Fishing and Boating in the late 1930's.

Think of the young children who were just eager for adventure. Think of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Yes my aunts and uncles on my father's side were like them before the Second World War.

My great grandmother was the overall matriarch and she looked after them while my Second Grandmother was busy doing all the the cooking and looking after the young children.

My paternal grandfather would be out doing the logging work in Belawai and Selalang. He had a small timber licence which, though enabled him to bring timber to help with the construction industry, it also restricted how much he could log, and for export. My second uncle thought that it wasn't really such a good enterprise. It was better for my grandfather and the older sons to do rice milling and sawmilling, and not do any of the logging.

Grandfather then was already in his late 50's but he was keen to go into timber. He would be gone for about three weeks, with his workforce and return with a long raft. When he came back from the coastal area, he would bring back salted fish, lots of nipah salt and other goodies for the family.

The kids had more freedom when he was away,as they would enjoy fishing in the river, both boys and girls. They would enjoy catching small tapah, baong, and other river fish. Great Grandma would cook the fish when the children return.

But an aunt used to tell us that when Grandpa brought back a long raft, she felt as if her play ground was extended. She enjoyed jumping on the well tied logs, fishing further out in the river. The raft gave the children a greater sense of adventure. They remembered for a long time this special play ground in their life - romping on a long raft, just before the war.

Another interesting activity they had was to go for boat rides with Grand Uncle Kung Eng.

He was a good singer and a good boatman. After his wife and son passed away he suffered from depression and anxieties but he was good to his nieces and nephews. He supervised the sawmill and rice mill. He got along with every one in his quiet ways.

In the evenings he would get all the small kids to go for a boat ride up the Meradong River. And he would sing his songs, which probably he made as he went along. They only remember that he had a good singing voice.

And then suddenly every  thing changed when the Japanese arrived in Sarawak on 24th Dec 1941. They did not have their Christmas that year.

War Years - 

When the Japanese arrived all the peace in Mee Ann Rice Mill and Sawmill was curtailed and Grandfather had to stop his timber logging business. The family had rice to eat because the Malays and Ibans would come to mill their rice and Grand Uncle would manage the payments which were in kind.

Grandfather would visit Hua Hong Ice Mill from time to time to check on my father's work and the production of ice for Sibu. Rice milling continued but rubber crepe production was discontinued. Because Hua Hung was nearer Sibu town, all my older aunts were taken to live in Binatang, so that they were far away from the Japanese soldiers.

P/s fast forward 2020 - while my aunts and uncles enjoyed fishing from a timber raft tied to the Mee Ann Sawmill, I recently had a chance to fish from a floating hotel. I am not 7 years old but 70+ and when  I told my aunt that, she replied..... "It was the kind of freedom you have to experience that one moment in life, to fish in river, from a point, be it a raft, or a boat or a pontoon...waiting for a catch...and the feeling of achievement that you can get some food for your grandmother....If my father scolded me, it was not because I was disobedient, but it was because he did not want me to be washed away by the river....."