Our Bedok Kampong House Singapore

We (our mother and us) recently had the honour and privilege to be interviewed by Dr Loh Kah Seng the creator and producer of the Chronicles of Singapore YouTube channel to talk about our life and memories living more than50 years ago at our Bedok kampong house. The interview was released about 2 months ago and garnered more than 3,000 views so far (we are thankful). Dr Loh was kind enough to help splice the interview into 6 bite sized clips for easy viewing (thank you!) and we have uploaded them all into our blog. Here is Clip 2…

We (our mother and us) recently had the honour and privilege to be interviewed by Dr Loh Kah Seng the creator and producer of the Chronicles of Singapore YouTube channel to talk about our life and memories living more than50 years ago at our Bedok kampong house. The interview was released about 2 months ago and garnered more than 3,000 views so far (we are thankful). Dr Loh was kind enough to help splice the interview into 6 bite sized clips for easy viewing (thank you!) and we have uploaded them all into our blog. Here is Clip 1…

1968 and the entire Singapore was abuzz with the excitement of the RTS Talentime. All of us at our Bedok kampong house joined in the revelry of watching the performances on our black-and-white TV. Celebrating each week’s winners and sadly saying goodbye to those who did not make it to the next round drove the emotional quotient high. When it came to the results and the fabulous Tidbits won with their song “I Believe”, it became everyone’s anthem too! So enamoured were we with the 3 girls that when they won the contest in February 1968 and our paternal aunt was 3 months pregnant with her second child, and when it was discovered to be a girl, she was named after one of the Tidbits, Serene! 1968 RTS Talentime winners 'The Tidbits' with their winning song 'I Believe' (photo credit - RCA Cosdel) 1972 photo taken in our Bedok kampong house garden with the newest and youngest cousin then

Today would have been the 94 th birthday of our late father who passed away last June 2023. This post is to commemorate and pay tribute to the man of the Bedok kampong house. It is because of his meticulous keeping of photos, records and documents over the decades that we get blessed to have this blog to share with so many. Here is a special video slideshow created in his loving memory – from the family. 1959, he was 29 years of age here. Photo colourised by Nusan N with much appreciation

Here is a 1959 (circa) photo of the ladies at our Bedok kampong house and their relatives resting after a great swim at Bedok Beach. Right behind them is the fencing around the holiday home of the Sultan of Pahang (we posted an earlier story about him), which is next to our house. Our mother and cousin told us that from time to time there was exciting live band music emanating from this house of the Sultan (Abu Bakar and grandfather of the current Sultan of Pahang). So they would creep to the fencing to try to catch a glimpse of the famous actress at that time Maria Menado (most famously known for her 1957 movie Pontianak, and still alive today) as she was known to attend! Little did anyone know that she would soon be a consort of the Sultan and marry him later in 1963. What glam we had in those days too! Circa 1959/early 1960 shot taken at Bedok Beach just outside the Sultan of Pahang's holiday home (credit to Mr Ronald Ho for the information) The beautiful actress and star of Mal...

Our cousin who lives with us in our Bedok kampong house (and 11 years our senior) was 15 and like any teenager those days would just love music. We found these newspaper clippings of 1965 in her lyrics songbook advertising the presence of singing stars and bands coming over to Singapore to play! Feb 1965 and Freddie & The Dreamers played at both the Cathay Restaurant and the Arundel Room at Goodwood Park hotel. They then played at the National Theatre in March 1965!  Freddie and the Dreamers were an English beat band that had a number of hit records between 1962 and 1965. The band's stage act was enlivened by the comic antics of Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying (source: Wikipedia) 1965 and Millie Small of 'My Boy Lollipop' fame performed here in Singapore as well! Millie Small was a Jamaican singer who is best known for her 1964 international hit "My Boy Lollipop". The song reached number two in both the UK and US ch...

There are several eerie stories about that giant kapok (cotton) tree with a huge hollow in its trunk (like a door) barely a hundred feet from our Bedok kampong house but it is time to share one that our father experienced himself. In those days kampong areas were dimly lit by yellowish light lamp posts every hundred feet or so. He shared with us that once in the dark and early morning, around 5am when he drove off for his morning shift at Caldecott Hill, he looked out of his rear view mirror and it just so happens that the kapok tree was in his rear. Then he saw something chilling.. lit barely by his car’s rear lights was a lady in white bending over to pick up the fallen cotton seeds around the tree. He then looked back to the front but when he relooked into his rear mirror, that lady was gone. We don’t have a photo of this tree but this one was part of a larger photo he took where it shows some branches of the tree along with our neighbours house just across from our home. The left s...

It is said that music seals the memory of a particular moment, and in 1970 when this writer was just 9, three songs from that year stood out so well because I remember our cousin and I would play the 7" EP single that our father bought for us, and would stand by the turntable of our Bedok kampong house and play the song again and again! I THINK I LOVE YOU - THE PATRIDGE FAMILY This was actually the first LP our father bought for us. The funny thing was that we only play the first song and sometimes the second song and ignored the rest!  IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE - GLEN CAMPBELL This EP of this song by Glen Campbell would enjoy replays by our cousin and I and we could not get enough of this song! MY SWEET LORD - GEORGE HARRISON We did not know the meaning of the lyrics then but the lead guitar was infectious and yes again this EP was on repeat play

In 1969 Nestle Milkmaid condensed milk launched a collectible campaign for their label collection of Malaysian fishes and birds as a sales tactic but quite effective that we, at just ages 6 and 8 got quite obsessed with it at our Bedok kampong house. Our mother would help with the purchase of these tins from Ah Yam's shop and we would remove the labels, reverse them to find a picture of either a bird or fish, cut and paste them onto the provided picture book! A total of 20 fish or bird pictures to collect. Did not get them all but quite a lot still! All in all it was quite an educational experience too.

We remember delightful trips (very short walk) we made from our Bedok kampong house to the local provision shop (where Cold Storage is now along Bedok Road) next to the Indian barber (another story) and where the bus stop is. And one of just two shops then. We call the owner ‘Ah Yam’ (Mr Yeo Hong Eng in his book ‘The Little Red Cliff’ in pg 47 identified him as his relative Uncle Yam and the shop was called ‘Swee Aun’). Ah Yam was a most friendly man with a disarming personality. We remember him almost always dressed in a white singlet and drawstring pyjama trousers with vertical stripped blue prints. 3 things that has been imprinted onto our minds from those visits: His ease of use of the daching (those were the days of kati weight measurements), that amazing tin above him where he keeps his cash hung by pulleys and counterweights and how he writes down payment credits onto customers’ 555 booklets for records and future payments! From time to time he would ride over to our house...

Excursions to the Singapore Botanic Gardens from our Bedok kampong house were chances to really enjoy the day and take nice photos to remember the experience. Here are 3 trips the family made to share... 1959 - the extended family at the Sundial Gardens 1959 - at the Swan Lake gazebo 1959 - our mother at the Tembusu Tree 1959 - our mother at the Cactus garden 1966 - our parents and us at the Swan Lake (colourised by Nusan N) 1966 - us brothers at the Bandstand (colourised by Nusan N)

Here are two Kodak cameras from our Bedok Kampong house to share: this vintage 1930’s one belonged to our late grandfather who brought it into the house and this 1973 pocket instamatic bought by our late father for us to use. Both are not in working condition but amazingly still with us for keeps, including a spent flash bulb! They helped capture the 'times of our lives' 1930's vintage Kodak owned by our late grandfather Kodak Pocket instamatic 20 purchased in Dec 1973

From our late grandmother's collection (see photo of her and our eldest aunt, late 1920's), we took these Peranakan kamcheng and teapots along when we moved out of our Bedok Kampong house and are still with us today. We recall opening the covers and seeing all the wondrous achar (picked cucumbers etc) inside in those days! 8 inch tall kamcheng, with lion-dog handle holder. Some chipping here and there due to usage 'sumbing' 5 inch tall teapot (front), back mini kamcheng lost its lion-dog holder (alas!) 'brekar' Late 1920's photo of our grandmother and our eldest aunt as a child. The other 3 siblings including our father have not been born yet. Mama passed away in 1969.

64 years ago on October 2, 1960, our parents had their wedding day. Our late dad, then 30, went to fetch the bride, just 22, at her home and brought her back to our Bedok kampong house and for studio photo taking at "Studio De Luxe" before leaving for the Robinson's Cafe at Raffles Place for a tea reception (we still have an audio recording of his speech). Blissful wedding anniversary after anniversary until their last on the 62nd year. He passed away the following year. Sharing some photos, the wedding invitation card and even the receipt for the brand new bedroom set he purchased for their new life together at the kampong house. This post is for our dear mother, who just celebrated her 86th birthday last month, and missing him dearly 2 Oct 1960 - posing in their bedroom amidst brand new furniture 2 Oct 1960 - leaving for the photo studio and wedding tea reception 2 Oct 1960 5.40pm - just entering the Robinson's Cafe at 1, Raffles Place for the reception and cake c...