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Clean Up The World Day (21 September 1997) by Lim Swee Yian

I was temporarily misplaced geographically when I used the new road to Menglembu. I managed to get to the foot of Kledang Hill eventually and saw a large crowd gathered at the bridge. The haze was quite bad but it did not deter 75 eager kids from SRJK(C) Wan Hwa (I) from turning up to help clean Kledang Hill. Their six teachers and their Senior Assistant Lee Yuat Wah had a busy time trying to get them organised.

Many Perak MNS members turned up with family and friends. One family even brought their little girl of 2. Mr. Liew Chee Weng came with his whole family. Some wives and kids would have grumbled to no end about having to spend a Sunday morning picking up rubbish but the Liews and their relatives felt that this was a worthy cause and great fun. They were eager and raring to go.

Yuat Wah who was the coordinator for this event got us all to don the T-shirts that were sponsored by TRees, Didier Sdn. Bhd. and Millions Sdn. Bhd. Even Encik Salahudin, the representative from Dewan Bandaraya Ipoh was proudly wearing the T-shirt that shouted news of the event. He put up 3 bright red signs that carried the threat of a fine of RM500 for littering.

When everyone had their full gear on, including rubber gloves given by Safeskin Sdn. Bhd., we grinned and had our mug shots taken as a group. Then we were off in four different directions. The trails in Kledang have been given very interesting names by the locals. I followed the group that was going up Kong Tau San (Botak Hill). I soon found out why it was called that. The vegetation along this trail had been cleared completely. In the lower reaches it was just bare earth. Further up it is mainly gleichenia. There are no tress whatsoever.

The children, whose ages ranged from 9 to 12 years, started off at a run. They were hither thither, picking up plastic bottles and papers, which abound. Two little girls who were barely taller than the plastic bag they were carrying had the task of being the depository. The bigger children had to carry more anti-litter signboards. The teachers helped hammer the signs into the ground at strategic points.

Very soon I was coming across stragglers. Red faces with sweat pouring down littered the sides of the track. I asked each one I saw if they were alright and these brave little souls could only pant a "Yes!". In their haste and eagerness they had exhausted themselves in the hazy, hot and humid morning.

When the last from the other trails, Kai Chai San (Chicken Hill) and Sei Yee (42), reached the top, we turned around and started collecting the litter on the road all the way down. At the bottom of the hill, En Salahudin was waiting with the DBI lorry. With many "heave-hoes", the men managed to load the bags of garbage onto the lorry. We had an almost full lorry.

Mr. Loo had the honour of hammering a sign that was donated by him which carried the MNS Perak logo, into the ground. That was the last sign we put up. After refreshments sponsored by MNS Perak, we had our grand finale. It was another "family" mug shot for posterity with a lorry full of garbage as a backdrop.

(Although this event has been reported earlier in the last newsletter a member's account of an event written in a different perspective is always welcome).


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