A CURIOUS thing happened to me a few days before the New Year. School friends with whom I have lost contact some 50 years ago came back into my life. These friends were from two schools in two locations. To my surprise, they contacted me at about the same time.
Why now, I wonder. I put it down to the common belief that life goes in a cycle. People tend to go back to their early years before they kick the bucket, so to speak. But I like to consider the reconnection to childhood friends as a blessing. And it is bringing so much joy to me in my golden years.
My old friends traced me through Facebook. We chatted almost daily through the two schools’ WhatsApp groups.
One of the things that you could do when you reconnect with your childhood friends is that you can say silly things all over again or talk about nothing in particular at all. You tease, you banter, you ramble and scold even. You reminisce about the past, recall old memories, and play songs popular in your teenage years.
Revisiting the old times is like going back to your hometown where you once lived. And I have lived in six places from birth up to my school years in Perak. My family moved where my father, a government servant, was transferred to — from Trong (near Taiping) to Kampar, Parit Buntar, Tanjung Tualang, Gopeng and Ipoh.
Remembering these places now has triggered an idea to find again the nooks and crannies that were once my playgrounds. It will be great to rediscover each spot in one long sentimental journey and relive those carefree childhood moments.
The school groups that contacted me were from Sekolah Menengah Rendah Tanjung Tualang (now known as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato’ Bendahara C. M. Yusuf), and Methodist Secondary School, Parit Buntar.
Tanjung Tualang is popular for its udang galah segar (freshwater prawns) so it is known as Pekan Udang Galah. Seafood restaurants here attract foodies from as far as Johor and Singapore.
Nothing much has changed in this once major tin-mining town. Following the collapse of the tin mining industry, miners abandoned the mining pools. Locals turned these into freshwater prawn or fish farms.
I lived in Tanjung Tualang for only one year, completing Form Three there in 1969. My stays in the other towns were also short ranging from a year to four years, except Parit Buntar where I lived for five years from late 1963 (the year Malaysia was formed) to 1968. That’s why Parit Buntar holds some of the fondest memories of my teenage years.
Located in the Kerian district on the northwestern tip of Perak, Parit Buntar is one of the main rice bowls of the state.
My old house in Simpang Tiga, which had been demolished to make way for the new office of the district’s Penghulu (headman), was next to a paddy field and fronting a parit (northern Malay word for large drain).
I recall that Parit Buntar is named after a local leader, Tok Buntar, who was famous back in the day when he led the building of an extensive drainage system in the rice-growing area. The paddy planters used water from Sungai Kerian, the main river in the area, to irrigate their fields. The main drain was named Parit Tok Buntar. Later the surrounding areas prospered into a town, and named Parit Buntar.
Having a population of nearly 200,000 today, it straddles the borders of Bandar Baharu in Kedah and Nibong Tebal in Penang.
Parit Buntar’s paddy fields are a sight to behold. When the plants are young, the fields are a sea of green. When it’s nearing harvesting time, the landscape bursts with golden hues.
I used to cycle around to enjoy the sights of the fields. Sometimes, I would join my grandmother to fish from the parit in front of my house. There was plenty of ikan sepat and ikan keli, which are common freshwater fish.
On schooldays, I cycled or took the bus to my school at Jalan Sekolah near town. The Methodist Secondary School holds the record for being the town’s oldest English-language school, dating back to more than a century ago. It was also once known as the Anglo Chinese School. It started with seven students in 1907 at its original location in Jalan Sungai, before moving to a few other locations to accommodate a growing number of students. In 1936 when the number reached more than 300 students, the school moved to Jalan Maxwell (now Jalan Sekolah). This was where I started to get early impressions of life. friendships, competitive spirit, fiery debates and dramas, teacher crushes, puppy love and heartbreaks.
The old part of Parit Buntar town was also my playground. It centred on the town’s main landmark, the Clock Tower, as well as the banks of Sungai Kerian. This river and Parit Buntar came into the spotlight during the 1972 ferry tragedy. The ferry that plied between Parit Buntar and Bandar Baharu capsized and sank during heavy rain around 6.30am on Sept 13 that year, killing 27 passengers, mainly schoolchildren travelling in a school van. There were about 40 people on the ferry at that time.
The ferry was a steel barge attached to a winch using steel cables that moved it across the river. Its size was large enough to carry vehicles, including cars and vans. After the ferry started moving towards Parit Buntar, the steel cables snapped, causing the ferry to tilt and sink.
It was a black chapter in the town’s history. Following the tragedy, the town authorities suspended the ferry service. This led to the construction of the Sultan Idris Bridge.
The tragedy was the sad episode of Parit Buntar that I still remember. The rest are just happy thoughts.
For Putri Zanina, travelling is her tonic to a rich, fulfilling life. It also turns her into a storyteller. Reach her at traveltimes@nst.com.my