Sandakan's lost era revived in landmark photo book launch

Borneo Post

06-05-2025

The historic launch was officiated by Madam Wong Chio Chung, who was joined by author Nicholas Tan, publisher Datuk CL Chan, and her two sons, Pastor John Kwan and Kwan Yee Hau.
SANDAKAN (May 5): In a heartfelt and historic occasion, the book ' 'Vintage Images of North Borneo' by the Kwan Brothers was officially launched on May 3 at a hotel here.
The event drew an overwhelming crowd of more than 150 friends, family, and guests from all walks of life, all gathered to witness a momentous unveiling of memory and heritage.
The launch is being hailed as perhaps the most successful cultural event of its kind ever held in Sandakan, celebrating not just a book, but the rediscovery of a lost era through photography.
The landmark publication showcases the work of three gifted siblings — Kwan Kai Fook, Kwan Yau Moi, and Kwan Dick Fook — whose cameras documented the rhythms of life in Sandakan before the war and the profound transformations that followed.
Among the highlights of the launch was the sale of 12 framed photographs, featuring rare pre-war and early post-war scenes captured by Kwan Dick Fook and Kwan Yau Moi.
These limited-edition prints, elegantly framed and displayed, were quickly snapped up by collectors and supporters. Proceeds from the sales — totalling RM2,400 — were generously donated by historian Nicholas Tan to the Sabah Society (Sandakan Branch), further underscoring the community spirit that marked the occasion.
The book itself is the result of nearly a decade of dedicated research by Nicholas Tan, a Sandakan-born historian whose meticulous work involved tracking down archives across Sabah, London, and beyond. He also conducted interviews with elders and family members to ensure that the names, places, and stories behind each photograph were preserved with accuracy and care. Many of the images had remained unseen for decades, tucked away in family collections, and were made available through the generosity of Madam Wong Chio Chung, widow of the late Kwan Dick Fook.
Wong now in her late eighties, served as guest of honour at the launch, lending the event its emotional weight and historic resonance. Her presence was deeply felt by attendees, many of whom have personal memories tied to the places and faces immortalised in the Kwan brothers' images.
'This is more than a book launch — it is a communal act of remembrance,' said Datuk CL Chan, publisher of Opus Publications. 'Through these photographs, Sandakan's history comes alive again. What was nearly forgotten is now restored, not just in archives but in the hearts of its people.'
Tan shared personal reflections during the event, recounting his meetings with Kwan Dick Fook, whose knowledge and recollections proved invaluable.
'Mr Kwan could look at a blurred corner of a photograph and tell you the name of the shop, the person standing outside it, and even what year it might have been. That kind of memory is irreplaceable — and this book is a tribute to that rare gift.'
Vintage Images of North Borneo features over 200 rare and carefully restored photographs, each accompanied by detailed notes and historical commentary. Together, they form the most comprehensive visual archive of pre-war and early post-war Sandakan and North Borneo to date.
Beyond its visual richness, the book also serves as a testament to resilience — of a town that endured devastation and found the strength to rebuild.
The publication is available at The Borneo Shop in Wisma Merdeka, Kota Kinabalu, and at the Museum Shop in the Sabah State Museum. It is already being embraced by historians, educators and members of the public as a vital historical record and a beautifully rendered tribute to the past.
'Through the Kwan brothers' lens, we see not only what once was — we feel it,' said Nicholas Tan. 'Their work, once hidden in dusty boxes and private albums, is now shared with the world. And through this book, their legacy lives on.'