I was saddened to hear from my ex Account Clerk that Old Jack Mantell @ Johari Abdullah passed
away in Besut on 01.01.2016. He was
94. Alhfateehah.
Jack Mantell was the last British Manager of Guthrie Export
Sdn Bhd Port Klang, a subsidiary Company of Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd. He was and ex
World War 11 British Navy personnel and a young British Police Officer in Federation
of Malaya, pre Merdeka. He told me he survived the Communists insurgent and at
one scary incident he had to hide in the shop’s attic at Air Itam Perak for
days.
On August 1977 when I was seconded to GESB Port Klang to
start off a new project, I reported to Old Jack. His service was extended to
become Consultant of the new project that we both handled. He fully retired in
1980 when we had completed and fully commissioned the Palm Oil storage
Installation.
Old Jack returned and retired in Besut and operated two oceans
going fishing fleet. Being a foreigner, all his properties in Kelantan were
named under his wife. Somehow the undertakings failed because there were so
many politicking at sea, the catch were sold to the Thais at sea. The return
was bad and he had to sell off the fleet. That’s what he told me when I visited
him. His life took a downturn, however he sustained. I was sad to see him with
roll tobacco cigarette instead of his favorite Rothman.
His life turned around when the British Government found him
in Besut. He got back all his service pensions and gratuities. On top of that
the money left by his late father for him was hibernating in a British Bank all
these years was returned to him, the legitimate ownership. That’s what I heard
and I never met or visited him since. Honestly I am very happy for him and
syukur alhamdullillah, Allah had been very kind to him. One thing I remember
about him, he will pick up even a small screw as he walked along and he told me
that this screw may be of good use, one fine day. Old Jack would never enter a
Restaurant without inspecting the kitchen first. He demonstrated his skill to
me at the age of 55 that he could come down from a 50 feet height storage tank
with a single rope. He scared the hell out of me.
I heard he walked down memory lane to Port Klang a few years
back but I did not manage to rendezvous with Old Jack. His old Company Bungalow
is still standing along the Persiaran Raja Musa on the Klang/ Port Klang Road.
That’s a memory of him whenever I pass along.
May Almighty Allah bless his soul and gather along with the
almukminin.
