Picture nights

KD Malaya had its own outdoor cinema and my parents would go up there in the evening to watch the latest films. Dad's friend, Pete Barton, was the projectionist and the films quite often broke. I remember mum and dad taking us to see Goldfinger although I think that was at the Cathay. I could have only been about 4 at the time! I remember the beginning and the bit where Sean Connery nearly gets cut in half by a laser but, as always happened, I fell asleep before the end. All the kids that I knew at the time had Corgi James Bond Aston Martins complete with ejector seats. I've still got mine! Another film I remember seeing there, I think, was the Sound of Music. It was very popular at the time and mum and dad had a reel to reel tape of the soundtrack. There were normally two films shown together complete with cartoons, even for the adults. All the servicemen used to love watching Road Runner and Bugs Bunny and would roar with laughter. You can't imagine it now, can you? Other films that I remember seeing were Born Free at Sandycroft in Penang and Pinochio outdoors one evening at KD Malaya. I think I've mentioned many times before that a boy was sick nearby and everyone watching the film slowly drifted away. It might have been the evening of the Christmas party and perhaps he'd eaten too much. We went to the cinema often but, now after 40 or more years, I can't remember what films we saw. It's funny how some stay in your mind though. Mum and dad would go up the base on their own to watch films and we'd stay at home and would be babysat by their friends or Azizah, our amah. I mentioned Lingha earlier and how his body was collected to be driven home sat up in the back of the car. Lingha ran the bar at KD Malaya along with his brother, Pow. Lingha hurtled around on an old scooter, with a carrier on the back, which was usually full of curry puffs which he sold up at the Officers Mess. My parents would sit outside on a picture night, eating curry puffs and having a drink. Going to the cinema was probably more of a social outing then than it is today and my parents would meet up with friends on the base. There were many cinemas all over Singapore and several on the Naval Base. I think that we went to most of them but, today, I have a job remembering many of the films. Perhaps I fell asleep!