Journey of nostalgia to the rest house
Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli
2009/09/07
ONE of the landmarks that have faded from the skyline of our towns in the last decade is the rest house (rumah persinggahan), a concept mooted in the last century to provide government officers on tour duty with a proper place to stay or break journey, thus the name. The rest houses were also open to the public. The facilities offered included accommodation and meals.
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| One of the last few rest houses left standing, the Batu Pahat rest house. |
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| The Batu Pahat rest house is an anachronism among the hotels and restaurants in the modern age. |
The first rest house in Johor Baru was built in 1895 at the insistence of Sultan Ibrahim. The colonial government had already provided rest houses in the Federated Malay States' towns. Sultan Ibrahim thought it would therefore be fitting for Johor Baru to have a rest house for expatriates visiting the state.
Sultan Ibrahim commissioned Datuk W. N. Vouler, an architect, to design a suitable building on a piece of land Ibrahim had acquired from the family of the late Datuk Mohamad Salleh, a judge, at the foot of Bukit Timbalan. The furniture and furnishing, cutlery and crockery and two billiard tables for the rest house were imported from England. The rest house became popular not only among expatriates from Singapore but also among local dignitaries. The proximity of Abu Bakar Pier where visitors from Singapore could come ashore was an added advantage to the rest house.
Due to popular demand, the government acquired two adjacent plots and built an extension to the rest house. Upon completion, the building was renamed Johor Hotel.
Additional furniture and furnishings were imported. The bath towels, linen, cutlery and crockery were engraved with the monogram "Johor Hotel" in English and Malay, below a crescent and star. An expatriate manager was appointed.
A feature of the hotel was the room provided for the expatriate club known as the Johor Club, and another for the Malay officers known as the Johor Civil Service Club.
With the opening of the causeway in 1924, the hotel's business began to decline as commuting was the preferred choice. The Johor Club moved to its present building in Sungei Chat, while the Johor Civil Service Club moved into its own premises. The hotel later closed down and was converted into municipal and post offices.
However the government continued with its responsibility of providing affordable board and lodging for its officers while on duty in the districts as there were no suitable hotels then.
The earlier rest houses were in the form of government bungalows. As demand increased they were demolished and replaced with new buildings and better facilities. Some of the bungalows were retained for use of VIPs as in Segamat and Batu Pahat, but have since then closed down or converted for use by voluntary organisations.
In the late 1950s, two bungalows in Jalan Sungei Chat in Johor Baru were designated as VIP houses for executive councillors. The Johor Baru rest house was situated by the side of the bungalows. The buildings have since been demolished and a hotel built on the site. The original rest house in Muar was in Jalan Othman before a new building was constructed at Tanjong Emas in the early 1970s. The former building has been converted into the office of the Public Works Department.
The rest houses were strategically located with scenic views and a quiet environment. The rooms were spacious and later air conditioned, with adjoining bathrooms. The dining room was often open concept with an airy ambience.
The rest houses were managed by operators appointed by the government through a tender system. Successful operators were given a lease of five years on specific rentals. Building maintenance, however, remained the government's responsibility. In later years, the management and upkeep of the rest houses were handled by the Yayasan Pelajaran Johor.
Most of the operators were Chinese although, at one time, Malay operators managed the Johor Baru and Muar rest houses. The meals served at most rest houses were Western food prepared by Hainanese cooks, a legacy of the colonial days. Among the typical all-time favourites were meat dishes like steaks, lamb chops, chicken chop, roast chicken, and the mixed grill. Sandwiches, noodles and fried rice prepared the Chinese way were the favoured fast food.
The management prepared their own menu including local dishes, which often became favourites. The rest house in Batu Pahat once had deep-fried ice cream on its menu.
The rest houses served as the venues for private and public gatherings, meetings and social functions. They were also the holding areas while waiting for the arrival of visiting dignitaries.
Sultan Iskandar and members of the royal family often stayed the night at the Mersing and Kluang rest houses in the early 1980s on their sojourns to the districts.
There were stories of ghosts haunting the Mersing and Johor Baru rest houses but that did not deter their patrons.
The only exciting experience I had was finding a snake coiled in the toilet bowl of the Pontian rest house!
With the opening of hotels and restaurants, all the rest houses except those in Kluang and Batu Pahat have closed down because of redundancy.
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