Thursday 14 May 2020

Reality mirroring make-belief


Dug deep into my personal archives today and discovered these pictures. Date taken was 19 Oct 1985. My first "assignment" as the unofficial official photographer for the Bukit Mertajam branch of Ban Hin Lee Bank when they presented a sketch for the Talentime show that year at the Long Say Building in Burmah road, Penang. The sketch was all about a foiled kidnapping attempt. The rehearsals had already gone so well that the performers were all confident when they took the stage. Very sleek. Saw See's ping-pong balled ear rings certainly stole the show. When the results were announced later that night, the branch was ecstatic:   the inevitable winners and they received the prize from the Executive Director himself, Jimmy Yeap.

Sadly, this was to be Jimmy Yeap's last appearance at a Ban Hin Lee Bank function. Four days later, he was gunned down in a botched real-life kidnap attempt in Gurney Drive. He was on his way to work and the car was forced to stop by some unknown gunmen. He shot in self-defence, killing one of the gunmen but he was himself fatally shot. Sad and violent end to a brilliant life and career.

How cool is the giant telephone



The villain

Ohhh...those ping-pong balls

Twack!!



Those earrings were made by Foo Sin Lee out of ping-pong balls wrapped in red translucent paper 

Standing, left to right: Quah Lean Hin, H'ng Boon Hock, Ng Kah Hong, Johnny Goh, Yip Wee Choon, Lew Wen Teik, Lee Saw See, Lim Lie Ling and Kasim Hamid. Squatting, left to right: Ng Swee Chong and Wong Chuan On

Possibly Jimmy Yeap's last known picture at a bank function


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