Abdul Rashid bin Mohd Yusope 1931-2009 (15) Maktab Perguruan Gaya, Jesselton, Sabah 1967-1969

1. GES, Jasin, Melaka 1953-1954
2. Pej. Pel., Melaka 1955
3. High School, Melaka 1956-1957
4. Pej. Pel., Melaka 1958
5. Parlimen, KL 1959
6. S.M. Gajah Berang, Melaka 1960-1961
7. Kirkby College 1962-1963
8. Sek. Lanjutan, Jasin, Melaka 1963
9. Pusat Latihan Guru, Alor Setar, Kedah 1964-May 1967
10. Maktab Perguruan Gaya, Jesselton, Sabah May 1967-May 1969


From Alor Setar, Bapak transferred to work at Maktab Perguruan Gaya (Gaya College) near Jesselton, Sabah. Jesselton is now Kota Kinabalu.

At the time, there were many British citizens serving in Sabah, especially at the port in Jesselton. Vaccinations were administered by British nurses in one of the buildings in Jesselton, not far from the wharf.

Gaya College was on a hilltop. The principal was Mr Todd, an elderly plump British lecturer. The lecturers' families lived in a flat, downhill, and facing Mt Kinabalu. Our family lived in Flat #1. A Chinese doctor's family lived beside us on the same floor. Above us was Rebecca's family (her mother and brother). Beside Rebecca's family was Mr Amaladoss's family (his daughter Angelina was my classmate, his son Prakash was in my brother's class). I can't recall who lived on the third floor, someone by the name of Janathan?

Flat A of Gaya College, Jesselton (Internet pic on Flickr). Flat 1A is the pink one on the right.

Three children walking uphill in front of Gaya flat teachers's quarters (c.1967-69). From left: Amin, Farid, and Faridah. A new road was built here downhill.

Abdul Rashid's family at Gaya College flat, Sabah. From left: Sharif (eldest), Rabiah (#4), Sharifah (#2), Faridah (#3), Amin (#6), Mak, and Farid (#5).

There was En Jikal, a young Bajau lecturer who reverted to Islam with the help of my father. En Jikal got married during the monsoon season during heavy downpour in a small wooden house at Beaufort. En Jikal then gifted a colourful Bajau dagger to my father, which I inherited.

I followed my father to one of his classes at Gaya College. We also went to see the college sports held at the playing field. One man who did the marathon fell and violently coughed up dark brown blood. I think he died in the end.

Gaya College (Internet pic)

Playing field (Internet pic). The old playing field did not have any buildings in 1967-69.

My mother taught Geography at Sabah College. She taught Marina Dato' Lokman, Dato' Lokman Musa's daughter. The other children of Dato' Lokman Musa were at Tanjong Aru Primary School with my sibs. My mother also taught Mahani Rafei, the daughter of Pingiran Haji Rafei, Yang di-Pertua Sabah.

We went shopping for fresh produce at the fresh market in Jesselton. The market opened very early, while it was still dark. We also bought fresh sea fish (ikan kerapu) at the fish market. There were many fishes to choose from, some big, ugly, and scary. We also bought fresh fruits (jambu) and local cakes (kuih angku).

There was a mini market where my mother bought foodstuff. She bought canned corned beef to eat for breakfast and to make delicious fried rice. She bought Easter chocolate eggs and eggcups for us during Easter season. I had a donkey eggcup.

My donkey egg-cup.

My mother took us to the public children's library in Jesselton. There was a good collection of children's books. There were not many children at the library.

Sibs at rear from right: Sharif, Sharifah, Faridah. In front from right: Rabi'ah, Farid, and Amin. 1967-69, Jesselton, Sabah.

Sibs from left: Sharif, Sharifah, Faridah, Rabi'ah, Farid, and Amin (in front). 1967-69, Jesselton, Sabah.

We went swimming at Tanjung Aru beach, which fronted the South China Sea. My parents taught us to swim in the sea. We had picnic and went fishing at a river and caught mud skippers. We visited the fresh markets (tamu) at Papar, Kota Belud, Ranau and other small towns.

We drove the treacherous gravel road to the base of Mt Kinabalu, and stopped at the Mt Kinabalu park office. The staff brought down a dead body.

On the way to Mt Kinabalu Park, Sabah.

We visited a trade fair at Tanjung Aru and visited the kelong to see a fisherman have lunch in his hut on the sea.

Our family had to move back to Semenanjung Malaysia in May 1969. My father had to transfer to Kelantan. He made three wooden crates of different sizes, and packed our belongings in them with packing materials for shipping. He was skilled at making the crates. The neighbours admired his carpentry skills in making the crates. A lorry came to take all three crates which were labelled by my father. He used a stencil to label the crates.

I can't recall how exactly I got to Kelantan. I remember I sailed on the Kunak from Jesselton port to Singapore. The voyage took 3 days and we had to go through health border checks upon arrival in Singapore waters. We took a boat to Collyer Quay, then took the train from Tanjong Pagar to Kuala Lumpur. We put up at the Station Hotel in Kuala Lumpur train station and waited for my father to show up a few days later. He took us to Kelantan. I don't recall the details.

Abdul Rashid bin Mohd Yusope 1931-2009 (14) Pusat Latihan Guru, Alor Setar, Kedah 1964-1967

1. GES, Jasin, Melaka 1953-1954
2. Pej. Pel., Melaka 1955
3. High School, Melaka 1956-1957
4. Pej. Pel., Melaka 1958
5. Parlimen, KL 1959
6. S.M. Gajah Berang, Melaka 1960-1961
7. Kirkby College 1962-1963
8. Sek. Lanjutan, Jasin, Melaka 1963
9. Pusat Latihan Guru, Alor Setar, Kedah 1964-May 1967


From Malacca, Bapak transferred to Pusat Latihan Guru in Alor Setar, Kedah. I don't recall how we moved. I probably slept throughout the transfer.

We left Malacca in 1963 and went to live in Alor Setar, Kedah. When we first arrived in Alor Setar, we stayed at the race course at Jalan Maxwell. I remember asking Mak where we were and I remember she replied Maxwell, and I asked her who Maxwell was. She said he was a white man. We ate a lot of good food at the race course. There were no races when we stayed there.

We first moved out of the race course to a double-storey terraced house. Our next door neighbour was a Chinese family, who slaughtered and fried clotted chicken blood.

We then moved to a single-storey terraced house in Alor Merah, or Telok Wan Jah. There were rattan furniture, our bunk beds and a medium fridge, where Bapak kept colourfull wrapped sweets.

Playing at home in Alor Merah/Telok Wan Jah, Kedah. Siblings from left: Faridah, Rabi'ah, Farid, and Amin.

We then moved to a Government bungalow at 56 Jalan Day. It was a huge brick and wood building on gigantic stilts/columns.

Bapak bought a green Renault with a Penang number plate. It was parked beneath the house by the staircase.

Our house had a large living-room, an inner living-room/dining room, master bedroom with en suite toilet and an enclosed verandah near the tall mulberry tree. We six children had 6 beds in a large bedroom with en suite toilet. Every bed had to have a mosquito net, a pillow and a blanket. There was an enclosed verandah too, but nobody slept there. There was a small kitchen in the main house. Cleaning prawns, chicken, fish etc had to be done outside the main house at a brick wall (toilet?) that had a tap. The 2 geese would come and bite us. One goose bit my bottom!

The servants quarters were in a separate adjoining single-storey building on ground level. There was a big bee hive in one of the rooms in the servants' quarters. We called some men to bring down the bee hive and enjoyed fresh honey.

In the living-room watching TV. From left: Amin, aunty, aunty, Sharifah (Pah), Faridah (me), and Nenek Inche. At rear are Mak Bedah, Abang Sharif and Mak.

 

Ready to go mengaji. From left: Abang Sharif, Faridah, Rabi'ah, and Sharifah.

Siblings ready to go mengaji.

I'm running to the car after mengaji.

Rabi'ah Abdul Rashid That even happened at Jalan Day in Kedah. I didn't go for my ngaji class that evening. And at night I didn't pull down the mosquito net (kelambu nyamuk). Suddenly my bed was pushed up by evil spirit, giggling and it went towards the bedroom door, still giggling. When I opened my eyes, Bapak's room was lit, seen from the top of trellis pattern on the bedroom wall.

I only found out from Abang (passed away 2017) lately that that house was haunted. I didn't ask any further details from him. Rugilah! Didn't hear from his side.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri. We had F&N orange. Siblings from left: Farid, Sharif, Rabi'ah, Amin, Faridah, and Sharifah.

I'm learning to ride the bicycle by holding on to a stick to balance.

Bapak taught at Pusat Latihan Guru in Alor Setar, Kedah. It was adjacent to Sultan Abdul Hamid College and shared the same inroad from the main road. The place was called Day Training Centre (which I recall).

Mak taught at Sultanah Asma Secondary School.

I was not in school yet in 1964 (6 years old). I attended Sultanah Asma Primary School in 1965. Both the schools were adjacent and shared the school hall. I would walk and visit to see my Mak to ask for coins to buy food at the canteen. However, I hardly met her at school because she was just too busy teaching and doing administrative work.

Mak then transferred to another new secondary school. She took care of the Home Science component for the Cambridge Exams (LCE or MCE). Then Malaysia took over LCE/MCE and we didn't have to depend on England for those exams. It was an important point in our educational history.

When we lived in Alor Setar, and my parents worked in Alor Setar, my parents came to know and met (Tun) Dr Mahathir and (Tun) Dr Siti Hasmah. They had clinics in Alor Setar. Mak said she went to their clinics. When we were supposed to transfer to Sabah in April/May 1967 (I was in Std. 3A), Mak had obtained vaccinations from a clinic. Her health record book contained Dr Siti Hasmah's signature and chop.

It was in Alor Setar that I came to know about Tok Ali Kedah and Nenek Endon and family. They lived in a lovely brand new kampung house, which was a new housing scheme. I remember we visited the family and Nenek Endon taught my mother about keladi and a type of keladi gatal. She also showed us how she stored rice in a traditional rice bin. I remember her eldest daughter Habsah got married (I waited in the car).

It was in Alor Setar too that I was allowed to study the Quran (Std. 1-3). My eldest brother Abang Sharif, my elder sister Pah, myself and my younger sister Rabi went to learn the Quran at a wooden house in the middle of the paddy field, close to my primary school, Sultanah Asma Primary School. The Quran teacher's house grounds is now the Al-Bukhary University or the Souq, if I recall the location correctly.

We didn't live long in Kedah. We were on the move again in May 1967 (during the height of the Vietnam War). We went to Sabah.