Wishing you a very happy 2024! 

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

We received this from an anonymous donor. That building in the background…looks familiar, doesn’t it? Can you identify it?

Back 1959, there was a bikini show in Ipoh. Where it was held is anyone’s guess. What we do know is, our donor (Chee Ong Ngai) found this picture at Shaw Theaters, Singapore, website. 

Such a show would definitely draw a lot of flak today…

I’m sure this doesn’t need much explanation. We thank Chee Ong Ngai for this picture.

Here’s a short advertisement, to join the Teacher’s Training class on May 6th. The advertisement appeared in The Times of Malaya and Straits Echo, back in 1950. 

Thank you for being a source of strength, guidance, happiness, and inspiration to our families every day.

Our world is a brighter place with you in it!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Here’s a meeting booklet from the Perak Turf Club. (courtesy of Edwin Seibel).

I noticed it said “second day”…..must have been a rather long meeting 🙂

Have you heard of Malaysia Air Charter?

Mark your calendars. This 7th November, Perak Academy will be hosting a talk titled: Malaysian Memilih in GE15: A Pivotal Polls. 

The talk will be at 8pm, at Mamut Meeting Room (1, Jln Lasam, Greentown, 30350 Ipoh). 

For more details, you may enquire at:

contact@perakacademy.com

or,   WhatsApp   016-4123742

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

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

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

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

The picture may not be clear, but we believe this to be Chamberlain Road. When was the last time you saw a bullock cart passing through one of Ipoh’s busy streets?

…that the Parit Independence Clock Tower was put up not only in honour of Independence Day but also to declare Perak Tengah as the centre for Malay culture? From what we know, it was built in 1959; and it was officiated by the country’s first Prime Minister.

Here’s a receipt from Looi Teik Lan Service Station. The address is given as 248 Brewster Road, Ipoh.

A quick search on Google Maps showed that the above address is now the Petron petrol station. Does anyone know if the premise still belongs to the same owner (of Looi Teik Lan service station)? Or, perhaps the ownership changed hands?

We thank Ganesh Kolandaveloo for sharing this lovely poster with us.

Have you seen such posters before? Were they part of a series, perhaps?

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

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

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

There was once a shop called Wing Sang Hong Sdn Bhd, at 22 Hugh Low Street. According to the above receipt, a transaction took place in the 1980s. I don’t know what has happened to this business (nor do I know what business it was).

In its place today is a branch of the Sai Baba Society (picture source: Google).

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

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

This picture was taken from a press article (from New Straits Times), dated 30 June 1987. It shows the Ngah Ibrahim Fort at Matang, about 10km from Taiping,  which has been turned into a historical show-piece by the Museum Department – with the addition of a mini-museum.

So, now you know what happened to the Fort 🙂

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

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

No, this is not a creepy, haunted mansion. It was once owned by Dato Setia (from what our donor tells us). It was also once used as an Islamic School (either before or after the Japanese Occupation in Malaya).

We thank Eugene Lee for this gem.

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

Dr Wu Lien-Teh Education Society Malaysia and Wu Lien-Teh Institute, Harbin Medical University, China would like to invite you to a Zoom Webinar.

Date: Apr 28, 2022
Time:01:00 PM – 03:00 PM Kuala Lumpur
Tittle: Dr Wu Lien-Teh International Conference 2022

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bMrsXp6vTn-dVUqd9lY8lQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Dr Wu Lien-Teh International Conference 2022, which is held to commemorate the 111th Anniversary of The International Plague Conference, will be officiated by YB En Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Health, Malaysia and chaired by Prof. Dr Wang Chen, President of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, China. The objectives of the Conference are to promote the legacies of Dr Wu Lien-Teh and to share knowledge on how the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn lessons and experiences from measures adopted by Dr Wu Lien-Teh in combating the 1910 Manchurian Plague.

This picture was taken at the Ipoh Town Hall, where the 1st UMNO Perak meeting was held. It was chaired by none other than Dato Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab, way back in 1946.

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

I’ve heard of Shangri-La Hotel…but not Shangri-La Restaurant. Has anyone been there? What was their signature dish?

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

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

According to The Straits Echo & Times of Malaya, dated Monday 15th of March 1954, Tungku Abdul Rahman (President of UMNO), Dato Sir Cheng-lock Tan (President of MCA), and Mr K.L Devaser (leader of MIC) addressed over 500 members of the Perak State Alliance at the Yue Hua School building in Brewster Road. (read more here)

Anyone know where Yue Hua School was?

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

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

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

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

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

Did it serve ‘western food’? Or, was this just a nickname? If you know more about this ‘western restaurant’ do let us know 🙂

ps: This advertisement can be found in a Chinese New Year booklet, produced by Odeon Theatre.

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

We thank Ann Kesselring Hamon for the above picture.

This document dates back to 4 January 2602 (1942). We believe it is some form of proof that the Japanese Government (in Malaya) at that time found favour with Ali Pitchay and his family. Perhaps they (Japanese) viewed the family as comrades, and may have offered protection to them. Note that this document was torn in half; it is believed that the other half was probably kept by the Japanese Government.

We thank the family of the late Mohd Ali bin Pitchay for sharing this with us. If anyone here reads Japanese, perhaps you could help us with a clearer translation.

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas to you, from all of us at IpohWorld 🙂

The above picture (from Michael Ho) was taken at a Christmas party, back in 1970.

The party was held at the Catholic Centre.

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

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

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

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

The one on the left was taken around 1955 (thanks to our donor Charlie Choong).

The one on the right is a screenshot from Google Maps, taken today.

Yes, it is the same street 🙂

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

Have you ever seen / lived in a Rumah Kutai?

Perak Academy invites you to a talk by Prof Wang Gungwu on his growing up years. The memories of his childhood and education years, that moulded the man to what he is today – renowned historian, sinologist, writer, his works on Chinese diaspora, the countless awards conferred on him for research done on particular subjects dear to his heart.

Don’t miss this webinar, on 9th December 2021 at 8pm.

No, I’m not making fun of the name. The original caption for the picture below actually reads as “General View of Mine at Meng Lembu”. I do wonder how this name came about…and when it changed to its present name….

picture source: Star Online

Yes, you heard it right! Buntong is not only famous for kacang puteh, they have bean sprouts too!

Read more here.

Thanks to Chor Seng Mun, we have a lovely photo of the Gopeng Market. From all those flags/posters above the arch, I’m sure some of you can guess what was going on at that time 🙂

The caption at the top left corner reads as:

192 Anson Road, Teluk Anson. Built in 1900. Sold in 1955.

I think the artist did a pretty good job, don’t you?

Wishing you a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

From all of us at IpohWorld 🙂

Why is the title of this post as such? Well, here’s an interesting story by Francis Cheah regarding his paternal grandparents – in particular, his paternal grandfather.

A millionaire building contractor, family sources said he helped Ah Cheong build the iconic Clock Tower. He was 30+yrs then. Being a successful contractor he built the Teluk Anson District Hospital in 1917 along Jalan Anson(now demolished) and owned houses in the Durian Sebatang area. Also once owned the biggest sawmill in Teluk Anson now still standing by a different name. He also built a college along Jalan Changkat Jong… But the WW1 took its toll and the building was abandoned. That much I know.

He was known to be an astute, shrewd businessman and frugal too. Story has it one day he was inspecting at the Hospital worksite.. He picked up a stray nail at the worksite and admonish the workers for wastage. Thenceforth he was nicknamed ‘Koo Hon Chok’ ie Stingy Poker. His name was Cheah Pak Chok.

He died in 1927 when my father was 13 years old. Maybe others in town may know more. He died in 1927. My father died in 1985.

Here’s a picture of Cheah Pak Chok

And his wife

Thank you for sharing the above story with us, Francis 🙂

Here’s an early 1900s view of the Ipoh Station. So different from what it looks like today, eh?

We have here a lovely 1957 photo from Mohd Taib, showing part of Hugh Low Street.

HAPPY MERDEKA to all of you, from all of us at Ipohworld!

The caption says it all, really. Special thanks to “Daerah Batang Padang” – a Facebook page, where we found this rare picture.

When was the last time you took a group photograph at a railway station platform? 🙂

This picture was taken from a 1990 souvenir magazine. (Do ignore the red arrow 🙂 )

Do you recognise some of the iconic buildings shown here? Can you identify which part of Ipoh this is?

Here’s an easy one for you: Do you know which building this is? It’s in Ipoh, of course 🙂

This picture was said to have been taken during an Ipoh Motor meet – on the occasion of the formation of the Perak Automobile Club, back in 1907.

This picture, taken back in the early 1900s, shows Malay house-boats on the Perak River.

Has anyone been in a house-boat before? If not in Malaysia, perhaps in another country?