Post Card of Sibu : Ramin Way

 I used to hum the tune "I have often walked down this lane before...."

Ramin Way was the road my family would walk along to go to the town centre, to the cinemas. The Cathay Cinema was on the left of this row of shops in the post card. That cinema showed Cathay Movies and often kids were thrilled to watch the midnight shows featuring P.Ramlee and many Indian stars . (Kapoor family). Youths crowded in front of the cinema, to be seen and heard!!

Kok Ching Coffee Shop, at the end of this row of shops, was often filled to the five foot way with basket ball players, cinema goers, and other men about town. Teachers, students were seldom seen in the coffee shop. Good women did not hang out in coffee shops then. They were not to be seen. Old women went to coffee shops like Lok Tien Yong, Three Friends, Hock Lung Hin where the proprietors were women.


Ramin Way was the second road in Sibu to be called a Way. The first one was Queensway. The third road to be named a way was Cause  Way. After these three roads no other roads were named this way. Because road names became jalan this or jalan that after Malaysianisation.

Post card of Sibu - Ramin Way

The Ramin Way then had a row of shops on each side of the road, with islands of greens and trees in the middle. Cars drove in one direction only and that was quite an innovative idea in the 1960's and 70's. Other roads like Cross Road and Blacksmith Road were nattow.

The Hollywood Photo Studio was a happening place to us kids then. Wedding photos were taken there so at times we would be able to catch sight of the beautiful brides and handsome grooms going up stairs and we would stare at them. Afternoon lessons would give us the opportunities to meet these special episodes in our lives. Because in those days, the wedding lunch would be at NOON and after the event, the couple would be taken to the studio to have their photos taken. In those days, it was not at all practised to have wedding photos taken before the actual wedding day.

another memorable shop was the newer branch of Ngiu Kee which had moved from High Street.

The block of shops featured in this post card is called the Hollywood Studio block which was special because these shop houses had spiral staircases at the back. That was really very innovative and many people used to come around to have a look at how girls went up the stair cases.

In fact some of us girls were told not to climb up them when we visited one of the families we knew. They lived in a shop lot opposite the Sibu Boys' Club.

Those were the days!!