Old Charm of the Pearl of the Orient

15.6.10

THE CITY OF GEORGE TOWN, PENANG - (1ST JANUARY 1957)

the said Municipality of George Town shall on the First Day of January in the Year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and fifty seven and forever thereafter be a city and shall be called and styled the CITY OF GEORGE TOWN instead of the Municipality of George Town and shall thenceforth have all such rank, liberties, privileges and immunities as are incident to a city." - Queen Elizabeth II

I think I will do something different. Why not just put up pictures of old Penang? Anyway, a picture paints a hundred words! On the left is the clock tower, which is situated near the PPC Complex.

I think it was erected in 1897 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria of England. It must be one of the most photographed sites in Penang as those days passenger and naval ships from many parts of the world used to stop and its passengers disembark at this complex. This monument was the first to greet them with periodic chime ala Big Ben! I remember passing this umpteen times as a primary school student walking to the bus terminal (when it used to be Downing Street, yes! there have a Downing St in Penang too.) Incidentally, some senior cyclists are planning to cycle all the way from Penang to London, and their tag line is from 1, Downing St. to 10, Downing St.!

If we remember our history, the area around the port was the most densely populated and busiest part of the island. Many multinational companies, banks and godowns were situated here.

I think the tall Moorish building on the right used to ABN-Amro bank. Just beside it in the background was the Mercantile bank, where Appa used to work from the age of 16 till he retired at 57! Of course, Mercantile Bank was later bought over by HSBC.

Barkath Stores, the famous uptown departmental store which used to sell foodstuff from the UK. Of course, we cannot forget the legendary Hacks cough droplets with the picture of the bald old man packed by this company. (Something like Robinson and its historical link with the development of Kuala Lumpur).

Other notable landmarks are the Cornwallis Fort near old Esplanade (upper left and below right)

and Capitan Keling Mosque in Pitt Street (left). The area around this mosque is where the brisk money-changing and jewellery businesses thrived.

Their Hindu compatriots also lived around there harmoniously in
spite of the turmoil back in their
country of origin. The second and third generations of these dwellers treat Malaysia as their home. Many Hindus frequently used to frequent the mosque to consult a healer for his revered holy water (Air Zam Zam).
Two Armenian brothers started this hotel on the right (E&O Hotel). At the height of British hegemony in Malaya, E&O was the hip and happening rendezvous for the expatriates. Once a month, when the British cargo disembarked with mail and supplies (inc. wines and spirits) in the Penang port, it was party time!

About 200 metres from this site was a place (at the junction of Northam Rd) where S.M. Muthu once lived with his 2nd wife and 2 kids. His neighbour was an Indian family who allegedly left France on their small trawler boat and reached the shore of Penang! On the left is how I came to know of the existence of Northam Rd. Look how shady and serene it looks. No wonder the Kedah Sultanate has a bungalow there!
Penang was quite a happening place in the pre-Merdeka era. Being one of the British Settlement States and proclaimed as the first city in Malaya on 1st January 1957, it was somewhat like Shanghai in the 30s with lots of activities.

Penang Road was adjacent to the Prangin Canal, where many trawlers used to bring in their produce for trade. Above is Boston Pub, the first rooftop restaurant in Penang. Penang Bazaar (below left) houses small stalls selling bargain goods. Also named 'Jual Murah' by the locals, it was a usual haunt for Deepavali shopping. It, however, cannot be classified as 'cheap'.

You can see the hive of activities surrounding Penang Road. Chowrasta (Hindi, Char Rasta, the meeting point of 4 streets) market was the busiest market in Penang, overlooking the Central Police Station. Many Penangites will have sweet memories of watching movies at the Cathay cinema. Appa took me there once when I was a pre-schooler. Upon returning home, Amma immediately knew that we had gone to the movies! How? Those days smoking was totally acceptable in the cinemas, and all patrons will come out smelling like an ashtray! As a teenager, I remember watching 'The Champ' and 'Kramer vs Kramer' here. This picture above must have been taken around the end of the 1950s. (Anastasia was released in 1956)

Odeon Theatre, on Penang Rd overlooking Chulia St., Watched Tamil movies there once overnight for Vaikunda Ekadasi. Normally they only screen Hong Kong movies.

Penang had advanced public transportation. It had tram services and later electric buses.

1958 shot of the ferry lower deck

When you talk of Penang and its transportation, you cannot forget its ferry service and once dedicated staff.

Some more sceneries for you to drool on... and yearn for the good old days... 

Yet another serene road, this time at Macalister Rd. One of the richest Indian entrepreneur in Penang (NTS Arumugam) had a bungalow on this road. This road is part of the route for the Thaipusam chariot, probably to honour this philanthropist.

This spot below with the swaying coconut tree is in Batu Ferringhi. It is also known as Miami Beach, only no Don Johnson, no Miami-Tate PD, no Miami Vice and no Lt. Horatio Caine (of CSI Miami). This spot was seriously wounded by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami wave.

Joyful monkeys entertaining fellow descendants of the same family tree (in Botanical Gardens).

  

The building that used to be called Supreme Court Building. After Merdeka and decentralisation,
it now houses the Penang High Court.

Below (right) is a view of the bygone era when Residency Road (Resident-General's bungalow was sited).
Now, it is a stream of cars on a one-way street.

A view of Botanical Gardens (a.k.a. Waterfall)

The High Court as it is now, after refurbishment!

Clockwise from above is a trendy lady posing on a trishaw which is sine-na-quon of Penang tourism. Check out her tiger-eyed spectacles, which are frequently depicted in Lat's cartoons! (As a fierce teacher or henpecking wife!). At her background must be the General Hospital of Penang. In the centre is the Moon Gate which is the gateway to hikers climbing up Penang Hill. I had participated in many of these hikes with the Boys Brigade, Red Crescent and Interact Club. It was also a legitimate gateway for both sexes to mingle! Hutchings School, named after Rev. Hutchings, who started the Penang Free School, is the primary school I attended. It is at the site of the old PFS building adjacent to the State Museum and the Supreme Court. On the left is Peel Avenue, with its unmistakable row of palm trees lining the sides. It has not changed much.

When I was small, I remember being brought to a Pather (Sundara Pather, Indian Jeweler) shop, and I was fascinated by the revolving neon lights on the KDK billboard (seen here on the right). I wonder if it is still there! On the left are pre-war buildings lining Chulia St.

Here, the State Museum stands majestically on Farquhar St. When I was in Primary School, we made a trip (just a long walk) here. While looking around the artefacts, guess who was also there? Appa!

This is the entrance to St. George's church, our school neighbour. Besides being a playing haven for school children, it was also a haunt for some shady characters and vagabonds. After all, it is a church; it is open to all, friends and foe alike. This is also where Sasi and Sweeny solemnized their wedding.

 This view is not from Fiji or Hawaii but from Penang's backyard in the pre-Merdeka days.

This is a snapshot of a Buddhist temple in Pulau Tikus, but it is located in Burmah Rd. 

Not on an island (pulau) and not a haven for the piped piper!

  

What is Penang without the ferry service? And the ferries servicing this route have not changed since the 1960s.

Penang Swimming Club in Tanjung Bungah, which is a frequent hangout for the well-heeled Penangites. 

A few hundred metres before this is located the Chinese Swimming Club, where PFS has its annual swimming meet.

This must a snapshot from the Penang Hill Hindu temple, overlooking the workers' quarters.

An old advertisement for Malayan Airways. Interestingly it later became MSA, and when Malaysia separated from Singapore, there was a debate on its name. The Malaysian Airlines System (MAS) was chosen over MalAir, which sounded like 'Bad Air"!

In the same vein, the National Award 'Tan Sri' was given instead of 'Tan', which was conferred in the Malacca sultanate. Tunku reiterated that if Mr Tan received such an award, he would be addressed Tan Tan, and Mr Dass received it; he would be called Tan Das (lavatory)!

Collection of Penang bus tickets. We used to play with these tickets as children in our make-believe buses.

These days, a rare sight to see Malay girls donning the baju kebaya, which was popularised by Saloma (P. Ramlee's 3rd wife). The outfit helped her to flaunt her hourglass appearance. Sadly, she succumbed to breast cancer, just like Rose Chan, another icon of the '60s. Before the Iranian Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Renaissance, Malays were more outgoing. We had many beauty pageants participated by them. In 1978, the Ms Malaysia award went to a Ms Yasmin Yusoff (below left pix, 2nd from left), who later woke most Malaysians on the Radio 4 breakfast show.

Finally, a picture of 1970 Ms Universe semifinalist. Did you know that Malaysian Ms Josephine Lena Wong Jaw Leng was short-listed as the semifinalist that year? Seen here standing, 2nd from the left.

* The last few photos have nothing to do with the old charm of Penang, but I decided to include it anyway as it involves the charm of the old days. These charming ladies must be in their golden years now! A little bit of self-indulgence does not hurt, I suppose!