Taking a Walk Down Memory Lane in Sembawang

By Victor S.G. Pragasam

Edited by Cynthia Anne Victor Pragasam

As someone who grew up in “Naval Base”, I share similar sentiments and fond memories with many of you who, like me, were former residents of the Old Sembawang township. In candid conversations with taxi drivers, I take pride in saying that I was from the old Sembawang area. There is a sense of identity and belonging that I would say is deeply embedded in my soul. Etched to this feeling are bountiful memories that I have had as a child, a son, a student, a friend, a neighbour, a colleague and as a member of the wonderful Sembawang community. The way we communicated with residents and even the shopkeepers were as if we were closely knitted. Nowadays, it is very different as I hardly know anyone. But whenever I bump into someone from my past, a loud cheerful roar and a joyful exchange often follows.

A year ago, I had a pleasant reunion with Chan Peew Wan, whom you may know as the Co-admin of Block2Blog. We lost contact with each other after I moved out of Sembawang in 1976. But thanks to the power of FaceBook, we were reunited when Peew spotted my niece with our family surname Pragasam. My youngest daughter, Cynthia, then facilitated our connection and we had a three-hour video conference call with Peew. It was one of the best reunions as we talked about the good ol’ times. Peew and I used to gather for a game of football, and he had worked together with my father at the British Naval Base.

At the request of Peew, I am writing this entry as a personal anecdote with recollections of my Naval Base days.

Captions: My family and I lived at Blk 84, Canberra Road, near Jalan Kedai. 

Picture Credits: Singapore Street Directory 1985 and  https://canberra79.tripod.com/photos_bah_tan/1985_map.jpg

Where It All Began

My journey began in Blk 84, Room 10 at Canberra Road. I am one of eight children in the Pragasam family. My father, Soosay Ghana Pragasam/S.G. Pragasam, was the breadwinner and spent his time at work handling complicated numbers and finances in the Cashier’s Office at the British Naval Base. My mother, Mary Josephine, held the family fortress, tending to the chores in the home, kitchen, and most definitely her boisterous six boys and two girls. Our humble abode was one of the many homes situated in a two-storey colonial-styled building. Back then, the interiors of each house were constructed in a unique setting. A cosy hall and a couple of rooms were on one end of the apartment with a small but spacious veranda where some of us spent our night slumbers. We would have to step out to the common corridor and take a small stairwell to the kitchen, where my mother would prepare her sumptuous spread daily. Among us, she was well known for her solid tangy and spicy fish curry, which also happened to be her most favourite Indian dish.

My father was both a strict disciplinarian and a high-spirited person. He always ensured that we spoke in fluent English and observed diligence, punctuality, and tidiness. We never made any attempts to falter in our conversations, timekeeping, studies, attending Church mass, and neatly maintaining our belongings. Otherwise, our rumps would be struck – in high speed with Dolby Digital surround sound – by the rattan cane of the finest quality. Apart from his stern disposition, he encouraged us to pursue our hobbies, read novels, take an interest in worldly affairs, and watch movies at the Naval Base Cinema as well as the Canberra and Sultan Theatres.

A Myriad of Hobbies as a Naval Base Youngster

In my teenage years, I spent my leisure in church activities, and indulging in art, movies, music, and sports. Together with other youths from our parish, the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea (OLSS), we would help in organizing the logistics for church activities. There were times where some of us would head outside to play games or pick fruits from the trees in the church compound. We would also accompany one of the church priests, Fr. Bernard Binet, on some of his trips to Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia where we would have our own excursions while Fr. Binet attended to his vocational matters.

Captions: Here I was, picking fruits from the tree in the church compound with glee while my friends stood by for support.

Picture Credits: Victor S.G. Pragasam

 

Captions: With my church friends, and I am in the standing row, second from left. We were from the OLSS parish.

Picture Credits: Victor S.G. Pragasam

I also went on casual trips with the neighbourhood boys to the beaches at Seletar Island, Mersing, Jason’s Bay and also to Kota Tinggi for a swim at the waterfalls. While we travelled mostly by car, some of my best trips were cycling from Sembawang to JB. As crazy as it sounds, it was truly thrilling for me to cycle along and take in the sights of the plantations, kampong houses and animal farms while the breeze gently brushed on our face and arms. These trips were not complete without stopping at Yong Peng for some appetizing Malaysian Chinese food and snacks.

 

Captions: On a boating trip to Seletar Island with neighbourhood friends and children from Naval Base.

Picture Credits: Victor S.G. Pragasam

Outside of church activities, I would spend time each day after school tackling the football with the neighbourhood boys at the field beside my home. I am most pleased to share that Peew is one of these boys. I also played badminton with Alfred Dass, a Co-admin of this blog as well. We had our own Thomas Cup tournaments at the court near the Asian hospital quarters. I no longer play the game, but my Yonex badminton racket is still intact and kept safely in my cabinet. Those were amazing times indeed! 

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Captions: My footballer days in Secondary school (NBSS) In Picture A, I am in the first row, second from right. In Picture B, I am in the second row, standing second from right.   

Picture Credits: Victor S.G. Pragasam

Apart from sports, I was an avid fan of Ian Fleming’s genius creation of the James Bond series. I spent much of my savings, which was mostly my allowance money, to buy a set of nine James Bond books from my city trips to the Bras Basah area. When Sean Connery made his appearance on the golden screen at the Sultan Theatre, my elder brothers and I went wild and got the tickets to watch Dr. No, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and so on. Every cinematic experience we had was enjoyed with nostalgic titbits like the kacang putih (roasted peanuts coated with powdered sugar) wrapped in a paper cone and steaming hot chickpeas.

 

Captions: Sultan Theatre was one of the cinemas that was a gateway for us to the world of entertaining movies produced in the East and West. 

Picture Credits: ThoughtsMoments Blog, (Tim Brown)

I was one of the thankful music enthusiasts of the Sembawang Music record store, which if I recall correctly, was located at the entrance of Jalan Sendudok, along a row of shops. The enticing range of records sold at Sembawang Music inspired me to expand my vinyl collection, comprising albums by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, The Ventures, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul Anka, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Queen, Deep Purple; well, the list is very long. Listening to these ballads also stirred an interest to learn about hi-fi audio systems and loudspeakers. This accelerated my understanding of audio specifications, which helped me greatly in acquiring my first vinyl player with a solid sound system for my home. An unforgettable sight at that time was the looks of envy on my younger brothers.

Sketching nature and flowers were also a hobby of mine. I would head down to the Cambridge stationery shop at the 13^th mile to pile up on my stock of drawing paper, water colour paint and pencils. Even when branded sports shoes began gaining popularity, the owner of Cambridge imported these shoes and fueled the trend. I was friends with the owner, and even after I moved to Marsiling in the late 70s, I found out that he had also moved his stationery shop to the Woodlands New Town, a place that I will share more as you read further. 

Till today, I am keeping some of my artworks that I sketched as a student in Canberra Primary School and Naval Base Secondary School (NBSS). I recall with humour an incident where my Secondary School Art teacher tasked the students to sketch a hibiscus flower. Three of my classmates approached me after school for assistance. Being the overzealous artist, I leapt at the chance to sketch for them. At the next Art class, the teacher returned the marked artworks. The classmates who sought my help were assigned an ‘F’ grade. Our teacher had recognized my shading styles in their artworks and gave us all a shelling afterwards, with me getting more heat. This amusing encounter is one of my school stories that I never get tired of sharing with my children and grandchildren.

Feasting Fancies in Sembawang

My memories of the yesteryears in Naval Base will not be complete without reminiscing the wondrous food fare that I sadly miss very much. The wanton mee stall outside the Sultan Theatre was one that I frequented mostly because my father favoured the Wanton mee very much. The hawker was very skilled in preparing the noodles. Savouring the broth-boiled wantons and slurping the springy noodles bathed with a perfectly balanced mixture of black sauce and chilli was incredibly comforting. I was more moved by the sight of my father enjoying these noodles than my own satisfaction. Every year on his birthday and the anniversary of his passing, my family makes it a point to have a bowl of Wanton mee together, in his memory.

Other irresistible food fare that comes to my memory are the mamak mee goreng at the Sembawang Patio, and the Indian food at the 13^th mile market and food centre. It was a family tradition to make a pitstop at this market for breakfast after Sunday mass. We were pampered every week by crisp roti prata, freshly pan-toasted chapati, thosai, and appam with coconut milk. Sometimes, we would also switch to nasi padang, kambing soup or mee siam also at the same place.

Students from Canberra School, do you remember a particular stall at the canteen that served curry-soaked buns? We were some of those eager little children forming a long line to get our hands on the palatable goodness. The chicken gravy was one-of-a-kind as it tasted more like spicy-sweet crab curry. Eating a piece of the flavourful soggy buns was like having a party in the mouth.

I will end my food recollection with the freshly baked Bengali loaves and fluffy soft buns that were well loved by the Naval Base residents. The bakers were gifted in creating these amazing breads in their own special ways. Even a French loaf – crusty on the outside and airy and soft on the inside – was best enjoyed when eaten on its own. Since the bakery was very near to my home along Canberra Road, my siblings and I would take turns to head down and buy an assortment of buns. Sold at either 5 or 10 cents each, these buns were stuffed with a variety of sweet or savoury fillings such as freshly grated coconut mixed with palm sugar, luscious and creamy coconut kaya tinted with reddish hues, and the mouth-watering curried potato. I also favoured the triangular potato curry puffs made with the flaky and crisp filo pastry. Overall, these buns and puffs were some of the best afternoon teatime snacks. The bakery’s enterprising spirit was admirable as their trade was also carried out on wheels. A kind and gentle Roti Man would pack the baked goodies into a box mounted behind his bicycle seat and ride throughout the entire Sembawang estate to serve residents and workers. If there is a memory of a favourite scent to treasure, it would be the fresh yeasty aroma of these Bengali breads and buns that not only filled our streets, but also our hearts.

Moving to Lorong Maha

In 1969, following the British Withdrawal from Singapore and my father’s retirement, we moved to our new home at 59B, Lorong Maha (13^th mile, near the Jalan Legundi area). I was 22, and that was also the year when I began my employment at the Port of Singapore Authority’s (PSA) Sembawang Wharves. Here, I met many new friends, most of whom were from other parts of Singapore. It was an exciting time and an interesting place to work in, learning about the operations of the country’s busiest container transhipment hub and personally seeing the massive container ships, timber ships, car carriers, cargo ships, and vessels travelling from all over the world. Along the 15^th mile stretch, many people would gather for a spectacular view of ships that were docking or departing for their journey across the ocean. During this time, I spent almost 35 years working in PSA ports beginning in Sembawang, then Tanjong Pagar and later at the Pasir Panjang terminal. In 2000, I moved on to work in a shipping firm before officially retiring in 2014. 

Captions: Standing at the PSA Sembawang Wharves with my colleagues.

Picture Credits: Victor S.G. Pragasam

A New Beginning in Marsiling/Woodlands New Town

I was married in 1976 to my wife, Lena Roslyn D Victor. She hailed from Alor Star, Kedah in Malaysia and moved to Singapore after our wedding. This milestone paved a new beginning for us in another township, Marsiling, also known as the Woodlands New Town. It was a bittersweet departure from Sembawang, but we made weekly or monthly visits to see my family. Soon after, we were blessed with two wonderful daughters, Sylvia and Cynthia, and we lived in Marsiling for 24 years.

Marsiling was another great and iconic place like Sembawang, being near the Woodlands Immigration and Train Checkpoint. It was bustling and booming with a variety of businesses. Some folks from Naval Base had also moved to Marsiling and most of them lived very near to me (I lived in Block 30, Marsiling Drive). Residents here were certainly blessed with amenities, department stores, sundry and hardware shops, and more delicious food. With the development and initiation of the new Woodlands regional infrastructure such as the Woodlands MRT station, bus interchange and improved connectivity to Johor Bahru, the old Woodlands Town Centre sadly lost its charm and crowd. As the place was selected for redevelopment, it was also time for us to look for our next home, with our children moving on to their higher education.

Embracing Our New Home in My Old Hometown

As fate would have it, my eldest daughter, Sylvia, passed by some blocks in the new Sembawang estate in 1999, and instantly fell in love with the place. With her encouragement, we found and moved into our new home at Admiralty Drive in 2000. Lo and behold, I was back in my old hometown of Sembawang!

Nostalgia hit me like a tidal wave when I saw how much the area had changed. Canberra Road was transformed significantly. The places that I lived in, played, visited, and remembered so fondly were no longer in existence. Jalan Kedai, Delhi Road, Kowloon Road, were now paths of the past. Chong Pang Road was now a newly built road and renamed as Sembawang Avenue. The Star of the Sea church moved to its new premises in the 90s, and so the old church was demolished, along with the market and food centre. It is hard to translate my melancholic sentiments into words. Still, I am uplifted by the fact that I received a new opportunity to be a resident of my old hometown, and that my children have chosen to live in Sembawang.

2021 marks the 21^st year since we moved to Admiralty Drive. The cluster of blocks where I live at is right beside the Sungei Sembawang canal. Back in the 60s, this area was a vast landscape of sandy mush. After a massive and dramatic transformation, the former swampy terrain is now a very clean and green neighbourhood with properly laid roads. There is no doubt that we will continue to celebrate many more years ahead in Sembawang.

Captions: My current residence in Sembawang. A very serene and quiet place with lush greenery, my home is about 1.5km away from my former home in Canberra Road.

Picture Credits: The World of Teoalida, Housing in Singapore (https://www.teoalida.com/world/20558529.jpg)

Interestingly, my grandchildren are NBSS Navalites. My eldest granddaughter began her Secondary education in my alma mater and is currently preparing for her ‘O’ Level examinations. My second granddaughter began her first year in the same school this year. They are witty and brilliant teenagers and I trust that they will have an enriching academic journey in NBSS. I do hope that they will continue to reside in Sembawang in their growing years, especially since there is rich history here. Nevertheless, I will support their wishes should they desire to explore a life outside of the North.

Being part of the “Naval Base” clan will always be one of the blessings I’ve had. It is indeed a pity that I did not have many photographs taken at that time to preserve the warm memories of my life then. If I had a chance to live my past all over again, I would gladly do it in a heartbeat, with a video camera this time. But I’ll take the reality ticket by looking out for more “Naval Base” friends to reconnect with. If you are reading this and recognize me, please drop me a message in the Comments section. I am not active on social media, but my daughter, Cynthia, has been an excellent Manager who can help us reconnect. Till then, take good care and stay safe.                                                                                                                               

God bless!
                                                                                                  
Story and personal photos copyright of Victor S. G. Pragasam