There Was a Time: Singapore from Self-Rule to Independence 1959-1965 / 2020

Author:

Lee Geok Boi

Synopsis:

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 island was granted internal self-rule by the British to the year it became a sovereign nation. This was a transformational time in Singapore’s development process − kampong folk moved into high-rise housing, new factories were built in Jurong and TV was introduced to Singapore. Yet, some things did not change. Bumboats still jostled on the fetid waters of the Singapore River, children played on five-foot-ways, and eating at street-side stalls was a way of life. For those who remember these scenes, this book will evoke a lost time; and or those who do not, it is a window to a simpler and unhurried way of life.