Memories of life in Malaysia including malaria prevention, heat, ice cream, a holiday to Cameron Highlands, and the family's domestic helper Lechimee.
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Another thing Judy remembers was being forced to take "malaria tablets that were absolutely foul tasting! We all had injections for everything under the sun!"
Even though it was very hot we got accustomed to the heat; although it was very, very hot on the tarmac of the airfield where I was working. The kids loved having an ice treat made with grated ice and flavouring poured over it. There was great excitement when an American ice creamery opened.
I took the family on a holiday one time up into the Cameron Highlands; it was lovely and cool there, felt terrific. There were beautiful butterflies everywhere. We had booked accommodation not really researching it enough and when we got there we found it quite basic; so to make up for that I took the family out to a fancy place for dinner. Judy adds, "It was a ten star restaurant!"
Our last "amah" was named Lechimee. She was Indian, maybe Chinese-Indian. She was very nice. Lechimee had six children herself but took such good care of our family. We went to her house for dinner one time. It was only two rooms, very small for such a big family; but she and her husband made room for us and we were very welcome.
Daughter Judy comments, "We were so fortunate to have all these experiences that many people never have in their lives."
People: Judy [DISTEL], Lechimee [given name only]
Places: Cameron Highlands
Interesting facts
Hill stations. The Cameron Highlands, about 1,500 metres up, were developed by the British for exactly the reason this family went: to get out of the heat. The tea, the mock-Tudor hotels and the strawberries are all colonial imports.
Weekly tablets. Anti-malarial prophylaxis was routine and compulsory for service families in Malaysia, taken on a fixed day each week for the whole posting and for weeks after leaving.
