Tuesday 30 March 2010

More adverts from the 1960s

Here's a few more adverts from Singapore and Malaya from the 1960s. The first one advertises all the goods you could get back then, tax free. We had a tape recorder, a transistor radio and my dad had a Philishave but I can't remember us ever having a record player until we came back to England. Of course, everything was a lot cheaper in Singapore than it was in Malaya but when you crossed the causeway, you were meant to pay duty on anything that you'd bought. I'm sure that this would have been avoided a lot of the time though!
The second advert is for the Orchard Store on Orchard Road. It looks like it used to stock all the toys a boy like me would have loved at the time. I don't remember it at all though. Does anyone else?
I think that Little's was near Robinsons at Raffles Place. Everything was marked in Malayan currency for some reason. They had a tourist office and 'cool arcades to enjoy the fascinating display of goods from all over the world.' It was certainly a place to go in and escape from the humidity of the city especially for many English families who weren't used to the heat.
The next advert features a very 1960s traveller advertising Travel and Transportation Ltd who organised air and steamship travel. The man in the picture certainly has bought a lot for his money and looks happy to cart it all back home.
The last advert features the Cathay Hotel. Many people will remember the Cathay not just for its hotel and restaurant but also for its cinema. It was one of the tallest buildings in Singapore at the time and had views all over Singapore harbour. It also featured a shopping arcade, was air-conditioned and the rooms were advertised as having their own baths and telephones. Incidentally, I can't remember anyone having their own phone in Singapore and Malaya at the time. I've lots more old adverts like these and hope to feature a few more sometime in the near future.
I hope that these ones bring back a few memories.

2 comments:

  1. The Orchard Store is still around. I used to buy Airfix model planes from them. They were at Centerpoimt Shopping Centre for a while but now over at the shopping arcade at Hotel Grand Central.

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  2. The Orchard Store was originally at the entrance of the Specialist's Shopping Center
    I frequented the store bcoz of its stock of Airfix scale model kits

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