Hometown memories

Memories of her beloved home state of Johor led Peggy Loh to pen her engaging book, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, writes

WHEN the little girl heard that her parents would be moving from Johor Baru to Masai, she panicked. Masai? East Africa? Where the tribe drank cattle blood? The gory image scared her. What a relief for Peggy Loh when she learnt that her parents were not moving to a godforsaken place far away from home after all. The small town called Masai was only about a half-hour drive from Johor Baru!

Her face lights up as Loh chuckles at the thought, which remains fresh in her memory although the episode of moving to Masai happened more than 50 years ago.The memory led her to penning a story, which she titled

This story leads the collection of Loh’s memorable accounts of her life and people dear to her, as well as that of her beloved home state of Johor in her newly released book,

Loh recalls how her friends in Johor Baru, who were great fans of The Bee Gees, would tease her and joked that she was ‘... going back to Masai-chusetts’. This was in apparent reference to the popular band’s famous song Massachusetts with the catchy first line ‘...

The bubbly Loh’s sense of humour and strong nostalgia for Johor, specifically its capital Johor Baru, or JB, shine through the entire book, written in her informal and witty style. It’s no wonder that this book has made it to MPH’s weekly Best Sellers list for several weeks since its release into the market in mid-July.

WALKING DOWN MEMORY LANE

The book has 30 stories, divided into three main sections — Memories, Portraits and By The Way.

The Masai-chusetts story which falls under

is another enchanting story in this section. It reveals the outstanding achievements of Loh’s families in Malaysian sports, particularly badminton. Her Ah Kong, or grandfather — Ng Ngoh Tee — was the Maker of Champions. He trained his children and others to achieve state, national and international titles, including the Thomas Cup. Ng himself was a badminton champion, winning the Johor badminton championships four times in the 1930s.

Eyes far away, Loh recalls how the compound of her Ah Kong’s house at No. 154, Jalan Ngee Heng, JB, became the centre for badminton training back in the day. A badminton court, which once stood adjacent to the house, became the playground for her and other children in the family in the day time. They’d play there until nightfall when serious training led by Ah Kong would start and the court would be off limits to the children.

That badminton court had produced the country’s badminton champions, including All-England champion Wong Peng Soon, the first Asian ever to win the coveted title in the 1950s. Try and look for this badminton court and the house at No. 154, Jalan Ngee Heng today in JB, you won’t find them anymore as they were demolished some 40 years ago. Looking at the tiny wedge of land, which is today part of a highway, never fails to envelop Loh with a bout of nostalgia.

ORANG CINA BUKAN CINA

The roots of Loh’s large family can be traced, among others, to Wong Ah Fook, a name that often crops up whenever you read about the history of modern Johor. He was one of the pioneering Chinese who contributed to the development of the state. Named after him, Jalan Wong Ah Fook cuts through the city.

The story gives an endearing glimpse into the roots of the family. OCBC, says Loh, may be the abbreviation for a bank’s name but to her family, it spells Loosely translated, the Malay phrase means ‘Chinese who are not Chinese’.

“This is because in spite of our Chinese names, we don’t look typically Chinese,” explains Loh, who laments how people are being stereotyped into racial groups by their looks.She adds: “Because we do not fall into any definite group, it causes a bit of confusion. Very often, my race becomes a topic of discussion and it can be quite awkward and just too personal.”

Often people would ask her bluntly: “You or “What is your race?” Loh would evade the query.

However, she has decided to tell the background of her family in the book, and it’s an engaging account of how her father, who was raised in an orphanage home in Ipoh, was given a Chinese name although he hardly looked Chinese!

But he did marry a Chinese, Lucy

Ng, whom Loh describes as “our beautiful mum”. Still, Loh and her siblings, with their more prominent Eurasian looks, are often mistaken for non-Chinese.

“I’m used to that curious question, ‘You

And to cut a long story short, I will say that I’m Malaysian and on paper, I’m Chinese,” she says with finality.

taken in Chau Formal photo of the Loh family

proof copy – Wah Photo Studio; This is the

photo – provided notice the stamp across the for review.

FACES AND PLACES

In the section, Loh pays tribute to 10 past and present personalities who’ve left an indelible impression on the cultural life of Johor’s community. The persons include unsung heroes like Muar High School headmaster Desmond Paul Pereira, lady and teacher extraordinaire Dawn Parry, and cultural activist Tan Chai

Puan, whose name is synonymous with the 24 Festive Drums renowned for the dramatic art of drumming.

“I’m glad that she doesn’t feature any politicians,” says Johor Baru Member of Parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad, who launched Loh’s book at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel in JB in mid-July. In penning the foreword for the book, he said that he was inspired by the genuine connection Loh has with JB’s people, places, culture and heritage, rendering her ability to write about the city’s rich legacy.

The section contains vivid details that bring to life Loh’s perspective of the rich and colourful history, culture and heritage of Johor. She takes readers