Words That Move

Index

Click the links below for the respective image credits.

English poem Punggol by Ronald JJ Wong
Chinese poem 组屋族 (The HDB Tribe) by 梁文福 (Liang Wern Fook)
Malay poem Kenangan Tinggal Di Rumah Deret (Memories of Living in a Rowhouse) by Norisah A Bakar
Tamil poem நகர்வளம் (Urban Riches) by அமீருத்தீன் (Amiroudine)

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English poem

Image credits for Punggol by Ronald JJ Wong

A black and white photo of three men resting seated in their individual sampans during a regatta organised by Ponggol Point Community Centre.

Regatta organised by Ponggol Point Community Centre, 1966
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980005250-0045

Five fisherman pushing a sampan out to sea.

Fishermen pushing a sampan to sea, 1950s
Arthur B Reich Collection, National Library, Singapore

A digital illustration of a fishing village at Kangkar, showing fishermen with their boats in the water and thatched houses along the coast in the background.

Artist's impression of the fishing village at Kangkar, 2020
From My Father's Kampung: A History Of Aukang And Punggol by Shawn Seah

A black and white photo of three men standing next to a large pig in its pen. Its snout reaches up to one of the men’s waist.

Pig farm in Singapore, 1960s
Primary Production Department Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20060000818-0060

A fisherman offloading kupang (sea mussels) from a sampan onto shore.

Fisherman unloading kupang (sea mussels) from a sampan at Punggol Point, 1985
National Archives of Singapore
19980005035-0106

A black and white photo of a kelong (offshore fishing platform), consisting of a thatched house built on stilts. It stands in the midst of calm sea waters.

Kelong, 1950s
Courtesy of Sons of David “Danny” Daniel, National Library, Singapore

A black and white photo of 152 feet-tall spire-topped tower of the Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located at Upper Serangoon Road.

Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Upper Serangoon Road, 1976
National Archives of Singapore
19980006212-0045

A digital illustration showing an aerial view of Montfort School and the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Artist's impression of the aerial view of Montfort School and the Church of the Nativity in the 1960s, 2020
From My Father's Kampung: A History Of Aukang And Punggol by Shawn Seah

A group of congregants seated on pews during a church service at the Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Congregation at the Nativity Church, 1970s
Courtesy of Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sarongs (cloth) of diverse patterns hang on a clothesline outside a zinc-roofed house in Kampong Lorong Buangkok.

Sarongs drying on a line outside a house in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 2007
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A black and white photo of Mr William Lawrence Soma Basapa in a suit and tie standing behind Apay, his pet Bengal Tiger.

William Lawrence Soma Basapa and his favourite pet Bengal Tiger, Apay, c. 1930s
Courtesy of Mr Lawrence Basapa

A black and white photo of six men and a boy holding up a 30-foot-long python at the Punggol Zoo.

Measuring a 30-foot python at the Punggol Zoo, c. 1930s
Courtesy of Lawrence Basapa

A black and white photo of flamingos and waterfowls swimming in a pond at the Pungool Zoo.

Flamingos and waterfowls at the Punggol Zoo, c. 1930s
Courtesy of Lawrence Basapa

A black and white World War Two photo showing two rows of Japanese soldiers marching across the Johor Causeway into Singapore.

Imperial guards of the Japanese Army crossing the Johor Causeway, 1942
Lim Kheng Chye Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20060000785-0012

A black and white sketch of five shirtless Chinese men digging a large grave for themselves in a clearing while five Japanese soldiers look on.

Sketch of victims digging their own graves from Chop Suey by Liu Kang, 1946
Reproduced with permission of the Liu Kang family

A black and white photo of the sandy seashore at Punggol Beach. A few sampans and standing wooden poles are scattered across the sand in the shallow water of the sea.

Ponggol beach, 1993
Lee Kip Lin Collection, National Library, Singapore

A black and white photo of the sea, with sand banks of Punggol beach in the foreground. Around 18 pleasure boats are on the water.

View across the Straits of Johor at Punggol Point, 1993
Lee Kip Lin Collection, National Library, Singapore

A black and white photo where a handful of visitors explore the Punggol jetty while some boats lie on the water a short distance away to the right.

Punggol Point, 1993
Lee Kip Lin Collection, National Library, Singapore

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Chinese poem

Image credits for 组屋族 (The HDB Tribe) by 梁文福 (Liang Wern Fook)

A black and white photo of a family of five resting in the living room of their five-room HDB flat.

L-shaped living room in a typical five-room flat, 1975
Courtesy of Housing and Development Board

A cup of black coffee on a saucer and a plate of Chinese pastries lie on newspaper.

Coffee and snacks, 2007
Collection of the National Library, Singapore

A no littering sign on the bare concrete wall of a HDB void deck in Yishun. Rows of metal letterboxes are installed under the sign.

Letter boxes at Yishun Block 406, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

The locked metal gate and wooden door of an HDB flat at the end of a corridor.

Gated HDB flat in Yishun, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A ground floor lift lobby in Sengkang. A notice board separates an open lift on the left from a closed lift on the right.

Lift lobby in Sengkang, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

Above a lift door, a digital screen indicates the lift coming down from the tenth floor.

Inside a lift in Yishun, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A black and white photo of a family of five watches television in the living room of their three-room HDB flat.

The living room in a typical three-room (Improved) flat.
Courtesy of Housing and Development Board

A mixed variety of potted plants line the corridor of a HDB block in Yishun.

Plants lining the corridor of a block at Yishun Ave 6, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A traditional Chinese tear-off calendar showing a large number nine hangs on the wall of a vacated home in Kampong River Valley.

A calendar on the wall of an evacuated house in Kampong House in Kampong River Valley, 1985
Ronni Pinsler Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19990007096-026

A black and white photo of a male staff uses a rotary dial telephone in his office.

A staff using the telephone in his office, 1964
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980000357-0035

Stacks of canned food items arranged on supermarket shelves with price tags displayed.

Canned food in a supermarket, 2019
Laim Kpvinai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Two vintage suitcases stacked on each other, with the top one wide open and empty.

Inside Vintage Suitcases, 2009
Salihan, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr

A cluttered storeroom in the office of Messrs Quek Hwa Heng Engineering, featuring shelves of random tools and supplies.

Office of Messrs Quek Hwa Heng Engineering works at 168 Jalan Lam Sam, 1986
Housing and Development Board Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20150000008-0017

A wall of overlapping paper notices promoting rooms for rent.

Wanted, 2010
Richard Cawood
CC BY-NC 2.0, via Flickr

Several printed advertisements of real estate agents overlap on a notice board at a void deck in Yishun.

Notice board at a void deck in Yishun, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

Passers-by look up at rows of bird cages hanging from a void deck at Clementi.

Bird Singing Hangout at Clementi, 2013
©Tomohisa Miyauchi

A girl in her workout hoodie crosses the traffic light with her white dog.

A girl going on an evening run with her dog, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

Air-con units underneath bedroom windows stand out from a high-rise block in Yishun.

Yishun Block 392, 2023
Courtesy of Lee Zheng Yi

A bottom-up view of an HDB flat at Ghim Moh estate with bright blue sky and white fluffy clouds in the background.

A block of Housing Development Board flat at Ghim Moh estate, 1989
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007516-0028

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Malay poem

Image credits for Kenangan Tinggal Di Rumah Deret (Memories of Living in a Rowhouse) by Norisah A Bakar

A black and white photo of a big banner hung across a newly paved road between two posts. It announces the official opening of Jalan Nanas (Nanas road).

Jalan Nanas, off Jalan Eunos, opened by Assemblyman for Geylang Serai Rahamat bin Kenap, 1965
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980000740-0064

The back alley of zinc-roofed houses in a Malay kampong at Potong Pasir.

Malay village in Potong Pasir, 1970s
John W, (Jack) Humphrey Collection, National Library, Singapore

A group of children and a man pose outside a row house at Jalan Nanas.

Children gathered outside a row house at Jalan Nanas, 1968
Courtesy of Norisah A. Bakar

A fenced dirt yard of a kampong house at Potong Pasir.

Row of fenced houses with front yards in Potong Pasir, 1970s
John W, (Jack) Humphrey Collection, National Library, Singapore

Two Malay girls dressed in their baju kurung (a traditional Malay costume worn by women) play a game of congkak (a traditional Malay two player game in which seeds or marbles are dropped into carved holes in a wooden board) on the floor.

Malay children playing congkak game, 1980s
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980002915-0019

Sarongs hang from clothes lines behind a Malay zinc-roofed house at Lorong Engku Aman, Geylang Serai.

Malay House at Lorong Engku Aman, Geylang Serai, 1980
Maznah Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980006536-0078

A boy plays hopscotch in a corridor while several other children look on from behind him. The hopscotch tiles have been drawn on the floor in chalk.

Children playing Chinese hopscotch, 1960-1980
Singapore Sports Council, National Archives of Singapore
19980005606-0090

A man stands among some furniture in the living room of his house in Kampong Wak Selat.

Interior view of a Malay house in Kampong Wak Selat, 1993
National Archives of Singapore
19980005752-0084

A sagging mattress covered by a translucent netting, inside a bedroom at Kampong Bugis.

Bedroom in a house at Kampong Bugis, 1986
National Archives of Singapore
19980006064-0003

A housewife wearing a kebaya (a traditional Malay costume worn by women) bends over a concrete stove in a kampong kitchen.

A housewife in a kampong kitchen, 1960s
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007374-0066

Five children playing around a standpipe spouting water in Geylang Serai.

Children playing with water from a standpipe in Geylang Serai, 1960s
K. F. Wong Collection,, National Archives of Singapore
2005-007817-KFW

A row of outhouse toilets in Kampong Marang.

Toilets in Kampong Marang, 1986
National Archives of Singapore
19980006560-0110

Three individuals share a boat during a flood in a kampong at Geylang Serai, while some others stand in knee-high water.

A flood at Geylang Serai by photographer Lim Lam San, c. 1930
National Museum of Singapore, Courtesy of National Heritage Board

Three individuals stand in floodwater at the doorway of their kampong home.

Dwellers waiting for the flood to subside at Bedok, 1954
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980001092-0009

A Malay lady cooks in a big pot during Hari Raya Haji, in an open area within Kampong Sarhad. Two adults look on while they ready big empty bowls in their hands.

Hari Raya Haji celebration at Kampong Sarhad, 1986
National Archives of Singapore
19980006542-0009

Street hawkers and a large crowd watch a live Chinese opera performance at Clive Street.

Crowd watching a Chinese opera performance at Clive Street, 1960s
Courtesy of Sons of David “Danny” Daniel, National Library, Singapore

A crowd looks up at Chinese street opera actors performing on stage.

Chinese street opera (wayang), c. 1966-1980
John Ernest Gardiner Collection, National Library, Singapore

A family carries furniture out of their thatched kampong house.

Kampong folks moving to high rise living, 1963
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007373-0049

Several people work to carry their possessions onto a lorry during their move to new HDB flats.

Neighbours helping during the move from a kampong to high rise flats, 1968
Courtesy of Norisah A. Bakar

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Tamil poem

Image credits for நகர்வளம் (Urban Riches) by அமீருத்தீன் (Amiroudine)

A street sign that reads, 'Lorong Buang Kok 19'.

Street sign 'Lorong Buang Kok 19', 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A man standing amidst young banana trees uses a shovel to till the soil at Kampong Lorong Buangkok.

Man tilling soil in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A zinc-roofed house with pink outer walls in Kampong Lorong Buangkok.

Exterior of a house in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A crumbling kampong house captured in the process of demolition at River Valley Close while HDB flats stand tall in the background.

Demolition and land clearing of a Kampong at River Valley Close, 1989
Ronni Pinsler Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19990007096-089

A woman in Kampong Lorong Buangkok opens the gate to her front yard to let her dog out.

House number 29D at Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 2000
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

Several chickens on a grassy clearing at Kampong Lorong Buangkok.

Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 2000
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A woman running her chicken stall in Tanjong Pagar wet market.

Frozen chicken stall in Tanjong Pagar wet market, 1989
National Archives of Singapore
19980007362-0060

Two strikingly tall coconut trees at Kampong Lorong Buangkok.

Towering coconut trees in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A black and white photo of two high rise HDB blocks at Kallang with Bendemeer Shopping Mall in between them.

View of Kallang Basin after reclamation with few blocks of Housing and Development Board flats, 1970
Housing and Development Board Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980005147-0030

A long row of various potted plants line a residential corridor of block 6C, Margaret Drive.

Margaret Drive flat at block 6C, 2010
Little Red Dot Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

A dirt pathway in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, lined with lush foliage on both sides, leads up to a garden archway.

Pathway in Kampong Lorong Buangkok, 1999
Liesel Strauss Collection, National Library Board, Singapore

An expressway with numerous high-rise buildings in the background.

View of an expressway, 1985-1999
G. P. Reichelt Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20130000074-0017

HDB blocks with an orderly red and white facade stand behind some vehicles.

Upgraded Housing and Development Board flat on Selegie Road, c. 2000s
Peter Lamb Collection, National Archives of Singapore
20100000052-0017

A group of individuals work to load their furniture onto a lorry in front of a thatched kampong house.

Kampong folks moving to high rise living in Housing And Development Board flats, 1963
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007373-0053

A family of four poses inside their new, largely empty, HDB flat.

New homes for old interior view of a flat, c. 1960
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, National Archives of Singapore
19980007373-0051