Waller Court Project

The project site was opened in August 1960 named after E. G. Waller, chairman of the Ipoh Town Council from 1959 to 1962. it was completed by the Public Works Department in 19 months, and ceremoniously opened by Mrs Waller in May of 1962, presided over by D. R. Seenivasagam, Ipoh Town Councillor & MP - a champion of the under-privileged.

Laid out on a gentle curve, Waller Court comprises 536 units in seventeen Blocks of four storey flats. Staggered blocks form T-annexes, it sits on a long strip of land over 1500m long and 30m wide. The blocks are linked at all levels by covered walkways and foot bridges. One can leave their flat to go to the shops on the ground level without getting wet, theoretically. On the ground level covered spaces flow into adjacent lawns, a car park or a play area.

The structure is reinforced concrete, with cross walls of 4-1/2” reinforced concrete load-bearing wall throughout. As the first social housing project for Ipoh it deserves its place as an important architectural heritage of the city. It borders the D. R. Seenivasagam Park, the green lung of Ipoh.

HL / 10 Nov 18

Waller Court Flats – Potential For Business Start Ups

Waller Court 

Met with YB Tan Kar Heng recently and was privy to an update on the half century old Waller Court flat.

“We are finalizing the ownership issue of Waller Court with the State Secretary Incorporated. We have informed the new Secretary Zainal Azman and hoped to get his endorsement soon possibly before December”.

Tan added with the endorsement we can then carry out our pilot project which is 3 blocks of *business incubation start-ups with young artists and entrepreneurs.

 

YB Tan (centre) with YB Howard Lee at a recent walkabout at Waller Court

He also let on that he is working with architects and designers mentioning popular landscape architect Ng Sek San.

Google defined “*Business Incubation as a unique and highly flexible combination of business development processes, infrastructure and people, designed to nurture and grow new and small businesses by supporting them through the early stages of development and change”

Waller Court flats was built in 1962. It consists of 500 flats with 36 shop lots housed within 17 blocks and was catered to Ipoh’s inner city residents many of whom were from the lower income group.

 

Waller Court "live-work apartments suited to 'creative-class' of artists and entrepreneurs"

Impressive, 3 blocks to be used as start-ups. Its close proximity to Taman DR  garden and the Kinta riverfront could possibly turn it into an artist colony of sorts and maybe take some traffic away from Old Town eventually. Time will tell.

James Gough

Graphics. Courtesy of Perak Tourism

Daulat Tuanku

Kinta Valley Geopark - Malaysia’s 2nd National Geopark

Gunung Lang, one of 18 identified geo-sites named in the Park

This was an historic, absolutely ecstatic week simply because my Kinta Valley has been declared a National Geopark.

Yes the place where I grew up and which I declared long ago as my playground has been declared the Kinta Valley Geopark by Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin, what an honor.

Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin declared Kinta Valley a national geopark

The event was held at Gunung Lang Recreational Park amidst cool rain-trees and quarried limestone outcrops was an appropriate location reflecting the history of the Kinta Valley, its rape of its geology for the riches of mining tin and in later years quarried again for its limestone.    

 The Geopark is spread over two districts, the Kinta and Kampar districts and covers an area of 1,952 kilometers.

Other geo-sites. The rapids of Sungai Kampar, caves of Gua Tempurung ......

....cave drawings of Tambun Cave and Ulu Kinta Forest Reserve

A total of 18 geo-sites have been located in area, These include Gunung Lang, the fascinating Tambun Cave with its cave drawing, the massive and cavernous Tempurung Cave, the eco-adventure Rapids Kampar River, the Forest Reserve of Ulu Kinta are among the attractions within the park.

The best part is that these geo-sites are literally a stones throw away from Ipoh. Should tourism Perak market these products, and it’s just a matter of time, then the visitors stay will be extended to three of four days instead of the current 2 days.

State Tourism Chairman  Tan Kar Hing said the Geopark will fall under the management of Perak State Park Corporation

State Tourism Committee Chairman Tan Kar Hing said the Geopark will be placed under the management and observation of the Perak State Park Corporation (PSPC) with plans to form a Perak Tourism Action Council to support the PSPC in managing and preserving the identified heritage locations

Tan added that the Kinta and Kampar districts are suitable to be developed into a Geo-trail in order to attract both local and foreign tourists.

Sultan Nazrin greeted by Jean Yves Clement, Plant Manager at Lafarge Cement ....

Gunung Kanthan lies within Lafarge Kanthan Cement 

Fantastic. Cameron Highlands have jungle trails and Kinta Geopark will have geo-trails. Thoughts of hiking through geo-trails with mountainous jungle trails and clear rivers before maneuvering through caves and ending the day in a tree house sounds like a fascinating getaway. 

  

Well we shall see how Tourism Perak moves on from here. As several tour operators said at the launch only time will tell.

Me, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

JAG

MBI Negligence Created Illegal Dumpsite - Ipoh Garden East Resident’s Complain

The dumpsite at the junction of Persiaran Perajurit 1 and Lebuh Perajurit 1

Residents of Ipoh Garden East are at their wits end. Due to the negligence of MBI’s late clearing of rubbish specifically located at the junction of Persiaran Perajurit 1 and Lebuh Perajurit 1 has now created an illegal dumpsite and threatens to get worse if nothing is done soon.

 

Resident claims 'MBI cut the hedges and dumped it at the roadside for months'

One of the residents wrote to this blog and said “the side of my house is like a junk Yard. The MBI cut the hedges and just dumped it on the roadside for months. People now throw house hold rubbish on this dump site. Trees n bushes in the drains are not clean.  Who do I to complain to?” screamed the resident.

Another resident complained that MBI workers had “come to clear the drains of our house and neighbors on 16 October just lately. MBI also piled up what they had cleared and dumped it at roadside dumps. A few days later people came to dump household rubbish there”.

A typical scenario of how an illegal dumpsite is created only in this instance it is created by MBI.

Timely intervention by MBI is needed here before the dumpsite increases in size.

JAG

October: Month of the Holy Rosary

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Members of BEC St Joseph Area 25 congregate to Pray the Rosary.

Children Helping Children – A Children’s Mass

Whenever we have a children’s mass it always turns out nicely. And similarly the children’s mass last Sunday 21 October was great.

Even the sermon by Fr Paul Kee incorporated a cartoon to get the message through with an underlying message for the adults too......

but there is an attention span ....

The readers, ministers and choir were made up of children and .......

..........they even put out a short presentation at thanksgiving.

...and then it was over and they were blessed and received a token 

... a little show of cheekiness

Now if only we could end the year with a lively youth mass that would be a a blessing.

JAG