Sibu Girl : Shoe Polishing

I was a little worried when I started preparing for my Primary Six Entrance Exam. Teachers in those days did not teach exam techniques or helped  to spot questions. We did not go to workshops on how to ace the exams. Innocently we sat for the exams, prepared or not.

 My father had noticed that I really liked polishing his leather shoes. One day he commented, "If you don't pass your Primary Six, you can start a job as a shoe shiner in Sibu."

I did think about that. But I wasn't interested in becoming a shoe shiner for the rest of my life, working along the five foot way of Sibu!!
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Shoe repairer and polisher in Kingsar, a township populated by lots of Tiongs in Minqing, Fujian. Photo by Sarawakiana.

He was a very strict and quiet man. When I did my tasks I would also be very quiet in my ways. I noticed that he shook his head when looking at us girls working or studying. Perhaps he was worried that his eldest would be a shoe shine girl...According to my aunts my father was a very bright boy in school and well loved by teachers.

Four years after I passed my Primary Six Entrance exam and entered secondary school, he passed away. He had bought me a bicycle so that I could cycle to the secondary school, although I could have easily walked to school.

He never saw me graduating from high school or university. His favourite sister, my eldest Aunt Lily attended my uni graduation in KL with my mum, 11 years later.

I still like to polish shoes today, and have a good array of shoe polishes.