11th June,52

H. & S. B. C.
Penang

Dear Mum, Dad and Alan,

The Sports Club dance on Wednesday last was a grand success. The party that I was in numbered over 30, and we assembled first at the mess. It consisted of both Europeans and Asians - a good crowd that kept going all night. I got to bed just before 6 am the following morning.

On Wednesday, oversleeping by an hour, I pushed off on a launch picnic to Pulan Reman, a small island off Penang - a two hour journey by sea. We were 10 all told - no women at all - it was an excellent way of recovering from the night before - although plenty of swimming was done. Mostly by bods falling overboard in, what we learnt afterwards to be, shark fishing areas.

On Friday we had some friends in to dinner - two of whom were just married before the leave that they have now arrived back from (preposition?). He is an American and so they had spent all their time there. The conversation was, consequently, interesting.

Saturday afternoon I pushed off to the mainland in the Fiat and made for the Sungei Patani club to meet Brendon Moore. He was in the bank but is now a planter on United Patani (M) Rubber Estates Ltd. Their estates cover a vast area. He took me in under escort in a Land Rover and we arrived in time to shoot flying foxes - none appeared but we fired our shot guns (12 bore) at the tops of the trees and retired to the house for a meal and bed.

I could write a great deal about rubber now - as I was shown all the various stages of planting during the next day. It was all of great interest and much of a change from Penang's civilization.

In the afternoon we went to a club on a neighbouring estate and met various people who were there for a swim & tennis. Dinner was in Sungei Patani and so home arriving about 7.30 pm. The car ran well.

Last night I played tennis and enjoyed a good game. I haven't played for some time and hope to take it up again. Afterward saw "Appointment with Venus" a comedy with D. Niven. Very amusing.

Must get down to some work now - we are building up for the 1/2 year on the 30th.

Cheerio and Love
Peter.