SMK to Bintulu town ( 1980's)

Date taken : circa mid 1980's ( Colour photo)

In the 1960's there was a small gravel path road from the Bintulu town that ended at the Bintulu Government Secondary School's (BGSS) junction, seen at left in the picture above. The school is about three miles from Bintulu town. In the early 1970's the road was slightly improved. However it was in the early 1980's that extensive improvement were done that changed the road into a dual carriageway. The school was renamed in Malay as Sekolah Menengah Kerajaan Bintulu (SMK Bintulu)

View from school junction to town today.

Date taken : 14 Jan'11 ( Digital - Sony Cyber-shot)

With the fast tempo of development planned for Bintulu starting in the 1980's, traffic to and from town increased tremendously and so was the number of heavy vehicles on the road. Many amenities were added to the carriageway like proper pedestrian and cycle-path, bus shed,central median lighting with underground cabling and a pedestrian overhead bridge for safety and convenience.. The local authority took the opportunity to plant Angsana trees (Pterocarpus indicus) as shade trees in order to create the green wash and aesthetics to urban roads.

Roundabout 3 - 1984

Date taken : 1984 ( Colour photo)

In the early 1980's when Bintulu was beginning to open up its hinterland, there was a need to disperse traffic coming in and out of town in an orderly fashion. This roundabout was called R 3 ( Roundabout 3) and is about three miles from the Bintulu town. Looking straight to the far background is the Bintulu - Miri highway. The road towards the left of the picture leads to Tanjung Kidurong, a new satellite township provided with modern facilities, a new deep-water port and a new heavy industrialised zone area to cater for oil and gas business. The picture also shows a worker in the process of planting the roundabout with cow grass ( Axonopus compressus) which became the standard turf for the landscaping of Bintulu roundabouts, traffic islands, road medians and road shoulders. Note the permanent structure on the top right of the picture. This building was and still is today the Headquarters of the Police Department in Bintulu.

Date taken : 1 Jan'11 ( Digital - Sony Cyber-shot)

Today, Bintulu boasts of a city image with over-sized advertising board. The board stands right in the midst of a traffic island of a traffic junction nearby that replaces the old roundabout after having lived its useful life. But alas, the CELCOM advertising board appears alien amidst Bintulu's greenery and clean image.

Sky Theatre - 1950's

Date taken : circa late 1950's ( B&W photo)

As a young kid and adult growing in Bintulu I have seen the rise and the fall of the cinema entertainment business here especially those buildings purpose-built to project celluloid films on huge theatre white screens. One such institution was the Sky Theatre of which the building is seen on the right of the picture above. The space between the theatre and the wooden shophouses have been taken up by the Hoover Hotel as shown below. The wooden shophouses are gone now. The main road that is seen above is the Keppel Road and is not yet well-paved. Cars are very few indeed and there is ample green space in between the opposite row of wooden shophouses. Life seemed to remain standstill except of course the dramatic experiences shown in the theatre. I have my share of attending films ( including cheap Sunday matinees), acrobatic shows, magic shows, concerts and singing competitions organised in the theatre. The Sky Theatre was owned by a local businessman named Yek Min Ek and was opened for business in the 1950's. The theatre survived for 40 years but with the advent of television in the 1970's and video tapes in the 1980's, the cinema business suffered badly and the theatre met its natural death in the 1990's.

Date taken : 2 Dec'10 ( Digital - Sony cyber-shot)

The original site of the Sky Theatre now houses the 'City Point' building which is owned by the Hock Lee group a company started by Yek Min Ek. In the building there are cineplexes as a sign of continuity in the cinema business and still having popular audience. The wooden shophouses are replaced by permanent ones. The Keppel road now enjoys trappings of modernism like bituminous or tar-sealed road. To encourage smooth traffic flow the local authority decided to make the Kepppel Road a one-way four-lane street complete with traffic lights, pedestrain crossing, tiled street pavements, underground cables for the lamp posts and landscaping.

Roundabout 2 traffic island planting - 1980's

Date taken : 13 May 1984 ( Colour photo )

The above is a long shot view of the new dual carriageway from Roundabout 2 to Roundabout 1. The fact that there was going to be four roundabouts to be built in Bintulu in the 1980's sent signals that the town was developing. This was one of my first project on the landscaping of Bintulu roads. What is seen is a rockery concept to the traffic island. At the central median and road shoulders, grassing works using cow grass ( Axonopus compressus) are being undertaken. The electrical posts with underground cabling are about to be erected. On both sides of the road and along the central median are planted the Angsana trees ( Pterocarpus indicus) which were planted from stumps.

Date taken : 25 November'10 ( Digital image)

Today a drive along this carriageway will give the impression of entering a long tunnel of greenery. The presence of the huge trees are a welcome respite in the tropical heat as you can feel a sudden drop of 2-3 degrees in temperature while driving through the 'tunnel-like' greenery. Note: The use of Angsana trees for roadsides was so prevalent in Bintulu then that today Bintulu has the longest stretch of Angsana planting in Sarawak, an estimated 50 miles of Angsana planting from the Bintulu town to the Kidurong industrial zone.

Mile O - early 1980's

Date taken : 13 May'1984 ( Colour photograph)

View of Bintulu town from MO ( Mile O ) i.e. start of the JKR maintained road radiating out of Bintulu town to Kidurong Highway, Higway to Sibu and Highway to Miri. Note the landscaping using low cover plants, the three big buildings on the right belong to government agencies. Of importance to the small town of Bintulu then was the Customs office -cum godown and stockyard area (red roof) . Closest to the foreground on the right is the Forestry Office.

Date taken : 25 November'2010

Of significance in the above picture are the Melanau sunhat-styled roofing structure of the public market buildings built by the BDA ( Bintulu Development Authority). In the Melanau language the sunhat is called " Saong" or " Terendak" in Malay. The one closest to the foreground( in light green colour roofing) is the 'Tamu ' or jungle produce market. The two other buildings in the far background in blue coloured roofing are the 'Pasar Utama' which houses the vegetable and fish and poultry market as well as drinking and eating stalls on their first floors.

Bintulu town riverside squatters operation - 1987

Date taken : 1987

The picture above shows a massive squatters clearing operation undertaken in 1987 . The main road to the right is called the Main Bazaar Road and at that point of time acted as a two-way street. There were many old wooden shophouses along the Main Bazaar road then. The river to the left is the Kemena River going towards the sea in the horizon which is seen at the top of the picture.

Date taken : 19 Nov'10

A row of concrete shophouses has replaced the old wooden ones. The two-way street has given way to a one-way street. The vacant space left after the demolition of squatters resettlement has made way for a fully tiled esplanade ( Bintulu Esplanade) and a main market structure with roof resembling the local Melanau sun hat called 'Terendak'. This main market is now called 'Pasar Utama' which houses a vegetable and fish market at the ground floor and eating and drinking stalls at the first floor.

Date taken : 1987

Earth filling and levelling works done after the squatters settlement was cleared.

Date taken : 19Nov'10

The Chinese temple or Tua Pek Kong as seen today after receiving extensive renovations.
The new concrete shophouses around the temple has provided a facelift to the town making it look more modern.

Bintulu roads (Part 1)

Jalan Abang Galau - circa early 1960's.

The same location taken on 19th November'10

The top picture was taken circa early 1960's. I took another picture of the same location yesterday, 19th November,2010. What was once an earth road made for bicycles and trishaws is now a bituminous paved road. To the left of the top picture is a rubber garden . What is amazing in the picture is the staying power of the tall palm trees and the kampung houses in the far background to the right that are still standing to this date. Many of the people in the picture can be named or recognised if you are a Bintuluian. Only three so far have left us. I am the little boy on the extreme right front row. The picture was taken while attending the marriage ceremony of my uncle who worked with the Public Works Department in Bintulu as a 'caterpillar' or bulldozer driver back then.