Forge partners: Hammers resting on the iron anvil at Wong's workshop. Picture / Nandakumar Haridas

I remember his clean nails when we first shook hands that afternoon. It was firm, not vise-like, nor do I recall being gripped by calluses. He spoke in tones which never rose above the decibel of the mellow traffic outside. All this in a man who worked over 45 years in the drama of fusing the elements – fire, metal, wood, water, earth.

Wong Fook Woon is a blacksmith. One of the few left around the country who actually still do it all by hand. In fact, the 60-year-old is said to be the only one left in the deep central region of the country. He makes knives and parangs, those kukri-shaped machetes that helped clear the land for agriculture.

It was humbling that SABM kicked off its very first roadshow at a venue with deep historic roots. The Hu Yew Seah complex on Madras Lane, Penang has a storied record that many Penangites themselves may not be aware of.

Apart from the main clubhouse built in 1914 and 1928, the compound also hosts a primary school and kindergarten complete with a badminton hall. Back in the '60s, when the government launched the national language campaign, this was one of the main centres teaching Bahasa Malaysia to the locals.

But the best-kept secret lies in a small marble plaque mounted on a wall of the hall in the main building.