Lutong Shophouses (2008)

Monday, 27 October 2008

KKChew emailed:
> Hi Folks,

> Some may have already heard or known about it.
> It is with sadness and emotion in me to convey this short message
> and bad news that the 2nd row of wooden shop houses at Lutong
> went up in smoke on AM 24/10/2008.
> They were built in the year most of us came into this world - 1954.
> A significant chronological date to most of us.
>

> Many and most that were born and bred here had also witnessed
> that most of those iconic Shell ETC (Elevated Timber Construction)
> quarters around Lutong Town had also disappeared - demolished.
> Sally was last here and in her memory lane did not get to see the
> wooden semi d ETC that had previously housed them at
> Jalan Merikan and later another by Jalan Machinda.
> It will be also no surprise for Mag in her next planned transit
> itinerary to the fame Mulu, as the detached ETC
> that ever housed them, by the cross junction near
> Good Shepherd (the Lutong Anglican Church),
> is but a flat ground.

>
> An unpleasant but sad update which I had refrained to announce
> earlier of the recent fire mishap, in order not to spoil the appetite
> of particularly the 3 lunch diners at Mid Valley.
>
> Regards,
> KK

Jamel emailed:> O dear. I guess it's a reminder to us that we can go too!

Dr.Amin emailed:
> Sorry to hear the bad news and I hope no one was injured.
> The shop is quite a landmark when I was schooling those days.
>
> The more reason why we need to get together soon.

Aisah emailed:
> I wonder whether the shop is insured! Just the right time that
> we're coming back for the gathering and will definitely see
> the remnants later.
> I recall it's a real "Cowboy" town with all the friendly folks
> living around.

Bong emailed:
> Really sorry to hear about that, any people took any pic?
> Hope no body got hurt.

CheeShak emailed:
> Yes, Indeed we should meet more often to share views &> updated each other on day to day activites.

Ismawi emailed:
> It is sad but things like this sometimes have to go, by choice,> luck or just fate, .... and be replaced by a much permanent symbols,> we too can be like the Lutong Bazaar ....
KH Leong emailed:
> "Expecting the world to treat u fairly coz u are a good person
> is like expecting the lion not to attach u coz u are a vegetarian"


That was so sweet and thoughtful of KK. He refrained from sharing with us when Sha, Meg & I were having lunch at MidValley on the 25 October, which was the day after the mishap of the Lutong shop.

From KK's email, I thought the whole row of shophouses were burnt down, but thank goodness, it wasn't. Most importantly, I hope nobody was hurt.

Yes, I remembered that row. There were two rows. They were wooden for a long long time and then one row was changed to concrete and another row left as it was, as in these pictures that I took and posted in "Lutong" in August 2007




Wednesday, 29 October 2008

In reply to Bong's email, SKLeong took pictures of the fated shophouses and emailed to all of us:

> This is my second try sending out the pics,
> the first one i send had a message saying file not delivered,
> so may be is the pics file too large or wat,
> so i had reduced the size again, i just took this pics this afternoon,
> hope tis last row of the wooden shop houses can bring you
> back some sweet memory in LGSS.

I really don't know why this row of shops were not rebuilt to concrete. Now I think the remaining wooden ones had to be pulled down to make way for a new concrete ones.