Oct–Dec 2024

Director's Note

The Awakening of the Modern Television Era: 50 Years of Colour TV in Singapore
People weren’t particularly interested in upgrading their black-and-white TVs to colour TVs. Then came the World Cup. Mohamad Karazie and Tan Jie Ling. (PDF)

30 Years of the Great Singapore Workout
Launched in 1993, the Great Singapore Workout helped spread the message that being physically active was important. Lim Tin Seng. (PDF)

Animals, Anxieties and Aspirations: The Earlier Years of the Singapore Zoo
The zoo had to overcome major setbacks in its formative years. Choo Ruizhi. (PDF)

At Wat Ananda, Thai Buddhism with a Singaporean Twist
The golden stupa and ornate roofs indicate that this is a Thai Buddhist temple. The Singaporean influences, though, are not hard to spot. Thammika Songkaeo. (PDF)

Singapore’s Pioneer Cartoonists
Many of the early cartoonists were ideologically motivated and their drawings aimed to bring about social and political change. CT Lim. (PDF)

Remembering the Hawkins Road Refugee Camp
A temporary home for Vietnamese refugees, the Hawkins Road camp received thousands of “boat people” over nearly two decades. Rebecca Tan. (PDF)

Singapore’s Armenian Church Survived Close to 180 Years. Singapore’s Original Armenian Community Did Not
Singapore’s Persian Armenian community barely survived the war. Then came the demographic collapse. Alvin Tan. (PDF)

Laws of Our Land: Foundations of a New Nation
The Singapore Citizenship Ordinance (1957), the Women’s Charter (1961) and the Employment Act (1968) have shaped modern Singapore. Kevin Khoo, Mark Wong and Fiona Tan. (PDF)

S. Rajaratnam: The Lion’s Roar
The second volume of S. Rajaratnam’s authorised biography – The Lion’s Roar – was launched in July 2024. The journalist-turned-politician was a critical figure in Singapore’s early years. Irene Ng. (PDF)

The Search for a “Lost” Towkay of Malaya
A man looks at his grandfather with new eyes after a mysterious envelope is found in an old workman’s outfit that was about to be thrown away. Phan Ming Yen. (PDF)

New Books on Singapore History
Singapore’s Orchid Diplomacy, The Great Port Cities of Asia and Dakota 达哥打 are some of the new books available at the National Library. (PDF)