Head over Heels in Love with Singapore

Welcome to my first Postcard. What is this about? Well, since I no longer work fulltime, I have decided to write a public journal about things that interest me, and things I ponder. Starting with Singapore. My Singapore adventure will include, history, politics, war, eating, and retail therapy.

First a little about me.

I am a sixth generation Australian of Irish and Scottish extraction. Probable convict heritage, but certainly Irish economic refugees. I have worked as an Architect, was in harness to the now past Queen Elizabeth II; (as an infantry soldier, then artillery officer), before ending my work life as a construction project manager.

I am fortunate to be interested in many things, I am tragically also just as passionately obsessive about just as many. I do write a lot about the following topics:

• Leadership Learnings from Experience;
• History and its bearing on contemporary life;
• Military History, avoidance of those mistakes; and
• Building stuff and the shear joy of craftsmanship.

Not being an expert nor qualified in any of this, I can only try to keep my ponderings ‘real’ and ‘grounded.’

My wife Lizzie and I were fortunate to start our Singapore adventure in October 2022. What did I know about Singapore?

Singapore 1986 – Broke and Seedy.

Well, I did not know too much. I previously visited in 1986 as architectural graduate, not a dollar too my name, so yes it was a ‘seedy’ side of Singapore for me. Today’s Singapore, well much of it is no longer seedy, far from it! Take Raffles Hotel:

When I propped up Raffle’s Tiger Bar in 1986, it was a little shabby, very rakish and none to discerning about clientele, after all they let me in!

Singapore contemporary.

Today, Raffles is top shelf all the way! Perhaps the best remaining example of British Colonial Architecture.

Contemporary Singapore is completely different politically, economically, and architecturally. Not that I remember much from 1986, I did get drunk several times in Raffles, well who didn’t in those days? I worked for the Republic of Singapore Airforce in Australia for 2 years, building runway infrastructure. I found the Singaporeans; friendly, intelligent, charming, and very professional.

Intriguing Singapore Adventures.

So, what intrigues me about Singapore?

Australia has had a difficult relationship with Asia. Wars with Japan and Vietnam, ongoing non-violent tension with Indonesia. Australia is or was, a transported English culture, out of place. Perhaps. We do not see ourselves as part of Asia, though a previous Prime Minister argued strongly that we should.

In February 1942, Singapore was overrun and occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army. Many Australian troops fought, died, and were captured. Since then, Singapore has morphed into what some say is the Earth’s most modern city. How did that happen? What about Politics?

Communism is a dominate thread in Asian development since World War 2, that and casting off European Imperial Colonization. Indeed, they both go hand and hand. But,

Singapore did not fall to Communism. Vietnam obviously did. And poor old Indonesia had a ‘Year of Living Dangerously,’ when the communist presence was brutally exterminated.

Singapore has been described as a ‘Benevolent Dictatorship,’ Is that really true? The people generally seem; healthy, well housed and have access to amazing built and natural environments. Has this form of government actually had a positive outcome?

Singapore – Much more than war and politics.

So, such topics intrigue me. How did Singapore do all of this?

However, I am also obsessively passionate about Asian Food, Gardening, Planting Trees, Cool Cars, Affordable Watches, Persian Rugs, Fishing, Literature, Ancient History, Book Collecting, Biggles, Winston Churchill, and all manner of beautiful objects to fill your home.

That is my early warning: I am quite a stream of consciousness pondering person, seeing connection between all manner of things, not necessarily in the same place or time, ok that can be annoying. I will try to stop short of some lame stand-up comedy routine, cannot promise anything. But,

I will try not to be boring.