Seria History in Brief
Everytime I go to Seria, I remembered the Shell Wooden House at Lorong 2 - my aunty's house and my birthplace. I was born in that house and where today's birth certificates mostly say RIPAS or any of the major hospitals in Brunei, my birth certificate says "Wooden House, ****"But Seria is still a new town relatively speaking. Carved out of the swamps for the oil company. It was once known as Padang Berawa (Wild Piegon field). The town sat on extensive marsh and peat swamp. It was cleared to allow for oil exploration work. The only structure standing in the 1920s were two nipah roofed, log ladder houses occupied by the exploration company crews. Soon after provision shops sprouted, catering for workers working on the oil fields. It began with two rows of wooden and kajang roofed shops. As work on the oil field intensified, the town too grew.
Comments
During what year was that 'wooden houses'. Interesting picture. Was it during the 1960's? If so,how come i didn't recall the place. I also was born in seria ( di rumah!).
Meaning to say, it was pure coincidence that our births brought the country's fortunes, 'black gold' and the cleanest fuel - LNG, when the British Malayan Petroleum (BMP) then and now BSP first developed the AMPA offshore oil/gas field.
Your uncle Dato Deputy Minister is only too familiar with the AMPA offshore platforms since he was amongst the first Bruneian civil engineers to have poured their hearts and souls; blood, sweat and tears toiling in the oil fields.