Guong Ming School : Jetty and School History

 

The Guong Ming School Jetty is accessed from Kampong Nangka, on the Sibu bank of the Igan River. This jetty has been in use since the early 1900's. In the early settlement days, Sg. Bidut Foochows rowed their small boats to Kampong Nangka and from there they walked to Sibu town.

They could also row their boats to the Lau King Howe hospital jetty, slightly more than half an hour of slow paddling up the Igan, to the confluence where the mighty Rajang meets the Igan, fairly near the hospital jetty. In those days the two rivers seemed to be huge and unconquerable. Big ocean going ships like the Auby and Soon Bee docked near the hospital at the Government Wharf.

The rubber growing brought a lot of wealth to both the Chinese and indigenous people in these two valleys.

With the growing prosperity, the Foochow pioneers thought about education for the next generation. Thus when the Guong Ming School in Sg. Bidut was established by 1930's more and more motor boats and motor launches plied along the Igan River. Better outboard engines became popular while paddle boats were still used by the villagers.

By the 1960's there were more villagers who worked in Sibu and Guong Ming School jetty became a landing point for many of the commuters from Sg. Bidut.

These three photos are from Alice Ong Sebastian, who kindly took them for this blog post. They show the Sibu side of the Guong Mig Jetty.

The ferry can take many motor bikes across the Igan River. Cars however have to use the Igan Bridge which spans from a point in the Sg. Merah vicinity to the west bank of the Igan below Sg. Bidut. The bridge was completed not too long ago.

Below is a translation from the Chinese, a short history of the Guong (Kwong) Ming Primary and Secondary Schools.

In the early 20th century, Ming Ching, Kutien, Ping Nang and Nang Ping Foochows arrived in Sibu and settled down on the west bank of the Igan River which was totally uninhabited in those days. By 1930, the population increased and the community leaders decided to establish a school. In 1932, Tiong Kung Nguong, Wong Ing Gui, Tiong Kung Kiing, Sia Dieu Mook and Yong King Pang founded Guong Ming School for pupils who were of school going age.

In 1951 the elders also decided to establish a secondary school. Yong Ung Chai was instrumental in this endeavour. Thus in 1952, when the school year started, the secondary school, also named Guong Ming was formally opened. In 1958, the school buildings were declared opened.

In 1961, Guong Ming school faced serious competition because it was a Chinese school. But fortunately Soon Choon Foo , a Nanyang graduate was made the Principal. And with his help, and the help of members of Board of Directors like Tiong Yong Chiong, Su Kie Yew etc, started the senior middle classes. By 1977 school alumni was established by Ling Sie Ming which helped the school in various ways.

In 1989, School Chairman, Huang Puoi Ngiu, and later in 1990, Chairman Lau Hui Kang, helped to put up 2 more school buildings at the cost of RM1.4 million.

In 1995, under the chairmanship of Tiong Tai King, a big hall, named Tiong Ung King Hall was erected and was completed in 2002 at the cost of RM 2.0 million. The school was completely modernized.