Crows of grief from Balik Pulau residents over loss of copper chicken

GEORGE TOWN – Residents of Balik Pulau were recently shocked to find their beloved weathercock, which has been sitting atop the rural district’s famous small roundabout for decades, missing.

Residents were quick to play spot-the-difference when the monument on the roundabout was unveiled following a makeover, only to find the copper icon absent from where it had stood before.

One of the townspeople, who declined to be named, said it was ironic that the historic figure was removed when a great deal of funds was spent on the roundabout’s makeover.

The project that began in December 2020 cost RM500,000.

“We are complaining because so much money has been used to conduct this facelift, and that, too, during this Covid-19 pandemic.

“Was there a need for a makeover to the roundabout in the first place? And now, one of the original pieces of the roundabout is gone.”

However, a Penang Island City Council (MBPP) engineer, who was involved in the makeover, told The Vibes that the weathercock – featuring an arrow used to identify wind direction – was not on the monument when it was originally built 138 years ago.

It is said that it was put up in the early 2000s under Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Haji Yahaya, who was then-deputy chief minister and Teluk Bahang assemblyman, before he became Balik Pulau MP.

Hilmi is also a resident of Balik Pulau.

“We have a conservator for this project to ensure the whole project is done correctly, according to conservation and preservation guidelines,” said the engineer.

“We did a lot of research, and now we have lit up the right and left sides of the roundabout.

“There are also floral elements on both sides of the iron lamp holder, where we have painted the flowers red per the colour analysis on site. For many years, it was painted black. When we uncovered it layer by layer, we found that the original colour for the flowers was red,” she explained.

The landmark roundabout was built by Hakka tycoon Koh Seang Tatt in 1882 when the then-governor of Melaka Sir Frederick Weld visited Balik Pulau.

Koh is also credited for having built the iconic fountain beside Town Hall in George Town around the same time.

Images of the roundabout circa 1885 and 1920 were used as reference for the makeover.

The engineer said that the half a million ringgit set aside for the project is not only for the upgrading of the monument.

“It also involves demolition and temporary work, road and drainage work, landscaping work involving planting of trees, mechanical and electrical work, preliminaries and general conditions, and provisional sums, on top of the restoration.

“The project is still in progress and is set to be completed on April 30, 2021, “ she said.

Though this roundabout is not the oldest in Penang, it certainly holds sentimental value.

There is a long-held belief among local folks that the two lion-head faucets, if kept flowing, will lead the town to prosperity. –  The Vibes, March 20, 2021