Zulkifly Ab Latif embarks on an adventure into Sedili Besar's forgotten past, a time when Australian infantry units stood guard in pillboxes to defend Malaya at the onset of World War 2
AT a glance, the village of Mawai Lama is not much to write home about.
Located just 18km away from Kota Tinggi on the eastern coast of Johor, Mawai Lama presents itself as a landscape of oil palm plantations, swiftlet bird nest house farms, orchards and solitary kampung houses.
The village's main claim to fame is fresh water fishing, thanks to the nearby Sungai Sedili Besar.
Visitors to Mawai Lama are mostly anglers who either fish at the jetty of Mawai Lama or rent boats to go along the river to their preferred fishing spots.
From the carpark located next to a fishing and boat rental shop, I make my way not to the river but towards a concrete bunker covered in moss and foliage less than a hundred metres away.
The structure is a World War Two (WW2) pillbox, a type of reinforced concrete building used by British soldiers to defend a position.
Scanning the relic, I turn towards Karthik Karutiah, a Kota Tinggi-based nature guide.
"The overgrowth is bigger than what's in that picture," I tell Karthik.
I am referring to a picture of the pillbox used by the tourism division of South East Johor Development Authority (Kejora) for an online contest, which is supposedly to promote the location.
THE DUE FACE OFF
Without much context to the picture, which turns out be a seven-year-old photo, I reached out to Karthik for a visit here to satisfy my piqued curiosity at this forgotten relic of the nation's past.
With the entrance to the pillbox completely covered by the overgrowth, we return back to Karthik's car to get our parang to clear the vegetation.
It's here that Karthik introduces me to Gee and Eddy, the owners of the nearby fishing and boat rental shop near the jetty.
Aptly named Usaha Pengail or The Fisherman's Effort, the shop has been in business for nearly 22 years, providing boats for anglers to travel the length of Sungai Sedili Besar.
Gee, who is the more talkative of the two, accompanies us back to the old pillbox as if curious to see why I am so interested in it.
As I hack and slash away at the vegetation covering the door of the pillbox, Gee tells us of many similar pillboxes lying forgotten along the banks of Sedili Besar.
He tells us of one particularly unique and large pillbox, far larger than the one we are standing at, located further in the jungle along the river and a few kilometres away.
"It was years ago when I last saw it but, trust me, it's big," says Gee.
Hooked, I immediately ask him if he could take us there for a visit, which Gee immediately agrees to.
NIGHT AT THE BAY
All set for the morrow's expedition, Karthik and I set out to Teluk Mahkota Beach some 27km away.
Sprawled along a 12km long coastline south of Tanjung Sedili, Teluk Mahkota is a public beach popular for picnics and beach side camping.
Rows of neatly-lined casuarina trees not only add charm to the beach but are also the perfect place for me to hang a tarp and a hammock to spend the night.
With public amenities such as a public bathroom and even food stalls, Teluk Mahkota is the best choice for us for some frugal accomodation, seeing that most of the funds for this trip are now set aside for boat rental and guide fees tomorrow's expedition.
Even though our trip is on a shoe-string budget, dinner is a feast of fresh crabs bought from the nearby village of Sedili Besar.
Grilled simply on one of the public barbeque pits built by the local authorities, the succulent and sweet meat of the crabs speaks volumes of the abundance of seafood in the Sedili Besar area, particularly the large basin area of the river that empties out into the South China Sea.
Along with Gee and Eddy, a large number locals here make a living as fishermen, making the area of Sedili synonymous with fresh and affordable seafood.
INTO THE WILD
After a hearty breakfast at the small town of Sedili Kechil, we make our way back to the jetty of Mawai Lama for the scheduled visit.
At their shop, Gee and Eddy are busy cleaning the morning's catch, which interestingly consists of the prized arowana along with catfish and hampalas.
Looking at the catch, I begin to understand how rich the ecosystem of the river here is, and why anglers in the know are willing to come visit, even from other states.
After what seems like hours of waiting, but in reality is just less than half an hour, Gee is finally ready to take us on our adventure into Sedili Besar's forgotten past.
With really good weather, the boat ride is a smooth and steady stroll down the river. Karthik, with his nature guide background, even manages to spot a few migratory birds along the river banks such as egrets and herons.
Gee suddenly stops the engine and lets the boat glide closer to the bank.
He steers the boat to take us to one of the pillboxes he has been raving about.
Similar to the one near the jetty of Mawai Lama but a little bit closer to the river, I begin to see how the British planned to defend the river and surrrounding areas if the Japanese had made their way out from sea and into the Sedili Besar river mouth.
As history has it, the Japanese instead invaded Malaya using the main trunk road of the peninsula from the north, making the pillboxes here redundant.
As we have unanimously agreed that we should concentrate on finding the largest pillbox instead of visiting all the smaller ones, we speed towards its location guided only by Gee's memory.
At 55 years old, Gee seems eager and nervous to rediscover the spot he visited during his youth.
Scanning the river banks, he finally decides that we are at the right spot to disembark.
We are now roughly 12km away from our point of departure at Mawai Lama.
Armed with our parang, we clear a path from the river bank deeper into the mangrove forest, occasionally stopping here and there as Gee tries to remember the pillbox's location.
It feels like we are going around in
circles, peering past leaves and tree branches to spot any signs of a building or structure.
With the afternoon sun and humidity of the mangrove forest slowly sapping at our energy, we take a short break.
"No pressure, Gee. I will just mention in the newspaper that you couldn't remember where the pillbox is," I tell him in an attempt to loosen things up.
He gives out a hearty laugh, taking away the tension from our situation.
THE 2/26 BATTALION
Close to calling it quits after more hacking and slashing our way through the forest, we come across a clearing.
Gee tells me that he thinks we are close. Indeed, within our sight is a large rectangular concrete structure, far bigger than the other pillboxes we have seen.
Built with tall narrow windows and walls close to 33cm thick with an elevated viewing tower standing in the middle of its interior, the pillbox is unlike any other that I have seen in Malaysia.
The thick steel door and ladders for the tower are long gone, perhaps stolen by locals looking for scrap metal years ago.
Even so, the interior of the building is almost pristine with not so much a weed or moss growing on the floors or walls.
But what is on the walls is far more surprising as Karthik shines his smartphone light on them. Faded and scribbled unto the bare cement with pencil are graffiti left by soldiers who stood guard here during the onset of WW2 almost 80 years ago.
Being somewhat of an amature war buff, I can feel goosebumps on my skin as I try to make sense of the writings on the wall.
I make out an English surname and some alphabets and numbers, realising that some of the writings are actually the names and enlistment numbers of the soldiers stationed here.
Making out one of the scribbles, I could see "Brosnan, 2/26 Battalion, AIF, Malaya and QX14483".
Later through a search on Australian Government's Department of Veteran's Affairs portal, I discover the existence of a man named William James Brosnan who was born at Mount Morgan, Queensland, on June 22, 1909, and had enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force on July 17, 1940.
Scanning other writings, I also discover an Edward John Murphy from Queensland with the service number QX17122, enlisted into the AIF on July 22, 1940.
Feeling overwhelmed, I realise that Gee has led us to a bunker with detailed historical records still intact on the walls, which I have never seen on any other WW2-era pillboxes around the country.
Here, written on the walls are proof that soldiers from the 2/26 Battalion, an infantry unit of the Australian army, had stood guard during the onset of WW2 in Malaya.
Looking at Karthik and Gee, I tell them that this place needs to be preserved and be let known, since it is an important historical heritage of the area and the country.
Gee seems somewhat a bit unsure of the historical significance of what I tell him but agrees wholeheartedly when Karthik says it is also an interesting tourism attraction if conserved properly.
Whatever type of conservation it is, I hesitate to comment further, realising that these pillboxes should be given due attention by field experts and military historians.
Personally, the pillboxes of Sedili Besar are now one of my best cherished adventures exploring Malaysia's past.
HOW TO GET THERE
KAMPUNG Mawai Lama is located 17km away from Kota Tinggi, the main town in Kota Tinggi District. Teluk Mahkota Beach, on the other hand, is 40km away from town.
WHERE TO STAY
Other than hammock camping at Teluk Mahkota, try the village resort of Kampung Sayang.
A fairly new establishment complete with a mini waterpark, the resort has a collection of modern rustic chalets and is halfway between Mawai Lama and Teluk Mahkota beach.
WHAT TO DO
Guided historic tours to the WW2 pillboxes and along Sungai Sedili Besar can be arranged with Karthik Karutiah, a licensed nature guide based in Kota Tinggi. Contact him at 019-767 6605 for more information.
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