Time Travel Through Newsprint: Reporter Reconnects With 1/3 Of Triplets From 1978 Article
The reconnection was bittersweet as two of the triplets have already passed away.
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Former Berita Harian reporter Omar M. Hashim (@omaraomarhashim on TikTok) recently experienced a touching moment that bridged nearly half a century of memories — all sparked by a single newspaper clipping.
In a TikTok video, Omar shared a yellowed page from Berita Harian dated 25 January 1978, featuring a story he had written about a set of triplets — Maizatul Akmam, Maizatul Hana, and Maizatul Muna — who were then just beginning their school journey. His article had captured the excitement of three sisters stepping into the classroom for the first time, along with their childhood dreams and ambitions.
At the time, the sisters were only seven years old.
“I wrote this a long time ago. They must already be adults and have become parents themselves,” he said in his TikTok video.
“They were just about to start school for the first time. They are the children of Abu Bakar Md. Noor and Badariah Md. Salleh from Kebun Sireh, Bukit Mertajam,” Omar reminisced.
In his post, Omar asked his followers if anyone knew what had become of the triplets.
“Does anyone know where they are now? And how they are doing?” he wondered aloud, his curiosity mingled with nostalgia.
The youngest triplet reaches out to Omar
To his amazement, the youngest of the three sisters, Maizatul Akmam, came across the video and left a heartfelt comment.
“I’m still here,” she wrote, revealing that she is now 54 years old and still remembers the article — and the day a reporter came to photograph her and her sisters for the newspaper all those years ago.
But her message carried a bittersweet note. Maizatul Akmam shared that both her sisters, Maizatul Hana and Maizatul Muna, had since passed away due to health complications.
She explained in a later comment that Maizatul Hana passed away from cancer at the age of 21, and Maizatul Muna died in 2018 from liver complications.
Their father had also passed in July 2018, followed by Muna just a few months later in September of the same year. Today, Maizatul Akmam lives with her mother in Seri Manjung.
For Omar, the unexpected reconnection was both heartwarming and poignant — a reminder of how stories written long ago can find their way back to the people who lived them, even decades later.
As the past resurfaced through the faded newsprint, it became clear that some stories, no matter how old, never truly end — they simply wait to be rediscovered.
@omaraomarhashim Di mana mereka sekarang? Tulisan saya dalam tahun 1978 dahulu di Akhbar Berita Harian kisah kembar tiga masuk sekolah di Kebun Sireh, Bukit Mertajam. #omara #omarhashim #beritaharian #akhbar #kembartiga ♬ original sound – Omara
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