The Straits Times Thursday 31 July 2008When I saw the article on the left published in today's Straits Times, I cannot help thinking of the good old days when we had picnic after picnic at Pasir Ris beach, especially at the stretch between the PA Pasir Ris Holiday Complex and the Pasir Ris Hotel (already demolished). There were a lot of trees to provide shades. Besides having picnics, we also swam in the sea and camped by the beach overnight on week-ends. My previous blog also showed combined picnic by boy scouts and girl scouts at Pasir Ris beach.
In middle of 1950s Singapore's first Mayor
organised a picnic at Pasir Ris Beach for his staff and
their families. I and my then girl friend were there. Photo on the left shows some City Council staff and their families resting under the canvas shade.
Three ladies were taking a stroll fronting the carpark. The cars were mostly Morris or Austin of various models. A Baby Austin or A40 was behind the lady on the right. There was no Japanese car then.
The sea was very safe for swimming then as the swimmers in the background could testify.
No need to say, you know who lah!
The beach had to be very clean on that day as the mayor himself was there to ensure it. The man with long pants in the background was the Mayor. You can also see a cleaner cleaning the beach behind the lady in the photo.
5 comments:
Man ... you look real cool. Lots of Brylcreem I presume.
seems like those days you all liked to pose next to a coconut tree. we used to camp by the beach at pasir ris in the 70s. then there was a track road leading to the beach, and we also swam in the sea.
YG. That's a sharp observation. Actually, my brothers also have some photos standing next to coconut tree.
In the 80's, my colleagues and I had a BBQ party at the Pasir Ris Hotel. Still have some colour photos. Maybe will blog about that one day.
At that time Pasir Ris had no nice building or structure to take photo. As there were many coconut trees around, it was natural to pose close to a tree with the beach or sea as background.
I shall be posting more photos of Pasir Ris beach soon.
I went to the Pasir Ris Hotel which I was told already existed before WW2. I got a "baby photo" (maybe about 3 yrs old) of myself swimming naked next to the jetty. I went back there in the 1960s and finally the last time in 1973 when we did a beach landing during NS. I recalled seeing nice balustrade fence facing the sea in the hotel compound.
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