SINGAPORE – For almost 100 years, a primary school registry of historical value to Singapore has been sitting in Telok Kurau Primary School.
On the page listing pupils who registered in 1930, a Harry Lee occupies entry no. 487. Scratched-out markings, where the school clerk entered the year of registration wrongly, make it stand out on the page.
A column on the right indicates his father’s occupation as a storekeeper, a detail probably added later.
Harry Lee would go on to become Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. Also in the same registry is Malaysia’s third prime minister, Tun Hussein Onn.
The registry was highlighted by the Founders’ Memorial Committee recently as one of the items it came across during its efforts to canvass for donations and loans related to Singapore’s founding leaders.
Since the National Heritage Board-linked committee started its open call in April, more than 70 submissions of artefacts and stories have been made by the public, contributing to the retention of the country’s collective memory of Singapore’s early years.
Items collected are being curated for a possible exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore next year.
When the Founders’ Memorial opens at Bay East Garden in 2027, these are also likely to find their way into a permanent gallery there, giving visitors a glimpse into years past.
The idea for the memorial was first raised by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2015 after calls from some to honour the late Mr Lee. It seeks to reflect the values of the country’s first generation leaders, such as multiculturalism and service to others before self.
An exhibition showcasing the artefacts the committee has collected is travelling around Singapore, with the objects woven into a narrative that includes early tree planting campaigns and the first Housing Board estates.
One of those who have indicated an interest in donating artefacts is Mr Dan Teo, 54, who has six early Toto posters, which he shipped in from Bulgaria.
“It’s very interesting because Toto was clearly linked to sports and the National Stadium. It was a way to raise money for the stadium’s construction, and also served to bring people of different races together to create a space for them to interact,” said the educator.
The posters come in six colours and reflect a time when Toto numbers were churned out manually using a mechanical device.
Mr Teo said Toto also helped to take underground gambling into legitimate spaces.
Electrical engineer Tan Teck Lee contributed a lunch pass from his days as a student at the Bukit Merah Vocational Institute in the 1980s.
The pass allowed him to travel out of the institute for lunch at home, and meant he did not have to spend extra pocket money on food while at school.
“I was the only one in my class of 30 who had the pass as I lived nearby,” said the 59-year-old. “I thought it was a very creative policy. I took out my old things recently to have a look and thought this would be worth donating.”
After graduation, he became an engineer in one of the early factories in Jurong, where all his classmates also went as it was the centre of Singapore’s industrialisation then.
“I remember climbing up really high to fix a crane. It was like climbing a mountain.”
The Founders’ Memorial travelling exhibition is currently in basement 2 of Funan shopping mall, and will go to other malls such as i12 Katong, Plaza Singapura and Westgate, as well as libraries, community centres and schools, until February next year.
The Founders’ Memorial Committee is looking for stories and objects such as those related to national symbols, community spaces and efforts to promote social cohesion between the 1950s and 1970s.
Submissions that relate to Singapore’s cleaning and greening efforts, the transition to HDB flats from kampungs, Singapore’s economic progress and people’s interactions with the nation’s founding leaders are also welcome.
Those who wish to submit artefacts or stories can do so at this website.
Here are three other artefacts belonging to the public that may be included in the memorial, which opens in 2027.
Interior and Defence Minister Lim Kim San said on July 1, 1969, that the armed forces had a mission to build “a multiracial nation in which there is stability, equality, opportunity, prosperity and freedom for all, regardless of race, creed or colour”. He was speaking on the first Armed Forces Day, now known as SAF day.
They were launched in six colours on June 9, 1968. Then Social Affairs Minister Othman Wok picked up the idea of raising money from a national lottery from the Bulgarians, and wanted to use it partially to fund sports facilities such as the National Stadium. The idea was studied by the Finance Ministry and approved by the Cabinet, and Singapore Pools was opened in 1968.
The pass allowed students such as electrical engineer Tan Teck Lee, 59, to go home for lunch instead of eating in the Bukit Merah Vocational Institute. He would not have been able to afford lunch at the institute.
Vocational training contributed significantly to Singapore’s industrialisation. Like Mr Tan, many of his classmates went on to work in Singapore’s first factories in Jurong.
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MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.