Susan of A Juggling Mom has initiated a SG Heritage Playground series to commemorate Singapore’s 50th Birthday. A couple of us Mommy Bloggers will be taking you island wide as we go in search for some of these beloved but not forgotten old-school playgrounds that hold special memories of our childhood.

 

 

I don’t know about you. But as I grow older, I become more sentimental…Growing up in an HDB estate in West Coast Drive, I have very fond memories of the large Dragon Playground just in front of my block. It was the ubiquitous meeting place for the kids in the neighbourhood. Such playgrounds were just one of the many designed locally by the HDB for Singapore’s public housing estates.  Every afternoon after school, we would gather at its foot to play catching, hide and seek, to run, to play ‘masak masak’ with fallen leaves, twigs, dried fruits, pebbles, sand and whatever we could find in the sandpit. On special occasions like the ‘Mid-Autumn Festivals’, we would light up its perimeter with candles and lanterns of all shapes and colours. How precious are those memories! However, our fast pace of modernization saw this these public playgrounds’ fell into disrepair by the mid 90s.  Many of them were demolished faster than the speed of lightning due to poor maintenance and lack of safety standards.  Today, what our children play with are sterile, plastic modular playgrounds sitting on rubber mats.

 

The Dragon Playground at Toa Payoh Lorong 6 rises out of a sand pit, inviting children to play on its slide and spine.  Constructed in the 1979 by former HDB interior designer Khor Ean Ghee, the good news is that it has been spared demolition and would remain in its original location as part of the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) plans for the area.  Even though the surrounding blocks have been vacated, the Dragon Playground here sees a healthy stream of visitors, especially on weekends – local families like us with young children in tow, film and documentary makers hoping to encapsulate a slice of memory, wedding couples seeking retro photo backdrops and curious tourists who want to learn about Singapore’s history.

 

     

During our visit, Dana played with abandon at the playground, despite the fact that it was scorching hot at noon and the structures were mostly old and derelict. Being a kid, she didn’t care less about the less-than-perfect appearance; her only focus was on play and the intrinsic joy it brings. She ran along the spine, slided down its head and play peek-a-boo with Daddy. She also cuddled Buddy on the little rocking horse.  When it was time to leave, she made us promise to bring her back again, of which we said yes in a heartbeat, for nostalgia’s sake.

 

  

Singapore Heritage Playground Series