In mid-2012, an old forgotten colonial-styled house standing at the junction of Yio Chu Kang Road and Jalan Kayu was demolished due to the widening of Yio Chu Kang Road and the building of a new road that will link to the new Seletar Aerospace Hub.
Not many were aware that this was actually the former post office of Jalan Kayu. In the fifties, there was a need to build a post office to serve the increasing number of residents living at Jalan Kayu and Seletar Hills, as well as the British military personnel stationed at the nearby Seletar Airbase.
One of the best maintained and efficient post offices in Singapore, Jalan Kayu Post Office gained its prestige by winning its third straight title as the Singapore’s Best Kept Post Office in 1969. It continued to serve the community well in the seventies, when Seletar Hills began to be filled with low-rise flats, markets and rows of new private houses.
Jalan Kayu Post Office ceased its operation after the mid-eighties. The building was then served as Chatsworth Kindergarten for several years before taken over by The Hiding Place, a Christian organisation that was founded in 1978 to help inmates of drug rehabilitation centres.
In 2004, SingPost set up a branch at Jalan Kelulut, off Yio Chu Kang Road, to cater for the needs for postal services for the residents of Seletar Hills.
The Early Days
The postal service in Singapore started in the early 19th century, shortly after Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore. As the initial postal volume was small, only a small team was tasked to handle the postal service, sharing their office with the Marine Office and Import/Export department.
General Post Office
Due to the flourishing trades in the Straits Settlements by the mid-19th century, the postal service was separated from the Marine Office, becoming an independent entity to deal with the increasing mail traffic. The Post Office was later renamed as Singapore Post Office. In 1854, it had its own building, under the name of General Post Office (GPO in short), near the Town Hall along the Singapore River.
By the 1870s, the rapidly increasing mail volume prompted the General Post Office to employ a team of postmen for mail delivery. Postal boxes were also installed at different location to pick up mails by horse carriages.
The rising importance of General Post Office saw it shifted twice, in 1873 and 1885, to bigger buildings. In 1925, the buildings were demolished to make way for the construction of Fullerton Building, in which the postal service made it its permanent office.
The Chinese Sub-Post Office and the 1876 Riots
In 1876, the British colonial government decided to set up a Chinese Sub-Post Office in a bid to act as a forward agent for the China-bound letters and remittances sent by the Chinese working in Singapore. There were as many as 50,000 Chinese then, and the revenue gained from the service would be significant for the government.
However, the move by the British was opposed by the rich local towkays who had monopolised this service for years. They collaborated with the secret societies to incite protests at the sub-post office and police stations. Riots broke out when the police marched in, resulting in several casualties, but the violence was managed to be quelled within two days. Many rioters, as well as several Chinese towkays and secret society leaders, were imprisoned.
After some weeks, the Chinese community came to accept the existence of the new Sub-Post Office.
General Post Office (at Fullerton Building)
The General Post Office moved into the Fullerton Building in 1928, sharing the premises with Singapore Chamber of Commerce and several other government offices.
Nicknamed the “Grand Old Dame”, the new General Post Office at Fullerton Building was described as the most important post office in the East. It occupied two levels and equipped with a conveyor belt system to transfer the mails to the postal halls. All the mails were sent by ships during its early days.
At the end of 1971, General Post Office shifted its mail handling department to a warehouse at Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), before settling at Chai Chee Complex twelve years later. By 1998, all mail processing operations were done at the new Singapore Post Centre at Eunos Road.
The Fullerton Building was acquired by Sino Land, Far East Organisation’s sister company in Hong Kong, in 1997 and redeveloped into a prestigious hotel opened four years later.
Other Former/Old Neighbourhood Post Offices
Alexandra Post Office
Alexandra Post Office, also formerly known as Prince Philip Avenue Post Office, is housed in a low-rise block that stands between Alexandra Road and Prince Philip Avenue and has been functioning since the early sixties.
Today, Alexandra Post Office shares its premises with a pre-school.
Bukit Panjang Post Office
Located at the junction of Jalan Tech Whye and Choa Chu Kang Road, Bukit Panjang Post Office was officially opened in 1955 by then Minister of Communications and Works Francis Thomas.
The white two-storey building had since been demolished and replaced by one that houses SingPost’s ( (Singapore Post Limited) Bukit Panjang branch.
Joo Chiat Post Office
Joo Chiat Post Office was once located in a small two-storey building at the junction of Tembling Road and Joo Chiat Place, along the main road of Joo Chiat. The building used to be operated as an opium stall and a liquor shop before it was used as a post office.
The building was demolished in the seventies to replaced by a small artery road to an open-air carpark. After its demolition, the residents of Joo Chiat was served by Haig Road Post Office until 1986, when the new Joo Chiat Post Office re-opened at Joo Chiat Complex.
Katong Post Office
Katong Post Office was opened in around 1931, and largely maintained its same size of staff for more than twenty years. In the mid-fifties, the district of Tanjong Katong had seen the population grew rapidly, leading to some concerns from the public that the post office had difficulties in handling the increasing number of customers.
Standing at the junction of Tanjong Katong Road and Mountbatten Road, the two-storey colonial house of Katong Post Office (also known as Tanjong Katong Post Office) is currently the oldest neighbourhood post office in Singapore after Geylang Post Office.
After decades of operation, the post office was given a major renovation and an extension was added to the left side of the building. The building also became fully air-conditioned.
While Katong Post Office looks brand new now, its neighbouring house retained the same image for more than fifty years. It is currently being utilised as a guard house for the SingTel’s Tanjong Katong Telephone Exchange.
Like Alexandra Post Office, Katong Post Office also shares its premises with a pre-school nowadays.
Killiney Road Post Office
Killiney Road Post Office (KPO in short) is one of the few early colonial-styled post offices in Singapore that are given a new lease of life in recent years. Situated at the junction of Orchard Road and Killiney Road, it was opened in the early sixties to serve the community living at River Valley and Cairnhill.
In 2009, Killiney Road Post Office underwent a series of renovation works, with KPO Cafe Bar added to the post office. During its closure, the postal service continued in a temporary post office housed in a container.
Maxwell Road Post Office
Maxwell Road Post Office was a major tenant that occupied the ground floor of the former Custom House, located at the junction of Maxwell Road and Wallich Road.
After it was completed in 1932 at a cost of $313,000, the Custom House was used as the headquarters of the Singapore Customs. Like other buildings commissioned by the Public Works Department (PWD), it also housed several other administrative offices, in which the Film Censor’s Office was one of the tenants.
In 1989, Maxwell Road Post Office ceased its operation at the Custom House, which was re-designated for commercial use. It was renamed as the White House, and subsequently the Maxwell Chambers after its conservation in 2007.
Nee Soon Post Office
Probably the most iconic representative of colonial post offices in Singapore, Nee Soon Post Office has been standing at one end of Mandai Road for decades. In the past, Nee Soon Police Station and a small bus terminus used to exist beside the post office.
At its main door, it still possesses that distinctive orange-white posting box that bears the trademark of Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS) and was used islandwide in the eighties.
Nee Soon Post Office was closed for six weeks in 1974 due to renovation. It ceased its operation in the nineties when the emergence of Yishun New Town gradually took over the administrative roles of Nee Soon and Sembawang area.
Over the years, the building was left vacant except for some storage purposes. In 2003, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) planned to convert the building into a visitor centre but the move did not materialise. It was not until almost a decade later that the former Nee Soon Post Office is given a makeover to become a vet clinic.
Newton Post Office
The former building of Newton Post Office stood near Newton Circus at Kampong Java Road. The history of Newton Post Office went back all the way to the 1920s, spanning over half a century.
In 1974, Newton Post Office was closed for a month due to renovation. It, however, shut down for good a few years later, when the new Newton Post Office and its POSB branch opened at Winstedt Drive off Bukit Timah Road in 1980.
North Canal Road Post Office
Situated at the edge of Hong Lim Park, the name of North Canal Road Post Office was derived from the road it was facing. North Canal Road itself, together with the adjacent South Canal Road, was named after the Singapore Canal that used to link the areas around South Bridge Road to the nearby Singapore River.
In 1974, North Canal Road Post Office temporarily took over the role of postal service provider in the City area when Maxwell Road Post Office was closed for renovation.
In the seventies, the government launched an upgrading program at many aging post offices, such as Kampong Glam Post Office, Sepoy Lines Post Office and Alexandra Post Office, in a bid to improve postal facilities on the island. The renovation project would last more than nine years.
After its operation ceased, the former building of North Canal Road Post Office was refurbished into the present-day Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post.
Orchard Road Post Office
The post office at Orchard Road was mentioned in the early local newspapers dated in the 1910s, which means there was postal services provided at Orchard Road when it was still a land of plantations and cemeteries.
It might have moved to its stand-alone building in the fifties, besides the Singapore Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals which was set up at Orchard Road in 1954.
In 1984, the government acquired the lands around Orchard Road for development plans. Both Orchard Road Post Office and SPCA had to be relocated. SPCA was moved to Mount Vernon Road, while a new post office was set up at the former Tangs Superstore.
Paya Lebar Post Office
Located at the junction of Yio Chu Kang Road and Upper Serangoon Road, or fondly known as ow gang ngor kok jio (“Hougang Fifth Milestone” in Hokkien), the former Paya Lebar Post Office existed between the 1930s and the early nineties.
In 1959, Paya Lebar Post Office won the honour of being the best-maintained post office in Singapore. The second and third prized went to Jalan Kayu Post Office and Geylang Post Office respectively. The annual nationwide competition focused on the tidiness and efficiency of each post office.
Postal services gradually gained importance after the self-governance of Singapore in 1955. By 1960, there were as many as 32 post offices operating in different parts of the island.
In 1992, with the closure of its old building, Paya Lebar moved to a temporary office at Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre.
Sepoy Lines Post Office
The colonial-styled building of Sepoy Lines Post Office used to stand at the junction of Neil Road and New Bridge Road from the fifties to eighties, opposite of the Singapore General Hospital.
Nicknamed si bai po by the Hokkiens, it refers to the area around Cantonment Road which was previously known as Sepoy plain. Sepoy refers to the Indian soldiers employed by the European colonial powers from the 17th to early 20th century. They were one of the first Indians to arrive at Singapore, when one troop landed on the island in 1819 with Sir Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar.
In June 1970, Sepoy Lines Post Office was thrown into spotlight on the national news when a robber, armed with a revolver, attempted to rob the POSB (Post Office Savings Bank) branch inside the building. He got away with $1,732 successfully.
Today, only part of its boundary walls and a row of steps remain among patches of grass.
Serangoon Garden Post Office
Serangoon Garden Post Office is housed in a single-storey building beside the famous Chomp Chomp Hawker Centre. Almost as old as the estate itself, it was officially opened in May 1959 by M.P.D. Nair, then Minister of Communications and Works.
Taman Warna Post Office
The former post office of Taman Warna, which means Garden of Colour in Malay, was located at the junction of Holland Avenue and Taman Warna.
In 1977, Taman Warna Post Office was shut down to be replaced by the new Ghim Moh Estate Post Office about one kilometre away. A branch of Post Office Savings Bank was set up at the former site of Taman Warna Post Office.
Tanglin Post Office
Opened at the start of the 20th century, Tanglin Post Office was once one of the oldest post offices in Singapore. The two-storey colonial house, previously a landmark at the junction of Tanglin Road and Nassim Hill, was demolished in 2008. Between 1968 and 1974, the building also housed the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Social Council.
Today, a lifestyle concept store called Friven & Co. shares a new building in the original site of Tanglin Post Office with Singapore Post’s Tanglin branch.
Others
As the country progressed, many old post offices were torn down and replaced by new branches of SingPost.
The likes of old Bukit Timah Post Office (opened in 1953), Circuit Road Post Office (opened in 1972), Crawford Post Office (opened in the early seventies), Farrer Road Post Office (opened in 1963), Kallang Basin Post Office (opened in 1974), Kampong Glam Post Office (closed in 1981) and Owen Road Post Office (opened in late sixties) had all vanished in the history.
Post Office Saving Bank
The General Post Office first offered financial services to the public in January 1877, when Post Office Saving Bank (POSB) was set up.
Known as the People’s Bank, the relationship lasted for almost a century before POSB became a statutory board in 1975, under the charge of the Ministry of Finance. It was later acquired by the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) in 1998.
The Postal Services Department itself became an autonomous entity after Singapore’s independence in 1965. It was merged with Telecoms (Telecommunication Authority of Singapore) in 1982, before becoming the current SingPost a decade later.
The Postmen
Often understaffed, the early post offices were handled by a postmaster, a clerk and several postmen. Mails were handled by hand before 1983, and postmen had to brave through mud tracks and dogs to reach those isolated kampong and other rural areas. The delivery of letters and parcels usually took days to reach their destinations.
Daily mail volumes have jumped from a few hundreds in the sixties to more than 2.7 million today.
Interesting Trivia
According to SingPost, the earliest local postmark was recorded in 1829, and the first mail steamer to arrive at Singapore was Lady Mary Wood in 1845, which did deliveries for China and the Straits Settlements. The paddle-wheel ship took a record of 41 days to arrive from London to Singapore. However, postage stamps were not used for mails until 1855.
The oldest post office still in operation today is Geylang Post Office, opened since 1930, while the most isolated posting box is located on Pulau Ubin. In the past, there were also postal branches at Pulau Bukom and Pulau Semakau.
Published: 10 July 2012
Remember Singapore 
Just a post update, Nee Soon is being refurbished as we speak. There’s construction works going about. I was around the area about few weeks ago.
One good thing about Google Maps Street View is that you can still view those buildings that were demolished in recent years (2008-2012).
And Jalan Kayu Post Office was one of them (others include Old Keat Hong Camp at Choa Chu Kang, Empress Cinema at Clementi, etc)
Google Street view for Singapore was launched in 2009. However it was uncertain when the data collection began. There are possibility that the data collection could start on 2009 too, which made the starting date from 2009 to 2012.
It cannot be below 2007 and below because if you note West Coast Plaza, the building is launch in 2008. Also note Clementi West Street One is undergoing lift upgrading. Follow the street view to Blk 607. Note Lift A is already completed while Lift B already has platforms created for each floor. This occurs somewhere in early 2009.
To verify the facts, I lived in this area.
Thanks. I guess the data collection in Singapore might have started as early as 2008, because some of the outdated photos have the year 2008 imprinted on them 😉
No problem man.. happy to share. 😀
Btw, here’s something you might find interesting about how street view data are collected.
http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/fcc-claims-google-employees-knew-of-street-views-data-collection-1078222
*clap*
good post.
have you thought of publishing a book? your blog contents look like suitable material for a book on our history/past.
Thanks but no lah, it’s only a hobby to share my memories of Singapore during my childhood in the 70s/80s
No intention to profit from it at all
if u do get a book published, i’m getting one for my coffee table for sure. 🙂
Yes, I do think if you publish a book, it will sell! You already have the photos and the articles, why not?
yes i agree with them too , i do be sure to buy your books :love:
Um, sorry RemSG, the Tarman Warna Post Office was still open during my childhood years (the 90’s) in the same building as the POSB branch and closed in early 2006/7 I think with the bank branch and the Factory Outlet Store that took the post office’s 2nd floor months later for the building’s sale.
A few corrections to this nice article.
Jalan Kayu Post Office – The post office was relocated to Block 2 Seletar Road in 1975 and finally closed in 2004. I recall that the original building was taken over by another government agency, perhaps PPD in the 1980s/90s.
Alexandra Post Office – Has always been Alexandra PO from day 1 when it opened in 1957. It was never called Prince Phillip Avenue PO.
Bukit Panjang PO – The picture shows the second Bt Panjang PO. The first PO was located near the junction of Choa Chu Kang Rd and Upper Bt Timah Rd, being one in a row of shop houses.
Katong PO – This post office was opened as Tanjong Katong PO in 1914, renamed to Sea View Hotel PO and back to Tanjong Katong PO, before becoming Katong PO in 1922. The current building is probably the third or 4th post office building.
Orchard Road PO – The building shown is the second Orchard Road PO, opened in 1907. I am not sure when SPCA took over these premises, but SPCA was already there in the 1970s when I visited my uncle’s shop which was just a few units away. The post office was relocated to Killiney Road PO in 1963.
Taman Warna PO – POSB used to be situated in the post office, and when the post office closed in 1977, POSB took over the premises and operated till it was renovated in the 1980s. After the renovation, Taman Warna post office was re-established and operated till the building was again closed.
Tanglin PO – The building shown in the picture is the 4th building of the Tanglin PO. It is the oldest post office in continuous operations, having been opened in 1897 till now.
I have to say this is distinct from Geylang PO which is the oldest post office building operating today and Katong PO, which is the oldest post office in the same building with the same name. Geylang PO opened as Geylang Road PO till about 1950 when the name was changed to Geylang.
Thank you for the information with reference to Tanglin Post Office. When I was young, I stayed, at Ellis Road. At that time, the Tanglin Post Office was located at the entrance/corner of Ellis Road, it was facing Tanglin Road.
Pasir Panjang Post Office also in a old building. When was it opened?
The distinctive orange and white TAS (Telecommunication Authority of Singapore) Mailbox 1984
Colorful. those huge old P.O. buildings are amazing.
RemSG
got 2 post office also very old school. one at Simpang Bedok and one at Siglap along upper east coast road. hope this help. thanks for the blog.
For those interested in local stamps and heritage, please check out http://retrievia.wordpress.com/, which features a nice book “SINGAPORE’S MONUMENTS & LANDMARKS: A PHILATELIC RAMBLE” by stamp enthusiast Dr Tan Wee Kiat.
Here are some of the interesting landmarks featured in the old stamps:
Snail mail on a slow boat
The New Paper
Rain or shine every weekday afternoon, you’ll find Singapore’s oldest postman, Mr Haron Jomahat, 73, sitting on the brown benches at Changi Point Ferry Terminal. Unlike other boat passengers, who might be going on a rustic adventure, the part-time postman makes the daily trips to deliver mail to the island’s last remaining residents.
Mr Haron grew up as an islander on Pulau Tekong, and the grandfather of 12 said Pulau Ubin reminds him of his formative years.
“If given another chance I’ll still want to be assigned to Pulau Ubin,” he said. “It is not as hectic as the mainland and I love the rustic feel of this place.”
Encik Haron has passed away on 16 February 2021 at age 80… RIP
He is an icon of those days of a postman of that time and era. Where people depends on a mail by asnail pace and I am sure he is so much welcome as he delivered letters to the islander. I am glad his life is worth remembering by for what he once brought cheers to many
Hi Remember Singapore Community!
I’m Louis, an architecture student at NUS, currently researching on the morphology of the old colonial house post office typology.
As part of my research, I’d love to hear about your stories and experiences growing up with these post offices. It’d be great if we could do this in person, such that these oral histories are captured.
Please contact me at limlouis@nus.edu.sg or drop me a message below if you’re interested and I’ll get in touch with you!
Thank you! (:
Dear Louis, please help me to get a picture of former Upper Thomson Road Post Office, It has been relocated to Thomson CC. I need the old picture for a school project. Thank you. Yvonne
An old building that once served as a Malayan post office has been conserved by the Malaysian government
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/03/02/Heritage-tag-for-Asahan-site-Prewar-post-office-a-unique-window-into-Malayan-history/
Pre-war post office a unique window into Malayan history
2 March 2015
MALACCA: The state government has decided to conserve the post office building in Asahan, about 70km from here, as a heritage building. The now dilapidated building was used to handle letters sent by homesick British soldiers stationed here during the emergency period to their families back home in Fiji, Southern Rhodesia, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal and India.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said the state government decided to conserve and recognise it as a state heritage site to honour the fallen soldiers who defended the nation during the insurgency period from 1948 to 1960.
“The post office was once the nerve centre for these soldiers from Commonwealth nations and it is appropriate for us to conserve the pre-war structure as a state heritage site,” he said yesterday. Idris said the servicemen from the British Empire had contributed a lot to the country by fighting the communists, and the Asahan post office was part of the history of that era.
“Asahan town itself is also rich in history, especially WWII and the emergency period. It can be turned into a living museum,” he added. He hoped the move to turn the post office into a heritage site would attract more tourists to the area.
Asahan was the operation hub for many soldiers who fought fierce guerilla wars in the jungles of Malaya. Apart from the King’s African Rifles Regiment from Rhodesia, Africa, most of them were attached to the Fijian army and Gurkha regiment. Many injured soldiers updated their loved ones by sending letters through the Asahan post office. Some of these letters are now on display at the London Museum.
i am so happy that I stride into this column as I am an avid collector of Post office postmarking in Singapore. I have the earliest Tanglin postmark dating back to 1892, Tanjong Pagar to 1890 and Orhard Road at 1920.
Connect with me if you have the same collection that we can share details
Can you post a picture of the Tanjong Pagar postmark of 1890 ?
Dear Mr Zubin,
I wish I can immediate as my collection is kept between Singapore and the United Kingdom. I am now a consultant on a few projects in Indonesia.
I will try over the next two months.
The first post marking coming off from Tanjong Pagar was just an ordinary round stamp cancellation with the word – Singapore and date in the center along with a flueron at the bottom end. Next to date stamp was then placed a rectangular Caption stating – ‘Tanjong Pagar P.O.
Around that time there was another ‘New Harbour ‘ Post Office which was later renamed ‘Keppel Harbour
Beside than for a short while 1890- 1893 was also a post office close by. It was called South Bridge Road PO. Actually very few exist on postal stationary as I do not think it lasted that long.although on record it was these years. Most stationary with this post markings were those mainly going to China. It is only many years later in 1940’s that a close up post office surface which was “North Canal Road”
I know in the late 1970’s a small sub post office was around at the present Hock Hai Building
Hope that will create some excitement for you
Peter
Thanks for that detailed reply Mr Wang…… Singapore is an interesting place for postal history. I contribute to their Philatelic Museum. I have worked there from 1994 to 1999 and I visit regularly. I will be there again in January 2018. It is one of my favorite cities in the world.
Dear Mr Zubin,
Singapore as a country to collect early stamps and postal history is indeed a very interesting country as then it was a center where ships would docked in and thus created many maritime mails along with “Paquebot’ and that of postal ambulance like – ‘Penang to Singapore’ and that of ‘Singapore to Hong Kong’ postmarkings
Enjoy
I have some interesting pieces and would like to share them with you….. Are you on Facebook – or maybe you can share an email with me.
email address is ihtventures@gmail.com, Peter T S Wang. We can talk more and better
Thanks – will email you next week !
Good!
Where are you living!
Now in Pune, India……
History comes alive: She’s the Indian dancer in 1968 postage stamp
03 August 2015
The Straits Times
It looked like just another e-mail sent to Bhaskar’s Arts Academy asking for a dancer to perform an Indian dance routine at the launch of an exhibition.
But when the academy’s artistic director and choreographer, Mrs Santha Bhaskar, read the e-mail from the Singapore Philatelic Museum, she had a pleasant surprise. The e-mail sent in June had requested the performer to don a costume in the same colours as the dancer in a 1968 stamp that would be featured in the exhibition. As it turned out, Mrs Bhaskar, 75, was the dancer in the stamp, which was issued then to promote racial harmony.
“I never thought that it’s going to come back now. Even when they asked for a dance item, I thought it was simply for an exhibition, and didn’t think my stamp would be on display,” she told The Straits Times.
“I’m very surprised. Even now, I still can’t believe it. My grandchildren have no idea that there was a stamp with their grandmother.”
The stamp is now being shown at the exhibition titled The Singapore Journey: 50 Years Through Stamps, which was launched two weeks ago. It features stamps and related items showing Singapore’s progress through the years, to celebrate the nation’s Golden Jubilee.
Mrs Bhaskar said: “I’ve lost the stamps over the years, so to see it in public now, I’m very happy and honoured.”
A Cultural Medallion recipient for dance, Mrs Bhaskar was born in Kerala, India, and came to Singapore in 1955 after an arranged marriage with Mr K.P. Bhaskar, founder of Bhaskar’s Arts Academy. She became a Singapore citizen in 1960, and the couple have three children and four grandchildren. Mr Bhaskar died two years ago from a heart-related illness.
How did Mrs Bhaskar become the model for a stamp? In 1968, Mr Bala Subramanion, Singapore’s first Postmaster General, had asked Mr Bhaskar for a picture of an Indian dancer for use in a series of stamps titled Masks and Dances Definitives, which depicted the traditional performance arts of the Chinese, Indians and Malays.
Mr Bhaskar gave him a picture of his wife. Mr Subramanion, now 98, said: “Singapore experienced its most serious race riots in July and September of 1964, shortly after joining Malaysia. It is no wonder that racial harmony is a priority for Singapore.” He had contacted Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, as it was a “pioneer in Indian dance”.
For Mrs Bhaskar, it was a proud moment. “I used them to send letters to our family and relatives in India,” she said. She added that stamps had more impact then because people used to write letters to each other more often, unlike now, when messages are sent using technology. The 1968 series of stamps also proved that the arts was flourishing in Singapore in the 1960s.
“It didn’t just promote racial harmony. People thought that at that time, Singapore didn’t have any art, it was a cultural desert. But it’s not true. The only thing was that there was no funding available, but there was art, theatre, music, dance.”
Indian dance is still relevant today, she said. “In any art form, you find your roots. You’d know where your grandparents came from.”
While Mrs Bhaskar turns 76 in October, she still maintains an active lifestyle by conducting classes at least once a week at Bhaskar’s Arts Academy and at the National University of Singapore’s Centre For the Arts. She also does yoga.
“I don’t think about my age so I’m as normal and energetic as I can be, still exploring things,” she said.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/history-comes-alive-shes-the-indian-dancer-in-1968-postage-stamp
Excellent collection of our postal system then and now!! Well done Sir!!
Vernon,
It is my passion to collect memorabilia and history of the Singapore Post Office. I have just bought some old letters of the early Postmasters of Straits Settlementsrequesting to look at printing more stamps in need.
Someday, I may that collation in a book.
Thanks for your encouragement
Peter
SingPost issues longest stamp in Singapore’s history, featuring panoramic view of city skyline
14 October 2020
Channel NewsAsia
The longest single stamp in Singapore’s history, measuring 163.2mm in length, will go on sale on Thursday (Oct 15) as part of a new two-stamp set, said SingPost on Wednesday.
The longer stamp, with a denomination of S$2, features a panorama of Singapore’s world-renowned skyline of the Marina Bay Central Business District.
The stamp will showcase skyscrapers in the business district, heritage buildings in the civic district, leisure attractions that line the Singapore River, as well as the country’s high-rise homes and ship-filled strait in the background.
The second smaller stamp, valued at S$1.40, will feature one of Singapore’s longest HDB flats – Block 34 at Whampoa West.
Built in 1971, the residential building is famous for its 320m-long corridor, with 46 apartments on each floor.
A Pre-cancelled First Day Cover with stamps will be sold at S$4.90 and a Presentation Pack is priced at S$5.95. They will be available at all post offices, Philatelic Stores and online at shop.singpost.com, while stocks last, said SingPost.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singpost-launches-longest-stamp-in-singapore-history-cbd-hdb-13281304
Hi RememberSG, may I add in? How about Changi Post Office? My mum used to go there during her younger days. She is now 70 years old. She mentioned Changi PO was situated nearby before turning into Changi Village. Probably can add in as well? I have always enjoyed reading your blog about places in SG. Some of it I don’t even know as I’m born in 1975, your information with pictures provide knowledge to readers. I must say Thank You very much for this blog! :):)
The Changi PO was not truly a post office. It was a postal agency opertaed by a provision shop that sells all sort of items from fishing gear to provision. The shop was in the old village and the shop no longer exist with the new development. Changi Village does not a post office or agency any more It was last remaining few operated in 1970’s as POST Office were only servicing the large volumes and the agencies was serving kampong and villages started in the 1950″s
Don’t forget the Macpherson Road Post Office, which is still functioning:
https://www.google.com.sg/maps/@1.3286401,103.8713474,3a,75y,162.77h,84.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjCo4bm1DtENTHY8BOPSQkw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Site in Alexandra to be redeveloped for public housing; 1,500 HDB flats set to be built
15 December 2021
Channel NewsAsia
A site in Alexandra will be redeveloped to provide future public housing, with about 1,500 HDB flats set to be built.
The 3.7ha of land, which includes the area currently occupied by Alexandra Post Office, will be developed in the near term to “meet the strong demand for public housing”, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said in a joint release on Wednesday (Dec 15).
Bounded by Alexandra Road, Prince Charles Crescent and Alexandra Canal, the site to be developed has been earmarked for residential development since 1998 under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan.
To facilitate the development, about 0.23ha of land currently occupied by Alexandra Post Office and SingPost’s tenant will be acquired by the Government.
SLA gazetted the acquisition of the affected land on Wednesday, the joint release said, adding that the statutory board and HDB will work closely with SingPost and its tenant and assist them through the acquisition process.
The acquisition of the post office will allow for more residential units to be built to meet the strong demand for housing and enable a more optimal planning and design of the public housing projects, SLA and HDB said.
IMPORTANCE OF SITE
The site was previously occupied by low-rise blocks of public rental flats, as well as shops and a market. These were demolished in the 1990s to facilitate future development plans, the joint release said.
The area includes the Alexandra Post Office, formerly known as Prince Philip Avenue Post Office, which has been functioning since the early 1960s.
The new housing projects at Alexandra will add to the “good geographical spread” of public housing to meet the different needs of Singaporeans, the agencies said.
These include young families who want to live near their parents in the area for “better mutual care and support”, they added.
“The site’s location along the Alexandra Park Connector offers easy connectivity to the city, on top of the recreational offerings along this corridor,” the authorities said. Future residents will also be served by the nearby Redhill MRT station, which is about 400m away.
HDB also said that it is currently drawing up detailed plans for the public housing projects at Alexandra Road/Prince Charles Crescent and will share more details when ready.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/hdb-alexandra-post-office-housing-estate-flats-alexandra-road-redhill-alexandra-canal-2380771
Today’s last day of operations for Alexandra Post Office….
Alexandra Post Office to cease operations on June 17, after more than 60 years
17 May 2023
The Straits Times
After more than six decades serving the postal needs of those living in the vicinity of Bukit Merah, Alexandra Post Office will finally shutter its doors on June 17.
Singapore Post announced its impending closure on Facebook on Wednesday, adding that customers can head to the nearby Bukit Merah Central Post Office or Tiong Bahru Post Office.
The standalone post office – which is one of several, including Siglap Post Office and Simpang Bedok Post Office – is located at 110 Alexandra Road, and occupies about 0.23ha of land, or about one-third the size of a football field.
The land had been acquired by the Government as part of its plans to build about 1,500 Build-To-Order flats in the area, spread across a 3.7ha site bounded by Alexandra Road, Prince Charles Crescent and Alexandra Canal.
A joint statement by the Housing Board and Singapore Land Authority on Dec 15, 2021, said the acquisition of the post office’s site would allow for the building of more residential units, as well as facilitate more optimal planning and design for future public housing projects.
Originally known as Alexandra Road Post Office, the building was opened on Aug 24, 1957, by then Minister for Communications and Works Francis Thomas.
At the time of its opening, it was one of the largest postal distribution centres, second only to the General Post Office, which used to be the anchor tenant of the Fullerton Building – now known as The Fullerton Hotel Singapore.
Besides the actual post office, Alexandra Post Office also houses the Tanglin branch of Pat’s Schoolhouse, which is a tenant of SingPost.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/alexandra-post-office-to-cease-operations-on-june-17-after-more-than-60-years
Bought three sets of stamps from SingPost… the themes are Singapore mascots and the old favourite board games we used to play
Total $12.95