The Bronson Chronicles: Hash House Harriers Hike from Gopeng to Cameron Highlands, 1970.

The HHH group in 1970 that hiked to Cameron Highlands from Gopeng.

'Bronson'..thanks for the photos

This report is a flashback based on photographs taken by an Ipohite named Bronson (not his real name)

The name Bronson was taken from a TV drama at the time called ‘Then Came Bronson’ about an American motorcyclist astride a Harley Davidson riding around the country.

Bronson too rode a motorbike, a British model single cylinder AJS 500. Bronson liked to take photographs and used an 35mm viewfinder camera.

HHH 2016 (left pix 5th from left) Foo Wan Shoon, Liew Chee Tuck and Foo Wan Thot after dinner and their Friday run. (right pix) Liew and Wan Thot identifying the 1970 team.

Photographs those days were printed and recently when he had returned to Ipoh passed me a stack of photographs with captions of what was the occasion and where it took place.

Bronson’s prints’ was still in good condition and I had selected this report of his hike with the Hash House Harriers from Gopeng to Cameron Highlands. The year was 1970.

As Branson could not recall all the names of the Harriers on the hike he referred me to fellow runner Foo Wan Shoon who in turn referred me again to his brother Foo Wan Thot and fellow runner Liew Chee Tuck.

I recently met the trio at dinner after their Friday run at Falim but was asked to meet again the next day. The trio were in their 60’s and 70’s now but with the aid of the photographs still remembered the hike fondly.

The late Jackett Simpson (centre, left pix) with Dato Bill Davidson. (right pix) Dato Davidson

According to Liew the hike took place in 1970, a year after the 1969 May 13 riots. It was organized by then Osborne and Chapel Gopeng Manager the late Jackett Simpson.

“Simpson worked in Gopeng and he made arrangements for the transport and orang asli guides.

“At the time before we went into the jungle we had to register ourselves at the Gopeng Police station.

“All the hikers met at 6am at the Station before boarding a lorry that took us along the Gopeng  pipeline until the point of entry at Sg Itek. From there we began our track up to Cameron Highlands.

“We had orang asli’s to guide us uphill. Our journey was a mix of jungle tracks and streams and despite the hike being grueling all of the way we managed to exit at the Bharat Tea Estate before Tanah Rata at around 4.30 pm.

The track was uphill

(left pix) Foo Wan Thot and King Lee Hoo Keat, (centre) Charlie Loh, (right pix) Wan Sai Phan and Aziz.

and gruelling 

...but we came out at Bharat Tea Estate (above pix) at 4.30pm.

According to Liew the group stayed the night at the Foo Yat Kai villa located at Tanah Rata and returned home the next day.

He added that during that period in the 60’s the HHH was the only group that did the climb from Gopeng to Cameron Highland and the 1970 hike was the groups 3^rd since 1966.

Liew recalled that the HHH Perak Chapter started in 1966 stating that some of the early pioneer members besides himself was Foo Wan Thot, one time a Grandmaster, his brother Foo Wan Shoon, Phillip Leong who for a time the secretary who wrote the raunchy newsletters and then there was Bronson.

Liew was introduced to the club in 1968 by fellow runner Phillip Leong.

“At the time HHH was mainly a club made up of of 90% expatriates. However when we joined it was for the exercise and it was fun as at the end of the run there was a beer wagon waiting”.

Liew described Wan Shoon and Bronson as the young members of the group that was always ahead of the rest,

(l-r) Bronson and Wan Shoon, the 'young' runners that was always ahead of the group.

“Especially for Bronson. He would wear jungle boots and run ahead of the rest which was possibly the reason he could capture all the photographs”.

A visit to former secretary Phillip Leong brought back memories describing those days as so much fun and camaraderie.

(l-r) Bronson, King Lee, Charlie Loh and Phillip Leong (5th from left and inset) 

As he looked at his old photograph the his main mention was that he was so slim and had more hair then.

Apparently the photographs of Bronson rekindled a spark in the lives of these former young men all of whom recalled their adventurous times four decades ago.

(l-r front row) Foo Wan Shoon and Bronson. (Bottom row from left) Liew Chee Tuck. (l-r back row) Foo Wan Thot and Jacket Simpson (4th from left)

As for this report it portrayed a time when young men of those days found the jungle as a fun place and a challenge.

JAG