Memories My first replanting

We had an area of very old rubber.The area had been abandoned from tapping very much earlier.The stand was old rubber seedlings,many very huge trees and I estimated the stand per acre was slightly more than a hundred.

The inter-rows was in horrible state,full of wild grown wild rubber seedlings.The sized of these seedlings were beyond imaginations.Apparently the inter-rows were neglected long ago.For tapping they just cleared the tappers' path,that was all.

In 1971 we decided to replant it,So we called out for a reliable contractor.At that time rubber wood was in no demand.Many came the Boss himself selected one contractor and began cutting the trees in November 1971.

Unfortunately this contractors absconded after cutting down all the trees
for he feared he could not finish the contract on time.Lucky we did not over paid him.

We have difficulties finding a replacement so we decided to finish the job ourselves.So I took over.Initially I recruited another contractor to supply some chainsaw men to continue cutting the fallen trees into movable lengths.

Following I got some extra temporary workers recruited from nearby kampongs.We were fortunate because the estate was next to a Malay kampong.Most Javanese workers with one of them as headman.

So with them we roughly stacked the fallen wood onto the trunk.When the wood were drier we set fire to them just before we go home.Every day it was l like that.And I was with them from morning till evening.

As routine we re-stacked all the unburnt wood onto the huge trunk etc.and reburnt them,until all completely burnt off.By burning all the rubber wood like this we unnoticiably also destroyed all the wild rubber seedlings.

It took us nearly three months to completely cleared the field of 130 acs.,three months of hot sun and I was as dark as an all the Javanese workers.There was no doubt that the costs were high but we cannot help as we could not get another contractor to finish the job.

After this we plotted out the roads and also did lining for the replanting to Oil Palms.The roads were laid with laterites from our own hill.

We began planting in September 1972,with on set of the rainy seasons.Before we started planting we had a visitor,my Boss's friend,he came to see how we were planting.

I waited for him at the office and he came in his car.Thereafter I droved him to the replanting field.This guy on reaching the field rushed at the first palm planted by a worker earlier and began kicking it with his leather shoes.""See,no firm planting".

I was surprised at his action and said if I did not wait for him this would not have happened.I told him off because he was only a visitor.Anyway I told him if he wants my job he can have it.He kept quiet.

Later I learned that he was a Petrol Pump Owner (Mobil) in old Kelang Road.He was a pineapple planter.He later after this became Manager of Bidor Bahru Estate.To day he is a giant in the planting world.Like to know who? He is the shorty Lee Shin Cheng.Believe it or not.

We did an excellent job with our replanting and we completed it on time.The Boss was very pleased with it.

As for Mr.Lee I was told is still kicking lallang in his group of Estates.

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