Its been awhile since I last posted an article. This is one subject that I dearly wanted to write, but due to the huge amount of Pics and rekindling needed, I have to do this in stages, as I am getting old and a slow typist who's prone to errors. There are so many wonderful things from that period of my childhood that it seems like an impossible task . But I felt I need to do it even if it takes time and energy sapping efforts to do so. I believe some of you who where born like me in the Mid 50's would really appreciate my effort , as those were wonderful days of our Life.
Back then We didn't have air conditioning, so you left the windows and doors open. And you weren't afraid to do so. You knew every person in the community and their children. When a neighbor needed help, the neighborhood was there to lend a helping hand. TV was a luxury item for only the rich and we have to peek or climb over our neighbors window just to have a peek at our favorite cartoon and heroes ... !! But getting there itself was part of the fun in itself.
You had teachers who really cared and parents who were thankful for those teachers. If you got a paddling in school, you knew you were going to get another one when you got home. And you could go to school and not worry about someone having a knife. And the only drug you had to worry about was being "drug" out of bed in the morning. Ah, those fresh sun dried sheets felt so good! ... Those were the days my friend ...!!
There were no such thing as Fast or Junk food as the only Quick snack back then were Nutritious and belly packing food like the Pau, Curry Puff , Mun Chang Kueh or the widely available Roti Manila ( Vanilla ), it's still available today, but at a cost. Back then it cost only 10 cents and we would drown it with our home cook '' Koon Chui '' ( Sky Juice ).... Adooooi !!
You enjoyed fresh veggies from the garden, and the chickens ran loose in the yard. And that wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was pretty good. Our Mum use to cook our favorite food once we got back from school .... Far Out !!
Parents were respected and their rules were the law. Children didn't talk back. Children were taught to have respect for our elders and those in authority. Children were taught to show manners in their walk and talk. Strict ..?? No, they are the moral values that me and my brother & sisters would carry on to our siblings. Its simply called ... Manners.
The 50's and 60's were fantastic...Yes the technology wasn't what it is today. We had No car...Just One Radio and One Record Player and NO computers/ipads/mp3/smartphones or PS games...Few worries about getting rob in daylight or watching your back for snatch thieves.Sex was sensitive subject and no kids getting pregnant or what tattoo to get..we played outside not in front of a video screen or computer...we had respect for our elders.
Here's what The 50's & 60's is all About :
A wonderful time for children and parents.
when people were comfortable with their lives and the nation.
Where neighborhood schools were special.
Where parents participated in local civic organizations.
Where there were pride in one's town, state and country.
When morals were high. People loved their country and weren't ashamed to fly the flag. People asked what they could do for their country instead of screaming give me , give me.
Where people cared about each other. Watched after each other. When neighborhoods were safe and people felt secure.
Ah, yes. Special days indeed. Days that won't be forgotten. Will we have them again? Sadly, I doubt it............... I very doubt it. We wish but we know, don't we. So we'll hold to those special days in our mind and in our heart. I'm thankful for having had the opportunity to grow up in the 50's, to know things as they were then.
Now for a trip down memory lane in pics. I shall from time to time update my post when something or some stuffs from the past pop up on my mind. As there are over 100 Pics that needed to sorted out, I have decided to group them together into a collage. You wonderful folks can always drop by and share some of those '' Good Old Days '' stuffs from your Life from back then.
I shall begin with my '' PASTIMES '' or better known as Hobbies today. This were the wonderful pastimes that I had back in the Roaring 50's & 60's. We were the true '' Outdoor '' kids and tough like a Tiger, unlike most kids today who are spoiled soft by their parents ( Who would rather see their children sitting like a Dumbbell in front of their computers ) . Let the Nostalgic drive back in time begin ....!!
My Pastimes and Hobbies ...... The Outdoors !!
The only outdoor kids today does are either the Shopping Mall or their nearest Theme Park . Ours were the real outdoors, and Life were pretty Awesome back then ... Yee Haa !! How many of them can you identify or associate yourself with ... ?
The Indoors :
As for the kids of today it's most likely their PS games or Android games like Angry bird or Candy crush on their Smartphones or Tablets. Ours were were Mind bending and less strenuous to the eyes.
And one of my favorites for which my extra pocket money would come from ... The '' Tikam-Tikam ''.
This is without a doubt my favorite outdoor sports besides the others. Its of course one of the most famous one till today ... '' Football ''. Back then I will try my very best to get to the nearest field which is quite far away by today's standard and join the adults in a game of football. And my the one team that I follow along with my elder Brother was Manchester United. Back then we would tune into BBC 's Saturday Live football matches via the good old '' Radio ''. I can still remember '' Paddy Finney '' , the BBC 's Live football Commentator. And we have to be content with only Delayed football matches on TV. That's if you you get to see your rich neighbour's TV ....Adooooiii !!! That was way back in 1967 when I started following them. I am truly a Pure ... '' Mancunian ''.
Here are two of my all time favorite Football players, Guess Who ...?? This truly are talents bar none ...!!
And we were the First English team to win the Prestigious '' European Cup '' back in 1968. Eat your Hearts Out Liverpool, Chelsea & Arsenal Fans ...Ha,Ha !!
The European Cup Winning team of 1968.
Here are 3 pics from my Primary School days. I am of course from Limpoon Primary School II , as my father ( Panjang ) ran the school canteen since 1959 till 1975. I stayed at the schools compound and this truly was a blessing for me. The reason being, I get to use all the schools facility like Table Tennis, Badminton, Football, Basketball and even the schools Piano. I am a truly a Jack of all trades and Masters of none ... Ha,Ha !! Pics are in chronicle order @ std 3 , 4, and 5. For our Old Limpoon school boys, can you still remember this Teachers ... ???
And now for my High school years, well I did only spend 3 years in my Beloved High School Batu Pahat, as I left for Vocational education after form three. But boy !! what a wonderful and unforgettable three year it was. High School is celebrating its 100 years this year, and I with some old friends and classmates will be there for the Gathering/Dinner held this 24th of May.
Then it was an education system based on Merit unlike now, where it's based on Race and Quotas. Look what the system has done to the Ranking of our top University ... MU isn't even Rank inside of the Top 500 Universities on the world list ... !!! There's No such a thing a short cut to success. Lots of students today can get a Degree without even having had a good form 5 results ... !!
Pics from Batu Pahat. Org.
Besides the canteen and science lab, this was favorite building in school ... The school Library.
And this Pic here below is dedicated to my Art Teacher back then ...Mr.Ang Hock Meng, who pass away recently. I was in his house recently looking at his '' Humongous '' collections of Artifacts.
Mr. Ang seen here standing at the far right with our class outing during the late 60's.
Another one of those great outdoors events that I love most is the coming of the Circus to town. Yes folks, those were truly great moments in my life, the coming of the then famous '' Tai Thean Kew '' Circus from Singapore. Can you imagine seeing a herd of Elephants walking on the streets of Batu Pahat ..?? Yes, we did , when the circus is in town. The trainers would bring them around the vicinity of Jalan Fatimah looking for grass and sugarcane. We get to see close ups of our favorite Animals like the Tigers & Lions in their cage for 10 cents during Pre-shows.
Here are those pics from the great '' Tai Thean Kew '' Circus. Even though its in s'pore , but the scenery look just like Batu Pahat. The pic of the elephants feeding were almost identical to what I saw along Jalan Fatimah, here in Batu Pahat.
There were many Life changing events in the 50's & 60's. But this below really impact my Life till today. No words, just Pics and I bet you know what they were ... !!
Besides all this there was always those Movies that we wanted to watch. As the Odeon cinema Formerly known as '' Tai Kwang Hern '' was just behind my house ( Jalan Rugayah ), it was a must go place for me. Back in the 50's it cost 25 cents for a main floor seat and 40 cents for a reserved upstairs seat. Cheap Matinees shown on Saturdays & Sundays cost just 15 cents. But it was '' BIG '' money to us, as our pocket money for the whole week was only 20 cents. So, like most urban town kids, I will do odd jobs like selling '' Tikam '' and '' Jaga Basikal '' just to earn that extra 10 to 20 cents , just to watch my favorite cheap Matinees. I am lucky as some less fortunate kids hardly got anything at all. The price went up in the 60's , just as before we '' Rascals '' will find ways to make that extra money.... Adoooooiiii !! Those were the days my friends !!
Here are some of my favorite Movies and Heroes of the days, back in the Good Old 50's & 60's !!
I shall start from the early Black & White Movies and my all time favorite movie .... '' TARZAN ''. Remember that famous call ? .... '' Oh Yee Ohhhhhh '' . And of course the famous phrase ...'' Me Tarzan, You Jane '' ....Far Out !!
And this is the movie where I got my christian name from ... '' James '' shaken but not stirred '' Bond ''.
And Those Famous ''Bond Girls ''
And my favorite Local Film Idols, here are my top two .... How can we forget the both of them ?
Not forgetting our Hong Kong & Japanese movies and Stars ... !
Well, as with most naughty boys we do secretly took a peek at those for adults only sex symbols of the day ... !
Remember those Handbills advertisements that were distributed door to door of the '' Akan Datang '' or '' Next Change '' movies ... ?? This is one item I would love to get my hands on, any of you out have one ... ??
Next comes my all time favorite TV shows and the stars with their themes and scenes. Take a trip down memory lane and share with us what yours was ... !
Well enough of the Movies, lets come down to the Magazines and stuffs that I love to read in those wonderful days ... ! It's also where I gather most of my knowledge as there waren't such a thing as the '' World Wide Web '' or simply Internet . Reading place a very important role in my life back then and even now ... !!
The Fun and Non serious stuffs .... Those Comic Books !!
Here's one that I use to Curi-Curi Bacha Lah ... For Adults only contents !! ... Its only natural as we are all Humans !! Well, you can call me a '' Learned Rascal '' .... Ha,Ha.
This is the part that makes me feel young again ....Those awesome '' Toys '' that I loved. For me, besides Stamps, Coins, Firecrackers, Kites and other stuffs, but '' Aero Modelling '' is my all time favorite. That is why till today I love all things related to Flight.
Fast Food ? Macdonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken ...?? This below was our '' slow & steady '' Quick Food back then .... Ha,Ha!!
Mosaic tables and Italian Tiles Kitchens with Gas Hobs ...??? Look what our house Kitchen or rather Fire place look like back in the 50's .We use only Charcoal and Rubber wood .... Fire in the Hall !!
Now for the Transports ... Back then it was a matter of getting from point A to B in the safest mode. It was less about Speed or Fancy. It really was simple and down to earth 2 & 4 wheel contraptions.
There were few Bridges back then, and Batu Pahat being a river town was of no exception, including Muar. It was those slow but sure Ferries that carry us across the rivers. Here's a pic I found from the Arkib Negara Cawangan Johor. This is the place where most of the towns happening or rather Activities are centered around. Pic was taken in 1955, the year that I was Born.
From the same Archives, a 1928 Pic of Peserai from across the river.
There were no such thing as Express Bus or Mass rapid trains, our main inter town transport was either the Bus or this built like a Tank ... Morris Oxford. It's sometimes known as Kereta Sapu in Malay.
And not forgetting our main work horse '' Lorries '' that delivered our Goods. The Bedford Lorries ... ! This are all British Made Vehicles and you to Crank start them on some of the early versions.
As with most of us , Music plays an important part in our Life. Be it your first Nursery Rhyme or favorite Humming tune or even those Sing along songs. They bring us back to that period in time whether its Good or Bad. They ring a tone in our Hearts and helps us Rekindle those bygone days... ! Here are some of the Idols, Music and Songs I listen to, back in those Good Old Rocking Days ... Yipee Yai A !!
To start with, heres a Pic of me along side my favorite Idol back Then ... Those '' Curry Puff '' Hairstyle of the day.
This is Chubby Checker the guy who gave us not only the '' TWIST '' but the famous '' LIMBO ROCK '' dance. Remember the phrase .... '' How Low Can You Go '' !!
And here are Ladies Twist Starlets of the days ... !!
And now for some Local Singers and Songs that I listen to .... '' Come on lets twist again '' !!
The Vocal King of that era ... Mr. Wang Ching Nian. I will always remember that famous song of his ... '' Manli ''.
Finally for some daily stuffs from that era. From cigarettes , soft drinks , Hair creams to my Mum's Powder Puff. This pics below were chosen randomly for their Nostalgic values.
Most of could only afford a simple Phillips Tube Radio and TV is meant only for the well offs.
Lastly and one that plays a big influence in my later life was the incredible invention called ... The Camera !! I grew up using my Uncle's and later my Brothers cameras. Few could afford one, but I took up Photography at an very early age of 10 , while I was in primary 4. The rest like they say is all .... '' History '' !! Here are two pics of me and the camera that I use in that period .
And then there were cameras that we can only drool & dream of. Here are a few of those including a Astronomical telescope of my dreams ... Dream on !!
A Collage of some old Kodak Ads in those days, it was my favorite Film back then. Sad that it has filed for chapter 11 recently .... Sigh !!!
Wow !! ... That's a record breaking 100+ Pics that I have ever posted here in my Blog.
Please remember that there are some that I might have left out. But don't worry, as time goes by, I will in due date update it with Pics and stories from a truly '' AWESOME '' era in time ... The Roaring Rock & Roll 50's & 60's. You wonderful folks can always drop me a line and suggest the things and events from your own Life back then....Ha,Ha.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for the support and please take some time to just stroll through this rather Long post of mine. Have grace in any mistake or spellings that I might have made as I am in my 60's already. All this writings were done using only two fingered typing and a pair of ageing eyes ... Yee Haa !!
Those were the days my friend, and we really are Lucky to be born in that period !!
Have a wonderful Life ahead .... '' HAKUNA MATATA '' .
Regards ..... Uncle James.
