Wildlife Park of Bintulu in 1989

View of the Wildlife Park ( Taman Hidupan Liar) seen in 1989.
Works on the construction of the Wildlife Park or Taman Hidupan Liar in Malay started in 1989 and the park was officially opened to the general public on the 2nd of August,1991.
Picture shows my family members and their cousin, with our car driven right to the top of the hill where later the wordings  "Taman Hidupan Liar" were planted using cover plants approximately where  the car is parked.

View of the park  taken on 9th of March,2015.  
Today, the park is re-named as "Taman Tumbina".

It was the first and only park of its kind in Sarawak when it was opened in 1991.  Today, the park is called "Taman Tumbina" but when it was first started and opened it was known as Taman Hidupan Liar or Wildlife Park.  It was one of my pet projects while in the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA).  This project brought me places to Singapore and West Malaysia to see similar projects and learn from them.  In the park (as shown in the layout plan below) there were many botanical as well as zoological attractions.  One of the big attractions was the flamingo pond.  Follow this link to know more in-depth story of my role in bringing the flamingoes to Bintulu  here .  In the top picture, the Bintulu coastline is seen in the background.  It is evident that that were no condominiums or high-rise buildings in Bintulu in the 1980's along its coasts.  The condominiums were a thing of the 1990's in Bintulu.  

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog ' Images of Bintulu Before and Now' and the link is here.

Batik years in retrospective

Two women washing, April'85

Paddling upriver, April'85

Three doves, circa '86

 In my mature years, I  did considerable work in batik.  During the years 1985-1986 I did many batik paintings with culture, native girls and music as the subject matter.  All of these batik pieces shown here were done in Bintulu.  These were done during my free time during normal days and weekends.  It was  a means to earn additional income since batik pieces were greatly demanded due to its Malaysian or local identity and there were no other artist doing batik in Bintulu at that time.  Later in 2002 my creative urges in batik were channeled into nature study especially plant life. These creative urges were associated with my contracting business since 1992 especially those works involved in the landscaping of Bintulu.  I did little work on buildings or architectural subjects.   Two paintings in particular are of interest.  One is done in 1990 showing the Plaza hotel.  This painting was sold to the hotel and given as a gift to the Chief Minister of Sarawak when doing the official opening of the hotel. Another painting was based on a picture from a Venezuelan friend of her hacienda.  Doing batik was a  money making hobby for me because almost all the batiks I produced were sold.

Kelabit girl with flute,uly'86

Kelabit lass, circa '86

Ethnic by design, circa '86

Kelabit dancer and boys on sapeh, circa'86

Feeding hornbill, circa '86

Kelabit girls, circa'86

White water lilies, may'02

Bintulu Plaza Hotel, July'1990

Lily pond, October'02

Nature study, June'02

Plant study, May'02

Traveller's palm,September'02

Venezuelan hacienda - a study, June'02

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog 'Being MY (3rd. Ed.) and the link is here.

In the year 1979 a headmaster I became

Friendly football match between school teachers and members of Bintulu public at the school football field.  I am standing 6th from right (back row)

In the year 1979, a headmaster I became.  It was one of the most challenging times in my life.  For one thing I was given very short notice about the appointment.  Immediately after a midnight fire leveled down the school’s main administrative office - cum staff room, I received a call from the Education Department to see the Director of Education.  I was then working at the Educational Mass Media Office in Kuching. When I reached headquarters, I was instead directed to a room and met the Deputy Minister of Education Malaysia, Salleh Jafaruddin.  We had an hour of discussion after which he said, “Tomorrow you go to Bintulu and take over the administration of the school.  The letter of appointment as Headmaster will follow later.”  Upon checking in at the school (which happened to be the school I attended in the 60's)  I found the Headmaster’s office, clerk’s office and the staff room in ashes. That’s how I started administering the school.  I had no records, no files, no office etc.. That incident meant that all the school records since it started in 1963 turned to ashes. 

 As the principal of SMK Bintulu (Sekolah Menengah Kerajaan Bintulu) or  previously known as BGSS (Bintulu Government Secondary School),   I had to perform many official, semi-official and non-official duties related to the school.   In order to track my daily work schedule and  keep record of the events happening each day, I devised a ‘Travellogue” ( see inset).  Even as the headmaster I find time to mix around with the teachers.  One way was to play football with them.  (see top picture)   Often I would join them in the staff room during morning or afternoon break and night study time, chatting and getting to know them better.  One of the many activities that brought me to town often was to collect mail from the post office, bank in money to the local treasury, visit students in the hospital or attend official meetings with other government departments.  In those days, the school was the main source of "flower girls" and I had teachers responsible to get ready these girls in time and transport them whenever VIP's were to be officially welcomed at the airport.  Being the Principal of the only secondary school in a small town of Bintulu then, the post was a very high profile one.  You get to know people quickly and it worked both ways.  The public would  normally address you as "Cikgu" or teacher.  In Malaysian society being a teacher is one of the most respectable job, not to mention the Headmaster.  I was at the SMK Bintulu for about two years and by the time I finished my five years bond or scholarship contract with the government,  I decided to move into greener pastures and joined a newly formed statutory body specific for Bintulu called BDA ( Bintulu Development Authority) in November, 1980.

Thank you SMK Bintulu for the rare and challenging experience you gave me.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak.

(Note: This is the 6th of my post on what it is meant to be a Malaysian as part of my writing contribution to Malaysia Day which will  to be celebrated on the 16th of September.)

Arrival of Prime Minister, Hussein Onn at Bintulu Airport.
Note the flower girls in traditional costume.

" Flower girls" from SMK Bintulu

Typed manuscript of Principal's message in the School Magazine, 1980.

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog - My Sarawak (2nd Ed.) and the link is here. )

In the year 1985, an AGM I became

Group photo with participants of a landscaping course organised by BDA, in front of BDA Building, Jalan Somerville, Bintulu, 1990.

My office at BDA Building,
Jalan Somverville.

In the year 1985, an AGM I became.  The AGM or Assistant General Manager of BDA (Bintulu Development Authority ) post covers a few portfolios.  The main divisions under my responsibility were low-cost housing, landscaping, PR and tourism, land matters and resettlement lots, administration and  legal.  The AGM post really kept me occupied and very busy in the various roles especially in laying the foundation stones for making Bintulu a beautiful tropical garden city of the future especially roadside planting, green lungs, and recreational parks,  construction of low-cost housing for new migrants to the booming town, removal and resettlement of squatters, promotion of Bintulu as a investment profit centre and the construction of tourism related projects like golf course, wildlife park and chalets at Similajau national park.  Sometime in 1991 I was interviewed by New Straits Time journalist Ahmad A. Talib  about my work in BDA and Bintulu (see news cutting below).   The interview says it all.  I feel I have done a great deal for my hometown and I hope others will continue on with the show.  Make Bintulu a beautiful, prosperous and friendly industrial city 2020.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak.

( Note: This is the 11th  post on what it is meant to be a Malaysian as part of my writing contribution to Malaysia Day which will  to be celebrated on the 16th of September.)

( Note: This is a re-posting from my blog - My Sarawak (2nd Ed.) and the link is here.)

True Forest Dwellers

Me on top of the express boat bound to Tubau, after which we took the landcruiser to reach Penan territory at Ulu Belaga. Notice the piles of rattan neatly stacked on which I sit.

In 1987 I took a challenge to go deep into the interior of Sarawak. My mission then was to meet one of the well known nomadic tribes of Sarawak called the Penan. With the help of a forester friend we left Bintulu at 7.00 am on the 29th of September, 1987 and arrived at the Penan's location around 11.00 pm at night. The journey to Penan territory entailed a five hours journey by express boat and then a gruelling 6 hours journey by landcruiser using the muddy , slippery and dangerously steep logging roads. But feeling young then really there was no fear or real fatique. Only excitement to see eye -to -eye the true nomadic tribe of Sarawak. Indeed our journey was met with success. We slept the night in a makeshift jungle hut and woke up early to search for the Penan settlement. At around 10.00 am the following day and after travelling for about two hours in thick jungle we stumbled upon a small party of Penan who led us to their temporary settlement.

The above is a picture showing a Penan family preparing the wild sago as starch for food. The Penans live by extremely simple means. They are jungle hunters and gatherers. They move about the deep tropical forests of Sarawak and seldom meet other Penan parties or other native groups of Sarawak. As such they tend to shy away from people and by remaining in the jungles most of the time they retain a surprisingly fair complexion. Inbreding is common among them because contact with other Penan parties are seldom. Thus the Penan girls marry early as the need to produce children is found urgent due to their short life span as a result of tough life in the jungle.

On this visit I met this young Penan mother who has just given birth to a boy a week ago. Without any name yet, my forester friend gave him his name" Masleh" to the little boy. To my surprise the family agreed. The Penans travel light. The most important things they carry are their bundles of clothes, cooking pot, blow pipes, knives and rattan carry baskets. All other needs are provided by the forest e.g. fishes, wild animals, fruits, sago, herbal plants etc. They do collect bird's nests,'damar' ( jungle resins) and rattan that fetch high prices when sold to rural traders. The Penans are extremely fit, stout and forever 'King of the Jungle'.

A typical temporary settlement in the jungle made of bamboos, rattan, palm leaves, tree barks and wooden branches. You don't need any nailing to the structure. Most are fastened or tied using rattan and strings made from tree barks.

It would be very interesting to know what has become of " Masleh". One thing for sure he must be in his early twenties now. Could he have gone to school? May be studying at a local university? If only I knew.

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog - My Sarawak (1st Ed.) and the link is here.)

Once there was a stall

BDA Exhibition stall fully optimising allocated space, enhanced with new presentation ideas and techniques.

 In 1988 just 10 years after BDA (Bintulu Development Authority) was created as a Sarawak state statutory body, it took part in a state-level development expo held at Kuching.  This was the first time BDA was to expose itself  to the Kuching public and outside visitors of Sarawak  in the form of a development stall exhibition.  I was given the responsibility to coordinate and implement the BDA stall from concept to construction.  I had the best men to do the job.  Fumiaki Izumuda, a landscape architect attached to my Landscaping Division was tasked with the design of the stall.  Hong Seng Teck, an engineer and doing the quantity surveying in BDA was tasked with procurement of relevant materials in Kuching.  Both of them were assisted by electricians, carpenters, painters and general workers from the BDA.  Many novelties were introduced in the stall like the use of large transparencies with light boxes, models and a zoning map or structure plan.  During those times Bintulu was the only town in Sarawak that has a urban Structure Plan.  BDA's participation in the exhibition provided lots of experiences for me in doing exhibitions.  Later, in my days as a contractor I was able to successfully do many exhibitions for the national oil company, Petronas and Sarawak Shell based on my experiences in undertaking three major exhibitions during my BDA days.  The 1988 exhibition however was exceptional for BDA because it provided a platform for  aggressive marketing and branding of Bintulu's potentials to foreign and domestic stakeholders to jointly partake in its industrialization agenda.  Today, in its fourth boom starting in 2010 Bintulu is poised to become an industrial showpiece of Sarawak or Malaysia for that matter.

To see more images of Bintulu before and now, check them out in my other bloghere .

The week-long Development Expo started on 16 September, 1988 ; Opening hours 8 am - 10 pm daily.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak!!

(Note:  On the 16th of September, Sarawak will celebrate its independence being a party to the formation of Malaysia.  As part of remembering history I'll create some posts on what  it means to be a Malaysian as I have experienced it.  Check out the rest of the postings by following this link here.)

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog - My Sarawak  (2nd Ed.) and the link is here. )

Once there was a course

Combo pix showing the Bintulu Golf Course (2nd nine - Hole 10 - 18)
Picture shows the course in various stages of completion.  The 2nd nine course faces the South China Sea

BDA worker mowing the green at Hole 14 - 1988

1988 was a most trying year for me.  I was steeped into the landscaping of the greens, tee boxes, fairways, slopes, bunkers and general landscaping of the Bintulu golf course.  It was my first experience in doing the landscaping and maintenance of a golf course.  There were many visits made to Singapore and various  courses in Malaysia to understand the practical details of landscaping and maintaining  a golf course.  There were staff to be employed and specifications for procurement of  equipments and course maintenance to be written down in technical details for contractual documentation.  The course was to start with the 2nd nine or back nine, i.e. holes 10 -18 and to be opened for play in 1989.  I have shared many stories about the early beginnings of the course as in here and more here.  There were tons of pleasure and joy in doing the job even though it was most taxing in terms of new learning, time schedule and organisational capability.  On reflection I was  indeed blessed with a very supportive team of bosses and subordinates in carrying my responsibilities.  Memories are made of them.  Not many people however knew that we also built a  golf green for our  boss house in Kidurong Residential area in 1986 (see bottom picture).  It was  the only house in Bintulu to have a proper practice green.  At the end of the day I found that doing the course was one of the best adventures of my life.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak!!

   (Note:  On the 16th of September, Sarawak will celebrate its independence being a party to the formation of Malaysia.  As part of remembering history I'll create some posts on what  it means to be a Malaysian as I have experienced it.  Check out the rest of the postings by following this link here.)

The picture above shows the golf club building.  In the background is Hole 10 tee box or start of play and at middle  of picture is the Hole 18 fairway and green, the last putting green for the 9-hole golf course.
Picture taken in 1989.

Hole 18 fairway - jungle clearing and burning in progress 
Date : 31 March,1986

Hole 18 fairway - turfing works completed to fairways, slopes and green 
Date : 4 February 1987.

BDA staff housing at the Kidurong Residential area showing our GM's house with the practice green (at center of picture)

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from my blog called My Sarawak (2nd Ed.) and the link is here.)

Once there was a speedboat

Me on the speedboat cruising the Likau River, Similajau National Park,Bintulu.

Between 1988 - 1992, I took lots of riding trips on a speedboat.  I would travel up the the rivers of Kemena, Tatau and Likau on official duties.  Those were days when my hands were full.  I had a wide range of working portfolio (landscaping, housing, PR and tourism, squatters resettlement, HR and general administration) which brought me to places around Bintulu division. .  Sometimes the locations are remote and the only means to reach them was by the speedboat.  On one occasion, I had to endure two and a half hours of 3 meters wave in pitch darkness to arrive at Likau River.  Even the boat mechanic vomited and got seriously seasick.  As for me I could not tell the difference between a huge 3 meter waves and any other wave because it was my first experience riding in an outboard in the dark.  Fortunately that night  we arrived Likau safely, thanks to our expert driver, strong spotlight  and two twin 200 hp engines.  I used to bring many groups of  people to Similajau National Park and the Likau River which was the entry point to the park.  From Likau I would bring visitors and friends to see  the golden beach at the Similajau National Park  where turtles regularly lay eggs.  Once  I brought my children to play on the golden sands there. My pet project at Likau was the construction of tourist facilities there on behalf of the Forestry Department.  We built hostels, chalets, office block, canteen,rest shelter, jetties and footpaths.  Today, Likau is reachable by road (about 40 minutes drive from Bintulu town center) but in those days when we were doing the facilities, the only means to reach the location was by sea.  However by the time the facilities were completed proper road was also completed by the JKR or PWD (Public Works Department).  Sarawak has huge potential in tourism but there is so much still to do, even today.  Glad I was involved in the early days of tourism in Bintulu. And not to forget the speedboat that saved my life that dark night.

Happy Malaysia Day, Sarawak!!


  (Note:  On the 16th of September, Sarawak will celebrate its independence being a party to the formation of Malaysia.  As part of remembering history I'll create some posts on what  it means to be a Malaysian as I have experienced it.  Check out the rest of the postings by following this link here.)

Pic shows the golden beach at Similajau National Park, taken on 23 March,1991.

My children playing on the golden sands at Similajau National Park, 14 December,1988.

Aerial colour photo of Likau River.  This I took while on a commercial plane flying over the area, taken in 1988.
Accessible only by sea from Bintulu.

Recent satellite photo of the Likau River. 
Note the presence of the road linking to the tourist facilities area/park headquarters from Bintulu.  The clearing on top left of the picture are for oil palm plantations.

In the speedboat with visitors to the Similajau National Park, 25 July,1990

Office Block under construction at Likau, 14 January,1991.

( Note: The above story is a re-posting from My Sarawak (2nd Ed) blog and the link is here. )