Not letting his disability get the better of him, Hamzah Hassan, 64, has been a cobbler for 40 years – repairing shoes at the Pulau Sebang Bus Stop in Alor Gajah, Malacca.
During his four decades as a cobbler, he said he had undergone various challenges, but the Covid-19 pandemic was the worse.
However, he said he was fortunate as some customers came to his house in Johol to have their shoes repaired.
“Most of my customers were security personnel who needed immediate repairs on their shoes, as nearly all cobblers were shut during the pandemic,” he said.
Hamzah said the experience he gained working at a shoe factory enabled him to become a skilled shoemaker.
His cobbler career, however, was disrupted by a road accident in Port Dickson in 1974, when he lost his right leg below the thigh.
“I became a PwD (person with disabilities) even before I got married. Alhamdulillah, I opened a shoe shop in 1982 at the old Pulau Sebang bus stop and then moved to the new bus stop.”
Hamzah said although he now did not have as many customers as he used to, he was grateful to be earning a living in these uncertain times and never considered his prosthetic leg to be a barrier.
Pic Credit: NST
