I have visited the dredge about 2 years back though I did not board the dredge nor could I have or want. As an engineer I appreciate and admire the mechanical complexity of the dredge. All the winches and conveyors certainly do stimulate the brain’s processes. How does it work? How does it get so large? How did it get on the water in the first place?

Although in general I agree with Ian’s assessment that we are fighting a losing battle and that the dredge is not worth saving, I would like to offer my 2 sen’s perspective that the tin dredge can still be saved as a part of Perak history. It won’t be free and certainly it won’t be cheap but I think with a little bit of luck and effort it might be workable.

First and foremost the dredge would have to be thoroughly repaired to display condition. All the riggings and the winches have to be inspected and made fast so nothing loose can come crashing down on the heads of visitors. Paint up the sides in bright beautiful colours like what they did to the Penang ferries, and give it a facy name instead of just “the old dredge”. Sponsors anyone? Next fix it up with beautiful lights inside and outside. This is the easy part, relatively speaking.

Now lets get to the hard part, the sustenance for the dredge. If this is not done, all the money and effort spent on the repair would have gone down the drain and the dredge would rot faster and I’d rather it not be repaired in the first place.

Any Perakian worth his salt knows that the most freshest prawns come from Tg Tualang, only a few minutes drive away from the dredge. People from as far as Singapore, Hongkong, China, even Canada come to Tg Tualang only for 1 reason, the prawns. If we can accept Maine lobsters why not Tualang prawns? It does not take a genius to figure out how and why. One only need to enter into one of the restaurants serving the famous prawns and look on the walls decorated with photos of famous stars and singers sampling the local delicacy. Simply put, prawns are to Tg Tualang what groundnuts are to Menglembu and chicken bean sprouts and white coffee are to Ipoh. Ipoh and its surroundings are already famous for food. Why not capitalize on this advantage?

Now can we not somehow mix these two together? Perhaps set up a Tg Tualang Fresh Prawn center just next to or around the dredge and rent it out to the local restaurateurs on costs basis? Or can we convince them to set up shop themselves? How about a restaurant or coffee house right in the dredge itself? Old Town White Coffee anyone? This will certainly attract patrons and visitors from all over the world. Imagine this: dining on world famous fresh prawns and seafood gazing out over a piece of Perak history and after dinner, board the dredge and visit the museum within the vessel. Children can play and learn safely in a playground inside the dredge, all hazardous and high areas cordoned off. All can view a working scale model of the dredge perhaps built using Meccano or Lego parts. Let me build the model. Children press buttons and hey the model conveyor rumbles into life, the tiny buckets carrying dry sand into the belly of the mechanical monster. Another crane model requires children to turn the winches by hand, hauling up model stuff and the likes. In short, a mechanical science museum for kids and adults alike.

Could we not have a small hotel built nearby? Or even inside the dredge. In the daytime tourists can go fishing for the equally famous toman (giant snakehead) in the numerous ponds. A friend from Germany had the time of her life fishing for the elusive snakehead when she was here. How about a caravan or camping park? 4WD adventure on the sands? Lets see who gets stuck. Extreme sports anyone? How about rope access training on the boom or rock climbing on the sides? Certainly not for the faint hearted.

Could we not promote the dredge as a fine example of heavy mechanical engineering to visiting university students from near and far? Don’t we have a university each in nearby Kampar and Tronoh? Can’t the universities arrange field trips for the students to study the inner workings of the monster? Can we not have a prawn fishing competition around the pond where the dredge is moored? Is it true that there is a crocodile farm nearby? Can’t they set up shop selling crocodile skin handbags etc.

I have been to Germany & Europe and have seen how ships & buildings far older than this dredge have been saved and preserved for future unborn generations so that our rich history is not lost to time.

I certainly hope other readers can contribute more ideas on how to save this piece of history. Lastly I thank Ian for his gallant efforts in archiving and maintaining Perak’s history for us.