Page 112 - Stories from our Grandparents

I Mdm Cheng Wei Ling
migrated from Port Dickson in
Malaysia to Singapore in 1967.
One of my most memorable
childhood experiences was
swimming in the open sea and
playing in fields in Port Dickson
as it was very enjoyable and I felt
very carefree. Another memorable
experience was when I was
around 4 years old,
a snake entered
my house in
the night and
all the children
were terrified. We survived
during the tough times of the
war as my father was able to
supply us with food due to his
job as a trader. My parents also
planted tapioca, sweet potatoes
and vegetables in the village.
Before Singapore’s independence
in 1965, a fearful experience that I
went through was hearing about
the racial riots in Singapore and
Malaysia. However, my family
managed to avoid any trouble by
staying at home. One main problem
of Singapore after independence
was that many people were poor
and jobs were scarce.
54 Grandma Stories
Mdm Khoo Poh Tay
Born 1941
By Lee Ze Quan Joshua
NCC ACSI
Luckily, I was not affected much
as I was a graduate and had a
secure job. Transportation was
either through buses that were
crowded, stuffy and did not come
frequently or through pickup taxis
which four passengers shared for
40 cents. I also visited kampongs.
Overall, people seemed to be quite
contented with their way of life in
the kampong.
“I am very glad and grateful
to be part of current-day
Singapore as it is safe, clean
and progressive.”
I hope that the next generation
of Singaporeans will be kind,
hardworking, honest and can live
harmoniously with all races. My
name is Khoo Poh Tay, born in 1941,
and I worked as a director.
Born 1941
NCC Land St Patricks’ School
By Russell Lye
y name is Cheng Wei Ling. I was born in 1941 in Singapore
when it was still a British colony. During the Japanese
Occupation, my parents took us to live in the jungle in
MMalaysia which had no running water and electricity.
We had to endure many hardships such as mosquitos and we had to survive
on rice water. When the Japanese occupation was declared over, we all ran
into the streets and danced around. At that time, I was nearly four years old.
“When I was ten years old, we moved into
the first HDB flat in Singapore. Back then, the
HDB flats had no lifts and we had no choice
but to take the stairs.”
To get around Singapore, we had to take buses
with no air-conditioning. Back then, there were
no MRTs nor Ubers! I was fortunate to be able to
travel overseas for my university education. After I
graduated, I returned to Singapore and joined the
Singapore Civil Service. I started work at the Ministry
of Health as a Nutrition Consultant and I remained in
that job for the next thirty years.
I have lived through Singapore when it was a British colony, during the
Japanese occupation, when it was a part of Malaysia and as an independent
nation. I have grown up watching Singapore transform into the state it is
today. If I were asked to give advice to the younger generation, I would say,
study hard, work hard and be thankful for what we have today.
Grandma Stories 55