. Double click to enlarge the map.I apologise for the poor resolution. It is copied from Google earth
Thursday, August 31, 2006
This is my late brother, James, when he was awarded the medal for distinguished services by
His Royal Highness
, The Sultan of Kedah, on the 14th Of Feb, 1999.
He was then the coordinator of Sports for South Kedah.
Before that he was a P.E. teacher at the Malay Secondary School, Kelang Lama, Kulim. The second Youngest in the family.
( James Dielenberg PCK --Pegawai Khas Ko-Kurikulum b.p. Pegawai Pendidikan Daerah Kulim /B Baharu)
His Royal Highness
, The Sultan of Kedah, on the 14th Of Feb, 1999.He was then the coordinator of Sports for South Kedah.
Before that he was a P.E. teacher at the Malay Secondary School, Kelang Lama, Kulim. The second Youngest in the family.
( James Dielenberg PCK --Pegawai Khas Ko-Kurikulum b.p. Pegawai Pendidikan Daerah Kulim /B Baharu)
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Imaging the dim past ... final chapter
The first consideration after form five was to get a job. I had a choice between the police force in Singapore or spend the rest of my life teaching school. I was excited about the first but the family was too persuasive with their tears that I decided to take up part time teacing in my former school as a private school teacher in the interim. One day we had a visit by the Director of Education, Mr Muir, from Alor Star, Kedah. He happened to be in my class as part of his job to observe the work that was done in the school. He told me that I should apply for the Teachers' Training course at Kirkby. The year was 1953. I was selected and was sent to Kirkby that same year for a two year course in education.
What I have done so far is to give the younger generation a glimpse of the past in the best light possible. It was, as it were, a serach for the roots although most of the story was centred on my perspective. Nevertheless it was largely the story of mum and dad, their perseverance and devotion for all my brothers and sisiters.
What happened after 1952 is recent history to be written by others.
I am happy to include some of the pre 1952 stories if people are willing enough to sit down and write what they have to add or subtract.
Bye for now.
The first consideration after form five was to get a job. I had a choice between the police force in Singapore or spend the rest of my life teaching school. I was excited about the first but the family was too persuasive with their tears that I decided to take up part time teacing in my former school as a private school teacher in the interim. One day we had a visit by the Director of Education, Mr Muir, from Alor Star, Kedah. He happened to be in my class as part of his job to observe the work that was done in the school. He told me that I should apply for the Teachers' Training course at Kirkby. The year was 1953. I was selected and was sent to Kirkby that same year for a two year course in education.
What I have done so far is to give the younger generation a glimpse of the past in the best light possible. It was, as it were, a serach for the roots although most of the story was centred on my perspective. Nevertheless it was largely the story of mum and dad, their perseverance and devotion for all my brothers and sisiters.
What happened after 1952 is recent history to be written by others.
I am happy to include some of the pre 1952 stories if people are willing enough to sit down and write what they have to add or subtract.
Bye for now.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Imaging the dim past ---- hindsight
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Back in those days, we, the siblings, numbered nine in all. Unfortunately one passed away when she was very young. Mum looked after the six of us and the number grew from six to seven and then eight as the children reached school age. We managed with the limited space we had. Mum looked after us well and on hindsight I am proud and full of admiration for her as well as dad. We are grateful and we would like to thank them belatedly, especially mum, for their love, devotion and dedication. We never missed a meal throughout the difficult times. We were well clothed and whenever any opportunity arose we were sent to school to learn and to equip ourselves with knowledge.
Assisting mum was Florence. She turned out to be a good cook as well as being handy on the sewing machine. Mum had her fair share of free time to visit her friends and to indulge occasionally on her card game called ‘chi kee’. She even managed to travel to Penang on several occassions to visit her adopted sister and family at Dato Kramat.
We all helped with the different household chores such as cutting wood keeping the yard clean making the beds, sweeping the house, etc. Bailing water from the well was a my main job.
The yard was our play area. Since we were not far from the school we would go there for games such as football or badminton.
Actually before we moved to the coconut grove we lived right opposite St Patrick School. The house was small and rested on stilts. I remember clearly what happened to me one day when I stepped on a four inch nail. I was in severe pain. When mum discovered what had happened she decided to make sure I would not contract tetanus. She got a neighbour , an Indian lady, to hold me down and she poured hot boiling oil on to the wound. You can imagine how painful it was and I yelled and screamed. I was fourteen then.
Next door to the house was a tobacco factory and we used to work part time in the afternoon to tear off the veins of the tobacco leaves for the rolling of cigars.
We loved Koey Teow (fried rice noodle). There was a stall in front of the cinema in town that produced the best fried noodle . We would ask the girl in charge to fry koey teow with the egg we had brought with us and to make sure it was done with lots of chilly. I still love the taste of it.
We loved cowboy films. Allan Ladd and John Wayne were my favourite stars. We enjoyed going to the movies and we would queue at the door of the cinema and as soon as the lights dimmed we would pass a twenty cent coin on to the ticket collector’s hand and slip into the dark hall to enjoy the show. All we wanted to see was the main feature , we didn’t bother much with the coming attractions and when the show started the whole audience would cheer and clap their hands in great excitement. During a fight we would cheer for the good guy to win. It was good fun .
Another favourite of mine was Tarzan. ‘Me Tarzan you Jane‘. I would repeat to myself.
I could drive at sixteen. Learnt it from a school buddy who was about my age. We used to go out in his van to install electrical wires in homes in the weekends. His older brother owned an electrical store. I remember helping him to wire part of an old cinema at Lunas about five miles (8km ) away from Kulim.
We had a few close friends. On one occasion we went to Taiping, Perak, for a short break. The next morning we attended mass at the local church. At collection time I dropped all the money I had in my pocket into the collection box and soon realized I had no money left to travel home. I was quite depressed. While walking along a street we met someone who happened to be on his way back to Kulim . He agreed to take me home after hearing my plight. Thus my so called generous deed was well rewarded.
My brother and I did well at school. I had two double promotions. Since St. Patrick’s did not have a form five I had to travel daily by bus to attend school at Bukit Mertajam. 1951 was the year I prepared myself for my Oversea’s School Certificate Examination. That same year I won a scholarship of 100 ringgit From the Penang Eurasian Association. I used that for traveling to Singapore for a holiday with mum and her relatives.
.
Back in those days, we, the siblings, numbered nine in all. Unfortunately one passed away when she was very young. Mum looked after the six of us and the number grew from six to seven and then eight as the children reached school age. We managed with the limited space we had. Mum looked after us well and on hindsight I am proud and full of admiration for her as well as dad. We are grateful and we would like to thank them belatedly, especially mum, for their love, devotion and dedication. We never missed a meal throughout the difficult times. We were well clothed and whenever any opportunity arose we were sent to school to learn and to equip ourselves with knowledge.
Assisting mum was Florence. She turned out to be a good cook as well as being handy on the sewing machine. Mum had her fair share of free time to visit her friends and to indulge occasionally on her card game called ‘chi kee’. She even managed to travel to Penang on several occassions to visit her adopted sister and family at Dato Kramat.
We all helped with the different household chores such as cutting wood keeping the yard clean making the beds, sweeping the house, etc. Bailing water from the well was a my main job.
The yard was our play area. Since we were not far from the school we would go there for games such as football or badminton.
Actually before we moved to the coconut grove we lived right opposite St Patrick School. The house was small and rested on stilts. I remember clearly what happened to me one day when I stepped on a four inch nail. I was in severe pain. When mum discovered what had happened she decided to make sure I would not contract tetanus. She got a neighbour , an Indian lady, to hold me down and she poured hot boiling oil on to the wound. You can imagine how painful it was and I yelled and screamed. I was fourteen then.
Next door to the house was a tobacco factory and we used to work part time in the afternoon to tear off the veins of the tobacco leaves for the rolling of cigars.
We loved Koey Teow (fried rice noodle). There was a stall in front of the cinema in town that produced the best fried noodle . We would ask the girl in charge to fry koey teow with the egg we had brought with us and to make sure it was done with lots of chilly. I still love the taste of it.
We loved cowboy films. Allan Ladd and John Wayne were my favourite stars. We enjoyed going to the movies and we would queue at the door of the cinema and as soon as the lights dimmed we would pass a twenty cent coin on to the ticket collector’s hand and slip into the dark hall to enjoy the show. All we wanted to see was the main feature , we didn’t bother much with the coming attractions and when the show started the whole audience would cheer and clap their hands in great excitement. During a fight we would cheer for the good guy to win. It was good fun .
Another favourite of mine was Tarzan. ‘Me Tarzan you Jane‘. I would repeat to myself.
I could drive at sixteen. Learnt it from a school buddy who was about my age. We used to go out in his van to install electrical wires in homes in the weekends. His older brother owned an electrical store. I remember helping him to wire part of an old cinema at Lunas about five miles (8km ) away from Kulim.
We had a few close friends. On one occasion we went to Taiping, Perak, for a short break. The next morning we attended mass at the local church. At collection time I dropped all the money I had in my pocket into the collection box and soon realized I had no money left to travel home. I was quite depressed. While walking along a street we met someone who happened to be on his way back to Kulim . He agreed to take me home after hearing my plight. Thus my so called generous deed was well rewarded.
My brother and I did well at school. I had two double promotions. Since St. Patrick’s did not have a form five I had to travel daily by bus to attend school at Bukit Mertajam. 1951 was the year I prepared myself for my Oversea’s School Certificate Examination. That same year I won a scholarship of 100 ringgit From the Penang Eurasian Association. I used that for traveling to Singapore for a holiday with mum and her relatives.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Imaging the dim past --- post war years
It was 1947 when we finally settled in Kulim. Life became normal again. We moved into a free standing, three bedroom, attap roofed, heavily weathered clapboard house set in a coconut grove not far from the town centre. The only source of water supply was a shallow well located in the kitchen area. The tiny room adjacent to the well was a bathroom. The huge clay jar used for storing water was filled several times a day by scooping the water from the well and emptying the content into it.
A bucket type dunny was located some distance outside the house. Moving in and out of the facility was in full view of the neighbors and passersby. We were young and we didn’t know what it was to feel embarrassed. We did not have any choice.
Electricity was the main source of lighting. The only complaint we had about the house was that the walls partitioning the rooms were not sound proof. A broad platform in the first room acted as a bed for the whole family. The second room had an iron bed with a pandanus mat placed over the wooden boards to smooth out the joints. The third bedroom belonged to the owner who was well over seventy years of age and looking very healthy.
A year or two later we had a radio which provided the main entertainment.
The half a dozen houses in the grove were placed haphazardly and the path that ran through the area was actually a winding bicycle track. Every now and then we could hear a thud and that reminded us that a coconut had dropped. Some of the palms were kept specifically for producing toddy, a potent intoxicating drink. It tasted sweet and made a pleasant drink when undiluted.
We remained in this house for approximately eight years. Time sped along silently Meantime dad lived and worked in Badenock Estate and we visited him during the holidays. Our first visit brought the two halves of the family together. That was the first time I was ever introduced to my half brothers, Teddy and Francis, who were then aged about five and three respectively. We got along well.
We joined St Patrick’s School which was under the management of the De La Salle Brothers. I was admitted to standard three at 14 years of age. Gilbert joined standard two. Florence was in the private section which functioned in the afternoon. My school leaving report stated that I did not partake in any sporting activities ( in actual fact the school did not provide any such activities). I was a patrol leader in the scout movement and I was also a prefect. I left the school in 1951. I had spent a total of three and a half years in the primary and three years in the secondary. I left St Pats to join B.M High School to do my Overseas School Certificate which I completed with a 2nd grade in 1952.
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It was 1947 when we finally settled in Kulim. Life became normal again. We moved into a free standing, three bedroom, attap roofed, heavily weathered clapboard house set in a coconut grove not far from the town centre. The only source of water supply was a shallow well located in the kitchen area. The tiny room adjacent to the well was a bathroom. The huge clay jar used for storing water was filled several times a day by scooping the water from the well and emptying the content into it.
A bucket type dunny was located some distance outside the house. Moving in and out of the facility was in full view of the neighbors and passersby. We were young and we didn’t know what it was to feel embarrassed. We did not have any choice.
Electricity was the main source of lighting. The only complaint we had about the house was that the walls partitioning the rooms were not sound proof. A broad platform in the first room acted as a bed for the whole family. The second room had an iron bed with a pandanus mat placed over the wooden boards to smooth out the joints. The third bedroom belonged to the owner who was well over seventy years of age and looking very healthy.
A year or two later we had a radio which provided the main entertainment.
The half a dozen houses in the grove were placed haphazardly and the path that ran through the area was actually a winding bicycle track. Every now and then we could hear a thud and that reminded us that a coconut had dropped. Some of the palms were kept specifically for producing toddy, a potent intoxicating drink. It tasted sweet and made a pleasant drink when undiluted.
We remained in this house for approximately eight years. Time sped along silently Meantime dad lived and worked in Badenock Estate and we visited him during the holidays. Our first visit brought the two halves of the family together. That was the first time I was ever introduced to my half brothers, Teddy and Francis, who were then aged about five and three respectively. We got along well.
We joined St Patrick’s School which was under the management of the De La Salle Brothers. I was admitted to standard three at 14 years of age. Gilbert joined standard two. Florence was in the private section which functioned in the afternoon. My school leaving report stated that I did not partake in any sporting activities ( in actual fact the school did not provide any such activities). I was a patrol leader in the scout movement and I was also a prefect. I left the school in 1951. I had spent a total of three and a half years in the primary and three years in the secondary. I left St Pats to join B.M High School to do my Overseas School Certificate which I completed with a 2nd grade in 1952.
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