{"id":143,"date":"2014-08-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-01T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/2014\/08\/02\/standing-the-test-of-time-my-queenstown-heritage-trail\/"},"modified":"2015-04-07T14:46:09","modified_gmt":"2015-04-07T06:46:09","slug":"standing-the-test-of-time-my-queenstown-heritage-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/2014\/08\/standing-the-test-of-time-my-queenstown-heritage-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Standing The Test of Time – My Queenstown Heritage Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
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 I’ve always just driven by the town….until now.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As a history buff, I have a penchant for old buildings and structures. From Borobudur to Stonehenge, I\u2019ve been there, hugged that. Whenever I ‘disappear’ when we were on holiday, my wife would know where to find me \u2013 just look for an old church, an art gallery or a museum. <\/p>\n

Strange then that I should end up in Singapore \u2013 a young progressive nation that seems to be tearing down old structures faster than we can reproduce. Even a grand dame like the former National Library didn\u2019t stand a chance against a short tunnel with ERP gantry.<\/p>\n

Which is why, even though torrential rains have just swept across the island last Sunday morning (with possibility of an extremely humid day ahead), I still gamely went for the \u2018My Queenstown Heritage Trail<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/a>\u2019, a free conducted tour across the pioneer satellite towns of Queenstown and Tanglin Halt, cutting across historical buildings and places which will be soon be torn down in the name of redevelopment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Growing their own fruits (Left).  Singapore’s first HDB flats (Right).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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The unique landscape of Stirling Road.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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House-proud residents in the hood…<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u2018My Queenstown Heritage Trail<\/a>‘ is a complimentary walk-about tour organized by the Civic Group, My Community on every last Sunday of each month<\/b>. Led by volunteers,  the 2 to 3 hour-long leisurely walk brings you to various iconic places in Queenstown and Tanglin Halt where we were introduced to the buildings and places that formed part of our young country\u2019s short but colourful history. At certain pit stops, we had the chance to speak to longtime residents, shop owners who are ever-ready to share exciting first hand recounts never recorded in any history texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Nothing like listening to authentic stories by the residents…<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Old-styled barber and saloon…time stands still inside.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Buildings aren’t the only things that withstood the test of time here.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Within an hour of our trek, I\u2019ve heard stories of an Indian circus in Singapore, an unsolved murder of a young girl (yes\u2026unsolved till this day!) and walked past a coffin-shaped market! Then I set foot into Singapore\u2019s oldest library, visited Singapore\u2019s very first HDB block and saw one of the last 10 (yes only 10) surviving sundry shops in Singapore where money is still kept in a plastic pail with the help of the old good-fashioned pulley system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Singapore’s first library branch…graced by the then PM himself.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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This was the library which most libraries in Singapore are modelled after.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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While books bear knowledge, this library holds a treasure trove of memories….<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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The last few traditional sundry provisions shop….<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Old–<\/b>fashioned cashier…I mean cash pail (Left). The unmistakable sound (and scent) of fresh-ground coconut (Right).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Take your pick.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Air Conditioned = High Class?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Cutting hair…the old fashioned style<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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No fancy gimmicks….just getting the job done well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Not many things are automated in those days…. a lot had to do with skill and intuition.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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A furry resident…<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Door-to-door delivery of sundries…<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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I was intrigued by the conversations we had with the residents. One of them, Mr. Mahmood, a resident at one of the rare HDB terrace houses since 1963, told us of how his 12 siblings and him used to look forward to visits by the Indian Circus nearby and how they loved feeding the elephants. There were also stories of heroism, friendship and trust – Mr. Mahmood recounted how the residents there protected residents of different races from the nearby estates during the racial riots of the 60s. Alice, who were among the first residents staying in the very first \u2018high-rise\u2019 7-storey HDB flat recounted how she was so fearful her new home would collapse, and of how neighbours would keep a set of keys for one another in case one of them accidentally lock themselves out (a practice they still do today). What great sense of neighbourliness and camaraderie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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“No…I’ll never move from here” said Mr. Mahmood.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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You’ll be surprised how colourful and contempory these flats look after SERS upgrading.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Neighbours.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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How many of us spent our childhood in these first generation flats?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The walk also brought us to temples, churches and worship sites, all co-existing peacefully within close proximity of each other – a testament of the strong racial and religious ties we have in Singapore. Finally, no heritage walk would be complete without a taste, literally, of our past. Yes, the trail ended at Tanglin Halt market where we joined the snaking queues to savour some of Singapore\u2019s finest hawker foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Blessed Sacrament Church.  It’s unique roof has some significance in the bible. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Colours of an iconic neighbourhood.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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I can’t remember when was the last time I stepped into an Indian Temple…<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Something we should treasure and protect – Religious Harmony and Peace.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Statue of St. Damien of Molokai inside the Blessed Sacrament Church.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There’s something deeply attractive about heritage trails. Not only do we get to admire the buildings and architecture but we get to interact and appreciate the people and situation of an era long gone; we get to catch a glimmer of the special memories these places have left behind. Empires, cities and buildings come and go eventually but what remain are the legacies passed on to the next generation. This trail reminded me once again that it is important for us (parents and teachers) to keep telling our children the stories of our heritage; tales of friendship, bravery, trust, respect, heroism, resilience and more. All essential values that would build our young, prepare them for life ahead, and hopefully never to be taken for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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How apt to end the heritage trail with a nostalgic cuppa…. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Shapes and lines of yester-years.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Green corners for residents to sit and chat.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

More Information about the ‘My Queenstown Heritage Trail<\/a>‘: <\/b><\/p>\n

Free, guided tours take place at the last Sunday of every month. The tours are conducted by volunteers from civic group, My Community, and they cover iconic landmarks from ‘My Queenstown Heritage Trail<\/b><\/a>‘. Each guided tour is about 2 hours long and starts punctually at 9am sharp from Queenstown MRT Station.<\/p>\n

You can register for the tours by emailing your Name, NRIC or Passport Number and Contact Details to myqueenstown@gmail.com<\/b><\/span><\/u>. A confirmation phone call or email will be sent to successful registrants.  You can also register online through www.myqueenstown.eventbrite.sg<\/a> <\/p>\n

To find out more, follow this link: http:\/\/www.queenstown.org.sg\/heritage.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Is that Optimus Prime I see? <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Skyline of Queenstown…<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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If these trees could talk, what tales would they tell?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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8 Tips To Survive ‘My Queenstown Heritage Trail<\/a>‘:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

1) Attire: Come dressed in comfortable, casual attire and good walking shoes. The entire trail takes 2 to 3 hours with a few pit stops.<\/p>\n

2) Terrain: While most are roads, some places are not well-paved. It may not be suitable for those who need help walking.<\/p>\n

3) Mindset: Come with a mind to listen to stories and to admire the sights at a slow, relaxed pace. If you\u2019re rushing for time or prefer a faster paced activity, this may not be it.<\/p>\n

4) Driving: Although the trail starts from Queenstown MRT, mine ended at Commonwealth MRT. You may want to park your car at the end point so you can just hop into your car and head on home after the long trek. Alternatively, bring along your EZ-link card to hop onto the MRT to pick up your car.<\/p>\n

5) Kids: The trail involves quite a bit of walking and would be more suitable for school-going children (aged 7 and and above). In any case, do prepare some activities to engage the kids (E.g. a camera for them to shoot or some quiz questions to ask the guide \/ residents). Be prepared also to paraphrase the guide’s commentary so that younger children will understand.<\/p>\n

6) Toilets: You\u2019ll bypass Queenstown CC, other than that, toilets can be found at hawker centers and markets.  <\/p>\n

7) Money: Generally you won\u2019t need it as the guided tour is free. But if you would like to buy some of the food and drinks along the way, do bring some cash along.<\/p>\n

8) What else? Bring along drinking water, a face towel (you\u2019ll sweat\u2026 tons), a camera and a short umbrella (or poncho) for the wet weather we’ve been experiencing.  Most importantly, bring along a reminiscent spirit to indulge in the rich heritage which Queenstown offers. <\/p>\n

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We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our post which is part of the #FunforFreeSG<\/span><\/b> blog train started by The Gingerbread Mum<\/a>. Tomorrow, we have Mommy Blogger Mei sharing her favourite #FunforFree destination – Jurong Regional Library!  Mei is a Malaysian born Peranakan Chinese who blogs at Finally Mama<\/a>. Having lived abroad for over half of her life, she is proud to call Singapore home with her hubby and 2.5 year old boy. She loves the abundance of free, fun and safe places for family here, and is delighted to share them with you at #funforfreeSG.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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 Mei from Finally Mama<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Can’t get enough of FUN FOR FREE SG<\/b><\/span> venues? Here’s the whole list – 31 days of free fun in Singapore! This list will be updated regularly; you will be able to click on the location to be brought directly to the blog post when it goes “live”:<\/p>\n

1 Aug: Tiong Bahru Park<\/a> by Gingerbreadmum<\/a>
2 Aug: Queenstown Heritage Trail<\/a> by PrincessDanaDiaries<\/a>
3 Aug: Jurong Regional Library<\/a> by Finally Mama<\/a>
4 Aug: Singapore Maritime Gallery<\/a> by Peipei Haohao<\/a>
5 Aug: Singapore Philatelic Museum<\/a> by Kids R Simple<\/a>
6 Aug: Sculptures of Singapore<\/a> by  Gingerbreadmum<\/a>
7 Aug: Central Fire Station<\/a> by The Js Arena<\/a>
8 Aug: Esplanade + Merlion Park<\/a> by Prayerfull Mum<\/a>
9 Aug: Bukit Batok Nature Park<\/a> by Meeningfully<\/a>
10 Aug: Lower Pierce Reservoir Park<\/a> by The Kam Family<\/a>
11 Aug: 112 Katong – Water Playground<\/a> by Universal Scribbles<\/a>
12 Aug: IMM<\/a> by Mad Psych Mum<\/a>
13 Aug: Tampines 1 Water Playground<\/a> by Amazingly Still<\/a>
14 Aug: Sengkang Riverside Park<\/a> by Itchy Finger Snap<\/a>
15 Aug: East Coast Park<\/a> by Toddly Mummy<\/a>
16 Aug: Sembawang Shopping Centre Playground<\/a> by Joey Craftworkz<\/a>
17 Aug: Animal Resort<\/a> by Raising Faith<\/a>
18 Aug: Botanic Gardens<\/a> by Mum’s The Word<\/a>
19 Aug: Police Heritage Centre<\/a> by Mummy Ed<\/a>
20 Aug: Venus Loop, MacRitchie<\/a> by Scrap Mum Loft<\/a>
21 Aug: Road Safety Park<\/a> by Miracule<\/a>
22 Aug: Marina Barrage<\/a> by J Babies<\/a> 
23 Aug: Gardens By The Bay, Children’s Garden<\/a> by Finally Mama<\/a>
24 Aug: Changi Airport T3<\/a> by Mother Kao<\/a>
25 Aug: The Red Saga Seed Trail<\/a> by Mum in the Making<\/a>
26 Aug: NEX by Growing with the Tans<\/a>
27 Aug: Pasir Ris Park Ingspirations<\/a>
28 Aug: Gdns by the Bay Supertree Grove by My Lil Bookworm<\/a>
29 Aug: Vivocity Play Area by Amazingly Still<\/a>
30 Aug: Punggol Promenade + Punggol Waterway by Chubby Anecdotes<\/a>
31 Aug: Westgate Wonderland by Xavvylicious<\/a> <\/p>\n

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 I’ve always just driven by the town….until now. As a history buff, I have a penchant for old buildings and structures. From Borobudur to Stonehenge, I\u2019ve been there, hugged that. Whenever I ‘disappear’ when we were on holiday, my wife would know where to find me \u2013 just look for an old church, an art […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,232,64,101,13,15,282],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59hHF-2j","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13886,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions\/13886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}