KUCHING: The dream of having their own clubhouse may soon become a reality for members of Sarawak Boat Club (SBC) as the relevant state authorities are looking into their application for a piece of land at Telaga Air for that purpose.
The club’s patron, Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg said SBC commodore Dato Abang Khalid Abang Marzuki and first vice commodore Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and himself have been communicating with the Ministry of Resources and Planning, particularly the Land and Survey Department director to get the land demarcated and at the same time to allocate the land at Telaga Air for the proposed SBC clubhouse.
He suggested that SBC could explore the possibility of working together with the private sector to build a marina and the clubhouse at Telaga Air so that with proper facilities in place, perhaps many foreign anglers would be attracted to come to Kuching for their favourite open sea fishing trips.
“You can also include building a hostel to accommodate the anglers who would like to stay overnight or for a few days” said Johari who is Housing Minister and Tourism Minister during the prize-giving dinner for the annual SBC Open Fishing Competition held here recently.
Earlier, Khalid expressed hope the minister and Karim, who are both ardent anglers to assist the club in promoting boating and deep-sea fishing in the state.
“I hope that with the support of our patron Datuk Amar as the Minister of Tourism, the necessary formalities from the relevant authorities can be expedited,” he said.
Khalid disclosed previous plans to develop the existing piece of land at Muara Santubong and build the clubhouse two years ago did not materialise due to unsuitable soil conditions and high maintenance costs while some funds were also spent on repair works on the clubhouse that was hidden under a bridge (Santubong Bridge) for the last 18 years.
He was saddened by the fact that while cities like Miri and Kota Kinabalu and Bintulu to a certain extent had marinas and other boating facilities, Kuching has yet to have those facilities that the Sarawak Boat Club could be proud of.
“It is also my hope that every member can contribute in whatever way possible including providing new ideas so that we can get the project off the ground as soon as possible,” said Khalid on the 173-members club which was founded in 1974 with Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem as the founder and pioneer member.