Lee Kok Leong – Twakows, Workhorses of the Rivers | Chronicles of Old Singapore

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Former naval architect Lee Kok Leong talks about his love for the twakows of his childhood along the Singapore River. These wooden boats, called lighters in English, were vital to Singapore’s trade, carrying cargo over the last mile of water. Kok Leong remembers the masters who built these remarkable boats, the tough men who worked on them, and how the industry folded when loose cargo was replaced by the standardised box called the container in the '70s.https://youtu.be/R9tUS3PP5FU00:00 Introduction01:09 Boats of My Childhood06:03 Tua-kor10:09 Origins of Twakow14:10 The Lightermen21:01 Last Mile of Water25:28 Workhorses of the Economy29:05 The Builders32:37 Sea Coolies39:32 Cargo & Covers43:55 Lighter Business44:59 Container Revolution50:18 Twakow as Heritage53:29 Current ProjectsLee Kok Leong李国樑:新加坡河的船事, https://navalants.blogspot.com/2016/05/blog-post_6.html驳船苦力走过斑驳岁月 Kuli working on lighters, https://navalants.blogspot.com/2017/05/kuli-working-on-lighters.html 新加坡的木船时代, https://navalants.blogspot.com/2021/10/blog-post.html 拥抱新中潮汕情的古老臂弯：粤东第一大港樟林港, https://navalants.blogspot.com/2019/09/blog-post_6.html广东妈姐, https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/book-detail?cmsuuid=3a55f548-7bb7-43e2-adb2-d7140b6d4327Toh Lam Huat, Peng Lee Er & Lim Jen Erh, Kindred Waters – Stories of the Jinjiang Coolie Community in Singapore (江河情缘),https://singapore.kinokuniya.com/Kindred_Waters:_Stories_of_The_Jinjiang_Coolie_Community_In_Singapore/bw/9789815319880Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian, and I document people’s memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot.Write to [email protected] if you have any of these stories:• Old places or kampongs.• Communities – their way of life & culture.• Childhood & schools.• Work or business.YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344 Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore