by Ian Anderson
In 1933 a
group of prominent local tin miners met for lunch. There was probably nothing
unusual about that, but out of this lunch came an Olympic size swimming pool
for local people. That very day, the Kinta Swimming Club was born, with Foo Wah
Cheng as President, supported by Wong Peng Sum (President 1938 to 1975) and
Yeoh Khuan Joo. It is relevant that the Ipoh Swimming Club, for Whites only,
had opened that same year.
A 60-year
lease from the government provided three acres of land for the club. The
project started in 1934 and on April 11, 1936, Malaya’s first Olympic-size swimming
pool was opened by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Iskandar Shah. The homegrown
project cost about $25,000, raised by donations and the sale of debenture
bonds. A tremendous achievement by anyone’s standards. The consulting engineer
was the well-known Thomas Steele.
This was no
normal pool. With no filtration plant, the water had to be changed every day.
Water was piped from Leong Sin Nam’s mine near Kledang Hill at a cost of $100
per month. With crystal clear water the club went from strength to strength
with competitions between the swimming clubs of Singapore and Penang and
inter-school competitions competing for the Wong Peng Sum trophy.
As the
Japanese invaded, the club closed, to be transformed by the invaders into a
camp for Indian Prisoners-of-War. The empty pool became a garbage dump.
In 1947, the
club reopened with water fed from a local waterfall. This not only brought in
water but also contamination, which required intensive cleaning every two
months. This resulted in closure in 1951. A filtration plant was desperately
needed!
Five years
later the club reopened again, this time with filtration, and the future looked
secure; but the euphoria did not last. The Police closed the club citing
illegal late-night activities. It was reopened for the third time in 1957 by
Ipoh Council Chairman G.S. Walker. Again it became the venue for many national
and state competitions. With full height diving boards, this was a very popular
club.
From 1957
things went well under the guidance of Datuk Yeoh Kian Teck the third President
(1975 to 1983) and his successor Hong Weng Keong. But in 1992 disaster struck
again. The original lease ran out and was not immediately renewed. The club had
to close again.
After a long
and difficult period, thanks to the determination of the President and his
committee, a new lease allowed a brand new clubhouse and pool to be built, to
the highest standards. It opened in 2012.
No doubt
this is a nostalgic story for those who swam in the old pool in the 50s and
60s, but this is not only nostalgia but a lesson in tenacity and dedication. A
tale of how a handful of men had an idea and despite all difficulties drove it
forward. They did this for all the people of Ipoh and we should not forget
that.
Nostalgia
apart, thanks to the efforts of those long-suffering presidents and their
committees who never gave up. The people of Ipoh have an Olympic pool of their
own and like many other homegrown ideas, it is now their heritage.
End
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