Experience of tin-mining era

Seventy-eight Year Six pupils from SK Bebar, Nenasi, in Rompin, had the chance to relive history when they visited the Tin Mine Museum in Sungai Lembing recently. 

Mohd Sharif briefing the pupils on the tunnel which had been used during the mining days.

The outing was made possible as the school was adopted by Pahang Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in a pioneer programme this year. 

The museum is managed by the Department of Museum and Antiquities Malaysia.  

Its eastern region director Mohd Razaimi Hamat said the museum had an exhibition on the history of the region and Pahang as a whole. 

A truck on rails.

He said the museum was built to relive the glorious days of Sungai Lembing as Pahang’s richest producer of tin. 

“At one time the town was dubbed the Malay States' very own El-Dorado, as it was here that a special settlement of British officers was located,” he said. 

Some of the tools and equipmentMohammad Rumai (left) and the pupils viewing a video clip of the tin mining activities.

Tin mining is believed to have started in the prehistoric period. It was done intensively by Pahang Consolidated Company Limited, a British firm set up in 1906 and liquidated in 1986. 

Pahang’s TNB general manager Mohd Rumai Abdullah said that SK Bebar was adopted in May this year to motivate pupils in rural schools to excel in their studies. 

“It is a pioneer project and will be followed up with other schools in other states in the near future,” Mohd Rumai said. 

He said that TNB had allocated funds every year for educational programmes under its corporate social responsibility scheme. 

A fire extinguisher used in the early days.

“The visit to the former tin-mining area exposed the pupils to the historical city of Sungai Lembing, which was once the busiest town in Pahang. 

“According to a study, Sungai Lembing was once the largest, longest and deepest subterranean tin mine in the world,” he said. 

In underground tunnels locally known as pengkang were dug manually with the occasional use of explosives. 

The pupils were taken into the tunnels still considered safe for the first 5m.  

A former tin-mine worker Mohd Sharif Mohamad, 57, was invited to relate the history of the mining area. 

He briefed the pupils on the equipment on display and their usage. 

Pupil Nurul Izzati Mazni Ibrahim said she would like to visit again on her own to know more about the place and its tin mining activities. 

“It was a wonderful experience to visit and enter the tunnel although the area appeared dangerous,” she said.