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 Perak
Heritage Society
Concerned
with the rate at which heritage sites are being destroyed, and
the ‘improvement’ of the Ipoh Padang in 2002, a group
of people got together to form the Perak Heritage Society (PHS).
It was registered in August 2003.
The main
objective of the PHS is to ‘promote public awareness, conservation
and preservation of our social, environment and cultural heritage
for the benefit of the people of Perak’. In truth, we deal
with Perak's natural, cultural and industrial heritage. Tin-mining
is the most significant industrial Malaysia world heritage concentrated
in Perak, which is also the first state to record the cultural
heritage of our aboriginal people, the Orang Asli. Today, while
retaining their identity, the community is present alongside other
ethnicities especially in small towns.
 Site
visits affirm perceptions of heritage. To this end, the PHS organizes
regular outings for members and friends to places of heritage
interest like the old tin-mining town of Chemor, Gopeng, Kampar
and Taiping. Other fun and relaxing trips (heri.trails) include
the Perak River trails, taking in Kuala Kangsar the royal town,
the Lenggong Valley, Parit, Bota, Pair Salak and Teluk Intan.
Talks about
history, heritage and conservation in practice have also been
organized. Our speakers ranged from Malcolm Wade who spoke about
Perak Postal History, Raimy Che Ross who spoke on ‘Kota Gelanggi
– The Lost City’ to Lim Take Bane’s talk on ‘Adaptive
Re-use of Old Buildings’.
 In
2006, the PHS was also given the opportunity to premiere Amir
Muhamad’s film ‘The Last Communist’ as a fund-raiser
for the Society. It was all systems go but the art film was banned
two weeks prior to the screening.
Nonetheless,
it inspired the PHS to screen films which were shot on location
in Perak. Of interest to old film buffs, these films provide us
the chance to view places and vistas which may have been changed
or destroyed. These films serve as semi-documents on many of our
photogenic heritage sites.
Information
on heritage issues is disseminated through our bi-monthly newsletter
‘Heritage News’ and through articles in the Press on
the activities of the Society. E-copies of the Heritage News are
also available to friends and supporters. Positive and delightful
reports on our heritage trails have attracted new members and
garnered support from the men on the street. We also deal with
numerous requests for information on heritage issues and renovation
of old buildings. We maintain an expanding network with individuals
and community groups in different parts of the state, and work
with organizations based in Ipoh, the capital city of Perak.
 The
PHS is a resource for researchers and writers. We assist and arrange
interviews with and provide guide and information to individuals
and communities. In our network, we participate in community activities,
and assist behind the scene by creating public awareness through
media blitz. We also lend our support to other's causes, such
as the Save the Royal Belum and Save the Koay Jetty campaigns.
 A
project PHS hopes to undertake soon is to collect, document and
publish books and videos on our wondrous natural, cultural and
industrial heritage. Like most NGO's, and despite many well-wishers,
supporters and donors, the PHS is hampered by limited resources,
both human and financial. More fund-raising projects will be done
and benefactors sought.
Contact
details:
Postal/Office:
85C Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil, 30300 IPOH, Perak.
E-mail: perakheritage36@gmail.com
President, Law Siak Hong: siakhongstudio@yahoo.com
PHS Membership
Information
Sign-up
fees
Life
Member RM500;
Ordinary
Member RM30 (Perak residents only);
Associate
Member RM30 (Non-Perak residents);
Annual renewal
for both OM and AM are RM20. Associate Membership carries no voting
right.
 Exerpts
from Law Siak Hong's address to the Taiping Heritage Society,
March 2008
Let
me share with you what heritage is, and, for me, what there
is in Taiping for us to enjoy.
The process of 'heritaging':
• Site visit and observation
• Learning from the experts
• Follow-on reading and research
This
process suits me well. It provides for good fun, good food
nearby, satisfaction when information comes forth, and fascination
when pieces of the puzzle come together. I ignore disappointments.
We have to move on.
Why
is heritage so important?
• People and community.
• Cultural identities and landmarks.
History
is intrinsic to Heritage. As our Prof Emeritus, Dato' Khoo
Kay Kim would say, 'History is the mother of all disciplines'.
That is to say, a foundation in historical knowledge is
a pre-requisite to achieving excellence. To further explore
the depth of heritage, social historians and anthropologists
have become prominent, for human interest is the stuff of
heritage.
Despite
very few career opportunities in History, many young people
I have met are deeply interested in history. They are curious
about the past. Many young people I have come across are
actually fascinated by history. They are the ones to carry
our hopes into the future; they must be involved.
Hong with Dato
Dr Hj Wan Mohd Isa, OBJ Larut Matang dan Selama.
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Home
Papan
Press
& Reviews
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PERAK
HERITAGE SOCIETY
Heritage News
A
bi-monthly newsletter
of the Perak Heritage Society
edited and produced by
Law Siak Hong
Download
here
Volume 5, Issue 6
November-December 2008
Volume
5, Issue 4 & 5
July-October 2008
Volume
5, Issue 3
May-June 2008
Volume
5, Issue 1 & 2
January-April 2008
Volume
4, Issue 6
November-December 2007
Volume
4, Issue 5
September-October 2007
Volume
4, Issue 4
July-August 2007
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BOOKS
Kinta
Valley: Pioneering Malaysia’s Modern Development
Khoo Salma Nasution
& Abdur-Razzaq Lubis
Raja
Bilah and the Mandailings in Perak: 1875-1911
Abdur-Razzaq Lubis
& Khoo Salma Nasution
For
more information,
contact: Areca
Books
120 Armenian Street
10200 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +60 4 2620123
Fax: +60 4 2633970
Email: arecabooks@gmail.com
Website: www.arecabooks.com
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