Sungei Bedok bridge over troubled waters

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This post was made possible by former neighbour Daniel Koh. In our chats on the Heritage SG Memories FB group, Daniel shared that he and his family lived across the Sungei Bedok bridge from our Bedok kampong house side, at Padang Terbakar (name later changed to Siak Kuan Road), as part of the vast estate of Koh Sek Lim, since 1953. His former home was the second one from the edge of the riverbank, with the fence facing the sea and opposite the WWII pillboxes erected by the British (which you can see from some photos here). On December 10, 1969, Singapore experienced its worst flooding in 35 years (then). It was Hari Raya Puasa and the relentless torrential rain caused the Sungei Bedok bridge to collapse! At 16 years of age then (this writer was just 8), he took this photo with his trusted Kodak Instamatic. He also remembered a man with a sampan doing a roaring business ferrying people who wanted to get across, charging 10 cents or 20 cents. He and his family moved out in 1973 before the land was acquired by the government. Koh Sek Lim Road still exists today but serves the NEWater plant and SMRT Changi Depot. Point of interest: Koh Sek Lim is Daniel’s grandfather so in a way this is his grandfather’s road! Many thanks Daniel for sharing these wonderful stories!

Dec 1969 - collapse of the bridge after the massive flooding. Observe the enterprising sampan man!


1959 - our mother, then fiance to our dad, posing under the bridge by the columns

1960 - in happier (and drier) times on the bridge. See the WWII pillbox to the right at the back


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