My first encounter with Tasik Biru was in 1972, when I began my secondary education at SMK Lake, a school named after this lake. The road to the school passes by the edge of the lake, which was known as Tai Parit Lake then, named after the former goldmine, Tai Parit Mine. The opencast goldmine was operated by the Borneo Company from 1898, until it was flooded in 1921 which turned it into a lake.
The lake was filled with natural beauty as all the plants — the trees, shrubs and grasses had grown naturally around the sides of the abandoned gold mine, with little man-made features that included a small bridge, a jumping board for diving, a lakeside canteen and a small playground.
Its greenery and blue lake water, along with reflections of the sky on a fine weather day, makes it a prefect place for photo-taking. It was the place where I tried out my first roll of film for my first camera. It was the starting point where my interest in photography began.
There are a lot of legends connected to the Tasik Biru. It was said that the lake will claim one life in an average of every three years.
An elderly man once related a story regarding the flooding of the lake in 1921.
It was said that one day, a group of miners stumbled upon a golden tortoise at the bottom of the lake. When they tried to catch the tortoise, the tortoise bored into the earth. As the miners hacked frantically after it, the tortoise bored further into the subterranean strata. Suddenly, a jet of water appeared and the mine started to flood.
The frightened miners scrambled for the high ground but the water kept rising. It looked as if the water would take a terrible vengeance and the mining settlement would be wiped out. Then an old man, said to be a shaman, appeared on the scene and provided the solution, he pushed a white man into the rising water. And strangely, the water stopped rising.
Another story related by a former gold miner who worked at the Tai Parit Gold Mine related that during the “golden years” of the gold-mining industry, the gold mine was very rich in content. So much so that when the workers walked out of the goldmine on their way home in the evening, there were women waiting by the gate, offering to take home the trousers and shirts of the workers for free washing. This is because the mud and sand which stuck to the clothing also contain gold ores and the women washer would collect them to be sold to the mining company as an income.
The Bau District Council carried out development projects to add some basic facilities around the lake in 1975. A bridge was built to span across the narrowest part of the lake to enable visitors to gain access to the other side. From there, I used to climb up to the top of the hill, to take aerial view photographs of the lake and the surrounding area.
After the completion of the project, the lake was renamed Tasik Biru, as the water in the lake appeared bluish or greenish due to reflection from the sky and green plants around the lake sides and the hill.
In 1977, there was a rent-a-boat business operating for those who liked to paddle around the lake, where the deepest point was about 300-feet deep. However, the boat renting business was stopped after the bus tragedy of 1979. A bus carrying a full load of students of SMK Lake and trainee teachers plunged into the lake in June that year, killing 28 students and a trainee teacher.
In 1988, three “monsters” appeared in Tasik Biru. It generated great interest, not only among the people of Bau, but also from Kuching and other areas, as crowds swarmed to the mining town to witness the three strange huge dark figures, each about three metres long, swimming below the water surface. The strange sightings continued for more than one week.
The medium from the nearby Bong Low Sian Tze temple, when consulted, referred to them as evil beings.
He asked his assistant to burn some talisman around the four corners of the lake. Strangely enough, two days later, the dark figures disappeared.
I managed to record the images with my video camera during their last appearance and when the images were enlarged on the TV screen, I discovered and confirmed that it was just schools of small fish.
The lake was the birth place of the Jong Regatta (miniature model sailing boats competition). The colonial District Officer of Bau, the late A.J.N. Richard, initiated the first Jong Regatta on January 8, 1950. It was held as an annual event from then on until 1961. It was revived in 1970 after a lapse of almost 10 years, most probably due to the lack of fund.
In 1972, the Jong Regatta was held at the lake in October. My school sent in 11 jongs which were made by the art teacher, the late Hon Nyian Foo and the Art Club members, in the school’s art room. They managed to win a few prizes.
The last jong regatta was held in 1989. Sadly, the lake closed in 1990, as it was taken over by a mining company. The water from the lake was pumped out almost dry, to enable gold ores to be extracted from the side and bottom of the lake. The lake was gone, much to the disappointment of the local residents and tourists.
When the water was drained out, there were no strange creatures lurking, a disappointment to the many superstitious people around. The workers disclosed that they only caught some fish and tortoises, none of which were of unusually huge size.
The gold mine stopped operating in 1997, after most of the high grade gold ores were extracted. After the mining activity stopped, the water from the underground springs gradually filled up the lake to its former level, but covering a much bigger area.
Construction work on basic facilities were carried out to restore the once scenic holiday spot. The authority carried out restoration works around the lake in 1999. Basic facilities included a canteen, pontoon, gangway, footpaths, and sunshades. The new lake resort became much larger with an area of 19 acres as compared to the former Tasik Biru which was only 15 acres.
The new Tasik Biru was re-opened to the public on April 16, 2001. A row of new canteens was officially declared opened by the Minister of Environment and Public Health, the late Datuk Amar James Wong Kim Min on May 24, 2001.
The Jong Regatta was then revived after a lapse of 14 years. It became the main event of the first ever Bau Carnival held on August 3 and 4, 2002, which has become an annual event to attract tourists to the town since. At present, several landscaping works are being carried out the by the Bau District Council, which include the installation of more street lightings around the lake side near the canteen area, concrete benches, railings, planting trees and flowers as well as a children playground.
The state sssemblyman for Tasik Biru Constituency, Datuk Henry Harry Jinep announced recently that a pedestrian bridge would be built across the lake to replace the old one which was demolished during the mining activities about 30 years ago, to bring back the former attraction of the lake.
The project, costing RM1 million, has been approved by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and will be undertaken by the Public Works Department.
A new pavilion with the shape of a baruk (Bidayuh ritual house) has also been proposed to be constructed over the pontoon or platform in the lake to give it a more aesthetic touch. A mining museum has also been proposed to be built somewhere nearby the lake. It is hoped that with the completion of these projects, the lake will be restored to its former glory, and can attract more tourists to come and visit this gold town.
