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Growing up in Little Swatow: Stories by a true-blue ‘anak Johor’

‘My Johor Stories 2’ collects true stories about Johoreans including heritage traders such as Haji Wahid Mee Rebus, Hiap Joo Traditional Bakers and Kluang Rail Canteen. ― Picture courtesy of Peggy Loh

JOHOR BARU, Jan 3 ― Most Malaysians refer to the Johorean capital as JB, short for Johor Baru. How many of us realise that the city was also once known as Little Swatow, however?

Author Peggy Loh, a Little Swatow native herself, reveals that the name originates from Swatow, one of the Teochew districts of Guangdong Province in China, where the majority of Johor’s Teochew population hailed from. She shares these nuggets of Johorean lore and more in her new book, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People.

As a writer based in Johor Baru, Loh has transformed her childhood hobby into a career. She has been writing for the New Straits Times for over a decade, with a focus on Johor-centric travel stories.

She recalls, “The JB Bureau Chief knew I am a true-blue anak Johor ― born and brought up here ― and invited me to contribute regularly to the Southern section.”

Loh also contributes to The Iskandarian, the official newspaper of Iskandar Malaysia, and collects these stories of Johorean culture and heritage on her blog, My Johor Stories (www.peggyloh.com). Her prolific output has resulted in two books, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage and its sequel.

Author Peggy Loh grew up in Johor Baru (once known as Little Swatow) and travelled all over Johor as a journalist. ― Picture courtesy of Peggy Loh

Sharing these stories about Johor’s rich history with fellow Johoreans is Loh’s way of recognising their shared roots.

She says, “While there is an exciting future ahead, we must not forget our past. As the city develops, new people arrive to live and work here and it is worthwhile to share with them, a glimpse of Johor’s the culture and heritage.”

Many Malaysians, for example, may not have heard of the annual Johor Chingay street parade at the Johor Gu Miao (Old Temple) along Jalan Trus (which has gone uninterrupted since the 1800s except once during the Japanese invasion in World War II).

Food-wise, details matter. Loh shares, “In Johor, it is common to eat steamed tapioca dipped in sambal and here, deep-fried bananas are savoured dipped in a spicy dark sauce.”

Even language may differ in small but meaningful ways. Loh says, “In Johor, the Malay language is spoken in the way it is written without any colloquialisms. For instance in Johor, ‘Pergi mana?’, even if it is said speedily, still sounds like ‘Pergi mana?’ and not ‘Pi mana?’”

One of the true stories about Johoreans collected in My Johor Stories 2 is that of Yeow Sien Soon, fondly known as Ah Soon, who runs Sin Keng Wah Kedai Tilam and is the only remaining traditional mattress-maker in Johor Baru.

“Ah Soon took the time to demonstrate to me, the meticulous art of making a single cotton-stuffed mattress. He also makes double, child-size and king-size mattresses. The shop still uses the traditional method of stuffing cotton into a cloth casing and this stuffed case is stretched over a ‘table’ formed by a row of several wooden planks set across two stands.”

This “table” might well be a heritage item as the wooden planks have been in use since the business was started by the original owner in 1964! The individual planks can be easily moved about to accommodate the size of each mattress, surely a resounding testament to old school ingenuity.

The 1939 Foon Seong Cup winners, including the author’s grandfather, Ng Ngoh Tee (standing third from left) . ― Picture courtesy of Peggy Loh

There are more such charming stories in Loh’s book: of the 1939 Foon Seong Cup winners (significant to Loh because her grandfather, Ng Ngoh Tee, was one of the champions); of how, in 1948, the Batu Pahat Health Clinic staff was led by the legendary Madam Sweet Potato or Han Cher Soh; of heritage traders such as Hiap Joo Traditional Bakers, Haji Wahid Mee Rebus and Kluang Rail Canteen.

The legendary Madam Sweet Potato or ‘Han Cher Soh’, Ng Sok Cheng (seated centre), with the Batu Pahat Health Clinic staff, 1948. ― Picture courtesy of Peggy Loh

Loh came across the latter during her travels all over the state as a journalist. She explains, “Kluang is also known as the Railway Town for the railroad that was built to support the agricultural industry in this region. It has a charming railway station canteen where everyone enjoys their daily brew and drivers must wait to cross a railway line that divides the town.”

Layers of history lie beneath the surface, if one is willing to dig deeper, as she did. She says, “Between the 1940s to 1960s, Kluang was a military base and was home to army personnel from the Commonwealth represented by Scottish, English, Fijian, Kenyan, Ugandan and Rhodesian solders. There is still a military camp here.”

That element of history is one that reverberates through time, according to Loh. She adds, “I discovered a common thread that runs through these true stories of the struggles and triumphs of real people, some of whom arrived in Johor as immigrants or bond servants.

“The early Chinese, Malay and Indian traders here survived the harrowing experiences of World War II to emerge stronger and more successful. With so much in common, this collection of stories is a celebration of the community we live in!”

* My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People is published by MPH and available at all good bookstores.

 

Source: The Malay Mail