3rd March 1959

The H & SBC Jesselton

Dear Mum, Dad and Alan,

Your letter has not arrived yet but thought I would get this off whilst the weekend was fresh in my memory. The Duke arrived on time and we were all down at the bank before the roads closed, Margo, myself, the two children and the two amahs. We were joined by five other people and had chairs out in the portico of the bank and relaxed - it was quite hot and the only other people around were a group of boy scouts about fifty yards away and photographers on a wall on the other side of the road. So when the party came by, they had passed through the town with the majority of people there, the Duke was still standing and gave us a wave before he sat down. Being occupied with cameras we vaguely waved back, but being so close waving seemed a little too personal a thing to do! He circled shortly after he passed us and came back on a parallel road, so we strolled across and he passed us once again, sitting down this time, and I got a photo- I think - the first one had jammed. A couple of beers from the fridge in the bank concluded that episode and we made our way back to the house to prepare for the races. The bank have their own box to hold about a dozen. It is not so luxurious as it sounds but nevertheless is exclusive. There are only half a dozen at the top of the stands with sides three feet in height. The Duke arrived with native horsemen in front and behind and swung himself over the side of his car just below us - I hope I have a picture there - then came to sit two boxes away. When he strolled to the rear to see the horses in the ring he was very close. Too close to use a camera without embarrassment - so Margo had a lot of compensation for not attending the reception in the evening. The events at the races were quite amusing, a bullock race seeming a little out of place on a race track. The native horsemen, who did a charge past the front of the stands were very colourfully dressed carrying lances and wearing Kris and parangs, Their horses had necklets of bells and gaily coloured saddles and cavorted skittishly - about a hundred or so - to make an unusual show for the spectators.

It was indeed fortunated that Margo did not attend in the evening because the queue was about twenty deep and very hot for an hour or more. This was the only thing that was not organised well, but as everything else was so very good one must not grumble. HRH was shaking hands for two hours - what an effort! He said "good evening" to me, we shook hands and I made my bow, then was swiftly off. In words it does not seem to be much and yet I was impressed by it. He is an amazing person - Haymes, our manager here, had had a chat with him when he first landed in the morning and was questioned about the local sailing in which Haymes is a leading light. He gives the impression of being intensly interested in everything with a useful air of informality.

The colony display is indeed a showpiece and according to report the visiting high powered press who needs must be a little blase about these things, thought it the best thing of the tour. Within a comparatively small area is exhibited in a most natural way the whole of the native colony life. All the different types of dwelling houses, agricultural and fishing exhibits, orchids [gathered from Kinabalu mountain by Mary Curren (wife of our accountant) and one other lady, they were away two weeks to get them] nets, boats, dance floors, dragon dances, rubber processing. We spent Monday morning there watching the dances and taking on or two photos when the subject was in sunlight. The horsemen made their horses dance - everyone was dancing in one corner or another - and then a simulated pirate raid was put on with native craft beflagged and popping off cannon like a Hollywood film sequence. The beer we consumed after this at the mess opposite the display just evaporated! The afternoon called for a gently sleep, but at seven we were on the bank roof with Caroline and a dozen other people with attendant bottles and glasses to watch a firework display over the sea front. Caroline took sometime to get used to the bangs but eventually she plucked up courage to look - then was very excited and was very well behaved till nine oclock when we finally put her to bed. She has been full of it all day to-day although occupied with a Siamese cat which has attached itself to us. It is about to have kittens and Mary Curren brought it back from her trip because it was not being looked after at the Rest House. However, it won't stay with the Curren's because they have a large slobbering Boxer - also a friend of Caroline's. The dog also visits us and Adrienne really gets going when she sees either the dog or the cat - I hate to think what is going to happen when the kittens arrive. I think I have omitted to mention that Caroline can handle her tricycle very well now and peddles with great vigour, but is stumped on the uphill bits - it is without doubt her favorite toy. Adrienne is all but walking and can play Ring a ring a Roses with Caroline and myselft - especially the falling down part.

Cheerio for now and love from us all,
Peter

16th Feb 1959

Written on HSBC Jesselton airmail letter

Dear Mum Dad and Alan,

Your cold weather and the reports of it, with fog that we read about in The Telegraph, make us quite content not to be there. It has been a little hotter during the past few days but managed nine holes of golf on Sunday and then went in the sea for some water skiing. One of the people from Borneo Company has a boat and set of skis and a crowd of us have a go on Sundays. I could not get up - the start is a bit tricky at firs, but expect to do it another time. One gets half upright, then whoosh - over backwards and start again. I did not know John was going back to Hongkong - is he with a civilian firm? Neither did I know Alan had partly purchased a car - what type? My finances are OK and we will save a bit here at present estimates. It is only on leave that we get short and of course there was a lot to get last time - I estimate we need 700 pounds for the next one as a minimum but guess we can manage it in time. The maternity ? should be covered provided the insurance can remit from India. I did receive Dad's 6 pounds - thought I had mentioned it - thanks very much. Shall get around to describing Jesselton one day, though there is not a lot of it. Two main streets with new buildings parallel to the water front, ten minutes from the office and up hill finds our house. There is a lot of hill and relatively little flat ground fro Jesselton to exist on. Ten minutes along the coast road brings one to the Golf Club and halfway along is the hospital and Secretariat where the Duke's reception is to be held. Two main roads go inland for twenty plus miles and these we have yet to investigate. We hope to take some photos in due course but many of the shots I want depend greatly on the position of the sun and the time of day and I shall have to plan accordingly - have no need to rush it. The family continues to be well. We have visited the local cinemas twice and had Chinese food afterwards. I went to a Chinese dinner - a business occasion and ate a huge amount - I thought we had finished twice before we actually did. Going to dinner with a Donald Jones & family of Cable & Wireless tonight. He is very busy planning transmissions of pictures for the Dukes visit.

Cheerio for now & Love Peter