Mr S Rajamanickam interviewed by Chan Kim Yin in May 2018
Where these names came from I don’t know but Mary Boswell, she had it all named. She was a painter and teacher; and because of the hill, she called Greenhill estate. Her mother, Myrtle, was still surviving. The mother was in full control; Mary used to say that her mother would thrash her and her brother with the cane. A very Christian family. Then, the first Greenhill structure was a Chinese Provision shop called the Greenhill Provision Store. But on her map was Pleasant Walk, Pleasant Street, Pleasant Terrace; she had it all named. But I think the government said “we don’t want that”; and they named the estate Chestnut. So the name “Greenhill” maybe came from that shop. “Chestnut” was from the government. I remember mangosteen trees and chiku trees; I didn’t see any chestnut trees. But the whole place (along Chestnut Drive) was an orchard – all fruit trees. Before 1959, as far as I can recall, there was only Chestnut Drive and a big four digit number. Chestnut Drive was already on the map in the 50s, next to Boys Town. The metaling of the road was done by the government. From 1052-1955, everything was free. No taxes! There was water supply; we had septic tanks installed; electric supply was there. Yes, all that was in. There was public utilities in this estate. Between 1955 and 1959, everything (i.e., utilities) was free. The Goh family had to dig up the cement septic tank to join the sewers to the main. Until then, all we had were septic tanks. The first two houses on this road were #63 and #61.
