After 1990 I don’t think I can consider myself a citizen of our old, sleepy town of Sitiawan. I was always away most of the time, either to school, or to work. Since then I don’t believe I’ve stayed in Sitiawan for more than a couple of weeks. Usually it’s just for a couple of days.
So if you’re familiar with Sitiawan as it is now. Picture it in your head: the four-lane roads, shophouses as far as the eye can see from Simpang Empat, road dividers with designated u-turns… That’s not the picture I remember if I think of Sitiawan.
Here’s a series of photos of the town that Atok Irfan took back in the old days:
The old UMBC building, currently right beside the current new UMBC Sime Bank RHB Bank building
The interior of the building where Atok Irfan worked
Simpang Empat, complete with a swift flying overhead
Across the road from the UMBC building is the post office compound
Wisma Ganda view – The new UMBC building and the Padang Astaka and the airfield beyond
Wisma Ganda view of Simpang Empat
Wisma Ganda view – The town mosque. Check out the land behind it, still unused. It’s filled with houses now
6 miles down the road, we have Teluk Batik, the place where as a kid you’d be taken there during weekends for a good time.
And later, as a teenager, you’d ride your bicycle there with your friends to take a dip in the water, then explore the jungles around it and meet some old Malay dude in rags who appeared out from the jungle paths and speaks perfect English for some reason…
awesome pics, that atok irfan has taken! it’s so different from today, isn’t it? i still call sitiawan home though but i guess i’m no longer a citizen of sitiawan either.
That wasn’t some old Malay dude – that was me!
aw man…so homesick for the old (real) sitiawan! and look at the red alfa. hehehe.
looking at these pictures it’s no wonder it was safe to ride bicycles around town. it was so nice and sleepy. it would be suicidal now.
yop…i miss sitiawan so damn much…
Thanks for the sweet sweet memory of Sitiawan of old…now is building everywhere…miss all the rubber estates…short cuts…with us kids running around & is so much more cooler, people friendlier…etc…Thanks a lot for d pic…will always treasures it… :’-)
good job, truly miss my old sitiawan…it makes me cry…, my heart is still with sitiawan…thank you so much.
Although not a local, I love your photos. I was sent to ACS, S’wan in the mid 60’s and could connect to almost all you photos as I was staying in Simpang Empat until 1972. Good old Sitiawan. I still get invited to attend some of the “old boys” reunions held recently.
Hi, I would like to use one of ur photo to design a birthday wish for Sitiawan. I would put a credit on photo. Is it alright?
Sure thing, Luke! Hope to see the birthday wish too if it’s possible.