Quarter No: 66
Batu Lintang Government Quarter
21 August 1967
21 August 1967
Some time in 1967 I was given a camera. A box camera. A Kodak pin-hole model that used No:127 films roll of 12 negatives.
That first camera sparked off my life long hobby of snap shooting on life around me. The first few rows of films began in snap shots on my brothers and sisters.
During a visit to Batu Lintang in 2005, I was saddened to find No: 66 quarters has long being demolished.
I lived 6 years in this house 1966-1971. I thought I would never have a photo of this house for memory.
But I was much in joy when recently rediscovered a few long forgotten black and white negatives of this house No: 66. This negatives are from the earliest roll of films when I started learning snap shooting.
These few negatives have never been print into a hard copy. Because in those day pocket money was so limited. I could not afford to pay the photo studio to print all natives into photographs. I would select only the best for printing. For each row of 12 films developed by the photo studio, I would only select the best 10 for printing into photos. This house was one of those left out and eventually forgotten.
But somehow these negatives manage to survive all these 44 years into today digital era.
Last month I converted all old era’s negatives into modern digital images.
For the first time I see the positive image of these snap shots I took on …. Home sweet home 44 years ago and bring it into an era of internet sharing. See above images.
My father was a life long civil servant from colonial to an independent modern nation.
We grew up in the standard one floor stilts wooden government quarters.
In the last century civil servants living government quarters were envy of the local community.
The official language was in English so all civil servants came from English schools or from Malay schools with excellent English. It was a public opinion that only smart students could pass English examination with excellent results and eventually served as government servant. As such Government servants were considered the elite group in the society then. They were well respected. And these old timer of servants carried out their official duties with devotions and efficiency.
Common people went to the government offices with confident and respect. We called them “Sir” (later "tuan" in the later years) even he or she was only a counter clerk.
Most of the government officers communicate in English while the ground level with the public was always in Pasar Malay.
My father no doubt has his pride as a British colonial civil servant. But his pride faced 2 challenges during his later days: My mother and the New Federal Administration.
For me, I will always remember the joy of children playing kite at the grass fields near this house No: . I was among them playing kite but one of the oldest kids as I was already in junior secondary (Form 1 - 3).
Government quarters often have small padang for their children to play on. The kite fever were during 1966-1969 after which the game gradually cool down. By 1971 the year I completed Form 5, hardly seen groups of children playing anymore.
Colonial government servants' life gradually gone out and replaced by a rapid social and political progress. Today these government housing remains a history of Sarawak. My childhood also went into historical memories.
Commercial moved into this once Land of the Government quarter. A politicians backed private developer is now turning it into a magnificent ground of modern commercial and entertainment ground. Replacing the once pride, dignify and graceful colonial life style with a modern profit generating and entertainment seeking modern Asian way of living.
Colonial Sarawak Government history may not be a forgotten past but it will be ignored by this generation, and the next, and perhaps another generation. Until a new generation who fed out of this so call modern Asian way of materialistic living and seek up for a new life style with pride, dignify and grace.
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