My Queenstown 我爱女皇镇

Love@MyQueenstown is a social integration initiative that will commence tomorrow, 1 June 2010 at Tanglin Halt. It will cover over 130 blocks and 14000 households in Queenstown. 
Poster of our English Pamphlet
Poster of Our English Pamphlet (Back)
This programme aims to fulfill 3 purposes in integrating residents and friends of Queenstown. Firstly, residents and friends of Queenstown will follow the MyQueenstown Team during the interview and understand the needs and queries raised by other residents of Queenstown so that they will get a better picture of what goes on in other districts. Secondly, this initiative enables MyQueenstown to propagate our services to low-income families who do not have access to internet presently. This ensures all families in Queenstown will have a social safety net where they can seek assistance or integrate with other residents in the community. Lastly, information collected by our team will be used to organise better activities or programmes that cater to the needs of the residents.

Mention the name "Leong Kok Meng" or "the Slasher" and many Mei Ling Street residents will recall the widespread existence of Chinese secret societies in the 1980s and 1990s. This man, as reported by the New Paper yesterday, was "put behind bars 12 years ago for slashing two men with a chopper in the Mei Ling Street Area" and uncannily, he was involved in a similar attack of killing a man after brutally "setting on two acquaintances with a hunting knife in a drunken rage. Before we get our noses poking around for more information about the state of secret societies in Queenstown, let us do a little summary on what's reported on the newspapers!

Many of the residents have already moved out of Blk 39A when we decide to kaypoh this place so as to dig out some more precious memories about the residents residing in this iconic structure in Queenstown. Blk 39A was built in 1969 together with the various amenities such as shophouses, the cinemas and cooked food centre. At the tallest level, you can have a breathtaking view of the city, the port and other districts of Queenstown. However, the bulldozer approach continues in Singapore as most of these iconic buildings and food centres will disappear next year.

The "demand" for more privacy in the late 1960s have led to the construction of Singapore's very first point block flats at Mei Ling Street. The structure of the housing apartments was constructed in a way where occupants need to walk less than 5 steps and they could use the lifts. It enhances convenience greatly. So how does it feel like to live in an environment of enhanced privacy and convenience? 
Mr and Mrs Zheng

Our coverage on the Stirling Road murder in 2007 and subsequent legal proceedings in 2009 has evoke impressions of the Blk 181 in Stirling Road as a "suicide" or "haunted" block. Residents have responded to our threads in the Facebook last month that many suicide cases have occurred there. Being the No.1 Kaypoh group of residents and friends in the district, MyQueenstown has decided to explore this block of flats to discover first hand why Blk 181 is termed as such. We managed to approach Mr Lim, a bachelor, who has lived in Queenstown for over thirty years.

In 1980, Queenstown's oldest flats constructed by SIT were already 30 years old. Sparse and offering scant niceties that were incomparable to gigantic malls sprouted in other parts of the island, they "were mirroring the greying of their original occupants." The younger generation of residents who were born in Queenstown had moved to newer estates that offer bigger housing facilities, leaving behind their parents who preferred the comforts of familiarity.
Queens' Crescent is one of them. Then, it was bustling with activity with the food centres, the shopping mall (still there) and the markets. Today, we got a wonderful opportunity to speak to Mr Ali who lives in Blk 21, Queens' Close for almost 20 years and 20 years in Stirling Road prior to that.

Every morning on Thursdays and Saturdays, there will be a group of bird enthusiasts gathering at the void deck of Blk 39A with half dozen to a dozen cages of birds. Watching the birds dance and listening to their crisp and clear whistling, many Queenston residents found friends and soul mates here. It is believed that the low ceiling and many pillars around Blk 39A provide a conducive environment for birds to sing a melody gleefully. And many residents are captivated by the unique attraction at the void deck and join the group. Mr Lee Cheng Aik, 55, is one of them

The smell of cocoa was unforgettable for Queenstown residents living in Tanglin Halt during the 60s and the 70s. Chocolate making factories such as Sheng Huo and Van Houten were two of the 38 factories that lined up Tanglin Halt Road. These factories were located conveniently for women so that they could join the workforce and support the industrialisation project in the 1960s. Tanglin Halt is also home to South East Asia's first assembly line producing television sets. Setron, which was opened in 1964, rolled out the first black and white television sets. It had a very special roof top that shaped like an inverted pyramid which navigated drivers into Tanglin Halt district. All of these would not be possible without one man-Dr Goh Keng Swee.

Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre contains many "pioneers" in the trade when they were constructed in 1969 and itinerant hawking was banned in 1973. Many residents in Queenstown remained used to the street food that they did not accustomed to the environment of a food centre until increased patrolling was enforced by the environment officers. One of these pioneers was Tong Kee Roasted Chicken Rice, who had shifted to Tanglin Halt on the last week of April.

Ying Fo Fui Kun Clan was the oldest association established in 1822. It was expanded twice in 1844 and 1875 and renovated in 1948 and 1997. The clan at the present Telok Ayer was gazetted as a national monument in 1998. So what's so big deal about the clan as well as its cemetery in Commonwealth Lane?
The Clan at Telok Ayer
The Cemetery at Commonwealth Lane
Ying Fo Fui Kun clan was a Hakka Clan that was founded by Liu Runde to unite Hakkas who came from 5 Guangdong Provinces. They hope to provide a platform for these Hakkas to come together as well as take care of their welfare! In 1905, it started the first Chinese school, Ying Sin School 應新學校. In 1920, members of the clan pooled funds to open a medical hospital in Holland Road named Shuang Long Jia Yu Wu Shu Hospital 双龙嘉应. In 1998, a memorial hall was constructed. 

It was a humid afternoon and the sun was blazingly hot. However,the weather did not dampen the spirits of MyQueenstown's second gathering with residents and friends of Queenstown at Commonwealth Avenue Cooked Food Centre! 
We Ate Duck Noodle Today!
Initially, each of us held our reservations because we did not know each other personally before this event. We were afraid to say the wrong things or do the wrong things. But, all of this disappear as long as we begin recalling the wonderful memories everyone of us have in Queenstown while makaning the ultra delicious duck noodles from "Venus Braised Duck" shop. 

Like other iconic features located in Queenstown Central, Block 6C will be demolished in the coming few years as development plans kick in to transform Queenstown into a modern hosuing estate. Block 6C, like Blk 39A, are 2 flats that are considered the tallest at their prime. Today, we've spoken to two remaining residents of Block 6C who would tell us their stories of Block 6C and Queenstown.
Mdm Lim
Hi Mdm Lim, when will you be leaving this place?

"Dearest beloved wife Meera, you had a smiling face and a pleasant heart, it's a pleasure to recall the memories of you my beloved wife.You had a kind of love to me, lit my heart with your love on that special day which lit the light of love forever in my heart and soul. We had only five years together which we had two beautiful young ones.Time changed and destroyed our lives in many ways. You suffered violent and sad life, but you hoped and had faith for a bright future with us. But it left us with painful thoughts to bear as words can't describe the pain.

Hmm.. What's the hottest drama in town recently? Is it Korea's 媳妇全盛年代 (War-of-in-laws) or Hong Kong's 宫 心 计 (Beyond the Realm of Conscience). Yeah! Beyond the Realm of Conscience is a blockbuster drama shown in TVB in November 2009 about the treacherous concubine fighting for fame and power. (Not yet released in Singapore... Well I must have watch it somewhere!) Today, we chanced upon a video rental shop in Mei Ling/Mei Chin market area and was amused by the large number of videos available. So we enter the shop and saw Mdm Lin, a shop keeper for 10 years.