Basic HTML Version
FireFlyz | 25
Did you know?
William
KellieSmithwas born
inKellas, MorayFirth, Scotlandon
March 1, 1870. At the tender ageof
20he arrived inMalaya toundertake
the roleof aCivil Engineer. Joining
CharlesAlmaBaker’s surveyfirm
(whohadwon concessions fromthe
stategovernment to clear hectares
of forests inBatuGajah, Perak)
andwithprofitsmade fromthe
enterprise, hebought theparcel of
land that Kellie’sCastlenowsits on.
He alsoowned and formed theKinta
Kellas TinDredgingCompany.
restless spirit paces along the second
floor corridor at certain times of the
night … some even believe that the
spirit of Kellie’s wife, wearing a white
blouse floats around her old bedroom
distraught with tears …
End of a Dream
En-route
back to Malaya from a visit
to Europe where it was said that he had
stopped off to acquire “mirrors” for the
elevator, Smith contracted pneumonia
and passed away suddenly in Lisbon.
His family soon after packed their bags
and returned to England.
William Kellie Smith’s son, Anthony
Kellie Smith, whose birth coincided
with the father’s decision to build the
grandiose structure, was later killed
in World War II. The other of the two
children, Helen, never set foot in the
castle. Thus goes the maxim “‘with the
passing of a man, so does one witness
the passing of a dream”.
Reflections
The
trappings of the grand old dame’s
Moorish arches and walls are as alien
to us as they were popular back in
the day. Reflecting the colonialist
pioneering spirit of a bygone era – the
castle’s old world dignity whispers of a
hauntingly romantic grandeur of a land
before time.