Saturday 31 October 2009

Monkeys

Here's a shot of the monkeys in the Botanic Gardens. I'm squeezed between Alan and my dad. They were both quite happy feeding them but I was quite scared, as you can probably see in this picture! I probably wasn't much bigger than them at the time! The monkeys all look pretty well behaved in this photo but as soon as they knew anyone had food, they'd pounce. As well as bananas, we used to give them peanuts which were sold in paper cones by people inside the gardens. It's a shame that they're not still in the Singapore gardens nowadays. I'm sure everybody who is about my age, and who visited the gardens at the time,will have very fond memories of them.

Friday 30 October 2009

More home movies

Here's another home movie from the 1960s. This one starts with me on the beach at, I think, Jason's Bay, near Johore Bahru. There's also film of my dad and Alan swimming and then you can see the giant parachute that all the men used to set up when we had a banyan. You can also see the family's Triumph Herald in the shot. The cricket match on the same beach features my dad, Bette and Les Sharpe together with Tom and Jean Bagwell, all Naval friends of my parents.

The next scene is us filming as we drive towards the customs point at the causeway. My mum is filming out of the window as my dad drives. Then there are shots of Johore together with all the old shops and cars.Next, there's film of us about to go into the Navy Base entrance.
The final scenes are taken at Jalan Wijaya. There's me at home and then getting an ice cream as a man wearing a turbin drives by on a scooter. The final scene shows me wearing a hat which I remember was left over at our house from a party my parents had with all their Naval friends the night before.
Seems such a long time ago now!

Lost friends

Here's a photo of my parents and their friend, Poon at the Chinese New Year Ball in February, 1966. After we returned home in 1968, Poon came to stay with us in Plymouth but then we moved and we all lost touch. My dad would like to hear from him again and I've tried to trace him on the internet but with no luck. I often wonder what happened to him.
I remember when he visited us in Plymouth that my dad warned him that the lock didn't work properly on the bathroom door. He said, 'Don't worry, on my bathroom we don't even have a door!'
Dad told me that 'Poon' was a nickname (after the Chinese racing driver Albert Poon) because his name was unpronouncable to English people. However, some colleagues said that Poon was part of his name and he certainly always signed Christmas cards, 'Poon'. Another friend, my parents would like to hear from, is Omar Mahmood. Both he and Poon worked with my dad at KD Malaya. I suppose after all this time, it's probably impossible to ever find out what happened to them but perhaps one of them, or a family member might read this blog and get in touch!
I remember them both fondly from when I was a kid. It's amazing that it's now 40 years since we last saw Poon.

Thursday 29 October 2009

Mr Lee

Here's Alan in our front garden at Jalan Wijaya in about 1966. I bet many Naval families will recognise this chair! Ours came home with us and lasted until about 1990.
In the background is an old car. I think that this may have belonged to Mr Lee who lived across the road from us. I never knew much about him but I remember that he had two wives. I remember one night we heard what we thought was gunfire. At the time there was trouble with Indonesian terrorists and we were cautious about going outside. However, it turned out to be Mr Lee letting off a load of fire crackers that were hanging over his balcony!
Mr Lee once asked my parents over to meet Tunku Abdul Rahman who was the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. I never knew what Mr Lee did for a job but he was quite well off and seemed to have influential friends.
I don't really remember too much about him but he always seemed friendly and would wave over to us. I wonder what he thought of all the Naval folk moving in around him?

Fancy dress

This photo was taken on 16th October, 1965 at HMS Terror in Sembawang, Singapore. I'd have been just 4 years old at the time. In the middle of the picture, dressed as an Indian, is my brother, Alan. Beside him is Carol Webster who lived next door to us in Jalan Wijaya.
What's funny about this picture is that they came second but when they turned up at the event, they had no plans on entering whatsoever. However, they changed their minds and my mum and her friend, Barbara Webster, Carol's mother, quickly nipped over to the NAAFI shop and bought some crepe paper and made these outfits as fast as they could! I think that they did a good job.
I remember this day and I wanted Noddy and Big Ears to win but they came third. The winners were the two boys on the right who were dressed as locals.
I think this event has stayed fresh in my mind because of this photo and it's funny, I can't remember a thing about the rest of the day!

Wednesday 28 October 2009

Amahs

Here's a picture of Azizah, our Amah. All the forces families had an amah and she would help with the cleaning, ironing and looking after the kids. We loved Azizah and I wish that we'd kept in touch after we returned to England. I think she might have had difficulty writing English though and we knew little Malayan. Azizah was 25 years old in this picture and with her is her children, Fadzilah and Fadzil. The photo was taken at our home in Jalan Wijaya. Azizah lived somewhere near to us but I can't remember where. Alan told me that we once went to her house when it was one of her children's birthdays but I can't remember. I wish I could! I remember that Azizah taught us some Malayan. 'Terimah Kashi' which meant 'thank you' and 'sama-sama' which meant 'you're welcome'. She probably taught us some other phrases but I've long forgotten them. My mum would give stuff to Azizah including toys for the kids. She once asked her if she wanted some table cloths which she was very happy with. The next time we saw her, her husband was wearing them! Fadzilah and Fadzil used to come to our birthday parties, I don't think they spoke much English. I would love to know what happened to them all and I hope they remember us as fondly as we do them.

Rambutans

This photo shows how busy the markets were on the streets of Singapore during the 1960s. There were stalls everywhere and they would sell just about anything. It was all fascinating to me and, being smaller, I was on the same eye level as the fruit sellers who were sat next to their produce which was sometimes spread out on wicker mats. This was the first place that I ever saw and tasted a rambutan. I'd never seen anything like them and as we walked by, stall holders would offer me them. I couldn't refuse! I got to love rambutans in the three years that we lived in Singapore and Malaya. I can still remember the taste now, though I haven't had one since we returned home in 1968. I think that they sell them in Sainsbury's in the UK so perhaps I'll buy some one day!
  
From the top picture, it's amazing just how busy the street markets were. Everyone was happy to barter and the seller and the buyer always seemed happy with the final price. I can still recall the smell of those stalls - the fruit, the smell of wicker work and just the smell of Singapore in general which I'm sure is a smell long forgotten by many Singaporeans!