FAREWELL DEAR FRIEND…..

FAREWELL DEAR FRIEND…..

After spending 54 years in Cameron Highlands, Lorraine Shum and her husband Herman left to join their family in New Zealand…

Lorraine you will be dearly missed by all of us in Cameron Highlands… You made such an impact on the lives of the people that you touched. AS I am overwhelmed by memories I pay a humble tribute to this special person who dedicated her life to the community in which she lived …

I personally learnt a lot from her..Besides being my first golfing mate and initiating me into the game of golf, she was always extremely patient and encouraging..When dark clouds threatened to washout our game, she would look at the sky and point at the silver lining, such is her optimism….SHE was an active founder member of the social badminton group drawing us all into the game and I have fond memories of not only enjoying the game but also the badminton group dinners that she organized so enthusiastically.. LORRAINE is the longest serving treasurer of THE ALL SOULS CHURCH.. She was a pillar of support for the Anglican Church and completely devoted to all their activities..

A LIFE member of WOMENS INSTITUTE..She served as a treasurer for more than 30 years .. She nurtured the club through several initiatives and participated in all the club’s activities.. Several Hari WANITAS were organized on a grand scale, cooking demos, origami workshops charity programs and all member activities were supported by her very sincerely..IN those days when there was not much entertainment in CAMERONS  so we, the women of the district would really look forward to having fun at these events..

Lorraine worked tirelessly as a commitee member for Rumah Cherish…A home for special children..I had an opportunity to work closely with her on different programs of the home like organizing the BOCCI tournament, a three day sporting event, jumble sale and several other fund raising projects…

She was passionate about saving Cameron Highlands from destruction.. She was a vocal member of the NGO REACH where she also served as an auditor …IT upset her no end to see the heartless land clearing and the unaesthetic monstrosities that keep popping up in the name of development, marring the once pristine landscape of our HIGHLANDS …

AS LORRAINE WAS PREPARING TO LEAVE WE DECIDED TO TAKE HER ON A NOSATALGIC TOUR OF SOME OLD BUNGALOWS AROUND THE GOLF COURSE..IT was indeed a memorable experience as we gathered eagerly around her and she regaled us with stories from the past …We visited the OMF bungalow built in 1933 which even had a lookout tower…BACK then it was used to alarm the towkeys if there was any police patrolling the road down below AND enable them to wrap up their gambling activities….

After this we visited the ninety four year old Moonlight bungalow or the famous Jim Thompson cottage as its also known .. The mystery surrounding Jim Thompson who went missing in 1967 from this very house has added an aura of intrigue to this simple Tudor home ….

Our next stop was the Lin LU cottage, another fine example of Tudor style architecture and one of Lorrain’s favorite because this is where she first lived with her In laws after coming to CAMERON  HIGHLANDS ..

We also stopped by at some other properties with more stories from LORRAINE.. BUT SOON IT WAS time to leave..WITH a heavy heart we said farewell to a dear friend ….Someone once said.. THE ONLY THING YOU TAKE WITH YOU WHEN YOU MOVE FAR AWAY FROM A PLACE IS WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND….ALL THE MEMORIES YOUR LOVE GENEROSITY AND ALL THAT YOU DID FOR THE COMMUNITY AND YOUR FRIENDS IN CAMERONS.. AU REVOIR !!!!………TILL we meet again in cyberspace …