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28 FEATURE
StarMetro, Saturday 15 June 2013
StarMetro, Saturday 15 June 2013
FEATURE 29
His legacy: anson road is a
tribute to Sir archibald edward
Harbord anson.
In his element:
Wantan Mee seller at
Tai Hin coffeeshop.
A good day: a photograph of the opening of the teluk Intan (formerly teluk
anson) line at 16th mile station near tapah road on May 18, 1893. the photo is
kept by the tapah road station master.
Old establishment: the Tai Hin coffeeshop is a popular eating place for the writer.
Penang-style: Chee cheong fun from the
pushcart outside Seow Fong Lye coffee
shop.
Caught between two triads
anson earns a street name in Penang for his contributions
Anson Road
E
Daily grind: the
wantan mee seller
at Seow Fong Lye
coffeeshop
Still popular: the Seow Fong Lye coffeeshop at Macalister Lane
sees brisk business daily.
ACH time I return home to Penang, I try to
eat at the Tai Hin coffeeshop at the junction
of Melaka Street and Anson Road.
The corner coffeeshop is operated out of a prewar house, one of many that dot George Town.
It isn’t the best coffeeshop in town but has its
regular patrons. I have been eating at the same
wantan mee stall since I was about 10 years old.
Over the years, I have seen some of the stall
operators, including a char koay teow seller who
was very popular back then, pass on.
The wantan mee seller is probably now in his
mid-60s and I reckon he would soon give up the
business.
His wantan mee is served mostly in dry form,
with thick soya sauce and sesame oil, and topped
with char siew or barbecued pork, and boiled
vegetables. It comes with two small meat dumplings.
Older Penangites sometimes refer to wantan
mee as tok tok mee, so called because in the old
days, wantan mee hawkers would signal their
arrival by hitting two bamboo sticks together,
making the distinctive tok tok sound.
His sister runs another wantan mee stall at the
famous Seow Fong Lye coffeeshop at Macalister
Lane which is famous for its Penang-style chee
cheong fun or rice rolls that come with blackish
prawn paste, sweet sauce and chilli.
Each time I am at the Tai Hin coffeeshop sipping the thick coffee with condensed milk, memories of old Penang would come flooding back.
I remember how my classmate, Choong Keng
Hooi, now a hairstylist in Penang, used to buy me
a packet of fried mee or economy noodles, from
the wet market in Anson Road.
As a growing teenager in my secondary school
days, I was constantly hungry and it was sometimes impossible to control my urge to eat before
recess at 11am.
By around 10am, I would smuggle out my
packet of noodles, stealing bites, even as the
teacher was still conducting the lesson in the
classroom!
By WONG CHUN WAI
I guess with my kind of behaviour, the school
already knew that I was not prefect material, nor
a class monitor. In fact, the school didn’t think
that I should even be a traffic warden!
I suppose the former students who eventually
rise to high positions are those who hold such
responsible positions in their schooldays.
So, it was with some satisfaction when I
returned to my alma mater, St Xavier’s Institution,
years later as the guest-of-honour at the school’s
Speech Day or prize-giving day.
It was to be the first and last time as the Brother
Principal looked on disapprovingly when I advised
the students, “Be the best in what you do. If you
are a doctor, be the best. If you are a waiter, be the
best waiter, and if you end up as a criminal, be
remembered like Botak Chin.”
The students applauded loudly but I doubt if
the principal and the other Brothers shared the
same enthusiasm.
But Anson Road is our main concern here
because it is a major road connecting Macalister
Road, Burmah Road and Perak Road.
Anson Road is named after Colonel (later Major)
Archibald Edward Harbord Anson, the Lieutenant
Governor of Penang from 1867 to 1871.
Born in Devonshire, England, he was also Acting
Governor of the Crown Colony of the Straits
Settlements in 1877
A British army commander, he served in
England, Ireland, Scotland, Mauritius and
Madagascar, according to a report.
It has been reported that he also wrote a memoir, About Others and Myself, 1745-1920, where he
A different era: Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee’s great-grandson Owen Chung with a
photo of the Penang Riots.
Readers
write
described the feeling of depression upon his
Referr
appointment as Penang’s Resident Councillor.
i
Isle (S ng to your
At the time he was in Penang, he negotiated in
tarMe
article
tro
my ex
J
the Penang Riots that broke out between the
perien , May 18), erejak - The
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ces in
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Cantonese-speaking Ghee Hin-White Flag and
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the Hakka-speaking Hai San-Red Flag gangs.
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Jerejak like to sha n vegetab
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o
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During the nine days of fierce clashes in 1867,
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between the two secret societies, the British had
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and qu
n
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he isl
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and
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the Europeans who were staying in Penang were
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roped in to help.
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The fiercest fight was near Cannon Street at the
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It was essentially a quarrel between the triad
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now i
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arrivin he quaranti was in Cam
Penan e
leaders over tin mining rights and other lucrative
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by mo doctor had y air or sea infectious c mp
I am
As a highly respected figure, Anson has also
to trav
torise
ases
.
d
el from
bygon an avid rea
sampa
On fe
been honoured with a road that is named after
der
ed
n
c
s
!
a
t
ive oc
mp to
promi
Born a ays of Pena of all your
ca
camp
him in Singapore, which is located at its central
n
ng.
article
n
d
bringi ent peopl sions, we
menta
b
s on th
ng gift
e and
had v
business district.
l abou red in Pena
e
s
i
s
f
t
i
n
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o
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t
t
o
s
g
r the T
he th
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h
m
,
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a
r
m
Then there is Teluk Intan in Perak — which
s
a
o
d
t
m
u
m b
ate.
ing ab
en Ch
n
B
j
i
u
t
a
Nee,
y
s
n
t as se
d lep
out t
roug
lead
ief
A
was formerly known as Teluk Anson or Anson
ntigam P ziz Ibrahim Minister D rosy patien ers show ht such ha he allure o
atuk W
ts.
f the s
illay w
, Loh B
ppy a
time t
Bay.
n
i
h
e
o
l
o
v
d
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on Si
The p
ng P
e reg
er
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Ano
sweet
In fact, until the British named the town
memo screen
the vi atients use ular visitor ew and Aru ow tioni ther uniqu
ries o
ng is
s.
e feat
sitors
mud to p
after Anson, the town was originally called
f
ure I c
u
severa
the in
a
ments
annot
l musi nd would t on perform
t
Teluk Mak Intan, after a woman Mandailing
e
t
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s
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t
cal ins
r
.
i
sing,
e
n
a
s
Ladies
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g
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cinem
sti
sf
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trume
trader from Sumatra, Indonesia.
from
a adv menweekl
nts.
and p or ema h ll have in m
RAA
ertisey
andbil
lay
y poss
It was here the Perak rulers held court
them to interac F Butterw
ls.
ession
Sixty t
t with
orth w
for wa
from 1528 until Kuala Kangsar became the
s
e
o
veral o
70
music
lks. Th
t
e
bills (
ld cinfor
ey rea he inmates re there
called years ago in
royal town in 1877.
d to s
h
a
f
P
They others.
l
a
n
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e
n
d
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n
d
r
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n
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m
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The British renamed the town after
o
e
,
e
o
d
c
i
uld al
music
and p
a
favou
Filipin
layed
ians ( y) were di nema handso arr
ri
os.)
Anson as he was responsible for drawing
compr
stribu
ange
Butter te songs
T
h
ted
f
i
e
w
o
s
t
y
ing M
up the town’s planning.
thrille orth’s rad o be play r the pati
decora would trav
alays by
i
e
d
o
e
n
e
d
t
t
and
t
s
l
o
e
s
t
in colo
d bull
Teluk Intan is famous for its iconic
’
ation.
hear t
over
TB p
ock
The
urful a
hei
Th
RA
colonial style structures including the
nd bea
seasho atients wo r names me e patients w AF goin bands wou carts.
utifull
g
u
l
5m-high Clock Tower, known as the
y
cast th re while so ld dig for ntioned on ere ourfu slowly arou d play the m
a
s
m
e
l
n
i
n
u
r
i
handb
d tow
ails al
.
sic lou
e lepr
Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan.
they l r nets for
n
i
o
d
l
o
,
l
T
n
l
s
s
d
y
y
h
g
f
i
ater
fish or
st
ro
w
e
p
t
Apart from keeping time, the tower
harves atients wo he Holly handbills m house to ributing the hile
Patien cooked.
wood
would
uld
t oyste
house
colts also
is also used to store water for the
films
cinem
.
rs wh
have
plante
c
i
a
c
u
d
s
h
r
d
e
r
t
e
and t
locals during drought season or in
papay
films.
h e s c ntly playin ails on the
a tree
s as w
reenin
g in P
case of fire.
It was
ell as
enan
g
dates
For sure, Sir Archibald Edward Harbord
Amy G a unique
of ne g
f
e
o
a
h
w
ture o
Anson has left his mark not only in Penang but
f Pena
ng cin
other parts of the Straits Settlement.
ema.