Museum takes visitors back into Serdang’s tin mining glory days
HISTORY shows that Serdang was established in 1952 and later renamed Seri Kembangan.
The new village is located near the largest open-cast tin mine in the world that is now Mines Resort City.
SJK (C) Serdang Baru 1 board of directors deputy chairman Ho Kwong Fock, not satisfied with this official data, wanted detailed and colourful stories from the villagers who were the first generation of residents in the new village.
To satisfy his burning desire to document its bygone era, Ho pushed for a story museum to be established at the school in Jalan Sekolah, Seri Kembangan.
Converted from a room behind the school hall, the museum now houses many treasures loaned by the villagers, such as black-and-white photos, rusty irons, oil lamps and gramophones.
All the exhibits come with an interesting story. “For instance, the elders who gave the tin-mining tools told us how they used to walk to work to the tin mine in Balakong, and spent 10 hours in the mine with their backs bent and feet soaked in water,” he said.
There were also tools used to tap rubber, and a yellowing hawker trading licence issued by the then Kuala Lumpur Municipality on display.
These items offer a rare glimpse into the old days of Seri Kembangan, when people worked hard to earn an honest living in the second largest new village in Malaysia.
While putting together the story museum, Ho and his team noticed a traditional new village wooden house opposite the school being torn down.
They managed to salvage the pieces, moved them into the school and rebuilt the structure inside the museum.
Old furniture such as a round wooden table, wooden stools and wooden cupboards with mesh doors were added to evoke memories of yesteryears.
“See the bowls under the four legs of the cupboard? They were filled with water to prevent ants from climbing into the cupboard,” Ho explained.
The exhibits, which included a device that looked like a rifle but was used as a fire distinguisher, were not only interesting but took the older visitors on a trip down memory lane.
Museum caretaker Lin Kwee Siong said he noticed that the older visitors seemed to get more nostalgic when visiting the museum.
Officially opened on Oct 31 last year, the museum was set up in conjunction with the Wow Serdang Carnival.
Local theatre activist and artist Soon Choon Mee mooted the idea of the art carnival and roped in other local artists for the eight-day event targeting children between the ages of seven and 12.
The school’s three organisations — parent-teacher association, board of directors and old boys association — were supportive of the project.
The 180 participants were divided into groups, including dancing, drama, percussion and visual arts.
They were required to work with materials and subjects synonymous with Serdang, such as producing a large sculpture of shoes to represent the shoemaking industry.
The carnival ended with a grand finale, where the children paraded on the streets of Serdang. Some drummed away on their self-made drums while others proudly showed off the costumes and sculptures they had created.
“In this society where interaction between people has significantly reduced, we have brought children into the community and taught them to care for their surroundings,” Soon said, adding that art helped shape character.
“In Wow Serdang, the children organised their thoughts, expressed themselves well, communicated with teammates, defended their ideas and learned to compromise. These are important life skills,” said Soon.
“The carnival has sowed a seed in the children to help them cultivate an appreciation for the finer things in life.
“It has also taught them to care for their community. With understanding comes love, and the children will always care for their surroundings wherever they go in the future,” she explained.
The story museum is open from 11am to 1pm on weekdays and visits on weekends are by appointment only.
For details, call 012-286 3933 (Lin).
~News courtesy of The Star~
