Penang has all sorts of heritage-buildings, road names, trees and even clubs. Robin Macdonald (a proud member of Penang Swimming Club) explores the past and present of Penang’s sporting clubs.
Penang’s historical background as a base for European trade meant that the early settlers brought with them the traditions of their home countries. The English, for example, replicated the traditions of the English gentleman’s club in many parts of the Empire and several of these survive in Penang, although with a very different clientele. In the early days, these clubs formed the basis of much of the social life of the colony and also provided facilities for the necessary exercise which tropical dwellers must take if they wish to maintain health. Some of those early clubs still flourish today in a totally different political and cultural time, but they still serve as cornerstones for the community to meet and share common interests.
The three major sporting clubs on the island these days are the Penang Swimming Club, the Penang Sports Club, and the Penang Turf Club all of which have growing memberships and service a wide variety of sections of the community, including the expatriate members of Penang society. The Penang Swimming Club has arguably the largest membership and it nestles on the coast near Tanjung Bunga on the North Channel, commanding spectacular views of the mainland and the distant Kedah Peak. As its name suggests, the club’s activities focus on the water and it has a 50-metre salt and fresh water swimming pool where locals can regularly be seen grinding out the laps in their quest for fitness. The club has its own private beach with storage and launching facilities for member’s boats as well.
First formed in 1903, the club was the idea of young, male, European settlers who, as chance would have it, were expected to remain single for the first few years of their time in the Far East. So the idea of a sports club where they could gather to swim, dive and of course hold social activities to meet members of the opposite sex, held great appeal. The original Club House was a simple structure. Fitted out with plain cane chairs and ceiling fans, it was just the place to enjoy a sundowner accompanied by a gentle sea breeze.
Over the years the club has grown from its early basic building to an imposing structure with a new car park and facilities tower that links via a covered walkway to the original facilities. Today the Penang Swimming Club has around 6,500 members who have access to a variety of activities with a number of food and beverage outlets at the top of the list, there are regular Club activities and specialist groups in activities ranging from angling and aerobics to dancing and darts. Activities are focused on the families who are members of the club and there are always young people enjoying the facilities – training, competing or socialising.
With a common theme of sport the Penang Sports Club and the Penang Swimming Club have a lot in common as they focus on providing a healthy environment for their members. The Penang Sports Club occupies a significant part of the “green lung” of Penang on Jalan Utama in the heart of the community and is an oasis of serenity in the hustle and bustle of a modern working city. The club began its life in the early 1900s as the Penang Cricket Club with facilities located in the Esplanade area near the Municipal Building and in 1939 renamed itself the Penang Golf Club and moved to its present site. The name changed again to the Penang International Club and it was not until 1947 when the club made its final name change to its present day form. The Penang Sports Club perhaps has the best sports ground facilities in Penang with a cricket pitch, with its original pavilion (even boasting a small scoreboard) and several hockey and soccer pitches, as well as the only lawn tennis courts on the Island. Sitting in the Club House the greenery and the sound of sprinklers provide a relaxing backdrop for the club’s 2,000 members. Its gracious and airy surroundings are all reminders of the club’s English heritage. At little further up the road is the Penang Turf Club. Formed in 1864 the Turf Club is the oldest of the three clubs and hosted its first Penang Gold Cup in 1921. The Club moved to its current premises on Jalan Batu Gantung in 1939. Of course war interrupted the activities of the club but in September 1945 when British forces retook Penang a special Grand Victory Meeting was held at the course and horse racing again took its place in Penang society. In recent years, the Turf Club has expanded and developed it premises quite considerably.
Both the Penang Swimming Club and the Penang Sports Club have rules and regulations that are grounded in the English gentlemen’s clubs of an earlier time. In their early years both clubs were “whites only”, reflecting the Euro-centric nature of their members and as a result of this the famous Penang Chinese Swimming Club came into being in 1928 to meet the needs of Chinese who were excluded from the Penang Swimming Club.
And while it can be argued that these clubs represent the past because of their structure, rules and facilities, it should also be pointed out that they have changed with the times to reflect the variations of the society in which they operate. It is interesting to look at the list of Past Presidents that both clubs proudly display in their main Club House areas and you will notice that while the names of the early leaders of the clubs were essentially English, but it is also clear that once Malaysia gained independence they too developed an independence from their founding fathers and the names of Asian families started to appear on the lists.
Today, the clubs, have strong local memberships and a growing number of expats who want to not only have access to quality sporting facilities but also become part of the local and very multi-cultural community.
Penang Sports Club
Jalan Utama, 10450 Penang.
Tel: (604) 229 7834 / 4541
Fax: (604)-229 2391
http://www.pgsportsclub.com.my/contact.php
Penang Swimming Club
517 Tanjung Bunga,
11200 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: (604) 890 7370
Fax: (604) 890 3271
http://www.penangswimclub.com
Penang Turf Club Race Course
Batu Gantong Road
10450 Penang
Tel: (604) 229 3233
Fax: 04 – 2279140
http://www.penangturfclub.com/info.html
Source: Penang International October/November 2013
What are your thoughts on this article? Let us know by commenting below.No registration needed.
Read more:
"ExpatGo welcomes and encourages comments, input, and divergent opinions. However, we kindly request that you use suitable language in your comments, and refrain from any sort of personal attack, hate speech, or disparaging rhetoric. Comments not in line with this are subject to removal from the site. "
