— FROM OUR CLIENTS
What families say after the work is done
We have worked with families from across Malaysia and beyond. Here is a selection of what they have shared with us after completing a programme.
← Back to Homepage340+
Families served
4.9
Average rating
98%
Refer us to others
6+
Years in George Town
— Client Reviews
In their own words
Lim Kah Meng
George Town, Penang
"We had four shoeboxes of photographs from my grandmother's house. Some were stuck together. I had no idea what to do with them. Rui Xuan spent three appointments going through everything carefully — she explained each step and never made us feel we were taking too long. The catalogue we received at the end is genuinely useful. I can find any photograph in under a minute."
Archive Programme · April 2025
Noorashikin Razali
Butterworth, Penang
"The Heritage Conversation Session was not what I expected — in a good way. I thought it would be a lecture, but it was more of a structured conversation with people in similar situations. The workbook is genuinely well-designed. I left with a practical plan for what to do next. Ahmad is a calm, patient facilitator."
Heritage Conversation Session · March 2025
Tan Choon Hoong
Ipoh, Perak
"I came from Ipoh specifically to use this service — no one near me offers anything like it. The inventory sheet was exactly what my siblings and I needed before we could make any sensible decisions about my father's papers. We had a box of mixed documents and no idea where to start. The typed list gave us a clear picture. The turnaround was a bit slower than I'd hoped, but the quality was worth it."
Inventory Sheet Service · April 2025
Selvi Pillai
George Town, Penang
"My mother kept letters from the 1950s and 60s, most in Tamil. Heirlight couldn't translate them — they were upfront about that — but they catalogued and preserved every single one properly and noted the approximate decade based on the paper and handwriting style. The archive they produced is something my children will be able to use. That was the point."
Archive Programme · February 2025
Wong Yew Fai
Kuala Lumpur
"I travelled from KL for three appointments. Worth every trip. My family is from Penang originally and my grandparents' papers were held there. The team made the scheduling easy — they kept sessions short and productive, and returned everything at the end of each visit. The digital archive is now shared with seven relatives in three countries."
Archive Programme · March 2025
Ahmad Zainal
Alor Setar, Kedah
"I had a pile of my father's official documents and wasn't sure what I needed to keep or what it all was. The inventory service gave me a plain-English description of everything — I finally understood what I was looking at. The studio responded quickly to my initial enquiry, and the work was completed within the timeframe they estimated."
Inventory Sheet Service · April 2025
— Case Studies
Two families, two different starting points
Case Study · ARC-01
A three-generation Hokkien family's photographic record
The Situation
A family in George Town came to us with approximately 240 photographs spanning three generations — from formal studio portraits of the 1930s to snapshot prints from the 1980s. Many were loose, some were stuck together, and a number had faded significantly. The family had no record of who appeared in many of the older photographs.
The Work
We completed four appointments over seven weeks. Each photograph was gently separated (where stuck), cleaned, sleeved in archival material, scanned at 600 dpi, and entered into the typed catalogue with a date estimate, condition note, and any identifying information the family could provide during sessions. Photographs were grouped by approximate decade.
The Outcome
At completion, the family held a bound catalogue of 240 entries, a set of 240 archival sleeves organised in three labelled boxes, and a hard drive with full digital scans. An aunt, who was asked to look at the catalogue, identified seven people in photographs that had previously been unknown to younger family members.
"I didn't expect it to feel the way it did when we opened the finished boxes. Everything was there, properly held. It mattered."
Case Study · INV-03 + HCS-02
Two siblings, one box of papers, no shared understanding of what to do
The Situation
Two adult siblings from different parts of Malaysia came to us jointly following the death of their mother. They were struggling to agree on how to approach a box of her papers. One wanted to move quickly; the other wanted to understand everything before touching anything. The friction was genuine and affecting other decisions.
The Work
We recommended they begin with the Inventory Sheet Service to establish a clear shared picture of what was in the box, and then attend a Heritage Conversation Session together. The inventory took one appointment. The conversation session was attended by both siblings and four other participants. They spoke frankly in the guided session format.
The Outcome
The siblings left with a typed inventory of 38 items, a labelled folder system, and — by their own account — a much clearer shared understanding of how to proceed. They subsequently booked the full Archive Programme for a second, larger collection. Total cost for the initial work: RM 1,100.
"The session helped us talk about it properly for the first time. The inventory gave us something to look at together."
— Reach Us
Come and talk with us
Telephone
+60 4-228 6294Studio Address
22 Jalan Burma, 10350 George Town, Penang
Studio Hours
Tuesday – Friday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
— Your Turn
Every family's archive is different. Yours is worth preserving.
The families above started in the same place — with a box, or a bag, or an envelope, and no clear idea of what to do with it. A first conversation costs nothing.
Book a First Appointment