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| !950 - Alongside my twin Brother and one of our Grand Uncles from Sri Lanka or known as Ceylon back then and I was at the left hand most in the picture. It is sad if not unfortunate that I never got to know much about my grand father and father's heritage. Now at seventy I realize that it was meant to be as most in my family are not too keen to have much to do with our patriarchal side of our ancestors. I am deeply proud of having such an old and cultured heritage to look back on rather than call myself a pure Malay. |
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| My teenage years were spent along the East Coast of the peninsular in the State of The Terengganu, a predominantly Malay-Muslim state. This was in the sixties and like all teenagers we believed ourselves to be 'boys in the hood'. We were among the pioneers of recklessness and change in the State. |
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| We ailed from the best school in the State that is today still considered among the top schools in the country and the years we attended English was the medium of education. Sultan Sulaiman Secondary School is located along the seashores of the South China Sea. |
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| Most weekends would find me hunting, fishing or simply exploring the pristine and scenic beauty of the State that was back then not yet fully developed. Almost all of the islands scattered along the East Coast were not inhabited and there was hardly any tourist that visits them except locals and snorkeling off these islands was one of my favorite pastime..My brothers and I had collected a good collection of colorful rare species of shells that today is displayed in showcase in my eldest Brother's living room reminding us of our blessed past. |
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| M y art teacher was Reza Piadasa who later in life became a very well known and controversial artist in the country whose works can be found in prominent galleries. Here we posed while working on his first pieces that made it into the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.. The boxes were created by my industrial arts teacher Mr. Ong.(sitting in the middle). The late Mr. Pia had a great influence on me as an artist with his provocative thoughts and ideas being educated in England and later in the United States. He was a voracious reader and would speak his mind regardless of the topic. |
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| My twin and I were members of the First Terengganu Boys Scouts Troop and the following pictures were of our visit to Penang to attend the First Malaysian Jamborees. |
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| Being a Boy Scout was a proud moment in my life as we had a very active troop that did many activities in and around the State of Terengganu. It was as a scout member that I grew to love nature and the wild making an effort of spend every chance I had to explore the hinterland of the country. |
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FIRST MALAYSIAN JAMBOREE
The first Malaysian Scout Jamboree was declared open by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah of Terengganu on Dec 5, 1966. Apart from Kedah Sultan, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, Penang Governor, Raja Tun Uda Al-Haj and Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Pengiran Ahmad Raffae Pengiran Omar, the ceremony was also attended by 2,328 participants from Taiwan, Great Britain, Brunei, India, South Korea, Laos, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand as well as host country Malaysia.
In his speech, Sultan Ismail expressed hope that the Jamboree would serve as a guidance for the unity, friendship and understanding between the people of various races in this world. He also lauded scout members, donors and volunteers for their tireless contribution towards the organisation and success of the Jamboree.
The next two consecutive days were respectively named 'Governor's Day' and 'Prime Minister's Day' when the Jamboree extended a warm welcome to Raja Tun Uda on the second day, and Malaysia's Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj on the third. When delivering his speech, Tunku reminded everyone present of the sacred Scout Promise, commenting that it was one of the underlying factors that led to the rapid expansion of the movement during the turn of the 20th century. In 1966, the Malaysian scout membership number stood at 58,000.
The Prime Minister also said that loyalty to God and King together with the will to help others at all times were the strongest possible basis for good citizenship and help foster unity among the different races in Malaysia. Reminding everyone of the Chin Peng led communist threat that was still looming in the jungles of the country at that time, Tunku expressed hope that more young boys would join the Scout Movement as he saw it as an effective answer to 'the evil force called communism
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| Headed into the wild country. Along with an American friend who was working for a seismic survey team for the oil exploration off the Terengganu coast . I was then employed as a radio operator for a British Helicopter Company servicing the oil exploration ships, Bristow Helicopters our of Surret, England. This trip was to Sekayum a waterfall area in Ulu Terengganu that is today a favorite public picnic area. This trip also caused me to be bed ridden for four months later with Malaria. |
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Sekayu today - Sekayu Recreational Forest is only an hour’s drive from Kuala Terengganu and 15 km from Kuala Berang. The Sekayu Waterfall is right at the fringe of highland where the rushing waters create a seven tier waterfall. The pools, the cascading waterfalls and the foliage surroundings create the perfect ambience for visitors to relax and rejuvenate. The surrounding area is also well-equipped with picnic spots, resting huts, camping sites and chalets. |
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