults driving through town (but in fact, we only circled the garden!).
What were YOUR favourite toys growing up?
picture from: Leong Kai Loong, Ipoh
This is the Sam Tet School Basketball Team. We’re guessing the date to be somewhere in the 1960s.
Were you one of the players? Did your team win any trophies that year?
picture from: Ho Hoo Wan, Ipoh
These lovely ladies are part of the Form V batch of 1958 – from Sultan Yussuf School, Batu Gajah.
They were some of the many youngsters who attended the Farewell Dinner.
We have the names of these beauties….
Standing from left to right they are: Thong Mee Len, Poh Ching, Nelly Maniksha, Leelavathy, Tessie Perira, Anna Yoong.
Sitting from left to right: Lim Yoke Siew, Ho Kuan Thye, Cheah Soo Har, Chan Yoke Heng, Choong Chin Choo, Wong Choong Yoon and Loh.
If you are one of the above ladies in the picture, do share your memories with us!
We’re not pulling your legs, but the ladies in the photo are none other than the first flight attendants for Malayan Airways. We believe this to be the first successful batch of applicants, looking smart in their uniforms and all set for their duties 😉
click to enlarge
I’m guessing the year to be around 1960 (could be wrong, though). Can anyone put some names to these lovely faces?
click photo to enlarge
Special thanks to Danial Doutriaux for this photograph. This the Staff of 1956 – of the St Bernadette’s Convent, Batu Gajah. Dear Convent girls, do you see any of your teachers here? 😉
I remember eating at this place. I loved the interior decoration – which was made to resemble the inside of a mine (complete with dim lighting too!) It’s gone now, replaced with another cafe. Anyone know HOW Miner’s Arms began?
This is not part of our food-column….rather, we’re just curious to know more about Hoong Tho Restaurant (see picture below).
picture courtesy of: Yuen Chie Onn
This picture was taken on 8th September 1957 – when the restaurant was decorated to celebrate the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn Festival.
From what we were told, this business (whose premise is along Leech Street) is still running. Anyone know what was their specialty?
Have you played ‘Happy Families’? Well, this game used to be known as ‘Jovial Families’ a long time ago. Here’s a picture to refresh your memory.
From what we were told, this set was manufactured by A. Collier (which was established back in 1863, in London). I’m guessing the ‘Happy Families’ cards are now printed locally….but I could be mistaken.
picture courtesy of: Mano
Mano sent us this a while ago. He also included the following words: “…a photo of the school prefects of NTPS Pasir Puteh in 1967. Standing behind the headmaster, Mr. Bhagwan Singh, is none other then DCP Perak, Datuk Paramasivam!”
So NTPS Pasir Puteh Alumni….what do YOU remember about this group photograph? Are you in there somewhere?
We were told that Anderson School once put up this play. Well, so did St Michael’s Institution. We present to you the cast of ‘Lady Precious Stream’ – back in 1980!
picture courtesy of: Harold Sevanesam
No prizes for guessing WHERE this place is, but I’m sure some of you out there are grinning widely 😉
What I found rather interesting is the shape of the of the roof. Anyone know the architect who designed this?
Our Donor (Mohd Taib) tells us that there are St Michael’s boys in the crowd. This is said to be part of a Chinese Funeral procession. Do you recognise the road they are walking along? What about the building in the background?
We all know Elvis Presley had his share of impersonators; some were almost as good as the ‘King’ himself – with the deep voice AND the gyrating hips!
Frank Sinatra (or Ol’ Blue Eyes, as some know him) had his share of impersonators too. Speaking of which, does anyone remember the Frank Sinatra singing contest back in 1959? It was held at the Lido Theatre…perhaps this picture might refresh your memory!
If you’re one of those in the photograph, do share with us your memories!
If you don’t, let us refresh your memory!
I wonder if any one of you kept the old ones as a keepsake 😉
Yes folks, THIS was how they made copies of keys in those days….
If this looks ‘foreign’ to you, then you’re probably very young 😉
Yes folks, this is indeed a train ticket! Whoever bought this was taking the train from Tanjong Malim to Ipoh. And (believe it or not) the fare was only $2.10
Ever use one of these? Some of you might have. I for one have never come across such a flask; the ones I’ve used didn’t have such a locking mechanism 😉
The one above even has a vent on top to adjust temperature. Wonder if it came in a variety of colours…..
Yes, believe it or not…..this is the Lahat Roundabout, taken from the junction of Jalan Datoh. Can you spot any familiar landmarks? (click picture to enlarge)
At one time, you could buy this for 42 cents……of course the coupon was only for ONE dance. However, it came in a booklet of five coupons. This sample here is from Robin James (from London). Anyone remember this Dance Coupon? Did YOU ever buy/use such a coupon at the Jubilee Cabaret?
With Christmas just around the corner, we thought we’d share this picture (from Larry Sawyer) with all of you. This is a scene from Kampar – where Santa came to town in a bullock cart instead of a reindeer-driven sleigh! I’m sure the children must have been really excited to see this! 🙂
picture courtesy of: Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell)
This picture is from the Caldwell family album – showing the Caldwells at a local wedding. Does anyone recognise the newly weds?
advertisement courtesy of: Nicholas Jennings
Rotarians used to have their lunch at this place – every Wednesday, going by what the advertisement says. Did any of you have a chance to dine here (before it closed)?
From what we know, it had quite a bit of competition from the Station Hotel…
Much has been said about preserving our heritage buildings in and around the Kinta Valley. But alas, profit always seem to over ride conservation efforts.
The following photos (taken this afternoon) is yet another incident whereby pre-war shop houses are forced to make way for more modern structures….
One of our local dailies covered this story too. I’m sure some of you would have seen the demolition taking place – along Anderson Road (Jalan Raja Musa Aziz).
A couple of months ago, one of our readers – Hasbi – sent us these pictures.
This grand old building is the Rumah Besar of none other than Raja Bilah.
The gentleman in the picture is Hasbi himself with his wife. They had visited Kak Saadiah – the maternal great grand daughter of Raja Bilah. She still lives in the restored, original family house behind Rumah Besar.
If you have not been to Papan this area is well worth a visit.
We’ve had past comments about Beauty Supermarket, which was once a famous shopping centre in Ipoh. The picture below show a pair of anniversary souvenirs from Beauty.
Any collectors remember these?
Our Facebook-fans have been going wild over our previous posts. So here’s another well-known brand to tease you lot 😉 This tinplate dates back to around 1950.
Oh, WHO does not know Brand’s Essence of Chicken?!
The ‘experts in the kitchen’ are definitely familiar with Lyle’s Golden Syrup 🙂 It all started out in 1881, when Abram Lyle set up a sugar refinery on the banks of the Thames river. This company, named Abram Lyle & Sons, was run by Lyle and his three sons. Thus the story goes (more can be found here).
I wonder….how much did a 500g tin of syrup cost back then (and, how much does it cost now) ?
advertisement taken from Times of Malaya, 6 August 1959
From what I found out, the Zam Buk company came into existence in the early 1900s – in Yorkshire. This balm became “an essential item for the home” before modern medicine took over. (more can be read here)
I don’t know when Zam Buk became popular in Malaya, but I know that some of my relatives swear by it – we still use it now and then! Just wondering, was this balm as famous as ‘Tiger Balm’?
This photo is from Angie Yeow. This was taken at a function held at St John’s Ambulance Hall, in Ipoh. Can you recognise the people in the photograph? If you were one of those who attended this event, please tell us more about it 🙂
picture from Larry Sawyer
Here’s another one from the same donor who sent us those Malim Nawar photos. Looks like these men (and women too!) are in the midst of an interesting conversation. Note also the table layout – I see some teacups and some fancy glasses. Not forgetting the rather unique floral arrangement too 🙂
Back then, some folks in Ipoh counted the cinema halls and the famous Ipoh Race Course as part of their usual hang-outs (of course this was before Parkson and Aeon/Jusco came about!). What I found interesting about the above photo – of the race course nonetheless – is the outside of the Grand Stand. Note the potted plants along the steps. I wonder if the Grand Stand looks the same now. Anyone been to the race course lately?
I believe the little girl in the photo is none other than our donor Ruth Iversen Rollitt. 🙂
In the early 1900s, floods in Ipoh were rather common – possibly due to the silting of rivers because of mining. Later, plans were made to straighten the sharp bends of the Kinta River and divert the River Choh. This would allow the waters to flow into the Pinji River instead of directly flowing into the Kinta River.
But Ipoh wasn’t the only town with flooding problems. At one time, Kuala Kangsar suffered from it too. Below is an aerial view of part of Kuala Kangsar town, way back in 1967.
picture from: Larry Sawyer
We’re glad to know that so many of you out there have been reconnecting with lost friends through our blog – especially on THIS topic about the Malim Nawar power plant!
So, here’s another picture (from Larry Sawyer), showing the plant in the background. If you recognise the people in the picture, do tell us who they are.
Note the flag on the car in the far right – any guesses as to what flag it is?
picture from: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
This 1953 photo shows John and B M Iversen (the famed Danish architect). I’m guessing the house in the background was probably designed by Iversen (but I could be wrong)….however, what really caught my eye was the car. Has anyone seen such a model before? I know I haven’t – and I admit, it’s quite a beauty!
The car-experts may be able to tell us more about this model 😉
This is one of the many colonial-style bungalows which once stood proud against Batu Gajah’s landscape. Sadly, not many of them are still around today. This one, sent to us by Rosemary Palmer, has stood the test of time – and is still being used 😉
picture from: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
What I found interesting about this one is the local boy’s clothing – a pair of long pants, pulled up to his stomach 😉 This boy was probably one of the many children who ran around the estate back then. Wonder what’s become of him…..
With technology advancing everyday, I wonder how many of us can actually claim to have used a good old fashioned typewriter! This advertisement (sent to us by Nicholas Jennings) is for Royal Typewriters. Was this a very popular brand back then? Did any of you own one (or any other typewriter brand)? On that note, how much did a typewriter cost in those days?
We received this from Daniel Doutriaux (part of a series of photographs from an album). These are the girls from Batu Gajah Convent – excited as they explore the new science lab. The year was 1956….do you recognise any of them in the photo? (Or, maybe YOU are in there?) We’d love to hear from the Convent Alumni 😉
advertisement courtesy of: Nicholas Jennings
Philco Radios were around as early as 1928. However, the company almost went bust and was later bought over by Ford Motor Company (in the 1960s). These radios must have had a special place in their owners hearts – Ron Ramirez even has a book dedicated to this radio! (more about Philco Radios)
Does anyone remember this radio brand? They also had an agent at No.41 Station Road, Ipoh. To those who STILL have them in your homes, do they still work?
