Wood Fire and Kettle

This photo reminds me of my grandfather who at a very old age was determined to start all over again to build a brick factory in Sg. Aup. He would boil his own water in exactly the same kind of kettle (which has been around Sarawak for a very long time) very carefully and make his own Chinese tea. The chicken wings would never have been part of his diet by the way. He ate very very simple food and in small amounts.

This kind of kettle is very portable. Have kettle and rice pot will travel my grandfather used to say.

He came with the third batch of Foochow pioneers and had a great struggle to make it. He did and found a fortune.

He later moved around a bit from Sibu to Bukit Lan to Kerto to Bintangor to lead in various enterprises and made successes of them. He had cinemas, motor launches,ice mills, rice mills and rubber and banana plantations under his belt.

His last endeavour was to contribute the making of bricks in the early days of concretisation of Sibu in the fifties and sixties. The family carried on his business after he passed away at a very ripe old age.

To me he lived life to the fullest and was a very "green" person as he only wished to make his money from nature e.g. bricks from earth, ice from water and rubber from growing of rubber. He had "cursed " any gambling or opium den.

He respected life and nature and would not hesitate to advise any one on how to love nature. He was one of the first person in my life to help me value the practices of recycling when I was only in primary school. And that was half a century ago!!

I am really proud of my grandfather who taught me about fearing God,hard work,being humble, determined and independent even though deep in his heart he had wanted me to be born a boy.