Sampans and the Singapore River

This photo shows just some of the many sampans that inhabited the Singapore River in the 1960s. It was a very busy place with sellers plying their trade on both sides of the river bank while also loading and unloading cargo. The nearby crowded houses can be seen in this picture and these were said to resemble a beehive. There was a smell that was a combination of raw sewerage, rotting fruit and vegetables and also, there was general rubbish from the markets and hawkers. On top of this there was oil spillage and other waste water from the many boats moored there. This made it a haven for rats. When I returned in 1990, the area was vastly different and almost empty although the rats were still there. In 1977, the Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, decided that the river needed to be cleaned up. There was massive resettlement of squatters and relocation of hawkers. Refuse was collected daily and the river was dredged of all the waste that had piled up over the years. Most of the small boats disappeared and today it is much cleaner place and many species of marine life have returned. Without all the sampans though, it seems that it has lost part of its character forever.

Jason's Bay

This photo shows the huge tent my dad and his Naval friends used to set up when we had a banyan at Jason's Bay. It was ideal for keeping everyone cool. My mum and dad are pictured on the left of the photo and I'm beside them digging a hole in the sand. I think that the photo was probably taken by Alan.

My dad used to go spear fishing (very James Bond!) and I think I can see his spear gun and his caught fish in the foreground of this photo.

I remember that everyone loved swimming but I was never too keen and I'm sitting in the shade instead of being in the sun. I'm still the same today!

There was always a barbecue set up on the beach somewhere and plenty of Tiger Beer for the men. Everyone would end up swimming or playing cricket though I was just happy exploring.

I love this photo of Robert Bagwell and Alan at Jason's Bay. It was taken at a later time than the first photo, probably about 1966. This photo sums up the fun we all had and it appears on the back of my book, 'Sampans, Banyans and Rambutans.'

It was a lovely time and my parents and all their friends would join in on these trips. I remember them being quite regular events. The beach would be a very busy place when we all arrived, I wonder what all the locals made of us?

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.

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.

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!