LORONG
HABLOR
Meaning of name: Road of Ducks?
Lorong Hablor appeared in official road maps from 1969.
The road has been replaced by the Seletar Expressway and
Tampines Expressway. The road Lorong Hablor now no longer exists. In the past, Lorong
Hablor was split into two separate dirt tracks that adjoined Boh Sua Tian Road.
The area saw the establishment of various villages including one Chinese
village called Lak Xun (六巡) Village. (Li, Ng, Mae, & Zhu, 2017)
Shops
Most of the amenities were located along the main road of
Yio Chu Kang Road, while Lorong Hablor was about one kilometre away. Thus,
those staying around that area had to be self-sufficient. This meant that
located around Lorong Hablor were sundry shops, repair shops and even three
Chinese temples just along the same lorong. There was also a company selling
cylinder gas called Swee Bee Wireless Company, located at 79 Lorong Hablor. (Advertisement,
1983)
Live animals, fishes and crops
There were fish ponds where villagers grew their fishes for
sale. (Map, 1970)
The villagers had also rare pigs, chickens and geese. (Yap, 2015)
There were also rubber and coconut trees.
People
The villagers who stayed around Lorong Hablor included
small time farmers and poultry owners to fishermen. There was a mention in the
newspaper of a Malay fisherman who stayed at 179-A Lorong Hablor who drowned in
the Seletar River while pushing his sampan out to sea. (Fisherman's fatal fall, 1982)
Toh Clan
Mr Toh Ngo Tong in his interview with interview with
National Archive of Singapore claimed that most who lived around Yio Chu Kang
10 milestone had similar surnames – Toh. (Toh, 1985)
School
Sin Cheng Chinese School was located along Lorong Hablor.
The school could have been named after a Hokkien Chinese businessman Tan Sin
Cheng who owned trading companies and a rubber factory in Penang, Malaya in the
1900s. (Ho, 2009)
Environmental Issues
The government had not forgotten the villagers who were
staying in the rural area. The then Minister of Health Chua Sian Chin mentioned
that in the spirit of keeping Singapore pollution free, the government had
already replaced the bucket and overhanging latrines with “water-seal latrines
or septic tanks where feasible”. (Clearing the air for a healthier Singapore, 1971)
Weather
It was reported that a sudden Sumartran squall ripped
through the village in 1983. The strong easterly winds packed speeds of 80 km/h
and lasted for an hour, brought down coconut trees that damaged the roofs of at
least two houses. (Mohan, 1983)
One of the homes affected was the Ong family. (This week, 1983)
Temples
The three temples found along Lorong Hablor were Feng Shan
Tang (凤山堂), Fa Jin Dian (法进殿), and Quan Sheng Gong (全盛宫). In 1945, the three shrines came together to form the
Hong San Chin Huat Temple Association, or Feng Shan Tang. As the Association
was not able to buy their own plot of land, they then combined with Sam Ann Fu
(三安府) and the
Longxuyan Jinshuiguan Temple (龙须岩金水馆) to form the united temple Liuxun Sanhemiao Temple (六巡三合庙), named so as the other two temples were also
previously located in Lak Xun Village. They are now located at 8 Ang Mo Kio
Street 63 Avenue 9. (Li, Ng, Mae, & Zhu, 2017)
In 1983, a mosaic layer broke into the Hong San Temple and took away a
donation box containing about $200. He was arrested shortly after. (Mosaic layer jailed for stealing temple money, 1983)
References
