麻坡老店梁南美鏡莊

80年前80年後


80年歷史的梁南美鏡莊（上）。梁南美鏡莊對面的另一幢麻坡老店（下）。麻坡三馬路這一帶的老店已經歷了80多年的歲月。

記得50年代我在砂香街中化一小唸書時，常到這間老店左邊五腳基吃印度羅惹（Rojak）和華人小販的燒魷魚。印度老漢每天挑擔子到五腳基賣的羅惹，令我懷念。


80年前，祖父創業，在位於三馬路與砂香街交接處的十字路口興建〈梁南美鏡莊〉。

80年後，孫子除了繼承鏡莊祖業，同時還在老店樓上創辦畫廊，開拓業務新天地。

梁南美的第三代梁意順告訴我，80年前，祖父創辦梁南美鏡莊，今天，他創辦《NNB Gallery》畫廊。在鏡莊樓上的新畫廊，梁意順向我講述他祖父的故事，講述麻坡過去的故事。

梁意順的父親的梁廣南，是過去麻坡一位象棋好手。

梁意順說，過去我們的前輩在麻坡創業時，同一行業經常是集中在市內同一地點，因此就有〈打鐵街〉、〈面線街〉、〈打石路〉等。

我與麻坡攝影家邱文強到訪時，畫廊正在展出《老城，舊時光》畫展。畫家呂政德筆下的麻坡老舊建築物與街景，懸掛畫廊四壁，引起參觀者懷舊的情懷。一幅〈打鐵街〉的畫題名為〈叮噹歲月〉。一幅〈華南旅店〉的畫題名為〈真實時光〉，另一幅〈金山旅店〉則題名為〈樸實的歲月〉。

梁意順（左）向攝影家邱文強講述他開設畫廊的宗旨。

金山旅店： 真情樸實的歲月。

廬山大菜館：陳舊的美學。

永泰興雜貨：時光的流逝。

懷念麻坡打鐵街

老建築物能否保存

畫家筆下的打鐵街古老店屋風貌。

記得這兩幢麻坡老建築物嗎？它們是坐落於哪一條街？
南亭互相會會所（中）有80年歷史。永春會館（下）有70年歷史。

針對麻坡〈打鐵街〉將換新貌的演變，中化高中第6屆老同學有不少感觸。

澳洲的邱永昌同學寫道：

送你一首小学时候，琅琅上口的儿歌，给你无穷的回味：

早打铁，

晚打铁，

打一把剪刀送姐姐，

姐姐留我歇一歇，

我不歇，

我要回家去打铁。

在雪州八打靈的雷大慶同學回憶起過去打鐵街的風情，寫下他的感受。雷大慶同學中化高中畢業後，進入南洋大學現語系。他曾是新海峽時報記者，後來成為馬華公會前會長李三春的政治秘書。

雷大慶同學寫道：

Thai Heng Lui wrote:


I still remember standing outside the shops and watched how the
blacksmiths went about their work: they used a wind pipe to blow the
fire in a stove in the front part of the shop,a blacksmith would put a
few iron bars inside the fire, as the metal turned red, the
blacksmith would pull one bar out from the stove and place it on an
anvil beside him, then together with an assistant, they would hammer
the metal until it became the shape and the thickness they wanted.

When the metal came to the right shape and thickness, the blacksmith
would put the finished tool into a trough with water and I could hear
a sizzling sound and saw some smoke from the trough.

As they hammered away, the sparks would be flying all over the place
and since the blacksmiths were wearing thick aprons, they were not
hurt.

As they hammered the metal, the sounds of Ding! Ding! Dang! Dang! rang
out and when a few shops were working at the same time, there would be
a nonstop string of Ding! Ding! Dang! Dang! all along the street. What
a joy if we can see it again!

And so these sweating blacksmiths produced knives and other tools for
many years .

I am not sure since when they began to disappear.

Good for Cheong Hiang to remind us of the old days once again and I think
we should thank the Lau family for the plan to restore the past.

Ding! Ding! Dang ! Dang! I miss the hometown.