Rajah Lachimee D/O M Doraisamy and Joel Ng
3 Important Lessons That We Have Learnt
Rajah Lachimee D/O M Doraisamy:
In the 1960s my family stayed in a Kampong called Chye Kay Village. At that time, there were some memorable events, which happened, that I would like to share. We lived in a beautiful environment surrounded by nature with trees, flowers, herbal plants, and birds. I felt the fresh air everywhere and also had the freedom to play and run around the kampong. We also had our own small chicken farm.
During that period, my family had a small piece of land behind my house, where we grew green vegetables, tapioca, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, and sweet corn. There were also many coconut, banana, guava, and rambutan trees around our house. We also grew pineapple plants.
At that time, there was no electricity and proper water supply. For our lighting, we used kerosene lamps at night and cooked our food using wood. As for water supply, we depended on water from the well. We used the water for bathing, washing, cleaning, watering our vegetable plants, and also for other uses.
During the flood season, my neighbour’s pond would flood and many big fish which were still alive would be seen at our house area surrounding.
During my childhood days, there were frequent floods and I used to wade through the waters to go to school. It was fun and I enjoyed the rain and the flood. There were times when my neighbours and my sibling used to play with the hailstones that dropped from the sky. As for entertainment, we used to go to the open-air theatre for film shows.
At school, I loved the annual Sports Day because we were given free Iced Milo, which was so tasty. I also participated in the sports events and won many trophies.
My friends taught me the basic step to crochet a variety of things such as shawls, bedsheets, and tablecloths. A neighbour taught me to make steamed fruit cake and my mother taught me to make this cake too. It was an enjoyable experience and I have fond memories of it. As a young girl, I was interested in sewing and learned how to sew from one of the kampong Tailoring Shop.
“Kampong Life” was a carefree, full of joy and stimulating experience. We lived in harmony with our neighbours, who were of different races. We celebrated different festivals together and shared our traditional foods with others. We helped each other in times of need and emergencies by providing financial, emotional support, and caregiving assistance.
I had numerous memorable events, which I shared a few. I will always treasure my 25 years of staying in Kampong Chye Kay Village (Sembawang), where I had a beautiful and harmonious environment of living together. Secondly, how precious water is for our daily usage. Thank you, support given by family and friends.
Joel Ng:
The Greatest Lesson Learnt are:
To remember our humble beginnings, not only as individuals but also as a small and young nation-state;
To strive to always be in harmony with the people around us, including our neighbours, and despite our differences in race and religion; and
To treasure the limited resources in our environment to ensure that there is sustainable use of the resources that we have.
Remembering our humble beginnings is quite aptly illustrated by the Chinese phrase, which is to always remember the source of the water you drink. As an individual, we must not become arrogant when we start moving up the ladder in life. As a country, we must honour and remember our pioneers. As a society, we must always give back if we have the means. As we all pay it forward, we will all surely progress and prosper together.
Maintaining a harmonious society involves learning from people around us, understanding our differences, and finding ways to live, work, and play together. While there may be friction points every now and then, we need to recognise that this is part and parcel of living together in the same society. Different lifestyles, practices, opinions, and beliefs ultimately add more flavour to our society!
Environmental and resource conservation requires us all to play our part. Simple recycling of unwanted items or the upcycling of used products require a concerted effort by all of us. If we don’t make the effort to conserve the resources around us, we may end up depleting all the resources made available to us by the hard work of our forefathers. As a small island with no natural resources, we all the more need to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
In our Woodgrove Branch, we participate actively in service to our community and in propagating sustainability. Guided by our Chairman, Ms. Mary Soh, and our Branch Secretary, Mr. Ng Si Hiong, we have been able to take small steps to try to make a difference in our community. The 3 lessons and takeaways mentioned in this book are just some of the ways that we have interpreted the Singapore story beginning from the time our pioneers like Mdm Lachimee. Hopefully, we can continue their story and make Singapore a better place for all!
