Sibu Tales : Motor Launch from Kanowit

 Birth of a Baby Girl.

It was a really great relief to finally give birth to my first born in Sibu in just an ordinary Foochow private maternity clinic with just a senior midwife (an aunt) and some assistant nurses who had no certificates but plenty of experiences.

I was teaching in SEDAYA, a school in Kanowit, 2 hours by Chinese wooden motor launch from Sibu and mind you, it was not easy to get into and out of the motor launch when one was 9 months pregnant!! At low river tide you need to walk up a plank walk (about 1 foot wide) to the bow of the launch. At high tide, the pontoon or jetty would just be almost two feet below the  bow but you still have to sort of jump up a little bit to the surging launch.

Occasionally I had to step on the carcasses of deer, wild boar and even snakes placed at the bow of the motor launch to get into the boat, which might even be packed already by the time it reached Kanowit, on its way to Sibu. There would be Iban men with their parangs tied at their waist trying to push a wire basket of live frogs at you hoping you would buy them as presents for relatives in Sibu!

I had even seen a few hunting guns next to sleeping men who probably had caught a few animals the night before, or who probably had to bring their guns to Sibu to renew their licenses at the Resident's Office.

I still remember the gunny sacks smeared with dried blood. Some freshly killed animals were actually placed on the bow for all to see, and ready for the market in Sibu. The odour of the dried animal blood had stayed in my mind until today.

 The boat driver, was not at all perturbed. He greeted each passenger and asked them to find their own seats on the long stretch of wooden bench running from the front to the back on both sides of the boat.

All the passengers who were used to such sights, animal carcasses, live frogs and all and no  one was distressed because life was simple then. We just had to share the mode of transport with each other, dead animals and all. And I must not in any way show dismay on my face, for after all I was educated and I should know better.

No,I was not nauseated. Thank God for giving me a strong stomach.

But one thing I do remember well was all the smiles on the faces of my fellow passengers. They were all wondering why I had not given birth yet! I felt as if I was carrying my baby for more than 10 months when they asked me questions. They seemed to remember exactly when I conceived and when I should be giving birth.

And all these in different languages - Iban, Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay and the occasional Foochow. I was bombarded with all sorts of questions curious fellow women would like to ask a very heavily pregnant mother!!

Words then would be passed from the front of the motor launch to the back. And questions would be passed from the back to the front or to where I was sitting. 

In retrospect, these memories warm my heart.

As Kanowit only had a small clinic I had to go to Sibu, the headquarters of the Third Division or Sibu Division which at that time had the Lau King Howe Hospital, a huge government pre-natal clinic and several good private Maternity Clinics.

In order to have my monthly pre natal check I had to go by this river transport on Friday afternoon, or Saturday morning. And I would be checked by the midwives at the Pre Natal Clinic in Sibu. 

The baby was due on the lst of May 1975 but she was so comfortable in the womb that she did not finally want see the world until the 25th.

I was to take the motor launch ride one more time in May and then finally a speed boat ride a few days later when I was really in pain, with worries but it turned out it was only a false alarm. However the good government doctor gave me two weeks' leave for over carrying my baby!! 

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the school speed boat. But I have some photos of the motor launches, and the school long boats which sent teachers across the Rajang to Kanowit for shopping or to catch the river boats. 

It was a good thing she was stubborn and not in a hurry to be born. She could have been born in a motor launch or an open long boat in the middle of the river!!

School covered long boat, photo by Robert Berstrom (1963)

This is my own photo taken when I was a relief teacher in SEDAYA in 1973, between Uni Semesters. At that time the late Mr. James Foh was the Principal. At 4.30 all teachers would enjoy a river crossing like this to get groceries or enjoy kopitiam happy hours.

She was born 25 days over due, with lots of long curly hair, long finger nails and very wrinkled skin.

And the amniotic fluid had darkened too. The midwife, my aunt Lau Fong Fei, chuckled, "She did not really want to leave your womb!! Stubborn girl."

Aunt Fong Fei was the famous proprietor of the Lau Fong Fei Maternity Clinic of Sibu and my mother's dear cousin for many years!!

In that way, in June, due to the related medical issues, and the official maternity leave, and the GAwai holidays, I had all together 1 month and 2 weeks of  leave in 1975. I was back to teaching soon, and that year SEDAYA also had very good SPM Geography and English results.

Note : my last motor launch ride from Kanowit was in November that year and I came with some of my personal effects as I was to be transferred to the Methodist School Sibu. I was in SEDAYA only for 11 months but I have great memories of the staff, the school and the students there, 1975.

1975 was a good year. And the memories get sweeter by the year.

Happy Birthday to my Eldest today.