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11 January 2007

Thursday, 11 January 2007, 8:41 pm - 11:38 pm.

Refer to previous searches 5, 56, 57, 58, 63, 76 about Dato’ Dr. Che Lah bin Mohd. Joonos (Class of March 1930).

Search 80 is to scrutinize information about Dato’ Dr. Che Lah bin Mohd. Joonos. There are three sources of information. One is the information told to me as a 5-year old child by his wife, Datin Mariah (my step-grandmother). Second is the information relayed to me by my own mother (Tulip Che Lah) on 10 December 2002 (before she passed away in 2004). Third is the information which I obtained by telephone conversation (for 2 hours) with my step-aunt (Kama) on 8 January 2007. Kama said it will be good to tape interviews of his relatives.

Dato’ Dr. Che Lah bin Mohd. Joonos (10 December 1903-23 January 1986; Class of March 1930)

• His father was Mohd. Joonos bin Shaik Ahmad
• His mother was Juma Bee
• He was the 2nd of 5 siblings – Aunty Besar, Ali Baba, Osman, and Mohamad

                     1.      Mak Besar Bee bt. Mohd. Joonos

                     2.      Datuk Dr. Che Lah bin Mohd. Joonos

                     3.      Ali Baba bin Mohd. Joonos

                     4.      Osman bin Mohd. Joonos

                     5.      Mohamad bin Mohd. Joonos

• His primary education is unknown
• According to Kama, his secondary education was at Anglo-Chinese School (ACS), Penang
• According to Tulip, he had entered the KE VII College of Medicine in Singapore in June 1923 and graduated in March 1930
• According to Tulip, his first appointment was on 30 April 1930. He had received $3000 per annum in salary. He was an Assistant Surgeon at District Hospital in KL
• According to Kama, his paper scrolls/scripts are rolled, faded and brittle - includes his marriage certificate. However, the documents made of cloth are safe. She has preserved the edges of the paper documents. She will send further information based on those documents
• According to Kama, he had medical books. He wrote and read medical books. Kama asked to ask Din about his medical books. In 2012, it could not be confirmed where his books which were donated to GH Penang were.
• He married twice, in 1930 and 1955 (exact dates unknown)
• He first married Daisy Katherine Decoursey Bulner @Maimunah “Munah” (deceased). Maimunah was Ceylonese Indian of German-Dutch descent. They were blessed with 4 daughters
• He then married Chong Nyet Lin @Mariah, later Datin Mariah (deceased).  Mariah was of Chinese descent (Hokkien). They were blessed with a son. Mariah’s younger sister was “Aunty CK”. Aunty CK died of some blood disorder. Mariah also had a younger brother (name unknown)
• He had altogether 7 children - 5 children from 2 marriages and 2 were adopted:
  • Jumabee Tulip had 7 children (3 boys and 4 girls) – Mohd. Sharif, Sharifah, Faridah (author), Rabi’ah, Mohd. Farid, Mohd. Amin and Aminah. She passed away in Bandar Baru Selayang, Selangor on 5 June 2004 at age 72. Mohd. Farid lives in Bandar Baru Selayang and works in FRIM. Both Tulip and Kama have said that Mohd. Farid resembles young Dato’ Dr. Che Lah 100% except Mohd. Farid is fairer
  • Esther has 2 children and lives in KL. Her son is Al-Jeffrey. Esther may have the wedding photos (2 ovals) of Tulip drawn by a Dutch artist. Tulip said to ask Esther. Al-Jeffrey has the best updated version of Dato’ Dr. Che Lah’s family tree (roots web). He worked on it along with Mohd. Farid (Tulip’s son). His site has 3 family trees – paternal, maternal and both combined
  • Jamilah June had 4 children. She died of spinal cancer
  • Daisy Yvette has 7 children. All her children were born in Malaysia except for Veronica. She was living in Perth in 1989 but cannot be located presently. She moved to Mandurah in November 2011. Her daughter Vicky Jansz worked at the University of Western Australia (UWA)
  • Philip @Mohd. Noor (adopted son) has passed away (date unknown). His father was European and his mother was Singaporean Chinese. He was adopted from a convent. He married but did not have children. He died of complications following surgical removal of a brain tumour.
  • Kamaruddin or “Din” married Aunty Intan. He has a son, Kamarul Faizal. Din works with Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Prai, Penang. Faizal graduated from the University of Queensland as a computer engineer. Aunty Intan is a housewife and has 3 siblings – Aunty Latifah, Aunty Chom, and herself (youngest). Aunty Latifah is Latifah Sheik Imam in Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/latifah.sheikhemam Aunty Intan is Fauziah Sheik Imam in Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fauziah.shaikemam Aunty Latifah is a friend of Prof. Nor Hayati Othman (USM School of Medical Sciences). Aunty Chom's sons are Boy and Boboi. Boy is Jasri Joonoos in Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jasrij
  • Kamariah or “Kama” (adopted daughter) married Syed Zain. She has 3 sons – Syed Khairuldin (4^th year Chemical Engineering, UTP, Tronoh, Perak), Syed Khairuzman (Upper 6) and Syed Khairizwan (Form 3). She works in Petronas HQ, KLCC. She lives in Taman Gombak, Selangor. She knows Al-Jeffrey and Anum.
• According to Kama, the whereabouts he worked are 4 states. He first worked in Pahang, KL and Melaka. He then returned to Penang after retirement and then continued to work in Penang
• According to Kama, he worked in Pahang as the Chief Medical & Health Officer (CMHO) and retired in Pahang as CMHO. He returned to Penang after retirement
• According to Datin Mariah, the medical team had traveled from KL to Kota Bharu, Kelantan on elephant backs. It was a 3-day journey and they brought medicine. The dates of the journeys, location of the jungle track and number of people in the entourage could not be ascertained. Orang Asli probably served as tour guides
• According to Datin Mariah, he had traveled to Mekah at least 5-9 times. He had served on vessels (ships) which plied between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. His photograph appears in his 1963 hajj passport. It also stated a Chinese vessel was used for the hajj trip that year
• According to Kama, he was awarded the title “Dato’” after retirement, by Tun Datuk Dr. Haji Awang bin Hassan, the 5^th Governor of Penang (previously the High Commissioner to Australia). They had previously met in Canberra, Australia. Date he had received the title is unknown (probably after 1977, after Din graduated)
• According to Kama, he had worked with Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang “Penang Town Council” after retirement
• According to Kama, he owned and practiced at Gelugor Clinic. The clinic is along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Penang but Tulip said it has been sold to someone else
• According to Kama, he had worked at the Rural District Council, in the health division and knew the people involved, including Prof. Asma Ismail’s mother who worked at one of the rural health clinics
• According to Kama, he had plenty of black & white photographs as he possessed his own cameras and darkroom. He owned 3 cameras - a Canon, a Yashica and a Pentax. His cameras are now antiques. The Canon and Yashica are with Kama’s eldest son. The Pentax camera cannot be located. He had his own darkroom in Pahang and in Penang. The house along Sultan Azlan Shah has a darkroom but the house has been sold off. He would not let anyone into his darkroom while he was processing photographs
• According to Kama, he would adorn a cowboy hat when he stepped outside the house or went out. Kama still has his hat. His walking stick (tongkat) cannot be located (probably given away). He wore size 11 shoes. He wore 17-17.5” shirts which is too large for the average Malaysian. His coat hangs down to the knees on Kama. He bought clothes mostly at Robinsons and at St. Michael in KL. He was about 6 feet tall but his weight is unknown. His son Din is about 5 feet 10 inches and wears size 9-10 shoes. The Chinese tailor’s shop which sewed his ‘baju Melayu’ has closed down. His ‘kain sampin’ is very big.
• According to Kama, his gardener was Ibrahim “Aim” but he has passed away. Aim’s family used to live near the Penang Aquarium but the family has moved and an Indian family lives there now. The Indian family does not know the whereabouts of Aim’s family
• According to Kama, his driver was Abu. No further information is known about Abu and his family
• According to Kama, most of his relatives are in Gelugor, Penang. He has cousins – Cik Putih (in Penang), Uncle Kadir (his wife is a nurse in Parit Buntar) and Boo Nah “Mak Minah”. The word ‘Bu or Boo’ means sister (kakak) and is probably derived from the word ‘ibu’

Maternal Grandparents of Tulip bt. Che Lah

• Frederick Bulner (German, worked as clerk) + Emma Krussay (Dutch, short stature, worked as nanny). They had 6 children:
  • Daisy Katherine Decoursey Bulner died in her 60’s in KL (Tulip’s mother)
  • Freddie married and lived in Singapore
  • Penny married Eckleston, had a son, Harry. Harry married a German
  • Sheila married Rudge, had 3-4 children, lived in Singapore
  • Maurice did not marry, not working, epileptic, worked in the church
  • Humphry married an English lady, worked in Glasgow textile. Humphrey came to KL to visit Aunty Esther and Muhamed Al-Jeffrey Schokman in 2011.

Aunty Besar

• Eldest of 4 siblings
• Dr. Che Lah’s eldest sister
• She had 4 daughters (Boo, Wan Chik, Wan Tam, Chom) and a son (Abu Hassan)
  • Boo (daughter) did not marry but died of breast cancer
  • Wan Chik (daughter) did not marry, had a big goiter, died early (may be from TB)
  • Abu Hassan (son) married Johara “Jora or Mummy Jora”, and had a daughter, Faridah “Anum”. Abu Hassan adopted a son, Farouk.
    • Anum is Senator Datuk Faridah Abu Hassan. Anum adopted 2 sons. Anum stays next door to Al-Jeffrey in Taman Melawati (at the foothill of Bukit Antarabangsa, near where theHighland Towers collapsed in 1993). Anum is often seen as a trio with Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz and Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil. Anum is fat
    • Farouk (adopted son) was big sized and worked on the East-West Highway project but died, may be of heart problem.  
  • Wan Tam (daughter) did not marry, was cured of TB, but died of old age. She was good at making wedding accessories
  • Chom (daughter) or Kalsom did not marry but died early of TB

Osman

• Third of 4 siblings
• Dr. Che Lah’s younger brother
• He was a train engine driver
• His train was derailed by the communist during the Japanese Occupation
• He had 3 wives but had no children
• He adopted 2 sons (Kassim and Ibrahim) and a daughter (Juma)

Ali Baba

• Fourth of 4 siblings
• Dr. Che Lah’s youngest brother
• He had children but their whereabouts was unknown to Tulip (they may be in Penang).
• Pak Cik Joonoos already died. He was the eldest of 11 siblings, eldest of Ali Baba's sons.

Need further information:

• Uncle Rahim, Uncle Kadir and Uncle Mahmud are brothers. They are Dato’ Dr. Che Lah’s first cousins. Who are their parents?
• Who had 3 wives and 21 children?

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Acknowledgement

Some of the names which appear above may not have been spelled correctly. But this is all there is to go by at the time of this writing.

Puan Hajah Jumabee Tulip bt.  Che Lah

(Dr. Che Lah's eldest daughter, deceased 5 June 2004)

Chong Nyet Lin@ Datin Mariah

(Dr. Che Lah's second wife, deceased)

Kamaruddin bin Che Lah

(Dr. Che Lah Mohd. Joonoos's son)

Pengarah Kejuruteraan (Engineering Director)

Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai

E-mail: kamaruddin@mpsp.gov.my

Puan Kamariah bt. Dato' Dr. Che Lah

Home: Taman Gombak at end of Karak Hwy, Selangor

Work: Petronas HQ, Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC

E-mail: syed23@streamyx.com

Dato' Dr. Che Lah bin Mohd. Joonos met Tun Datuk Dr. Haji Awang bin Hassan in Canberra, Australia

Tun Datuk Dr. Haji Awang bin Hassan gave Dr. Che Lah bin Mohd. Joonos the title Dato' after Dr. Che Lah's retirement

Sharifah bt. Abdul Rashid

Consumer Association of Penang (CAP)

Muhammad Farid bin Abdul Rashid

(Tulip's second son)

Forest Mensuration and Engineering Unit

Forest Management and Ecology Program

Division of Forestry and Conservation

Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

52109 Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: +603 6279 7523

E-mail: farid@frim.gov.my

Muhamed Al-Jeffrey Schokman

(Esther's son)

Taman Permata, Kuala Lumpur

E-mail: jeffct@tm.net.my

http://www.facebook.com/mdaljeffrey.schokman?fref=ts

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