Starting at PLM

At Pusat Latiham Membalak (PLM), I was stationed at the PLM complex, in Kampung Teris, Ulu Terengganu. The centre was about 32 kilometer from Kela Terengganu. I was just over 21 years then. Due to my recent hiring of about one and the half months's I had very little belongings. It was just one bag of clothings. Driver Mahmud came to Ladang Sekolah on the 15th of August 1978 to take me to PLM, where I reported for duty to Amir Idris. He was the second Principle for PLM following the transfer of Hamid Maarof. Being principle he was responsible for the overall running of the centre.

Jaafar Tahrim, his deputy, was responsible for the Heavy Machinery course along with other staff members such as Yunus, Bakar Salleh, and Muhammad.

I, on the other hand, was appointed to handle the demanding Forest Survey and Inventory Course alongside the reliable Ranger Wahid Katas. So we were the three forest officers running the place, Amir from Penang, Jaafar from Perak and I from Pahang.

The Tree Felling course officer was vacant, and Jaafar's additional responsibilities of overseeing the Tree Felling course as well.

Our administrative building housed the staff admininistrative office and rooms for the principle and Jaafar. When Wahid joined, we shared a long, narrow room next to the meeting room. The canteen and student block were conveniently located at the end of the corridor pathway and a classroom was also there.

A larger Workshop, tucked further away, sheltered the heavy equipments when they weren't being utilized in the forest. Our fleet, comprising of student transportation and land rovers, was parked there as well. The iconic hall that greeted every visitor at the entrance gate was provisioned for examinations as well as any ceremonies like visit from dignitaries was also conducted there.

A memorable event that sticks out is a visit from the Sultan of Terengganu. All the state VIP accompanied the Sultan. Senior officers from forestry HQ also came. In at instance, Amir had appointed me as the Master of Ceremony which taught me a crucial lesson: if I don't step up and do it, no one else will. This lesson has since guided me through various challenging situations in life, and I am inseparable from this mantra.

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