View highlights of moments documenting changes in Singapore’s landscape, from the conceptualisation of Singapore as a city in a garden to the major modifications made to the built environment to make Singapore into a more liveable, modern city. Hear insights into how such transformations affected the way people lived in the past and through the progress that Singapore has made as a nation.
Watch all episodes of Changing Landscapes on meWATCH: mewatch.sg/show/Stories-of-Yesteryear-Changing-Landscapes-250815.
Highlights
Night Soil Bucket System
Interview with CHEN Hung
Accession Number 004026
Chen Hung joined the Singapore City Council and served in the Public Works Department as an Engineer from 1960 to 1967. In this clip, he describes the different sewage disposal systems that were in place in the 1960s. The system has changed from the night soil bucket system, which saw the manual disposal of 40,000 buckets daily by night soil carriers, to the automated redirection of wastewater into three centralised water reclamation plants.
From Kampung to HDB Flat
Interview with SOH Sin Yan
Accession Number 003536
Soh Sin Yan’s father was an itinerant hawker selling wanton noodles in the 1960s. In this clip, he compares what it was like living in the kampung to the Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat they later shifted to.
Trams, Bullock Carts, and Rickshaws
Interview with SINGH, Choor (Justice)
Accession Number 001323
Choor Singh, who was a former Supreme Court judge, arrived in Singapore from Punjab, India in 1917. In this clip, he describes the different means of transportation available during that time. These included horse carriages, trams, rickshaws, and bullock carts.
Playgrounds of the Past
Interview with KHOR Ean Ghee 许延义
Accession Number 003343
Khor Ean Ghee is a renowned watercolourist and former President of the Singapore Art Society. He worked at the Housing & Development Board (HDB) between 1969 and 1984 and designed many of the iconic playgrounds at HDB’s estates during this time. In this clip, he shares how playgrounds have changed over the years and the reasons for this change.
Crocodiles in the Wild
Interview with RAJATHURAI, Subaraj
Accession Number 004236
Subaraj Rajathurai was the first professional nature tour guide in Singapore, and he was involved in the conservation efforts of Sungei Buloh. In this clip, he shares about how crocodiles have always been part of the ecosystem. As Sungei Buloh developed, the crocodile population grew but public mindsets became more tolerant, allowing for the crocodiles to coexist with us in publicly accessible nature reserves.
The Origins of the MRT System
Interview with POK Sheung Foo
Accession Number E000021
Pok Sheung Foo was a transport planner with the Public Works Department and a member of the team that developed Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) system. In this clip, he talks about the origins of Singapore's MRT system and why Singapore eventually built the MRT.
Happy & New World Amusement Parks
Interview with TAN, Richard Leng Poh 陈零波
Accession Number 004226
Richard Tan Leng Poh is the Founder and Chair of Garden & Landscape Centre. In this clip, he shares his childhood memories of the Happy and New World Amusement Parks.
Greening Singapore
Interview with NG Cheow Kheng 黄祖庆
Accession Number 003879
Ng Cheow Kheng is the Group Director of Horticulture and Community Gardening at the National Parks Board. In this clip, he shares how he went about planting fast-growing trees on the reclaimed land around Changi Airport.