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A Family's Legacy of Love: From Adoption Papers to Singapore's Archives

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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 Last year, on display, among other items donated by others, was a 1942 Japanese occupation dictionary, historical documents of the Bukit Timah Rubber Estates (1942) and 1919 photos of the Singapore Peace Celebration taken by our grandfather.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...
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A Love Through The Years

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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...
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His Highness the Sultan of Pahang - His 'Daulat' over Bedok

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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 ...
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The Darkness in our Bedok Kampong

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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...
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The King of Bedok lives on...

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Recently, we were contacted by reader Jelajah Ilmu Benar Insani, who, to our great delight, turned out to be one of the descendants of Haji Kahar, the famed "King of Bedok". Through his villa at Jalan Haji Salam and the legacy he left behind, Haji Kahar's presence remains an unmistakable and enduring part of Bedok's history. Our conversations on Messenger opened a fascinating window into the life of this remarkable pioneer, whose influence helped shape the Bedok of old. Villa Haji Kahar, named after businessman Haji Kahar bin Haji Abdul Ghani, was recently gazetted for conservation and was described by The Straits Times as "one of the last surviving markers of the old Kampong Bedok." Standing at No. 1 Bedok Avenue, just off Jalan Haji Salam, the two-storey bungalow occupies a generous 5,963.2 sq m site that also includes No. 3 Bedok Avenue, a beautifully crafted kampong house that once formed part of the family's estate. Based on public records, Ha...
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A Shared Community Narrative for a Living Archive

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 To everyone who reads this blog, thank you. We are truly glad you are part of this journey. Within these posts, and in our companion Facebook page, lies a living archive of a vanished Bedok that future generations might otherwise never know existed. These stories are more than simple histories. While many heritage articles tell us what once stood here, these recollections help us remember how it felt to live there. Through photographs, memories and personal accounts, we are transported back to the rhythms of everyday kampong life: the familiar faces, the well-trodden shortcuts, the bus rides, the neighbourhood shops, and the friendships that bound our community together. These ordinary moments may never appear in official records, yet they are often the memories we cherish most. This page has become more than a collection of stories. It is a shared community narrative, woven together by former residents, family members, neighbours and friends, all contributing their own thre...
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View from our Bedok Kampong Bus Stop

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This photograph, taken in 1985 by Jayne Krishna , captures a familiar scene along Bedok Road. It was photographed from the bus stop (notice the roof?) just outside her late grandfather's shop, belonging to our favourite barber, Uncle Velu. For many former kampong residents, this was a place rich with everyday memories. If you had been making your way to catch a bus here, you might have emerged from the wet market behind after taking the narrow shortcut that ran between Uncle Velu's shop and Fang Rong. Those cycling in from Padang Terbakar would often lock their bicycles along the fence of the Bedok Rest House before walking through the terrace shops to reach the bus stop. After checking whether your bus had arrived, chances were you would have stood for a while, letting your gaze wander across the row of interconnecting houses directly opposite. Looking further to the left, you would have seen the distinctive two-storey laundry building, followed by the Bedok Police Post. ...
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