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 Perak Heritage Society
Concerned with the rate at which heritage sites are being destroyed, and the improvement of the Ipoh Padang in 2002, a group of people got together to form the Perak Heritage Society (PHS). It was registered in August 2003.
The main objective of the PHS is to promote public awareness, conservation and preservation of our social, environment and cultural heritage for the benefit of the people of Perak. In truth, we deal with Perak's natural, cultural and industrial heritage. Tin-mining is the most significant industrial Malaysia world heritage concentrated in Perak, which is also the first state to record the cultural heritage of our aboriginal people, the Orang Asli. Today, while retaining their identity, the community is present alongside other ethnicities especially in small towns.
 Site visits affirm perceptions of heritage. To this end, the PHS organizes regular outings for members and friends to places of heritage interest like the old tin-mining town of Chemor, Gopeng, Kampar and Taiping. Other fun and relaxing trips (heri.trails) include the Perak River trails, taking in Kuala Kangsar the royal town, the Lenggong Valley, Parit, Bota, Pair Salak and Teluk Intan.
Talks about history, heritage and conservation in practice have also been organized. Our speakers ranged from Malcolm Wade who spoke about Perak Postal History, Raimy Che Ross who spoke on Kota Gelanggi The Lost City to Lim Take Banes talk on Adaptive Re-use of Old Buildings.
 In 2006, the PHS was also given the opportunity to premiere Amir Muhamads film The Last Communist as a fund-raiser for the Society. It was all systems go but the art film was banned two weeks prior to the screening.
Nonetheless, it inspired the PHS to screen films which were shot on location in Perak. Of interest to old film buffs, these films provide us the chance to view places and vistas which may have been changed or destroyed. These films serve as semi-documents on many of our photogenic heritage sites.
Information on heritage issues is disseminated through our bi-monthly newsletter Heritage News and through articles in the Press on the activities of the Society. E-copies of the Heritage News are also available to friends and supporters. Positive and delightful reports on our heritage trails have attracted new members and garnered support from the men on the street. We also deal with numerous requests for information on heritage issues and renovation of old buildings. We maintain an expanding network with individuals and community groups in different parts of the state, and work with organizations based in Ipoh, the capital city of Perak.
 The PHS is a resource for researchers and writers. We assist and arrange interviews with and provide guide and information to individuals and communities. In our network, we participate in community activities, and assist behind the scene by creating public awareness through media blitz. We also lend our support to other's causes, such as the Save the Royal Belum and Save the Koay Jetty campaigns.
 A project PHS hopes to undertake soon is to collect, document and publish books and videos on our wondrous natural, cultural and industrial heritage. Like most NGO's, and despite many well-wishers, supporters and donors, the PHS is hampered by limited resources, both human and financial. More fund-raising projects will be done and benefactors sought.
Contact details:
Postal/Office: 85C Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil, 30300 IPOH, Perak.
E-mail:
President, Law Siak Hong:
PHS Membership Information
Sign-up fees
Life Member RM500;
Ordinary Member RM30 (Perak residents only);
Associate Member RM30 (Non-Perak residents);
Annual renewal for both OM and AM are RM20. Associate Membership carries no voting right.
 Exerpts from Law Siak Hong's address to the Taiping Heritage Society, March 2008
Let me share with you what heritage is, and, for me, what there is in Taiping for us to enjoy.
The process of 'heritaging':
" Site visit and observation
" Learning from the experts
" Follow-on reading and research
This process suits me well. It provides for good fun, good food nearby, satisfaction when information comes forth, and fascination when pieces of the puzzle come together. I ignore disappointments. We have to move on.
Why is heritage so important?
" People and community.
" Cultural identities and landmarks.
History is intrinsic to Heritage. As our Prof Emeritus, Dato' Khoo Kay Kim would say, 'History is the mother of all disciplines'. That is to say, a foundation in historical knowledge is a pre-requisite to achieving excellence. To further explore the depth of heritage, social historians and anthropologists have become prominent, for human interest is the stuff of heritage.
Despite very few career opportunities in History, many young people I have met are deeply interested in history. They are curious about the past. Many young people I have come across are actually fascinated by history. They are the ones to carry our hopes into the future; they must be involved.
Hong with Dato Dr Hj Wan Mohd Isa, OBJ Larut Matang dan Selama.
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Press & Reviews
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PERAK HERITAGE SOCIETY
Heritage News
A bi-monthly newsletter
of the Perak Heritage Society
edited and produced by
Law Siak Hong
Download here
Volume 5, Issue 6
November-December 2008
Volume 5, Issue 4 & 5
July-October 2008
Volume 5, Issue 3
May-June 2008
Volume 5, Issue 1 & 2
January-April 2008
Volume 4, Issue 6
November-December 2007
Volume 4, Issue 5
September-October 2007
Volume 4, Issue 4
July-August 2007
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BOOKS
Kinta Valley: Pioneering Malaysia’s Modern Development
Khoo Salma Nasution
& Abdur-Razzaq Lubis
Raja Bilah and the Mandailings in Perak: 1875-1911
Abdur-Razzaq Lubis
& Khoo Salma Nasution
For more information,
contact: Areca Books
10200 Penang, Malaysia
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
Website: www.arecabooks.com
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