A Short History of Pulau Rimau
9 min read
WALKING ALONG THE Queen’s Waterfront promenade at Bayan Lepas, you see a large, heavily forested island nearby that once hosted a leper colony and, later, a pri...
When Penang Was an Axis Submarine Base
11 min read
The I-29’s mission to rendezvous with the U-180 was one of a series of long and dangerous missions to Nazi-controlled Europe, dubbed the Yanagi missions, for the exchange of technology, skills and military material.
Penang Chinese Swimming Club: Birthplace of Olympians
8 min read
THE MELBOURNE SUMMER OLYMPICS of 1956, held in Victoria, was a game with many historic firsts. It was the first Olympics ever held in the southern hemisphere an...
The Benevolent Madam Tan Say Seang: Penang philanthropist par excellence
9 min read
ON SATURDAY, 14 December 1907, at 12.30pm, the sentry on duty at the police station in the rustic village of Tanjung Tokong “noticed that one of the buildings i...
Malaya’s Ceylonese Connection
6 min read
The relationship between Malaya and Ceylon was established long before East India Company days through trade in spices, tin, elephants and peacocks.When exact...
The Spout: The Little Victorian Hill Resort
7 min read
ONE FINE MORNING last July, I went with my intrepid friend, James Wong, to explore the hills behind the Vale of Tempe in Tanjung Bungah. As we reached the end o...
James Dollery Fettes of Penang Waterworks: A Life of Civil Engineering and Service (Part Two)
9 min read
DURING A MEETING on 30 April 1909, the President of the Penang Municipal Commission, James Wilson Hallifax, asked Leonard Moore Bell how long “the new engineer”...
Mount Palmer and Pulau Betong: Penang’s Forgotten Southern Flagstaff and Watering Place
7 min read
AS ONE VENTURES further southward of Paya Terubong, the mountain pass brings one onto a winding hill road. This road climbs to a height of 316m, offering breath...
General on the Great Hill: US Civil War Hero Visits Penang – Part Two
7 min read
IN PART ONE, the 18th President of the United States of America, Ulysses S. Grant, arrived at Penang and was hosted to a dinner at Government House on Flagstaff...
Indian Socio-cultural Influences in Penang: Both Rich and Prevalent
6 min read
Tea kadai at Little India back in the day.PENANG WAS A colonial port on the margins of the East India Company’s sphere of influence, and a magnet fo...
The Japanese Surrender in Penang
7 min read
IN LATE 1944 as the Allied forces, spearheaded by British Commonwealth troops, were launching a major offensive against Japanese-occupied Burma, an equally sign...
The Sarkies Brothers and Their Hotel Empire
13 min read
The E&O was founded by the Sarkies brothers. Who were they and what brought them to Penang?