A GATHERING over coffee brought together long-time residents of Petaling Jaya to reminisce about the city’s early days and experiences that shaped the community.
The event, dubbed Kopi & Kenangan 2.0, gave residents an opportunity to share stories of growing up in Petaling Jaya, which would later become Selangor’s first and largest city.
Petaling Jaya Old Town, better known as PJ Old Town, comprises Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4.
It was built as a satellite town in Selangor in 1952 by the British to address overcrowding in Kuala Lumpur.
Hosted by Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran, the event at a classic coffeeshop in Section 1 was the second edition of the community storytelling session.
The initiative aimed to preserve memories that may not otherwise appear in official records.
Rajiv said the programme was an experiment to find new ways of bringing the community together, while documenting Petaling Jaya’s history through the experiences of its residents.
Following the good response to the first session earlier this year, Rajiv said they decided to hold a second edition and record the stories on camera.
He said the recordings would be shared on social media, with the possibility of continuing the programme once or twice a year.
“The event is open not only to those who want to share, but also to residents who simply want to listen.
“The value of this initiative goes beyond nostalgia. While formal records kept by the authorities are important, they do not capture everyday experiences, such as how markets, public transport and neighbourhoods used to function.
“These kinds of stories may be lost,” Rajiv said, hoping the recordings could eventually become a useful source for researchers studying the city decades from now.
While acknowledging that individual memories may not always be completely accurate, he said when stories from different residents match, it could help paint a clearer picture of the past.
Among those sharing their memories was 67-year-old Connie Yin, a second-generation Petaling Jaya resident.
Yin said her mother had moved from Hainan, China, to Kuala Lumpur with her family, before marrying a local Chinese man and settling in Petaling Jaya.
At the time, Kuala Lumpur was becoming increasingly crowded and commercialised, while Petaling Jaya offered more affordable homes, she said.
“Many residents lived in Petaling Jaya but worked in Kuala Lumpur,” she said, adding they would commute by bus and later by minibus.
Yin said the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system was one of the biggest improvements to Petaling Jaya’s transport network.
She also recalled a time when cinemas were a major form of entertainment, with the old Majestic Cinema in PJ Old Town particularly popular among young couples.
“Section 1 was the first part of the city to be developed, followed by other areas as the city expanded.
“While Old Town was once bustling with grocery shops and eateries, New Town later flourished with banks, retail outlets and better transport links.”
For Yin, preserving these memories is now a responsibility of the second generation.
She hoped future sessions would also encourage residents to bring along old photographs, allowing Petaling Jaya’s past to be also remembered through images.
