“My father is of Arab descent, a heritage tracing back to the Pontianak Kadriah Sultanate. He was a great teacher, who set up a school in Permatang Gadung. The school was later converted to a national school by the government and my father became a farmer later on. He spent his time fishing in the rivers and was always in the forests here at Permatang Gadung. With us, his children, he would go hunting, fishing and travel around frequently. He advised us to take care of the forest that gave us ‘life’,” said Doy, half muttering.
His father also kept three dogs as pets, although they are Muslim families. The dogs always accompanied the family trips to the farm, river, and especially when they hunted for deer in the forest.
Doy and the Permatang Gadung forest were not easily separated. He worked briefly at a construction company after finishing his education at the Government Technical Secondary School 1 Pontianak.