Chronicles of Old Singapore

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. LTC (Retd) Mejar Singh Gill remembers his callup to National Service in 1967 and signing up as a regular in the Singapore Armed Forces. Historically-minded as always, he traces his journey to the military histories of the Punjab Empire, the colonial armies of the past and the Singapore Naval Base in Sembawang. He talks about the tough training (he took it well), a little-known group of instructors called the Boxers, and meeting other young men from all walks of life.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/XcXl6KVlekc Part 2 | https://youtu.be/gW4QIH0UU6I Part 3 | https://youtu.be/oapXReFCjfA00:00 Introduction02:25 My Last Rank & Command06:47 Sikh Military Traditions12:41 Race in the Colonial Armies18:38 The Military in the Naval Base22:50 National Service Callup in 196730:59 All Walks of Life 35:30 The Boxers40:33 The TrainingWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Pamela Sandanasamy returns to the pod to talk about her roots, her wish to find out about her maternal grandparents and how this took her to India. In 2008, as part of the TV programme Muthal Payanam (First Trip), she travelled to India for the first time. She arrived at the town Pattukottai and the village Anaikkadu in Tamil Nadu. This was where her grandparents came from. There, she met relatives who remembered them.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/4CEY-EMAUMo Part 2 | https://youtu.be/9wZQStgIX9Q00:00 Introduction02:55 My Roots07:52 My Grandfather 12:39 My Grandmother15:40 First Trip & TV Show24:58 Getting to Pattukottai & Anaikkadu30:35 Immigration to Singapore36:42 The Economy45:16 My RelativesWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. The master-apprentice system was a fixture in many trades in Old Singapore. In the 1960s, it was transitioning as the Economic Development Board’s Light Industries Services was employing sifus to train its recruits in manufacturing.So young Charles Ngui found himself with two masters – Kok Seng and Lee Cheng Kok. As the eager student met his willing sifu, this became one of the main reasons for Singapore's rapid industrialisation in the 1970s.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/6-u7rymWSKk Part 2 | https://youtu.be/UtyDCpVboNY Part 3 | https://youtu.be/v2eHkDbDJ3Y Part 4 | https://youtu.be/Tz-PjDMHJvk00:00 Master Craftsman Kok Seng07:09 His Background12:21 Taking the Initiative 15:39 Master-Apprentice System in Transition22:58 The Old System & Its Tensions27:14 Master Lee Cheng Kok31:49 The Cantonese35:08 Unwilling Sifu41:15 Culture of ChangeWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jason Boh grew up in a Hainanese family residing in the Medical quarters of the Naval Base. His father was a fitter while his mother was a domestic servant for British families. It was a vibrant, diverse world from ‘Medical’ and the Canberra Asian quarters to the Sembawang Village also called the 14th Mile. Jason’s brother left for Portsmouth when the British forces pulled out, while young Jason played football with Indian boys and picked up Tamil. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/09uy8ANKTjA Part 2 | https://youtu.be/8qVvwKbAiCg00:00 Introduction01:28 The Medical Quarters11:15 Father, a Fitter 14:00 Brother Migrated to UK19:21 Mother, a Domestic Servant26:33 How Parents Met30:50 14th Mile Then & Now39:12 Nelson Bar43:36 Indian Friends & Speaking TamilWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Irene Hoe reminisces about old Dhoby Ghaut and Bras Basah Road where she grew up in the ‘50s and ‘60s – bookstores, friends from various ethnic groups and memories – what she calls the ‘Real Singapore’.Ep1 | https://youtu.be/W0Y01qmL3xE Ep2 | https://youtu.be/H21GWCp7GZEEp3 | https://youtu.be/szhMslptfqQ00:00 Mixed Neighbourhood09:50 Rex Bookstore13:49 Second-hand Bookstores18:30 Memories & Lost Heritage21:54 The Real SingaporeWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. P.N. Balji recalls the rich cultural life of the Naval Base – the Malayalam plays that his father performed in and celebrations of Onan, the harvest festival. His mother Narayani was very protective of her son and his father’s love of language rubbed off on Balji’s long career in journalism. Balji also talks about his schooldays, the villages of Chong and Sembawang outside the Naval Base and the question of integration with recent migrants from India.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/D4EgSkOEK9A Part 2 | https://youtu.be/vmtT1HTdvPA00:00 Journalism & My Love of Words08:08 My Mother, Narayani11:56 Malayalees of the Naval Base 16:32 Malayalam Plays23:17 The British Legacy24:57 Schooldays28:54 Chong Pang & Sembawang Villages34:25 CECA, Recent Migrants & IntegrationThe Reluctant Editor, https://epigrambookshop.sg/products/the-reluctant-editor-1Transition: The Story of PN Balji, https://epigrambookshop.sg/products/transition-the-story-of-pn-balji Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am Dr Loh KS, 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Rajandeeren Kanayan traces his roots in the old Tanjong Pagar, from his grandparents arriving from India to his father working in the Singapore Harbour Board and then the Port of Singapore Authority. He himself grew up in Queen’s Crescent, Blair Plain and Silat Integrated School after the war. What filled his early years was a sense of adventure, initiative and independence common to many of his generation. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/fnQd1vRvS-Q Part 2 | https://youtu.be/h3zEdSfmoMc00:00 Introduction03:15 My Grandparents from India to Singapore10:36 My Parents 15:13 Silat Walk to Queen’s Crescent19:48 Blair Plain23:35 Being Out27:29 A Sense of Adventure33:41 Silat School Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am 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

欢迎来到旧新加坡记事录。 黄信勇医师记得当年装修房屋、耕种土地都是靠双手完成的。在70年代，他的家人被迫从波东巴西搬到大巴窑2巷的政府组屋。他和他的兄弟姐妹——他们都接受过华文教育——开始工作谋生。他后来成为美玲街的一名中医，至今仍在行医，同时还教气功。他说，贫穷的出身也有它的好处。Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Physician Wong San Yong remembers how renovating the house and farming the land was done by hand. In the 1970s, his family was evicted from Potong Pasir to a HDB flat in Toa Payoh Lorong 2. He and his siblings – all Chinese-educated – began to work and make a living. He became a TCM physician in Mei Ling Street, which he continues to do today as well as to teach qigong. Growing up poor, he says, has its advantages.第一集 Part 1 | https://youtu.be/ysLrqNGIDHE 第二集 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/lRxGvzz5YvI00:00 装修房屋，耕种土地 Repairing Our House, Farming the Land05:21 波东巴西的池塘、房屋和商店 Ponds, Houses & Shops of Potong Pasir12:15 搬迁至大巴窑 Eviction & Move to Toa Payoh20:03 受过中文教育的人谋生 Making a Living for the Chinese-educated23:30 中医 TCM Physician33:49 教气功 Teaching Qigong37:52 波东巴西已面目全非 Potong Pasir is Unrecognisable40:50 对波东巴西的反思 Reflections on Potong Pasir健民医药中心 Gian Min Medical Centre https://share.google/HuYQBOc3qXglgLh7s Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I am 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Abdullah Hussain & Saiful Nizam from the Silat Seni Gayong Naga Bura join me to trace the origins of pencak silat in the Malay world. They talk about how different styles were developed by masters called gurus, passed down by oral tradition and brought to Singapore by migrants. One particular style, the Seni Gayong, emerged on the now-forgotten island of Pulau Sudong during the Japanese Occupation. Abdullah and Hussain recall the demanding training they went through under their gurus.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/-lIX85ayth4 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/STNXrISrJI800:00 Introduction01:42 Our Silat Stories09:29 Origins of Silat19:20 Gurus & Communities26:28 The Pulau Sudong Story31:59 Gurus of Seni Gayong37:10 The British Connection40:27 Training & DisciplineSilat Seni Gayong Naga Bura, https://www.gayongnagabura.org.sg/Dr Mohamed Effendy Abdul Hamid, Silat Seni Gayong PASAK Singapura: A Historical Legacy. The book is available in the National Library.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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. I reflect on my oral history work spanning 20 years, beginning with leprosy survivors in 2005 and victims of the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire to recent interviews with shopkeepers of Chinatown and TCM physicians. Looking at two very different interviews with leprosy survivors, I discuss how ordinary people offer additional voices to the Singapore Story and new ways of writing history from below.00:00 Introduction00:57 Voice of the Singapore Story02:41 3 Questions03:05 Rise of Oral History05:53 Early Projects09:00 Recent Projects10:50 The Leprosy Interviews12:29 The New Silra Home14:44 Joseph Tan18:52 Lim Ah Hin22:39 ConclusionWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jamari Ahmari recalls taking the initiative to learn from his instructors at Sembawang Shipyard. He graduated top of his class and became an estimator, contributing to the shipyard’s commercial growth. Once, though, he ran afoul of the company’s strict ‘no long hair’ policy. He married Jamidah from Jalan Pasir Ria, ran an engineering consultancy for two years and continues to work today. He reflects on the three things that shaped his life: family, work and his heritage as a Boyanese. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/WUuy2BrXGps Part 2 | https://youtu.be/YO6X7r-EgGs00:00 His Instructors at Sembawang Shipyard02:56 The Estimator10:10 Management of Sembawang Shipyard15:56 Pros & Cons of Sailing19:35 Getting Married23:08 Long Hair27:46 My Engineering Design Business30:16 Achievements35:24 My Boyanese HeritageWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Charles Ngui remembers the 'espionage' in industrial services in the 1970s. The EDB's Light Industries Services made prototypes and did reverse engineering for its clients. Singapore did not need money to industrialise, but industrial expertise. He later joined the National Engineering Services, a government-owned company, as a marketing officer. He talks about its struggles and why it eventually failed.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/6-u7rymWSKk Part 2 | https://youtu.be/UtyDCpVboNY Part 3 | https://youtu.be/v2eHkDbDJ3Y Part 4 | https://youtu.be/Tz-PjDMHJvk00:00 Why Light Industry was Crucial06:43 Returned Scholars11:43 Prototypes & Production16:13 Working with local & foreign companies22:27 Reverse Engineering27:12 Clients & Cases35:59 National Engineering Services42:03 Closure of NESWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Veteran editor P.N. Balji traces his memories to the Naval Base and specifically Delhi Road where his family lived. His younger brother was Sivaji, former national coach of Singapore football. Balji tells the story of his father Poravankara Narayanan Nair as a stowaway from Kerala and how he dropped his caste name ‘Nair’ in Singapore. Poravankara Narayanan was involved in the (1956?) Naval Base strike against the Admiralty and when the British forces left, used his gratuity to buy a house in Sembawang Hills Estate.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/D4EgSkOEK9A Part 2 | https://youtu.be/vmtT1HTdvPA00:00 Introduction01:25 ‘I will take the memories to my grave’06:23 Blk 9 Room 8 Delhi Road08:08 P.N. Sivaji & the Malaysia Cup18:23 My Father, Poravankara Narayanan Nair23:05 My Caste Name28:38 The British Pullout & Father’s Gratuity 31:46 Naval Base Strike34:41 Importance of MalayalamThe Reluctant Editor, https://epigrambookshop.sg/products/the-reluctant-editor-1Transition: The Story of PN Balji, https://epigrambookshop.sg/products/transition-the-story-of-pn-balji 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Pamela Sandanasamy relates how the British military withdrawal in the late 1960s and 1970s divided her paternal and maternal relatives, taking them away from Singapore to Britain, India and Malaysia. We also discuss how the Sembawang community, including working adults in the 20s to 40s, can do to celebrate their lives in and around the Naval Base.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/IV5Z1_YmBK4 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/tInleB6qsl000:00 Farewells from the British Pullout 07:52 My Parents Stayed16:42 Nostalgia for the Naval Base23:43 Memory Groups on Facebook27:26 JTC Sembawang31:54 What the Sembawang Community Can Do34:16 Working Young AdultsWelcome 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

欢迎来到旧新加坡记事录。黄信勇医师讲述了他的父母从广东移民到波东巴西，成为菜农。他回忆起五岁时就在农场工作，以及水灾经常冲毁家中菜地的情景。性格内向的他起初并不了解华校的学生运动，也不了解正在动员波东巴西农民的乡村住民联合会。Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Physician Wong San Yong relates how his parents migrated from Guangdong to become vegetable farmers in Potong Pasir. He talks about working on the farm when he was five years old and the frequent floods that swept away his family’s vegetables. An introvert, he initially did not know about the student movement in Chinese schools or the rural association that was mobilising the farmers of Potong Pasir.第一集 Part 1 | https://youtu.be/ysLrqNGIDHE 第二集 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/lRxGvzz5YvI00:00 介绍 Introduction01:22 我的父母来自中国 My Parents from China08:07 波东巴西的农民 Farmers of Potong Pasir12:25 我们的屋子 Our House 16:17 旱灾与水灾Droughts & Floods 19:55 孩子们在农场工作 Children Working on the Farm23:11 小学的日子 Primary School Days30:35 新民学校 Shin Min School 41:01 华校的学生运动 Chinese Student Movement45:32 乡村住民联合会 Rural Dwellers Associations49:12 为什么波东巴西容易发生水灾 Why Potong Pasir was Flood-Prone 健民医药中心 Gian Min Medical Centre https://share.google/HuYQBOc3qXglgLh7s 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Leng Ng Tai talks about his ongoing efforts to document the stories of ex-engineering apprentices like him for the Founders’ Memorial as well as those of other older Singaporeans who contributed to the development of Singapore. And along with other members of the Old Engineering Apprentices Association, he is mentoring engineering students from the Singapore Polytechnic. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/GDGLS2sZuJw Part 2 | https://youtu.be/P8ayDbs_HuA Part 3 | https://youtu.be/xtr_BgVOBuc00:00 The Founders’ Memorial06:17 Senior Engagement Programme12:59 Staying Fit 15:13 Mentoring Polytechnic StudentsWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jamidah Surbardy remembers fondly her childhood and community in Pasir Ria and Pasir Panjang. Three things marked the changes that eventually took her away from Pasir Panjang – getting married at the age of 21, working in the crystals factory of Australian firm Hy-Q International and relocating to HDB flats after the landlord sold the land. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/NP0XnXGpKkg Part 2 | https://youtu.be/Ji58cC_bu1M00:00 Childhood03:11 The Surau07:03 Hy-Q International17:48 Retrenchment23:58 Solemnisation & Wedding26:20 Pain at Leaving31:37 Family & ChildrenWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Charles Ngui talks about the work of the Light Industries Services, in creating prototypes for local and foreign companies and doing reverse engineering with these clients. He also recounts the efforts of the National Engineering Services, a government-owned company where he was a marketing officer, and why it eventually failed. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/6-u7rymWSKk Part 2 | https://youtu.be/UtyDCpVboNY Part 3 | https://youtu.be/v2eHkDbDJ3Y Part 4 | https://youtu.be/Tz-PjDMHJvk00:00 Why Light Industry was Crucial06:43 Returned Scholars11:43 Prototypes & Production16:13 Working with local & foreign companies22:27 Reverse Engineering27:12 Clients & Cases35:59 National Engineering Services42:03 Closure of NESWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Gloria Kwok recounts her special relationship with her grandmother Sum Yin Yong in the later years till she passed away. If Sago Lane played a key role as a community hospice for the people of Chinatown during the colonial period, Gloria is proud that her grandmother worked for many years in one of the death houses on the street.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/PSDWCwFQ5-g Part 2 | https://youtu.be/-KoBOxSM8-0 00:00 Life on the Five-Foot-Way02:22 Granny & I: Later Years13:06 Urban Renewal at Sago Lane19:21 My Parents’ Attachment to Chinatown23:44 Speaking about Sago Lane28:10 Keeping Sago Lane in Memory31:34 Poon Yue Association35:09 The SAGE ProgrammeWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. In Part 2, I assess the most intriguing part of Albert Winsemius’ work in Singapore, which never made it to his United Nations report. Privately to Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, he urged that political action must precede economic reforms if industrialisation were to succeed. First, the statue of Raffles must not be removed. Second, the government must eliminate the communists. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/hE4GDHUNWMM Part 2 | https://youtu.be/s65-wpq0dfo00:00 Recap of Part 102:03 Industrialisation as a Political Issue05:11 Winsemius & Lee Kuan Yew06:59 Unions & Strikes10:53 Workers in Family Businesses12:58 Labour to be Patient14:22 Foreign Employers the Best15:02 The Leftists15:48 The UN Report17:40 Political Advice 1: Keep Raffles18:56 2: Eliminate the Communists19:41 The PAP Split21:34 Operation Coldstore22:59 Politics was Overriding24:23 Other Experts in Singapore27:22 The Most Consequential ExpertLoh Kah Seng, ‘Albert Winsemius and the Transnational Origins of High Modernist Governance in Singapore’, https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-1556-5_4 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Marc Sebastian Rerceretnam continues on the history of the Roman Catholic community in colonial Singapore. The Chinese converts rejected cultural norms such as wearing the pigtail while a mix of religious, cultural and economic factors led to the 1851 riots against the Catholics. But what continues to be relevant for Singapore today is how the Roman Catholics married people of different ethnicities, creating an early form of multiracialism during the colonial period.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/ssEaCj88qnk Part 2 | https://youtu.be/k0PDhV-Ivik00:00 Philanthropy09:50 Two Interracial Couples15:47 Power Dynamics18:24 Adoption 23:29 Cut off Our Pigtails!25:29 1851 Anti-Catholic Riots34:37 Bridging Racial DividesMarc Sebastian Rerceretnam, A History of Immigrant Roman Catholics and Converts in Early Singapore 1832-1945 (2012).https://www.amazon.sg/Immigrant-Catholics-Converts-Singapore-1832-1945/dp/0645236403Welcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jamari Ahmari talks about two halves of his roots. His parents were Boyanese. His father lived in a pondok (a community shelter for Boyanese migrants) at Upper Dickson Road before marrying his mother, who came to Singapore from Muar. He worked as a chauffeur for Soon Peng Yam and lived in the servants’ quarters at 19 Gilstead Road.Jamari attended Monks Hill Primary School and Dunearn Secondary Technical School, where he was taught by Singapore’s champion sprinter, C. Kunalan. Classes at DSTS deepened his early interest in making things so and he decided to learn a trade. He enrolled in the apprenticeship programme at the newly-established Sembawang Shipyard as the British forces vacated their bases and Singapore’s industrialisation took off.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/WUuy2BrXGps Part 2 | https://youtu.be/YO6X7r-EgGs00:00 Introduction00:54 My Father from Bawean05:57 Boyanese Jobs10:24 The Pondok at Upper Dickson Road12:58 Soon Peng Yam at 19 Gilstead Road20:49 Monks Hill Primary School25:39 Dunearn Secondary Technical School32:14 Learning a Trade40:10 Apprentice at Sembawang ShipyardWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Soh Weelian recalls the ponds, shops and hawker food of Kampong Potong Pasir, including having a delicious plate of char kway teow by a pond, the kindergarten he attended and a frightening flood in 1978. Interestingly, Weelian seems to be more nostalgic about the brief kampong life he experienced than his parents – a sign that documenting and conserving the past also matter to younger Singaporeans like us.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/Ds6fcU4k_BI Part 2 | https://youtu.be/mAfSUvwSj2c00:00 More Photos of Potong Pasir07:40 Houses & Shops16:51 Potong Pasir Kindergarten19:19 People were Friendly23:04 The New Flats of Potong Pasir28:03 The 1978 Flood37:26 My Mother’s Working Life44:28 Preserving MemoriesWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Veteran marine engineer Kan Seng Chut reflects on how ex-apprentices like him from the Old Engineering Apprentices Association can inspire tomorrow’s young engineers to sail. He relates two stories where his personal experience helped him solve complicated engineering problems.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/0uBWysUostU Part 2 | https://youtu.be/dDXJqIZEsnU Part 3 | https://youtu.be/F877qyiKwWA00:00 Persuading Engineering Students to Sail09:02 The OEAA12:37 The Engine That Wouldn’t Start24:18 The Student Became the Instructor34:13 Charity Work & HealthWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Albert Winsemius was Singapore’s most successful foreign expert, advising the government on economic policy for twenty years. I look at his first contribution to Singapore in 1960-61, explaining why he succeeded when so many experts failed. His main then was to convince the government that Singapore could pivot from entrepot trade to secondary industry against a backdrop of political, economic and social troubles.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/hE4GDHUNWMM Part 2 | https://youtu.be/s65-wpq0dfo 00:00 Introduction01:44 More Than a Lane?05:21 Failure of Foreign Experts07:28 Questions of Strategy & Markets14:17 Human & Political Dimensions20:43 Winsemius was No. 1125:24 Singapore’s Self-Belief 30:20 Private Vs. State Capital33:43 Winsemius’ Economic Influence34:35 The Common Market35:15 Independence & PulloutLoh Kah Seng, ‘Albert Winsemius and the Transnational Origins of High Modernist Governance in Singapore’, https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-1556-5_4 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Pamela Sandanasamy comes onto the podcast as our youngest guest yet and with a strong love for conserving the past. She takes us through numerous old photos of the Naval Base where her father Sandanasamy – an avid photographer – studied, lived and worked. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/IV5Z1_YmBK4 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/tInleB6qsl000:00 Introduction05:33 Conserve Our Heritage11:45 Grandparents in Singapore19:20 Sandanasamy & Family in Photos24:39 Work & Retraining?31:08 Father’s Siblings37:41 Schooldays45:56 At Work51:51 Love for PhotographyWelcome 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

欢迎来到旧新加坡记事录。郭绍愷讲述了新加坡工艺学院中文协会的成立过程，以及其成员在 60 年代和 70 年代对社会问题的浓厚兴趣。Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Quek Siow Kai recounts how the Singapore Polytechnic Chinese Language Society was set up and how its members were keenly interested in social issues in the 1960s and 1970s. 第一集 Part 1 | https://youtu.be/R3bFzaTkeX0 第二集 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/eUA9zPBVqH800:00 互相帮助英语 Helping One Another with English04:44 社团注册 Registering the Society09:17 杜进才 Toh Chin Chye11:31 学生与新加坡的工业化 Students & Singapore’s Industrialisation15:30 中文协会角色的演变 Evolving Role of CLS18:50 学生的社会责任 Students’ Social ResponsibilityWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Upon graduation, Leng Ng Tai relates his working experience for two major employers in Singapore: at the Motor Vehicle Workshop with its fleet of 800 in the Naval Base, and after the British withdrawal in the late 1960s, the oil multinational Shell, Singapore’s first pioneer status company on Pulau Bukom. Among his 51 successful years with Shell, he was a safety advisor, persuading both management and contractors to bring the yearly number of deaths from workplace accidents to nil.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/GDGLS2sZuJw Part 2 | https://youtu.be/P8ayDbs_HuA Part 3 | https://youtu.be/xtr_BgVOBuc00:00 The Motor Vehicle Workshop06:14 Bosses & Colleagues at the Naval Dockyard15:19 British Pullout 20:07 Joining Shell27:00 Safety Adviser 35:27 Carrot & Stick with the Contractors41:31 51 Years with ShellWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Tong Siew Yin takes us back to old shops, businesses and hawkers of Orchard Road in the 1950s and 1960s before the shopping malls arrived.Ep1 | https://youtu.be/YD_B87867Gc Ep2 | https://youtu.be/fihcnpDpgkk00:00 Emerald Hill05:28 Somerset Staff Quarters10:27 Hawkers at Emerald Hill15:30 Fosters & Magnolia Snack Bar17:13 Cold Storage22:22 Tailors & Furriers23:55 Fitzpatrick’s27:41 Cuppage & Koek Roads30:00 The Istana33:39 198 Orchard Road ShophouseWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Gloria Kwok spent several years during her primary school holidays living with her grandmother Sum Yin Yong at Sago Lane in Chinatown in the 1960s. This was the infamous street of the dead, which the Cantonese called ‘sei yan kai’. As Gloria recalls, her grandmother worked as a caretaker in the death house called Fook Sau and both of them lived on the second floor of the shophouse. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/PSDWCwFQ5-g Part 2 | https://youtu.be/-KoBOxSM8-000:00 Introduction01:28 School Holidays at Sago Lane04:38 My Granny 12:09 From Serangoon Gardens to Sei Yan Kai16:33 Onto the Street21:32 The Shophouse24:23 Love for the Family29:56 Shophouse First Floor32:14 Second FloorWelcome 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

欢迎来到旧新加坡记事录。何乃强医生回忆起日治时期家人逃往波东巴西，并藏匿贵重物品，以及他的学业如何受到影响。他谈到战争给新加坡带来的三个教训。Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Dr Ho Nai Kiong recalls fleeing to Potong Pasir with his family during the Japanese Occupation, hiding their valuables and how his studies were affected. He talks about the three lessons of the war for Singapore.第一集 Ep1 | https://youtu.be/wS_Z7PdOfCA 第二集 Ep2 | https://youtu.be/UgfuDoarcmY00:00 肃清 Sook Ching01:04 逃难到波东巴西 Fleeing to Potong Pasir07:11 粮食管制 Food Rationing09:50 我的学业 My Studies13:21 日本投降 Japanese Surrender17:46 养正学校 Yeung Ching School23:05 碰到日军 Encounters with Japanese Soldiers25:02 日治的教训 Lessons of the Japanese OccupationWelcome 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

欢迎来到旧新加坡记事录。何乃强医生讲述，日本轰炸新加坡时，第一枚炸弹落在牛车水。他讨论了肃清行动以及牛车水新加坡的一些个人叙述。 Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Dr Ho Nai Kiong relates that when the Japanese bombed Singapore, the first bomb fell in Chinatown. He discusses the Sook Ching operation and several personal accounts of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore.第一集 Ep1 | https://youtu.be/wS_Z7PdOfCA 第二集 Ep2 | https://youtu.be/UgfuDoarcmY00:00 介绍 Introduction01:02 今天的冲突 Conflicts Today05:13 第一枚炸弹 First Bomb on Chinatown 15:36 静方女校 Jing Fang Girls’ School18:09 胸墙 Parapets19:29 卢鹤龄《回首人生路》 Lo Hock Ling, My Life’s Journey25:32 司徒醒铃《一个新加坡少女的战争日记》 A Young Girl’s Wartime Diary29:19 肃清 Sook Ching33:02林碧霞《翻译员的女儿》 Teresa Lim Seaward, The Interpreter’s DaughterWelcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Stephen Dobbs and I trace the redevelopment of the river for tourism and entertainment in the early 1990s. We reflect on the efforts to conserve the rich heritage of the river. Although the façade of the old shophouses was retained, the lightermen, and the pre-existing socio-economic life generally, were removed from the river, creating a very different commercial area.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/UBEsiwawVl4 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/FYFXGWMU1AE Part 3 | https://youtu.be/NfTtBicx2us00:00 A New Vision for the River04:29 Three New Quays08:17 Heritage & Tourism10:12 Relocation of the Lighters18:22 Fates of the Lightermen21:41 Impact on the People26:33 A Living River 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Historian Marc Rerceretnam relates how he uncovered an unknown history of intermarriages in colonial Singapore in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These took place among the Roman Catholics, who were made up of diverse subgroups of Peranakans, Teochews and Eurasians who had converted to the religion. Many of them had revolted against the powerful kongsi (clan/brotherhood) system in the 19th century. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/ssEaCj88qnk Part 2 | https://youtu.be/k0PDhV-Ivik00:00 Introduction05:14 Roman Catholics in Singapore12:07 Peranakans, Teochews, Eurasians20:31 Rebels Against Kongsis 30:38 The Gambier Industry34:56 Traditional Culture39:45 Intermarriages48:04 Racial IdeologiesMarc Sebastian Rerceretnam, A History of Immigrant Roman Catholics and Converts in Early Singapore 1832-1945 (2012).https://www.amazon.sg/Immigrant-Catholics-Converts-Singapore-1832-1945/dp/0645236403Welcome 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

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Jamidah Surbardy grew up at 26 Jalan Pasir Ria in the heart of the kampongs of Pasir Panjang. She recounts the carefree lives of the residents and children and the schools she attended (Labrador Primary and Pasir Panjang Secondary). Pasir Panjang is better known as a major battleground during the Japanese invasion but less remembered for its numerous villages after the war.Part 1 | https://youtu.be/NP0XnXGpKkg Part 2 | https://youtu.be/Ji58cC_bu1M00:00 Introduction00:51 Jalan Pasir Ria08:04 Carefree in the Kampong13:49 Schools21:37 Kampongs East of Haw Par Villa26:35 Warehouses & Wharves29:28 What Remains TodayWelcome 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

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.be/Ds6fcU4k_BI Part 2 | https://youtu.be/mAfSUvwSj2c00:00 Introduction02:03 My Family in Potong Pasir09:08 House by the Kallang River21:45 Parents’ Wedding28:58 The Drain by Our House33:02 Ghost Stories42:45 My Neighbours46:31 Leaving Potong PasirWelcome 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

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 himself part-owned three container vessels when he went into the marine business, though this was affected by the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/0uBWysUostU Part 2 | https://youtu.be/dDXJqIZEsnU Part 3 | https://youtu.be/F877qyiKwWA00:00 The Container Revolution04:36 Australian Port Workers09:19 Chinese Ports16:45 My Time at NOL21:52 Discussion of the NOL Question29:38 Killing the Golden Goose?34:58 Buying Ships at Singapore Shipping40:16 Odesta & Venturing into Business49:56 Crisis in 1997 54:58 Office at Golden Mile ComplexWelcome 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

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/VFtCT3ZiUg800:00 Pioneers of the Kampong09:15 The Youngsters13:51 The British Pullout18:00 My Parents27:06 Football28:38 Moving out to Marsiling36:02 Nostalgia for the Kampong43:27 Back to Kampong Chantek BahruWelcome 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

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

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 | https://youtu.be/zq6AVjTbcDk Part 2 | https://youtu.be/Yk5zO3DgK7U00:00 Lab technician at Methodist Girls School04:48 Mount Sophia & Dhoby Ghaut07:23 Moving to Toa Payoh Lor 1A13:32 Moved Again to Potong Pasir17:52 My Deck Chairs23:12 Condos in Geylang Lor 6 27:07 Conserving Katong ParkWelcome 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

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 ‘coffee boy’ and ‘lunch boy’, they taught him not only technical but equally important personal skills. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/GDGLS2sZuJw Part 2 | https://youtu.be/P8ayDbs_HuA Part 3 | https://youtu.be/xtr_BgVOBuc00:00 Introduction01:32 The Singapore Harbour Board 08:02 Our Staff Quarters14:41 Trafalgar School23:23 The Apprenticeship Scheme 29:27 From Tanjong Pagar to the Naval Base35:24 Mr Wong, My Sifu41:40 Other Sifus49:20 Personal SkillsWelcome 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

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 explains how one can gain the all-crucial ‘feel’ of the engine from years of sailing. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/0uBWysUostU Part 2 | https://youtu.be/dDXJqIZEsnU Part 3 | https://youtu.be/F877qyiKwWA00:00 Introduction01:54 My Family & Career 11:14 To Become a Chief Engineer15:14 Singapore Harbour Board22:02 My First Ship31:27 The Hainanese ‘Gang’37:28 Challenges for Marine Engineers43:59 The Longsai50:08 Feel of the EngineWelcome 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

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 | https://youtu.be/UBEsiwawVl4 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/FYFXGWMU1AE Part 3 | https://youtu.be/NfTtBicx2us00:00 Introduction03:17 A Putrid River07:21 The River Transformed13:13 Colonial Failings19:29 The Dredges25:10 Reasons for Pollution32:42 Nothing Alive in the Waters36:03 Artery of Trade40:50 The River in MapsThe 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

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 still practiced. Part 1 | https://youtu.be/cg1yulhKaa0 Part 2 | https://youtu.be/Nkk3j3OoHuM00:00 Decolonisation & Disappearance of Caste04:57 What Happened to Lorong Lalat08:20 Images of Caste12:00 Periodicals by Reformers16:17 C.N. Annadurai23:34 Caste in India & Singapore Today28:57 Relevance of History33:30 Christmas Island ResearchJohn Solomon, A Subaltern History of the Indian Diaspora in Singapore: The Gradual Disappearance of Untouchability 1872-1965.https://www.routledge.com/A-Subaltern-History-of-the-Indian-Diaspora-in-Singapore-The-Gradual-Disappearance-of-Untouchability-1872-1965/Solomon/p/book/9780367875237Welcome 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

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/VFtCT3ZiUg800:00 Introduction02:52 Kampong Chantek Lama13:10 Kampong Chantek Bahru17:57 Three Separate Kampongs26:19 Chinese Villagers & Pigs31:15 Beautiful Attap Houses41:54 Last Days of the KampongWelcome 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

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 and the challenges the community faces.00:00 The British Pullout03:33 The Sri Lankan Civil War09:05 Recent Migrants14:07 Occupations of Ceylon Tamils25:55 Lawyers & Judges29:09 Ceylon Tamils in Politics36:17 As a Female President41:22 My Community Projects49:23 Other Early Pioneers52:48 Future of the Ceylon TamilsWelcome 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

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 Business08:08 Second Wave of COVID-1912:11 Manpower is the Killer18:56 Manpower Quota24:57 Lack of Consultation30:43 My Greatest JoyBritish Hainan: https://british-hainan.com/ 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

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 School.00:00 Introduction01:33 35 Geylang Lor 607:20 Old Maps 12:48 The 1964 Race Riots14:46 Happy World17:18 Tanjong Rhu Boys’ School19:44 Katong Park25:39 Kallang Airport28:37 TKT30:44 Principal N. VaithinathanWelcome 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

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 Internationally Recognised Scheme03:47 Ships & Harbours12:49 Working on a Warship16:25 21st Birthday on a Ship18:19 Joining Shell Tankers27:17 Yokohama, Niigata, Sydney, Plaju32:26 Contributions of the Engineering Apprentices37:10 Contributions of Shell40:47 Mentoring Young EngineersEmail me [email protected] if you like a copy of the book, We Strived and We Thrived, by the Old Engineering Apprentices Association.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

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. John traces the development of reform movements that sought to remove the influence of caste. 00:00 Introduction03:45 Caste in India08:52 Caste in Textbooks11:09 Migration & Caste in Singapore19:56 Caste Across the Indian Communities25:04 Insults & Discriminatory Acts34:31 The Gandhian Movement38:06 The Dravidian MovementJohn Solomon, A Subaltern History of the Indian Diaspora in Singapore: The Gradual Disappearance of Untouchability 1872-1965.https://www.routledge.com/A-Subaltern-History-of-the-Indian-Diaspora-in-Singapore-The-Gradual-Disappearance-of-Untouchability-1872-1965/Solomon/p/book/9780367875237Welcome 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