Singapore Camera Club is formed

In May 1950, several camera enthusiasts gathered at a restaurant in Boat Quay to discuss setting up a photography club for hobbyists. They were Soh Teow Seng, Lee Hock Chiong, Szeto Sim Chuan, Pung Ah Leong and Abdul Rahman bin Haji Hussein. The first general meeting of the Singapore Camera Club, which had an initial membership of 30, was held on 1 July 1950 on borrowed premises off Jalan Besar, with Yee Joon Toh as its first president. The club aimed to help members improve their technical skills through publishing journals, holding competitions and sharing technical advice. The clubhouse was initially located at 39-B Lim Liak Street where a dark room was also built. By December 1950, the first of its quarterly photographic competitions was held.^[1]

The club’s second president, Ang Chwee Chai, helped establish the fledgling club by quickly increasing membership and acquiring new rented premises in Sennett Estate.^[2] On 13 September 1952, the new clubhouse at 57 Pheng Geck Avenue was opened by then Commissioner-General for Southeast Asia Malcolm MacDonald.^[3]

Loke Wan Tho, famed cinema magnate of Cathay Organisation, and C. A. Gibson-Hill, then director of the National Museum, were friends who were both passionate about photography. When they took leadership of the club in 1953, with Gibson-Hill as its third president and Loke as one of the two vice-presidents, it gained greater momentum. For instance, the club organised the first Pan-Malayan Photographic Exhibition, which was held at the British Council Hall on Stamford Road in June 1953. The first issue of its newsletter Foto News was also published the same year.^[4] In 1954, Gibson-Hill stepped down as president, while Loke remained as vice-president.^[5]

Some members found the location of the club in Sennett Estate inconvenient; in March 1955, the clubhouse shifted to a more central location offered by Loke at 4 Cashin Street.^[6]

On 5 February 1956, the club was renamed Photographic Society of Singapore. The name change was considered as early as 1954.^[7] One of its first tasks as a society was to assume ownership of the Singapore International Salon of Photography, an annual international photographic exhibition. The Singapore Art Society had organised the salons since the first edition in1950.^[8]

By 1960, the society had gained such international standing that it was recognised by the Photographic Society of America for its efficient running of the annual Singapore International Salon of Photography.^[9]

References
1. S’pore has a new hobby club. (1950, November 12). The Straits Times, p. 11; When five men met to form modest camera club. (1978, July 2). The Straits Times, p. 24. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; The Photographic Society of Singapore (2012). Tracing our roots. Retrieved December 2, 2014, from The Photographic Society of Singapore website: http://www.pss1950.org/about-pss/pss-1950-2010
2. Society is eight years old. (1958, July 1). The Singapore Free Press, p. 12; Camera club officials. (1951, July 4). The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; The Straits Times, 2 Jul 1978, p. 24.
3. New clubhouse. (1952, September 10). The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; The Singapore Free Press, 1 Jul 1958, p. 12.
4. Photo exhibition. (1953, June 24). The Straits Times, p. 8; Camera club officials. (1953, July 2). The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Singapore Camera Cub. (1955, January). Foto news: Journal of the Singapore Camera club, 1(5), 48. Call no.: RCLOS 770 FN-[AKS].
5. The Straits Times, 2 Jul 1978, p. 24; Singapore Camera Club, Jan 1955, p. 48.
6. The Straits Times, 2 Jul 1978, p. 24; The Singapore Free Press, 1 Jul 1958, p. 12.
7. 400 will decide on camera club name change. (1954, October 27). The Singapore Free Press, p. 7; Camera club: New name. (1956, February 6). The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. The Straits Times, 2 Jul 1978, p. 24; The Straits Times, 6 Feb 1956, p. 7.
9. Photographic Society of Singapore (started in coffee shop) is 11 years old. (1960, June 30). The Singapore Free Press, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.