10:53:45 PM PDT
A Journey Through Time
Photoraph courtesy of National Archives of Singapore
The Singapore River was the lifeline of Singapore where our forefathers eked out a meager living and witnessed Singapore transform from an obscure little fishing village to the present day modern city, famous for its world-class airport, seaport, skyscrapers and rich culture diversity.
In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore , landed on the north bank of the Singapore River , the only firm patch of ground at the river mouth then. As a man with great foresight, he immediately realized that Singapore enjoyed a strategic location at the nexus of trading routes on the Archipelago, making it an ideal place for merchant ships to stop by. Furthermore, it had a deep harbour, sheltered from storms and tropical gales.
Raffles sprang into action and signed a treaty with the local rulers, the Temenggong and Sultan Hussain of Johore-Riau on 30 January 1819 to establish a British trading port in Singapore . As the first free port in the region, Singapore attracted many trading ships from all around the world to stop by to trade. Singapore was henceforth transformed from a humble fishing village to a busy port of call.
Since goods from the trading ships had to pass through the Singapore River enroute to the godowns and shophouses, the river became a focal point of trading activities. Large volumes of trade at the river led to rapid economic growth. This resulted in the need for financial facilities which were the predecessors of today's financial institutions in Raffles Place . During those days, many banks also owned warehouses along the river to store the goods left with them as collateral for issuing loans.
The growth in trade also led to an influx of immigrants from Arabia , China , India and the Malay Archipelago, who settled in the vicinity of Singapore River . The rapid development along the river became haphazard, much to the displeasure of Raffles. He then drew up a Town Plan in 1822 that demarcated the North Bank for government purposes and the South Bank for commercial activities. Different nationalities were also assigned their respective areas to settle down in.
However, the bustling trade along the Singapore River came to a standstill during the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945. The Japanese army used the warehouses along the river as screening centres to interrogate and punish locals who resisted the sovereignty of Japan. The bridges along the river also became architectures for the display of severed heads of people who resisted Japanese rule. The long 3½ years of Japanese Occupation became the darkest years for the people in Singapore.
Photoraph courtesy of National Archives of Singapore
Following Singapore 's independence in 1965, the skyline along the Singapore River began to evolve. Singapore went full steam into industrialization and shipping. Banks and other financial institutions grew in numbers. Space along the Singapore River was limited, resulting in the buildings going upwards. During the 1970s, crowded squatter settlements share the banks of the river with emerging skyscrapers as manufacturing, finance and service took over entrepot trade as the main drivers of economic growth in Singapore . Furthermore, the opening of container berths at Tanjong Pagarin 1972 vastly reduced the volume of trade passing through the river. Long distance shipping also started to move to new port facilities elsewhere on the island. The significance of Singapore River as the centre of trade started to decline gradually.
By then, Singapore River was already very badly polluted. Without a proper sewage system, all kinds of rubbish such as waste matter from squatters, by-products of industries like boat repair have been disposed directly into the river for years. In fact, it was so chocked with pollutants that it could not support aquatic life at all and had been described as smelling like rotting fish!
In 1977, former Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, declared to clean up the Singapore River . The project involved 11 government bodies and cost 2.85 million dollars. All pollutive industries and lighters were relocated and squatters were resettled into flats. Hawkers were given licenses and moved to hawker centres with proper sewage facilities. Foul-smelling mud was dredged from the banks and riverbed, followed by the clearing of debris and other rubbish deposited in the river since the colonial days. Refuse was collected daily for incineration. In September 1983, the clutter of barges was moved to Pasir Panjang on the west coast of Singapore.
After these arrangements, the cleanliness of the river improved tremendously. Marine life soon began to return. Following the success of the Great Singapore River Clean-up which took 10 years, a redevelopment master-plan was drawn up to renew the vibrancy of the river. The Singapore River was reborn as a food and entertainment hub, while retaining its administrative and financial sectors near the river mouth. The shophouses and warehouses along the river are now chic cafes, restaurants and pubs. Lighters that once transported goods now serve as river taxis, ferrying tourists and sightseers down the river.
The Singapore River was once the lifeline for people in Singapore during the early days. Today, with its new lease of life, it transformed from a working river into a waterway which provides waterfront housing, entertainment and fun to present and future generations of Singaporeans.
Our Singapore River , a river of life, rich in history and heritage, will forever pulse together with the Singapore Heartbeat.
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huffstutterr
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9:30:38 AM PDT
DREAM JOB...HAVE CAMERA, WILL TRAVEL KIND OF POSITION. DO THEY EXIST?
DREAM JOB...HAVE CAMERA, WILL TRAVEL KIND OF POSITION. DO THEY EXIST?
DREAM JOB...HAVE CAMERA, WILL TRAVEL KIND OF POSITION. DO THEY EXIST?
I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE UNLIMITED FUNDS AND AN ECCLECTIC FASCINATION FOR ALL THINGS PHOTOGRAPHIC WOULD CONSIDER HIRING A PHOTOGRAPHER TO ACCOMPANY THEM ON THEIR ROUND-THE-WORLD CRUISE TO DO NOTHING BUT TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF A UNIQUE NATURE IN ORDER TO FREE THEMSELVES UP FOR THEIR SOCIAL LIFE. IS THERE SUCH A PERSON OUT THERE? OR, PERHAPS, SUCH A PERSON IS TOO BUSY TO TAKE THE CRUISE BUT WOULD ENJOY PHOTOS FOR THEIR PRIVATE COLLECTION. IN TODAY'S ART WORLD, PHOTOGRAPHS ARE FREQUENTLY CONSIDERED FINE ART. FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER/ARTIST, SUCH A POSITION WOULD BE MOST REWARDING. IF YOU KNOW OF SUCH A POSITION, EMAIL ME ASAP.......
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4:22:10 AM PDT
WANTED: true stories about your cruise from hell...
IF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN ON A CRUISE WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE UNDER FIRE FROM PIRATES, let me know...
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4:05:03 AM PDT
THE RECENT MOVIES ABOUT PIRATES HAVE BROUGHT THE ISSUES OF PIRACY TO THE FOREFRONT OF THE NEWS...but it is being kept a secret by many of the shipping companies who have had entire crews murdered in cold blood and thrown overboard. Cruise lines have been fired upon, but one rarely hears about these traumatic incidents. Why? Bad PR about real pirates would slow the cruise business to a doldrum pace. And the shipping industry does not want to see revenues being reduced by rumors of plunder and pillage. Furthermore, piracy normally takes place in free or international waters, thus creating the responsibility for policing the seas to no country in particular. In other words, out of sight, out of mind. Such is the case of piracy in the 21 st century. R.L.Huffstutter, editor, KILLERPIRATES
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