My grandfather started a brick factory in Sg. Aup and my father and his siblings together with my grandfather were great friends with the Hin Hua people of Sg. Teku. Eventually one of my uncles married a pretty lady from the Hin Hua group .
The population in Sg. Aup, Sg. Teku and Sg. Merah was small and so every one knew each other.
As a young child I noticed the hardworking Hin Hua ladies in the farms: they could really clear the gardens and even carry bananas on their shoulders! I saw them loading rubber sheets onto their bicycles which they would push for a few miles to Sg. Merah. Those were the days.
Then I moved to Miri where I met several lovely elderly Hin Hua Ladies who welcomed me to their homes. I was very touched, as I listened to their stories. All of them came from Sg. Teku and they have moved to Miri to be with their children who are doing well in transport, tyres and other businesses. They are enjoying their senior years here, and are still with friends from "own kampong"!!
I took photos of them when they met but they were shy and refused to be written about in the papers.
Here is one of their stories. Yes, no names mentioned......
The stories of how Sarawak bananas helped the Hin Huas during the Japanese Occupation.
These two ladies came to Sarawak in the same year, from the same place, just a few days before the Japanese landed in Sarawak . They were 5 years old then
Today in Miri, they continue to meet and have fellowship. They are very strong Christians.
Now into the 8th decade, they have lots of children and grand children to share their joy.
"It is the Grace of God that we can gather here today...we could have been killed by the bombs in Sibu..." During and after the Japanese occupation , the sight of bananas growing on trees meant a full stomach for a few days!!
Bananas are still very precious to these two great friends.
As child brides, they lived in Sg. Teku, faced the same struggles of life, having to work hard and later to reap and taste the wealth their husbands and children brought to the family.
Today they are 80+ and continue to have the same mutual friends and remain the best of friends.
"Now our hair is white. Yes we have been friends from black hair to white hair. It has been a long time."
During the fellowship they ate bananas and laughed a lot sharing oft repeated old stories which they were never tired of telling and retelling.
May God bless them with good health.
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