A good place to call home
The still-peaceful Jalan Mariamah is one of the major roads in Bukit Jepun.
I AM quite sure not many people in the city know where Bukit Jepun is, unless they are from Kampung Baru, Kampung Jawa, Kampung Mahmoodiah, Kampung Tarom and Nong Chik in Johor Baru.
The main roads in the Bukit Jepun area are Jalan Mariamah and Jalan Petri, which have a few unique colonial-style bungalows and government quarters alongside private bungalow houses and apartments.
The origin of the name of Bukit Jepun can be traced back to World War 2.
During the period, the Japanese army occupied many of the buildings there and made it their headquarters, probably because of the strategic location on a hilly side of Johor Baru.
Bukit Jepun is accessible through the major roads of Jalan Tarom, Jalan Abdul Samad and Jalan Mahmoodiah, and it is only about a five-minute drive to the city centre.
My wife grew up in the government quarters there in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
She walked to the Nong Chik Primary School (now used as teachers' quarters) in Jalan Dapat, and later on to the Sultan Ibrahim Girls School 2 (SIGS 2), now known as Sekolah Engku Tun Aminah.
Naturally she is sentimental about the place, where she wanted to remain staying in.
For the last eight years, we have been staying in an apartment in Jalan Mariamah. The area is quite peaceful despite its proximity to the city.
Presently, the Johor Heritage Foundation is using several of the bungalow buildings along Jalan Mariamah as its office and venue for the practice of the performing arts.
Sometimes in the evenings, you can hear the sounds of young local talents practising cultural dances and theatrical plays, among others.
The relatively-new Surau A-Rahmah, which was built in recent years for the Muslim community, in Jalan Mariamah
Just opposite the foundation building is Surau Al-Rahmah, which was built in recent years to cater for the Muslim community in the area.
Just opposite the foundation building is Surau Al-Rahmah, which was built in recent years to cater for the Muslim community in the area.
Galeri Seni, which serves as the state centre for art, in Jalan Mariamah.
One of the unique landmarks of Bukit Jepun is Galeri Seni in Jalan Mariamah.
The colonial-style building used to be the official residence of the chief minister of Johor.
Galeri Seni functions as the state centre for art education, collection, documentation and painting activities.
It has quite a good collection of paintings by Johor artists. From time-to-time, it has exhibitions of art works by local as well as foreign artists.
It opens on weekends and once in a while my wife and I will visit the gallery if there is a new exhibition.
I do not know much about art, but to judge by the collections of paintings, Johor surely has many gifted artists.
I remember, in 2010, the engineering professional body, of which I am a member, had commissioned a local artist recommended by the gallery to work on a painting to be presented to the Sultan of Johor during its annual dinner.
This artist produced a wonderful watercolour of the famous scenic (or crooked) bridge, supposedly to replace the present causeway.
Bukit Jepun is certainly a nice place to live.
I sincerely hope that despite the construction of a high-rise apartment building in Jalan Mariamah, the place will remain as serene as ever.
Mohd Khir Muhammad, 50, is an engineer and the past chairman of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (Southern Branch). He and his wife Noor Khaida Wati, a Universiti Teknologi Malaysia lecturer, also do social work at the Johor Spastic Centre.
Read more: A good place to call home - Johor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/a-good-place-to-call-home-1.201321#ixzz2IGq7xLa2
