Chronicles of Old Singapore

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Soh Weelian spent five short years in Kampong Potong Pasir as a young boy in the 1970s but this was enough to etch rural life in his mind. He talks about his parents and their wooden house with an attap roof by a drain near the Kallang River and the Woodleigh Waterworks, before they were resettled in a HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio New Town. Part 1 | https://youtu....

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. After making Chief Engineer, Kan Seng Chut decided to come ashore to work in ‘land jobs’. He reflects on the revolution brought about by container shipping, which benefited Singapore’s global trade. At the same time, it was a mistake, he feels, for his one-time employer, the pioneer shipping line Neptune Orient Lines, to sell off its container ships. Kan him...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Abdul Rahman is in a happy place today but still has deep feelings for a kampong that no longer exists. He introduces us to both the pioneers and youngsters of Kampong Chantek Bahru and his initial culture shock when his family moved into a HDB flat in Marsiling. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/i8eGnJVH91w Part 2 | https://youtu.be/VFtCT3ZiUg8 00:00 Pioneers of th...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Historian Stephen Dobbs observed that it was the little boats called lighters (twakows in Hokkien) which made the Singapore River’s trade possible. The remarkable men who worked onboard the lighters were able to move heavy cargo while expertly balanced on the boats. Stephen relates the labour and political issues which led to a major strike in 1961, changing...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Raymond Tan talks about working as a lab technician at Methodist Girls School for many years, the interesting places in the area around Mt. Sophia (today’s Dhoby Ghaut), and why he finally resigned. He also recalls moving out of Geylang Lorong 6 to HDB flats in two of Singapore’s early housing estates: Toa Payoh Lorong 1A and then Potong Pasir. Part 1 | http...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Leng Ng Tai recounts his childhood in the staff quarters of the Singapore Harbour Board where his father worked as a fitter. He dropped out of secondary school to join the engineering apprenticeship scheme at the Dockyard Technical College of the Singapore Naval Base in Sembawang. He talks about the excellent sifus (masters) who mentored him. As their ‘coffe...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Kan Seng Chut joined the Singapore Harbour Board’s apprentice programme in 1962 as locals began to replace the expatriate engineers. He talks about his determination to become the chief engineer of a ship and the challenges of working on a ship at sea, such as friction with engineers of other dialect groups such as the Hainanese (he is Cantonese). He explain...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Social historian Stephen Dobbs takes us back to the old Singapore River prior to the cleanup. He traces the social history of the river which was his PhD study in the early 1990s – the endemic pollution which stained its waters and made marine life impossible, the causes of the pollution and the river’s vital role in the entrepot trade of Singapore. Part 1 |...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Historian John Solomon traces the gradual disappearance of caste in Singapore after the Second World War due to a combination of factors: decolonisation, non-discrimination in the temples and the efforts of reformers. We consider how this history is relevant today as new migrants arrived in recent times in Singapore from India, where the caste system is stil...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Abdul Rahman recalls Kampong Chantek Lama and Kampong Chantek Bahru where he and his family lived after the Second World War. We browsed through old photographs of clean and beautiful kampong houses in these parts of Old Bukit Timah and some of the residents who left an impression on him. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/i8eGnJVH91w Part 2 | https://youtu.be/VFtCT3...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Indra Iswaran talks about the common occupations and politics of Ceylon Tamils in Singapore history, including hospital dressers, lawyers and more recent migrants. She recalls her own struggles as president of the Singapore Ceylon Tamils Association and her heritage projects for the community. Finally, she reflects on the future of Celyon Tamils in Singapore...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. British Hainan restauranteur Frederick Puah reflects on his myriad struggles in the F&B industry: safe distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, strict manpower quotas and difficulty in hiring locals, and the lack of consultation for small restaurant owners. 00:00 Up & Down in Business 08:08 Second Wave of COVID-19 12:11 Manpower is the K...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Raymond Tan takes us on a nostalgic walk through the old Geylang lorongs, Tanjong Rhu and Katong. We relived familiar sights and landmarks such as the seawall, Happy World Amusement Park, Katong Park, Kallang Airport, and various cinemas. He attended two of the numerous schools in the area: Tanjong Rhu Boys’ School and Tanjong Katong Technical Secondary Scho...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Anthony Woo’s world opened up when he completed the dockyard apprenticeship scheme in 1961. He joined Shell Tankers and sailed to many ports in Asia and Australia. He reflects on the contributions of the engineering apprentices from the Dockyard Technical College in the 1950s and 1960s and their wish to mentor the young engineers of Singapore. 00:00 Internat...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Historian John Solomon discusses his research on the elusive history of caste in colonial Singapore. He relates the struggles of the lower castes in India who migrated here in search of new opportunities and identities. These migrants, some of whom worked in Lorong Lalat (present-day Jalan Bersih), endured lower-paying jobs as well as acts of discrimination....

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Accidental restauranteur Frederick Puah recounts the unexpected beginnings of British Hainan – in his love for vintage items. He also relates the origins stories of Hainanese pork chop and laksa, as well as cooking two other signature Hainanese dishes – mutton soup and beef noodles. Whether you agree with Frederick or have heard alternative stories, drop us...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Indra Iswaran talks about three historic temples of the Ceylon Tamils – at Ceylon Road, Woodlands Road and Depot Road – and how the community has maintained them and rallied to rebuild them in times of redevelopment. She relates how the community used to live in the Ceylon Road area and in staff quarters built by the British colonial administration. She also...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Karen Brooks and Angela Bird talk about places they went to in Singapore and the region (Pontian, Johor) in the late 1960s. A sobering fact was that unlike them, their mum silently struggled to cope with living in a place far away from home with her husband often away from the family. For the sisters, the two and a half years in Singapore had a huge impact o...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. To support his family, Anthony Woo enrolled in the engineering apprentice scheme at the Dockyard Technical College of the Singapore Naval Base in 1957. He was following in the footsteps of many young Hainanese like him and Cantonese who worked in the marine industry. He talks warmly about his British lecturers, classmates (including one legendary Chua Chor T...

00:00 Introduction 04:00 Food as Therapy is Easy 05:13 Herbal Soups are Nourishing 08:59 Cooking for the Family 12:00 Chinese Yam & Black Chicken 15:17 Arrow Root & Radix Codonopsis 21:11 Six Tastes Soup 23:42 Chinese Yam 25:28 Astragalus 27:25 Lily Bulb & Lotus Seeds 28:09 Food for Cooler Months 30:29 Fruits for Monkeys 31:48 Cold Drinks & Dampness 33:27 If We are Unwell Welcome t...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Indra Iswaran is an active member of the Ceylon Tamil community in Singapore and the only female president in the history of the Singapore Ceylon Tamils Association. She talks about her ancestry in Malaya and Singapore dating back to the 1790s, the Ceylon Tamil pioneers and their allegiance to the British Crown, the matriarchal society, and the importance of...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Dr Darinee Alagirisamy and I discuss the socio-economic and cultural issues facing the Tamil community today, the position of the Tamil language, and the question of integration with new citizens from India. We talk about the need to be self-aware, such as knowing the differences between how locals and new citizens communicate. 00:00 A History of Resilience...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Tea man Kenry Peh explains why he actively promotes Nanyang tea as a heritage tea beloved by Chinese immigrants to Singapore. This was a living heritage, for Pek Sin Choon also introduced premium Chinese tea into bak kut teh eateries. In more recent times, the tea business has continued to evolve as the world of tea changed and grew, especially with the popu...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Frederick Puah, owner of British Hainan, has two sides. He is proud of his Hainanese roots and oxtail stew, his father being a cook for a British family. He is also one of the Technical Generation when the government promoted industrialisation in the 1960s. He studied at Tanjong Katong Technical Secondary School and then Rollei-Government Training Centre, wh...

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Dr Darinee Alagirisamy unpacks the myth of the docile Tamil worker by tracing how the Tamil language had unified the community, driving the social reform movement. We also discuss the uneven migration of Tamil women to Singapore, despite the deep-seated stigma against Tamils crossing the sea. 00:00 Myth of the Docile Tamil Worker 05:02 Agency over the Tamil...