Swimming Days During Younger Years

These pictures were taken in 1973 at Penang Chinese Swimming Club which at the time I was staying in Padang Serai. A group of us from Padang Serai would frequently visit Penang for a short holiday stint and would stay at Sim Clan Association at Abu Sitti Lane for free because of our clanship. Friends like Sim Khong Aun, Sim Khong Sook, Lee Soon Heng, Tan Eng Chin, Ah Yong, Ooi Thean Lai and Tony Liew were the usual friends for such trips.

During our childhood days at Padang Serai, our swimming activity was restricted to places like ponds, streams and rivers or sometimes at the seaside (Pantai Merdeka and Penang beaches). We hardly had the chance of swimming in a club pool or a hotel pool. And when we swim in these muddy ponds or streams in Padang Serai we were subjected to leeches bites, body coated with a thin layer of mud “powder” when dry). We have somehow or rather mastered the swimming art called the “Kampong Style” which comes with lots of splashing.

These days our kids are fortunate to have proper swimming pools and I would not imagine them jumping into dirty ponds or streams like we used to do.