Stephen Dobbs – The Singapore River & the Lightermen Part 2 | Chronicles of Old Singapore

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 the bonds between the owners and workers in the lighterage industry.*The strike was in 1961 and not 1963 as mentioned in the podcast.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/UBEsiwawVl4 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/FYFXGWMU1AE Part 3 | https://youtu.be/NfTtBicx2us00:00 The Lighters05:29 The Owners12:42 The Lightermen18:05 Sea Legs, Skill & Speed26:47 A Dying Trade30:30 Danger at Work31:34 The 1961 Strike35:22 Politics of the Strike The Singapore River: A Social History, 1819-2002https://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/products/the-singapore-river Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. This is Dr Loh KS, the people’s historian, and I speak to people on their 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