Berjuntai Tin Dredging and I

Yesterday I stumbled upon a book, The First 100 Years History of Malaysia Mining Corporation 1911-2011 (today known as MMC Engineering Berhad). I don't know why but quickly I began to remember the greatest childhood days ever that I had experienced during our stay there. My father was the dredge engineer there and it was the longest place that we stayed till 1990, when the price of tin continued to dwindle. I must say that I had the best time of my life there.

My family first came to Batang Berjuntai in 1984 after father was transferred from Keramat Tin Dredging, Tapah, Perak Darul Ridzuan. I was only one year old back then and my mother was expecting my second brother back then. We first stayed at the single storey bungalow not very far from the main gate of Bukit Minyak Engineers Residency (those who worked in the mining areas lived in luxury back then as all utilities were paid for and one just bring their suitcase and important belongings into the house provided by the company). Although I was only one but I remembered the house, air conditioned and fully furnished. 

Later in January 1985, we shifted to another single storey bungalow, addressed BM21 and the house was located about less than a kilometer from the mess hall. Similar size like the earlier house, but it was nearer to the mess hall where Mak always brought me for swimming there as well as having lunch or dinner there. Back then, the mess hall cooked the best Oriental Chicken Chop and Oriental Beef Steak and its signature dish, Chinese Fried Rice ( a must to have each time fellow engineers threw birthday parties or BBQ parties there). Mak gave birth to Fateh, my little brother back then after we shifted to BM21. Like any other houses there, all master bedrooms were fitted with air conditioners; Carrier or Philco brand (wonder what happened to this Philco brand). 

When Farah was born in 1986, we were still there and I was 3 years old. And father always brought me to the mining pool site where dredges operated 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Source: http://www.cuti.com.my/album/displayimage.php?album=1113&pos=20

I remembered that day, it was raining heavily and mishap took place on the dredge BTD 06 hence my father brought me together with him to the mining pool and there it was, standing tall like an ailing gruesome monster, according to father, the dredge hit a big floating wood that it accidentally broke one of its pontoon and the dredge was slunted a bit due to the water sipping inside the dredge; that was the unforgettable moment for me seeing the dredge live for the first time. Before that, right in front of the main gate, there was an abandoned dredge, dredge BTD 05 and I could see how big was the monster standing gigantically in front of the main gate to the residency. If I want to go to Batang Berjuntai town, I would surely pass another mining pool belonging to Seng Kee (correct me if I am wrong) and there it was, standing tall, an old rusted dredge (sold as scrap after 10 years being abandoned). 

We then shifted to BM16 in 1987 a year after Farah was born, bigger house, bigger lawn and off course bigger playground for us. And that was the time when the abandoned long sleeping dredge BTD 05 went to live again. The sound of the machine was gruesome especially in the night, like a banshee questing for her victims. And for the first time ever I saw dredge BTD 05 in motion. Actually one could not see the dredge was in motion because it was huge hence it was hard to notice its movement. I must thank father for exposing me with the reality being a dredge engineer. It was not easy at all as he was always on standby in case anything went wrong with dredges back then. I guess I was very lucky enough to see dredges operating in real life not by mere reading or through pictures. 

But, that was years ago and I knew that I wont be able to turned back the clock. How I wish I could so that I just want to experience it once again and again. We moved from Berjuntai Tin in 1990 leaving behind thousands and one memories there. I wont be able to see dredges operating in life again. 

-Fadhil Zhafri-