Argus Residence: Celebrating the memories of a former Eurasian ‘enclave' in George Town
Published on: Friday, June 20, 2025
Published on: Fri, Jun 20, 2025
By: Opalyn Mok, Malay Mail Text Size: The Argus Residence by GTHH is now open for booking. — Picture by Opalyn Mok GEORGE TOWN: Every evening along a short narrow lane, just behind the Assumption Church in George Town, shrieks of laughter would fill the air as children ran and played. It was a time before there were many cars on the roads and that narrow lane was a playground for the children living in the row of five terraced houses.
Advertisement 'It was like a dead end because the road leads to a narrow back lane so cars didn't come in,' said Stan De Souza. The 86-year-old was one of the children who used to run and play along Argus Lane back when Eurasian families lived in that row of houses. That was between the 1930s to the early 2010s, a period of over 70 years. The five terrace houses, built in 1928 and owned by the Church of the Assumption, were rented to the Eurasian families.
Advertisement 'We were like one big family where everyone knew everyone who lived there,' De Souza said. Among those who lived there were the De Souza, Scully, Newman and Cutter families. De Souza, who lived in the first house of the row, said his parents lived there from the 1940s. 'We went through World War II here, watched the bombs drop, hid in our homes,' he said. He remembered going to school at the nearby St Xavier's Institution before it was bombed during the war. 'After that, school was in a small attap house next to Convent Light Street,' he said. He reminisced about going back to study in a newly built St Xavier's Institution when he was in Form Four. 'I came back in January this year, wondering what happened to my childhood home when I met the George Town Heritage Hotels (GTHH) people who were restoring the buildings,' he said. GTHH has leased the row of houses from the church and restoration started last year. Today, Argus Residence is an extension of Seven Terraces Hotel — also a part of GTHH — and they are connected by a back lane. Each of the houses is named after each Eurasian family who lived there; Dragone, Cutter, Newman, Scully and De Souza. According to De Souza, Dragone was his mother's maiden name. 'My mother was Sybil Dragone and she was a teacher at Convent Light Street,' he said. 'I hope to book a weekend in this house one day and bring my siblings and our families to relive our memories growing up here,' he said. The last of the Eurasian residents living there was Ann Cutter who died a few years ago. Her niece, Corinne Cutter, who used to live in one of the houses too, remembered the strong sense of community among those who lived there. 'We used to gather outside and sing Christmas songs during Christmas,' she said. GTHH unveiled the Argus Residence yesterday and invited some of the former residents to visit the newly restored buildings GTHH founder Chris Ong said the residences are decorated in an eclectic Edwardian mid-century style; a mix of modern furnishings and Ong's unique creations. 'We are honoured that the church approached us to restore these buildings,' he said. He said GTHH hoped to also collect stories from the Eurasian community who used to live in these houses. 'We want to honour the memories of those who lived here and tell their stories too,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
6 hours ago
- Daily Express
Argus Residence: Celebrating the memories of a former Eurasian ‘enclave' in George Town
Published on: Friday, June 20, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 20, 2025 By: Opalyn Mok, Malay Mail Text Size: The Argus Residence by GTHH is now open for booking. — Picture by Opalyn Mok GEORGE TOWN: Every evening along a short narrow lane, just behind the Assumption Church in George Town, shrieks of laughter would fill the air as children ran and played. It was a time before there were many cars on the roads and that narrow lane was a playground for the children living in the row of five terraced houses. Advertisement 'It was like a dead end because the road leads to a narrow back lane so cars didn't come in,' said Stan De Souza. The 86-year-old was one of the children who used to run and play along Argus Lane back when Eurasian families lived in that row of houses. That was between the 1930s to the early 2010s, a period of over 70 years. The five terrace houses, built in 1928 and owned by the Church of the Assumption, were rented to the Eurasian families. Advertisement 'We were like one big family where everyone knew everyone who lived there,' De Souza said. Among those who lived there were the De Souza, Scully, Newman and Cutter families. De Souza, who lived in the first house of the row, said his parents lived there from the 1940s. 'We went through World War II here, watched the bombs drop, hid in our homes,' he said. He remembered going to school at the nearby St Xavier's Institution before it was bombed during the war. 'After that, school was in a small attap house next to Convent Light Street,' he said. He reminisced about going back to study in a newly built St Xavier's Institution when he was in Form Four. 'I came back in January this year, wondering what happened to my childhood home when I met the George Town Heritage Hotels (GTHH) people who were restoring the buildings,' he said. GTHH has leased the row of houses from the church and restoration started last year. Today, Argus Residence is an extension of Seven Terraces Hotel — also a part of GTHH — and they are connected by a back lane. Each of the houses is named after each Eurasian family who lived there; Dragone, Cutter, Newman, Scully and De Souza. According to De Souza, Dragone was his mother's maiden name. 'My mother was Sybil Dragone and she was a teacher at Convent Light Street,' he said. 'I hope to book a weekend in this house one day and bring my siblings and our families to relive our memories growing up here,' he said. The last of the Eurasian residents living there was Ann Cutter who died a few years ago. Her niece, Corinne Cutter, who used to live in one of the houses too, remembered the strong sense of community among those who lived there. 'We used to gather outside and sing Christmas songs during Christmas,' she said. GTHH unveiled the Argus Residence yesterday and invited some of the former residents to visit the newly restored buildings GTHH founder Chris Ong said the residences are decorated in an eclectic Edwardian mid-century style; a mix of modern furnishings and Ong's unique creations. 'We are honoured that the church approached us to restore these buildings,' he said. He said GTHH hoped to also collect stories from the Eurasian community who used to live in these houses. 'We want to honour the memories of those who lived here and tell their stories too,' he said.
Focus Malaysia
4 days ago
- Focus Malaysia
Otter sighted at Klang river: Netizens think the water quality may be improving
IT CAN be quite a novelty to witness some wild animals in the concrete jungle. However, this could also be a sad indication that their homes are being destroyed, hence they are being forced to eke out a living beside us in an unnatural place. Therefore, netizens were quite surprised to find some otters lurking in the Klang river recently, as seen in a video post by netizen @mhmmdn4z. According to him, the appearance of these animals were a sign that the quality of the water was good. He further pointed out a comment from another netizen, Mrlms, who appears to be an expert in the matter. Mrlms said otters only lived in a place where there is clean water as the animal needed fishes and prawns to survive. Interestingly, the video of the otters has gained quite a number of following, with over 3,400 shares and 168 comments. Orang kata kalau binatang meremang dah keluar maksudnya air sungai kita dah bersih. Comey je tengok dia bersuka ria dkt sungai kelang tu Yang sekor tu happy dpt makan ikan dlm sungai — Panggil Aku Naz (@mhmmdn4z) June 14, 2025 Quite a number of netizens highlighted the cuteness of the otters. @NikFarhana92 also wondered if they came all the way from Singapore. However, netizen @drfitriyusof claimed that otters were not bioindicators of grade 1 water quality. @mayakmrlzmn agreed with his observation, adding that dragonflies were a better indicator. Another netizen said it was not possible that these animals were good indicators since they could be found in the village drains. 'I bet my whole fortune that this statement must be wrong. With the naked eyes it can be seen that the river is not clean,' said @qielystyles. 'Our river is not clean. They just need to adapt to whatever cause that is their only home,' @zhantafa continued. Perhaps the winning comment came from @AcapTajuddin who wondered if it was permissible to eat an otter. On another note, Malaysia is home to four out of the 13 otter species: the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus), smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), as well as the hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana). Loss of habitat due to development, pollution and coastal erosion are threatening the otter population here. As top mammalian predators, they play a significant role in stabilising the wetland ecosystem by keeping the population of fish and other invertebrates they prey upon in balance. But their presence as a mark of water cleanliness is still questionable.—June 16, 2025 Main image: @mhmmdn4z (X)
Borneo Post
13-06-2025
- Borneo Post
A daughter's Long Journey: Linda pays tribute to father killed by Japanese army in Miri during WWII
Yii (second right) puts the wreath at the tomb of the 28 martyrs at Miri World War II Memorial Park. MIRI (June 13): A group of 60 people gathered today at the World War II Memorial Park in Miri to pay tribute and lay wreaths in remembrance of the 28 victims executed by the Japanese during their occupation 80 years ago. Among those present was 87-year-old Linda Bodestyne Fluhart, whose father, John Bodestyne, was one of the 28 martyrs executed on June 13, 1945 by the notorious Kenpeitai (Japanese military police). It took Linda 72 years to locate her father's final resting place in Miri. Marking the solemn 80th anniversary of the execution, she attended the memorial with her two daughters, Lesley Carnegie and Sandy. Her third daughter, Adeline Carnegie of Perth, was unable to attend. (From second left) Yii with Linda and her family at the Miri World War II Memorial Park. The memorial park, nestled between SMK St Columba and the Gymkhana Club, served as the backdrop for the poignant ceremony. Miri Mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang led the wreath-laying at the tomb of the 28 martyrs, whose names were first inscribed on a copper plaque by Miri's Chinese community. The service was organised by St Columba Parish and officiated by retired Bishop Solomon Cheong. Japanese soldiers lead Memorial Park miri occupation World War II WWII
