Times of My Life

This is my old Chinese Composition exercise book, 31 years ago when I was in Sec.3 (1977);

Note that this old Chinese Composition exercise book was turned from left to right as it was binded on the right side instead of on the left side.

Take a look at the inside;

The unique part is the pages are joined in this manner;

Nowadays I don’t think the school is still using such Chinese Composition exercise book. My Sec.2 son’s Chinese Composition paper is in the form of foolscap paper type;

Of course I prefer the new type which is more convenient!

…continued from Part 1

Sorry for the delay in Part 2 due to my poor health for the past few weeks.

It will be interesting to note the differences when we compared the old map of Singapore River with the current one. There seems to be more sources and the river seems longer in the past.

The area around and along the Singapore River was swampy and muddy even before the colonial times. This can be seen from most old maps of the Singapore River.

Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Stephen Dodds, Singapore University Press

As you can see from the above map, there were many sources of the river. Some seem to be at the foot of Fort Canning Hill (known as Bukit Larangan in the past), and Pearl’s Hill (known as Mt. Stamford in the past). Also from the above map, you will note that the areas near the Singapore River were mainly marsh (a marsh is a wetland submerged by water).

Let’s start with Area 1 (from the above map);

As shown above, this Area 1(island) is prone to flooding at the South Bank. What I’ve read was that the Area 1 at South Bank was raised and the marsh behind filled to overcome the flooding. This should be around 1822. So maps after 1822 may not show this island Area 1, I think so.

Area 2;

Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Stephen Dodds, Singapore University Press

From 1869, the area above Coleman Bridge were filled up to prevent flood and thus more godowns were built. As such, pollution of the river was another problem to be fixed from 1870 to 1970. Before 1860, most commercial activities were below Elgin Bridge and seldom up to Coleman Bridge and above.

Area 3;

This is the triangular shaped Pulau Saigon which Victor ever mentioned in the comments in my previous post. In Chinese, it’s called 浮罗西贡. Before I proceed on, I would like to highlight why sometimes it’s called “Pulau Saigon” while in some street directories, you see “Pulo Saigon”. Javanese called “Pulo“, while Indonesian called “Pulau“, both mean Island.

I have always wonder why it is called “Saigon”? Anyone has any idea?

Frankly even during my early visits to the Singapore River in the late 60s or early 70s, I don’t remember seeing any Pulau Saigon. Maybe I was too young to remember it…Peter, Chun See or Victor may have some memories of it.

When I took a look at my old Singapore Street Directory (the early 70s Chinese edition), the only thing I can find is the Pulau Saigon Road. You can find a footbridge to the north of this road. The original Pulau Saigon Bridge was built in 1890, but demolished in 1986. The reason for the demolition was that the Bridge was too old and it blocked the development of Central Expressway.

Pulau Saigon Bridge was also called Footbridge because the completion of Clemenceau Bridge in 1922 forestalled any need of developing it further and its status as a pedestrian bridge was maintained.

The map below shows 2 bridges connected to the Pulau Saigon island;

Credit : Old map from Cornell Education.

A new Pulau Saigon Bridge was constructed near the former location of the original Pulau Saigon Island as an extension of Saiboo Street. Before reclamation works merged the Pulau Saigon Island with the south bank of the river, there used to be two bridges which connected the island to both river banks. Both bridges were demolished by 1986. - BY National Heritage Board

Credit : Chief Surveyor, Survey Dept. Ministry of Law

This is how the Pulau Saigon looked like in 1900;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Below shows the Pulau Saigon Bridge;

Credit : National Heritage Board

Take a look at the Pulau Saigon Bridge in 1974;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Here is another photo of the Pulau Saigon Bridge which is also the Bridge No.1 from the Chinese Newspaper in 1985;

Credit : Nanyang Sinchou, Chinese Newspaper, 15 Dec 1985

This Pulau Saigon Bridge was also known as Butcher Bridge as there was a butcher staying nearby. This was also mentioned in the Straits Times 1985 copy;

Credit : The Straits Times, 30 Sep 1985

So from the above, I believed that the Pulau Saigon Bridge was still around in the 80s. Peter may remeber something about the old railway track via this Pulau Saigon island. But that railway track bridge is another bridge, not the same Pulau Saigon Bridge as show below;

Sources : Singapore Railways History

The railway joined on the same footbridge No.2 though but not on the footbridge No.1.

So what happen to Pulau Saigon Bridge now? Is it still around? The Pulau Saigon Bridge is now a Vehicular Bridge, completed in June 1997, linking Havelock Road to Robertson Quay;

Credit : URA

Credit : Sengkang (nickname)

Before I end, here is another view of the Pulau Saigon in the 80s;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

It seems the area around Singapore River has changed tremendously and whether there were islands or islets at the Singapore River before, is no longer important now..or maybe long forgotten…

When I was sorting out my stamp album, I came across this “Old Maps Of Singapore” collection;

And among these 4 stamps, I’m most interested in the 60cents Singapore River area stamp;

You can see the red arrow pointing at the darkened triangle “island”. Is that really an island? Even when I used a magnifying glass, I really can’t tell.

The map in this stamp was reproduced from the 1862 Jules Michael Moniot map as shown below;

Credit : Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS

You can see the same darkened triangle island on that map too. So are there other islands along the Singapore River too? The river had changed over it’s shape, length and appearance over time. Let us take a look at some very old maps of the Singapore River.

1819 :

Credit : Belly of the Carp by Roger Vaughan Jenkins

This is probably the earliest map of the Singapore River I’ve come across. This part of the Singapore River is known as the “Belly of the Carp” as it probably looks like it. This is a very simple map but as we know, early maps are not so accurate due to lack of technology.

Below is another 1819 map from the book “The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002″ by Stephen Dobbs, Singapore University Press;

Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Singapore University Press, NUS Publishing

The above map shows a lightly shaded part known as “Kuala Bank” (River Mouth Bank) at the mouth of the Singapore River.

1822 :

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

The above is the town map which shows an “island” at the mouth of the Singapore River. This is represented by the dotted lines at the previous “Belly of the Carp” location. This map is probably from the Raffles Town Map.

1825 :

The above map doesn’t show any “islands” at all. I don’t remember where I got this map from, sorry if I left out the credit for this.

1828 :

Credit : Singapore : A Pictorial History 1819 to 2000 by Gretchen Liu

This is probably the well know Raffles Town Plan map by Lt. Philip Jackson. From this plan, you can see those dotted lines showing like an “island” at the mouth of the Singapore River.

So what is the dotted line “island” shown on some old maps (but not all)? Is that really an island? Why is it missing from the river now?

I checked with a map enthusiast Mok Ly Yng and he told me it is not an island but a sandbar. What’s a sandbar? I didn’t learn that in my Geography lesson or I’ve forgotten about it haha. Thanks to Ly Yng, he explained that to me in his email clearly;

“Island’ no. 1 is actually a sand bar, this is indicated by the use of dotted lines for the boundary in the 1828 map and dots without a clear solid line boundary in the 1836 map. A sand bar can only be seen mostly during low tides and is usually not permanent in shape or size. This sand bar was removed by dredging sometime by the 1840s when the famous ‘Singapore Stone’ was removed too. I do not have a definite date or reference for this. Just an educated guess. That was part of the improvement plan for navigation in Singapore River. Dredging in Singapore River continued until the river was converted into its present state. Due to Singapore’s elevation and the volume of water in the river, sand deposit very easily at the mouth, forming obstacles for navigation.

I do not know of any record of this sand bar’s name.”

Credit : Mok Ly Yng’s Public Gallery of Old Maps

1869 :

Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Singapore University Press, NUS Publishing

Another reason for the sandbar is stated in the book “The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002″ by Stephen Dobbs mentioned earlier. In his book it was mentioned that in late 1822, a considerable amount of sand had built up around the mouth of the Singapore River due to the construction of the jetties on the North Boat Quay side. Those structures were interfering with the natural course of the river thus resulted in the silt near its river mouth.From the book, we understand that many dredges were put at the river to remove the silt but not really successful.

At least I learned something new despite my age - “sandbar”. I’ve never like Geography when I was young, so probably I was sleeping when my teacher was teaching about it or ….

Guess this sandbar is completely removed from the mouth of the Singapore River by now.

Update from Mr.Mok Ly Yng (dated 4 Jun 2008);

“Dear Laokokok,

I have read your post on the islands of Singapore River.

Sandbar (now apparently written as one single word) is also known as a ’sandbank’ (now also as one word). Perhaps it could have been a ‘mudbank’ then. It all depends on the type of sediment that was deposited there and then. The type of sediment is very much dependent on the type of rock or geological environment through which the river passes through upriver. This includes the main course plus any tributaries that feed into the main river. ‘White sand’ was observed at the Bugis area, hence the Chinese name of ‘White Sand Float(ing)’. Scientists have very precise definitions for ’sand’, ‘mud’ and ’silt’ etc.

I don’t have a geology map of Singapore handy with me. But the dredging is to remove any obstacles to shipping, it is not necessarily a reflection of the muddiness of the river at that time. Again this is educated speculation without knowing the dominant material that made up the river bed of the Singapore river near the mouth, and the sea bottom material at the mouth of the river. The tidal forces could also flush the river, but that depends on the strength of the tides. A combination of these factors could turn the water near the river mouth rather murky or turbid.

Thanks for the post and the interesting links to other maps.

Best regards,

Ly Yng”

I will talk about the other islands in my next part.

How many of you still have those old Ten Years Series in the 60s and 70s? Yes they are the so called official compilation of past years examination papers for the GCE ‘O’ Levels and ‘A’ Levels. But whether these are approved publication by the MOE and University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate, I’m not sure.

How much was it then?

See who is the publisher;

See above, I drew a picture of the Jaws on it! Probably influenced by the Movie Jaws then…haha…

Those ten years series in the past were really “No Frills” type of books - simple cover designs and even the inside will make you fall asleep;

Of course when buying the Ten Years Series, we must ensure that it comes with the answers found at the back;

Above all photo credits : Scholastic Books and Publications

Now even the Pri.6 PSLE also have the similar type compilations of past examinations papers but only 5 Years Series. And now it’s by MOE, Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board.

Credit : MOE and Hillview Publications Pte Ltd

Not to mention now we have too many types of assessment books and those past years examinations papers from top schools sold at the road side stalls or push carts for Primary to Secondary schools.

I was officially introduced to this Grand Old Dame when I was in Primary 3 (1971). I’m talking about the Fullerton Building and the Chapter on “A Bus-tour of our City” from the History book “The Pioneering Years”;

The top left corner shows the General Post Office which was the Fullerton Building at that time;

Closer view;

Above credit : Credit : Educational Publication Bureau, MOE, Singapore

In Primary 4, I was again introduced to it now from my Geography Book (Social Studies);

From the sea view;

From another page;

Above credit : McGraw-Hill Far Eastern Publishers (S) Ltd

From the past till now, It’s difficult to find a complete history write up of this Fullerton Building in our school textbook. It’s always a bit here and a bit there. Maybe we should ….. anyway below is a bit of the history on Fullerton Building and Fullerton Square.

Before Fullerton Building was built;

- 1829 : That year, Sir Robert Fullerton (first governor of the Straits Settlement of Singapore) built the Fort Fullerton at the mouth of Singapore River to defend the harbour and warehouses. The Fort was built with Artillery Barracks, a house for the officers and barracks for soldiers. On Battery Point, 68-pounder guns guarded the entrance to the River. The site it was located was now known as Fullerton Square.

Above shows a 1825 map. The Rocky Point was the site where the Fort Fullerton was built. It was then known as Battery or Artillery Point. The Singapore Stone was also found there.

- 1843 : The Singapore Stone (the monolith, a very large standing Sandstone about 3M height and width, with lines of inscription founded soon after the arrival of Raffles) located at the mouth of the Singapore River, was destroyed by the British to extend the Fort Fullerton.

Below shows a fragment of the Singapore Stone;

Credit : Curriculum Planning & Development Division, MOE, Singapore

- 1854 : The Fort Fullerton was expanded by Captain Collyer. By 1859, it was expanded by nearly 3 times its original size and at a cost of $840,000. The fort was demolished in 11 June 1873.

- 1876 : On this site, the first General Post Office was built. The first POSB was established here.

Below shows the first General Post Office building in the 19th century;

- 1879 : On the same site the Exchange Building was built besides the first General Post Office. opened in 1879, and was replaced by Fullerton Building in 1928.

- 1882 : A Victorian-styled fountain was built in Fullerton Square to commemorate the influential merchant Tan Kim Seng’s donation to the City’s Waterworks. In 1925, this fountain was moved to the Esplanade and the space vacant became a car park which was also the venue for many election rallies in the past. Many important buildings also then built around this Fullerton Square.

Below shows the first General Post Office, the Exchange and the Tan Kim Seng fountain in 1885;

Another postcard showing the General Post Office in 1900;

A 1910 postcard of the General Post Office;

- 1923 to 1924 : The Exchange Building was demolished.

After the Fullerton Building was built;

- 1925 to 1928 : The construction of the Fullerton Building began. During the initial groundwork, excavations revealed the gun casements of the old Fort Fullerton. In fact, the Fullerton Building was built over reclaimed land. This Neo-classical architecture was originally built to house the General Post Office.

2 tablets, one on each side of the entrance stairway reveals that the construction work began on February 1924, and the building was completed in June 1928. The building cost was estimated at S$4,098,808, but The Straits Times of 27 June 1928, quoted the cost of S$4,750,000, as the eventual bill.

A 1928 postcard showing the Fullerton Building;

Another view of the Fullerton Building in 1929;

- 1928 : The General Post Office moved in 2 weeks after the completion of the Fullerton Building. The GPO used the basement and two lower floors as sorting rooms, postal halls and offices. It utilized the waterfront along Collyer Quay to transport the post onto ships. A historic tunnel under Fullerton Road was used to load the mail onto waiting ships, bound for the world. The tunnel still exists today.

Other Tenants;

- The Singapore Chamber of Commerce was the first tenant to move in. Here were the headquarters of the international trade organization.

- The Singapore Club occupied the upper floors of the building. The Club’s 6,968 sq. m (75,000 sq. feet) of facilities included dining rooms, club rooms, billiards and card rooms, and, sleeping accommodation on the upper floors.

- The other early occupants of Fullerton Building included The Exchange and Chamber of Commerce.

Government Office Tenants;

- Other early Government Office tenants included the Marine Surveyor and Marine Department, Imports and Export Department, and the offices of Chief Health Officer, the Government Vetinerary Surgeon, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forest departments. Other departments of the Ministry of Finance were also based here.

A 1930s photo of the General Post Office besides the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank;

A 1935 photo of the General Post Office. Note the British Crown above the word General Post Office;

- 1942 : During the war, Governor Shenton Thomas and Lady Thomas stayed in the sleeping quarters in when the Government House (now the Istana) was hit by artillery and aerial attacks. During the last days before the British surrender of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942, the building was used as a hospital with make-shift operation rooms to treat British soldiers.

Below shows the Japanese soldiers marching in at Fullerton Square in 1942;

Above photo credit : Imperial War Museum

During the Japanese Occupation, Fullerton Building was the headquarters of the Japanese Military Administration. Singaporeans may remember that the Japanese demanded $50 million from the Chinese in Singapore and Malaya in atonement for the crimes committed by Chinese people against the Japanese. A cheque for $50 million was handed to Lieut-General Tomoyuki Yamashita at a ceremony in the Singapore Club at the top of Fullerton Building sometime in February 1942.

- 1950s : Since the 1950s, Fullerton Square has been the site of many election campaign rallies. 1950s was the decade with the most riots and strikes in Singapore.

Below shows the aerial photo of the Fullerton Building in the 1950s. Did you see the lighthouse on the building?

Above photo credit : Editions Didier Millet, National Archivers of Singapore

- 1958 : A lighthouse was installed on the rooftop of the Fullerton Building to guide ships out in the harbour. inactive since 1979. Round lantern with aerobeacon, originally mounted atop the Fullerton Building, which was then the General Post Office.

Below shows a 1930 aerial photo of the Fullerton Building without the Lighthouse yet;

Above credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Below shows a 1950s aerial photo with the Lighthouse on the Fullerton Building;

Above photo credit : Editions Didier Millet, National Archivers of Singapore

- 1960s : SM Goh Chok Tong used to work in this building when he was in the Economic Planning Unit of the civil service. For lunch, he was a regular at the Spartan, roof-top canteen.

- 1970 to 1995 : When the General Post Office vacated the Fullerton Building, it was taken over by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore as their headquarters from 1970s to 1995.

- 1996 to 1999 : All the tenants had moved out by 1996. The building was up for tender bids in early 1997, and the building was bought over by Sino Land, who spent S$400 million, for a full two-year restoration and redeveloped project which converted and transformed Fullerton Building to a 6-star hotel.

- 2000 to 2001 : The Fullerton Hotel was opened on May 2000 and officially launched on 1 January 2001.

Below shows the Fullerton Hotel;

Interesting isn’t it? Now take a look at the Fullerton Building with it’s skyline changes over time. I will try to find photos taken from almost the same Queen Elizabeth Walk (now known as Esplanade) of the building;

1. 1905 - 1910 : View from Queen Elizabeth Walk when the Fullerton Building was not built. This is a 1976 stamp in the Art Series launched in Singapore;

2. 1930 : A photo postcard showing the then General Post Office (Fullerton Building). Note the original color of Anderson Bridge then;

3. c1935 - Probably the later part of 1930s view of the General Post Office. Note the change in color of the bridge and the background building if any;

4. 1946 : Still not much changes in the skyline;

Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

5. 1954 : One major change in this 50s photo of the Fullerton Building. The Bank Of China was built besides it as seen in the background;

Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

6. 1960S : The photo still showing only the Bank Of China besides the Fullerton Building. Note the coconut tree in the foregroud still there since 1930s haha;

7. 1970 : Even until 1970, still not much changes;

Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

8. 2003 : Guess the major changes should be started in late 70s and 80s;

9. 2007 : This one taken by myself last year;

You may see the below poster on the changes in the skyline by URA;

Before I end this post, let’s take a look at the construction of the Fullerton Building from 1925 to 1927;

Above : 1925 - under construction.

Above : 1927 - almost complete.

Below is one very nice sketch of the Fullerton Building;

Above credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

You may read more about Fullerton Building at Sale of Fullerton Square by URA

…my apology if I left out any credits (pls let me know).

Guess it’s the month that no Singaporeans like! Yes, April is the month that you must file your Income Tax return - can’t remember the date as now there is no date for me! Thanks to e-filing. Now I don’t have to do any e-filing for my wife and myself too.

I remember when I was young and staying with my parents in the 70s, my father would visit my 6th uncle to help him to fill in his income tax return. Of course there wasn’t such thing as e-filing then. When I got married, it’s my turn to do the income tax return for my wife - and I wonder why am I tasked with this job??? Is it written in the Income Tax brochure?

So when was my first Income Tax Notice of Assessment? Since I was an Air Force Regular from 1982 to 1988, so mine was the IR8C;

Now take a look at my wife’s Original Assessment for the Year of Assessment 1988;

Notice the Merlion Logo on the right and the address of the left.

The above address still at Fullerton Building. I hate such ‘carbon copy’ type of letter, as it’s very difficult to read;

Below is my Notice of Assessment for YOA 1984. It’s ok since I was a regular and the pay is of no secret haha;

You may see the list of participating banks for GIRO payment. Some of the banks are no longer existing;

I remember in 1986, I was asked to go down to the Income Tax dept. at the Fullerton Building to settle my tax problem;

Finally got it settle via instalment payment from my salary;

Frankly I still remember at that time those income tax officers sound so unfriendly.

Below is my Notice of Assessment for the YOA 1994. Note the address is still at the Fullerton Building;

In 1994, I received a letter from the Inland Revenue (Income Tax dept) bearing the New Logo but the address still showing Fullerton Building;

And guess what the New Logo represents or means;

An early-day coin, energised by a subtle “S” curve across it. Read more from here.

Here is a brief history of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS);

- Singapore Income Tax Department was created in 1947.

- Following self-government in 1959, the Inland Revenue Department was formed in 1960.

- When Singapore attained independence on 9 August 1965, substantial changes were made to the Income Tax Act, which came into effect on 1 January 1966.

- In 1970 that year saw the appointment of the first local Commissioner, Mr Hsu Tse-Kwang.

- On 1 September 1992, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) was established by legislation as a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance.

Detail of history here.

Credit : IRAS

Below shows the first Notice of Assessment for the year 1996 with the New Logo and New Address at Newton;

The other thing I hate most about the Income Tax is the reading of all those enclosed brochures;

And I really hate filling in this;

I’m glad that they started e-Filing for Income Tax. Initially though there was some hiccups but now everything is fine.

Now it’s even better, no more e-filing for me and my wife!

For those that been to the new Inland Revenue Building at Newton, you will surely see this ‘Ring Fountain’ outside the building;

Below is the photo during the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the Inland Revenue Building in 1992;

When I was shopping at Shop N Save at Tampines Mart last week, I realised that the prices of almost all items have gone up tremendously. Even the 3-1 Milo pack (my children reminded me to replenish it) has gone up in price. This led me to compare the prices between Milo and Ovaltine (as I used to substitute Coke with Pepsi)…Ovaltine is cheaper by about 50cents and comes with a free premium game!

After I reached home, I started to think - Ovaltine or Milo, which is ‘older’? I mean which product was marketed first?

I remember when I was very young and staying with my Godmother’s family at Beatty Road, she used to make ‘O val tin Kar Dan’ (Cantonese) for me, which is breaking an raw egg into a cup of very hot Ovaltine. My first contact with Milo was maybe in mid Primary (probably Pri. 3 or 4), when I was told to draw a tin of Milo and color it with poster color. So I guess should be Ovaltine first then Milo….hehe.

Below shows the old Milo tin that I used to draw for my art lesson;

OK, let’s do some research;

Ovaltine;

Started in : 1865

Country of Origin : Switzerland but first manufactured in Britain

Meaning of Name Ovaltine : Oval means Egg

How It Started : In 1865, George Wander set up his own laboratory in Bern (Switzerland) . There he produced a malt extract which for decades was to provide a vital food supplement for children and sick people. When he died, his son Albert, a pharmacist and chemist, worked to improve the product, adding other natural energizing ingredients to the malt extract. In 1904, Ovaltine was born.

Invented by George Wander originally as “Ovo-Maltine” in Switzerland - a fortified barley powdered egg malted-milk beverage. His son’s Albert had it produced in Britain but the British spelt it wrongly and thus the name “Ovaltine”. It was later that cocoa was added to it and thus the current Ovaltine! Read more about it here.

Product : Sold as nourishing bedtime drink

Look at the billboard ad along New Bridge Road in the 60s;

Photo Credit above : singas.co.uk

How a 1921 Ovaltine tin looked like;

A 1961 Ovaltine ad;

Milo;

Started in : 1934

Country of Origin : Australia

Meaning of Name Milo : Derived its name from MILON (600 BC), a champion athlete of ancient Greek mythology. He was renowned for his feats of strengths.

How It Started : Invented by Thomas Mayne, an industrial chemist working at a Nestlé factory in Australia. The product was launched in 1934.

Product : Sold as tonic food drink

Below shows an old advertisement in 1940 (Straits Times);

Credit : SPH, Straits Times

If you can’t see clearly how a 1940 Milo tin looked like, here it is in color (the top tin);

Credit : Nestle

Many uses of such Ovatine and Milo tins such as storing of money as ‘piggy bank’. The Milo tin was usually used as kinda ‘cash register’ in some old shops.

You can find this Milo tin hanging as a ‘cash register’ in this shop even in the 90s;

Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

You may find Milo ads in most sports competition;

Credit : SPH, Straits Times

Below shows an Ovaltine signboard in a shop (1986);

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Now both Ovaltine and Milo have undergone many changes in packaging, product types and taste as well. It seems that Milo are more aggressive in advertising especially in the sports arena as you can see on the Milo tin itself. Did Ovaltine still comes in tin form now???

So which one do you prefer Ovaltine or Milo? My kids prefer Milo - don’t know why?

The above was the First Day Cover issued on National Day in 1974. What’s so special about it then? It’s probably one of the most popular campaign in the 70s.

Do you still remember this popular logo of the 70s? That’s the Family Planning logo! So what’s Family Planning all about and the changes from the past till now.

All the while I thought Family Planning only started in the 70s when the Singapore population was dropping then. At that time there wasn’t such a thing as Internet for me to check it out haha. All that we saw are those Family Planning posters and TV or Radio ads.

Below are some popular posters on Family Planning;

This one with the phrase “Girl or Boy, Two is Enough” - this was the most popular phrase in the 70s.

“The Second Can Wait” - this one was for those who were married and probably telling them that the second child can wait, no need to rush for it.

This one probably was probably asking couples not to rush into marriage. Look at the age of that couple in the poster…still wait….

What a contrast compared to now! In the 70s, the government was advising the people to “Stop At 2″, that’s try not to have more than 2 children per family. Why?

In 1965, on the average 1 baby was born in Singapore every 11 minutes. Check out this link here.

So birth rate already started to fall since 1957 to 1970. I remember there was such policies as “population disincentives” for couples having 3 or more children. You may read about it here too. So all these were very contrasting to our current “Have 3 or more if you can afford it” and tax incentives for more children. Why the 180 deg. change in policy? Probably due to the very successful implementation of the first Family Planning campaign.

You may take a look at Singapore population from the past. You may note that in some years, there was negative growth too. It’s rather funny that in the 1966 to 1968, Singapore is consider over crowded with a population of almost 2 million then in an area of just over 2 hundred square miles. But now, though we have reclaimed lots of land from the sea, what population are we aiming at? 6.5 million?

Besides Singapore, Hong Kong also facing the same population boom in the 60s and 70s. Below are some interesting TV ads from Hong Kong.

In 1972;

In 1973 (very similar to our “Stop at 2″);

In 1983 ;

I like this ad best;

Interesting right? How I wish to find some of our local ads too..

In 1975 National Day, we also had the Family Planning float;

and the one in 1968;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

And before the Singapore Family Planning and Population Board,what do we have? You may wish to read about the Singapore Family Planning Association (FPA) from the 30s to 72.

If you were to ask me what’s my National Language when I was in Primary or Secondary school, I may be able to answer you then. When I ask my son (Sec.2) and daughter (Pri.3l) what’s their National Language, guess what they said?

Listen to the below recording to hear what my children said about their National Language;

I wouldn’t blame them for not knowing. I myself do not know the answer too now! What’s my National Language now? Is it still Malay? I guess even the teachers or MOE didn’t want to mention or promote Malay as our National Language openly.

Malay was not taught as a National Language in Singapore to Non-Malay students for many many years but now, MOE wanted to re-introduce Malay back to schools (Primary and Secondary) for Non-Malay students. It’s good to learn another language if the students are able to cope with it and the schools are not just implementing it because so and so said so…

I was taught Malay as a National Language in Primary School and right up till Secondary 1. It was even recorded our Report Book as National Language and teachers then told us so too. Though Malay was not an examination subject then, it was taught during curriculum time. Yes I’ve blogged about this report book before.

See the school’s letter to my Primary 3 girl;

Here is my Secondary 2 son’s letter from the school;

Note that both have to pay for the book ourselves though the Primary School one is a free course and non compulsory. My son’s Secondary school said it’s compulsory and have to pay for it ourselves though subsidised and the rest by Edusave. Both are taught outside curriculum time! Total only 10 lessons - approx. 2hrs per lesson per week.

See both did not mentioned that Malay is our National Language regardless of what objectives are given. Also see this speech from MOE site.

Actually what is taught in Primary School and Secondary School are the same, more or less based on the textbooks they used.

The inside;

Now below is my old textbook used for my National Language in 1973 (Pr.4);

See inside;

See I even wrote the meaning on top of the words;

See the price then;

Did you see the difference in the picture illustrations compared to nowadays. Which you prefer?

Oh btw my son told me that even his teacher (in his 20+) is not so sure whether Malay is still our National Language…

Laokokok : “Excuse me, do you sell tracing paper?”

Young salesgirl : “Tracing paper? …What is it? ..pls wait…”

She hurried off to ask another more elderly salesgirl. Together they showed me to a shelf where it was.

Young salesgirl : “Oh, so this is tracing paper!”

I’m rather surprised that the younger generation like my kids (Primary 3 girl and even my Sec.2 boy may not know), do not know what tracing paper are. Some do know about carbon paper.

OK, these are Tracing and Carbon Paper;

The tracing paper now is a bit too thick compared to the past. Of course, the prices have gone up many folds too. The carbon paper was usually of the brand Pelikan (not too sure the spelling) in the past and they are usually used for typing and those receipts and invoices.

I used the tracing paper mainly for my Geography lessons in the 70s - tracing countries maps. With digital cameras, scanners, Photoshop software, etc.. and many modern technology, all these tracing and carbon papers are seldom used nowadays. So many younger generations may not have seen or heard about it, can’t blame them.

Let me try to show you how I used the tracing paper and carbon paper in the past. Below is an example of me trying to trace Pinocchio from a book onto a piece of paper.

Unless one can draw very well, otherwise, this is what I will do.

So do you still use the tracing and carbon paper?