Ipoh Has A PEACE GALLERY - 'We Should Forgive but We Must Not Forget'.

(l/r) Professor Gary Lit, the Peace Gallery, appreciation plaques and Gary's book'If the Sky were to Fall' 

Ipoh has a Peace Gallery and it was initiated by none other than Professor Gary Lit Ying Loong. According to him "'we should forgive but we must not forget.  The price of war is peace. We don’t want to repeat it and that is reason I have set up this gallery is to uphold peace"

For information, Gary was born in Kampar, is a historian and a visiting professor in universities in Asia and Europe. In the last two years he has been giving talks to schools and NGO’s in the Kinta Valley about the Japanese occupation and interviewing WWII survivors and getting their stories told in the printed media. During his school talks he uses graphics to capture the students’ interest and has received requests by students to take them to the site of ‘The Battle of Kampar’.

And to cap it all he has a book to show for his passion, “If the Sky were to Fall” to tell us more of the Japanese atrocities and the emergency years. 

The launch of the Peace Gallery. (l/r) Dato Gan Tack Kong, Mdm Moy Ooi Thye, Dr Ting Cheh Sing, Datin Yeoh Kian Teik, Professor Gary Lit, Dato Irene Lee, Chik Mun Ling, Pauline Chew and Marcus Ooi Kean Giap

The Peace Gallery’s soft launch was held on 24th August at 6pm. Located upstairs of 29 Jalan Leong Sin Nam, Ipoh it is  devoted to fostering peace and understanding through culture, memory, and dialogue. Rooted in Ipoh and the Kinta Valley’s wartime past, the gallery preserves a largely forgotten heritage , silent tombstones, abandoned sites, and untold stories, to shape a more peaceful future.

To emphasise the tragedy of war Gary introduced his special guest 97 year old Datin Yeoh Kian Teik who was witness to 4 wars since she was 10 years old.

...'war must be avoided...' Datin Yeoh Kian Teik 

Her first experience was when she was ten. The Japanese had invaded Shanghai and were bombing the city shaking the rice bowls during mealtimes. Her mother was persuaded to leave. The family bought the last few tickets for a ship to Singapore. Later she arrived in Ipoh, Malaya and enrolled for school but the Japanese followed  and soon was WWII. After the war in 1947 she enrolled with the American St Johns University in Shanghai China. Then it was a civil war between Mao Tse Tung of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chiang Kai Shek and the Kuomintang. Hence it was back to Malaya which was her 4th war the Malayan Emergency.

"Those were terrible times during the Japanese occupation. They would slaughter people and would chop off their heads and display it outside the central market. I would not take the route after that. Now Gary has requested me to relive those day. I do it to establish the fact that war must be avoided and establish civilisation so we can prevent such thing to happen again".

Datin Yeoh Kian Teik 97 was assisted upstairs by her daughter Yeoh Chee Koon (in purple) then greeted by Professor Gary  

..an overview of the upstairs gallery

Gary against his display of his newspaper contributions

Gary with the YLCO group

......celebrating with Cakes  ....

such Lovely Ladies ....

Schools were present. St Michaels Institution and Ave Maria Convent 

Will this Peace Gallery become another tourist attraction in New Town besides food in future?

JAG

 

The Yeoh Hong Seng Fountain Was Donated To Ipoh Municipal Council

The circus is at the Junction of Jalan Chamberlain/ Jln CM Yusuff and Jalan Bendahara. Pix A.Law

I was sent this photo of the Yeoh Hong Seng fountain with the billboard of YB Nga Kor Meng and Councillor Wong Kar Keat erected for the Hari Kebangsaan and the Malaysia Day celebrations. It is timely as the celebration is a week away.

'Waktu Operasi Air Pancut???'  Pix A. Law

However there was another billboard with a ‘scheduled operation times of the water fountain’ erected together. The water fountain situated at the junction of Jalan Bendahara and Jalan Chamberlain/ Jln CM Yusuff has not been operational for many years.

This fountain was in fact donated to the Ipoh Municipality by the family of Yeoh Hong Seng (YHS) who owned the hardware shop Ban Guan Hin then. It was an event when launched with VIPs and the families in attendance.

'Yeoh Hong Seng' name on the fountain ....

YHS was the nephew of Yeoh Khuan Joo (YKJ). Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh is the great granddaughter of Yeoh Khuan Joo while Sri Maju Bus Group is owned by the family of YKJ and is situated next to the YHS fountain. The Yeoh’s are a prominent family in Ipoh.

Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, Sri Maju Bus Group and Ignatius Chew' letter .. are related to Yeohs

In 2019 Ignatius Chew the grandson of Yeoh Khuan Joo and curator of YLCO Museum made a request to MBI reinstate the name of his grand uncle and again followed up in 2023 but till today it remains undone. 

Last December Mayor Dato' Rumaizi Baharin approved the naming of Bulatan Dato’ Lau Pak Khuan at Ipoh Garden. Perhaps YB Nga Kor Meng as the Minister for Housing and Local Government could initiate to reinstate the name and also revive this Yeoh Hong Seng fountain and make it a heritage landmark of the communitys' contribution to Ipoh.

KC

I Joined The Altar Servers To Play Football – Then Became A Priest For 45 Years – Fr Joseph Stephens

 

Fr Joseph Stephen on his 45th Anniversary of Ordination

Fr Joseph Stephens 45th anniversary was a grand affair. All his Redemptorist brothers were there concelebrating with fellow priests from the Penang Diocese.  There were parishoners from Singapore, Johore, Seremban and Kuala Lumpur and his home town who came to celebrate his anniversary. It had all the elements of a joyful affair.

..the visitors from Singapore, Johore, Negeri Sembilan .......

In his sermon Fr Joe said he had no inclination to become a priest. In 1968 he only wanted to play football for the altar servers. His friend told him he would have to join the altar servers first.

He did and every Saturday onwards he would have to sit through 5 Novena sessions, 2 in the morning and 3 in the evening at the Redemptorist Monastery at 31 Tambun Road.

He discovered that Redemptorist priest were very good at repeating themselves. However he found their sermons were inspirational preachings and this point in time had considered becoming a redemptorist.

 After 2 years he applied to join the priesthood and was accepted in March 1970. Over for the next 10 years he lived in Singapore, India and Penang learning the structured life of a Redemptorist coming home only on vacations. "My training was lot of changes and challenges to what God was asking of me".

On August 3, 1980 at the 8.30am mass at OMPH Church he was ordained by Bishop Soter Fernandez.

Fr Joe started working in OMPH Parish in 1984. The parish was growing with a lot of young people were moving into the new housing estates eg Ipoh garden south and east. The parish was alive and growing with different ministries. It was a challenging time.I am grateful for the lay ministries. Without them I could do 10% of the work, with them I achieved 99%. There was much to do.. cathechism, RCIA, preparation for marriage, baptism, visiting the elderly all are done by the laity. 

As such I am grateful and blessed for these talented parishioners who are able to work with the priest. "There isn’t a perfect parish anywhere in the world. God only asked us to build parishes and parishioners and the bishop entrusted us to run it."...Fr Joe.

45th anniversary cake 

(l/r) Fr Francis Xavier, Our Lady of Fatima, Kangar, Perlis, Fr Konstend Gnanapragasam [Asst PP Church of St Joseph, Batu Gajah],  Fr Michael Raymond, Church of Divine Mercy, Penang, Fr Eugene Fernandez CSsR, Fr Surain Durai Raj [College General Penang],Fr Cyril Manayagam [College General Penang],Fr Esmond Chua, OFM [PP Gereja Katolik Risen Christ, Penang],Fr Antony Prabhu, CSsR, Fr Joseph Stephen CSsR, Fr Dominic Santhiyagu [PP Church of the Nativity of the BVM, Butterworth, Penang],Fr Ryan Innas Muthu.[College General, Penang], Fr Victor Louis [PP Church of Christ the King, Sg Petani, Kedah], Fr Paul Kee CSsR, Fr Michael Dass [PP Church of St Joseph, Batu Gajah],Fr Patrick Massang CSsR. Missing Fr Phillip Lai, CSsR.

the dinner after mass

..and fellowship

the Lay Ministry ...with them i manage more .....

....God only asked us to build parishes and parishioners......good job Fr Joe.

JAG

The Forgotten Railway of Kinta Valley by Ansell Tan

Ansell Tan, Producer and an early photo of 'The Forgotten Railway'

I finally saw it ‘The Forgotten Railway of Kinta Valley’ produced by Ansell Tan. The screening was organised by the Perak Academy and held at 1 Jalan Lasam. 

Its a very well produced documentary with a glimpse of the towns on the way to Tronoh and the placement of community services eg post office, police station and market in close proximity to the railway stations. It was arranged that way by the British colonialist. A lovely glimpse into the past history of the 6 mining towns... all to transport people and take out the ‘Black Gold’ ie Tin.

..some early insights to .....

....a time gone by ......

(l/r) Dato' Abdul Rahim, Ansell Tan, Dato' Dr Ramanathan Ramiah and Adib Vincent Tung 

 JAG

My mid-morning ride ....And A Perfect Jalur Gemilang

My Jalur Gemilang .......

 I changed my cycling time from evening to mid morning to get my Vitamin D and was pleasantly surprised there was more activity. 

A current topic now was our Jalur Gemilang. I saw a young lady putting the flag and asked if i could take a pix and she said it was ok. She even held on to JG for a clear shot. Thank you Miss.

..houses looked bright and crisp ...

....the flowers too looked cheery ..... 

...so too with the gardens ......

It was a nice morning

KC

Sybil Kartigasu 'The Forgotten Heroine' Gets More Exposure

Sybil Karthigasu the Eurasian nurse and the only Malayan woman to have received the George Medal for Gallantry will now receive more exposure with a TikTok video of her heroism.

Title: The Forgotten Heroine

I received this forwarded video ten days ago about the time when the BM version ‘No Dram of Mercy’ was launched. The video explains the situation at the time though it missed several important facts. It also does not state the producer. But it does provide a wider exposure to enable Sybil to gain a wider audience.  

A year ago Cardinal Sebastian Francis, bishop of Penang, had called for the beatification and canonization of Sybil Kathigasu describing her as a heroine who protected and nursed local anti-Japanese resistance fighters during the war. 

This year her memoirs “No Dram of Mercy” has been translated into a Bahasa Malaysia by translator Fahmi Mustaffa again gaining her greater exposure. Ipohites were invited to the BM launch with Cardinal Francis in late July at St Michael’s Church, Ipoh.

(l/r) Translator Fahmi Mustaffa receives a token of appreciation from Cardinal Francis, Kenangan Luka the BM book and Sybil's book No Dram of Mercy. 

Sybil’s memoirs are now in four languages English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil and soon in French.

Hopefully it will get the attention of the state authorities as her incarceration and torture was at Papan, Perak. Tourism Perak any takers?

JAG

#Fahmi Mustaffa, # Kenangan Luka, # Sybil Karthigasu,