Post War Stories : How to Court a Girl

My father had seen my mum a few times from a distance and thought that she was a strong and tall girl. So to be very proper, he asked a cousin to be a match maker. Thus he was allowed to visit my mother\s family at Nang Chong in 1948.

My maternal grandmother had just returned from China, by one of the first boats available . She was reunited with the family but my maternal grandfather had sadly passed away.

It was still not economically stable in Sarawak but rice was available, rubber tapping had recovered and farming continued. My mother had given her job as a teacher of Tiing Nang Primary School to her sister in law who needed the job. Her second brother was given a teachig job in Sarikei.

Times were quite hard for every one  but the economy was slowly recovering.



When my father came to visit (or courting) he would bring some gifts for the family. My maternal grandmother was especially impressed by the tin of Nescafe he brought. It was  an imported item and my grandmother loved to drink instant coffee from then on. That was very impressive of him. He would always buy Nescafe for my grandmother for the rest of his life.

My father drove his own speed boat to the jetty all the way from Sibu. That was really something.

He was like the proverbial Prince Charming who came riding on a white horse.

No doubt my mother became the envy of the whole village, if not the whole Rajang Valley.