Our Bedok Kampong House Singapore

In those days kelongs (a wooden structure in the sea a distance from shore, with wooden poles or stilts used to construct a funnel-like structure to guide the fish into the net in the centre of the kelong to be caught, then sold by the fish farmer). They were a common sight all over the Singapore coastline and for us living near the Bedok beach, it was a daily sight to behold. While we do not have a photo depicting one where we lived, here is one taken in 1959 off Katong Park at Meyer Road where our mother, her sister and her cousin posed for the camera when they made the trip there. See the kelong in the distance.. 1959 photo colourised from original black and white

This photo of a quiet stretch of sun-soaked shoreline along Upper East Coast Road going towards Bedok corner where we lived (where the Bedok army camps are now) sees those gentle waves rolling in to shore, meeting the coconut trees swaying in rhythm and tandem with them - in a scene that invokes from within a stillness, settling our busy thoughts and racing heartbeats, giving one absolutely peace of mind, bringing us back to those lovely days gone by. Based on some investigation and AI research on Copilot the photo could have been taken between 1955 and 1962 because by 1963 the coastline would have begun to disappear due to land reclamation works. Also the red car helped in the identification and was likely a Hillman Minx Series III (1951–1956), a British car. Thanks to Mr Yeo Hong Eng for sharing this photo with us.