Our Bedok Kampong House Singapore

Jorge Jose, a former resident of Koh Sek Lim Road, can perhaps be envied for one experience that many of us kampong children never enjoyed: having a swimming spot practically at his back door. In the 1960s, just a short distance from his home, stood what was affectionately known as the "beautiful blue lake" - a large body of crystal-clear water formed from a disused sand quarry on land belonging to the Koh Sek Lim family. Over time, nature filled it with rainwater, creating what felt like a hidden paradise. The lake teemed with fish and became a popular haunt not only for neighbourhood youngsters seeking relief from the tropical heat, but also for local anglers hoping for a good catch. Jorge, then a young teenager, remembers those carefree days with great fondness. After school and during weekends, he and his friends would gather by the water's edge, plunging into the cool lake with unrestrained excitement. Shouts of delight echoed across the water, accompanied by lau...

This week, we commemorate what would have been our father's 96th birthday had he still been with us. He passed away three years ago, but his stories and memories remain as vivid as ever in our hearts. Our father spent his entire working life with a single employer. As a radio technician, he began his career at Radio Malaya , which later became Radio Singapore in 1959. Following Singapore's independence in 1965, it was renamed Radio Television Singapore , and by the time he retired in 1985, it had become the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation , known today as Mediacorp. After his retirement, family dinners often became occasions for storytelling, as he recounted some of the many adventures and experiences from his years at Caldecott Hill. Among the many stories he shared, one particular recollection has remained with us through the years. It was 1961, when only the older of us boys was around, still a baby then. We were living in our Bedok kampong home, and our father mad...

This year we once again had the pleasure of being present for the National Library Board’s Donors' Appreciation Night, graced by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information, held on 23 October 2026. Upon our father’s death 3 years ago, we had donated, in his name, documents, keepsakes and photographs our dad had kept all the many years even before moving over to our Bedok kampong house in 1954. These were brought along to our HDB flat when we moved in 1974 and stayed there throughout the decades ever since. Over the years, he had expressed his desire to donate items of historical or heritage value to organisations such as the National Library Archives but did not get to do so in his lifetime. Last year, on display, among other items donated by others, was a 1942 Japanese occupation dictionary, historical documents of the Bukit Timah Rubber Estates (1942) and 1919 photos of the Singapore Peace Celebration taken by our grandfather. This year, we are so h...

They first met in 1954 when she was just eighteen years old and living with her family near the Bedok Police Station. A year later, when the family moved to 14 Jalan Haji Salam, a budding friendship blossomed into a romance that would stand the test of time. After four years of courtship, the couple became engaged in 1958. However, following the passing of the groom's father and in keeping with the traditions of the day, their wedding plans had to be postponed for several years out of filial respect. At last, on Christmas Eve in 1962, wedding bells rang for the young couple as they began their married life together. He joined the rest of her family at Jalan Haji Salam, where they lived until June 1967, when the house was sold and the family relocated to a new HDB home in Bukit Merah. Their family soon grew with the arrival of three lovely children. Their eldest child was born in this very house two years after their marriage. By the time they left Jalan Haji Salam, she was ex...

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Tunku Dato' Iskandar Dzulkarnain, grandson of the late Sultan Abu Bakar of Pahang, for his deeply engaging book, Trailblazer: Life & Legacy – Abu Bakar of Pahang. Having connected with us through this Facebook page, Tengku Nain (his name in shortform:)) very kindly presented a copy of the book to the older of us, thoughtfully arranging for it to be delivered from Kuala Lumpur just last month. Recognised as one of the 50 Best Malaysian Titles for International Rights 2023–2025, the book chronicles the life and achievements of the towering fourth Sultan of Pahang, who stood an impressive 1.88 metres tall. Ascending the throne in 1933 at just 28 years of age, Sultan Abu Bakar would go on to reign for forty-two years, establishing himself as a formidable presence not only in the political landscape of Malaya but also in the social and economic development of Pahang and the wider peninsula. The book vividly recounts His Highness's ...

With most of us having moved to brightly lit HDB estates following the relocation and redevelopment years, it is almost overwhelming to remember just how dark our kampong nights once were. At our home at 10J Bedok Road, the rear of the house, where the main entrance door was actually located, faced a gravel road illuminated by only a handful of widely spaced incandescent street lamps. The front of the house, however, faced the sea and had no such lighting. Once dusk fell, a curtain of darkness would descend upon us. This photograph captures the front verandah of our house, with its distinctive criss-cross timber lattice panels. Seated on a rattan armchair is our mother, then in her mid-thirties, in 1973. What is remarkable is that beyond the reach of the camera's flash lay complete darkness. The photographer was looking directly out from the verandah, yet there was virtually nothing for the lens to capture. Looking at the image today, it is little wonder that kampong nights o...