Ponz gives our players a home away from home

09/10/2001

HOBART, Tasmania, is a very cold place, and I am not talking about the
weather.
The perception of the place is such that a first time visitor,
especially one who has lived in the hustle and bustle of the KL city, will
immediately feel lonely and unwelcomed after a few minutes.
The shops here close at 7pm and there is nothing to do except go pub-
hopping to keep one warm in the cold summer of Hobart which averages about
11 Celsius in midday and dips to about 5-7 Celsius at night.
But everything changed when I met a bargain.
Ponz Sabas is the state manager of Bargain Car Rentals and he has taken
upon himself as the manager of the Malaysian hockey team as well. Coach
Yahya Atan and manager Arrifin Ghani and their boys would have been a lost
and lonely group if not for Ponz, for he takes care of everything from
transport to food to arranging for an alternative artificial pitch where
the boys could train without the `enemy' spying on them.
Ponz left Malaysia 17 years ago to read law in Hobart and never left,
but his heart very much belongs to Malaysia.
"I used to play hockey in Klang when I was young and Arrifin used to
train the under-15 team in Klang. So when I found out that the Malaysian
team was coming down for the Junior World Cup in Hobart, I offered my
services," said Ponz.
Ponz is of mixed Indian and European parentage and speaks fluent Bahasa,
German and Mandarin. His first love is motorsports but could not make
headway in Malaysia because when he was serious about the sport, it was
still at an infant stage in Malaysia. So now, he helps out when Malaysian
motorsport enthusiasts drop by in the place that he calls `almost at the
end of the world'.
Not only did he offer his total commitment to the Malaysian team, he
also drives them around town and buys food for them so that they do not
feel lonely in the place where he has put up roots.
The immigration rules in Australia are very rigid when it comes to
bringing in raw food so most of the meat and food stuff that the Malaysian
team brought along was confisticated and they were left with nothing upon
arrival. But it was not a big problem as Ponz took them around town and
replenished their supply in a jiffy.
The Malaysian team were a bit down when they arrived in Hobart because
they received a culture shock in every corner they took in this city of
200,000 people. But they are slowly getting used to it and, by the time
they play New Zealand tomorrow, they should have overcome the initial
setback and be better prepared mentally.
The hotel that the Malaysian contingent chose, the Valley Lodge in Lenah
Valley, resembles a ghost Villa and has an eerie feeling about it. The
place is so lonely and desolate that even a pin drop could be heard for
miles around.
Even the caretaker of the lodge, only known as Mike, looks like a
character from one of the Frankestein movies, but he is a helpful person
who looks after their every need.
They played two friendlies since coming to Hobart on Oct 3 and got
soaked to their underwear on both occasions but it did not dampen their
spirits as they huddled in coach Yahya's room, packed with every known
electrical apparatus, and watched recordings of New Zealand playing
against South Africa and South Korea.
As the overhead projecter hummed away and the images on the wall, which
doubled as the screen, told them what to expect when they play their first
do-or-die match against New Zealand, Ponz was busy making bookings for
them to train at an alternative venue in Hobart so that the other teams
could not spy on Malaysia.
It is indeed nice to have a familiar face to help when one is so far
away from home.
(END)