SMI Military Band
The St Michael’s Institution military band, somewhere in the late 1960s…
I wanted to be a drummer boy, but they gave my a euphonium, so I played that instead.
We thank Andrew YC Loh for the above picture and caption.
The St Michael’s Institution military band, somewhere in the late 1960s…
I wanted to be a drummer boy, but they gave my a euphonium, so I played that instead.
We thank Andrew YC Loh for the above picture and caption.
We have here Chen Seong Yin and his wife to be, Briggita, posing with a trishaw – as part of their wedding photo shoot. This was taken in August 1996 at the Darling Honemoon Villa in Ipoh Garden.
Did you have a unique location for your wedding photo shoot?
According to this article (from Times of Malaya & Straits Echo, dated 16 September 1950), Mr Addis took over from Sir Ralph Hone – as Deputy Commissioner-General for Colonial Affairs South-East Asia.
Major-General Ralph Hone was once the Chief Civil Affairs Officer responsible for the Peninsula; this was of course during the British Military Administration.
We thank Chee Ong Ngai for this picture of Sir George Maxwell. In case you were wondering, Maxwell Road was not named after him; it was named after his brother Eric.
Here’s another scene from an ACS play. This one is from Carousel, back in 1977. The pretty girl striking a ballerina pose is none other than Michelle Yeoh!
We thank Ong Su-Ming for sharing this photo with us.
Some of you may have already guessed this play, merely by the “balcony scene”. 🙂
This play was organised by none other than the ACS Music and Drama Society, back in 1976. Just to refresh your memories (if you’ve watched it), the leading roles were played by Tan Seow Heng (Juliet) and Emmet O’Sullivan (Romeo).
We thank Ong Su-Ming for sharing this photograph with us.
They may be posing at a park, but I’m sure these ladies are all dressed up for a special occasion 🙂
We thank Shuen Huey Foo for sharing this picture with us.
Does he look familiar? No? What if I told you there’s a building named after him, along Dairy Road (now known as Jalan Raja Musa Mahadi)?
In case you’re still puzzled, this gentleman is none other than Prof Dato’ (Dr) Ungku Omar bin Ahmad. We don’t know much about his personal life. However, thanks to Prof Dr Zainur Rashid Zainuddin, we do have a short summary of his contribution towards the local medical field.
If anyone could shed more light on this restoration project, we’d love to hear from you.
We thank Tomb Raider Hunter for these pictures 🙂
With the Malaysian General Elections just around the corner, here’s another interesting find (from the family of the late Ali Pitchay): an Oath of Secrecy, taken by election candidates!
First he practised medicine in Penang before he moved to Ipoh in 1912, becoming the first Asian with a Western medical degree in Perak. His new clinic was at Tatlock Street; two decades later, a new central market was built in the area, which helps explain why Tatlock Street is now called Hala Pasar Baru.
He then served the Kinta Sanitary Board (the precursor of Ipoh Municipal Council) before he joined the Perak Chinese Maternity Hospital as Medical Superintendent in 1922. He held that post for over thirty years and was the driving force in obtaining funds and government approval for establishing the new Perak Chinese Maternity Hospital at its present site in Jalan Kampar in 1937. (read more here)
Is it a bird…is it a plane…..? No, they are most likely staring at the Birch Clock Tower.
The gentleman (holding some papers) is none other than Rev J Appaduray. The boys in the background are students from St Michael’s Insitution.
Here’s another picture of the group:
(read the full story here)
source: BWF Virtual Museum
Have you heard of Ahmad Noor? Perhaps you knew him as Halaloedin Hamzah?
He was a Mandailing from the Dutch East Indies who free-lanced for Kompas in the early days of his career. He fled and sought refuge in Malaya, when the Dutch authorities cracked down on railway strikers in 1929, in which he was involved, and staged a mass arrest. He later changed his name to Ahmad Noor Abdul Shukor, and had a short stint with Saudara in Penang. (read more here)
The picture (taken from the Kinta Valley book) isn’t that clear…but I believe Ahmad Noor is probably the gentleman standing in the middle.
Here’s another photo from Conrad Presgrave-Payne – the grandson of Sir R G Watson. We believe the lady seated extreme right is none other than Lady Watson herself.
This photo was taken at the Ipoh Gymkhana Club, probably back in 1913.
Here’s a picture of the Hon. Mr R. G. Watson, British Resident of Perak. This picture was taken from the G.C.V.O. Week booklet, published around 1914.
This booklet is an account of the celebrations at Kuala Kangsar from 21st-28th September 1913, to mark the presentation to His Highness the Sultan of Perak of the insignia of the G.C.V.O. (Grand Cross of the Victorian Order).
We thank Winson Saw for sharing this with us.
…the Old Michaelian’s Association (OMA) was first formed. Yes, way back in 1933. The picture featured below, however, was taken a year later – on the occasion of the opening of the Association’s premises.
Here’s one from 1985, taken at the opening of Wisma Taiko in Ipoh. I’m sure many of you recognise the VIPs in this photo 🙂
We received this lovely photo from Eric Low. He’s hoping for any information regarding the young people in the above photo.
In his own words:
Once upon a time there was this band in Ipoh who called themselves “The Rain People” (**) … The 1968 or 1969 picture below was taken in one of the Catholic Churches in Ipoh when and where we performed at the birthday party of Rev Bro Ultan Paul of SMI ….Enlisting your assistance to see if any of you recognise some of the faces, for me to reconnect with a couple of them …Left to right (standing): We were all ex-MichaeliansMichael Wong (with the drumsticks, whom I know is still in the UK; lost contact).Next to him – David Hew (whose family owned the Orchid Farm off Tambun Road, which he took over in running; still in Ipoh I am guessing; lost contact).Miss Wong Mei Ching (of Housing Trust, she was a 6th Former at SMI then).Yours truly. to Mei Ching’s left ….Guy in the glasses was my best friend, Richard Chan, who sadly passed away many yeas ago; I managed to get him Aussie citizenship in the 1970s.And in centre frame (always wanting to be different), sitting down, is Zainal from Kampung Manjoi (someone whom I am desperately trying to reconnect with …)I am praying that some of these innocent faces of a yesteryear ring a bell with someone out there …
The photograph shows the wedding day of John Arthur Stuart Jennings and Rose Winnifred Jennings, which took place at St George’s Church, George Town, Penang on November 10th 1910.
What did YOU wear to your wedding? 🙂
Did you know that the Perak Sultan once had bodyguards comprising members of the Mounted Police? Here’s an article from Harchand Singh Bedi, which appeared in The Star recently.
In the early 1880s, a small body of cavalry troops was established to suppress highway robberies, then of almost-daily occurrence in the pass between Taiping, Kamunting and Kinta. They guarded the pass at night; due to their vigilance, the dangers faced by travellers soon disappeared. The construction of the Taiping Kinta cart road and other roads in Kinta, telegraphs and railways, caused the troopers to be less necessary.
Following the formation of the Malay States Guides in 1896, the cavalry troop was separated and transferred from Taiping to Kuala Kangsar to form a royal bodyguard to escort His Highness, the Sultan of Perak. (read more here)
At 21, he inherited his father’s estate. His enterprising approach and advantageous connections combined to bring him early and continued success as a miner. In 1898 he contributed $1000 to establish the Perak Mining and Planting Association. He developed eight mines in Kinta : two at Kampar, three in Gopeng, and one each at Papan, Tronoh and Chenderiang employing 8,000 coolies in total. The richest mines were at Kampar where lit by electricity the mining could continue day and night. He became very well established in Kampar as the leading towkay, became President of the Chinese Club, built a magnificent mansion and jointly with fellow miner Chung Thye Phin he establishing a Chinese Theatre. With this friend he also built a grand bungalow on Gopeng Road named Forest Lodge…(read more here)
The first issue came out on 4 July 1894; a quarto 4-page bi-weekly edition, which evolved into a 4-page folio journal. By 1 January 1901, the Pioneer was converted into a tri-weekly issue – which soon expanded into 6 pages. By 1 March 1905, this paper transformed in a daily paper. It had 8 pages, with daily service of Reuter’s telegrams and the latest news relating to the Federated Malay States and the Straits Settlements. (read more here)
The picture shows the 1st issue and the printing offices. The gentleman shown is none other than the proprietor – Syed Abdul Hassan Ibnay Burhan.
Too bad this picture is not in colour…
Was this the era when the “beehive” hairstyle was all a rage? 😉
No, he’s not a famous actor. This handsome gentleman is actually Mr Creet – Founder of the Grand Hotel.
SMI was proud when the first group of medical students to graduate from University of Malaya included five Michaelians. They are pictured above with another Old Michaelian, Mr Vincent Ooi Eu Sen FRCS, Head of Department of Ophthalmology at the University.
They are, from left to right:
Doctors Chin Kit Kong, Ooi Eng Aun, Chong Min Sin, Vincent Ooi Eu Sen, Thong Yee Heng, Chua Chin Tong.
Here’s a little history recap for you:
This grave is among one of seven Christian ones in Kampung Pisang, Pasir Panjang Ulu (in Perak). The cemetery is said to be within a placid jungle clearing against a backdrop of banana trees and thick foliage, close to the Perak River. (read more here).
He made the best use of his time in the colony by learning Cantonese, and later Mandarin and travelled extensively in China. He held a number of Senior posts in Hong Kong, British Guiana and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), before being appointed as Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States in November 1929, taking up the appointment in February 1930, in place of Sir Hugh Clifford who had retired due to ill-health. (read more here)
Who’s our featured celebrity today? He is none other than Sir Cecil Clementi!
How’s THAT for a spy? 🙂
This is part of a portrait picture of a gentleman who had the wellbeing of all people of all races at heart. This picture was taken from an article, which describes our ‘celebrity’ as “a good-hearted, unpretentious, scrupulous and honest man who led the Indians in the fight for an independent Malaya”.
I think our history buffs are already ‘yelling’ out the answer. Yes folks, this is none other than Tun V. T. Sambanthan 🙂
Meeting of Kaum Ibu members in Ulu Selama, Perak (1958).
The confederation of Kumpulan Kaum Ibu into independent organisations later brought about the creation of Pergerakan Kaum Ibu UMNO (renamed Pergerakan Wanita) in 1949 when the party realised the importance of a permanent women’s auxiliary body. Its leader Puteh Mariah was a dedicated and feisty who took this body to greater heights and she fought for women’s rights thus creating new ventures for women in many areas.
Kaum Ibu also provided classes for betterment of its women and this resulted in some of them being appointed to senior party positions….(read more here)
He had been part of the SMI family since 1939 and had helped to rescue vital equipment before the Japanese took over the school buildings. As a musician himself he gave personal encouragement to the Military and Cadet bands, as well as to stage productions. For more than 40 years, he served the students, the staff and the school with great respect, understanding and love.
Back in 1952, Countess Mountbatten visited St Michael’s Institution. As President of the St John Ambulance Association in London she toured Malaya, visiting centres where St John Ambulance activities were organised. In this photograph, she’s addressing an assembly at the school hall – where she declared a half-holiday (much to the students delight!).
We’ve heard of royalty having their own special vehicles (and customised number plates). Here we have another “royal mode of transport” – an elephant of the Sultan of Perak 🙂
Yes, yes…I know it’s not Christmas. But here’s an interesting story which appeared in the Leader magazine.
“A week after her marriage in Singapore, Mrs Bloom found herself a captive of the Japanese. Then, thrown together in misery, Occidental, Chinese and Sikh found that prison bars could not confine the human spirit. In Britain on Christmas Day in 1949, it is good perhaps to reflect on another Christmas in a far-off land just six years ago ….” (read more here)
When the 1939-45 war in Europe ended, in which Police Lieutenant Dick Villiers had visited the continent more times than a peacetime tourist, he was dropped into Malaya as a member of Force 136. When the Japanese capitulated in 1945, Dick left the jungle in Lower Perak and by accident met the Loh family at Telok Anson (now Telok Intan). This was the beginning of an enduring friendship.
With nourishment in short supply at the end of the war, the Loh’s three month old daughter, Diane, was facing a bleak future. Dick began to feel peckish too when the army refused to put him on rations due to his ‘unofficial’ status. Similar situations had cropped up in Europe when he had ‘dropped in unannounced’ and so, like Robin Hood he solved the problem by using his special skills. (read more about his story here).
Yes, we had a ‘Robin Hood’ here in Malaya too! 🙂
This photograph was taken during the official opening of the new ACS Library and wing, on 11 June 1955. The gentleman unveiling the tablet is said to be the Perak Deputy Menteri Besar. Does anyone know who he was?
Also in the photograph are: Methodist Bishop Raymond Archer (left) and school Principal Ralph Kesselring (right).
Special thanks to our donor – Ann Kesselring Hamon.
Today’s “celebrity” is not a politician or statesman. Our famous personality once performed as a solo artiste in 1977 at the Green Fern Coffee House, Ipoh. The Green Fern Coffee House is, of course, no longer around.
I’m sure some of you recognise him (pictured above). Yes, this is none other than Joe Chin, formerly of the Fabulous Falcons!
Joe, if you’re reading this….I’m sure your fans would love to hear from you 😉
Taken in Papan in the grounds of the Raja Bilah complex outside the Rumah Besar (also known as a Rumah Godang), this photograph shows Raja Yaacob in ceremonial Malay dress with several other Malay men seated or standing around a table. There is a label on the table in Jawi that we believe translates into Hari Raya 1333, which would date the photograph as either 1912 or 1913 in the Gregorian calendar.
I do wonder what became of those lottery tickets 😉
Yes, our “celebrity” for today needs no further introduction. I’m sure some of you can easily recognise him from the photo too 😉
Remember Mohamed Ghazali bin Haji Jawi? He took over as Mentri Besar of Perak back in August 1957 (after Dato Panglima Bukit Gantang resigned).
This newspaper cutting was taken from The Straits Times dated Tuesday, 1st of March 1960. According to the article, Mohamed Ghazali was appointed Malaya’s Ambassador to the UAE.
No, we’re not in a morbid mood this Friday. In fact, tomorrow (21st March) will mark 71 years since the burial of WW II heroine Sybil Kathigasu (nee Daly).
We have here a photograph taken at St Michael’s Church, way back in 1949. The hearse can be seen arriving at the tree-lined Church Road. Also note the crowds of well-wishers and altar boys lined up on both sides of the road.
John..who? John Robson, best remembered as the founder and proprietor of The Malay Mail newspaper 🙂
We thank Barat Kumar for sending us this picture. In his own words, Barat explains:
“As we bear witness to the passing of a great man I would like to share this picture of Our beloved Mr Selvamany. Picture was taken on 14 July 1972 at a farewell assembly. This was when he went on transfer. From left Thian Hock (?) and Chong Kee Seng.Accompanying Mr Selvamany is Principal”
There is also a bit more about the men behind the Milo Tricycle, on this Ipoh Echo link.
We thank our donor Tom Turnbull for this photo. He can be seen, standing 3rd from right, with the Area Security Unit (ASU). This was taken at a rubber estate two miles south of Batu Gajah Town.
The picture shows the Perak XI Football Team (back 1957), in Ipoh. Do you remember them?
Remember the time (back in school) when you received an award for excellent exam results? I remember getting an award for good PMR results (though I can’t recall what the prize was).
Well, back in 1947 Dawn Kathigasu received an award for bravery! The gentleman beside her is Mr A. Aston (British Resident Commissioner for Perak).
Do you recognise the building in the far left?
Here is Percival Moss, with his ‘faithful ride’. Moss was a tailor who sewed uniforms for the Malay States Guides and other military organisations, back in the early 1900s. We thank his grandson Bernard for sharing this photograph (along with many others of the Moss family, who once lived in Taiping).
Any guesses as to what type of bicycle he’s riding?
When The Falcons had to end due to their manager quitting, the band members, Joe Chin, Michael Ho, Christopher Choong and Thomas Ham decided to concentrate on their education, leaving the stuffed Falcon (the band’s mascot) with Christopher. But not long after that, Joe and Michael found two other guys, (Kenny Ham, Thomas’ brother and Vincent Joseph, his cousin), who shared their interest and together they formed ‘The Teenage Fentons‘….
Just wondering…any of the members of the Teenage Fentons still around? We’d love to hear from you 🙂
Audiences said what set her apart was her complete immersion into the emotion of her songs. Most of her songs are sentimental love ballads, wistful, nostalgic melodies, and her entire composure and movements would reflect the mood of her music. She often cried as she sang on stage…. (read more here)
This time, we’re featuring a celebrity closer to home. The above photo is none other than Taiwanese singer Yao Su Rong. Do you remember her?
In the 1960s, a magician by the name of John Calvert drove from the Ipoh Airport to Lido Cinema…blindfolded! No, I’m not kidding; the above picture was taken at Cockman Street showing Calvert in an Austin Gypsy..with his eyes covered.
We’re not encouraging you to try this stunt…but we’re wondering if anyone out there remembers John Calvert and his magic show 🙂
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!
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.
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’…
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 🙂
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.
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).
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?
Today’s blog picture is from Sybil de Roquigny (via email). She tells us that this is the embankment (with a flight of steps) in front of her grandmother’s house; if you stand at the top, you get a good view of the Kinta River. Sybil’s grandmother – Chow Yoon Soo – was the second wife of Leong Eng Khean, and she lived at No. 8 Clayton Road. The house of course is no longer there. It was demolished and now standing in its place is Cititel Express. This picture was taken in 1950.
I only recognise Bro Pius Kelly, standing in the back (between the ‘gentleman’ with the top hat and the ‘maiden’).
This was not a posed photograph. In fact, this was a common scene during the Second World War – when expatriates stopped at the Ipoh Railway Station, on their way to Singapore. When Penang was invaded by the Japanese in 1941, all European Service Families had to be evacuated.
It may not be clear, due to the low resolution of the photograph, but did you notice the Huntley & Palmer biscuit tin?
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.
The year was 20 June 1962, when King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit arrived in Kuala Lumpur. This was part of their state long visit. On 24 June, the Royal couple stopped by Ipoh. (pictures below taken from New Sunday Times, 22 October 2017)
The King wearing his blue Royal Thai Air Force marshall uniform; the Queen wore an apple green Thai national dress.
BWF World Senior Badminton Championships 2017 – List of Malaysian Medalists :
In MD50+, Sarawakian Ting Wei Ping ( not from BU Dragons group) & Indonesian Bobby Ertanto ( 1982 Indonesia Thomas Cup Partner of Liem Swie King) won Gold Medal.
In MD40+, Kah Kok Cheong & Lum Chee Meng ( not from our BU Dragons group) won Silver Medal.
In MS60+, Chan Wan Seong, and Ong Then Lin ( Ong is under MBA Group) won Bronze Medal.
In MS70+, Foo Lai Loon won Bronze Medal.
In MD70+, defending champions Ching Kon Kong & Loo Ah Hooi won Bronze Medal.
So Malaysia has won a total of 6 medals :
1 Gold, 1 Silver, 4 Bronze .He added:
“This is the official BWF World Senior Badminton Championships 2017 held once every 2 yrs.
In the 2015 edition, he won a Bronze Medal in MS60+ and in 2017, he won another Bronze Medal despite being 2 yrs older now and facing younger opponents who have migrated to the 60-64 years age category.”In the 2015 edition, Malaysia won only one Gold in MD70+ through Ching Kon Kong/ Loo Ah Hooi, and one Bronze in MS60+ through Chan Wan Seong.
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?
Today’s famous person was also known as the ‘Protector of Chinese’. One of his main duties was to monitor the Chinese Secret Societies. The Protector also held the responsibility for the registration of Chinese brothels, the owner, the Mamasan and the working girls, and inspecting the premises to maintain laid down standards of hygiene and accommodation. Still wondering who this gentleman is? Let me put you out of your ‘misery’…he’s none other than Mr William Cowan!
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 🙂
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!
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
This photograph – from Sybil de ROQUIGNY-IRAGNE – was taken at Kam Loong Restaurant, back in the 1960s. They were celebrating a relative’s 60th birthday!
Yes, the Year of the Rooster is upon us…and some of us are already in a party-mood 🙂
Does anyone have a funny story to share…about something that happened during a party?
Drop us an e-mail at info@ipohworld.org if you are interested in joining our team of part-time guides at Ipoh World at Han Chin Pet Soo
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)
No, we’re not exposing any celebrity or political scandal 😉
Instead, we have here original press photographs from The Telegraph Newspapers Co. Ltd. These photos date back to 1950, during the fight against Communists.
Flight Lt. A J De Saville and co-pilot P3 W J Sullivan, flying over Ipoh just before the bombing run
A bomb aimer – M Thompson – on an R.A.A.F. Lincoln which raided Ipoh area
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?
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!
I don’t know if any of you remember this, but back in 1955 we had a visit from a famous Olympian – Jesse Owen!
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 🙂
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.
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.
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 🙂
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?
Since it’s Teacher’s Day today, we decided to feature a very prominent figure in our education’s history – Aminuddin Baki. Born in Chemor, he began his early schooling at Chemor Malay School and later at Anderson School. During his school days, he participated in student organisations championing the lot of Malay students, as he felt the indifference shown by colonial authorities towards Malay education had brought about the backwardness and provincialism of the Malay community. He believed that education was the means to inculcate national aspirations and improve the economic prospects of the Malays…(read more here).
While we’re still on the topic of education and teachers, do you remember someone from your childhood who was a positive influence in your life? Do share 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!
Dear Ipoh-ites…..was there a hill named after Sir Hugh Low somewhere in Perak? We were wondering based on the picture below.
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 🙂
It was a solemn and heart-wrenching occasion, as the people of Ipoh (and even from others towns in Perak) came to pay their last respects to D R Seenivasagam. Some estimate the crowd of mourners to be well into the tens of thousands!
We’d love to hear from anyone who witnessed this event – perhaps you could also tell us who these gentlemen (pictured above) are. I’m sure they must be some of the many VIPs who came to D R’s residence to pay their respects.
And just so you know we were not exaggerating about the funeral crowd, the picture below was taken during the street procession, which passed through Brewster Road.
We thank Chan Kok Keong for sharing these photographs with us.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?
Back row, L-R: T.John, Foong Kam Choy, Ahmad Nazari Centre row, L-R: Chan Tuck Choy, R. Anthony, Wong Kim Seng Front row, L-R: Liew Fee Yuen, Loh Kam Fook, Ramadas Rao, Wong Kong Leong and Cheong Weng Leongsource: NSTP
We thank SK (one of our Readers) for sharing this with us. The gentleman in the tracksuit is Chan Wan Seong – who won the Bronze Medal in Men’s Singles 60+ category at the recent BWF World Senior Badminton Championship held in Helsingborg, Sweden. Posing with Chan is the BWF President Poul-Eric Hoyer Larsen (himself badminton legend!).
SK also shared this video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1hhMSyvKMI&feature=em-share_video_user
According to SK:
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’.
This is what our donor – KT Pillai – had to say about this photograph:
I’m sure many of you recognise the gentleman in white (with a walking stick). Yes, it’s none other than Bro Vincent Corkery! He recently celebrated his 70th anniversary as a La Salle Brother at St Michael’s Insitution, Ipoh.
To read the full article published by The Star Online, click here
This book provides a fresh perspective and deepens previous studies of his [Charles Compton Reade] town planning ideas…..Charles Reade’s obscure and unattributed position in the history of Malayan town planning is now accorded its due recognition…a pioneer and founder of the town planning service in British Malaya (1921-1929).
Here’s a book by Kamalruddin Shamsudin (KLDIN) who was the Deputy Director General of the Federal Department of Town and Country Planning in Malaysia (2006-2014). Since the 1990s, he has both written and given talks about Reade’s contributions to Malaya during the British Administration.
Tentatively, the launch date for this book will be on 15th August. The book will be available after this date, but details will be confirmed later. We’ll keep you updated!
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?
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 🙂
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!
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.
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).
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?
For those of you who have been waiting patiently, well keep this Sunday 22nd March 2015 free!
The Iversen book is finally out and will be launched at:
Venue: Sarang Paloh Event Hall, No.16, Jalan Sultan Iskandar (Hugh Low Street), Ipoh
Time: 2.30 pm
Come meet the author – Ruth Iversen Rollitt – in person!
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!
Farewell Party for Fr Ciatti, April 1970 (click to enlarge)
Christmas Party, Nazareth Kindergarten. Catholic Centre, Ipoh. 10th November 1970 (click to enlarge)
These photographs were taken from Michael Ho’s collection. It wasn’t that long ago, so I’m sure some of you might remember this kindergarten.
Today, this building is still standing….but it’s no longer the Catholic Centre; it’s now a thrift store, where most items are sold for RM 2.
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 😉
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 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!
Just in case you didn’t know, today is Boxing Day – nothing to do with the actual sport, but rather it’s the day where gifts are exchanged and opened. In some countries, today is an official holiday too! The picture above, from Ruth Iversen Rollitt, was not taken on 26th December…but I think fits well with the idea of giving and receiving presents. Ruth tells us:
These pictures are from Christmas 1963 when Father Christmas visited the children at St Andrew’s Presbyterian church in Ipoh. Vivi Iversen (Per’s wife) and son are getting a gift from Santa….I am standing with little Donald in the middle, my mother is on the extreme left.
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?
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. 🙂
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 😉
Nicholas Jennings (our donor) tells us that: the boy standing on the running board is his uncle Nigel (the third son of J A S Jennings). At the wheel is Eric Jennings (the eldest son), and seated beside the driver is Rose Winnifred (Freda) Jennings. In the background is the family home (No. 50 Gopeng Road) – which Jennings called “Midhurst”. Can our car enthusiasts identify the model of the car?
We received the following email from Kong Khen:
“Recently, I found a class photograph of my dad taken in 1940. I’ve identified it as the remedial class of English lesson, from what was mentioned by my dad.
Could IPOHWORLD help to confirm if the teachers were from ACS school.
Dad mentioned that he attended English lesson on the top floor of Foong Seong Building- new town. However the location where the photo was taken seemed to be in a compound.
The photograph is in my blog.”
Can anyone help Kong Khen please? I’m sure there are some ACS Alumni out there who are in this photograph.
Larry Sawyer sent this to us. It looks like the inside of that famous power plant (which caught everyone’s attention on the blog!). What we don’t know is: Who are these people in the front row? Could it be the Manager and a guest (with their respective wives)?
I’m also curious to know who the lady in white is…..I do love her ensemble – very stylish, don’t you think! 😉
If you happen to drive by Persiaran Bercham Selatan 1 (just behind 7-11), you might see this man hard at work! He may not be as vigorous as the famed ‘Spiderman’, but I’m sure his dish has its own unique taste. Here’s a closer look (picture below)
Our photographer told us that this dish – Koay Kak, as the hawker calls it – costs RM 2.3o (RM 2.80 with egg). Has anyone tried it? If you have…you know what to do 😉
The man wearing a hat is none other then the famous Dr Tweedie. The lady next to him is the wife of B M Iversen. This photograph was taken in 1966, in Sungei Siput. In the background you can see the beautiful hills of the Kinta Valley.
We thank Ruth Iversen Rollitt for this photograph.
I wonder if anyone out there remembers this young man (first picture). These pictures were part of an article which appeared in the Star (26th July 2014); according to the writer, this white van (second picture) was usually parked under a tree (around Canning Garden) while the many customers waited in line to be served. I’ve not come across Thum’s Burger (as advertised on the van) – perhaps it was before my time? 😉
Could anyone shed some light on this? We’re curious to know more about this mobile burger stall.
When we talk about meeting up with old friends, more often than not we end up at a local cafe/restaurant. Can’t help it, we Ipoh folks love our food, don’t we? 😉 Hence, we at ipohWorld also decided to start a little ‘food-section’…to highlight some all-time favourites which are both tasty and affordable.
We’ve decided to do something different for our food-blog today. Here’s a photograph of Ruth Iversen Rollitt (wearing a light blue top) having a meal with 3 other Ipoh ‘natives’, namely: Daniel Choo (an architect in Luxemburg), Mariam Mokhtar (a well known writer) and Ming. According to Ruth, they met up at Rasa Sayang (a Malaysian restaurant along Macclesfield Street, London). Ruth also mentions that the food at Rasa Sayang is quite authentic.
Here’s a thought for you Ipoh-natives around the globe: have you been lucky enough to sample good Malaysian food in a foreign country?
Love it or hate it, this beauty is regarded the King of Fruits in this part of the world. The durian may have a strong odour which puts people off, but once you get past the smell to taste the creamy flesh – well, need I say more? 😉
Leong (our photographer) managed to capture this man in action. He usually sets up his stall along Jalan Canning Estate. Incidentally, Osbourne Street was once known as ‘Durian Street‘; do they still sell durians there? I haven’t seen any stalls there lately….
It’s Party time again! ~ Come & CELEBRATE! our fun & wonderful years of Life & Friendship Together! – *Saturday, August 2nd, 2014* *@ Kinta Riverfront Hotel & Suites, Ipoh.*
This year will see the debut of our Alma Mater’s magnificient Bagpipers & Wushu Drummers! Get ready to be tickled and entertained by the professional emcee, comedian & stand up comic ~ Mr. Stephen Fernando!
Hurry, book your seats now! for an evening of fun, cheer & reminiscence. For booking & inquiries, pls call | Ms. Lim 05 241 2523 or 05 253 2882 | Mr. Looi Teik Aun 012 515 1116 | Mr. Lau Wun Chew 017 882 0608 | Mr. Hum Kee Kuang 012 336 0770 | Collection : 47-A, Jalan Tokong, 31650 Ipoh.
This is one dessert Ipoh has long been famous for……Tau Foo Far for those feeling a little peckish, and Soya Bean Milk for those who want something cold on a hot day.
We wonder if Funny Mountain’s tau foo far is as good as the one Ipohgal’s father used to make 😉
Yes, this is indeed a Malay Funeral procession. This was taken, with kind permission, from the Imperial War Museum London. The photo was taken from a colour transparency, back in the 1950s. If you look closely you can see the Ipoh East Post Office in the background – that should give you a clue about the location.
We thank Mario Francis Armadass for giving us the link.
It is with sadness that we advise of the passing of Chye Kooi Loong who left this world on Wednesday 23 April 2014.
Chye Kooi Loong, is a renowned war historian and former Home Guard warden during the Malayan Emergency. He is a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), awarded by the Queen of England.
Mr Chye spent seven years researching and documenting the Battle of Kampar (30 December 1941 – 2 January 1942), an engagement of the Malayan Campaign during World War II involving British and Indian troops from the 11th Indian Infantry Division and the Japanese 5th Division.
He fought long and hard to turn the famous Green Ridge, Kampar into a memorial to remember the great and ultimate sacrifices made in the defence of Malaya.
He will be sorely missed.
We pass our condolences to his family in their loss.
May he rest in Peace.
The funeral will take place at the Kampar crematorium at 11.00am tomorrow, Saturday 26 April.
Mr Wang Min-Hua is. This was taken in October 1981 on the day he retired. From what we know: The car a 1954 Ford Popular Saloon registered number AA 8835, was bought new by his father and first registered in Ipoh on 8 April 1954. It has received loving care from both father and son since then and is in ‘as new’ condition. The 1172cc vehicle carries the engine and chassis number C769674 demonstrating that all is original. (more can be found here)
I’m sure some of you Sam Tet Alumni remember him. Oh, and let’s not forget about his lovely car too 😉
I’m sure some of you have seen this shop….some of you may be regular customers too! This shop, located at Jalan Mustafa Al Bakri, is said to be famous for its Kaya Puff – a light and fluffy pastry with egg-jam filling.
Ideal for those with a sweet-tooth, don’t you think? Have you eaten one of these tasty treats? Or, perhaps you know of yet another place which serves this particular sweet.
We’d love to hear from you 🙂
In previous blog posts, we’ve had Readers talk about the famous ‘Police Station Curry Mee’. I do wonder if this (Restoran Xin Quan Fang) is the place you guys were talking about.
If you answered yes to the above query, then perhaps you know these gentlemen. [And they in turn will know you as a ‘regular’ and probably also know your order 😉 ]
This photograph is from Ron Lee (from Australia), sent through SK – who then forwarded it to us.
(click to enlarge)
So, Cator Avenue boys…do you see yourself (and/or your friends) in this photograph? Do you remember the teacher? I can’t help but admire her sense of fashion…she must have been quite a character too 😉
Mano asked if we could start a food blog page and after discussing it we have decided to intersperse our traditional style heritage photos with some food photos and invite comments on certain well-known local foods. If there is sufficient enthusiasm from our readers this will become a regular feature of ipohWorld’s World.
So what could be better than to start this new venture with the famous dish Sar Hor Fun and a picture of the most famous purveyor of this wondrous food – Spiderman.
We were fortunate to get this picture from Ms Ong Su-ming when she wrote her growing-up stories for our book “Ipoh, My Home Town”. As you will appreciate, like others in the book, it is a very rare picture and we are very happy to share it with you all.
But now it is your turn – Who remembers Spiderman, were his noodles really that special and where else on Kinta Valley could you get Sar Hor Fun in days gone by? Where can you find it now?
If you’d asked me before these photographs arrived, I would confess to not knowing what a pegboard was. In fact, now that I’ve seen what it looks like, I’m still wondering what they were used for. Well, for those of you who are still clueless about WHAT a pegboard looks like, take a look at Nick Band’s photos below:
ps: we were told that the man holding the pegboard (2nd photo) is Lee Kit.
Here’s a close-up of a bucket dredge – for those of you who’ve seen an actual dredge bucket, you can imagine the size of this machine! We thank Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell) for this photograph. From her emails, we think that this was probably part of the Keramat Tin mine in Bidor (if we’re wrong, do let us know 🙂 ).
(picture courtesy of Nicholas Jennings)
Whenever I see someone smoking a pipe, I keep thinking about Sherlock Holmes (perhaps it’s because I’m a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective). 🙂
The man in this photograph is actually Eric Jennings. This was taken in Ipoh, sometime in the 1930s, when Eric worked with his father J A S Jennings at the Times of Malaya newspaper.
The beautiful car aside, what really drew my attention were the shoes. I’m not a fashion expert, but I’m sure this pair of shoes were in style back then (probably with a unique name too!). Fashion experts out there, we’d like to hear from you 😉
Yusof sent us these wonderful photos. From his email, we know that he lived in Greentown from 1969-1981. Yusof also had this to say:
“The house is one of six detached govt quarters surrounding a palm tree lined field within a circular lane off Jalan Iskandar, named Lorong Said Tauphy. As depicted in the photos attached, Greentown was indeed green back then, with the fields bamboo hedges and abundant coconut trees. It is really a shame what Greentown has transformed into now. Anyway, I hope these pictures will bring back some memories of the original Greentown to some folks out there, esp. ex Greentownians. Looking forward to more pictures of Greentown then from those who still have the old photos.”
Like Yusof, we at IpohWorld also look forward to hearing from former and present Greentown folks! 🙂
Graham Barton (our donor) calls this the “Dobie Woller”. We locals call him the “Doby Man” 🙂
Looking at the lines of laundry (far right), I’m reminded of the famous ‘doby man’ who ran his business along Silibin Road.
I wonder if the Silibin Road laundryman is still in business….anyone knows more about it?
(click to enlarge)
KC sent us this cute one via Facebook. We thought we’d share it with all of you – especially with the Cator Avenue Alumni 🙂
KC shared a little bit about this photograph with us:
This photo was taken when I was in Standard-2 at Cator Avenue Primary School. Some of us in the photo are still in contact with each other after all these years. The class photo was taken in 1962, if I remember correctly. Would like to get feedback from people who were in this class. Cannot remember the teacher’s name now. Along the teacher’s row, on the far left is a Caucasian boy. I remember him only as Ian. He was with us for one year and we never see him again. It would be interesting to know his full name and hopefully know where he is now. One of my classmate whom I am still in contact with reminded me, and I recalled, he had a fight with a boy from another class and both were called to the headmaster’s office. Those were the days…….
We look forward to hearing about all the other shenanigans you boys got up to in your youth….and like KC, we’re also wondering what’s happened to Ian!
Most photographs of dulang washers show the ladies almost knee deep in water, while they rotate their dulangs. This photo here (from Alison Cotterill nee Caldwell) shows the dulang washer in a field instead! This area was probably near Kramat Tin (Bidor). Notice the 1 cubic ft box (bottom left), and the white bowl (above the large drum). Can onyone out there tell us what these items were for?
We thank Alison for this unique photograph.
We thank Graham Barton for sharing these pictures with us. Do you remember such Hairdressers? Do they still use those(ever sharp!) razors/blades and ‘Good Morning’ towels? Looking at these pictures, I couldn’t help but think about the famed Star Barber – who once ran their business at Belfield Street 🙂
On that note, how much would a standard haircut and shave cost today?
“Chan Sue Meng, the author of “Road to Revolution – Dr. Sun Yat Sen and His Comrades in Ipoh”, is the great-great-granddaughter of Lee Guan Swee, leader of the Tong Meng Hui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance) in Ipoh, Malaya, during the 1911 Revolution. Two years ago, upon learning about the great deeds of her ancestor and portions of family memoirs, she decided to compile an annal of the activities of Dr. Sun and his revolutionaries in Ipoh, in an attempt to present the trail that was left behind by Dr. Sun and its impact on Ipoh.” – Wong Sin Kiong, Associate Professor, Department of Chinese Studies, National University of Singapore.
The above book can be purchased at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall for $S 12.00 (RM 30.00). The book will probably be re-launched in Ipoh later.
We pay tribute to Run Run Shaw, of the famed Shaw Brothers, who passed away in Hong Kong yesterday.
The Shaw Organisation began in 1924, with operations in Singapore screening their own brand of silent movies. Frustrated by local distributors, they set up their own cinema, “The Empire”, to screen their movies. Led by brothers Run Run and Runme Shaw, they began to branch out into Malaysia building new cinemas and operating a mobile cinema for rural areas. However, it was only with the advent of sound that movies began to really launch themselves – by 1933 the Shaw’s had produced the Cantonese opera film ‘Normal Dragon’ which proved a breakthrough for them in both Singapore and Hong Kong. [more can be found at – http://www.hkcinema.co.uk/Articles/shawbronews.html ]
I’m sure many movie-lovers out there remember these famous brothers and their contribution to the cinematic industry. I was not born in that era, but from what I’ve read (and heard) the Shaw Brothers always had interesting ways of advertising the up-and-coming movies. (see sample below)
[ Warning: the picture below may cause some of you to drool excessively 😉 ]
We thank Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell) for this one. To what we were told, this was taken at a wedding – and yes, folks…the guests are eating on banana leaves!
So, fellow Foodies…when was the last time YOU had a banana-leaf meal? 🙂
The long-awaited Part 6 of Ipohbornkid’s series! Happy Reading 😉
The Schools that Chong Soon Fan Built – by IpohBornKid
(The picture above shows the generous donors for Wan Hwa Public Schools)
Many Chinese schools were built after World War II during the tin boom in the Kinta Valley, especially in Ipoh and surrounds in the early 1950s. The establishment of these schools was driven by the tin miners’ desire to maintain the Chinese language and culture in their newly adopted homeland of Malaya. However, there is one particular school that comes in mind that will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2014, ie. the Wan Hwa Primary Public School (萬華小學) in Menglembu. The author wishes to congratulate the Chairman Mr Chong Yong Fook and his Board member, the donors, the Principal Mr Ong Yah, , teachers and pupils in their forthcoming celebration, the 100th Anniversary of their Founding of the School.
Many Chinese schools in Ipoh began to bloom in the 1950s and they include the Wan Hwa Primary School, the Yuk Choy Primary & High Schools, the Peraks Girls Primary and High Schools, Poi Lam High School, Sam Tet High Schools, Ave Maria School and the newest Sam Jai School. Most of the X generation who went to the Chinese schools in Ipoh/Menglembu, will have gone through one of these schools.
In this article, the author will concentrate on the late Chong Soon Fan, JP, and his role in building the Wan Hwa Primary School (萬華小學) in Menglembu (萬裡望), which is currently located opposite his family home. It is obvious that the school derives its name from the township by using its first character (萬) & Chinese (華) language school.
As far as the author can remember, Wan Hwa Primary had its humble beginning in the location where the Grace Lutheran Church is now situated. It is at the southern end of Menglemgu’s Main Road (Jalan Lahat) where the road bends to the left. A mountain stream runs along the boundary of the old school building. This building, from memory, had a class room, a large blackboard facing south and with windows (facing east) opening to Jalan Lahat and the Tamil settlement across the field. Below the window of this building was a small mountain stream that runs through Menglembu.
After the church bought the old school property, the Wan Hwa Primary School, in 1954, was relocated at the Assembly Hall Road and its entrance facing the western type bungalow of Mr Chong Soon Fan and the Nayang Picture Theatre. On the western side of the school was the famous Kledang Hills of Menglembu.
The author remembered being in the original attap roof classrooms as a child of 6 years old in the afternoon school, after finishing morning school in ACS Ipoh. However that arrangement did not last long and the author remained in ACS. As the old school huts made way for the construction of the school hall, other developments were also taking place. A U-shaped, single-storey building was built adjacent to the new school hall and the bottom of the U facing north. At the far north end of the school was the Teacher’s quarters and the Principal and his family also lived there.
The old library building and the tuck shop were directly opposite the Nanyang Picture Theatre. The old bicycle park was adjacent to the library wall. All these structures including the Picture Theatre no longer exist.
Each Chinese New Year, the school grounds were decorated with paper banners hanging from a rope and on each paper, was written the name of the donor and the amount donated. There were many donors in Menglembu (see picture) and Ipoh and most of them were tin miners and business people. Many Clans denoted money to the school and in particular, the author remembered the Hakka Clan well as they were mainly tin miners, pawn shop owners and bankers. Knowledge of the history of Hakka Clan in China will reveal their inborn determination for education and their participation as Generals and Scholars in Hennan Province for 2,000 years, before coming down to South China as Song Dynasty refugees. Chong Soon Fan is of Hakka origin (Tai Poo, Quangdong Province) and had a strong urge to ensure the Chinese immigrants in Malaya can have a good Chinese education to maintain their language and culture.
As Chairman of the Board of Wan Hwa Primary School, he had to lead the donation and each year, whilst as Chairman, his donation amounts to $10,000 annually. As Chairman, he was also able to encourage his business colleagues to contribute to the worthwhile cause, and they did. Wan Hwa Primary School could not have existed without the generosity of the business and private donors. Menglembu residents, having benefited from the school, should always remember the pioneering work of many philanthropists who readily gave their money for the building of the school and particularly the leadership shown by its Chairman, the late Mr Chong Soon Fan, who was also the “Penghulu of Menglembu”.
Chong Soon Fan passed away in 1969 and the Chairmanship of the school also went to his son the late Mr Chong Hong Chew, PJK, and later his grandson, Mr Chong Yong Fook. The author congratulates Yong Fook in following a good tradition set up by the Patriarch. One of the former Chairman Mr Chan Chak Yung was an old friend of the author for more than 50 years.
The author has visited the school recently and many changes have occurred. The author would like to remind the people of Menglembu to remember the dedication and commitment of the pioneers who gave so much for the public education of their fellow immigrants in Menglembu and Ipoh. I am sure that the current Chairman, Mr Chong Yong Fook could provide an aerial photograph of the present school to Ipoh World.
It is interesting to note that the late Mr Chong Soon Fan was at one time, the Chairman of the Board of 6 other Chinese schools including Yuk Choy, Perak Girl, Sam Jai and Wan Hwa. The author heard a comment by one of his grandsons who said “the old man can afford many Mercedes Benz in his life time and yet he never bought one for this family. He was contented with the old red Vauxhall Cresta (AA9788) who took his grandchildren to schools in Ipoh. All the Mercedes went to the schools of course!” (Note- at that time each Merc costs $10,000 or more). I believe that, he and his fellow philanthropists have accumulated enough good Karma for all their descendants to be blessed.
Here’s something to put you in the Christmas mood! We thank Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell) for this one. According to Alison, this was taken in 1962 at the Lower Perak Club in Teluk Anson. On the far left is Trisha Caldwell, holding Fiona.
Well folks, it looks like Santa arrived on foot instead of coming down the chimney! 😉 I do wonder what was in those large sacks…..
Not wishing to have Teluk Ansom beat Ipoh, Ruth Rollitt sent us this one and said:
The Christmas party at the Presbyterian church was in 1963! Wow – 50 years ago. The little fair-haired boy is my brother Per’s son Morten – he is with his mother Vivi (Iversen). The lady in the batik dress on the other is my mother and the smiling lady is Dutch: Marian Voorhoeve – her husband was with Lindeteves Jacob and we are still much in touch.
Thank you Ruth for keeping Ipoh in the picture.
We thank Alan Steel for this candid picture of Kid Pancho (on a WD Matchless). Besides being a boxer, Pancho was also a drummer at the Jubilee Park; and also a mechanic at the 12 Infantry. Did anyone of you out there see him in action?
We’re hoping some alumni from Sam Tet, Ipoh, would be able to help us out with this photograph (see below).
This was taken from the 90th Anniversary Magazine of St Michael’s Church (which is next to Sam Tet School). Does anyone remember when this photograph was taken? We don’t seem to have a caption for this photo, so we’re hoping someone out there could fill in some details for us.
We look forward to meeting some former Sam Tet students on our blog 😉
You’ve heard his name many times – there’s even a road named after him – so today, we’d like to show you what he looked like! Yes, that’s him on the right…and on the left is none other than His Royal Highness Sultan Idris Murshidul’adzam Shah.
According to what we know, back in 1877 Sir Hugh Low established the Perak Council of State at Kuala Kangsar (together with Malay Royals, Chiefs and 2 Mining Towkays). This governing council gradually formulated the modern laws of Perak.
This picture was taken from the book 20th Century Impressions of British Malaya.
We thank Sally Everist for this rare gem. Although it is a low-resolution photograph, you can see most of the Planter’s Bungalow in the background. The man sitting in the garden is none other than the late John M Allison – General Manager of Sungei Siput Rubber Plantations Ltd (back in 1946).
Ipoh folks have heard (and seen) the De Silva building in Old Town, but not many know about the man himself. Here’s a picture and a short description taken from the book 20th Century Impressions of British Malaya.
Few Eastern jewellers can honestly claim to have received the partonage of royalty as often as Mr B. P. de Silva, of High Street, who numbers amongst his patrons the Duke of Connaught, the King of Siam, and the Sultan of Johore. The business was established in 1860 by Mr Silva’s father. All kinds of precious stones, jewellery of rare and unique design, and silverware in various styles of native workmanship are to be seen at this shop. Mr de Silva also does a considerable import and export trade, and with his large and experienced staff is in a position to execute all kinds of work connected with his business.
In our previous post, we had a reply from the brother of the pretty lady sitting on the sports car. We now know her as Joan Lau. After some searching, we found a picture of Lawrence Lau (see below).
The caption for the above picture is as follows: “Adrian Boudville looking on, Barry Jansz acting as Time Keeper and Lawrence Lau acting as Starter.”
This was taken on 18th August 1971 at the Ipoh Railway Station. Anyone remember this event?
Do you recall the days when you could by an ice-cream sandwich for “satu kupang” (10 cents)? It was big money then, but today you hardly get a handful of sweets for that price. The donor of this photograph says that the location is somewhere up north – Was “kupang” a common phrase used for money in Ipoh?
We thank Taj Firdaus for this photograph 🙂