10th December 1961

Written on HSBC Jesselton headed airmail paper Dear Mum Dad and Alan, The good news has arrived. We are to go on leave sometime in April and will know the date later. The Manager fixed it whilst in Hongkong on conference and now they are reshuffling to fit us in. We hope to go home by sea as this will give us a chance to relax a bit before commencing the hectic settling in again. This will depend largely on the availability of passages so it may be by air. If so we shall arrive in April otherwise in May. I have written off about houses and cars and as you can guess we are very happy about things and full of plans. Ian Macleod has arrived and we enjoyed a game of golf yesterday. A bit weary today as we have had three late nights running - the silly season having started. All good parties but getting up in the morning is not easy. Your parcel arrived safely and whilst we have only opened the outside cover so far it is obviously full of good things, thank you very much indeed. Hilda and Henrys have also arrived (two) and I shall write after they have been opened. Am going to Beaufort on Tuesday to introduce Ian Mac to the office - shall return the same day. There have bee 3 unexpected resignations above me recently so am moving up the staff list. It will be interesting to find out where the next posting is. Banawan estate manager was in town the other night and he seemed quite cheerful about making a profit even if rubber goes down to the expected 60c a pound. There could always be the chance of a take-over bid so guess the best thing is to forget them until something turns up. Rubber generally is very quiet anyway. The children have a very full month of social engagements - one week they are doing something every day! This includes school plays, Govt.House. Golf club fancy dress and a few odd parties around and about. cheerio for now and love from us all Peter and Margo

Nov 61

Dear Mum Dad and Alan, Adrienne's party went off very well with as much noise as you can imagine. The dog facinated them and was an obvious success which she concentrated on for some time before she even looked at the bike. Enclosed are my first attempts at colour transparencies which on even a very powerful automatic viewer that I borrowed came out very well. Hope you can borrow a viewer so that you can see them properly. 1) Orchid white at entrance to the house 2) House 3)4)5) Caroline Adrienne & Susan (Did not take E at the time because she was teething and would not smile. Well do some more soon) Series TUARAN SUNDAY MARKET Note: Sweets, tobacco, egg plant, bananas etc. Dusans & Malays & Chinese, dress, umbrellas sarongs. Look at bare feet and add big toes. Series River picnic at TAMPARULI Women in at side of river is washing clothes. Her son is there too. Picture with 3 children and Margo bending down - the long green bamboo is a water carrier and Margo is washing sand off the children's feet. As you can see we had a good picnic. The shot of Margo & Adrienne shows a lot of background and there are rubber trees in the distant hill. The background, right, of Susan sitting on milestone 16 rice. The pictures should enlarge to half the size of your drawing room wall if you can get back 12 to 15 feet and you can then move forward to within 3 feet to see the detail. I hope to do another 20 pictures over Christmas. Elisabeth can now sit on a rocking horse without holding and rock it herself! Love from us all Peter

12th Nov 1961

H.S.B.C Jesselton Dear Mum, Dad and Alan, Many thanks for your letter and also Adriennes parcel. The dog is great fun and all the other odds and ends will thrill her tomorrow, which is the great day. she has been very taken up with her party for the last week. Distributing her invitations at school and then collecting the replies. She has grown out of her baby stage a lot though is still given to crying in temper for very little reason but once on her own can be very amusing. Had a great game with Elisabeth tonight and she can now roll over on her front and then reverse. She has been near doing this for some time but could not move her arms out of the way once she had rolled on top of them. Now she lifts & moves her arms around. In reversing it is necessary to swing one leg over the other and this she can now do and there is definite movement up and down with the bad leg. She is full of fun and conversation but can have Adrienne's sharp temper when things go wrong or she is unable to say what she wants. Acorn seems to think that the end of the bear market may appear towards the middle of 1962. I have had my eye on BMC at 13/- for some time now but they have shot up too fast to do anything. Can you give me a quick list of people in Tamworth Park with addresses for Christmas cards. Roger & Pat - Mrs Brooks - Rita & Fred etc as I do not seem to have a note handy from last year. We have got a good second hand 3 wheeler for A. for her birthday very cheap and have a two wheeler lined up for Caroline at Christmas. This will leave a big 3 wheeler for Susan & the baby one that you bought, for Elisabeth. It will give you an idea how they have all grown. We will be buying them motor scooters in a few years I can see. The weather has produced an absolutely scorching week. Too hot. I even got burnt to-day, something that hasn't happened in twelve months. But we are coming towards cooler weather and that is something to look forward to. Am still making boxes and have completed one for the record player and a rough box cum cabinet for the records. Have had quite an interesting time in the office lately and shall continue to do so now through to Feb. The second junior had a quick posting to Hongkong and I have been teaching the replacement his job. The manager is off on a 3 week business trip and I shall be doing a few extra odd jobs. Ian Macleod will be arriving in December to commence his take over as Acct. I knew him in Calcutta and this will bring in a trip to Beaufort. Then the half year will be upon us and Peter Ingham will be off. As a background there will be a very steady stream of Christmas and New Year parties which owing to our now long residence will claim us even more than before. Cheerio for now and love from us all. Peter.

24th Oct 1961

The Hongkong Bank Jesselton Dear Mum Dad and Alan, Many thanks for your letter and thank you for buying the present for Donald. I don't remember you telling me it was 14th Oct. although I do remember asking twice but maybe I did not notice. Am enclosing a cheque which should settle my debts to date. have no specific requirements for Christmas so cannot help you there. However, have been very energetic and have ordered presents for everybody including children so you have nothing to do for me this year. Have covered Donald, Dorothy, Hilda & Henry. Pauline & Elaine, Fiona & Mary. The trip back from Labuan was great and it is certainly the place to sit up front. I was met by the whole family - the four girls putting up a very loud and continuous greeting which could be heard across the airport. It was worth having been away. Found on my return that once again I was to stand in for someone else's job for two weeks, but this is now routine. I only hope it is appreciated but I doubt it. The Labuan trip has done me a lot of good and I have been particularly light hearted since my return. We expect to be airconditioned in the office next year (5 years late) and this will definitely help with my last year of the tour. Rachael Rice passed through last week on her way to Sandakan and it was good to have a chat. Their last place was Rangoon and it has no attractions at all! even worse than Calcutta. Have been doing some more box making. Very satisfying banging pieces of wood together although one becomes wetter than from having a shower. The point being of course that it saves a lot of money as packers here are expensive. I found Elisabeth improved whilst I was away. She is talking now so that one out of three words can be recognised and her teeth troubles are mainly over. The big doubles caused a lot of soreness. She tries to crawl but the one bad leg gets in her way - once that comes back she will have a much wider range of activity. She sits on the swing happily and enjoys sitting on the small bicycle. Am glad Ian is to be a No 1. It is not bad at 40 with 20 or more years to do on the higher salary bracket. We are getting some very junior appointments on the Foreign Staff just now as a result of the war years. People barely 2 years senior to me are becoming Accountants & Acting Managers, but from the staff list it would appear that things will revert to normal by the time it comes to my turn and I anticipate having to wait for 4 years or so. However, having only done eleven years I must not be impatient. Cheerio for now and love from us all Peter.

10 Oct 1961

Written on HSBC Labuan British North Borneo headed paper Dear Mum, Dad and Alan, Thank you very much for your letters especially the one from Alan which made us very envious of his trip through such interesting country. It is something we are storing up to do in the future. Elisabeth has received her rocking chair and loves it am sure it helped her a lot. Margo says that she does not take a chair to the beach at all now as E sits on the sand quite happily and at other times in an adult chair. E has improved so much that the physiotherapist says she cannot do anymore than Margo is doing herself. She said the muscle in the leg which is not working yet is very strong and will come back, but is doubtful about the crooked foot. She & the doctor recommend that E return to UK earlyier than Nov next year for more advanced exercised and I have asked for leave in June. We shall see what happens - I will not know for a month or so. As you can see I am still in Labuan. Charles Campbell had to have a week more in bed with a further week rest so I will not return till next weekend and will have done a month. This has covered the quarterly results and balance plus the returns, so has given me a bit more experience. Incidently it is the 13th office of the bank that I have actually worked in. London - Hongkong - Penang - Sungei Patani - Teluk Anson - Cameron Highlands - Orchard Rd - Singapore - Calcutta - Jesselton - Brunei town - Beaufort - Labuan! Margo spent 3 days here over the weekend, flown down at bank's expense and I was pleased she could get away for even such a small break. The Campbells' have 3 children so there was a great deal of conversation and comparison between the mothers. We went out to a party on Sat. and played bridge on Fri & Sun. So were very busy & Margo met most of Labuan residents in a short time. The Borneo Airways have their HQ here and the pilots form the basis of the community and are very interesting to know. I am hoping to sit up front on the return journey providing no VIPs are travelling. Cheerio for now and love from as all. Peter.

21st Sept 1961

Written on HSBC British North Borneo headed paper. Dear Mum Dad and Alan, Am sitting in a very comfortable air-conditioned office in a delightful little island just south of Jesselton. On Tuesday we had a phone call at 10.45 to say Campbell Lue had to go to bed with a bad cough etc and I was on the 12.40 plane and had taken over the office by two o clock. He is improving now but looked very ill when I arrived. The house is nicely situated overlooking the sea. The Campbells' have the children a year ahead of ours all very fit and bonny. Mrs Campbell teaches them together with eight others each day as there is not a school available and the boy who is six can read and do simple multiplication, so they are not suffering in anyway. The town is very small but as Labuan is a free port quite a few ships come in and a varity of commodities are dealt in . Copra being of importance as it is smuggled out of the Phillipines and transhipped here free of duty. It seems to be a healthy place with swimming and sailing available. Other entertainment is in 'ones' own home and I already have a date for bridge tonight to which I am looking forward. Expect to return to Jesselton next week so dont reply here. Best wishes Peter.

14th Sept. 1961

H. & S. B. C. Jesselton Dear Mum and Dad, Thank you for your letter, I am not surprised that you are missing a few letters I have been slack lately. There should be one at home for you and I hope this will reach you on the second week of your holiday. Alan's trip will be full of interest and mid-day picnice are most sensible. I am glad Dad has the watch and strap and will send a cheque in another letter in case this goes astray. Am sorry I had not mentioned anything for Adrienne, but it is only recently that she has asked for a golliwog and perhaps you can note this for Christmas. Re Donald's wedding present - an awful lot comes under the heading of essentials these days and one must be careful what one gives to an artist (the colour could be right out!). A good "Salt Pepper & Mustard" set in silver might be in order and if Dad remembers where "Posterns" is, near where Cannon St used to be you might be able to see something for me. We had a successful buffet supper at home last night as a farewell to the secretary who has been here three years - a fat turkey & ham which is going to last some time - all the arrangements went well and we were lucky to have a breeze blowing off the sea as it has been very hot lately. The share market is still on the way down and if it were not for leave next year I would be looking for some cheap purchases. But from all reports it is unlikely that there will be a speedy recovery. A crystal ball would be very useful. Acorn gave Royal Insurance last month at 160/- and they have gone down to 154/-. I too wonder about Roans but N. Rhodesia is still very troubled and no one is optimistic about the copper price. But it is worth watching events. Nothing else much to write about - the children are in good form and have gone off to sleep with little fuss tonight. Cheerio and Love from us all, Peter