Tuesday, July 24, 2007
By Joehari Kalil
This write up is my compilation and contents are from contributions from Sisters & Brothers up to the best of our knowledge. The intent of this article is to capture historical moments of the Kalil Family. To put 70 plus years of events accurately into words is impossible. However these are moments of what memory holds during those years.
Our Beloved Father, Hj Kalil Bin Surto was born in Tambak Rejo Pattebon, Kendal, Jawa Tengah in the year 1915. His siblings consist of 4 Brothers and 1 Sister History began in the year xxxx when Kalil and his Unties/Uncles made the BIG decision to look for greener pastures and migrate to Singapore which was then known as Malaya. At the age of 18, he left Kendal with his Untie Jumpot Bin Sutarjo, Untie Aishah Bte Sutarjo and Uncle Hanafi. Hjh Jumpot then adopted a cute Chinese baby girl and later named her Maimunah Bte Abdullah. Hjh Maimunah was then matched to be married to Hj Kalil in the year 1944.
Mother was a dutiful housewife managing the children and babysat the grandchildren such as Juli, Ian, Hezrul and few others when they were young. Unknown to some, Mother worked as a Domestic Helper for a Eurasian Family for a short while. Father worked as Driver with the then Public Works Board for almost 30 years. I remembered Father would give my kampong friends and I a lift home in his PUB pick-up truck after Friday prayers at Ba’Alwi Mosque. That was a happy and thrilling experience. As Husband and Wife, Hj Kalil and Hjh Maimunah lived in Kampong Pasiran which was located at No. 19 Gentle Road. Now the kampong is no more in existence except for the Pasiran mosque which was rebuild in 2002. Kampong Pasiran was where the Kalil Family grew. We lived in Pasiran for 3 years after which we moved to Kampong Chantek Lama which was located at Merryn Road. As time passed, our family grew to 12 children but 2 passed away at infancy. One was named Abdullah while the other was yet to be named. Our Father and Mother were survived by the following 10 children in descending order;
1) Jumain Bin Kalil Aug 1946
2) Sumayah Bte Kalil Nov 1948
3) Ramlah Bte Kalil Nov 1951
4) Salmiah Bte Kalil Mar 1953
5) Sulaikah Bte Kalil July 1954
6) Aman Bin Kalil Nov 1955
7) Md Amin Bin Kalil Jan 1958
8) Omanah Bte Kalil Nov 1959
9) Ainon Bte Kalil Oct 1961
10)Joehari Bin Kalil Feb 1965
At Kampong Chantek Lama, Father was the village headman. He built rows of houses and rented it out to other families. I remembered how Father turned the big chicken coop into a residential housing, and then converted it into a car garage and store room. Father also taught religion to the kampong children every Mondays to Fridays after the Maghrib Prayers. The Family stayed at Kampong Chantek Lama till we moved to Kampong Pasiran in the year 1983 due to urban redevelopment. It was a sad feeling especially for me as it was my playground for 18 years. It was sad to leave all my friends behind. Every year during the first day of Hari Raya Puasa, after the Hari Raya prayer, Father will light up a long line of red firecrackers as part of the Hari Raya celebration. He wouldl sit at the verandah of our house and prepare himself with stacks of 20 cents coins. The Kampong children will then come by and receive 20 cents Hari Raya token each from him.
From Kampong Chantek Lama, the family moved back to Pasiran and stayed there for almost 3 years before we moved because of redevelopment. By now, the majority of the siblings were married and have settled down in their respective homes. Being the youngest and the only left bachelor, we moved to Sister Sumayah’s home in Lorong Chuan. Father and Mother went for their Haj trip and a few Umrahs. During the 1992 Umrah Trip, Father fell ill and passed away in Istanbul, Turkey on Dec 1989. Mother stayed with Sister Ramlah after the trip. Unfortunately, she suffered stroke in 1999. Mother was on the road to recovery as she was able to walk slowly with some guidance. Unfortunately, she fell while trying to feed the fish in the tank one morning and that fractured her hips. Mother was wheelchair-bound since then and needed the help from Rasih till her death on Oct 2006. Looking back, the family has grown tremendously through the marriages of the children and grandchildren from a simple union of a husband and wife. It has now grown into 4 generations with 59 family members.
It has been great pleasure having big gatherings especially during family functions that have taken place through the years. There have been family kenduris, barbecues, picnics and recently convoys to Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands, Cherating Kuantan and Cameron Highlands. Now, there is even some introduction of fun and fitness activities to promote healthy living. Our monthly family get together for Ratib prayers has been on-going for the past year and Insha-Allah, this will bring closeness, strong ukhwah between family members. We hope this can continue always, from generation to generation.
Labels: Historical Events
