A group pf volunteers recently got together and cleaned up an 80-year-old fort by the Permatang Damar Laut beach in Penang.
The pillbox fort, which has been around since World War II was badly vandalised and covered with graffiti over the years and in need of a good cleaning.
There are about 20 existing pillbox forts in Penang, each with its own rich history. During WW11, In the 1940s, these forts served as military defenses against the advancing Japanese army.
About 30 volunteers from Generasi Penang and Penggerak Komuniti Muda (PEKA) cleaned the fort as part of the “Sayangi Warisan Kita” programme.
The volunteers not only worked tirelessly to clean all the graffiti, but also took time to collect rubbish strewn along the beach.
They collected ten black bags load of trash.
The volunteers also urged the authorities to take a more active stance in preserving our country’s historic structures.
“We hope that the public is aware of how important it is to preserve historic structures [such as this fort] and stop vandalism against them,” Generasi Penang wrote in a Twitter post.
