By A. Aziz Ibrahim.

Former sports commentator A.Aziz Ibrahim recalls riding the trolley bus and taking a ferry on his daily two-hour commute to work as a temporary teacher in Sungai Dua, Butterworth.

THE first job I undertook upon leaving Penang Free School was as a temporary teacher of English at a Malay primary school in Sungai Dua, Butterworth.

It was common for school leavers then, upon getting their results of the Senior Cambridge Examinations, to apply to the Education Department for a temporary teaching post while waiting for admission to Higher School Certificate classes (now known as Form Six).

I was no exception and followed the course taken by my classmates. It was fun, nevertheless, filling up our application forms, sharing notes and going for the interview at the Education Department.

Almost everyone was successful. The only issue was whether one was fortunate enough to get a posting to a school nearby or in a rural area.

When I say rural, it was really rural with the barest of infrastructure. Let me remind you that this was in the late 1950s, barely a couple of years or so after Merdeka.

Hence, I accepted the offer by the Organiser of Malay Schools in Penang, Encik Izahab Alang Ismail, to be a temporary teacher of English at Sungai Dua Malay School.

I didn't even know where Sungai Dua was.

Upon acceptance, I was briefed on the precise area and its community, my functions and when I had to report to the headmaster.

I was paid a princely sum of 160 Malayan dollars a month, plus an additional 25 dollars for having scored a credit in English for the Senior Cambridge Examinations.

Despite coming from a relatively comfortable background, I had never handled so much money in my life.

My father was a civil servant in the General Post Office in Penang. When I broke the news to him, he was more worried about how I would get to the school every morning.

It involved taking the trolley bus, with its overhead arms connecting to the power lines above, from our government quarters in Chow Thye Road, off Burmah Road, to the jetty and crossing to Butterworth, Province Wellesley, on the mainland by ferry. This trolley bus service replaced the tram car going on its own track along the main roads of George Town very much earlier.

The trolley bus, quite similar to the tram, is no longer in existence, no thanks to the myopic vision of the George Town City fathers then.

They inexplicably did not realise that the electric-powered trolley bus service was unique and was indeed an integral part of the character of George Town.

Many famous cities around the world have fondly preserved such "antiquated" modes of transport, like the cable car in San Francisco and the trams in Amsterdam, Stuttgart and other European cities, projecting a contrast in the city environment between the old and new.

As a Penangite, I still feel sad about the unwise decision to dispense with the environment-friendly trolley bus and replace it with air-polluting diesel buses.

One cannot but feel depressed that much too often vested interests tend to override the importance and necessity of maintaining and preserving much treasured cultural heritage and, above all, uphold integrity.

Coming back to the ferry ride, it was more like a barge and took half an hour and sometimes more, depending on the weather and tide, to make the crossing.

After the ferry ride, I had to take a bus from Butterworth to Sungai Dua, which would take 40 to 50 minutes.

This bus service was available every half hour. All in all it took me no less than two hours to reach the school.

I was looking forward to this "adventure", all excited to earn my living.

On the day I had to report for work, I left the house at 6am to walk to the bus stop which was about five to 10 minutes away, depending on how fast you walked.

I was able to reach the school, right in the middle of wide acres of padi fields, just before 8am and reported to the headmaster, a pleasant looking, balding personality.

It was thus that I began my first job as a temporary teacher at the age of 18.

I spent four months teaching in Sungai Dua before I found a job as a clerk closer to home.

The travelling back and forth was taking its toll on me. Being a sports-loving person, I missed my evenings of football, badminton and tennis.

The long distance travelling meant I could not return home earlier than 6.30pm and thus had no time for games.

** Republished with permission. This article which first appeared in the May 24, 2009 issue of The New Straits Times, is part of a book written by Aziz on his life and career as a sports commentator. It will be published in July 2009.  

Related articles

• How Trams and Buses Can Work Together (Penang Heritage Trust, Newsletter Issue 94)
• Old tram railtrack unearthed along Penang Road (Anil Netto, 09.08.07)

Related video

• Penang uncovers old tram tracks (JaringTube, YouTube, 15.10.07)

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