Down Memory Lane - Tangga Bradley

So, monsoon season is here again.

Come monsoon season in Kelantan those days, the news that we were anxiously waiting was the level of flood water at Tangga Bradley. We will be glued to our old radio to listen to the news of flood conditions (and others news which we were unable to comprehend, such as 'harga getah keping asap berbunga 25 sen sekati' or 'harga saham turun naik tidak menentu' etc). We would be able to estimate the seriousness of the flood by knowing the water level at Tangga Bradley.

Tangga Bradley was named after Kuala Krai district officer, Gerald Bradley, who built it between 1927-1929. The purpose was to monitor the flood level and as mini jetty for the people living along the embankments of the Galas and Lebir rivers. Tangga Bradley consists of a series of 79 concrete steps.

Those days, the flood level of Tangga Bradley was measured in feet and was categorised as 'tahap berjaga-berjaga', 'tahap amaran' and 'tahap bahaya' (if I'm not mistaken). The level would also indicate whether the time of 'main air' in Kota Bharu has arrived or not.

I still remember when I completed my SPM in Kolej Islam Klang by end of November or early December, we were stranded for few days in our school and was unable to go back home due to the flood, and the maximum level of Tangga Bradley was more than 90 feet. We were glued to radio almost every hour to get the latest news of the flood level at Tangga Bradley. Being fed with sardines for lunch and dinner for few days in the hostel was really unbearable to us, thanks to Ustaz Zainal Abidin Abdul Kadir (now Dato'), the then Pengetua of Kolej Islam

In 1984, they decided to change the name of Tangga Bradley to Tangga Krai, a decision which I think most of the Kelantanese would disagree. To me, this is a piece of colonialism that we Kelantanese can be proud of, and we prefer to fondly call it by its original name, just like other piece of structures in Kelantan such as Jambatan Guillemard (not Jambatan Kusial) and Bank Kerapu; names that we feel more affiliated with and are really proud of, and brings nostalgic memories from our childhood days.