There Was A Time: Singapore from Self-Rule to Independence
Introduction by Lee Geok Boi
This collection of 328 photographs shows the rhythm of daily life in Singapore between 1959 and 1965 – the pivotal time in its history when the city-state was granted internal self-rule by the British colonial government to the year it became a sovereign nation.
This was when Singapore began its process of great development. Kampong folk moved into high-rise housing, new careers came with factories built in Jurong, the trading of stocks and shares began in Raffles Place, television was introduced to Singapore, and the new red-brick National Library opened on Stamford Road.
Yet, some things remained unchanged. Bumboats still jostled on the fetid waters of the Singapore River, children played on five-foot-ways, families enjoyed the sea air along Queen Elizabeth Walk, and eating out at street-side hawker stalls was a way of life.
For those who remember these scenes, this book will evoke a lost time. And for those who do not, it is a window to a simpler, unhurried life.
Size: 190 x 254 mm
Extent: 288 pages
Binding: Casebound
Weight: 1.32 kg
ISBN: 978-981-14-6795-0