Lunch at Padang Ipoh

Students relax on the stands surrounding Padang Ipoh

In commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee the Chinese community gathered over 43,000 pounds to create Ipoh Padang in 1898. Padang is the Malay word for field and this is exactly what it is. In the colonial days, British men were seen wearing whites on the field, hitting a wicket or two. Some were seen heading back to the exclusive Ipoh Royal Club adjacent to the field, where the rules ‘white men only’ still applied. The Perak Cricket Association was once based there.

During the Japanese Occupation, every morning at 8’o clock all the stuff of the Government officers in Ipoh gathered there to participated in a bowing and allegiance ceremony. When Subhash Chandra Bose, and Indian revolutionary leader, visited Ipoh on October 1, 1943, he spoke to a large gathering there and recruited hundreds of volunteers for his Army of Free India. On May 31, 1962 the Sultan of Perak declared the formation of the Municipality of Ipoh at this Padang, and the town of 200,000 spent nearly RM 1 million to celebrate the occasion with a mammoth parade of 120 floats and other festivities.

Che Amirul Aiman bin Che Zahari (5Sc2)

Students wait outside the State Mosque to head to lunch

1.30 P.M. (Padang Ipoh)

We walked for about 200 meters from the State Mosque to Padang Ipoh. The Padang Ipoh is a big field located in the centre of Ipoh. Usually, it is used for a big event like sports day, Independence Day and so on. We were unlucky because the weather was so hot. We took our lunch there. There is nothing over there except a big field.

MUHAMMAD FAKHRI RAIMI BIN AZIZI (5Sc1)

Students pose with the Birch memorial on the way to lunch

Then, we walked to Padang Ipoh. Along the street we saw murals. They were so beautiful and unique. Padang Ipoh is the Park at the north end of the town and is essentially a large field (Padang). The Brit’s made it a cricket a field for whites wearing whites and during the Japanese occupation, each morning it was used for Japanese ceremonies of allegiance.

Today it is just a park for all to use. Before we continued our journey to Hakka Mining Museum we took our lunch. The lunch was delectable. It was a Malay cuisine. The foods supplied were tomato rice with chicken sambal and mixed vegetable. After we were done with our lunch, we begin our journey to the Hakka Mining Museum.

Dharshini D/O Chandran (5Sc1)