“THE STORY OF MALACCA”

A book Written by W Bro Allien Moore, whom the District Grand Lodge of the Eastern ARCHIPELAGO is proud to call one of our own

The following is a short review of the book as related by W Bro Koh Kekjin Past Master, Sir Stamford Raffles Lodge No. 7444 EC

To quote W Bro Allein Moore,

“It started simply as a plan to give leaflet to give to our guests for our

accommodation offered on AIRBNB by my wife and I.”

As Freemasons it is common to see Brother Masons pick up their gavel in open Lodge. What is not so commonplace is when one of our gifted Brethren decide to take pen to paper and write a book. It is a wonderful achievement for anyone, but when a well known Brother pens his volume it makes it all the more sweeter.

By my personal recollection I call to mind W Bro Lim Kuang Hui’s book “In the Chair of King Solomon”, which I still have in my library. This book documents the history of Lodge Singapore No 7178 and the experiences of his year as the Master of his mother Lodge. Over the years a few others have followed suit, and we are eagerly awaiting the efforts of W Bro Manoj Sharma, of Zetland in the East Lodge No 508, who is collating the history of Freemasonry in the Eastern Archipelago.

For those who do not know, it is with much happiness to announce that our distinguished Worshipful Brother Allein Moore who now resides in Malacca, has recently published a book, with a broader appeal and in my humble estimation is well worth a read. “The Story of Malacca” . W Bro Allein is a Past Master of Sir Stamford Raffles Lodge No. 7444, and in Lodge Elliot No. 3557 in Malacca where he now resides.

“It started simply as a plan to give leaflet to give to our guests for our

accommodation offered on AIRBNB by my wife and I. We thought it

would be useful to give visitors a bit of background on this city. When I

started my research, I was surprised to discover there had not been a

comprehensive book on the history of Malacca since 1970. Then came

the Covid lock-down, and as a result more time on my hands… and thus

this book!” - W Bro Allein.

The new book is indeed comprehensive. In 168 pages, it looks back to the early settlements in Malaya, and the empires that stretched across the

Archipelago, before focusing on the establishment of the Sultanate of Malacca.

Our W Bro Allein traces the humble beginnings of this port town, to its

transformation into a powerful and influential centre of trade in Asia,

competing with Cairo, Canton and Venice. The fall of Malacca to the Portuguese, and then to the Dutch, are covered in some detail.

This is indeed not a dry academic work, but an easy-to-read narrative about Malaysia’s heritage city. Even those people who know Malacca well will discover some little known facts about this gem of a city on the West Coast of the Malay Peninsula. There is even a mention of the Malacca Lodge building and its occupation by the Japanese forces.

“The Story of Malacca” goes beyond giving us a historic account, as W Bro Allein gives us an insight into the effects of the UNESCO Heritage Site award, and the transformations which often incurs harmful effects on the architecture, the

communities and cultures. Most unique for a book on history, is that the final chapter is devoted to the author’s vision of Malacca - in 2035. No worries, it is an

optimistic forecast, and suggest this old historic city may have a great future.

Of special note if you are visiting Malacca for a weekend or even a day, it might be worth your while “chatching up” (chatting and catching up) with W Bro Allein, and perhaps explore their Airbnb offer here: https://www.airbnb.com/h/tiara-quietvilla.

You can get a copy of The Story of Melaka direct from the publisher here:

orders.singapore@partridgepublishing , or from Nutmeg Books in Kuala Lumpur.