When Amsteel Mills’ GM, Mr Chen Kwong Fatt invited me to be a judge for the company’s landscaping competition, my immediate reaction was to decline being no keen gardener. Furthermore, landscaping to me was a job for the professionals and certainly way beyond my non-existent gardening skills.
To cut a long story (of protesting) short, owing to KF’s persuasive skills and despite my thumbs being totally non-green, I found myself in Amsteel Mills in Klang one fine morning with fellow judge, Kelvin Lee from sister company, Akurjaya Sdn Bhd which is involved in the plantation and landscaping business. (Thank you, Kelvin for your reassuring presence and landscaping knowledge which took the pressure off me! Hey, don’t blame me if the best garden doesn’t win; I’m totally green as in ‘know nothing about gardening’ and not green as in being a tree-hugger!).
In KF’s welcoming remarks and introduction of judges which required the judges to say a few words to the representatives of the twelve participating teams, Kelvin commented on the teams’ initial efforts as seen in the landscaping photos which had been emailed to us earlier and the criteria for the judging which he had drawn up. I could only talk about my admiring the beautiful gardens and landscaping works of others as my qualification to be a judge (and the fact that I was coerced by KF to be there.) More seriously, I told the Amsteel folks that I was very glad to be in Amsteel Klang, having worked there for a few years some time back, and was most eager to see the ‘Gardens of Eden’ they had created inside the mill.
 | The gardens they had created took my breath away (or was the breathlessness due to the miles of walking we had to cover to visit all the green spots?) As can be seen in the glorious pictures featured on page 22 in this newsletter, the enthusiastic and creative folks in Amsteel had built oases of lush greenery and colourful plants with gazebos, rest-stops, water features with fishes swimming about, reflexiology paths including a mini-golf driving range (yes!) and even a rabbit garden (there’s a tale, not tail, here which I believe the Amsteel folks will be more than happy to share). At one stop, there was actually a waterfall which scored highly as the flow of the water sounded like a real waterfall due to the excellent design and execution by the team (quoting Kelvin’s remarks). We also spotted a rainbow along the way!
Here, I must emphasise that all the work done was by the participating team members who are steel workers by profession and hidden artists and designers (until now). Working with a limited budget of RM500 but limitless ideas, enthusiasm and energies, they had created wonders with recycled materials, donated items (such as sarongs being turned into colourful ‘waus' or traditional Malay kites proudly displayed on the walls), salvaged parts and even a transplanted dead tree stump brought back to life with some brown paint and artistic hands. I have to say, the photos taken don’t do full justice to the creations of the talented people in Amsteel.
What truly impressed me, besides the marvelous landscaping works was the display of enthusiasm and teamwork by the participating teams and their members. During the judging, everyone was eagerly waiting at their department’s showpiece and took great pride to point out all the work and special details that had been put in. One team made the extra effort to identify the plants’ scientific names and wrote them on little wooden tags (self-made, of course) placed next to the plants. And all these were done after working hours, in their own time. Truly a labour of love as well as wanting to out-do the other teams with ‘secret weapons’ including bananas, being unveiled at the last possible moment! The competitive spirit was certainly alive after an apparently slow start which saw withering plants and dying fishes.
It was a tough call selecting the winners as clearly almost everyone had put in so much effort and enthusiasm into their creations. At the end of the day, it was the extra efforts and attention to details that won. The biggest winner however was Amsteel with the fine display of team spirit and cooperation amongst the staff comprising all races and from all levels, coming together in a celebration of nature. |