Work of art: Chung’s fountain at the Penang Turf Club. Chung, who was the last Kapitan China of Perak and Malaya, donated this fountain to the club in 1904. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Way back in 1904, Chung Thye Phin, the last Kapitan China of Perak and Malaya, had an ornate fountain commissioned.It was designed and built in Glasgow, Scotland, at a cost of 3,000 Straits Settlements dollars.
It was installed at the then Penang Turf Club (PTC) premises in Macalister Road, where the St George’s Girls’ School now stands.
When the turf club moved to its present site in Batu Gantung in 1935, the fountain was moved along with it.
Today, 120 years later, the fountain faces an uncertain future as the club is considering selling the grounds, marking the end of PTC’s racecourse. And a descendant of the last Kapitan is now calling on PTC to do everything it can to preserve the 120-year-old fountain, his grandfather’s precious legacy.
“My grandfather was a member of the PTC and owned many horses, which he kept at his residence in Relau Villa. He died on April 2, 1935, at the age of 55,” retiree Jeffery Seow, 62, said in an interview.
Seow, who lives in Petaling Jaya, added that while the fountain could only be enjoyed by PTC members now, he hoped that it would at least be exhibited in a place where everyone could have access to it.
“Sadly, I have never been to the PTC to see the fountain for myself as I work in another state,” the marketing communications consultant said.
Heritage activist Khoo Salma Nasution said that preserving the fountain should not be a problem as it can be easily relocated.
While the fountain may yet get a second lease on life, the same cannot be said of the 11 stable hands or syces at the PTC. They may be jobless and facing a bleak future following the announcement of the proposal to dissolve the PTC.The decision will be made at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) next week.
Paramalingam Veeran, 58, said he had been at the club doing his regular chores when The Star’s striking front-page picture of the club’s racetrack caught his eye.
“I was shocked and disappointed when I was told about the proposal to dissolve the club. I could not sleep thinking about my future,” said the father of two who has been caring for the horses in Batu Gantong for the last 40 years.“Racing is in my blood. I only know about horses and how to keep them sound, healthy and fit to race. I’m not good at anything else,” he said.
Paramalingam, who is currently taking care of two horses in Penang, earns about RM1,600 per month.
“My wife is not working as she’s taking care of our two kids at home. I’m not sure about my future.
“Now I just hope that the club’s proposal won’t come true so soon,” he said.
On May 25, The Star reported that the iconic 160-year-old PTC – the oldest horse-racing club in Malaysia – was planning to put its 81ha land up for sale for RM6bil.
The EGM has been set for June 10 to obtain approval from the club’s members for the sale of the land.
