The Straits Times has been publishing some interesting 'then and now' slider images recently. These show common Singapore landmarks as they were, and as they are now.
They include the following:
The MPH Building
See the full size slider photos here.
Capitol Theatre in 1983 and today. See full size slider here.
I am pleased that a number of these heritage buildings are still standing, as many of them were lost forever in the drive for modernisation and thanks to the stress of a tropical climate on such structures.
The newspaper will be adding new slider images each Thursday in 2015 as part of the celebrations this year of Singapore's 50th Anniversary.
...at least not when it comes to local Singaporean knowledge about some of their historic bridges. Several of these are being documented as part of the ongoing cultural and heritage push to document structures and customs before they disappear or are torn down.
I am delighted to see that the urban planners of Singapore are going to the trouble of linking together the heritage sites, museums and walkways, as explained in the video above.
As one who regularly enjoyed these places I remember only too well trying to hug whatever shade was available when strolling in the tropical sun.
For the most part the signage to these buildings and heritage sites is very good. However there are some parts that are not shown so well on the map and unless you are a 'local' are difficult to navigate - the shortest route between two points of interest in such a climate is usually the best.
Imagine how unpleasant it must have been to work on the Singapore River in times gone by. This photo from the reign of George VI shows how congested it used to be. No urban walkways and very few green spaces.
The Singapore River - in the reign of George VI (1937-1952)
When Jimmy Hendrix wrote Purple Haze I am sure he had Singapore in mind. We have been mercifully free from this form of pollution in recent months, but over the past two weeks the smudged ring around the sun has signalled the return of the haze.
I have written about this problem before so will not burden the reader with another rendition. Suffice to say, the Indonesians take the money and run. They gladly accept foreign aid to tackle the problem of their farmers and plantation companies having massive burn-offs of vegetation but very little progress is made in actually combating this problem.
Jackie Chan is well known to movie fans around the world for his action films. He is a man with an interesting life story and I remember reading his biography when I first came to Singapore. While not a native of this country he has a huge following here, as well as in Hong Kong and China. Jackie in turn really enjoys Singapore and has significant property investments here. This week has made the country a very generous donation of heritage houses which he has stored in a Hong Kong warehouse and they are purportedly worth more than $S100 million.
The gift hasn't gone down well with the Hong Kong'ers (or "honkies" as they often referred to in Singapore) who perceive Singapore as having taken what should be rightfully their's to display.
This is a wonderful gift to the new university that the government is planning to open here, ironically on the very site of the failed UNSW Asia campus in Changi. Coming as I did to Singapore in 2006 to work for this defunct operation (which turned out to be a great Australian con job), I am delighted to see that the new university will have Jackie's heritage gift at its cultural heart.
As for those too young to know Hendrix, here is a video of the guitar maestro in action. But why oh why did we wear those terrible military uniform cast-offs back then!
