HJ ZULHEIMY - DOWN MEMORY LANE: TAKE A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE : 1991

HJ ZULHEIMY MAAMOR

1 APRIL 2024

In September 1991, two Royal Malaysian Navy ships, namely KD Lekir and KD Mahawangsa, were selected to participate in the International Royal Fleet Review (IRFR) in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Navy in Auckland, New Zealand. On the way to New Zealand, both ships stopped at several ports such as Darwin, Cairns, Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth in Australia, as well as Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand.

DARWIN - NORTHERN TERRITORY

The ship's first port of call is Port of Darwin in Northern Australia. Darwin is the capital of Australia's Northern Territory, with a population of 127,500 people. Darwin's history begins on September 9, 1839 when the ship HMS Beagle sailed into Darwin harbour. John Clements Wickham named the port "Port Darwin" after a member of his ship, Charles Darwin, who had accompanied him on a previous voyage.

The city of Darwin has been rebuilt twice due to severe damage. The first time was The Bombing of Darwin, also known as The Battle Darwin during World War 2, and the second time was when Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin in 1974.

Darwin has a tropical savana climate with distinct wet and dry seasons, and the average maximum temperature is similar year around.

Port of Darwin is strategically positioned as Australia's nearest port to Asia and the nation's northern gateway Australasian trade. It is also a key support hub for the expanding offshore oil and gas fields in the Arafura Sea, Timor Sea and waters off the coast of Western Australia.

The weather in Darwin when we arrived was scorching hot. Due to the hot weather conditions, the crew was given the freedom to dress as they pleased when on shore leave in Darwin.

CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND

From Darwin, we sailed to Cairns, covering a distance of 1287 nautical miles. Cairns, considered the gateway to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, is a city in tropical Far North Queensland, founded in 1876, the city of Cairns was named after William Wellington Cairns, the Governor of Queensland who was appointed in January 1875.

The Great Barrier Reef, located off the east coast of the Australian state of Queensland, in the Coral Sea. It is the largest coral reef system on earth, it is so huge that it can be seen from outer space. It has been called one of the seven natural wonders of the world by CNN, earned the UNESCO World Heritage site tag in 1981, comprises some 900 islands that stretch more than 1,400 miles, and 2,900 individuals reefs.

Queenslands is a state in North-eastern Australia, best known for its sparkling coastline and idyllic islands dotting the wonderous Great Barrier Reef.

KURANDA RAIN FOREST PARK, CAIRNS

Kuranda Rainforest Park is located in a 100-acre Rainforest World Heritage area. This tourist attraction area takes 5 minutes to travel from Kuranda Village and half an hour from Cairns Tropical North Queensland, Australia. There are many activities that can be done in this Rainforest Park.

Cairns is the only place in Australia where you can bungy jump. This spectacular bungy site is nestled in the Cairns rainforest. In the photo above, a fellow shipmate tries bungee jumping in Cairns, Australia.

MOSSMAN GORGE

Mossman Gorge is the name of a town in North Queensland on the Mossman River. Mossman Gorge is a forest area that is a tourist attraction in Australia, a gateway to the world's oldest rainforest, Daintree Rainforest. It is an area of 56,000 hectares in the World Heritage. This thick tropical rainforest is famous for its breathtaking beauty. It is also a sacred place for the Australian Aboriginal people from the Kuku Yalanji tribe who are said to have inhabited the area for approximately 4000 years.

HMAS CAIRNS

HMAS Cairns is a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base located in Draper Streets, Cairns, Queensland. This base was established in 1971 is the homeport for seven Naval vessels supported by 900 navy and civilian personnel.

HMAS Cairns is responsible for activities for the RAN Patrol Boats and also as the RAN Hydrographic Headquarters.

The crew of KD Lekir and KD Mahawangsa were invited to RPC (Request the Pleasure of your Company) at HMAS Cairns. Thank you, officers and staff of HMAS Cairns, for your invitation.

During World War II, HMAS Cairns was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes commissined to Royal Australian Navy on 11 May 1942.

Wikipedia : HMAS Cairns (J183)

FROM CAIRNS TO SYDNEY, NSW

On September 19, 1991, KD Lekir and KD Mahawangsa arrived safely in Sydney, New South Wales.

Sydney is the capital of the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the most populated city in Australia. It is located in the southeastern part of the Tasman Sea.

Sydney was founded in 1788 and was the site of the first British colony in Australia. It was founded by Arthur Phillip, Commodore of the 1st Fleet Royal Navy. The name Sydney was taken from the name of the British Secretary of State at the time, Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney.

THOMAS TOWNSHEND

HARBOUR BRIDGE AND OPERA HOUSE

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel bridge spanning Sydney Harbour. It was built by a British firm, Dorman Long and Co. Ltd, under the direction of Dr. J.J.C. Bradfield from the New South Wales Department of Public Works and opened in 1932.

The Sydney Opera House was opened to the public in 1973 and was built by the Danish architect, Jorn Utzon.

The Sydney Opera House was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. The Sydney Opera House is also the busiest arts center in the world with a wide range of Australian arts and cultural activities. More than 1,500 performances are held each year. It is an Australian landmark that is well known around the world.

DARLING HARBOUR, SYDNEY

Darling Harbour is a habour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darling Harbour is named after Lt. General Ralph Darling, Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831.

LT.GEN RALPH DARLING

The crew of KD Lekir and KD Mahawangsa in Sydney, Australia, are dressed in specially ordered black jackets for the voyage to Australia and New Zealand.

With Malaysian Student in Sydney

One of the best memories in Sydney was meeting a former member of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) who had served at RAAF Butterworth, Penang in the 70s. He married a Malaysian Chinese. His wife was very happy to meet Malaysians because she had lived in Sydney for almost 25 years. We spoke in Malay throughout the night; she was very excited. That night, they took us to dinner at a Malaysian restaurant in Sydney that serves halal food.

The Existence of Royal Australian Air Force base in Penang

The base was officially opened in 1941 and was then named Royal Air Force Butterworth. It was part of the British plan to defend the Malayan Peninsula against Japanese Forces during World War II.

The RAF Butterworth was closed in 1957 and then transferred to be the base of the Royal Australian Air Force and renamed RAAF Butterworth. It became home to numerous Australian fighters and bomber squadrons who were stationed in Malaya during the Cold War Era.

In 1970, the base was formally renamed to Royal Malaysian Air Force Butterworth (RMAF Butterworth).

Reference:

1. The Existence of the RAAF in Penang

PADDY'S MARKET

Sydney Paddy's Market, a commercial company, has 2 large supermarkets in Sydney, namely Paddy's Market and Sydney 2129.

Paddy's Market is one of the most famous supermarkets in Australia. It offers a variety of products including fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, jewelry, souvenirs, and more.

Sydney Paddy's Market was founded in 1834 by General Richard Bourke, the Governor of New South Wales.

General Richard Bourke

After a few days in Sydney, KD Lekir and KD Mahawangsa continued their voyage to Auckland to participate in the 50th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Navy and then to Wellington, New Zealand.

(Refer: KD Lekir > New Zealand IRFR 1991)

ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

KD Lekir and KD Mahawangsa, after a few days in Wellington, New Zealand, set sail towards Adelaide, South Australia.

Adelaide is the capital of South Australia and the fifth largest city in Australia, with a population of over 1.1 million people. The city is situated approximately 20 km from the shores of Gulf St Vincent, to the north of the Fleurieu Peninsula and the Adelaide Plains.

The name Adelaide is believed to have originated from Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV, who was born in Germany. The city was established in 1836 by Colonel William Light.

Port of Adelaide has been the gateway to trade and commerce in South Australia and the first contact with South Australia for thousand of emigrants when they arrived by ship. On 19 April 1831, Captain Collet Barker first sighted the Port River inlet.

KD Lekir & KD Mahawangsa arrived at the Port of Adelaide after participating in the 50th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Navy in Auckland and Wellington. From Adelaide, the ships' next port of call is the Port of Fremantle in Perth, Australia.

PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Perth is the state capital of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia with a population of around 1.4 million people.

The city of Perth was founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 and became the administrative center of the Swan River Colony.

Port of Fremantle consists of the Inner Habour situated on the mouth of the River Swan; the Outer Harbour, which is 20 km south of Kwinana in Cockburn Sound and handles bulk cargo ports, grain, petroleum, liquefied Petroleum gas, alumina, mineral sands, fertilisers, sulphur and other bulk commodities.

Members of the KD Lekir Band were honored to perform at the Harboursite Hotel located in Fremantle Harbor in Perth, Australia.

What is very interesting in Perth is that there are many Australian Malays in the city. At first, I thought they were Malaysians who might be working or on vacation here... but after talking to some of them... it turns out they are Australians of Malay descent... not Malaysians... even some of them have never set foot in Malaysia... but their desire is very high to be able to set foot in the land of their ancestors.

Most of the Australian Malay community lives on Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands. According to history, the Malays were first brought to Australia in 1826 by Alexander Hare to be employed in the plantations that produced sugarcane and coconut farming. Most come from Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Malays from the Cocos Islands are the community that forms the largest group here. They are descended from Malay settlers from British Colonies such as Malaya, Singapore, Brunei, and part of the Riau Islands.

Cocos Malay is a post-creolized variety of Malay, spoken by the Cocos Malays of home island, Christmas Island, and those originally from the Cocos Islands currently living in Sabah, Malaysia.

Reference:

1. New Straits Times > Christmas, Cocos Islands were almost ours.

2. Cocos Keeling Island

RETURN TO HOMELAND

KD Lekir and KD Mahawangsa concluded their tour session to Australia and New Zealand with the final stop in the city of Perth. The ship then proceeded to return to Malaysia from Perth, Australia, making a stop in Surabaya, Indonesia before continuing its journey to Lumut, Perak....

Upon arrival in Lumut, Perak, I received a draft order from Mindef Kuala Lumpur and was transferred to SKTLDM Kuantan in Pahang. I feel saddened by the fact that I have to leave KD Lekir, which provided me with a lot of valuable experience......