Our Bedok Kampong House Singapore

Oct 1957 and at just 27 years of age then, our father along with his adopted sister’s brother and family went over to Peirce Reservoir (named then before the 'Lower' was added later) for an outing there, and of course to remember the day with some photos for which we have been wonderfully blessed with. 

Oct 1972. Because our front door was always open in the day at our Bedok kampong house, our mother would once-in-a- while chance upon a friendly man with his young daughter just outside waiting for a school bus to take her to preschool. He was a neighbour that lived further down the kampong but had to walk up nearer to where we were as the bus did not travel all the way down to his house. Other days it was his wife with the little girl but in days when he was waiting, he would strike up a chat with our mother and conversations were always friendly. They soon moved out of the kampong and we believed all went well. So imagine the shock the family had when we read the headlines of the Straits Times and saw this story. We recognised this former neighbour among the perpetrators of this terrible crime! It is more than 50 years since and we feel sad for the victims and their families and still find it hard to match the friendliness of this man vs the viciousness of the crime. Not a memory...

On the morning of 22 September 1951 , our father - just 21 years old then - made his way with friends to the Padang , joining thousands who gathered to witness a milestone in Singapore’s story. Before them stood the grand façade of the Supreme Court , its dome gleaming in the sun, as officials prepared for the ceremony that would formally confer Singapore’s new status: no longer a Town, but a City , proclaimed by His Royal Majesty King George VI . In the photographs below, you can almost feel the atmosphere of that day - the crowds on the field, the sense of anticipation, the pride of a young generation watching their home take a symbolic step forward. Our father was among them, an eyewitness to a moment that would be remembered for decades. He didn’t just attend; he documented. Quite a few photographs were taken by him and his friends, capturing the ceremony, the people, and the energy of the Padang. These images - once kept in our Bedok kampong house - have since been donated to the...

When we visited our maternal cousin at her home in Siglap Opera Estate in the early 70's we remember her playing songs from Carole King, Bread and Elton John. But over here at our Bedok kampong house, 5 songs of that year of 1971 took us by storm and this writer at 10 years old then remember these vividly as 1.       Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando & Dawn 2.       Me and You and a Dog Named Boo by Lobo 3.       Love Story (Where Do I Begin) by Andy Williams 4.      Hello Darlin’ by Lynn Anderson (besides the already spoken for  "Rose Garden  (I Beg Your Pardon)") 5.       Joy To The World by Three Dog Night The songs were either playing on Radio Singapore then or we had purchased EP vinyls of the songs. Some of the songs were really joyful and til today we still enjoy listening to them immensely Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando & Dawn Me and You ...

“What?  You brought him back from the barber without him having his hair cut?”, this writer’s (the older brother) mother asked my father incredulously as he brought the by-now dried eyed little boy back from the ‘frightening’ experience at the barber’s to our Bedok kampong house. “He refused to have his hair cut, so I brought him back…” was my father’s honest reply. Uncle Velu was our preferred go-to barber for all the male-folk in the family, not the Chinese one situated a little farther along. His shop was located near Ah Yam’s provision shop, along Bedok Road (Ah Yam's story was posted on October 16, 2024) and just where the bus stop is (now Cold Storage). He was mostly dressed in a white short sleeved shirt and had a genteel and calming way about him. He was great, but not the aura of his shop and equipment! As a little me recalled, I intensely disliked seeing the chair which had a fear aboding look, and I had to sit atop a wooden plank placed across the arms. Then the whit...

This November month in 2024, our late paternal aunt’s husband Ah-Tio celebrated his 96 th birthday and this post is to honour him. He met our aunt when they were colleagues at Bata Shoes in Singapore in the mid 50’s (different departments) and soon after they married when he was posted to Malaysia she joined him in Klang, Selangor. Our Bedok kampong house remained family to them as they initially lived there when they tied the knot in December 1958. We have fond recollections of him being in the house often even if only on weekends and special trips in and out of Malaysia. Of course, trips to West Malaysia for vacations were his forte and we depended on him to show us around. Trips that our father made while still single and we as a family in 1973 were some of the memorable ones that took place. He eventually became godfather to the younger of us.  Ah-Tio here’s wishing you well on your special day, we love you very much! 1958, the year he married our paternal aunt (beside him), a...

As we continued to mingle among the kampong folk, our mother met a lady who encouraged her to allow us to attend the Sunday School at Bedok Methodist Church, a short 10-minute walk away from our Bedok kampong house, located at Jalan Greja (Malay for church) along the main Bedok Road. We would become more obedient children as a result! Then a school friend invited us to join him as well. Thus began our journey into the Christian faith as we became regular attendees, until we moved out about 18 months later. This December 1973 photo commemorates a Christmas party we attended along with other friends from school. We brothers were 12 and 10 years of age then. December 1973 Bedok Methodist Church then (photo by BMC)

Memorable trips from our Bedok kampong house, this time to the Esplanade and to walk and take photos along the Queen Elizabeth Walk. Our parents (along with our maternal aunt) went there on a date in 1959 and had great shots taken, with one at the Tan Kim Seng Fountain. The family visited again when we were kids in 1968. We recall the fun playing along the patterned walkways as we walked ‘the lines’ with one foot after the other on the indicated paved flooring. The final recorded (on photo) time was in December 1973 when we had dinner at the Satay Club then, but not before taking some colour photos including one on the brick steps against the backdrop of those majestic Canna plants.   Thumbnail shot, see below for complete photo please 1959 - The sisters at the Tan Kim Seng Fountain 1959 - Our parents on a park bench overlooking the seafront 1959 - Our maternal aunt posing along the promenade with the General Post Office and Bank of China buildings clearly seen in the background 19...

We believe the womenfolk in kampongs were skillful in sewing and using the sewing machines for their household needs. The same here at our Bedok kampong house. Not only can the ladies in our house sew, they also make other items like triangular patchwork blankets from left over textile materials and as well as paper beaded curtains rolled from old wall calendars, and hung on the doorways of our house. These are all captured in our minds and memories from all those times in the 60’s and early 70’s, wishing we have some photos to share here. Gladly we do have here our paternal aunt showing her dexterity with this Fukoku sewing machine in 1959, seated in the hall (or living room) of our house then. Our paternal aunt in 1959, then only 19, at her sewing machine Fukoku sewing machine of old, photo not ours

Our Tua Ee (maternal eldest aunt) celebrates her 92nd birthday this month. She had always held a loving presence in our Bedok kampong house. Each Saturday after her weeklong work as a nanny, she would go to Katong and get her hair done, then pop over to either Cona Confectionary or Chin Mee Chin to buy a box full of either buttercream cakes or cream horns. Then she will come over to our house and spend the weekend with us. That’s not all, because she knows of our love for music even at that young age, so once in a while, a gift of an EP vinyl would be brought over as well. This writer most clearly remembers this 1968 EP by Tom Jones when Delilah (I was only 7 years old in Primary One) a big hit at that time. Here she is hovering lovingly over my 8th birthday party I was celebrating in 1969 (she is on extreme right). Tua Ee we want to wish you a splendid and blessed birthday and wishing you ‘panjang panjang umur’ (long life) and great health! 1969 at the garden of the house Chin Mee...

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. On this final clip, we detailed why we started the Facebook page (which led to the creation of this blog)

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 4 & 5  

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 3…

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…