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Kinta Swimming Club, Ipoh And Its History
The photograph was taken in front of the front the Swimming Club around 1965. In the picture are some young Malaysian Indian boys and an old car with a Perak, AA registration. Some bicycles are parked outside.
If anyone has any more information about this picture we shall be pleased to receive it.
The idea of a Kinta Swimming Club (KSC) was born in 1933, when a group of prominent tin miners came up with the idea, over lunch, of building an Olympic sized swimming pool and clubhouse. At that time there was nowhere for ordinary people in Ipoh to swim other than the river although the Ipoh Swimming Club was already founded and the prerogative of Whites.
Thus the first committee was formed, headed by Foo Wah Cheng as President, supported by Wong Peng Sum and Yeoh Khuan Joo. This small committee applied for a lease of land (3 acres) from the government and this being approved for 60 years, the project was started in 1934 and on 11 April,1936 Malaya’s first Olympic size swimming pool was opened by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Iskandar Shah.
The 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 Thomas Steele who had previously designed the Ipoh Cenotaph (completed in 1927), and was the lead architect in the design of the Cheng Bok Building on Brewster Road (completed in 1931).
Hong Weng Kuen joined the club in 1936, as a Student Member, member No 86 (at 30 cents per month subscription) and became one of the founder members of the Club.
The design of the pool was very unusual for there was no filtration plant. We have been told that a continuous flow of fresh water was fed, by pipe, to the pool from Leong Sin Nam’s mines near the Keladang Hill. This cost $100 per month. However there is another possibility that the water came from a nearby reservoir which had previously (until about 1930) supplied drinking water to Ipoh Town. From 1936 to the Japanese invasion, 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.
However, the war meant closure of the club from 1941 to 1945 and the pool deteriorated and became a rubbish dump, while the wooden club building became a Japanese camp for Indian prisoners-of-war.
Once the war was over the club was reopened (in 1947), but was forced to close again in 1951 as it was in need of major work, particularly the provision of a filtration plant. At that time water was supplied from a waterfall and had to be completely emptied and thoroughly cleaned by volunteer members every two months. Wong Peng Sum (President 1938 to 1975) had been striving to raise funds for the renovation to take place earlier, but with insufficient war compensation and inadequate funds it was not until 1951 that the renovation/rebuild could start. This took years — but they were re-built, to include even a bar and a dance floor both sub contracted to an external operator. The new pool opened to members in 1956. After years of gloom, within weeks of re-opening there was a nightly ruckus that continued into the wee hours which drew the attention pf the Council and Police to the activities of the club and the curtailing of late night activities.
The new club, with a full filtration plant, colourful tiles and a new clubhouse was reopened by Ipoh Council Chairman G S Walker in 1957 when it became the venue for many national and state competitions. It was around this time that Weng Keong first became a committee member.
From 1957 things went well under the guidance of Datuk Yeoh Kian Teck the third President (1975 to 1983) and then Hong Weng Keong stepped into the breach and has remained President to today (2006). But in 1992 disaster struck as the original lease ran out and was not immediately renewed. The Club had to close.
Then followed a long and difficult period for the President who fought for the continuation of the club he had joined back in 1936. Eventually, in 1998, due to his efforts and some of his close friends, the lease was renewed, but having been closed for six years, the club and pool needed major renovation or preferably a rebuild. A ground breaking ceremony was held on 1 May 1998 officiated by Dato’ Ong Ka Chuan (Perak Executive Councillor).
The new club was expected to cost around RM3 million at 1999 prices and although there have been many difficulties with shortage of funds since then, Hong Weng Kuen has won through with persistence and dedication, for in 2003 the rebuild started and a brand new club will open within months of this interview, 70 years after he became a founder member. It now needs new members to join the ranks of long-serving life members like all of Hong Weng Kuen’s family. He is sure they will be forthcoming.
Hong Weng Kuen has therefore spent much of his life being involved with KSC. Student and founder member, swimming coach, life-saving instructor and latterly President of the Club. Future members young and old should be grateful for his untiring approach to bring Olympic standard swimming to those Ipoh people who wish to join a club they can truly afford. He is to be congratulated.
To see photographs of the new club and details of its opening, click here.
To read more about Hong Weng Kuen, click here.
To read more about Towkay Leong Sin Nam JP OBE click here.
To read about Swimming Gala Programme Magazine 1963 by Kinta Swimming Club click here.
To read an e-Book interview with Hong Weng Kuen, click here.