The unique heritage club since 1885
One of the oldest clubs in Malaysia, THE NEW CLUB (TNC), is situated at a site which has a panoramic view of the azure Bukit Larut, the scenic Lake Gardens with the raintree branches dipping into the water and the district officer’s residence overlooking the historic playing field, the Esplande (Padang Perbandaran).
It is situated on a road, Jalan Kelab Baru, Taiping, so named after our club.
It was founded in 1885, then known as Perak Club for the social life of colonial British officers and their families. The British Resident restricted the membership to the high ranking British civil service officers and tin miners while the planters had no place in the Club.
There was some misunderstanding, the majority of the senior Perak Club members resigned and formed “The New Club”. Those involved in forming TNC were Dr Shepherd, Lefroy, Gray and Aylesbury. The name TNC still remains till today.
The golf course was designed by G.A.Lefroy in 1893. The Club house was built a cost of RM($)10,000 and was opened the following year. It consisted of a reading room, a billiard room, a card room, a large dining hall, and five residential chambers and at the rear was a croquet pitch.
The members of the TNC started playing golf on a course near the club, and the enthusiastic gold players formed the earliest golf club in the country and named it "The Perak Golf Club" and had its office in TNC. It is now the second oldest golf club in South East Asia.
It boasts an affiliation to 70 foreign and local clubs and was the only golf Club to be affiliated to the earliest golf club in the world, St Andrew's Golf Club in Scotland.
The early development of the club was due to H.L.H. Tate who was the Club Secretary in 1903 and to honour him for his contribution to the club, a room was named as "The Tate Room" after him.
At the foot of Bukit Larut ( Maxwell Hills), with beautiful flora and fauna, is a scenic waterfall with cascading cool clean water flowing from the tributaries in the hill. TNC took the opportunity and built a family size swimming pool in the pristine surroundings and named it Taiping Swimming Club which was exclusively for the members only.
When the Club built its own new swimming pool within the Club premises it handed Taiping Swimming Club pool over to the Taiping Town Council to turn it into a heritage pool to attract tourists.
In 1907 the club membership rose to 270, comprising of government officers, miners and planters, and its membership was limited to British nationals only. Australians were not allowed in the club but were allowed to play golf and had their refreshments at a shed outside the club.
All club activities stopped during the Japanese occupation. After the Japanese surrendered, the club was reopened on 20th November 1945 under the management of 25th Gymkhana Regiment with Major General G.N. Wood as its President. After the British Military Administration was over, the Club was returned to the former members of the club. H.L.H. Tate was elected as the President of the Club.
After the war, due changes in the country's modernization and nationalism programmes, the outlook of the club changed. The first Malaysian, a Taiping resident, known as "Charcoal king" Lim Huan Lye was admitted as a member of the Club in 1948.
Till 1966 all the Presidents of TNC elected were British and when they left the country, the first Malaysian TNC president was elected. It was Datuk Seri Mohd Razak Akram in 1967.
Gradually the club activities increased from golf to tennis. Tennis became one of the favourite sports among the members and in 1989, two all weather tennis courts were built for them. The tennis playing members formed their own sub-committee and actively carried out their activities and tennis related functions.
When the club extended its activities, sub-committees were formed for darts, line dance, karaoke, swimming, library and squash. It privatized the game room.
There are now two chambers for out station members, a game room, billiard room, sauna, banquet hall, dining room, squash courts, and gymnasium.
The patron of the club is the Perak Sultan, and the honorary members are the Larut, Matang and Selama (LMS) Territorial Chief, LMS District Officer, Taiping District Police Chief, Heads of other Government departments, The President of Taiping Municipal Council, Taiping High court Judge and Members of Parliament.
Annually New Year, Chinese New Year, Vaisakhi, Merdeka Day, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali and Christmas are celebrated with gusto.