The Sarawak Dollar

Photo from Google.

The Sarawak dollar was what my mother used until 1953, when I already realised that it was a dollar note. I about four years old and not attending any kindergarden.

Mum would be accompanied by my father, across the river and I would be with her. My conservative father always felt that he should accompany my mum in the town and she should also have a child to tag along. It was the "done" things in those days.

No good Foochow married women should be seen in the town alone.

In her little purse would be a few dollars and mum would buy some small things. She would never sit in a coffee shop for sure.

Photo from Google

If she needed a piece of material, she would have a look first in the shop and then later tell my father how much money she needed for it. On her next trip, she would have the cash to pay for what she needed. It was always very slow in the way she purchased her necessities.

Photo from Google

Another way of getting things for our home was to give a list of items to the company's purchasing officer (Mr. Lee , the father-in- law of Betty Lau , father of Lee Kok Leong). He would buy everything for mother and bill my father who was the manager of the Ice FActory.

Ten dollars at that time could buy a lot of groceries. And because it was red we could all remember it very well.

The Sarawak Dollar was used from 1858 to 1953.