Our Bedok Kampong House Singapore

Let's linger over this 1968 photograph by Mrs Jackie Munro, taken off the reclaimed coastal edge at Bedok Corner, near where Bedok Army Camp now sits. What do you think these two were catching?

Just a short walk from our Bedok kampong was Jalan Haji Salam, off Upper East Coast Road - where our peranakan cousin (same grandfather, different grandmother) and her family lived in the kampong there. Jalan Haji Salam was best known as the place where the “King of Bedok” resided, in his Villa Haji Kahar, which still stands today. Theirs was a single‑storey wooden house with plank walls and an attap roof, located at No. 14. The family first moved in circa 1955 (about a year after we moved into our place) and were quite content living among the kampong folk. Our auntie made all sorts of kueh to sell, helping to supplement the family’s income – and never came home until her ‘bakul suda jual habis’ (basket of cakes all sold out). Leaving Haji Salam kampong was not an easy decision. The older members of the family loved kampong life, but the heavy rains caused persistent leaking through the roof. Eventually, it became clear that it was time to move on. In June 1967, they relocated to ...

As much as we romanticise those nostalgic kampong days, we cannot forget some of the smells that were part of daily life in our kampong house in Bedok Laut. One that stands out vividly is the putrid stench we endured in the early 1960s, when a landfill of garbage was poured into the Sungei Bedok tributary that flowed in front of our house, eventually covering it up. Beyond that, three recurring smells defined a memorable chapter of our growing-up years. There was the sharp scent of jeypine, used to sanitise the jamban (toilet) areas (we were on the bucket system then). There was also the familiar smell of mosquito coils burning at night, our constant defence against relentless mosquito attacks as we slept under our nets. And every Thursday evening, there was the weekly ritual instructed by our grandmother: the fragrant smoke of kemenyan incense, placed on a holder and carried into every room of the house. These smells, unpleasant or comforting, are inseparable from our kampong memo...

Here is a rare photo of Bedok corner (where Upper East Coast Road turns sharply to the left to Bedok Road) taken in September 1945. It was taken from a Royal Navy troop carrier on its way to Seletar with the photographer at the back of the carrier facing Bedok corner. This was just after the Japanese surrender of Singapore. Behind the cluster of coconut trees in the middle is Bedok Rest House. Our Bedok kampong house was 2 buildings behind the rest house (but we moved in only in November 1954). Bedok beach is on the right. We are grateful to Mr  Michael Hall  who shared this photo of his as well as the accompanying story.

Two years ago, we kicked off this page with a photo of our house from August 1955. Our friend, Dr Gilbert Tan, loved it so much he asked if he could paint his own take on it – an honour we deeply appreciated. On 27 July 2025 — he unveiled this stunning ink ‑ and ‑ wash piece, boldly painted in black on white. It ’ s such a powerful reinterpretation of a cherished memory. As Dr Tan shared with us: “I’m sure this house must have held wonderful memories for the Tan family. What a joy to imprint these memories in this painting.” Huge thanks to Dr Tan for sharing this beautiful artwork with us again!

Here is another photograph, taken circa 1957–1959, capturing the pre ‑ reclamation coastline along Upper East Coast Road. The view faces Bedok Corner, with a narrow municipal walkway and a line of mature coconut trees framing the left side. From what we read, the concrete seawall—visible here—was constructed by the former Public Works Department to stabilise the increasingly eroded shoreline, a problem already well ‑ recognised by the mid ‑ 1950s. A stepped accessway can also be seen toward the back of the photo. The paved path running parallel to the sea, shaded by trees (interesting to note a fallen coconut tree trunk into the sea) and punctuated with simple rest points like benches, completes this gentle scene of a coastline that has since vanished. Our thanks once again to Mr Yeo Hong Eng for generously sharing this photograph with us. Photo circa 1957-1959