Abdul Salam Bin Mohd Kunhi (2E4 Fatimah's dad)

      My father, Abdul Salam Bin Mohamed Kunhi, was born on 28 December 1952 to Fatimah Binte Hassan and Mohamed Kunhi. He was the eight child of ten siblings, six boys and four girls (including my father), the oldest being Abdul Kadir followed by the rest, Rokiah, Halimah, Abdul Salim, Hashim, Abdul Salam (passed away shortly after birth), Rahyah, my father, Fawzia and the youngest Ashraf. My grandfather is from Kerala. Kerala is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India while my grandmother, whom I was named after, was born in Singapore but her father originated from Southern India too. Kerala is a Muslim-populated state, that is why my father (including me) are Indian Muslims. 

A Tailor's Son (2E4 Xinyi's father)

    My father, Chiu Joon Fook was born in KK hospital on 28^th November 1963.We live in West Coast Drive, Hong Leong Garden Condominium. My father does not come from a wealthy family. He has five siblings. He was the second in his family. His elder brother, Chiu Yoon Keong  was born on 26^th February 1962 which was one year earlier than my father. His brother, Chiu Joon Loy was born on 15^th May 1965 which was the year Singapore became independent. Chiu Joon Hooe was born on 23^rd June 1966. His youngest sister, Chiu Bee Ling was born on 8^th April 1975.

    His father, Chiu Kee Fatt was a tailor in the past. He taught my father the trade and passed the business to him after his death on 26^th March 2000. His mother was a very capable housewife as she looked after a total of six children on her own without anyone’s help. They lived in Pasir Panjang, 5th milestone, #207, S’pore 5. My father’s life with his parents was excellent.

Tan Peng Ann, Danny (2E4 Karina's maternal granddad)

I am Karina Chan and I interviewed my maternal grandfather, Tan Peng Ann Danny on

9/7//06 in his house. He is currently living in Ghim Moh in a HDB flat.

            My grandfather, Tan Peng Ann Danny, was born on 6^th of April 1941 in Kandang Kerbau

hospital. He became the only child after his elder brother died at a very young age. His

father was Tan Cheng Lim and his mother, Low Ah Hoe. They stayed in Chin Swee Road in

a shop-house. His father worked as a clerk and his mother was a housewife. As their

income was very low, my grandfather helped to give tuition to earn money. His

relationship with his parents was very good. When he was young, he played with stone

marbles, “chapteh”, rubber bands and caught spiders. On weekends, he would either

go swimming, jogging, attend parties, or go to the movies with cousins. At that time, when

technology was not so advanced; the movies were shown at an open space, covered with

some canvas. Ssome people did not pay but climbed in under the canvas.

A Life of Many Journeys (2E4 Harisan's great-granddad)

Blue= Females

Red=males

This is the story of my great grandfather and his family. His name is Abdul Kadir and he lived in Bengkalis, Indonesia. He was born in 1900.  He traveled to Thailand where he got married to Esah Bte Sarman, my great grandmother. There, they were blessed with 3 children, Sakyah Bte Abdul Kadir, my grandfather’s older sister, Shamsuddin bin Abdul Kadir, my grandfather and Subri bin Abdul Kadir my grandfather’s younger brother. They were a happy family.

In 1941, before the Japanese entered/conquered Indonesia, tragedy struck, the family received news that my great great grandfather Atan Jambul had fallen very ill. Thus, the family went to Bengkalis where Atan Jambul was. By the time they reached their destination, it was too late, Atan  had already passed away. They stayed for the funeral and while they were there, Esah gave birth to another child named Jariah bte Abdul Kadir By that time, the Japanese had taken Indonesia therefore the family could not return to Thailand as the passports they had were invalid.

Mdm Lim Pian Tee (2E4 Xiuhui's maternal granny)

My Story 

My maternal grandmother, Lim Pian Tee, was born in China in the year of 1931. Her parents gave birth to a total of ten children. She has five brothers and four sisters, and she is the fourth in the family. Her father worked as a farmer and he was the only breadwinner in the family. Her father would set up a stall along the street and sell the vegetables to the villagers. Whenever they were free, they would help their father by taking care of the stall. Her mother was a housewife, who did the chores and took care of the children.

At the age of eleven, my grandmother attended a Chinese-speaking school, and decided to pursue her dreams in studies. They studied Chinese, Malay, and Buddhist Scriptures. She remembered a male teacher, Mr. Wang, who gave money to the students who had financial problems, and my grandmother was one of them. He also gave his students remedial for the subjects they were poor in. If they were found talking during lesson time, they will be beaten by the teacher with a ruler, and the teachers would throw the chalk at them. Unfortunately, she stopped schooling at sixteen, as her parents thought that girls at that time should do the housework and take care of the siblings.

Welcome to the history book that never was (History Project 2006)

These oral histories were done as part of cross-curriculum learning at Kent Ridge Secondary School in 2006. For an English and History project, students had to interview a relative, preferably a grandparent, and type a 700-1000 word biography.

It was an enriching experience for all three classes of Secondary Two Express students who learnt more about their relatives and the hardships they had faced in their lives. Many students expressed a deeper appreciation for their relatives and had grown closer to them.

I had the intention of printing a booklet but never got down to it. I have written consent from the relatives giving permission for their life stories to be published. So here they are...belatedly...on a platform that is accessible by anyone around the world.

This is "My Story". Other voices from the Singapore Story. Enjoy.

My Story

You have studied key events of Singapore’s history from Settlement to Nation, 1819-1971. You are encouraged to interview an older relative about what life was like in the past. The interviewee should be a grandparent or grandaunt or uncle, if possible. If you are close to someone who is not a relative, who lived through these events, you may also interview them.

If possible, you should get a simple tape recorder or an MP3 player to record the interview.

Format: Preferably typewritten or neatly handwritten. This will be your family heirloom!! You can pass this story to your children.

A: Interviewer (When possible, this information should be placed on the tape before the actual interview.) Your name Date of interview Location of interview B. Interviewee Full Name (also Maiden) Present address Birthdate Place of birth Names and birthdates of brothers and sisters C. Background information of interviewee's parents Parents' Names Residence Occupation Family life with parents D. Childhood Days Games played Holidays Mischief and pranks Punishments Responsibilities - eg. Duties around the home E. School Days Name of schools attended and location Teachers remembered School activities Subjects taken F. Religion Place of worship Type of worship G. Courtship-Marriage What were the rules of courtship?      2.   What was your wedding(s) like? H. Community activities Committee positions Political positions Volunteer services I. Housing     1.   Village/Squatters/Houses     2.   Public Housing (HDB)

J. Social Life Weddings Funerals Parties Gatherings Shopping/Relaxation K. Hobbies/Interests L. Sports M. Trips and vacations N. World War I or 11 OR National Service from 1967 Where were you when this event happened? How were you/your family affected? 3.   What was life like during this period? O. Disasters Storms/Floods eg. Bukit Timah     2.   Fires eg. Bukit Ho Swee Fire1961 P. Strikes, Unrest, Riots      1. Maria Hertogh Riots 1950      2. Student Strikes and Labour Riots 1950s      3. Racial Riots 1964, 1969      4. Indonesian Confrontation 1963-4 Q. Politics      1. What was being under the British rule like?      2. What was being under the Japanese rule like?      3. What was being under David Marshall's              governement from 1955-6?      4. What was being under Lim Yew Hock's         government like from 1956-9?      5. What was being under Lee Kuan Yew's govt         like from 1959?      6. What was being under Malaysia 1963-5 like?      7. What was being under Goh Chok Tong's         leadership like?      8. What is being under Lee Hsien Loong's govt         like? R. Any words of advice, personal creed or motto?