[Demolished Buildings] Government Printing Office

1993 map showing the Singapore National Printers Ltd. - Department of Geography

The building was formerly known as the Government Printing Office till 1973 - Department of Geography

Photo of The former Government Printing Office taken by Mr Lee Kip Lin - National Library Board

The Government Printing Office was first established in 1867. (National Archives of Singapore, 2018) The office was first located in High Street before relocating to the Upper Serangoon Road building in the 1930s. 

Every important document that the government had needed (From annual reports to secret reports) to use were printed in this building.

"It functioned as the Singapore Government's central organization responsible for all printing work from Government Gazettes, Bills, Ordinances, School and Government examination papers and syllabuses, directories, departmental annual reports, Legislative Assembly debates, statistical publications, scientific works, official forms, revenue receipts, account books, registers, to invitation cards, publicity posters, booklets and pamphlets." (National Archives of Singapore, 2018)

It is also said that during the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese took over the building to meet their own printing needs. (National Archives of Singapore, 2018)

The building continued to be used after the war "until 1 April 1973, when it became a private printing company and subsequently renamed as Singapore National Printers (Pte) Ltd." (National Archives of Singapore, 2018)

The first two directors of the company were Mr Kwa Soon Chuan and Ms Julia Yeow Geok Imm, both of whom were civil servants. (National Archive of Singapore)

The present company is now called Toppan Security Printing Pte Ltd. (Toppan, 2019)

 

Questions: 

- Why did the government choose to locate the office at Upper Serangoon Road? 

- During the Japanese Occupation, which department took charge of the printing office?

References

Department of Geography. 2016. Singapore Then & Now.  https://www.nusgis.com/thenandnow/. National University of Singapore. Retrieved on November 30, 2019.   

National Archive of Singapore. 2018.  https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/government_records/agency-details/121. Retrieved on November 30, 2019.

National Library Board. 2009. Government Printing Office. https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/pictures/details/6db365a1-7845-4cdb-8fc4-437d5756e012. Retrieved on November 30, 2019. 

 

Singapore National Printers Pte Ltd Agenda & Minutes of Directors' Meeting.
National Archive of Singapore.

https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/government_records/record-details/23ce225d-11ca-11e8-a2a9-001a4a5ba61b. Retrieved on November 30, 2019.  

Toppan. 2019. https://www.toppan.com/en/location/singapore/. Retrieved on November 30, 2019.

[Buildings] Oh What Rubbish!

The humble Rubbish Chute, who do not know what that is? Well, you'll be surprised that this is not totally common in the household of people around the world.

I had interacted with a foreign student who had stayed in Singapore's high-rise apartment for three weeks. He was here for an exchange programme. He shared about how he had to bag his rubbish everyday and from his 10-storey apartment, made his way down to the rubbish bin to dispose of his rubbish. He only found out that there's a rubbish chute in each apartment only on the last day of his stay. We laughed over the gaffe but in truth, we forget that having rubbish chutes in high rise is uniquely Singapore.

I'd also just returned from, my holiday in Sarawak. I stayed in a condominium which I'd booked through Airbnb. In this condominium, residents are able to also dispose their refuse on the level that they are staying. However, it's not a rubbish chute that they have, but elongated squarish green rubbish bins enclosed in a rubbish area.

Forfar House. Source: http://www.mycommunity.org.sg/heritage/princess-trail/38-former-forfar-house-3.html

So the Singapore version of the rubbish chutes is truly unique to our country. In-home rubbish chutes have been ever present in public houses since the 1950s. An example of rubbish chutes in a high rise flat can be seen in an article lauding the launch of this now famous building called Forfar House. This public block of flats was built by the former our public housing authority - Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT). (Minister to open sky flats tomorrow, 1956)

"All kitchens are served by built-in refuse chutes running the full height of the building and discharging into removal bins at ground level".

That's me in 1977. Can you find the opening of the rubbish chute?

Of course, rubbish chutes are not unique only to Singapore, but with more than 80% of our population living in government-built high rise apartments, most of us would have experienced the use of rubbish chutes.

Modern Day Rubbish Chute Found In the Lobby Area

Over the years, there were interesting stories coming out from it, and it's not just rubbish we are talking about.

There were fires that were started from flat dwellers throwing charcoal down the rubbish chutes in the 1980s. Those were the time where charcoal stoves cooking was still a norm. It was reported that fire incidents rose during the Lunar New Year period as people threw charcoal down the rubbish chutes. What charcoal? The new generation of Singapore will find this unthinkable now as very few households now use charcoal to do their cooking. But there was a time where family matriarchs professed that the food cooked by using charcoal tasted better. Charcoal stoves were used to prepare food items such as boiling soup to preparing loveletters.

"...the rubbish chutes, which have been conveniently built into their flats, are an important part of their property, to be utilised in a proper manner" (Ministry of Culture)

In the same news release, residents were encouraged to bag their refuse using plastic bags.

How times have changed!

References
Ministry of Culture. March 13, 1982. Speech by Mr Lee Yock Suan. Press Release. 
Firemen to give talk at CCs. February 25, 1985. The Straits Times. P9.
Minister to open sky flats tomorrow. October 23, 1956. The Straits Times. P7.
Public Housing - A Singapore Icon. Housing Development Board. Retrieved on: June 26, 2017, from
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/about-us/our-role/public-housing--a-singapore-icon
  

[Buildings] Blk 74-80, Commonwealth Drive

Emptied Blocks of Flats

Sound of Silence. If anywhere in Singapore comes close to a ghost town, it would be the seven blocks of Commonwealth Drive. These Housing Development Board (HDB) flats are slated to be torn down in October 2015. It was not like that.

Looking at Heritage Blogger James Seah's post about this place, this place was once full of life. It had life. There was a spritely dame of a coffeeshop, and a kindergarten with nice wall paintings. Sundry shops, hairdresser and hardware shop were all located under these blocks. Indeed it was convenient for the residents there.

A Towering HDB Block in the Background

With the booming population that we see locally, none of these 10-storey blocks will be able to meet the need. It's all about building it upwards. In a nutshell, we cannot stop progress, but we can immortalise some of these scenes through photographs. I'd taken more than 100 photos but I'd like to just share three photographs that I feel, are most meaningful to me. 

1. Old-School Mosaic Tiles

Mosaic Tiles Seen at Blk 74

I started my walk at Blk 74 and was immediately greeted by this beautifully-laid mosaic tiles. Such tiles are really a throwback into time as nowadays, no one will lay mosaic tiles in such a manner. Many will not even use these tiles unless home owners are planning to create a nostalgic feel within their homes.

2. Ground-Floor Kindergarten

Bright Painting Marks this Kindergarten

In its earlier years, Commonwealth Drive had a growing number of young families. Back in those kampung days, it would have been quite an effort sending the child to school and back as educational institutions were located centrally so that everyone would have access to schools. Things started to change in the 70s. Kindergartens were now located under the HDB blocks.

I can just imagine the crackling of children's voices as they learn to read and also, play. Looking at the louvered metal-windows, I can also imagine myself as an excited parent just hoping to meet the eyes of my child. I would have mustered a peep through the windows just to see if my child is doing alright.

3. Letter-Boxes

Row after Row of Letter-Boxes

 These were the HDB letter boxes that quite a number of us are accustomed to. This is how we open our letter-box. There's a circular hook that allows you to put in your own padlock if you so choose to do so. If not, you'd just need to flip the centre lock upwards. Then insert your key to open the letter box.

One other interesting thing to note about the mailbox. The centre flap bears the unit number of your house. If you're staying on the first level and your home address is 777, then it would just be listed as 777. But if you were staying the second level, then your unit number would be 777-A, and third level 777-B. In the late 1970s, the government must have felt that it was difficult for some people and thus implemented 01-777, 02-777. The new format for address can be seen riveted on the top right corner of each letter box.

What an Interesting Find!

In the midst of letter-box gawking, I chanced upon this letter dated 1980. That is a 35-year old letter. The envelope looked pristine in its condition, though the transparent plastic that one could then see our names, had totally disintegrated. The inside document was also tearing, but one could still make up the gist of the letter. How did this letter go missing for such a long time. Also,  how did it largely survive the test of time.

[Housing Estate] Living in Dakota Crescent

I had a chanced meeting with Uncle Vincent Chan. He was doing his weekly 'chi gong' at the open space close to the iconic playground and I was just cycling . I stopped my bicycle and waited for the bare-chested uncle to finished his exercise. He was totally immersed in his exercise and I didn't want to distract him. So I continued to cycle around to capture the last pictures of Dakota Crescent before the entire estate is demolished in 2017.

Tian Kee Provision Shop

After his warm down, we walked over to Tian Kee cafe for a morning tea.The current owner of the cafe, Mr CK Foo - came up with a brilliant idea of keeping the nostalgia of this former provision shop by decorating his cafe with old memorabilia and even kept the old sign board of the old provision shop.

Prior to this being a cafe, Tian Kee and Co. was a provision shop run by Mr Lim Tian Kee. The provision shop loyally served the Dakota residents for 54 years before its owner called it quits in 2013. (1) He cited rising rental and aggressive competition from large supermarkets such as NTUC. Age has also caught up for this 84-year old shop owner. 

Uncle Chan had taken his morning tea together with his fried fritters over at the Old Kallang Airport Market. Still, he was extremely kind to spend two hours with me to chat about a wide array of topics - from the history of housing estate, to his life and life lessons that he has learnt.

Uncle Chan, 68, is one of the first pioneer residents of Dakota Crescent. Together with his father, Uncle Chan moved into his rental flat at Block 50 in 1958. He was 12 years old then. 

In 1980, he was asked to move out as the government had wanted to develop that piece of land. He was then given another rental flat at Block 20. which he has been staying in with his son.

Uncle Chan went on to share -

1. Dakota Crescent was an ulu place in the 1950s. There were no public buses serving this area and in order to go to town, he had to take walk to Mountbatten to take the public transport

2. The blocks are generally even-numbered. The odd-number blocks have all been torn down   

Updated December 31, 2016

References

1. Cheong, K. October 19, 2013. Shutters for 54-year-old provision shop. The Straits Times. 

Further Reading

 Yeo, S. J. December 31, 2016. Some haven't moved out of Dakota Crescent. The Straits times. B1. http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/some-havent-moved-out-dakota-crescent