Farewell MyQueenstown

Farewell MyQueenstown #7 - Farewell KTM Tracks

On 30 Jun 2011 | 6 Comments

Much has been written about KTM Tracks lately. A simple search on Google and Yahoo will bring you to numerous websites such as this and this. After all, this cantankerous relic was Singapore's brave new world in the early 20th century.  I have always been a believer of my secondary school's motto, "Rooted in Tradition, Equipped for the Future."

永别了!女皇镇!#7 一摊油条传三代

On 30 Apr 2011 | 1 Comments

一摊油条传三代 在玛格列熟食中心,“生活公市”说得上是个客至如云的摊子。这个小摊子,不售卖任何煮炒;摊子主人则一年三百六十五天,天天在摊内起个炉炸上一条条的油条。 “生活公市”摊主李马才先生(58岁)是这家油条摊的第三代。 祖父自中国南来便炸油条为业,后来其父亦继承了祖父的业务。“生活公市”自1969年起,正式迁入玛格列熟食中心营业。李先生从小便跟随父亲学手艺,在油锅边打转。 李先生的油条,以香脆爽口闻名。在80年代初,李先生每一日几乎可炸近200条油条。李家一家五人总要齐齐上阵来应付顾客的需要。 如今,虽然李先生的摊子已搬迁到亚历山大村熟食中心,但他对玛格列熟食中心仍然十分怀念。再见了,玛格列熟食中心!

Farewell MyQueenstown #6 - The Taste of Wanton Noodle Lingers...

On 24 Mar 2011 | 18 Comments

Mr. Phoon Hon Sun, 64, and his family started selling barbeque pork from a pushcart at the terminal for Hock Lee bus service no.9 some 53 years ago. The bus terminal was located next to Blocks 6B and 7 along Margaret Close, a cluster of flats which were demolished during the 1990s. A familiar sight no more Every afternoon, residents who lived in the seven

Home Sweet Home @ MyQueenstown

Home Sweet Home #15 - A New Day Has Come =)

On 24 Apr 2011 | 11 Comments

Last week, MyQueenstown team interviewed Mdm Chan about her life in Blk 15 Holland Drive. Under SERS, she was assigned a new apartment in the newly developed blocks just a stone throw sway. Today, we visit Hisham Suni, 38, who moved over from Blk 17 to his new apartment in Blk 18C Holland Drive. Hisham Suni and his son =) Hisham is delighted by his new ap

Home Sweet Home #14 - Farewell Holland Drive

On 17 Apr 2011 | 3 Comments

Blk 15, Holland Drive looked vacant and cold when MyQueenstown team visited this morning. The shop houses under the apartment block were all covered with card boards and all that was left were traces of glass panels, which could possibly be a beauty parlor in its place before. The lift was still working. Mdm Chan - a long time resident at Holland Drive A c

Home Sweet Home #13 - Commonwealth 10! Here I Come!

On 10 Apr 2011 | 3 Comments

The front door was wide open when MyQueenstown team visited Mr Lee, 78, at his apartment in Blk 74 Commonwealth Drive. Feeling curious, we knocked onto the door and was greeted by a sleepy looking Mr Lee. Mr Lee who lives alone at Block 74 Retired more than a decade ago, Mr Lee is living alone as he prefers being independent to tagging along with his chi

News@MyQueenstown

Response to Straits Times Forum: "Active Citizenry Needs Space to Find Its Feet"

On 26 Aug 2011 | 25 Comments

A week ago, Mr. Eric Tan, Director of the National Archives of Singapore, explained that the archives have generously acceded to our requests for photographs to be published in our website, upcoming book and newsletter. This was not the full story. Last year, we wrote in to the National Archives of Singapore, requesting them to sponsor photographs of the ol

MyQueenstown Celebrates: Consecration Ceremony at Sri Muneeswaran Temple!

On 10 Jul 2011 | 1 Comments

Tanglin Halt residents are wokened up by the vociferous wailing of nadaswaram and thavil ensemble at Sri Muneeswaran Temple this morning. More than 15,000 residents and devotees have gathered at the Southeast Asia's largest Hindu temple worshiping the Muneeswaran god to witness the consecration ceremony. A consecration ceremony is a festive occasion done on

女皇镇1周新闻快讯 - 第二十五期

On 08 Jul 2011 | 6 Comments

女皇弄组屋 同一垃圾糟 两年3纵火  女皇弄组屋走廊垃圾糟,三度起火,居民人心惶惶,警列恶作剧纵火处理。 位于女皇镇一带的女皇弄第21座组屋8楼的电梯口,今早7时15分左右发生大火。 一名住在事发地点附近的居民,惊见滚滚黑烟从该处冒出 最高74万5000元 最低40多万 女皇镇 四房转售价 相差近37万  在热门组屋区女皇镇里,有四房式组屋最近以74万5000元的最高价转售,但也有37万8000元。 组屋溢价回升之际,热门地点如女皇镇的组屋转售价也持续攀升。今年4月,一间位于女皇镇史达拉摩道(Strathmore Ave)的四房式高楼单位,以74万5000元售出。 最后一次乘搭火车北上  火车开动了!该各就各位了吧。经过女皇镇、武吉知马、武吉班让时看到铁路旁站着许

My Father and I

Former Tanglin Halt Industrial Estate

On 14 May 2011 | 2 Comments

The industrialisation programme took off in Queenstown when the Tanglin Halt Industrial Estate was established to generate employment in the neighbourhood. Initially, the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) planned a small industrial estate at Tanglin Halt to provide employment for the new residents. Measuring some 20 acres of land consisting of 38 factories

Queenstown Baptist Church

On 03 May 2011 | 1 Comments

The Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) set aside seven sites for religious use and advertised for religious organisations to ballot in the 1950s. Of the ten enquiries received, four withdrew, leaving six Christian organisations. These went on to build the first churches of Queenstown; Queenstown Baptist Church, Queenstown Lutheran Church, Faith Methodist Ch

Archipelago Brewery Company (Anchorpoint)

On 22 Apr 2011 | 3 Comments

Established in 1931 by German businessmen, Archipelago Brewery Company was the first commercial brewery in Singapore. It was located next to the Malayan Railway, which provided convenient transportation for exporting the beer in Tanjong Pagar. Archipelago Brewery Company One of the more popular beer produced at Archipelago Brewery Company was Anchor Beer.

Makan Shiok!

Snacks Attack #13 - Ah Luck Bean Curd

On 23 Dec 2010 | 2 Comments

Mr Chua, 25, runs Ah Luck Beancurd in Tanglin Halt market for more than 2 years. He is renting the stall from the original owner who has based his stall in the same area for more than 40 years. Ah Luck Bean Curd offers drinks and deserts such as soya bean drink, grass jelly and the residents' favorite soya bean curd (60 cents). A Delicious Bowl of Bean Curd

Snacks Attack #12 - Satay Mad in Tanglin Halt!

On 16 Dec 2010 | 7 Comments

 Ann, 46 runs the family food stall for over 10 years in Tanglin Halt hawker centre. Serving halal food for over a decade in the same place, Ann has integrated her dishes to suit the taste buds of Queenstown residents, especially the Malay community. The simple food stall offers snacks such as satay, otah and seafood dishes. As a family styled bus

Snacks Attack #11 - Almond & Peanut Paste!

On 09 Dec 2010 | 0 Comments

DessertStory, located in Anchorpoint basement one, has been serving residents tasty snacks and deserts for the past four years. Wendy, the supervisor of the cafe, introduced the various homemade desserts that they offer. A bowl of Almond Paste Hot desserts are mainly the favourite choice among Queenstown residents. Firstly, they have almond paste which is m

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown #9 - 7 Funerals in 2 weeks

On 22 May 2011 | 0 Comments

7 funerals in 2 weeks. There is a flurry of "activity" these two weeks for correspondents from My Queenstown. We did not leave our traces in photographs as a mark of respect for the deceased. We did leave our sincere prayers and heartfelt condolences for those present. Quietly and fleetingly, we made our way to some of the funerals and understood that all o

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown #8 - Block 39A No More (The Removal of Block 39A Part I)

On 05 Apr 2011 | 8 Comments

On a Friday afternoon three weeks ago, several Bangladeshi workers, presumably from the Town Council, took their tool boxes to the lift lobby of Block 39A. In less than half an hour, they carried a metallic frame on their shoulders and placed it on a lorry parked in front of the apartment block. Farewell Block 39A The letterboxes The stretch of corrid

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown #7 - A New Coat of Paint

On 22 Mar 2011 | 1 Comments

The Point Blocks, along with 5 other blocks at Mei Ling Street were given a new coat of paint over the past week. The familiar combination of blue, yellow and orange was a thing of the past as these foreign workers toiled day and night, rain or shine to make Mei Ling Street "attractive again." White seems to be the "in" thing in Queenstown lately. Ten-store

Other Recent Articles

MyQueenstown Votes #2 - Perils of a New Estate

By my queenstown on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 with 2 comments

Life is not rosy for many residents at Strathmore and Dawson. Despite living in one of Singapore's premier district where Orchard, Shenton Way, Marina Bay and Harbourfront Front are stone's throw away, many folks at Dawson and Strathmore have feedback to our facebook sites and email, complaining about the atrocity in getting a simple meal, boarding a public bus or getting groceries.


The decision to close down the iconic and influential Margaret Drive Hawker Centre must be extremely ill-informed. (Besides our HDB flats, what is more important than a food centre/court/market?) Besides aggravating residents and ex-residents on the lack of political will to preserve the unique heritage and community identity, residents are deprived of a fully functioning food centre. Although the community leader had sincerely asked the residents to wait patiently for new amenities through his facebook (Read here), one resident named Shirley Wong commented, "I can wait patiently for more train trips, new parks or sheltered connectors, but I can't wait for five years (For Dawson to be ready) without eating."


Margaret Drive Hawker Centre is forever our pride and a symbol of our rich heritage

The exact time in which the hawker centre and the surrounding blocks (27A, 39A, 6C) would be excavated or demolished remains a mystery. It is likely that the surrounding blocks and the hawker centre may remain vacant for a period of time especially residents were spotted hanging clothes at the corridor of Block 27A. So why are the residents and hawkers asked to move out so early? 

The decision on not to build a replacement or temporary hawker centre appears to be dud. One check at the prices of food at Dawson Place reveals that a plate of wanton noodle costs about $4 whereas a similar plate of wanton noodle (with more ingredients and better taste) at Margaret Drive costs just $2.50. Consider the rising costs of living, it's brainless to understand why many residents are worried about their immediate future (since every has to eat). Will the residents be compensated on this ill-informed decision?

Residents at Block 27A hanging clothes outside their house. The potted plants and bicycles are there and it seems they are not going to move out so soon. So when exactly will the blocks be demolished?

Mr Wong at Margaret Drive Hawker Centre during her last weeks of operations

Mr Wong, in his 20s, drop by after school for lunch. He feels that it would be a pity as the stalls would be relocated, as all of his visits to the hawker centre have been promised above average food. On the other hand, he thinks that the improvements would be good and that Queenstown needs a revamp as it is rather run down especially the central area. His concern is that residents would have to experience an increase in food prices in the future. Mr Wong thinks that a replacement market is necessary for the residents.


The new districts in Strathmore are starved of food centre as much as the availability of bus services. Despite having a growing population, there is only one bus service number 32 plying along Margaret Drive. There are repeated calls to improve the frequency of the bus route whereas other residents commented that a feeder service is necessary to bring residents from Strathmore Avenue to Mei Ling, Tanglin Halt or ABC market now that the food centre is demolished. However, that thought remains far fetched considering our bus services are profit-maximising rather than community centric. 

(We will discuss about the transport services within Queenstown in the next few days)

There are many residents in Queenstown who committed suicide in the past few weeks. Don't be surprised if you read about a resident who "starve" to death in the coming weeks.

Who says Strathmore and Dawson is a "heavenly" district on earth?


Find out more about the upcoming elections at our Elections@MyQueenstown portal


Wei Jie 

POST COMMENT

2 comments:

Anonymous said...
March 31, 2011 at 9:17 PM

thank you for archiving the history of our hometown.

i lived here for almost 40 years and not all the changes in the name of progress (according to gahment) are for the better.

why do they keep tearing down our memories only to keep it vacant? the whole plot of land has been vacant for so many years. what is wrong with letting people keep their shops instead of chasing them out with high rental?

i have lost all faith that this present gahment have a heart.

once again, thanks and keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...
April 1, 2011 at 8:57 PM

All in the name of development. When the new Dawson HDB flats are built, you bet there'll be high end shopping and eateries coming up to "complement" the high end residential buildings. In the mean time, Queenstown is sadly stratifying into the haves (higher earners with car who can afford to dine in town) and the have-nots (lower earners without car). I'd urge the government to not forget QT is one of the oldest estate in Singapore with many senior citizens who need cheap and accessible food. Bear in mind many of these senior citizens will NOT be able to wait until the high end residential buildings to be up to enjoy the "benefits" (if higher priced "hawker" food in air-conditioned places are considered the "benefits").

Post a Comment