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IN A LITTLE PLANK BUILDING
The Royal Selangor Club was started in 1884 and of the original
members, Messrs. H.F. Bellamy, D.G. Campbell, S.E. Harper, D.G. Gordon, A.C. Norman, S.B.R. Reyne, H.C. Syers, K. Tambusamy Pillai
and A.R. Venning are still in the state (1982).
It was started on a very small scale, in a little plank building with attap roof. Very soon it had to be extended and improved and
for this purpose was raised in June 1885, a loan of $900 in 18 shares of $50 each, of which $450 was repaid on August1, 1896 and the balance
after a further period of 12 months
FUN IN AND OUT OF THE GAY OLD DOG
There was no Town Hall in the early "90's so Amateur (and traveling professional) Theatricals were performed at the Selangor Club. Everyone
was expected to sing or play some instrument in public. "Messrs. Alexander and Dougal sang "The Larboard Watch" - they
finished together", runs a contemporary comment.
People present at smoking concerts volunteered or were called upon to sing or play. Women were not admitted. Two ladies, resenting
this exclusion, on one occasion hid under the building to hear what was going on. Unfortunately one of them laughed so loudly at some
joke that their presence was discovered and they were invited to come inside - and that was the end of smoking concerts for men only.
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Photograph taken behind the Dog in 1884- when they didn't say "cheese."
The second club house
Off to the Dog in (1900) style
Watching football on the Padang 1903
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THE ROARING TWENTIES
Not much is known of the goings-on in the club during the roaring twenties. The officials records were lost during the three-year
1942-45) Japanese Occupation period.
Drinking - "Our drink is whisky (at tiffin), beer being too billious for ordinary occasions." "Andrew Usher"
was a favourite brand. Whisky at $1/- per bottle was popular. German champagne cost less $1/- per bottle.
Dancing - Polanaises, polkas, waltzes, etc. Constant complaints about the "dirt of the Club floor soiling ladies' ezquisite
toilettes."
"St. Andrew's Night was first celebrated by a dinner in 1894. The Chinese staff were somewhat perplexed. One of
them committed the enormity of cutting the haggis for sandwiches
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One big event in the twenties was the gathering of thousands of people on the Club padang to cheer the
Duke of Windsor (then Prince of Wales) during his visit to Kuala Lumpur in 1922. Landing at Port Swettenham (now Port
Kelang) on March 28, he was met by four Rulers. His three-day visit was filled with pomp and ceremony, a State banquet,
ball and reception. Several Club members are said to have been included in the polo team (captained by then Sultan of
Perak) which played against the Prince's side. In the visiting team was a young lieutenant, the Lord Louis Mountbatten. He
returned 23 years later as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia, at the time of the Japanese surrender.
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The Prince of Wales at the Selangor Club in 1922
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Kuala Lumpur - and The Dog - suffered severe flooding. Two club members were on commission that drew up a flood prevention
scheme in 1921. Because of the slump then, however, the scheme together with several others had to be shelved. There were
major floods in 1911 and 1917. The worst occurred in December 1925 and December 1926. The 1926 floods isolated Kuala Lumpur
for several days. The story goes that there was enough waterover the padang for one happy club member - then a leading
lawyer in town - to swim from the Dog to the Government offices. It appears the lawyer had taken a bet with one of his drinking
friends that he would do the distance without touching the ground. The wager? A double gin sling.
When the floods were over, Club members helped to retrieve bank notes valued at several million dollars from the flooded strongroom
of the Chartered Bank. These they dried in the open, near the padang, under the watchful eye of an armed guard.
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THE DOG IN FLAME
Fire razed the main portion of the club on the night of December 20, 1970. It started from the kitchen around 10.30 p.m. Damage
was estimated at more than $1.5 million. There were no casualties. The straits Times - front page report said: The cooks tried
to put out the fire using extinguishers.
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The Dog on fire .... December 1970
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At that time there were about 400 people, including some children,
being entertained by the Selangor Philharmonic Society in
a Christmas concert. A guest said that before the fire started
there was a five minute power failure. "But we thought
it was only temporary. "Soon after that someone told
us that there was a fire and everybody should walk out quietly.
There was no panic. Everybody walked out normally. We had
all the time to leave the place." More than 50 firemen,
including about 20 who were off-duty fought the blaze. It
took them more than an hour to get it under control. Firemen
swung into action by spraying the Long Bar and the billiard
room adjoining the main portion to prevent the fire from spreading.
In the meantime the club's workers saved some of the furniture
by throwing them onto the padang. More than 10,000 people
watched the firemen fight the blaze. The then president of
the Club, Encik Mohamed Khir Johari (former Minister of Commerce
and Industry) said: "The Dog is insured for $ 1-million.
We hope to have it repaired in about eight months." Encik
Khir added that most of the club records were destroyed. This
included unpaid bills!
Fifteen hours after the blaze the Club's annual children's
Christmas party went on as usual. And children being children,
enjoyed themselves thoroughly while officials and workmen
were busy sorting out the multi-million dollar mess. Said
the then Club Manager, Mr. Joe Speelman, "we just couldn't
find it in our hearts to cancel the party in spite of difficulties.
We had to keep the spirit of Christmas. "The kids had been looking forward
to the party for weeks." The Long Bar which up to then had been restricted
to men only was open to women too. Four of the club's other bars were destroyed.
Mr. John Preston, the Dog's vice-president said most of the club documents had
been salvaged and that the club could keep in touch with its members.
When asked about the club accounts, Mr. Preston is reported
to have refused to comment. But a club spokesman said that most of the bills had been destroyed. "We can only hope
that all members will settle what they think they owe," he is reported as having said. A large number of members thronged
the Dog for the regular New Year's eve party that year. A long shed was put up on the padang for this.
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THEN CAME THE FLOOD
Three days after the New Year party came the floods - and the Dog
was in the midst of it all. The Club and all the buildings around
it - Secretariat, Book Club, St. Mary's Church - were in several
feet of water. Worst hit was the padang. It took weeks to clear
the field of silt and mud after flood waters had receded.
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The floods (January 1971) that followed the fire.
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THE CLUB MUST BE REBUILT AT ANY COST
In August 1971 plans for the new building were displayed for
members' approval. These plans were later submitted to City Hall.
And that set the stage for a series of ding-dong negotiations lasting
seven years. At one stage, in October 1972, the Government announced
that it needed the Padang for a Civic Centre. The club would have
to go. A number of alternative sites were proposed.
First, it was an area off Jalan Duta. Then a site near Parliament
House. Later, the Dog was offered land off Ampang, near the Polo Club.
Finally Damansara. By then, four years had gone since the fire. A
lot of discussion. No decisions. Frustrating for the Management Committee
then under President Tan Sri Taib Andak.
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And red tape bound The Dog for a further three yeas during which Tan
Sri Taib lobbied his friends in high places. In 1977, the late Justice
Tan Sri H.S. Ong was elected president. He and Datuk Justice Harun
M.Hashim, then Vice President, convened an Extra-ordinary General
Meeting to discuss the future of the club. The club was told to
re-open discussions with City Hall on the plans it had submitted
in 1972. With the death of Tan Sri Ong in 1978, Datuk Justice Harun
took over the Presidency and responsibility for getting The Dog
back on all fours. In July 1978 he got the answer from the City
Hall. "O.K. Go ahead. Rebuild on present site."
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The first Malaysian president, the late Tan Sri Taib bin Haji Andak
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Nov. 5, 1978, the contractors under the architect, Mr. Fong Ying
Leong, started work. December 1980, the project estimated to cost
more than $6 million was completed. The Selangor Club has one of
the finest buildings in Asia. Truly a national center for Malaysian
life.
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BUKIT KIARA SPORT ANNEXE
The Royal Selangor Club Kiara Sport Annexe was official opened on Sunday
June 7, 1998 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Ja'faar Ibni Al-Marhum
Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
It was 10 years, almost to the day, that the Padang was turned into
a construction site and Malaysia's oldest sporting club ceased to
exist as a venue for sporting excellence. The opening marked the
culmination of years of wheeling and dealing, plus a lot of hardwork
by a dedicated band of Presidents and members. To witness the Agong
cut the ribbon to unveil the plaque commemorating the occasion was
a moment to treasure in the long and celebrated history of the Royal
Selangor Club
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The Bukit Kiara Annexe
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Royal Selangor Club today .... April 2003
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