Pulau Ubin Stories

Teochew Opera performance at Ubin

2011-05-26T12:42:00.005+08:00

Photos by Marcus Ng (Annotated Budak)

Did you catch the Teochew Opera performance (and getai show!) at Pulau Ubin last week (16-21 May 2011)? If you missed it, you can now relive the moment vicariously through the vivid photos of Marcus Ng, the Annotated Budak. You can also read Marcus' account on his blog.

The performance marked the birthday celebration of Taoist diety, Tua Pek Gong (literally, "grand old man") - the diety worshipped at the temple in Ubin town. The crowd sure looked plentiful and almost reminiscent of yonder years when the island population passes a thousand.

Don't be sad, you can now follow us on facebook too!
Photos by Marcus Ng (Annotated Budak)

Teochew opera in itself is also a rapidly disappearing art form in cosmopolitan Singapore. Just as most Singaporeans takes on the interweb in social media platforms like Facebook, traditional art forms must catch up with times and follow suit! Lo and behold, the teochew opera troupe that performed on Ubin has a Facebook page too! If you missed the performance or loved it so much and want to catch more of it, show your support on Facebook! They also announce their performance dates around Singapore (not just Ubin!) and you can catch them "live" at a venue near you!

In case you're eager to watch a piece of the performance right now, here's a video of the troupe's performance on youtube!

Mind you, Ubin celebrations are not all traditional wayang only, Tua Pek Kong probably does enjoy such modern entertainments as well!

Photos by Marcus Ng (Annotated Budak)

2011 Tua Pek Kong Celebration Dates

2011-04-29T14:14:00.002+08:00

Tua Pek Kong is a Chinese Taoist deity popularly worshipped by the Chinese community on our island city. In fact, the temple located in the centre of the Pulau Ubin town is precisely dedicated to the Tua Pek Kong.

Annually, devotees would celebrate the birthday of each deity and Tua Pek Kong is no exception. The Tua Pek Kong temple would organise week long celebrations including traditional teochew opera (affectionately known in Malay as wayang by the locals, referring to performance) and modern getai (meaning song stage in mandarin) performances with bright lights and flamboyant singers in colourful costumes!

This year, the Pulau Ubin Tua Pek Kong Temple will be celebrating Tua Pek Kong Birthday from 16 May to 21 May 2011. There will be nightly wayang show (16-20 May) and finale geitai show (21 May).

Alan Tan, the NParks officer on Ubin, writes that there are usually free boat rides to Ubin from Changi Point Ferry Terminal on these dates from 6.30pm to 10pm. More details will be posted once he receives them.

Do check out the festivities if you have the opportunity as it's a rare island celebration that is hard to come by today.

Last of our Pioneers

2010-11-05T11:38:00.004+08:00

Pakcik Ali Bin Montail, deputy headman of Pulau Ubin, and owner of the blue coffee shop by the Ubin main jetty, passed away on the morning of 30 October 2010. He was 76. Pak Ali was battling cancer in the last leg of his life.

I first read of Pak Ali before I even met him, tasted his wife's wonderful cooking and visited his establishment before I had the honor of being introduced to him. Certificates of honor grace the walls of his coffeeshop. You can see his active service to the people of Ubin through the commendations of his glory days.

Pak Ali was one of "The Spirited Pioneers" featured in the special edition "Nature Watch" magazine by NSS on Pulau Ubin in 1995. It wrote this of Pak Ali,

"From the late 1960s to the 1980s, the younger generation in Ubin began to move to the mainland. It became an unstoppable trend. An islander that seems to have reversed the trend is 61-year-old Ali Bin Montail, the Deputy Headman of Ubin.

Ali had been working on the mainland as an engine driver until 1965 when he returned to Ubin to live and work, also as an engine driver, for Gim Huat Quarry until his retirement in 1986.

Ali had been born in swampy Kallang Rokok (Kallang Basin) and he had been brought to Ubin by his parents when he was a baby.

"We were very poor", Ali recalls. There was no opportunity for him to go to school. When he was growing up, he helped his father tap rubber and fished to supplement their income. After the war years, Ali worked as a vehicle mechanic earning about $2 a day. The hardworking Malay mechanic caught the attention of a British Engineer, Reiner, who advised him to take up night classes.

Ali took his advice and was later encouraged to study for the engine driver's certificate. This professional qualification enabled Ali to earn his living, first with the British RAF power station, and later with the Chinese quarry on Ubin.

Ali got married when he was in his early 20s and he has seven adult children. Like Lim Chye Joo (late headman of Ubin), the affable and energetic Ali threw himself into community service. He served in the Ubin Volunteer Special Constabulary in his younger days and since the late 1970s, he has been tirelessly involved in community centres of Changi and Pulau Ubin.

More than this, Ali also took the initiative to supply the villagers clustered around the main Ubin jetty with electricity. He did this voluntarily for 14 years until TAS took over. For his unstinting service to the community, Ali was awarded the Public Service Medal (in 1983). The indefatigable Ali now runs a food shop in Ubin's main village. He serves fantastic mee siam."
Over time as I began to be more familiar with Ubin and its residents, I have come to associate Pak Ali with a kindly smile and the fantastic lontong that his wife whips up every Sunday. The wonderful cookies they offer to visitors at his coffee shop during Hari Raya. The friendliness of his family.

You will be sorely missed.

RIP Pak Ali.

"Native Trees of Pulau Ubin"

2010-04-07T00:57:00.003+08:00

If you are interested to know more about the native flora of Ubin, the best person to hear from would be Mr Ali Ibrahim, a NParks Pulau Ubin Conservation Officer. Ali has had over 25 years of experience with plants, and many of those years were spent with Ubin flora.

I had the privilege of going on a plant survey on Ubin with Ali once [photo on right] and can attest to his wealth of experience and knowledge. Not to mention, he also has some amazing tales about Ubin itself but that's another story for another day.

Talk Synopsis
Pulau Ubin is greener today than in the 1960s. The native trees that have survived the ravages of the past, can still be found on the island. Many of these have grown into majestic, landmark trees and serve as signposts of Ubin's natural history. Come for this interesting talk by Ali Ibrahim, Pulau Ubin Conservation Officer, with over 25 years of experiences with plants.

Time: 10-11.30am
Venue: Pulau Ubin, Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub. More on how to get to Pulau Ubin.
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

Related Reads:
10 Apr (Sat): Talk on "Native Trees of Pulau Ubin" on Wild Shores of Singapore

34 Ubin House

2010-01-03T10:32:00.003+08:00

Grant Pereira's GVN Green House is now known as 34 Ubin House. It's care and charge has now been taken over by the Nature Society (Singapore) who has taken over the temporary occupation license (TOL) with SLA.

Use of the house is still currently undetermined. Will update further when more is known.

Red tide affecting Pulau Ubin

2010-01-02T10:26:00.007+08:00

Recently it's hit the news that massive algal bloom, also known as red tide, has affected the waters surrounding Pulau Ubin, Changi and Pasir Ris. There are several ways in which harmful algal bloom could cause mortality in marine organisms. According to Wikipedia's entry on algal bloom, these include:

1. the production of neurotoxins which cause mass mortalities in fish, seabirds and marine mammals
2. mechanical damage to other organisms, such as disruption of epithelial gill tissues in fish, resulting in asphyxiation
3. oxygen depletion of the water column (hypoxia or anoxia) from cellular respiration and bacterial degradation

Human consumption of seafood which has been affected by these algal bloom can also be potentially deadly. Seafood lovers, do take note!

As we know, large number of fish farms have been established in recent years by AVA in the straits of johor near Pulau Ubin. This red tide has also hit the fish farm resulting in large losses. Although reports in the news points to oxygen depletion, I wonder if there are possibilities of neurotoxins in the water or mechanical damages as pointed out earlier. As reported in the Wild shore of Singapore and God's wonderful creations, non-fish marine organism have remained unaffected.

Photo by Caroline Chia, Straits Times, "Plankton bloom hits Pulau Ubin fish farms"

Interestingly, some farmers would quoted to have "pumped seawater from greater depths to the surface to aerate the water there, and lowering nets so the fish swim in the more oxygen-rich water lying deeper in the ocean." However, the upwelling of seawater would also bring up the nutrients that usually lie at the bottom. Could this have fed more nutrients for algal growth?

Further on wikipedia, in occasions of hypoxia (or a depletion of oxygen in water), "fish kills can occur and invertebrates like worms and clams on the bottom may be killed as well." Crustaceans like crabs and shrimp would also be found dead. So far I have yet to read reports of dead crustacea or has any one spotted some? There could also be death not washed ashore. A healthy aquatic environment should have 80% dissolved oxygen and most fish cannot live with only less than 30% oxygen dissolved in the water.

There are also natural occurrences of oxygen depletion:

"Water flowing from a river into the sea is less dense than salt water. When this water does not mix with the underlying saline water, it sets up a stratification that results a decrease in vertical mixing. As a result, there is less supply of oxygen from the surface to the bottom, and the oxygen concentration in the bottom layer may become low enough for hypoxia to occur. Hypoxia is particularly problematic in shallow waters of semi-enclosed bodies of water like the Waddenzee or the Gulf of Mexico where land runoff is substantial. In these areas, a so-called "dead zone" can be created."

Interestingly, our straits of johor is relatively stagnant due to the presence of the causeway blocking off circulations in our straits. But Ubin being closer to the sea and to the mouth of Johor River, it is more likely that AVA's report of high freshwater discharge from monsoon storms into the sea could have caused this "natural" occurrence. The freshwater discharge "floats" on top of the saltwater. In this case the water at the bottom has less oxygen so for the fish farmers to lower their fish into the bottom or for them to bring water from the bottom to the top seems to defeat the purpose.

Let's just hope that this does not become a permanent dead zone. According to wikipedia's section on "solutions for hypoxia", it would appear that "air injection" rather than "pumping seawater to the surface" for "aeration" would do a better job.

If nothing else, let's hope that this incident would not result in another 2007 chek jawa mass mortality due to johore flood waters. It's amazing how the same excessive freshwater would result in such different events just 2 years apart. In fact, every year we suffer from similar monsoon freshwater discharges into our straits but why such a reaction this time round? Or could it be that we never noticed before due to the lack of fish farm with thousands of reared fish vulnerable to these natural changes? Perhaps when we situate our aquaculture facilities, we never took into consideration these seasonal fluctuations? Perhaps it's time we start! Most importantly, it's important that these human interferences such as aquaculture fish farms do not exacerbate the problem and result in negative impact on our already vulnerable marine ecosystems and wild population of marine life. Fingers crossed, nature will find its own equilibrium and return our waters back to normalcy soon!

Below are related news report:
"Fish farms in west spared from plankton woes", Irene Tham, Straits Times 3 Jan 10
"Plankton bloom hits Pulau Ubin fish farms" Melissa Sim, Straits Times 2 Jan 10
"200,000 fish in farms off Pasir Ris dead", Carolyn Quek & Jessica Lim, Straits Times 1 Jan 10
"Johor fishermen cry foul over dead fishes", Moh Farhaan Shah, The Star 1 Jan 10
"Dead fish on Pasir Ris beach", Straits Times 29 Dec 09

Ria Tan of WildSingapore offers her take on the situation:
"Dead fish zone" hits Pulau Ubin, 2 Jan 2010, Wild shores of Singapore
Why are there so many dead fish on Pasir Ris, 30 Dec 2009, Wild shores of Singapore
A closer look at dead fish found on Pasir Ris, 30 Dec 2009, Wild shores of Singapore
Dead fish at Pasir Ris, 29 Dec 2009, Wild shores of Singapore

Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang

2009-09-03T09:31:00.003+08:00

According to our friendly nparks officers on Ubin, we have been informed that the annual chinese wayang performances for Hungry Ghost Festival is going to be on from tonight 3 Sept 2009 (Thursday) to 4 Sept 2009 (Friday).

Update: The performance begins at 7pm. Free boat ride to Pulau Ubin begins at 6.30pm.

Greater Mousedeer Populations on Pulau Ubin

2009-07-09T14:55:00.005+08:00

A picture of the lesser mousedeer taken in Singapore at the central catchment by the Annotated Budak. Not exactly the greater mousedeer and not on Ubin but it was in the wilderness of Singapore!

Previously we mentioned mousedeers being sighted on Ubin. NUS biology honors student, Marcus Chua, who has been surveying these mammals for a while now for his honors research thesis, will now be presenting his findings at this upcoming talk on the Greater Mousedeer Populations on Ubin.

Greater Mousedeer Populations on Pulau Ubin.
Talk by Marcus Chua, NUS, Honours Student

The greater mouse deer was recently rediscovered in Pulau Ubin, an island which is one of Singapore's last rural places and a popular recreation area. What led to their rediscovery and comeback? What other mammals can be found on Pulau Ubin? Why are they threatened? Can this little hoofed creature and other medium-sized mammals live alongside man on Pulau Ubin?

The title of his thesis is "Can Medium-sized Mammals Co-exist with Man on Pulau Ubin". And it was his honours research project.

Date : 24 Jul 2009 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Venue : Singapore Botanic Gardens,
Botany Centre, Function Hall

Please register at this website
(Click on "Mousedeer Talk" tab)

Editor's Note:
I will not be able to attend this event as I will be giving a talk on the same day. Is anybody interested or willing to write a blog report of this talk for Pulau Ubin Stories? Volunteers would be most appreciated. Feel free to leave a comment. Thank you!

Pulau Ubin Stories Workshop, 3 Jul 2009, 7pm

2009-06-21T13:07:00.002+08:00

I will be conducting a workshop suitable for nature guides and those of us who frequent Ubin and would like to share more of the island's history and geography with friends and family. This is not a talk but a workshop with activities that would help to enhance public communication. I am still hoping to invite some special guest speakers who are veterans on the island who would hopefully be able to share stories that even I don't know about!

Vacancies are limited. Only 10 spots left! Do register early to avoid being disappointed.

Date: 3 July 2009, Friday
Time: 7.00pm - 9.30pm
Venue: Civil Service College
31 North Buona Vista Road Singapore 275983

PLEASE REGISTER AT
http://is.gd/16XCb

SPEAKER
November Tan
November is a graduate student in the Department of Geography at NUS as well as an active nature guide on Pulau Ubin amongst others. 3 generations of her family traces their roots back to Pulau Ubin and she traces hers on Pulau Ubin Stories, a blog which archives the stories old and new on Pulau Ubin. She did her undergraduate honors thesis on "Saving Chek Jawa: Social Capital and Networks in Nature Conservation". She has also authored several heritage trails publications for the National Heritage Board. She currently coordinate workshops for nature guides at The Leafmonkey Workshop and writes at the Midnight Monkey Monitor.

Wayang Performance

2009-05-09T14:51:00.005+08:00

The multi-tasking troupe master backstage at Ubin in 2007.

Adelle of Nparks sent a message to the Ubin Volunteers recently,

"The red, white and black palette of colours defined their facial features, their colourful costumes fluttered aross the stage with every movement of their body, the veteran performers are singing to the familiar tune with the small backstage band.

The town in Pulau Ubin had come alive with colours, sound, smell and sights during the celebration of "Tua Pek Kong's Birthday.

Celebrations commences today, 8th May and ends 13th May.

Do drop by if you are interested to catch a glimspe of traditional opera performances in Pulau Ubin.

Tradition wayang (8th-10th May) makes way for modernised "Getai" (13th May) on the last day and bumboat rides in and out of Ubin are free in most evenings from 6.30pm on these days.

For more information, just simply drop by Pulau Ubin. =)"

Greater Mouse Deer sighted in Pulau Ubin

2009-03-26T10:42:00.004+08:00

Finally the news is out! There has been greater mouse deers sighted in Pulau Ubin these past year by Biology undergrad Marcus Chua and the Nparks staff and volunteers around the island. What exciting news!

Photo by Arthur Chng taken from WildSingapore News

Greater Mouse Deer sighted in Pulau Ubin
Animal thought to be extinct in Singapore spotted for first time in 80 years
Ang Yiying, Straits Times 26 Mar 09;

SEPARATE sightings of mouse deer here and on Pulau Ubin have brought hope that native wildlife is making a comeback in Singapore.

The Greater Mouse Deer - one of the smallest hoofed animals in the world - was seen on Pulau Ubin during a survey by the National University of Singapore and National Parks Board (NParks) from last September to this month.

This is the first official sighting of the wild Greater Mouse Deer in more than 80 years, confirmed NParks.

The Lesser Mouse Deer, which has a browner coat, against the Greater's more orange colouring, was seen around the Lower Peirce Reservoir boardwalk, near Upper Thomson Road, on March 7.

Book distributor Ron Chan, 62, said he spotted the mouse deer when he was taking a walk with his family.

He said: 'It's a very beautiful animal and its eyes are sparkling black.'

He alerted a nearby nature photography enthusiast, Mr Arthur Chng, in his 30s, to take a photo of the creature.

The hobby photographer said it was the first time he had seen a mouse deer, and that it was a good sign that Singapore wildlife has not disappeared due to encroaching urbanisation.

NParks said that over the past two years, there have been four sightings of mouse deer around the Lower Peirce Reservoir boardwalk.

Three were of the Lesser Mouse Deer and the other of the Greater Mouse Deer, which could be one of seven such animals that NParks introduced into the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in 1998.

For NUS life sciences undergraduate Marcus Chua, 25, sighting the Greater Mouse Deer on Pulau Ubin was an unexpected discovery.

He was working with NParks and its volunteers on a survey of medium-sized mammals for his final-year project.

He said: 'At first, there was doubt because it was recorded as extinct in Singapore; that was the first time we saw it. When we got a clearer picture (of the mouse deer), we were very excited.'

On Pulau Ubin, the group has chalked up 100 sightings of the Greater Mouse Deer in more than one area, so it was unlikely that these are abandoned or escaped pets. The species is also not known to swim, so the animals there are unlikely to have come from those released in the catchment area.

'We were quite happy that a population thought to be extinct could have recovered, like bouncing back to life,' Mr Chua said.

Ms Celine Low, co-founder of environmental education group Cicada Tree Eco-Place, said one reason the Greater Mouse Deer was seen again on Pulau Ubin could be the decreased human population and activity there.

She said: 'It could be because the last quarry closed in the 1990s and there are fewer workers there and because of relocation of villagers to the mainland.'

Nature Society of Singapore president Shawn Lum said the presence of mouse deer was a good sign for not just native wildlife but also the eco-system. 'They play an important role in the ecology of the forest...It's great news for the long- term stability and regeneration of the rainforest,' he said.

NParks said it is conducting surveys to ascertain the population of these creatures.

Shy and nocturnal creatures
Straits Times 26 Mar 09;

MOUSE deer are native to Singapore and are known to exist in parts of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the forested area that borders MacRitchie Reservoir, Lower Peirce Reservoir, Upper Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir.

Mr Biswajit Guha, assistant director of zoology at the Singapore Zoo, said the Greater and Lesser Mouse Deer are fairly common throughout South-east Asia and not severely threatened.

However, in Singapore, the Greater Mouse Deer is thought to be extinct while the Lesser Mouse Deer is said to be critically endangered.

Said Mr Guha: 'The Greater Mouse Deer sports a more orange coat, while the Lesser has a browner coat.'

GREATER MOUSE DEER (Tragulus napu)
# Head-body length: 520mm to 572mm
# Shoulder height: 300mm to 350mm
# Weight: 3.5kg to 4.5kg

LESSER MOUSE DEER (Tragulus kanchil)
# Head-body length: 400mm to 550mm
# Shoulder height: 200mm to 230mm
# Weight: 1.4kg to 2.5 kg

NParks says sightings of mouse deer are rare, especially during the day. It advises the public to keep quiet when encountering such animals, which are shy and nocturnal by nature.

Last Centenarian of Ubin passes away

2009-01-11T11:22:00.005+08:00

Click on image for full size

Last Thursday, 8 January 2009, Mr Tan Hai Liang, the oldest man of Ubin, passed away at the age of 102 after sustaining a fall at his ubin home a few days prior.

My mom fondly remembers buying cola from his shop near the island's only school back in the 60s. The family still runs the little provision shop near the island's main town and jetty. His children has also converted the storeroom into a thriving and popular seafood restaurant.

The other centenarian, the former headman of Ubin, Mr Lim Chye Joo, passed away 3 years ago at age 101. He's featured in the photo in the article, on the right of the photo. Mr Tan is on the left.

I visited Mr Tan with Jen Lee from TNP just one year ago for an article on him and not even a year later, he's left us and Ubin with the last of his generation. Rest in Peace "Ah Gong".

Related Reads
Oldest Man on Pulau Ubin, Pulau Ubin Stories, 31 March 2008
Pulau Ubin featured on New Paper, Pulau Ubin Stories, 1 April 2008

Was Mr Tan the last cenetenarian on Ubin? If you know of other cenetenarian (100 year old person) on Ubin, please share with us. Thank you!

Trail to Chek Jawa closed

2009-01-07T22:01:00.010+08:00

Notice of Track Closure for Improvement Works posted at the bike rental shops in the main town area. Photo taken in December 2008

Regular visitors to Pulau Ubin would long have noticed that one of the access roads to Pulau Ubin, an off road trail, has been closed for some time now. This is the trail that passes by the Balai Quarry via the Northeast of the island. For cyclists, this was once a treacherous track. Many accidents, falls and spills had taken place on this trail.

The trail in question, Balai Quarry on the right of photo. Taken in June 2007.

As such, NParks is now conducting large scale maintenance, trim and fill of the trail. Some parts of the trail have been filled up with soil up to 2-3m high! While it is undergoing maintenance, cyclists are strongly advised against using this trail for their own safety! The alternate route to Chek Jawa is via Kampung Melayu through the southeast of the island.

The trail is expected to be reopened in February 2009.

Balai Quarry, June 2007.

Wildlife sighting on Ubin

2008-11-28T14:11:00.010+08:00

There appears to be quite a fair bit of wildlife sightings on Pulau Ubin of late. It's always wonderful news to hear of possibly other mammals on the island other than wild boars and homosapiens! (Oh, and we have civet cats and otters too!)

On the other hand, Ubin has had its share of mega faunas such as the tapirs and a visiting elephant in the 90s.

Related Reads:
"It's a zoo out there", Pulau Ubin Stories, 03 June 2004
Animals of Ubin, Pulau Ubin Stories, 4 April 2005
Assorted Elephant Stories on Pulau Ubin Stories

Ubin Lodge is now open!

2008-11-17T19:26:00.002+08:00

In February 08, I reported that the former Civil Service Club Chalets were renovated and ready to be open for corporate bookings according to the caretaker.

2 weeks ago, a lil bird told me that the former CSC Chalet is now known as Ubin Lodge is open for public bookings! Rates are relatively cheap, near the Ubin Jetty and perhaps this might be a good boost to the visitorship on the island. Perhaps finally there'll be an excuse to visit the island more often! More overnight stays too perhaps?

This place is definitely memorable as I will always remember the stories of how Ria Tan booked the old Civil Service Chalets for the volunteers helping out with Chek Jawa in 2001. This was when Chek Jawa was still about to be reclaimed, prior to deferment! Low tide was at unmentionable hours and volunteers need to be there whenever the tide calls so that they could survey the flora and fauna of CJ! I'm sure those volunteers would have many stories to tell about the civil service chalets!

Related Reads:
Ubin Lodge Official Website
Civil Service Chalets on Ubin, WildSingapore
Former Civil Service Chalet, Pulau Ubin Stories, 18 February 2008
Bed & Breakfast or resort likely on Pulau Ubin as first public tender called on island, Channel News Asia, 14 December 2006

Ubin, the clean-energy island

2008-11-17T19:22:00.000+08:00

Island to become model 'green island' powered by clean and renewable energy
Tania Tan & Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 8 Nov 08;

ONE of Singapore's last rural enclaves could soon be transformed into a high-tech test site for renewable energies.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) yesterday announced plans to embark on a project to turn Pulau Ubin into a model 'green island' powered entirely by clean and renewable energy.

'We want to use technologies that will best integrate into the island's natural environment,' said Mr David Tan, deputy chief executive of EMA's energy policy and planning division.

Aside from solar panels and using waste as fuel for energy generation, electricity could also be produced from a hydrogen fuel cell plant, biofuels or turbines powered by wind or waves.

'The key is finding the right fit,' said Mr Tan.

A tender for a consultancy study has been called, and the project will be awarded later this month.

The six-month study, slated for completion in May, will look at how much energy is needed by residents on the 10 sq km island, and the most cost-effective combination of renewable energy technologies that can be used.

Apart from the fact that the project will be situated near the Ubin jetty, details are still sketchy, said Mr Tan.

Pulau Ubin, situated to the north-east of Singapore, does not draw electricity from the country's main power grid, because it has been too expensive to lay transmission cables for such low demand.

Instead, about 100 villagers use diesel generators, which are not environmentally friendly.

The Nature Society of Singapore welcomed the project on principle but said it had to be done right, from the start.

'Given the number of stakeholders involved, it would be wise to accommodate the concerns of the island's inhabitants as early as possible in the decision-making process, not so much to seek their permission, but to foster community involvement,' said Dr Shawn Lum, its president.

The non-profit organisation conducts regular visits to nature park Chek Jawa, located on the eastern coast of the island.

But islanders are open to the prospect of reliable, non-polluting power.

A shopkeeper in Ubin, who wanted to be known as Ms Tan, said that because the island was run on generators which were prone to breakdowns, any help to boost power supply would be welcome.

The Ubin project is the latest in a slew of programmes to transform Singapore into a global centre for clean R&D.

In September, the National Environment Agency announced plans to convert the Semakau landfill into a renewable energy test site cum eco-park.

The Government has also pumped some $170 million into boosting the clean technology sector, with plans to build a business park devoted to companies specialising in clean technologies and products. The first building on the 55ha site at Jalan Bahar is expected to be completed in 2010.

Pulau Ubin, the model ‘green’ island?

2008-11-17T19:21:00.000+08:00

Today Online 8 Nov 08;

LONG known as a getaway for nature lovers, Pulau Ubin may soon acquire a new reputation — as a model “green” island.

The plan calls for the island to be powered entirely by clean and renewable energy. The island’s residents currently run their own diesel-powered generators.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has called a tender for a study to develop and implement clean energy solutions for both residents and small businesses on Ubin.

“This project will create an oasis where clean and renewable energy technologies can be tested in an actual live environment,” said Mr Khoo Chin Hean, the EMA’s chief executive. It will also benefit Ubin’s residents by providing them with “alternative sources of energy that are not only cleaner but are also cost competitive to diesel generators”.

The technologies to be considered in the study include those using solar, wind, marine and biomass sources. The study will also take into account the economic, environmental and social cost and benefits. The tender will be awarded this month and the study is expected to be completed by next May.

Pulau Ubin could be model "green" island powered by clean energy

2008-11-17T19:20:00.002+08:00

Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia 8 Nov 08;

SINGAPORE : Pulau Ubin could become a model island powered entirely by clean and renewable energy.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has called a tender for a consultancy study to develop and implement clean and renewable energy solutions for homes and businesses on the island.

It said this could lead to the development of small-scale power supply networks running on solar, wind or biomass sources to supply electricity.

Pulau Ubin currently does not receive electricity from the main power grid as it is not economical to lay transmission cables to meet the island's small power demands.

Residents depend on diesel generators for power.

EMA hopes the project will enable it to test clean and renewable energy technologies in an actual environment.

It plans to award the consultancy tender this month and expects the study to be completed by May 2009. - CNA /ls

Ubin to host testing site for 'green' energy

2008-11-17T19:20:00.001+08:00

Alternative sources that will be test-bedded include solar, wind and biodiesel
Ronnie Lim, Business Times 8 Nov 08;

PULAU Ubin, a well-known adventure getaway for nature lovers, is going to be used as a test-bed for clean and renewable energy, including alternatives like solar, wind or biomass, to produce electricity for a cluster of homes and businesses there.

To kick off the project, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) has just called a tender for a consultancy study on this.

And depending on the study's outcome, it could be followed by development of actual infrastructure to create a micro-grid system - or small scale power supply network - on the island.

EMA's chief executive Khoo Chin Hean said: 'This project will create an oasis where clean and renewable energy technologies can be tested in an actual live environment.'

'At the same time, it can benefit the consumers in Pulau Ubin who currently rely on diesel generators by providing alternative sources of energy that are not only cleaner but are also cost competitive to diesel generators.'

EMA sees the project to transform part of Pulau Ubin into a model 'green' island as boosting Singapore's ambition to be a global test-bedding site for new energy technologies.

Currently, Ubin - off the north-east coast of Singapore - does not draw electricity supply from the main power grid, as it is not economical to lay power transmission cables from mainland Singapore due to Ubin's modest energy demand. There is also no centralised electricity supply system on the island.

All the 100 inhabitants on the 110 sq km island, including small businesses, run their own diesel- powered generators to generate electricity.

Giving more details about the study, EMA said that it will look into 'both the technical and commercial viability of the options proposed, while giving due consideration to economic, environmental and social costs and benefits'.

It listed a long list of potential technologies to be test-bedded, including solar, wind, marine, biomass (such as solid waste and algae), biodiesel and bioethanol, hydrogen and fuel cells, microturbine, the energy management system for the micro-grid, and substations.

EMA expects to award the tender for the consultancy this month, with the study to be completed by May next year.

The EMA tender comes as Singapore Energy Week drew to a close, with Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar earlier promoting the idea of how cities like Singapore can serve as clean technology and R&D hubs, by leveraging on their concentrations of technological and scientific talent as well as access to capital markets and funding.

The Republic has already attracted mega investors in solar cell manufacturing, new generation biodiesel production and also R&D in wind power.

Safe Cycling on Pulau Ubin

2008-11-17T19:16:00.001+08:00

Safe Cycling on Pulau Ubin

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: cycling safety)

Otterman did a simple and straightforward presentation on safe cycling on Pulau Ubin and highlighted some of the "danger spots" on Ubin. A helpful reference for those of us new to Ubin, cycle often or looking to bring friends and family to Ubin for a cycling trip.

Residents call it 'cemetery road'

2008-09-12T17:26:00.000+08:00

Two cyclists have died on this Pulau Ubin slope
Desmond Ng, The New Paper 11 Sep 08;

IT'S called Jalan Wat Siam, but its nickname has a more sinister ring - 'cemetery road'.

And true to its nickname, this road at Pulau Ubin has already claimed two lives.

On Sunday, Madam Lee Yan Inn, 41, died after she was flung off a tandem bicycle together with her daughter.

The housewife had lost control of the bike while they were going down a steep slope.

She hit her head, lost consciousness and died 11 hours later in hospital.

Another fatality occurred two years ago when student Zawiyah Mohd Muliana, 18, fell and hit her head while cycling on the same slope.

She slipped into a coma and died later in hospital.

The slope looks deceptively easy to navigate but it's a 200m- long, curvy slope with a sharp incline of about 30 to 40 degrees.

To novice cyclists, it can be quite a challenge, said seasoned cyclist November Tan, who helps organise guided cycling tours of the island.

And there's an average of one accident along the stretch every month, though most are minor, islanders told The New Paper.

There are four street signs along the stretch of the slope warning cyclists and motorists to go slow.

But old-timers on the island have dubbed it 'cemetery road' because there's an old Chinese cemetery on top of the slope.

Longtime resident Ong Kim Cheng, 50, said he avoids cycling along that stretch because of stories about an old female ghost lurking there.

He said in Mandarin: 'I don't like to ride around this area because of the stories about this place being haunted. People say that they've seen a female ghost here while picking durians, so I am not surprised about the accidents.

'But the slope is really quite steep and can be quite dangerous if you're not careful.

'I've seen cyclists with scratches and bruises walking back to return their damaged bikes after falling along this slope.'

Superstition aside, the islanders agree that this is one of Ubin's most dangerous roads to cycle on.

It's called Jalan Wat Siam because there was previously a Thai temple there. It was relocated to Jalan Kayu last year.

When The New Paper visited Jalan Wat Siam yesterday, four cyclists, all foreigners, were riding on the slope.

All had no problems cycling there.

Japanese expatriate Momo Matsutani, 28, was shocked to hear about the death.

She said: 'It's not difficult to cycle here. We just came down slowly and we didn't speed.'

At the bottom of the slope, there's also an NParks signboard with a map of the area and a warning: 'Always wear a helmet when riding in this area'.

Warning ignored

But it seems very few visitors pay heed to the warning.

All four bike rental shops we visited at the main village offer helmets for rent at $2 to $3 each, but they have found few takers.

Yen Fa Bike Rental's Mr K H Sit, 55, said in Mandarin: 'Some people think it's too expensive to rent the helmets. To many people, it's just not a habit here to wear helmets and cycle.'

Mr Sit had rented the bikes to Madam Lee and her family on Sunday.

He said that if she had worn a helmet, the accident may not have been fatal.

Owners of bike rental shops there said that only one out of every 10 people rent helmets.

It costs about $3 to $15 to rent a bicycle for the whole day.

When The New Paper was on the island yesterday, no cyclist was seen wearing a helmet.

Cyclist Nick Ward, 25, said: 'I don't think there's a need to (wear helmets). It's not that dangerous.'

Some islanders felt that the road should be closed.

Said Mr Sit: 'There's nothing to see there, so there's really no point for anyone to cycle up there.

'If people tell me that they plan to cycle there, I'll just tell them to go elsewhere. The authorities should either close the road or make it safer for cyclists.'

Editor's Note: I was quoted as a "seasoned cyclist" which is hardly true. I think they gather that from the fact that I've been guiding with Pedal Ubin for the last 5 years! I kept emphasizing to the reporter that I'm hardly the person to ask about cycling since I consider myself a novice amateur.

Related Reads:
Fatal Cycling Accidents on Ubin, Pulau Ubin Stories, 8 Sep 2008

More news report on Ubin Cycling Fatality

2008-09-10T11:22:00.006+08:00

Editor's note: With regards to the Straits Times report below, helmets do not cost from $100 upwards. There are cheaper ones available. My helmet cost $25-35. There are also helmets for rent on Ubin. Depending on the shop, it cost about $2-3 to rent a helmet from the bike shops.

母女乌敏岛骑脚踏车失控母不治女受伤
2008-09-09
Lianhe Zaobao, 刘丽仪

一家人到乌敏岛骑脚踏车共享天伦，同骑一辆双人座脚踏车的母女在下斜坡时失控，双双抛落路面，母亲伤重不治，女儿右臂擦伤。

这起意外发生在前天下午1时许，地点在乌敏岛的惹兰暹庙。

死者是41岁的家庭主妇李圆英。她的丈夫张新敬（44岁，技术人员）昨天受访时说，事发当天的早上，他想趁着周末全家一起出游，由于从马来西亚来访的岳母没去过乌敏岛，于是提议大家一起到乌敏岛骑脚踏车。

他们夫妻两人、岳母、15岁的女儿和两个儿子（12岁和9岁）于上午11时左右到达乌敏岛，在那里租了四辆脚踏车，其中岳母和大儿子各骑一辆，张新敬和老幺同骑一辆，李圆英则和不会骑脚踏车的大女儿共骑一辆双人座脚踏车。

大约在下午1时，他们六人骑到惹兰暹庙的一家泰国佛寺旧址后就决定折返，准备结束这趟脚踏车之旅。

当李圆英母女骑下斜坡时，就在她们后方的张新敬看到两人的脚踏车急速往下冲，到了斜坡下方时，他听见妻子大声尖叫，随即看到母女两人从脚踏车抛飞，落到路中央。

女儿落地后哭着喊痛，还可自行爬起，但李圆英却一动也不动地躺着，张新敬上前查看，只见她已陷入昏迷，除了头部，连鼻孔也不停流血。他赶紧报警，把妻子送到本岛医院急救。从事发地点到乌敏岛码头的路途中，他还可以看见李圆英仍有呼吸，但到了码头，她似乎已经没了呼吸。

李圆英在下午2时15分左右抵达樟宜综合医院，但因头骨破裂，脑部严重受创而在昨天凌晨12时10分不治。

Woman dies after falling from bike
She was not wearing helmet when she was flung going down a winding slope
Sujin Thomas, Straits Times 10 Sep 08;

THE death of a woman who was flung off her bicycle on Pulau Ubin has highlighted Singaporeans' tendency to skip wearing safety helmets while cycling.

The owner of Yen Fa Bicycle Rental on the island, who gave his name as Mr Sit, said when Mr Tiew Sin Keng, 44, turned up with his family of six on Sunday to rent four bicycles, including two tandem bikes, 'they didn't ask to rent helmets and I didn't offer them either'.

Each helmet costs $2 to rent for an entire day. Despite this low cost, only two in every 100 of his customers ask to rent them along with the bicycles.

Mr Sit, who has 50 bicycles and 10 helmets for rent, said: 'They don't like to wear helmets because they say that they are uncomfortable.'

Mr Tiew confirmed that the shop did not ask whether his family wanted to rent helmets.

His wife, Madam Lee Yan Inn, 41, was on one of the tandem bicycles with their daughter aged 15. They were then going down a winding slope along Jalan Wat Siam, which has an unmarked hump at its foot.

The family's lead rider, Madam Lee's mother, made it down the slope and over the hump safely at low speed.

But Madam Lee and her daughter, who were next, shot down the incline.

Mr Tiew said the hump might have stopped the bike suddenly and flung them off, or that his wife might have braked too hard, throwing her and their daughter off.

Madam Lee died at Changi General Hospital 11 hours later. Their daughter escaped with bruises.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck, himself an avid cyclist and triathlete, said cyclists should wear helmets for safety - even when riding short distances.

He said a helmet saved him from serious injury two years ago when he was riding in a tight convoy with five others along Upper Thomson Road. His front wheel clipped the rear wheel of another bicycle and he fell, but 'I was fine because I was wearing a helmet'.

He said a friend who fell the same way was also unscathed but his helmet took the impact and cracked.

Depending on the brand, helmets cost upwards of $100 each.

That stretch of road where Madam Lee died is a known accident spot. Other bicycle rental businesses on the island said four accidents happen there every month.

A Land Transport Authority spokesman said that, aside from the usual warning signs like 'Slow' or 'Bend Ahead', additional signs saying 'Caution Steep Slope' have been put up along Jalan Wat Siam.

The president of the Singapore Amateur Cycling Association Victor Yew said that when going down slopes, cyclists should brake gently on their rear wheels.

'If you slam on the front-wheel brakes only, the momentum will cause the bike to flip over,' he said.

For Mr Tiew, tips like these are moot.

He said he would insist that his three children wear protective gear when cycling, but with the memory of how his wife has died, he added: 'I don't think I will cycle ever again.'

Related Reads:
Fatal Cycling Accidents on Ubin, Pulau Ubin Stories, 8 Sep 2008

Mum of three falls off bike and dies on family outing

2008-09-09T13:55:00.004+08:00

Grieving Dad, Daughter say they will never cycle again
The New Paper, 9 September 2008

Click on thumbnail for full size article.

Related Reads:
Fatal Cycling Accidents on Ubin, Pulau Ubin Stories, 8 Sep 2008

Capital 95.8fm Report of Cycling Accident on Ubin

2008-09-09T13:09:00.008+08:00

Editor's Note: Upon verification with New Paper and Lianhe Zaobao's reporting, this report is absolutely erroneous. Time of accident and age of victim's daughter are wrong.

一对母女在乌敏岛骑脚踏车时滑倒造成一死一伤
9th September 2008, 0700 hrs
Capital 95.8fm News

一对母女在乌敏岛骑脚踏车时，失控滑倒，造成一死一伤。

警方说，一名40多岁的华族妇女前晚8点半左右，骑脚踏车载着女儿，前往乌敏岛码头途中，在一处斜坡失控滑倒，导致头部受重伤。

她被送往樟宜综合医院接受治疗，但在昨天凌晨12点10分左右伤重不治。

据了解，死者的10岁女儿也受了轻伤

Translation below by November Tan:

A pair of mother and daughter slipped while cycling on Pulau Ubin resulting in 1 death and 1 injury.
9th September 2008, 0700 hrs
Capital 95.8fm News
While cycling on Pulau Ubin, a mother and daughter lost control of their bicycle, slipped and fell, resulting in 1 dead and 1 injured.

Police reported that 2 nights ago (7 Sep 2008, Sunday) at around 8.30pm, a 40 something years old chinese woman was cycling with her daughter ~~pillion~~tandem on the bicycle. While on the way back to the Ubin Jetty, lost control on a steep slope and fell, resulting in severe head injuries.

She was sent to the Changi General Hospital for treatment but died at 8 Sep 2008, 12.10am from her injuries.

From what the reporter understands, the victim's 10 year old daughter suffered some light injuries.

Related Reads:
Fatal Cycling Accidents on Ubin, Pulau Ubin Stories, 8 Sep 2008

Fatal cycling accidents on Ubin

2008-09-08T20:36:00.013+08:00

Was informed today that there was a fatal cycling accident on Ubin today (or perhaps yesterday? unconfirmed as yet). It would appear that somebody fell from their bicycles while cycling on Pulau Ubin. ~~Details remain unconfirmed. Waiting for news to appear in the press.~~ Just got word from a reporter that the accident happened at Jalan Wat Siam as the cyclist was coming downhill. Still awaiting for the news to appear in the press ~~but it seems that it might not appear for a few days yet~~. [update at 9 sep 08, 1.38pm - this incident is headline news on The New Paper. Read TNP article here] There is a lot of discrepancies between the report by Capital 95.8fm and The New Paper. The time of the accident and ages of the victims are all different.

I was asked where are the places to be cautious of on the island and to my limited knowledge, here are the main roads on Ubin that may pose serious threats to the unwary cyclist.

1) "Cemetery Hill"
This is the slope up Jalan Wat Siam where the previous Thai Temple and Kekek quarry is, after the fork to Ketam Quarry. So named because of the chinese cemetery located beside the steep slope. Not quite auspicious but easy to remember. This is where the accident happened.

2) Slope in front of Belatok Hut
DJ Zhou Chong Qing fell at this slope last year. Personally I've only gone down this slope once and it was quite frightening especially since (if I remember correctly) there is a speed bump at the end of the slope which may throw off the cyclist's balance if they've been going too fast from speed accumulated from coming down slope. Braking too suddenly may not help either!

3) Road to Chek Jawa
Now that the boardwalk is open, many people cycle to Chek Jawa but the road is off road, unpaved, rocky and at several points, steep. A fellow pedal ubin guide, Athena, wrote that her friend, a seasoned cyclist with his own, very expensive bicycle gear, crashed at the road beside the quarry en route Chek Jawa and ended up with his lungs punctured!

Pedal Ubin's original objective was to promote safe cycling on the island and every so often, I feel the importance of our objective when accidents like these happen. It's so important to remember:

always use your gears accordingly
moderate your brakes as you come downhill (press down gently throughout the process of coming downhill)
do not suddenly jam your brakes
use your back brakes and not your front or you'll be thrown forward in front of your bike!
do not panic (this is very important when you see obstructions in front of you)
ride safely and cautiously!

If a lousy cyclist such as myself can survive these slopes without a scrape in the last 5 years then surely, anyone can manage it too with the right practices! But even experienced and expert cyclists get into accidents so beware all!

Latest Update @ 9 Sep, 8.35am
Heard on Capital 95.8fm reporting news of this fatal accident on Pulau Ubin but could not find the transcript on the website. Still waiting for media to come up with the print version.

A fellow Pedal Ubin guide, Athena, emailed the list regarding this accident having read it from the togoparts forum.

"tragedy at p. ubin yesterday. a cyclist loss control of the bike going down a slope and flipped with the bike. evacuated to mainland hospital but did not make it later in hospital. died of head injuries.

wat started out to be a weekend family outing, ended in tragedy. my sincere condolences goes out to the family.

but can this be prevented by wearing a helmet?......
i think it should be compulsory to wear helmets while riding in ubin. there's just too many accidents. i hope this tragedy never ever happens again."

Latest Update @ 9 Sep, 12.56pm
Thanks to the comments left on this blog post, apparently the police took half an hour to locate the scene of the accident. According to reports from Capital 95.8fm, the accident happened at night. Read the radio news transcript. However, The New Paper reports that it happened in the late afternoon.

In case of emergency on the island, here are some useful numbers:
Ubin NParks: 65424108
Ubin coastguard: 65428664

However, always remember that the island is not as accessible as mainland Singapore and dangers do exist. There is little to no public street lighting on the island as electricity is available only through generators on the island. As such I would not advice people to cycle in the dark of Ubin if you are not familiar with the island! Coming down a steep slope in the dark of the night is quite dangerous. Tandem bicycles are also difficult to control.

Related Reads:
"Mum of three falls off bike and dies on family outing", The New Paper, 9 Sep 2008
一对母女在乌敏岛骑脚踏车时滑倒造成一死一伤 [capital 95.8fm report of this cycling accident], Capital 95.8fm, 9 Sep 2008
Ten cyclists injured each month on Pulau Ubin's 'danger spot'" Channel News Asia, 9 Jun 2007
"Days earlier, other student dies after fall from bike", The New Paper, 18 Jul 2006

More opting to scatter ashes at sea

2008-08-24T20:33:00.000+08:00

Numbers growing in last two years; pragmatic reasons cited for practice
By Diana Othman & Kimberly Spykerman
Straits Times
24 Aug 2008

MR RONNIE Ho arrives at the Changi Ferry Point bearing a simple white urn.

In it are the ashes of his aunt, Madam Fang Lun, who died in 1987 and whose cremated remains had thus far been stored at Mount Vernon Columbarium.

When her only son Ricky Gah died recently and had his ashes scattered off the Changi coast, Mr Ho decided to do the same for her to reunite her with him.

He is among a growing number of Christians and followers of Chinese religions here who are giving this kind of final resting place to their kin.

The numbers are not known but funeral service companies say the number of requests for ash-scattering at sea has gone up in the last two years.

In Singapore, this has long been practised by Hindus such as the Kandiahs, who allowed The Straits Times to accompany them out to sea. They were on their way to scatter the remains of their father Subapathy Kandiah, who died at 101.

The family's youngest son S. K. Singam, 54, said: 'This is the traditional Hindu last rite we want to do for our father.'

Muslims bury their dead.

Mr Ho, when asked why he was not moving his aunt's ashes to another columbarium or keeping it at home instead, was realistic. He said doing either obliges descendants to visit during Qing Ming, the Chinese festival to honour the dead, and future generations may not do so.

He said: 'Relatives may visit the first, second, third or fourth years, but after the fifth and sixth, no more... What's the point of troubling people?'

As a Christian, he believes the body is just a shell for the soul, which returns to God upon death. He has decided that he too, will have his ashes scattered at sea. He and his wife have no children.

He also had a pragmatic reason for his choice: 'There's no point for the dead to fight for space with the living. It's a waste of land and resources.'

Singapore Casket told The Straits Times that, where requests for ash- scattering at sea came once to thrice a month two years ago, it was now arranging for this rite more than 10 times a month.

A spokesman said: 'People choose ash-scattering mainly to make it convenient for the next generation. When the ashes are scattered, they do not have to keep visiting to offer prayers.'

Another funeral service company, Funeral Solutions, now does six or seven ash-scattering rites every month, which contribute to about a third of its business, said its owner Teo Chin Li who, at 20, is reportedly the youngest funeral director here.

It did just nine sea services in 2006, its first year, and 40 last year. It did 40 in the first seven months of this year alone.

Marketing agency owner Angela Sim, 32, fulfilled her cancer-stricken mother's wish to have her ashes scattered.

She said her mother had felt it was a waste of time for her family to have to visit the columbarium: 'She said to just put up a photo of her at home and think of her because, at the end of the day, it does not matter if we are in an urn or a coffin. What matters is how people remember us and the memories of the life we make.'

Others who take the option of ash- scattering also see the rite as symbolic of 'freeing' the spirit of the deceased, and that it helps bring closure to the death.

Families will not have tangible remains of their loved ones, but some do head out to the spot on, say, the anniversary of the death to toss flowers into the sea.

Funeral companies' packages, which include collecting the ashes from the crematorium, prayers and a boat charter, cost about $300; if a meal is catered on board a more luxurious vessel, the bill can run into the thousands.

Most people stick to smaller boats berthed in Changi and Sembawang. Boatmen who used to ferry sun-seekers to Pulau Ubin and Pengerang in Johor now get the bulk of their business from taking people to their final resting places. For between $60 and $100, they ferry families of up to 12 to places up to 1 km from shore, near Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong.

Boat-charter company CKL Motor Boat takes families to waters off Katong and Tanjong Rhu from Marina South Pier.

But the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, which regulates the disposal of ashes at sea here, has some rules - even if they are usually not enforced:

- Ashes should only be disposed 2.8km south of Pulau Semakau;

- Only the ashes should be cast into the water. Urns or containers should not, because the piling up of urns on the sea bed will reduce water depth; also, urns have been known to float to the surface and be washed ashore.

diothman@sph.com.sg

kimspyke@sph.com.sg

MEMORIES ARE WHAT MATTER

'She said to just put up a photo of her at home and think of her because, at the end of the day, it does not matter if we are in an urn or a coffin. What matters is how people remember us and the memories of the life we make.'
Ms Angela Sim, 32, said her mother had felt it was a waste of time for her family to have to visit the columbarium

Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang 2008

2008-08-16T20:48:00.000+08:00

My deepest and most sincerest apologies. This announcement is definitely too late but none the less, for record's sake, here it is.

This year's Ubin Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang will be held on 15 and 16 August 2008. That is yesterday and today. I forgot all about it until the annotated budak asked me today.

I received the email on Thursday from Alan Tan via the Ubin Volunteers mailing list but was swamped with work and forgot to update. Apologies again.

Ubin Wayang. Taken on August 27, 2007.

Is this a forewarning of reservoir in Johor Straits?

2008-08-07T10:15:00.002+08:00

Within a short span of 4 months, Straits Times has TWICE published a letter to the forum page by readers suggesting a reservoir to be built between Pulau Ubin and Singapore, at the Johor Straits. Surely Straits Times is not forgetful in its old age despite PUB providing an official reply on the forum stating that it's not considering such a reservoir. However, is this a forewarning by our media of greater things at work? If this is an idea that's traversing the brilliant minds of our policy makers, I can only hope they perish that thought forever!

Create reservoir between Pulau Ubin and Singapore
Letter by Chew Wai Soon, Straits Times Forum
Aug 7, 2008

COME 2012, we will have to be more self-reliant for our water supply.

I propose Pulau Ubin be linked to mainland Singapore to create a huge reservoir.

On the eastern end of Pulau Ubin, a two-tier road can be built so the lower deck allows cyclists to cycle between Singapore and Pulau Ubin. The upper deck will be another route for vehicles to go to and from Malaysia. Jetties can jut out from both sides of the link - the reservoir side for smaller boats such as kayaks, sailing and racing boats, and water scooters, while bigger boats can dock on the other side. Bicycle rental kiosks, souvenir shops and so on can be built at the starting point of the link at the Singapore end. Further reclamation at the Singapore end will allow immigration offices and multistorey carparks to be built.

On the link at the western end of Pulau Ubin, bicycle rental kiosks, food centres and souvenir shops with solar-panelled roofs can be built for cyclists to cycle between Singapore and Pulau Ubin.

Pavilions can also be extended from both links into the reservoir for relaxation, photography and fishing.

Pulau Ubin can be promoted extensively as a venue for camping, mountain biking, adventure, trekking, hiking, jogging, horse riding and prawn fishing (to meet strong demand for youngsters to rough it out and enjoy nature).

The proposed reservoir will mean less land use elsewhere - some of the existing reservoirs can be redefined as collection centres for rainwater and Newater, and their water channelled into Pulau Ubin reservoir. The surrounding land can then be freed for other use, such as residential development to house a growing population.

Feedstock for Pulau Ubin reservoir can also be had from excess water from the smaller reservoirs, from rainwater and Newater to be collected from the northern and eastern parts of Singapore and from more Newater that could be generated.

Big water pipes connected to both links at Pulau Ubin would help to drain seawater between Pulau Ubin and the Causeway and provide a change of seawater according to the tides. Energy-generating turbines can be incorporated into these seawater pipes.

Coney Island can be reclaimed further to become part of the mainland and pavilions can be extended from Coney Island into the reservoir.

The damming of the water between Pulau Ubin and Singapore to become a huge reservoir promises many possibilities for development, for meeting future water needs and for recreation.

I urge the authorities to look into these great benefits on our doorstep.

Related Reads:
"What's wrong with an Ubin-Tekong reservoir?", Pulau Ubin Stories, 18 April 2008
"After Marina Barrage, Tekong-Ubin reservoir", Letter from Syu Ying Kwok, Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 08
"Tekong-Ubin reservoir not practical", Letter from Ivan Kwan Wei Ming, Straits Times Forum 22 Apr 08
"Strategy in place on long-term water supply", Reply from PUB, Straits Times Forum 22 Apr 08;

Family of otters spotted at Jelutong!

2008-08-05T18:18:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, 2 August 2008, 2 days after I came back from research in Malaysia, I decided to take a trip to Ubin for a leisurely ride. First time in 5 years that I visit Ubin purely to relax and enjoy. As such, I was duely rewarded. Perhaps as my friend suggested, it's because the less people you're with the higher chance of seeing wildlife. Well, I was most pleasantly surprised when my friend yelled "Otters! Right in front of you" at Jelutong River after a feast of coconuts at about 3pm in the afternoon.

There weren't just 1 otter but 7 of them! [See above photo. I counted several times to be sure]

We observed them for a while and it was really quite interesting. I'm no expert in otters but they seem to play "follow the leader" and all of them will line up in the water and swim where the leader goes. Then they went and "queue up" at the shore which is when this photo above was taken. They seem to be looking at the camera!

After that they played hide and seek with us and we were running after them every time they surface and catching on our game, they quickly duck through the mud and mangrove before we decided to give up.

We also saw 2 wild boars, 1 at an abandoned rubber plantation from mamam beach and 1 at chek jawa! The mamam encounter was just a tad scary since it was stopped in front of my path and we were the only ones around. I gave it some time to excuse itself before proceeding. Too bad I was too shocked to take any photos.

Of course we also saw the "mandatory" sea eagle at jejawi tower. It might have been a brahminy kite... couldn't see its underside clearly to tell. It was quite a sight and charmed all the visitors on the tower.

Only a dugong sighting at chek jawa would have topped my day. Perhaps that's an encounter for another day.

Away on Research

2008-07-31T19:34:00.000+08:00

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for following Pulau Ubin Stories over my inconsistent postings.

Some of you may know, I am in the midst of my Master Candidature and I am desperately in need of time off to focus on my research. I may still post as and when but for now, it's off to work hard on my vegetables. As such, I may not be writing for the next 4 months till mid August when I return from my field work in Malaysia. Of course as and when I may surprise you with a post so do subscribe to the Ubin Stories RSS feed.

Cheers,
November

Vesak day celebrations at Ubin

2008-05-17T20:08:00.003+08:00

Received an email from Adelle of NParks via the ubin volunteers mailing list today:

"If you have been to Ubin these few days you would have seen the many colourful flags and lanterns that line the jetty, the Ubin town and nearby temples.

In celebration of Vesak Day, there would be a 6 days Wayang performance organised by villagers on Ubin from tmw 18th May. There are a few bumboats chartering visitors to and fro Ubin in the evening 6.30pm / 7.30pm till 11pm for free. (more details see the below poster in chinese)

But do note that there is a non-traditional performance - "GE TAI" on the 23rd May. So if u want to see Wayang, come on other days"

There you have it. If you have never been to the wayang performances on Ubin, now is your chance. Unfortunately this monkey will be overseas on fieldwork. If you get a chance to attend the performances, do share your photos in the comments section of this post. Thanks!

Click to enlarge full size

According to the poster, there are FREE boat rides during the stipulated times. However, there are only 6 boats (license plate number listed) which will be providing this free service. I remember taking one of these free boats to Ubin during the last hungry ghost festival wayang. There will be signs on the boat indicating that they are free. Usually they will usher you directly on these boats unless all 6 are unavailable.

Related Reads:
Ubin Wayang after dark, Midnight Monkey Monitor, 29 Aug 07
Hungry Ghost Festival 2007, Pulau Ubin Stories, 26 Aug 07
Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang, Pulau Ubin Stories, 06 Aug 06

May Day Dugong Ambassadors Outreach at Chek Jawa

2008-05-12T14:53:00.000+08:00

On Labour Day (1 May 2008), I joined the homeschooling community and a group of staff from Intel at Chek Jawa. The event was the brainchild of Joseph Lai and held in conjunction with the International Year of the Reef 2008.

The event was a full day of activities from a guided walk by us volunteers (from NSS and Naked Hermit Crabs), followed by mural painting, beach cleanup and an outreach exercise from the dugong ambassadors!

Children painting mural! You can see the mural at the Chek Jawa Visitor Center at House Number 1.

After guiding in the morning, I helped out with the seagrass station by the dugong ambassador from Team Seagrass, Siti! The Dugong Ambassadors are made up from the Intel group, the homeschooling group and some of us volunteer guides. We are supposed to share with the public who visit Chek Jawa about Dugongs. At my station, We were joined by a young friend from the homeschooling community who was more enthusiastic than us! I am full of admiration for him as he did not know anything before joining us and after we went off to check out some cool GPS gadget, Tin took over the whole station by himself! *Bravo!* I wish all youths of today are like him :)

Our industrious and enthusiastic young dugong ambassador, Tin at work.

I had a whole lot of fun on that day. It was not my first time working with this group of children and I enjoy every single experience with them. While we were at the seagrass station, a reporter from Lianhe Zaobao (LHZB) approached us and asked me and Siti a few questions. Yesterday (11 May 2008), my mom called me up and informed me that my photo and quote appeared in LHZB! The article was the center-spread of the LHZB equivalent of the ST Life! Section. You can see the article below. Unfortunately it is in Mandarin Chinese. Perhaps some kind soul with some time on their hands can help to translate this.

Excerpt on Naked Hermit Crab and me.

The full article. Click for full size.

More photos from the event can be seen here.

Related Articles:
"Shore extravaganza: Dugong Ambassadors at Chek Jawa", Wildfilms, 1 May 2008

What's wrong with an Ubin-Tekong reservoir?

2008-04-18T10:45:00.008+08:00

On April 18, 2008, Syu Ying Kwok wrote in to Straits Times Forum suggesting that after the Marine Barrage, to make the biggest reservoir ever, we should connect Ubin, Tekong and Singapore together to form the biggest reservoir ever. In fact, Syu esq. wrote that "If we can do this, the volume of this new body of water will be at least twice that of MacRitchie, Lower Peirce, Seletar and the new Marina reservoirs combined."

Sure, as we all know, for Singapore to be fully self-sustainable in water supply is one of our most important national prerogative. In fact, somebody commented on ST Online Forum that "it has been long overdue"! However, are we becoming myopic in our hunt for water?

Do you know where we are talking about? Check out the map. The blue placemarker at the far most left of the map is Sembawang Shipyard. Across is Pasir Gudang. The blue boundary indicates possible ubin-tekong reservoir location. within the boundary is Chek Jawa
View Larger Map

Here are some reasons why having a Ubin-Tekong reservoir is ecologically, politically and logically problematic:

1) Humans can only drink fresh water. The idea of reservoirs is to dam up rivers, which is a source of fresh water, so that we can pool this fresh water together to become a constant reservoir of fresh water supply. The marina barrage was already a problem because it is at an estuary which we have never dammed up before. This means they have to flush out all the sea water from the area before we can slowly let fresh water from further upstream (from Pierce Reservoir) fill up the reservoir. Now if we dam up the sea, where will we get this supply of fresh water to fill up this mega swimming pool? Malaysia?

2) In the first place, would Malaysia sit back and let us build this mega swimming pool at their door step? When the Pedra Branca dispute is not even settled (results out middle or end of May 08), mere suggestions of such a mega infringement of international boundaries is simply unimaginable. Let's not forget the quarrel over Tekong's reclamation.

Aerial view of Tekong Reclamation. Photo by Helen.

3) Why would they be upset you say? Well, you do now that the area between Ubin, Tekong and Singapore happens to be one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world! Ships travel between Pasir Gudang, Sembawang Shipyard and the world. Even if we ignore our neighbors, surely you would not want to kill one of our biggest industry at Sembawang would you? Previously when we wanted to connect Singapore to Ubin and Tekong via MRT line, there was already a big hoohaa. If you look at the google map above, you'll realize that for a ship to want to travel to any of the northern ports and shipyards in Singapore, you'll have to travel through the place where the supposed Ubin-Tekong Reservoir is. We have to keep to our side of the international boundary after all!

Shipping Lane between Sekudu and Singapore. Photo by Juanhui

4) Being a shipping lane, that area is also potentially polluted and constantly dredged. If we think that technology can overcome everything like the Marina Barrage then alright. But how much do you think this venture will cost? If we look at the cost benefit analysis, it'll probably not be justifiable. As a tax payer, I'm not willing to have my money being spent on building another swimming pool which may start a war when there are now a lot more other technologies out there to provide water in a more intelligent way. Yes, we are all about technology but as a Professor of mine said, it is no longer at technology's forefront to build reservoirs to collect water. Desalinization and reverse osmosis is just some of the examples of newer technologies but even those have been circulated for a while now. Besides, with potential sea level rise, a swimming pool out in the sea risk submergence or infiltration of salt water. Once salt water infiltrates the reservoir, do we have to flush out the fresh water and start over?

5) While most people may not care what happens ecologically but let me highlight a few items. If we are to reclaim Ubin Tekong and Singapore, then it's goodbye chek jawa. Goodbye Sekudu. Goodbye dugongs. Goodbye coral reefs. Goodbye mangroves. If that doesn't mean anything to you? Think seafood. We always see fishers off the waters of Ubin because there are fantastic amount of seafood there. Goodbye fish farms off Ubin. We'll now have even lower self-reliance on seafood supply and have to further import from others. Is it a worthy trade off?

Marine life found at Chek Jawa. Photo by WildSingapore.

I hope it becomes more apparent now that there are far more issues than benefits to building such a Ubin-Tekong reservoir. Honestly there are more reasons that I did not mention. Although we are a country that prides ourselves in our ability to overcome anything with technology, you could not begin to imagine what a diplomatic and economic nightmare it would be to create such a monster out in the most sensitive area out in our international boundary.

Sincerely, I hope that Singaporeans will make more informed decisions before speaking out in nationally published newspaper that is also read by many of our neighbors in Malaysia and beyond. How come we don't get positive letters in the Forum pages expounding the beauty of our northern islands instead?! Not news worthy enough?

update @ 12.58pm (18 Apr)
Finally somebody who thought things through posted a comment on ST Online Forum citing Malaysia sensitivities in the Straits of Johor.

update @ 2.26pm (18 Apr)
Ria at Wildfilms talks about the amazing northern shores of Singapore and what individuals like us should do when faced with such dam ideas.

update @ 19 Apr
Ivan K. has submitted a reply to Straits Times Forum. Hopefully it gets published.

Related Reads:
"After Marina Barrage, Tekong-Ubin reservoir" Syu Ying Kwok, ST Forum, 18 Apr 2008
"Singapore and Malaysia resolve land reclamation dispute" Channelnewsasia, 26 Apr 2005
"Singapore: Target - Private housing for a third of the population" The Business Times, 13 Sep 1991
"Singapore opens first desalination plant to cut dependence on Malaysia", AFP, 13 Sep 2005
"Fourth National Tap Flows", PUB, 13 Sep 2005
"Singapore Pioneers New Membrane Technology", PUB Annual Report, 06/07

Poll: Your Favourite Restaurant on Ubin

2008-04-15T14:30:00.000+08:00

Take the poll

Free Poll by Blog Flux

If you like a restaurant that is not listed here, please tell us its name in the comments section! Restaurants means they served cooked food. Drink stalls not included!

Ubin First Stop Restaurant now on mainland Changi

2008-04-15T01:01:00.002+08:00

On Sunday, 13 April 2008, Straits Times reported that Singaporeans can now get a taste of Ubin on the mainland.

Interestingly, one of the restaurant featured, is run by a previous islander, Mr Leong Kee Keng 56, who served water-skiiers and boaters from his family kitchen on the island's north shore. The restaurant then moved to the mainland and has been moving from place to place, now owned by a businesswoman from the mainland.

The other is the Ubin First Stop Restaurant which may be familiar to people who frequent the island since 1990. Irony again, Ubin First Stop is owned by a mainlander, Mr Alan Tan 55, "who was born on the mainland but visited his relatives on Ubin regularly as a child".

But what is the true cuisine and "taste" of Ubin? Is it synonymous with seafood as suggested by the article or is it fresh kampung food served by the locals in the kampung setting?

Ubin First Stop's owner said that he is setting up shop on the mainland because "some of his regulars began complaining that it was a hassle to travel to Ubin every time they needed a seafood fix".

However, for me, enjoying the true taste of Ubin food is when I can sit by the beach, enjoying my homecooked food as I watch the fishermen cast their nets. I enjoy eating homemade lontong at Pak Ali's in the mornings. Gigantic portions of fried seafood beehoon at the 2 sister's [located beside Ubin First Stop] for lunch. Finally seafood at Ah Lian's restaurant under the canopy and the cool sea breeze. After all, Ah Lian's father in law is now the oldest man on Ubin who is said to have lived to his grand old age from eating all the freshest seafood from Ubin! I was kindly informed by a resident who frequents Hai Liang's family restaurant and provision shop. The restaurant is after all a converted store room from the family's home!

What I find interesting is that, if the banner pictured above is where the new Ubin First Stop will be located, it is actually a precious landmark to the Changi landscape! That building used to be the customs' office at Changi. It is a wonderful building on stilts that is a reminder to the coastal village that changi was! Likewise, the location of Ubin First Stop on Ubin itself is also a historic landmark being where the maternity clinic of Ubin used to be at!

Do you have fond memories of "food and fun" on Ubin? Straits Times wants to know and so do I! Do leave a comment and share your thoughts. Which is your favourite Ubin resturant?

Pulau Ubin featured on The New Paper

2008-04-01T14:48:00.002+08:00

Click on thumbnail to read article

Thanks to Kenneth Pinto for alerting me to the articles in today's The New Paper (1 April 2008). This article is partly the result of my trip with TNP reporter Teh Jen Lee to Pulau Ubin on 16 March 2008.

Thanks to my immense luck, I also happened to write about Mr Tan Hai Liang just a day of this article appearing in the press. I had no idea but I'm glad anyways. You can see behind the scenes photos of the interview between Jen Lee and Mr Tan 2 weeks ago.

Living past 100: on Pulau Ubin, Singapore
GOING... GOING... GOING...
Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper 2 Apr 08;

Madam Asiah prefers to grow old on the island. 'All I did on the mainland was eat and sleep,' she recalled. 'I fell sick. My joints ached from lack of use.

He's 101 but he can read without glasses. She's a great-great grandma but she can walk 6km a day. Both are among a vanishing breed of long-lifers on Pulau Ubin

EVER wondered what your life would be like if you ever live past 100?

Well, take a leaf from the book of Mr Tan Hai Liang, a 101-year-old Pulau Ubin resident.

But Mr Tan is probably even older.

Though his IC says he was born on 1 Jan 1907, Mr Tan said he was actually born earlier than that. He has no birth records from his hometown, Guangdong province in China.

But Mr Tan looks not a day older than 90. He eats whatever his family eats and does not need a special diet.

He can walk for short distances without the help of a cane and read the newspapers without glasses.

The father of five lives with one of his sons in a one-storey zinc-roofed house in Pulau Ubin's town centre, a five-minute walk from the jetty.

His son runs a seafood restaurant and grocery store next to the house.

Mr Tan has lived on Pulau Ubin ever since he arrived in Singapore in the 1940s. He worked odd jobs and later opened a grocery store there.

In his younger days, he served in the island's residents' committee and even hosted a visit by Singapore's first president, Mr Yusof Ishak, in the 1960s.

But these days, Mr Tan leads a leisurely life.

He wakes up at 9am, brushes his dentures and eats breakfast. His daughter-in-law, Madam Koh Siew Hong, 56, said: 'Whatever we eat, he eats. His dentures are strong enough.'

When the Chinese newspapers are delivered, he pores over them.

After that, he would watch the TV or Teochew movies on DVD.

Madam Koh said: 'We just had to teach him once how to use the DVD player.'

Every few months, he goes to the mainland for a medical check-up as there is no clinic on the island. He suffers from high blood pressure.

His hearing is also failing him. But Mr Tan has generally been healthy.

He told this reporter in Teochew: 'I'm old already, more than 100 years old, but still not dead.'

Madam Koh said that when her father-in-law was in his 90s, he was still taking baths in the sea and riding his motorcycle around the island.

When a Chinese worker we met during the interview found out Mr Tan's age, he said: 'He's special.'

Indeed he is. And he's not alone.

He's part of a small group of aged residents who still call Pulau Ubin home.

Over the last few weeks, The New Paper team caught up with a few of them. Like Mr Tan, Madam Asiah Ibrahim is older than the 86 years that her IC shows.

She recalls not having a birth certificate and getting her IC only when she got married. She was around 17 then.

The sprightly woman walks at least 6km a day from her home to the town centre. She lives in a village about 3km from the town centre.

Madam Asiah is used to being on her feet as she used to work standing in a bottle factory in Ang Mo Kio.

After her husband died in the 1980s, she moved to Pulau Ubin as she wanted a more relaxed life.

She has five children, 30 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Her children visit her every week, and bring her food and money.

One of her sons works with the Outward Bound School and goes to Pulau Ubin frequently.

Madam Asiah, who lives alone with her cat, spends her free time gardening. On the island, water has to be pumped from wells using diesel generators, which are also used to generate electricity.

Despite this, Madam Asiah prefers to grow old on the island.

'All I did on the mainland was eat and sleep,' she recalled. 'I fell sick. My joints ached from lack of use.

'Here, I can plant trees, walk around and collect leaves and plants.

'All the people here are old. When we are gone, these villages will go back to the cats and monkeys.'

Oldest man on Pulau Ubin

2008-03-31T22:06:00.004+08:00

Looking at a letter of commendation from President Yusof Ishak to Mr Tan

Mr Tan Hai Liang, ~~102~~ 101 years old, is probably the oldest man on Ubin today. His long-time friend and colleague, Mr Lim Chye Joo, the former headman was 101 years old when he passed away 2 years ago in 2006. Mr Tan and Mr Lim both worked together on the Ubin resident committee and were men who contributed much of their time to the welfare of the island.

In the 1960s, when my mother was a young girl, she remembers buying drink from Hai Liang's provision shop every day from the way home from school. Dennis writes that Hai Liang was the drinking buddy of his grandfather as they lived just down the street from each other.

These days, Grandpa drinks alone, having survived most of his friends.

Today, Hai Liang is known affectionately as Ah Gong (or Grandpa) by everyone. He lives on the island with his second son and daughter-in-law. The Teochew family has been running the same provision shop on the island since my mother was a young girl. Hai Liang was not born on the island but came to Southeast Asia from China. He worked in Malaysia and Indonesia before finally settling down on Ubin. Although he could no longer hear very well, the amazing centurion can still write us messages in beautiful chinese characters. He communicates mainly in the chinese dialect of Teochew as Mandarin was a relatively recent standardization which many of the Southern Chinese did not learn when they left their homeland to seek jobs in the Southern Seas (Nanyang).

Today the provision shop is still there and on top of that, the former storeroom of the family has now been converted into the restaurant that we all frequent regularly! Ah Lian, the lady boss of the restaurant is Grandpa's daughter-in-law!

The restaurant used to be the storeroom of the family!

When we visited on 16 March 2008, this centurion just finished his shower and was about to settle down into his routine tsingdao beer and biscuits. Perhaps those are his secrets to longevity!

I found this amazing photo of Hai Liang from Dennis' photo collection from almost half a century ago (left). Still looking young as ever!

In fact, his youngest son divulged to me that back in the days when Bin Kiang School did not have enough classrooms, not only did they use the wayang stage as classroom but Grandpa Hai Liang also lent out the use of his home as classrooms for the school!

These rooms in Mr Tan's house were once temporary classrooms of Bin Kiang school.

Increase in Ferry Prices

2008-03-21T09:30:00.002+08:00

On the ferry back from Ubin last Sunday with the bicycle shop auntie and her family, I was alerted to the fact that ferry prices will soon be increased. My attention was brought to the notice on the boat (pictured below).

Photo by November. 16 March 2008.

With effect from 15 April 2008, boat fare to and fro Pulau Ubin will be increased from the current price of $2 per person to $2.50 per person. However, the current practice of charging $2 per bicycle remains unchanged.

Ah to think of the days when tickets were but 50cents and police wore shorts. What with fuel prices rising all over the world, this increase is timely. Hopefully, it would help the boatmen to continue providing these much appreciated ferry services to and fro Ubin. Meanwhile, this Monkey dreads hearing renewed complaints from Singaporeans who have already been bemoaning the "expensive ferry service" to Ubin at the previously lower rate of $2/person. Perhaps it's time we put ourselves in the shoes of the boatmen. I haven't seen any of the boatmen wearing rolexes or driving mercedes yet.

During my chat with the auntie on the ferry home, we also talked about how not every bumboat has this notice but the increase, if I am not wrong, is standardized across the board with all the boatmen. Perhaps they have since increased the distribution of this news but I did not see it on my trip to Ubin, only on the way back. However, I just received a SMS from the annotated budak, informing of the same information which reminded me to share this piece of news with everybody. Spread the word!

Upcoming features on Ubin

2008-03-12T12:40:00.004+08:00

Was contacted today by a member of the press and of the community. She is interested in doing a series of feature on Ubin, talking to villagers who have remained behind. Hopefully the series will highlight how Ubin is really a treasure and asset of Singapore and not quite the redundant liability that has no better use unless developed.

Talking to the late headman's daughter-in-law on 1 March 2008. Photo by Kenneth Pinto

I will be going down on Sunday and introduce the few families that I have been talking to, getting to know. I meant to write about their stories on the blog but work got the better of me. It'd be lontong in the morning again and a nice sunday of chit chat. That, is the perfect way to spend Sunday for me. And perhaps, for the urbanite Singaporean like me, that is the value of Ubin. A getaway, the last wild frontier, the last island refuge for our rural heritage. On a more personal level, a piece of family history.

What is your value for Ubin? Any thoughts?

Coastal Erosion Management - Ubin Style

2008-02-23T15:20:00.002+08:00

Waterfront living is no easy task. The above picture depicts the edge of a slope that has been eroded away, looking like a 2m tall cliff, with the beach just below.

According to the reddotbeachbum, a year back during a coastal cleanup on Pulau Ubin, the team had to remove an abandoned motorbike from this spot. You might be thinking, who would want to abandon a motorbike on a beach? How bizarre is that!

Well apparently the story goes that this site used to be the home of Pak Ali (malay headman and owner of the coffeeshop by the jetty). His son explained that their home was in danger of being slowly eroded away and in order to slow down erosion, they dumped the motorbike there ala a impromptu seawall! Well I guess the seawall mentality of coastal erosion prevention goes even as far as Ubin - cept definitely more creative!

Now you know how to make your own ad hoc seawall - Ubin Style!

Former Civil Service College Chalet

2008-02-18T18:20:00.003+08:00

In 2006, SLA offered up for tender the site of the former civil service college chalet. Located conveniently right in "downtown" Ubin, it is mere minutes walk away from the main jetty. However, it has been abandoned since 2001 when the area was supposed to be reclaimed. However, since the deferment of reclamation along the east coast of Pulau Ubin, the chalet has been neglected.

According to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) press release in 2006:

"The property has a site area of about 6,505 square metres and gross floor area of about 783 square metres, equivalent to about three tennis courts. It comprises three blocks of single-storey buildings with a camp, a pump house, three shelters and some ancillary facilities. Capitalizing on the rustic charm of the island, the approved uses adapted some of the former recreational uses, including that of a Bed & Breakfast, or a chalet or resort for short term lodging. It can also be used as a campsite or for group and corporate retreats for the conduct of team building, leadership or motivational activities. This is to cater to the traveller and tourist who are looking for a unique experience in rustic Singapore, away from the hustle and bustle of city life."

Last Saturday (16 Feb 2008), a visit to the site saw that the chalets have been recently cleaned and renovated. Having never been there, I was surprised at its pristine state. However, we soon realized that there was an ongoing party at the chalet to view the air show across the straits at Changi.

OUT OF BOUNDS!

We were then kindly informed by the new caretaker that the chalet is now owned by a Yes Group who intend to rent it out long-term to companies. The company appears to have been awarded the tender for more than 3 months as the caretaker seems to indicate that they have completed renovations over the past months. There will be 2 additional chalets which will be set aside for short term rental. Corporate retreats, bonding sessions and other adventure type events can also be hosted there. Since we rather surprised them by taking advantage of the low tide coastal access, we were informed that the area is now private property. Alas, we have a feeling that the site will be yet another out of bounds area. The caretaker informed us that public rental are not in the plans.

Andy Dinesh, a past visitor at the chalet informed us that there used to be a dormitory behind the main chalets. However, a brief exploration of the area and questioning the caretaker informed us that it has now been totally erased from the landscape. What remained is a lamp that reminds us of Narnia.

Perhaps what is most charismatic about the chalet is the jetty / pier / bridge that extends out to see, connecting 2 huts sitting on trademark ubin granite boulders to the beach. That too appears to have been refurbished. There are also balinese-thai looking pavilions and lots of bbq pits.

While we were told to look for their head company, "Yes group", I was hard-pressed to find contact information online for this company. Could it be the "YES F & B Group Pte Ltd" that I've found on yellowpages? I tipped off recently that there was news of the successful bid of the CSC chalet but again, I was unable to find anything in the archives. Does anybody know more about this?

For more photos, see my flickr set.

More related reads
News about SLA tender of Civil Service College Chalet
WildSingapore's write up on Civil Service College Chalet
SLA Press Release on CSC Chalet tender

Endangered Ubin Lontong II

2008-02-16T19:01:00.003+08:00

4 months ago in October 2007, I wrote about the endangered Ubin lontong.

"Now why is this lontong endangered? Well this delicacy comes from the hands of the macik (auntie) of the establishment, wife of Pak Ali. The couple must be at least 90 years old now ... Unfortunately, as with the rest of the aging population, the lontong is under threat as it may very well disappear from the face of this planet when the cook is no longer with us. Where then would we find our Ubin lontong?"

Darn my words but the lontong came very close to true endangerment a few weeks before the Lunar New Year.

On 3 February 2008, I was tipped off by a duck that the lontong was unavailable as the coffeeshop was closed on that very sunday. Some asking around revealed that the Macik who mastermind this delicious lontong has been hospitalized! Apparently she fell at her home and broke her hip a few weeks before.

Fortunately, it comes as good news to this monkey that the couple's son is still often on the island. It had worried me that like many of the older residents, their offsprings may be more comfortable entrenched in urbanised Singapore and its many conveniences such as piped water and grid electricity.

On 16 February 2008, I finally met the couple's son, Hassan. He informed us that Macik is finally discharged and resting at home. What a relief! Hopefully she has managed to pass her secret recipe to her children before she took to her bed. At least the coffeeshop is now opened for business again. Thank goodness!

Related Reads
"Endangered Ubin Lontong", Pulau Ubin Stories, 26 Oct 2007

Diesel cars on Pulau Ubin

2008-02-16T17:29:00.002+08:00

"Tax levy on private diesel cars reduced"
16 February 2008, TODAY

"Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the current tax on such cars was too "punitive", which explained why there was only one such vehicle on the road today — an observation that drew laughter from the House, especially when he said that there were two others on Pulau Ubin that did not pay road tax."

Read the full article here

On this day, 66 years ago...

2008-02-09T17:33:00.003+08:00

While searching online today for interesting tidbits of news about Ubin, I came across an archived New York Times article dated February 9, 1942 which mentions Pulau Ubin during WWII! Unfortunately, the article cost $3.95USD to read but here's the sneak preview:

"British"
New York Times - Feb 9, 1942
"Enemy patrols were reported to have landed on Pulau Ubin [Ubin Island] this morning. During enemy raids over Singapore Island this morning our fighters ... "

I may perhaps pay SGD$6 just to read this article. It better be good!

An earlier articles (also from New York Times) include:

"BASE AT SINGAPORE IS FORCE FOR PEACE; Defense Project Brings New ..."
New York Times - Feb 20, 1938
Opposite Changi and lying directly in the eastern entrance to Johore Strait is the Island of Pulau Ubin. It is several miles long and constitutes an ...

Other WWII articles from other news agency include a newspaper from Ohio, USA:

Zanesville Signal, The (Newspaper) - February 9, 1942
A few hoars Japanese troops had occupied deserted, un- fortified Pulau Ubin (Ubto kland) off the northwest coast, within half a solle of Sbigapore. ...

Endangered Ubin Lontong

2007-10-26T16:18:00.000+08:00

Wikipedia defines Lontong as "an Asian dish made of compressed rice that is then cut into small cakes". Home-made lontong is possibly rather hard to come by these days. However, on the island of Pulau Ubin exist one such specimen of Lontong that possibly defines what Lontong should be like.

A glimpse of the rare specimen of lontong

Now why do I say this Ubin Lontong is an endangered species? It's not because you can no longer find good lontong else where in Singapore or in the world. Instead, it's this particular lontong that is endemic on Ubin. You cannot find it elsewhere but at Pak Ali's coffeeshop beside the jetty bridge on Pulau Ubin.

Pak Ali's coffeeshop

What more, it's such an rare species that you cannot even find it on other days apart from Sundays before 11am! Sometimes by 10am, it's already gone, grabbed off the shelves by its devoted followers or incidental fans.

Unfortunately, ignorant ape that I am, I have never known of the existence of this delectable lontong till last Sunday (21 Oct) when I visited Chek Jawa with Ria and a few special friends. Before we embarked on our journey, we had a leisurely breakfast, enjoying the heavenly lontong soaked in drool-inducing coconut curry gravy. In fact, just writing this is making me drool uncontrollably again!

Now why is this lontong endangered? Well this delicacy comes from the hands of the macik (auntie) of the establishment, wife of Pak Ali. The couple must be at least 90 years old now and they are still working every day at their coffeeshop under the Assam tree*. Not only do they serve fantastic lontong but the meesiam and mee rebus are also irresistible.

Pak Ali with Dr Chua Ee Kiam, author of the Pulau Ubin: Ours to Treasure book

During Hari Raya, the amazing couple also offers homemade candies and goodies in their coffeeshop. Unfortunately, as with the rest of the aging population, the lontong is under threat as it may very well disappear from the face of this planet when the cook is no longer with us. Where then would we find our Ubin lontong?

Hari Raya goodies at Pak Ali's shop

Even as life and death are part of the natural cycles of our existence, it is unavoidable that one day the Ubin lontong will cease to be. However, let it be remembered that we once had this fantastic lontong and it was delicious!

*I am still looking for the photo I have of the coffeeshop and the Assam tree beside it. Once I find it, I will be sure to share it on Ubin Stories.

Long lost classmates

2007-10-13T13:08:00.000+08:00

It was this photo that started it all.

It was this photo that started this blog rolling and growing as early as May 2004.

It was also this photo that made a connection across the Pacific Ocean a few weeks ago. I received an comment from somebody in USA who had the exact same photo. Compare the two photos here.

It turns out that Dennis's mother was a classmate of my mother! The children of Ubin go far. Both his parents are from Pulau Ubin and they migrated to the US in the 1970s. Dennis was born in Mississippi, USA but now lives in Texas. Unfortunately his mom passed away a few years ago. But at least my mom's dream of finding news of her classmates is slowly coming true.

It'll probably come as a shock to many who has only seen the Ubin of today that the island used to be a big settlement with a population close to tens of thousands at its peak. The granite quarries on the island were a big source of income for the island in addition to the rubber plantations and other primary production industries.

While it is really unfortunate that my mom never got a chance to catch up with her classmate in person, Dennis and his father with my mother and I in Singapore exchanged stories via email. Dennis has fond memories of Ubin as unlike me, he has had the opportunity to live on Ubin for a few months in his life in the early 1980s. His mother and grandmother also often told him many stories of Ubin.

Dennis' paternal grandfather was the accountant of the Ho Man Choo Quarry. In the above photo you can see the actual name of the quarry. It was spelt "woo mon chew" but the chinese characters reveal that perhaps the name "Ho Man Choo" (Chua, 2000) is the Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of the name. Today, NParks has renamed the quarry as Pekan Quarry. Naturally Woo Mon Chew was the name of the quarry owner. Dennis "thinks it was opened in 1947 and closed or sold in 1970".

"My mother's family lived near the quarry. I remember as a child when we would visit Ubin, there would be sirens that go off to signal the blast of the granites. We would all have to take cover or go indoors. Sometimes we would see small chunks of dirt and debris fall out of the sky. There used to be a well behind my mother's house." - Dennis, in email correspondence

Coincidentally, in July 2005, when I first brought my mother back to Ubin, the first time in more than 35 years that she has been back to Ubin, she actually pointed out to me Dennis' mother's home on Ubin. She remembered buying drinks and that there was a hairdresser in the area. Seeing the photos that Dennis has scanned and uploaded on flickr, she regaled me with fond stories of her childhood.

This was Dennis' paternal grandparents home which is just beside Pekan Quarry, where the Nparks office was, where the toilet and Jelutong Campsite is today. Next time as you walk by the area, think of the families that lived here before!

As my mother lived very much further west of the town, she would always walk home together with Dennis' mom up till their home before my mother continues on home down the road. She remembers buying drinks from Hai Liang's shop which is now near where the seafood restaurant is. In fact, the shop may still be there. Monkey will investigate.

Dennis' mother and father lived next door to each other. Their houses face each other along the road. In fact, Dennis' maternal aunt and uncle still lives in their family home on Ubin today!

Dennis' Mother's family

I have really been inspired to really try to scan and go through my family's photos and talk to my granduncles who lived on the island. There is so much to learn and record before this bit of Ubin's history disappears forever. Dennis' love for his family and his excellent memory (unlike my memory of a goldfish) has really benefitted all of us who now know so much more about Ubin. And of course my mother who now knows a little more about the girl who stood beside her in the class photo.

Thank you for sharing your stories Dennis! Hopefully I can convince him to become a regular contributor for Pulau Ubin Stories!

See more photos of Pulau Ubin from 1940s - 1970s on Dennis' flickr set. He found these photos of Ubin in his grandmother's home and scanned them all!

Six restoration projects win Architectural Heritage Awards

2007-10-01T17:24:00.000+08:00

By Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia
01 October 2007 2020 hrs

SINGAPORE: Six restoration projects have won the Architectural Heritage Awards this year.

The sixth award winner is the House No. 1 located at the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin.

It is believed to be Singapore's only remaining authentic Tudor-style house with a fireplace. Its uniqueness fits in nicely with its new function as a visitor centre to Singapore's nature treasure, Chek Jawa Wetlands.

Read the full story here.

Large trap found in Pulau Ubin, illegal poaching suspected

2007-09-30T17:23:00.000+08:00

By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
30 September 2007 2312 hrs

SINGAPORE: A nature lover had a rude shock when he went on a trip to Pulau Ubin recently.

Ben Lee, founder of Nature Trekker – a non-profit organisation dedicated to nature appreciation in Singapore – took pictures of a trap that was more than 2 metres (7 feet) high and was set deep in the forest.

According to him, the cage was big enough to house 15 wild boars and could be used for illegal poaching.

He also saw a man walking out of the forest with a sharp sickle.

Mr Lee has reported the incident to the National Parks Board.

NParks said it is illegal to carry out poaching activities in Pulau Ubin, parks and nature reserves.

- CNA/so

Pulau Ubin Fun Map

2007-09-06T11:28:00.000+08:00

This Pulau Ubin Fun Map was produced by Grant Pereira and illustrated by artist Yong Ding Li a few years ago. It is now on sale at the GVN Green House at the town centre of Pulau Ubin.

It comes originally in a black and white line drawing but unable to resist the temptation, I filled in the "blanks" with my own choice of colours. Find birds and wildlife hidden amongst the coconut trees and mangroves on the island. You may even spot the headman's house or even the fence that keeps outward bound school out of bounds!

I sure had fun and kids of all ages will surely have fun with this map. It is available for sale at $2 each. On the reverse side of the map is an illustrated guide to birds, mammals, insects and reptiles found on the island.

The GVN Green House where the map is on sale.

It sure would come in handy on the island as well but try not to use the map to navigate around the island because it's not drawn to scale and surely meant only for a bit of fun with friends and family.

Info Kiosk near the Ubin Jetty.

For serious navigation and orientation around the island, pick up a map from the Information Kiosk near the Ubin Jetty where an updated map of the island is available. A map of Chek Jawa is also available but at the Information Counter near House No. 1 of Chek Jawa.

Chek Jawa Info Kiosk.

Hungry Ghost Festival 2007

2007-08-26T11:58:00.000+08:00

Sign for free bumboat ride this festival! Taken on 25 Aug 2007

Every year during the 7th lunar month, the Chinese community celebrates the "Hungry Ghost Festival" where it is believed that the gates of hell are opened for spirits to visit Earth for a limited one month period.

This time is also when the denizens on Earth will put up shows to entertain the ghostly "good brothers" (好兄弟). Traditionally, we have Chinese Opera performances like the ones on Pulau Ubin but increasingly these have been replaced by modern variety stage shows called "getai" with loud costumes and techno music.

Pulau Ubin remains one of the rare places which still maintain a permanent free standing wayang stage structure. Wayang is malay meaning "show" but in Singapore it is used to mean "play or opera" as well.

A wayang notice for Pulau Ubin from 2006.

In order to find out when there are Teochew opera performances on Ubin, look out for these handwritten calligraphy notices on red paper, usually on display at the Ubin Jetty. Sometime, similar notices will be stuck on the side of the stage to announce when the next events will be held. Performances are made not only during the Hungry Ghost Festival but also during the birthday of Tua Pek Kong (a deity worshipped at the temple in the town center). Unfortunately they are always in Chinese so ask a resident of Ubin and they will be able to tell you what you need to know.

Somebody asked if the performances on Pulau Ubin were Teochew or Hokkien opera and I just realized that the answer was already given in my post about the performances from 2006! I must have bombarded my mom for the answer last year but she made no complaints when I waylaid her for an answer yesterday. She explained that a large majority of the population on Ubin were Teochew and that explained why the wayang was staged in Teochew.

This year, to entice more people to go for the wayang performances which will be held on the 15th and 16th day of the 7th lunar month, the hungry ghost festival committee of Ubin have kindly arranged for free boat ride to and fro Ubin! That explained the sign in the photo at the top of this post which was found at the Changi Point Ferry Terminal! Roughly translated it reads:

"Free Bumboat Ride
The [Ubin] Hungry Ghost Festival Committee, during the 2 days celebration period of 15th and 16th day of the 7th Lunar Month (27th and 28th August 2007), will be providing free boat rides to and fro Changi Ferry Terminal and Pulau Ubin during these times:
From Changi to Ubin: 6.30pm - 10.00pm
From Ubin to Changi: 7.30pm - 11.30pm"

The committee is usually made up of residents, businesses and even past residents who return yearly to organize and fund raise for the performance and celebration of the Hungry Ghost Festival. As such, this year, I've managed to persuade my mom to return with me to watch and join in the Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations on Ubin. Hopefully we will be there on Monday to bring back more photos and stories to tell.

Related articles

Sons of Ubin keep tradition alive, by Kor Kian Beng, The New Paper, 3 Sept 2004

Account of wayang performances on other occasions on Ubin, by Victor Yue, Focus Ubin Website 2005

Pulau Ubin Zhong Yuan Hui by Victor Yue, Focus Ubin Website 2005

Hungry Ghost Festival Celebrations, Pulau Ubin Stories, 9 Aug 2006

Where have all the wayang stages gone?, Good Morning Yesterday, July 2007

As Far Away As Pulau Ubin, Hotels Grapple With F1 Levy

2007-08-15T10:28:00.000+08:00

By Lee U-Wen (TODAY)
15 August 2007

ONE'S a budget hotel for backpackers in Joo Chiat, another in Chinatown caters mainly to locals, while a third is a resort tucked away on the tranquil island of Pulau Ubin.

They are hardly close to the scene of next year's inaugural Formula One (F1) race in Singapore's Marina Bay area, nor are their guests likely to be international F1 "groupies".

But the three hotels are among at least 92 hotels likely to be charged a 20-per-cent tax on their room rates for five nights in September next year, when the F1 comes to town.

This tax - together with a higher 30-per-cent levy imposed on 11 "trackside" hotels expected to benefit the most from demand for rooms with a race view - is part of the Government's bid to recoup the cost of hosting the race, it was announced on Monday.

Some of the other hotels located far from the action, however, are wondering whether the demand from the spillover crowd will be enough to offset the 20-per-cent levy they will have to pay.

Said the supervisor of Astro Hotel in Joo Chiat, who only wanted to be known as Mr Ang: "We will have to raise rates because we have operating costs to consider. This is a small budget hotel and we rely a lot on walk-in guests, so it's hard for us to capitalise on the F1 fever."

Yesterday, Minister of State (Trade and Industry) S Iswaran said the demand for hotel rooms would be felt across the island.

He told reporters: "Singapore is a compact place, so even if you have a hotel in Changi, it's not difficult to get to Marina Centre. The effect will be quite broad-based, and in terms of occupancy and room rates it will be positive for all the hotels."

In addition, the Land Transport Authority is looking into convenient transportation to the venue, such as giving F1 ticket-holders access to the MRT. About 100,000 visitors are expected, of which up to 40 per cent could be here for three to four days, Mr Iswaran added.

The 92 hotels eligible for the 20-per-cent levy - which are those gazetted for the purpose of collecting cess charges - include those as far away as Pasir Panjang Inn, Changi Hotel and the Kampong Ubin Resort on Pulau Ubin.

Most that Today contacted were not even aware of the possible levy. They said they would wait for formal notification before deciding on a marketing strategy and whether to increase room rates.

A Ministry of Trade and Industry spokesperson said the Singapore Tourism Board would inform all the gazetted hotels on the exact collection mechanism of the F1 levy closer to race day on Sept 28 next year.

Mr Alson Leong, manager of Gateway Hotel in Joo Chiat, was surprised when told his hotel could be affected. But he said it was unlikely their rates would go up as that would affect regular guests who are not F1 fans.

"If they see our rates are higher than normal, they would simply choose not to come to Singapore during the F1 week. It would have been good if we were consulted on the levy," he said.

But Mr Desmond Poh, who markets the Kampong Ubin Resort in Pulau Ubin, was unfazed. While his guests are mainly corporate clients and unlikely to be overseas visitors coming here for the race - his hotel is the furthest from the track - Mr Poh was unconcerned about the levy.

"The 20 per cent is almost equal to the corporate discounts that we give out, so we won't be affected. And September to October is usually a hot period for us," he said.

Even so, hotels like his hope the Singapore Tourism Board will help promote them to the visiting F1 crowd.

At least one is looking at raising room rates. Ms Charmaine Wee, sales manager of the New Majestic Hotel in Chinatown, said: "Our average is about $340, and I imagine we will charge no less than $400 during the F1."

Goodbye Ubin Thai Temple

2007-08-13T10:06:00.000+08:00

In April 2007, the Ministry of National Development announced its plans for reopening the Kekek Quarry off Jalan Wat Siam. As the road name indicates, this road was named after the Thai Temple located at the end of the road, just in front of the Kekek Quarry.

As of late July 2007, the Thai Temple no longer stands at Jalan Wat Siam, a road now devoid of its namesake.

When the announcement for the deferment of Kekek Quarry's opening came on 4 August 2007, the news was met with happiness and also frustration as yet again, a landmark on Ubin has been displaced because of planned development. Just like the Kampong Melayu en route Chek Jawa which was cleared in anticipation of the reclamation, the postponement of Kekek Quarry's opening came too late to save one of the last remaining landmarks on Pulau Ubin.

Kekek Quarry in the morning of April 7, 2007. Thai Temple is located at the foot of this hill. Photo by November

All occupants of the island must possess a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) from the Singapore Land Authority and it was said that the temple's license was due for renewal. While this fact needs verification, truth of the matter is that the temple is now no longer on Ubin. In an interview with one of the villagers on Ubin, it is unlikely that the temple will be issued a new TOL on Ubin even if they had applied for it after the quarry plans are shelved. It is true of course that the quarry is to be on standby, ready to be operational at the slightest need and having to relocate the temple later would be a bureaucratical hassle.

2030V Pulau Ubin is no longer an occupied address. Photo by November

The temple may seem relatively new, having only established on Ubin in 1986 when a monk from Thailand walked all the way down to Singapore and found its home here on Pulau Ubin. However, it's one of the last few remaining cultural icons on the island with large throngs of visitors on weekends and major Buddhist and Chinese festivals. This was also a large source of income for the island's taxi drivers who would ferry devotees to the temple. When asked, taxi drivers on Ubin expressed disappointment that now there is a less steady stream of income for them. Previously, they could count on major festival days to draw income from. Now, they feel Chek Jawa is the only way for them to garner income from but it is less reliable as return visitors or regular visitors are rare.

Thai Temple one year ago on July 13 2006. Who would have known a year later the temple would no longer be with us? Photo by November

A question was posted on the Ubin Forum asking where the temple has been relocated to. After some "detective work" and leg work from our guest editor, budak, we found that it has actually been moved to Jalan Kayu, near Seletar. Not very different from Ubin, Jalan Kayu is also a kampong place, still relatively undeveloped and rural but rich with heritage but under threat from urbanization and development.

Familiar idols from the Thai Temple in storage at Jalan Kayu. Photo by budak

Budak wrote:

"The reprieve granted to kekek came sadly too late for the Thai temple located within earshot of the quarry. the statues and idols no longer face a tree-lined trail and the musical tributes of straw-headed bulbuls.

The tale of the Thai temple now meets that of another Buddhist shrine, the Ban Kok Sua Chong Yee Temple that for now still resides at Seletar West Farmway 6, a small road two turns off Jalan Kayu surrounded by farmland and abandoned plots. Before secondary jungle retakes the area, however, it will likely be surrendered to planners seeking to turn this historic kampung area (see jalankayutrail.blogspot.com) into another new suburb. In a sense, it already is, as Jalan Kayu is now within a stone's throw from the Sengkang LRT network, and vast fields of cleanly cleared land (formerly farms and orchards) now link the once quiet road to a new town of HDB towers.

Now a lonely outpost in a village of ghosts and forgotten memories, Chong Yee Temple faces a dwindling lease and its custodians are currently seeking to raise funds to erect a new sanctuary for the temple's deities when the present plot is returned to the authorities.

To this end, Chong Yee Temple has linked up with the caretakers of the (former) Ubin Thai temple and another temple (dedicated to Bao Gong) to acquire a piece of land where Jalan Kayu meets Sengkang West Avenue, where a collective development will take place, with each temple maintaining its identity and management, while occupying its own portion of new worship complex.

Site of the new temple premise. Photo by budak

The artefacts of the Thai temple are now at a temporary building at the site, with an interim altar and shrine being built, which is scheduled to be ready by 22 August. Stay tuned for more updates when we visit the place after it opens."

See more photos of Chong Yee Temple and the new Thai Temple premise in Budak's flickr set.

Kekek Quarry will not be reopened yet!

2007-08-04T14:33:00.000+08:00

Just received word that the Ministry of National Development has decided to defer the opening of Kekek Quarry in the north of Ubin. Although the government has momentarily withheld all immediate plans to extract granite from the quarry, the quarry will still be retained as a stockpile, ready for extraction and activation at any moment's notice.

MND and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) released a media statement on the following this afternoon on 4th August 2007:

GOVERNMENT DEFERS QUARRYING GRANITE IN UBIN

Update on the granite supply situation
The Granite supply situation has improved significantly over the last one to two months. There is adequate granite supply coming in from both nearby and near distant sources in the region. As a result of this diversification of supply, there has not been any drawdown from the national stockpile from May. Prices of these materials have also moderated and stabilised.

Quarrying at Pulau Ubin
In April this year, the Government announced plans to carry out limited quarrying works at the Kekek Quarry in Pulau Ubin. Over the past few months, we have carried out preparatory works for reactivating the Kekek Quarry. These included carrying out an environmental impact study, conducting water quality tests and regulatory reviews.

Having gained useful experience and a better understanding of the process for reactivating a quarry, and as the industry is able to diversify and import adequate granite from many sources, we have decided that there is no need to commence the physical extraction of granite from the quarry for the time being.

However we are still keeping all our options open, including reactivating our own quarries if necessary. The reactivation of our local quarries remains a part of our contingency plan to ensure supply resilience of essential construction materials.

This is an absolutely wonderful piece of news to brighten up my Saturday. Perhaps this is an indication that our government is moving towards a more environmentally-sound ideology that without serious pressures, they would not choose development over our environment. In another words, they would think before they hack and rather conserve than to destroy and develop blindly for the sake of national security or economic growth. When the minister of state for MND said that they are trying to do whatever they can to prevent this from happening and that reopening the quarry was truly their last option, I suppose she actually meant it.

The skeptic amongst us would say that perhaps this was just a pragmatic decision and at the same time soothe some ruffled feathers. Or even perhaps producing is more expensive than buying. Either way, there is hope yet.

Kekek Quarry through the looking grass: taken just after the announcement to reopen quarrying in April 2007

Of course this is a delightful piece of news as the quarry and Ubin itself has escaped the fate of being a mining outpost again. However, like all things in Singapore, there is no certain fate and we should always be prepared to lose the quarry to our country's needs again.

As in all things nature conservation in Singapore, we should remember not to be complacent. Especially with change being a constant and regular feature in Ubin and every where else on this island state we live in, at any moment's notice, things which we think are here to stay may be taken away from us the next minute due to national needs.

A good example is Chek Jawa. While we are all happy that reclamation at Chek Jawa was deferred, this was only for 10 years or up till there is need for it again. It has already been 6 years since the deferment was announced and before we knew it, half our time with Chek Jawa has already flewn by! What more, whole villages were displaced to make way for reclamation at Chek Jawa and even after deferment, a piece of our history and heritage was gone already. Likewise, there has been rumours that the Thai Temple near Kekek Quarry is to relocate due to reopening of quarry. Now that quarrying has been deferred, this monkey shall go find out if the temple will really be relocated.

Chek Jawa Boardwalk amidst the beautiful coast line of Ubin

If we wish to hold on to these beautiful places like Chek Jawa, we should all show our love for for these places by visiting it, sharing it with our friends and of course, be generous with our words and tell everybody about it. What more, with the opening of the Chek Jawa Boardwalk, it has never been easier to get to know the area better.

I cannot be more happy to know that many Singaporeans enjoyed the Kekek Quarry very much and went to see it for the last time when it was announced to be reopened for mining. Now, it's here to stay for a while longer, we can once again go and enjoy its beautiful and serene landscape!

Pedal Ubin guides and participants enjoying Kekek Quarry in June 2005

35 new plant and animal species recorded in Singapore

2007-07-07T17:51:00.001+08:00

07 July 2007 2312 hrs
ChannelNewsAsia

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said 35 new plant and animal species have been recorded in Singapore in an ongoing two-year survey by National Parks and its volunteers.

Seven other species, thought to be extinct, have also been rediscovered.

And now, nature lovers can go on DIY tours of the Chek Jawa Wetlands on Pulau Ubin after new facilities were launched by Mr Mah on Saturday morning.

These facilities include a visitor centre with a viewing jetty, a boardwalk and a viewing tower.

Altogether, S$7 million have been invested by the government to protect the fragile eco-systems at Chek Jawa.

Environmentally friendly features have also been integrated into the designs, such as energy-efficient lights, motion sensor lights and solar-powered battery cells.

Reclamation plans on Chek Jawa were put on hold in 2001, following appeals by nature lovers.

Since then, more than 20,000 people have visited it.

Significant care was taken to ensure construction work on the new facilities did not affect the wildlife there.

Mr Mah said: "During the conversion of the former British cottage into the visitor centre, extra care was taken to protect a family of rare Malayan False Vampire Bats that had made the old watch tower its home for many years.

"To protect these bats, the old watch tower was left untouched and a new one was constructed. A family of Pouched Tomb Bats was also found roosting in the chimney of the cottage. Work near the chimney was carried out with extra care. I understand that both species of bats are still around."
- CNA/so

"Ten cyclists injured each month on Pulau Ubin's 'danger spot'"

2007-06-09T10:21:00.001+08:00

Ten cyclists injured each month on Pulau Ubin's 'danger spot'
Channel NewsAsia, 09 Jun 07

SINGAPORE: From falling tree branches to falling cyclists at Pulau Ubin - each month at least 10 cyclists get hurt while negotiating a particularly tricky spot on the rustic island.

Two weeks ago, radio DJ Zhou Chong Qing was sent flying to the ground while on his way down a slope in front of Belatok Hut.

"When I came down from here, the speed was very fast. So when I pressed the brake, I just flew off the bicycle, and I broke two bones from my left arm, and I scratched myself and I broke four teeth. And also the bicycle scratched me at the right side of my body," says Zhou.

Those familiar with the spot say over 10 accidents occur here each month. In fact, in just 10 minutes, Channel NewsAsia spotted two cyclists almost falling off their bicycles. This is despite warning signs that had been put up some 10 feet away from the danger spot.

But the rugged slope is not the only issue here - operators of bicycle rental kiosks here say Singaporeans rarely rent protective helmets!

"Caucasians are more aware of the safety aspects of things, so they are willing to pay $2 a day, compared to locals. Especially in this area here, it's a bit hilly you know, it's not like Singapore roads also," says Chan, Bicycle Rental Kiosk Operator.

Adventure-seekers are advised to be more aware of personal safety needs to maximise their thrills - minus the spills! - CNA/yy

Pedal Ubin on 2 June 2007

2007-06-03T22:55:00.000+08:00

Pedal Ubin guides and 2 participants after a satisfactory ride

Yesterday was the first Pedal Ubin held this year as from now on, the event would be a quarterly affair. More than 40 participants turned up although many more actually signed up for the event. However, the smaller number made each group more intimate and personal.

The Balai Quarry near Chek Jawa at Northeast Ubin

My group consisted of 3 guides and we took on the east route towards the Malay kampong and went as far as the gates of Chek Jawa. It was the second time I took the route and the first time I actually cycled to Chek Jawa. It was a breezier ride than I expected and the first time I glimpsed sight of Balai Quarry near Chek Jawa. If there was a stamp for every quarry one visits on Ubin, I'm happy to report that I would have collected the entire set! I've now seen all of the quarries and each one just as spectacular.

The gates of Chek Jawa, due to be opened soon

The boardwalk at Chek Jawa is due to open soon, possibly in July, and I await with much anticipation. Next time we would be able to cycle all the way to Chek Jawa itself and visit the boardwalk.

Remnants of a previous house at the Malay Kampong

Still this ride to the east is a rare chance for casual visitors to see things that one would usually not see on Ubin! This includes the old Malay Kampong that was resettled to make way for the reclamation at Chek Jawa and the southern shoreline of Ubin. Sadly, since reclamation was defered, what change has been made cannot be undone.

The little bit of brick longkang sticking out of the shoreline is what remains of Sungei Ubin and the mangroves beside it are all young'uns

Houses were not the only things that were removed. What more, entire shoreline of mangroves were also removed to make way for prawn farms at Sungei Ubin since it was thought to soon make way for reclamation. However, since deferment, it would take another 50 years before the mangrove would regain its previous majesty.

Yet all is not lost, despite Sungei Ubin being reduced to a small opening controlled by sluice gates, chek jawa like intertidal areas were spotted at low tide. A giant mudskipper happily swam by when it heard my enquiring for its appearance.

I also finally encountered the tallest tree on Ubin - the Pulai Tree on the way to Chek Jawa - for the first time! After always trying to photograph it from out at sea, its height did not fail its reputation upclose. Interestingly there is also a malay grave at the foot of the tree! This must be a sacred tree indeed.

Chek Jawa on the left with the boardwalk being seen visibly extending out from shore and Pulau Sekudu can be seen as a little islet on the right. The tallest tree, Pulai tree can be seen sticking out from the canopy on the left of the picture.

At low tide, Pulau Sekudu, the frog island, was also spotted clearly and the new boardwalk at Chek Jawa could be easily seen. This surely brought on much anticipation in this monkey. For more photos of the 2nd June 2007 ride to the east, visit my flickr set.

“天湖”可克石场周末吸引不少游人

2007-04-24T16:27:00.000+08:00

联合早报 Lianhe Zaobao
吴汉钧
24 April 2007

乌敏岛有五个废矿湖，被称为“天湖”的可克石场（Kekek Quarry）最受游人欢迎，周末可看到不少人不顾警告投入矿湖游泳、划木筏，或在湖边露营、野餐。

可克石场有路可通，周末许多游人乘德士从码头到矿湖边。虽然矿湖边有栅门和围栏，但并未把矿湖全部围起来。游人也可穿过围栏上的破洞或绕过围栏走到矿湖戏水或享受矿湖的宁静环境。

乌敏岛五个由废石场形成的矿湖，分别是可克石场、益华石场、乌敏石场、北干石场和中央花岗石场。本月初，政府宣布要重开可克石场进行有限度的采石活动，了解重开本地采石业需要的经验。

大自然爱好者陈冰婷（25岁）受访时说，前往乌敏岛其他矿湖的路比较难走，只有可克石场较容易抵达，因此他们带团到乌敏岛游玩时，都会选择可克石场。

她说：“虽然矿湖有一定的危险，但我们还是看到有人游泳、划木筏、野餐，晚上还有人露营。周末游人更是络绎不绝，有骑脚踏车的，也有搭客货车的。”

乌敏矿湖也有条山径可攀爬，在最高点可观赏美景，但不能就近戏水，所以不受游人欢迎。

陈冰婷是国大地理系应届毕业生，四年前开始在莱佛士生物多样性研究博物馆里当义工，带领公众到乌敏岛游玩，也在互联网博客记录乌敏岛的点点滴滴。

她与乌敏岛上的矿湖也有渊源。她的外祖父母那一辈亲戚都是乌敏岛居民，有的曾拥有采石公司，有的曾是采石工人。她的母亲在已于1980年代关闭的敏江学校就读。

希望局限在可克石场

对于政府决定有限度开采可克石场，陈冰婷表示可以理解，但她希望不要扩大到其他石场。她也关注政府打算发出多长的采石合同，因为政府还未透露开采期限。

她在矿湖区看到许多动物如原鸡（jungle fowl）、水獭、巨蜥、蜂鸟、山猪、犀鸟等，她希望采石活动对这些野生动物的影响能降至最低。

自然学会环保组组长何华宙博士说，他主要关注矿水的处理方式及对周遭红树林的影响。他认为，抽出来的矿水最好不要排到海里，而是附近的矿湖如益华石场。他希望政府在把矿水抽出前进行仔细的水质调查。

他说：“只要采石活动局限在可克石场，不扩大范围或扩展到其他石场，我们并不太担心。”

自然学会会员张隆华说，政府的初步调查结果提到植物和鸟类，但没提到其他哺乳动物、昆虫等的生长情况。

他也希望石场附近的河流及红树林不受影响，因为本地的淡水河岸红树林已很稀少，多数是沿海红树林。

前自然学会会员杨德兴不担心重启采石活动会对乌敏岛的鸟类造成影响。他曾是自然学会野鸟组组员，现在是导游，经营旅游公司。

他说，到乌敏岛观鸟通常集中在中部和东部仄爪哇一带，不会到偏远的可克矿湖

Concrete plans to sustain construction; New scheme to step up use of alternative building materials over next 5 years

2007-04-24T16:00:00.000+08:00

TODAY
Leong Wee Keat
24 April 2007

YOUR future home is likely to be constructed with less concrete as the Government seeks to step up the use of alternative and sustainable materials such as steel, glass and aluminium.

The aim is to reduce the use of concrete as a key construction material by 30 to 50 per cent over the next five years, through a Sustainable Construction Master Plan laid out by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

The plan comes in the wake of disruption in the supply of sand and granite - key components of concrete - following restrictions imposed by the Indonesian government.

The restrictions caused the price of concrete to jump from about $70 per cubic metre to between $180 and $200 now.

Steel is at least 10 per cent more expensive than the current cost of concrete, but BCA chief executive Dr John Keung said the gap between the two raw materials is "fast narrowing".

Unveiling the BCA plan yesterday, Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu said the construction industry, in the long term, "must adopt sustainable construction in a comprehensive manner to reduce its vulnerability to disruptions in supply of essential materials".

Over the next three months, the BCA will work with industry partners and relevant agencies to review existing rules and regulations.

For example, the BCA hopes to introduce a new code to encourage the use of recycled building materials - such as recycled concrete - in construction.

The BCA is also working with relevant agencies, such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Fire Safety and Shelter Department, to accord priority to amendment plans for on-going projects that are switching to sustainable designs and materials.

Construction standards will also be reviewed, including those for manufactured steel.

Currently, the steel allowed here for structural construction is based on British standards. But the BCA said it would release, in the next three months, a change in guidelines which will allow for other standards of steel and the import of steel from sources such as the United States or Japan.

Industry experts agreed that the move towards sustainable construction methods would be good for the industry.

DP Architects director Tai Lee Siang said the use of steel would bring about a cleaner and faster construction process. "In terms of long-term sustainability and recycle ability, steel is also better than concrete," he added.

Mr Desmond Hill, president of the Singapore Contractors Association, said he would like to see developers become more flexible in the use of recycled building materials for non-structural components. This would help promote the use of sustainable materials in construction, he said.

On the manpower front, the BCA will run more courses to equip practitioners with better understanding of sustainable construction.

It is also in discussion with local universities to strengthen the curriculum on structural steel design.

Ms Fu also added that mining activity could start at the Kekek Granite Quarry in Pulau Ubin in three to six months. Reopening the quarry is part of the government's plans to make up for the granite shortfall facing Singapore.

Mining work may start at Kekek Quarry in 3-6 months: Grace Fu

2007-04-23T16:33:00.000+08:00

23 April 2007
Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Mining activity could start at the Kekek Granite Quarry in Pulau Ubin in three to six months.

This is according to Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu.

Re-opening the quarry is part of the government's plans to make up for the granite shortfall facing Singapore, after supply was disrupted last month.

Meanwhile, authorities are also working to reduce granite and concrete prices.

It is still quiet at the granite quarries on Pulau Ubin, and a lot of work needs to be done before granite blasting begins.

This includes draining the pond and making sure that the marine life and surrounding environment are protected.

The National Development Ministry said there were no plans to mine granite in any large extent.

But the re-opening of the Kekek Quarry was a way of building up mining expertise and meeting industry needs in the near term.

The government has already released granite from its stockpile since supply from Indonesia was disrupted.

With new shipment arriving from alternative sources, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) hopes to adjust granite prices from May onwards.

Ms Fu said, "The way that we look at stockpile price is really to look at what is the replacement price, and because we have awarded several contracts on procurement of sand and granite, we think that there is some room for granite prices to come down and that is what BCA will do.

"The whole intention is to make sure that the construction cost in terms of the use of granite and concrete will be as competitive as we can, despite the higher cost of transportation, that it will reflect the market price as closely as possible."

This will, in turn, lower the price of pre-mixed concrete used in construction.

It hit a high of S$200 per cubic metre after the supply disruption.

But the price has now dropped to between S$170 and S$180.

Observers expect the price to dip further but they added that the key was to look at non-concrete options.

Tai Lee Siang, President, Singapore Institute of Architects, said, "In a very highly-urbanised environment like Singapore where buildings have to maximise its potential which means that buildings have to actually go high or go big - in these kind of buildings, it's very hard to go for alternative materials...yet, however for low scale development, I think (we) could see a combination of concrete and timber perhaps, and maybe in the future, more interesting alternatives that research could go into. So in Singapore, in this way, we are still very much lagging behind in looking for alternative materials."

Looking ahead, authorities will conduct more R&D - drawing from the Ministry's S$15 million research fund.

Industry players said the sand ban and disruption to granite supply has served as a wake up call to the construction sector to consider alternative building methods and materials used.

However, it is also important that the public understands what sustainable construction means.

The BCA has put up a three-week exhibition and published a coffee table book to do just that. - CNA/ms

'Minimal disruption'

2007-04-16T14:29:00.000+08:00

By Tan Hui Leng, TODAY
16 April 2007

The Government’s initiative to restart the granite quarry on Pulau Ubin will have little impact on residents and the environment.

Two ministers gave this assurance yesterday to allay fears that excavation works will damage the rural charm of the island.

Singapore is exploring local sources of granite after Indonesia detained several barges carrying the material to Singapore.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said that the decision to open up the Kekek Quarry is to keep the Republic’s options open.

“(It’s) not so much to make up for the shortage because there is ample supply coming, but really to keep our options open and to help us learn and understand how to restart a quarry,” said Mr Mah, who was meeting new residents, permanent residents and foreigners at Tampines East yesterday.

The quarry on the offshore island to the northeast of Singapore has not been mined since 1999. “We want to restart in a small way so there is minimal disruption to the environment, minimal disruption to the livelihood of people,” he explained.

In fact, if negotiations with alternative sources in other countries bear fruit, and there is more than enough supply of construction materials coming in over time, there would be no need to expand work at Kekek, said Mr Mah, adding that Singapore has had offers from other countries.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim also addressed the subject during a ministerial visit to Tampines Central. “We work very closely with the Ministry of National Development to make sure that (the) quarrying activities will meet environmental standards … As far as we are concerned, it’s important for us because we need the granite, but we will do it in an environmentally friendly way,” he said.

On how the snag in granite supply is affecting the construction industry, Mr Mah said that there is no delay in projects as the construction industry has sufficient supply of material at present.

And raw materials will not be the only resource that the industry would have to watch closely. To cope with the vibrant construction sector, the employment rules for foreign workers — which were recently revised by the Manpower Ministry — may be relaxed further if the need arises, Mr Mah added.

“This boom in construction coincides with a worldwide boom. In Beijing, they’re building for the Olympics. In the Middle East, they’re rapidly building their various cities. It’s happening in Europe as well,” he said.

As such, Singapore may need to pay these workers more competitive salaries and this may push up the cost of construction in the Republic, he added. - TODAY/ra

马宝山：乌敏岛只是小规模采石花岗石来源充足就停采

2007-04-16T10:39:00.000+08:00

联合早报 (Lianhe Zaobao)
By 唐海国
16 April 2007

为应付花岗石短缺而在乌敏岛展开的采石活动，将是小规模的，而一旦花岗石来源充足，采石活动也会停止。

国家发展部长马宝山昨天接见淡滨尼东新居民前受访时说，乌敏岛采石活动在1999年完全停止至今已有八年时间。重新采石除应付花岗石短缺问题之外，也为了跟进这方面的技术。

他也是淡滨尼集选区国会议员。他说：“采石活动将是小规模的，这样才不会对环境和周围居民的生活造成太大的影响。当供应充足时，我们就不需进一步开采。”

国家发展部政务部长傅海燕日前在国会上透露，为应付花岗石短缺的问题，政府已制订“开源节流”的方案，包括重启乌敏岛的采石业，以供应花岗石给本地的建筑业。

雅国：确保采石作业符合环境保护标准

建屋发展局将指定采石商，在未来几个月内在乌敏岛废弃多年的可克石场（Kekek Quarry）进行有限度的采石活动，以了解重启采石业的准备工作。采石商须遵守安全和环境保护程序，以确保岩石开采是在顾及环保的前提下展开。

环境及水源部长雅国博士昨天访问淡滨尼集选区的淡滨尼中时，针对乌敏岛重新开采矿石问题时表示，环境部与国家发展部正在紧密合作，以确保采石作业符合环境保护标准。国家发展部一直都在咨询环境部的意见。

雅国说：“这（采石）对我们来说是很重要的，我们需要花岗岩，但我们一定要在对环境没有压力的情况下进行。”

另外，马宝山也说，陆沙已陆续进口，政府将继续填补库存，以备不时之需。花岗石和陆沙的供应已在恢复中，预料这些建筑原材料的价格很快就会稳定下来。

他说，到目前为止，也没有任何公共工程因沙石供应出现短缺现象而受到影响或延误。

马宝山说，新加坡建筑业正蓬勃发展，其他如中国、中东和欧洲的建筑业也一片火红，对工程师、督工和建筑工人的需求不断扩大。

他说，人力部已修改和放宽有关条例，让更多外地管理和技术人员到新加坡工作。“我们的薪金相当具竞争力，条件也很好，我相信这能吸引到一部分人，满足新加坡建筑业需求。有必要的话，政府也将进一步放宽条例。”

原材料和建筑员工短缺现象是否会造成建筑成本上升？马宝山说，这是必然的结果，但他相信目前的涨幅还是在能控制的范围内，政府也会密切留意上涨的趋势。

马宝山昨天在淡滨尼东民众俱乐部会见200名新公民和永久居民，向他们介绍区内的基层组织和各种基础设施。

采石活动将是小规模的，这样才不会对环境和周围居民的生活造成太大的影响。 ——马宝山

Reopening of Kekek Quarry on Pulau Ubin: No Cause for Worry

2007-04-16T10:24:00.000+08:00

16 Apr 07
The New Paper
By Teh Jen Lee

WITH the reopening of Kekek Quarry for granite mining on Pulau Ubin, the island will once again live up to its name. The word 'ubin' means tile in Malay. Ubin was apparently named after the stone tiles that it produced before the last quarry shut down in 1999.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will have limited quarrying works at Kekek Quarry, the smallest of the seven former quarries on Ubin, located near the northern coast of the island.

This is done to understand the issues involved to restart work at other quarries since Singapore wants to ease its dependence on imported granite.

Kekek was chosen as it is furthest from the resident villages and Chek Jawa, the popular nature haven.

Residents of Ubin seem unaffected by the quarry's reopening. Madam Chen Siuzhen, 70, who has lived in Ubin since young, said in Mandarin: 'We stay far away from the quarry so we won't be affected.'

A resident of Ubin's Malay village who gave his name as Mr Ahmad said: 'I feel it's good because with more people working here, the ferry service may become more regular.'

From the choice of quarry to the details of the quarrying, BCA has tried to make the granite mining operations as safe and eco-friendly as possible.

For example, signs in the four main languages will update the public on the blasting schedule so that people can stay away from the quarry. Barricades will also be erected during blasting.

BCA will work with the National Environment Agency (NEA) to ensure that the mining will not affect the environment. NEA will assess the pollution control measures related to the crushing plant, which crushes big rock pieces into smaller stones, to ensure that noise and dust levels are managed. Water sprays and noise mufflers will be used where necessary.

A jetty will be constructed less than 200 metres from the quarry so that barges can be used to transport the granite to mainland.

NO NOISY TRUCKS

This means there won't be any heavy noisy trucks carrying the granite, thus reducing impact on the residents and wildlife at Ubin.

When quarrying is completed, the area will be rehabilitated and restored to preserve its rustic nature, said Mr Ong See Ho, director of BCA's building engineering division.

The National Parks Board (NParks) has surveyed Kekek and found that mining will have minimal impact on the diversity of plants and animal species.

There are 153 plant species around Kekek, most of which can be found in other parts of Singapore. Less common trees like the seashore nutmeg will be relocated to other parts of Ubin where possible.

As for wildlife, the 57 bird species found at Kekek are also found elsewhere, said NParks.

Based on NParks observations, made at Ketam Quarry in 1999, when the quarry was still functional, the sound blasts from limited quarrying does not affect wildlife on the island.

Work at Kekek is expected to start early next month.

Meanwhile, Singapore has started to buy granite from various regional countries. Industry sources said Singapore has been been trying to get granite from Vietnam and Myanmar. Shipments started arriving last month.

Granite is an essential component of concrete, along with sand. Since the supply of sand and granite have been disrupted, the price of ready-mixed concrete has skyrocketed from about $70 per cubic metre to over $180.

In the past week, two Japanese trade organisations complained to BCA about profiteering by concrete suppliers. The Japanese External Trade Organisation and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry also urged the Government to quickly compensate contractors who lose out on public projects because of the increase in prices.

To help the construction industry to cope with the increase in prices of concreting sand and granite, the Government will co-share up to three quarters of the increased costs for its ongoing projects. Sand used to cost about $20 a tonne, but now it's $60. A tonne of granite now costs $70, compared to $25 in the past.

Blasts from the past

2007-04-15T10:36:00.000+08:00

15 April 2007
Straits Times
By Tan Dawn Wei & Jocelyn Lee

Loud explosions, flying rocks are set to return to Ubin with plans to mine granite there again. But will this add or subtract to life on the island?

LONGTIME Pulau Ubin resident Goh Lam Heng, 54, never used to need a watch.

'Every time I heard a blast, I knew that it was either 11am or 5pm,' said the owner of Sin Lam Huat Eating House and former quarry worker.

Like Mr Goh, many of the 60 or so residents still left on the island have either worked in the granite quarries or remember the loud daily explosions and flying rocks.

Now that the Government is re-opening one of the five disused quarries on the island for limited granite mining, Mr Goh and many fellow islanders are bringing out the Tiger beer.

'It'll be like old times again,' he said.

Mr Chin Tiang Hock, 75, who worked at two of the island's quarries for 38 years, suffers from breathlessness as a result of his long-term exposure to dust.

Nevertheless, he welcomes the re-opening of the quarries.

'People will come here again and this place will become lively once more,' he said.

Granite quarrying was once Pulau Ubin's lifeline. At its peak in the 1970s, there were eight quarries and more than 3,000 people living on the island.

That number has plummeted since then, especially after the last quarry was shut down in 1999.

Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu said in Parliament last Monday that the ministry plans to carry out limited quarrying at Pulau Ubin's Kekek Quarry to test the feasibility of jumpstarting Singapore's granite mining industry.

The plan has been drawn up in response to the disruption of granite supplies from Indonesia over the past few weeks, since the Indonesian navy detained a number of Singapore-bound granite barges suspected of carrying illegal sand shipments.

Mining operators will be invited to tender for the job in the coming months, the Building and Construction Authority said.

The good news for the industry is there is still plenty of granite on Pulau Ubin, said Mr Derrick Chee, managing director of Aik Hwa Group, the last company to pull out of the island in 1999.

The bad news is that the investment required to resume quarrying will be hefty.

Setting up a plant will cost in excess of $5 million because of the expensive equipment involved, said Mr Chee, whose father started the Ubin quarrying business in 1960 when he bought the 999-year lease on the site.

They will need drilling and crushing machines, excavators, lorries, barges, a jetty, magazines to store explosives and water pumps to drain the quarry pool.

Granite quarrying used to be a hazardous affair for its workers. Many suffered from silicosis, a respiratory disease caused by regularly inhaling silica dust over a long period of time.

Some even suffered hearing loss from the explosions.

The Government asked quarry owners to step up dust control measures in the 1970s. Workers were given earplugs, masks and goggles and required to go for X-ray examinations once a year.

Flying rocks were another problem. Workers had to take shelter from the blasts in steel cages more than 500m away.

'Whenever there was a larger explosion which blew up larger pieces of rock, we would ride our motorcycles and flee the area,' recalled retiree Ong Tin Huat, 53, who worked at various Ubin quarries from the age of 16 to 45.

He is hoping to be re-hired as a tractor driver when the quarry re-opens.

While residents like Mr Ong are happy, others are afraid all the activity will frighten off visitors.

Mr Vincent Chew, 39, owner of Chew Teck Seng provision shop, said: 'It can bring more business for me as more people come here to work. But tourists may not want to come here any more as they may be scared of the flying rocks and loud explosions.'

But with more efficient drilling machines and blasting techniques, there should be little to worry about, industry players said.

That is scant comfort for environmentalists, who believe the quarrying will have a negative impact on the island's biodiversity.

Dr Vilma D'Rozario, chairman of the education group of the Nature Society, visited Kekek Quarry last Saturday and saw many animals in the area, including in the quarry pool.

'Can we look at alternative materials instead of getting it raw from the quarry? Then we can save a wild habitat, which we already don't have much of,' she said.

But the National Parks Board has assessed Kekek Quarry's surroundings - documented 57 bird species and 153 plant species, most of which are common on Ubin - and given the green light.

Mr Chee does not think that the environmental impact will be too significant as long as mining operators are allowed to dig deeper rather than widen the quarries.

'If you go down to 100m below sea level, you will be excavating a lot of granite,' he said.

Currently, there is a limit on mining, up to a depth of 50m below sea level.

Mr Vincent Tan, 47, a parent volunteer for Tanjong Katong Secondary School who accompanies student groups to the island regularly for project work, said it will be a good opportunity for students to learn about mining.

'They will also get the chance to see for themselves what granite quarrying is all about,' he said.

Govt to further liberalise hiring of foreign construction workers

2007-04-15T10:25:00.000+08:00

15 Apr 07
Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Rules on hiring foreign construction workers may be further liberalised to meet rising demand.

This is according to National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan who was speaking at the sidelines of a welcoming event for foreigners residing in Tampines.

From the Integrated Resorts to projects at the Marina Bay area and residential developments islandwide, there is no doubt the construction industry is experiencing a boom.

And due to the rise in construction projects, developers are also facing a labour shortage.

Minister Mah said: "This boom in construction coincides with a worldwide boom in construction. In China, Beijing, they're building for the Olympics. In the Middle East, they're rapidly building their various cities. It's happening in Europe as well.

"Ministry of Manpower has revised its rules to free up some of the foreign worker policies as well as some of the supervisory manpower policies to allow more of such personnel to come and work in Singapore." Mr Mah also expects wages to increase due to the tight labour market.

On the issue of the increasing cost of construction materials like sand and granite, he said prices would stabilise soon because these materials are already being imported from other countries besides Indonesia. The materials will be used for current projects as well as for stockpiling purposes.

He said: "We're talking about reopening the quarry in Pulau Ubin, not so much to make up for the shortage because there is ample supply coming, but really to keep our options open and to help us learn and understand how to restart the quarry."

Mr Mah added that over time, if there is more than sufficient supplies coming in as expected, there would be no further expansion of granite mining at Pulau Ubin. - CNA/so

Leave Pulau Ubin and my wild-boar relatives alone

2007-04-14T10:28:00.000+08:00

Not a concrete plan
Leave Pulau Ubin and my wild-boar relatives alone
Today Online 14 Apr 07
By Neil Humphreys

CYCLING was a far less complicated task in Singapore. You bought a bike, pedalled, and tried to avoid the karung guni man who always cycled on the wrong side of the road.

In Australia, you must wear a helmet. It's the law. That's not easy when you have an elephantine head like me. I'm now the proud owner of a shiny black headpiece that was designed for a hippo.

You also need a bell to cycle in built-up areas. So when I venture into public parks, I'm usually accompanied by my wife because her bike is equipped with a bell.

There's only one minor drawback. The moment her backside hits the saddle, she turns into Julie Andrews and pretends she's on a day trip with the Von Trapp family. We're no longer in an Australian park. We're in The Sound of Music.

"Hey, if you're going to come out with me, at least keep up," I shout. "Doe, a deer, a female deer/Ray, a drop of golden sun!," she cries.

"Do you have to sing Do Re Mi every bloody time we go out on a bike?"

"Far, a long, long way to run!"

"There are kids staring at you."

"Sew, a needle pulling thread!" This can go on for an hour.

Her other problem is the phantom snake attacks.

Her reasoning is extremely simple. There are snakes in Australia. And snakes can kill people. And my wife lives in Australia. Therefore, a snake will definitely kill her while she's queuing up to buy stamps in the post office.

Or when she's out cycling with me in public parks, where the phantom snakes usually strike during my wife's big finale. "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do," she'll bellow. "Do Ti La … Snake! There's a snake!"

"That's not a snake," I reply after a quick glance at the grass. "It's a rolled-up newspaper."

"Oh, is it? Well, it could've been a snake. You can't be too careful." My wife certainly can't.

Newspapers, reeds, leaves, bottles and, most memorably, a cat have all been mistaken for murderous snakes during cycle rides.

Cycling was a less disruptive pastime in Singapore because I usually went out alone. My only concern there was to avoid the uncles who believed it was in keeping with The Highway Code to empty the entire contents of an HDB flat into a bike basket the size of an egg cup before pedalling through Toa Payoh. Oh, and they had to cycle on the wrong side of the road, of course.

So, to escape my wife and twilight collisions with karung guni men, I often headed for one of the world's greatest cycling tracks: Pulau Ubin.

To tell you the truth, I'm often reluctant to mention the island's name for fear of jolting an official from his slumber and into an action that will invariably involve cranes, bulldozers and a 10-year plan.

"Hey, you see this Dumpwee is talking about Pulau Ubin," he'll say to a colleague. " What's it got there ah?" "Er, solitude, greenery, indigenous wildlife, the last remnants of a kampung lifestyle and granite."

"Granite?! Really? Pass me the phone."

Pulau Ubin is an old, agrarian world of plantations, prawn farming and fishing. It's also home to the spirit of my late grandparents.

When I last cycled around the island, I was convinced I heard my nan and granddad arguing in the bushes. They turned out to be a couple of wild boars, but the similarities were startling.

The unspoken grunts, the lack of eye contact, the way the female turned her back on the male — it was all there.

But I love Pulau Ubin. There's no greater cycling destination. Any view that doesn't involve a laptop screen can be inspiring and the vistas at Ubin are breathtaking.

When I return to Singapore in a few months, Ubin will be one of the first places I will visit.

I always go for the silence. Granite mining at Kekek Quarry, however, is not a silent activity.

And, children pedal around Ubin to enjoy its unique biodiversity, not its concrete ingredients.

Whatever the final outcome, one of Singapore's biggest lungs must be protected. There should always be a place for my wife to sing Do Re Mi.

A Kekek Pictorial

2007-04-13T20:50:00.000+08:00

Without a doubt, one of the most scenic and accessible quarry on Ubin, enjoy the quarry lake at Kekek before it disappears. After all, change is the only constant on Ubin. You never know what is here today, will not be there tomorrow.

Enjoy these photos of kekek before they disappear.
Better yet, go enjoy Kekek before it disappears!

Related Links

Kekek Photos on Flickr, Photos by November, last updated: 13 April 2007

Pulau Ubin residents welcome move to re-open granite quarries on island

2007-04-13T00:16:00.000+08:00

By Dominique Loh,
Channel NewsAsia
13 April 2007

SINGAPORE : The recent impasse with Indonesia on granite supply has led to Singapore looking for alternative sources.

An old quarry mine on Pulau Ubin will be re-opened soon, after almost a decade.

Nature has taken over the granite quarries on Pulau Ubin.

Thick vegetation now surrounds the once massive pits. And after years of rainfall, tranquil lakes now fill the empty void.

Residents said the quarries were blasted and mined as early as the 1800s.

One resident, Vincent Chew, said, "When they're going to start the explosives, they'll raise the alarm and everybody will start hiding here and there....(they are) worried about the granite flying here and there."

The quarries are not depleted of their natural resources yet.

Channel NewsAsia visited several around the island, and granite cliffs can still be seen amidst the greenery.

Pulau Ubin lies northeast of mainland Singapore.

It was once a thriving centre for granite quarrying, employing several hundreds workers.

Aerial maps show seven distinct lakes, which are also where the quarries are located.

Associate Professor Wee Tiong Huan, Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, said, "For the one in Pulau Ubin, as far as I know, it's no problem because it's been tested before...in the absence of granite, we can also use gravel, limestone..."

Residents said quarry operations stopped in the late 1990s.

They added that if quarry operations were revived, it would be a good thing for everyone on the island.

They also believe disruptions to their daily lives would be minimal.

Mr Chew said, "Of course they'll bring more workers into the quarry to work and we've got more business, but secondly we also worry about tourists. Once the quarries start, maybe the number of tourists will be reduced because of the explosives or something like that."

Residents hope Pulau Ubin will retain its rustic charms when quarrying resumes.

The island still attracts day trippers and nature lovers.

But over the years, more and more residents have moved out.

The village chief said the island is now home to some 60 people. - CNA/ms

Overview of Kekek Quarry

2007-04-12T13:36:00.000+08:00

Click to enlarge image

Here is an overview of Kekek Quarry, soon to be reopened for granite quarrying, possibly in the following months. First, a tender would be put out. After that, a reliable source at a high level meeting informed those present that it will perhaps take 2-3 months in order for the water to be drained from the quarry. This will be done by pumping the water out to the Straits of Johor north of Kekek Quarry. Alternatives were suggested.

Landmarks on the satellite image are annotated according to a reconnaissance mission on 7th April 2007. The mission was to uncover if there is any life on Planet Kekek.

Results to be released. Meanwhile, a certain artist's impression of what Kekek will look like once it becomes active again. Impressions are based on how active quarries in the recent past looks like. Apologies for the poor artwork.

Click to enlarge image

Related Reads:

"A jewel that needs to be protected", Letter from Maryanne Maes, TODAY, reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 11 April 2007 *new*

"Pulau Ubin granite quarry may reopen", Business Times article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 10 April 2007 *new*

"为缓解石荒问题乌敏岛将恢复采石, Lianhe Zaobao article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 10 April 2007 *new*

"乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗岩, Lianhe Zaobao article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 10 April 2007 *new*

"S'pore may reopen Ubin granite quarry", Straits Times article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 10 April 2007

"缓解石荒　扩大来源　乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗石", Lianhe Zaobao article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 10 April 2007

"关闭十年乌敏岛石场将恢复开采", includes a video of Kekek Quarry, Channel8 News Report reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 9 April 2007

"Singapore to reopen granite quarry-minister, Reuters article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 9 April 2007 *new*

"Isn't it time we start tightening our belts?", Habitatnews, 9 Apr 2007

"Kekek Quarry, Pulau Ubin: may be reopened for quarrying", Habitatnews, 9 Apr 2007

"Singapore looking to reopen granite quarry", CNA reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 9 Apr 2007

"Kekek Quarry, Pulau Ubin", Wildfilms Blog, 7 April 2007

"Ubin Journies Episode 1", PulauUbinStories, 7 April 2007

Background Information on Ubin Quarries

"Dangers of Granite Quarrying", 1993 Lianhe Wanbao report reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 24 Feb 2006

"Aerial Map of Ubin", explains the geology of Ubin Granite, PulauUbinStories, 20 Feb 2006

"Govt to develop Ubin Quarry into recreational park", 1998 Business Times Article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 28 Jan 2006

"Going off the Cliff", a ST report on cliffdiving at kekek quarry reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 13 September 2005

"The Quarries", PulauUbinStories, 5 April 2005

"Quarry Lakes", talks about Tianci, otherwise known as Kekek Quarry, PulauUbinStories, 28 March 2005

A jewel that needs to be protected

2007-04-11T17:36:00.000+08:00

Don't destroy Ubin in the name of development
Letter from Maryanne Maes
Today Online
11 Apr 07

I refer to the report, "Old Ubin quarry may be up and running" (April 10).

It has come down to another age-old tussle in Singapore, between economic development and the natural environment.

I discovered the joys of Pulau Ubin only two years ago. One may not find much on this tiny island, except for some restaurants, bicycle shops, camp sites and a whole lot of nature. Nature is what draws visitors to the island, it is Singapore's jewel to locals and tourists. This place brings calm and spiritual rejuvenation, away from the city we live in.

There is Chek Jawa — the Nature Society had fought gallantly, a few years ago, against a Ministry of National Development (MND) plan to redevelop that parcel of land. Chek Jawa provides a rich source of mudflat species that feed many birds — including a lone pair of hornbills, among other wildlife that reside peacefully on the island.

I have taken many foreign friends to Ubin and many of them now visit it every other weekend.

The disruption of granite supplies to Singapore should be handled keeping in mind the environmental degradation to Singapore, should the quarry at Pulau Ubin be revived.

Many wildlife species have sought sanctuary around that area ever since the quarry was abandoned. Now that the MND is thinking of reviving the quarry, it could be seen as chasing away residents away from their homes after they have spent many years settling there — without welfare benefits.

Disruptive human activities will always create perpetual ripple effects that will irreversibly damage the environment.

Notwithstanding Singapore's economic development needs, we should be a responsible society.

Environmental impact assessments should be made prior to MND's plans to re-use the quarry, in consultation with nature experts such as the Nature Society and the public, and have the results publicised before MND makes any decision.

Any development on Ubin and the surviving nature parcels in Singapore warrants this move, because any ecological damage to this island will adversely affect tourism.

"Old Ubin Quarry May Be Up And Running"

2007-04-10T22:01:00.000+08:00

Kekek Quarry Today.
Photo taken at Kekek Quarry, or tianci, in 2005.

Kekek Quarry Tomorrow.
Photo of Aik Hwa Quarry, the last quarry to close on Ubin in 1999.

Old Ubin Quarry May Be Up And Running
Loh Chee Kong
cheekong@mediacorp.com.sg
10 April 2007
TODAY

Jolted first by Indonesia's ban on sand exports and then the disruption of its granite supply, Singapore is taking more steps to ensure it will not be caught off guard again.

The Housing and Development Board, which owns the disused Kekek Quarry on Pulau Ubin, is looking into resuming mining at the site, Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu said.

It will not be a major supply source but the move will pave the way for other local granite sources to be tapped, should the need arise.

Said Ms Fu: "It is necessary to carry out some quarrying to understand the issues involved in reactivating quarries."

There are five disused granite quarry sites on Pulau Ubin. Bukit Timah Hill and Gali Batu were also sources of granite during Singapore's early development.

Nature-lovers who Today spoke to were concerned about the potential disruption to the rustic island. Said Mr Ben Lee, 45, who heads Nature Trekkers: "The natural surroundings, especially the eco-system, will be affected."

Ms Fu said the Ministry of National Development was "very mindful" of conservation and safety issues. The Kekek site was chosen for its distance from residential areas and proximity to sea transport, minimising "disruption to life on the island".

During blasting, warning sirens will be sounded and the area will be cordoned off. Blasting activities, she added, will not take place over the weekend or at night so as to preserve Pulau Ubin as a leisure getaway.

According to the National Parks Board, there will be "minimal impact" on the quarry's biodiversity. At the end of the mining exercise, efforts will be made to rehabilitate the quarry site, said Ms Fu.

Giving an update on the granite vessels being detained by Indonesia, Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo said investigations by the authorities there found seven of the 22 tugboats and barges were in violation of the land sand ban. Three Singaporean barge owners may be prosecuted in the Indonesian courts.

He said: "It is good that the matter is now transparent. If charges are pressed, they will defend themselves and the matter should be properly resolved in this way, according to the laws of Indonesia."

Habitatnews provided a satellite image of the quarry while Sivasothi provides insights or perhaps a forewarning of Singapore's resource consumption.

"So isn't it now finally time to consider tightening our belts? And start behaving as if resources are finite. And investing more in developing alternatives ahead of time?"

Related Reads:

"S'pore may reopen Ubin granite quarry", Straits Times article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 10 April 2007

"缓解石荒　扩大来源　乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗石", Lianhe Zaobao article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 10 April 2007

"关闭十年乌敏岛石场将恢复开采", includes a video of Kekek Quarry, Channel8 News Report reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 9 April 2007

"Isn't it time we start tightening our belts?", Habitatnews, 9 Apr 2007

"Kekek Quarry, Pulau Ubin: may be reopened for quarrying", Habitatnews, 9 Apr 2007

"Singapore looking to reopen granite quarry", CNA reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 9 Apr 2007

"Kekek Quarry, Pulau Ubin", Wildfilms Blog, 7 April 2007

"Ubin Journies Episode 1", PulauUbinStories, 7 April 2007

Background Information on Ubin Quarries

"Dangers of Granite Quarrying", 1993 Lianhe Wanbao report reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 24 Feb 2006

"Aerial Map of Ubin", explains the geology of Ubin Granite, PulauUbinStories, 20 Feb 2006

"Govt to develop Ubin Quarry into recreational park", 1998 Business Times Article reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 28 Jan 2006

"Going off the Cliff", a ST report on cliffdiving at kekek quarry reproduced on PulauUbinStories, 13 September 2005

"The Quarries", PulauUbinStories, 5 April 2005

"Quarry Lakes", talks about Tianci, otherwise known as Kekek Quarry, PulauUbinStories, 28 March 2005

Pulau Ubin granite quarry may reopen

2007-04-10T14:16:00.000+08:00

Matthew Phan
10 April 2007
Business Times Singapore

Need to tap local sources as Indonesia extends sand export ban

SINGAPORE is looking at reopening a former granite quarry on Pulau Ubin as part of a wider plan to diversify its sources of building materials.

One option is to 'tap our local granite sources, should the need arise', Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu told Parliament yesterday.

According to news reports over the past month, Indonesian officials have discussed extending the country's ban on exports of land sand to Singapore to include granite, which could affect the local building industry.

Indonesia has also detained several vessels carrying granite to Singapore, on suspicion they were smuggling sand.

On the Ubin quarry plan, Ms Fu said yesterday: 'It is necessary to carry out some limited quarrying to understand the issues involved in reactivating quarries, such as the preparatory works and time involved, and the mitigating measures to put in place. HDB (Housing and Development Board) will look into restarting one of its former quarries in Pulau Ubin.'

Foreign Minister George Yeo told Parliament yesterday that Indonesia has inspected the vessels it detained and updated the Singapore Government on the result. A note was received on Thursday, April 5, Mr Yeo said.

Twenty-two tugs and barges were detained. Seven are alleged to have violated the sand ban and others to have infringed other laws. Only three of the 22 vessels are Singaporean, Mr Yeo said.

Indonesia's foreign minister has 'assured me that the verification process would be transparent', he said. 'These cases will now be taken up through the legal process in Indonesia.'

Asked whether the detention of the vessels marks a 'diplomatic failure' or a failure of Asean, Mr Yeo said the matter is bilateral and Indonesia is within its rights to ban sand exports for environmental reasons. 'Officials have talked about various motives, but the official reason given to us is environmental and we have to take it at face value,' he said.

Indonesia and Singapore are mutually dependent and cooperate in other areas and must 'manage discrete problems on their own account', Mr Yeo said.

Meanwhile, Ms Fu said the government will share up to 75 per cent of the price increase in sand and granite to help local construction firms. She urged industry players to cooperate in other ways to cope with any disruption, saying public agencies have started to make progress payments on projects and private developers should do likewise.

The higher cost of sand and granite amounts to an estimated 2 per cent of overall project cost, Ms Fu said. 'That's not a very significant proportion and at its current state, the market is still in a very good position to benefit from the upswing.'

Clarification on 11 April 2007
Business Times Singapore

IN 'Pulau Ubin granite quarry may reopen' (BT, April 10), we said the government would share up to 75 per cent of the price increase in sand and granite to help local construction firms. The sharing arrangement is with all contractors on existing public sector projects, and not just local construction firms.

为缓解石荒问题乌敏岛将恢复采石

2007-04-10T14:13:00.000+08:00

10 April 2007
联合早报
Lianhe Zaobao

为缓解石荒问题，乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗石。

印尼当局百般阻挠花岗石出口到新加坡，政府已制定一些方案，包括重启乌敏岛的采石业，以供应花岗石给本地的建筑业。

建屋发展局将指定采石商，在未来几个月内在乌敏岛废弃多年的可克石场（Kekek Quarry）进行有限度的采石活动，以了解重启采石业的准备工作。采石商须恪守安全和环境保护程序，以确保岩石开采在顾及环保的前提下展开。

国家发展部政务部长傅海燕昨天在国会回答惹兰勿刹集选区议员梁莉莉医生和潘丽萍有关政府如何应对花岗石短缺的口头询问时，透露这个消息。

她说，政府的方针是尽量扩大花岗石的来源，维持储备石料的库存，同时也跟业者合作，鼓励他们采用可持续建筑法（sustainable construction）。

“如果需求持续提高，其中一个选项是依靠我们自己的花岗石。因此，（我们）须要展开有限度的采石活动，以了解重启采石业带来的问题，例如所需的准备工作和时间，以及如何减轻采石活动对环境的影响。”

傅海燕说，政府绝对会要求采石商在采石过程中做好全面的环境保护和安全措施，包括照顾好石场附近的生态环境、炸石时的安全措施、控制炸石带来的尘土等。有限度采石活动结束后，有关当局也会恢复石场的原来模样。

选择在可克石场开采花岗石，是因为这个石场距离岛上民宅较远，采石活动对岛上居民的影响可以降至最低。采石活动只会在平日和白天进行，不会在周末和晚上进行。运输花岗石到本岛的码头设在石场附近，而不是现有的码头。

乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗岩

2007-04-10T14:06:00.000+08:00

10 April 2007
联合早报
Lianhe Zaobao

为缓解石荒，政府将在乌敏岛废弃多年的可克石场（Kekek Quarry），恢复开采花岗石，以供应花岗石给本地的建筑业。

建屋发展局将指定采石商在未来几个月内在可克石场进行有限度的采石活动，以了解重启采石业的准备工作。采石商须恪守安全和环境保护程序，以确保岩石开采在顾及环保的前提下展开。

国家发展部政务部长傅海燕昨天在国会回答惹兰勿刹集选区议员梁莉莉医生和潘丽萍有关政府如何应对花岗石短缺的口头询问时，透露这个消息。

白沙—榜鹅集选区议员张有福则问傅海燕，政府会否借这个机会向邻国展示开采花岗石可以在不破坏环境的前提下展开。

傅海燕说，政府绝对会要求采石商在采石过程中做好全面的环境保护和安全措施。

S'pore may reopen Ubin granite quarry

2007-04-10T06:05:00.000+08:00

10 April 2007
Straits Times
Tan Hui Yee
tanhy@sph.com.sg

Limited quarrying to be done to test feasibility of restarting operations

SINGAPORE is looking to reopen a former granite quarry in Pulau Ubin to pave the way for a local source of the rock.

This move is in addition to others being taken to guard against future disruption in supplies, following Indonesia's detaining of barges and tugboats carrying granite here.

The detention of the more than 20 vessels came a few weeks after Indonesia banned the export of land sand. The combined effect of the supply dip in sand and granite hiked the price of ready-mixed concrete to about $200 per cubic metre - almost three times.

Sand and granite are key ingredients in concrete.

The detention of the barges has also made tugboat owners wary about carrying granite to Singapore, although Indonesia has not officially banned the export of granite.

Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu, speaking in Parliament yesterday, said her ministry would keep all its options open and plan for all contingencies.

One of these options was to tap local sources of granite should the need arise. But before this can be done, the Government needs to carry out limited quarrying work to understand the issues involved in restarting work in former quarries.

The Housing Board has identified Pulau Ubin's Kekek Quarry for this purpose.

Ms Fu assured the House that the discharge of water from the quarry pit will be managed to protect marine life, blasting work will be restricted to weekdays and the day time, and the area will be rehabilitated once quarrying is over to preserve the flora and fauna there.

She also stressed that Pulau Ubin will continue as a leisure spot.

The planned quarry, Kekek, is among the smallest of seven former quarries on Ubin. Quarrying activities in Singapore last ceased in 1999 when it became more economical to import granite from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, granite has been arriving without a hitch from other sources in the region, even as the ministry has been working to increase the number of these sources.

In response to MP Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC), who asked what was being done to prevent construction firms from jacking up prices without reason, Ms Fu said the Government was releasing suitable sites for the manufacture of ready-mixed concrete.

Some contractors have said that producing their own ready-mixed concrete would help them get around possible profiteering by those who supply concrete, or sand and granite.

About 10 ready-mixed concrete manufacturers are in business here.

Construction group Lian Beng's director, Mr Tan Swee Hong, said of producing his own concrete: 'This will put pressure on the ready-mixed concrete makers, as well as the sand and granite suppliers. I can always say 'I'll import the material myself'.'

In the House yesterday, MPs Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio GRC) and Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) asked whether the prices of sand and granite released from the Government stockpile could be cut.

Stockpiled sand is now being sold at $60 per tonne, compared to its pre-ban market price of about $20, while stockpiled granite is now going at $70 per tonne, up from its previous price of about $25.

Replying, Ms Fu said stockpiled sand and granite was being priced at what it would cost to replenish the stockpile from various sources.

The private sector is also being encouraged to import its own supplies.

缓解石荒　扩大来源　乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗石

2007-04-10T06:03:00.000+08:00

An article in the Chinese Newspaper Lianhe Zaobao on the Kekek quarry reopening. Translation to follow later.

缓解石荒　扩大来源　乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗石
吴汉钧, 邬福梁(摄）
联合早报
10 April 2007

印尼当局百般阻挠花岗石出口到新加坡，政府已制订“开源节流 ”的方案，包括重启乌敏岛的采石业，以供应花岗石给本地的建筑业。

建屋发展局将指定采石商，在未来几个月内在乌敏岛废弃多年的可克石场（Kekek Quarry）进行有限度的采石活动，以了解重启采石业的准备工作。采石商须恪守安全和环境保护程序，以确保岩石开采在顾及环保的前提下展开。

国家发展部政务部长傅海燕昨天在国会回答惹兰勿刹集选区议员梁莉莉医生和潘丽萍有关政府如何应对花岗石短缺的口头询问时，透露这个消息。

她说，政府的方针是尽量扩大花岗石的来源，维持储备石料的库存，同时也跟业者合作，鼓励他们采用可持续建筑法（sustainable construction）。

“如果需求持续提高，其中一个选项是依靠我们自己的花岗石。因此，（我们）须要展开有限度的采石活动，以了解重启采石业带来的问题，例如所需的准备工作和时间，以及如何减轻采石活动对环境的影响。”

白沙—榜鹅集选区议员张有福则问傅海燕，政府会否借这个机会向邻国展示开采花岗石可以在不破坏环境的前提下展开。

傅海燕说，政府绝对会要求采石商在采石过程中做好全面的环境保护和安全措施，包括照顾好石场附近的生态环境、炸石时的安全措施、控制炸石带来的尘土等。有限度采石活动结束后，有关当局也会恢复石场的原来模样。

选择在可克石场开采花岗石，是因为这个石场距离岛上民宅较远，采石活动对岛上居民的影响可以降至最低。采石活动只会在平日和白天进行，不会在周末和晚上进行。运输花岗石到本岛的码头设在石场附近，而不是现有的码头。

政府将尽最大努力维持乌敏岛原来面貌

傅海燕也向人民保证，政府将尽最大的努力确保乌敏岛维持它原来的模样，让乌敏岛继续成为休闲的好去处。

国家公园局已对可克石场和周围环境进行了初步评估。石场一带主要是灌木丛林地，有153种植物，大部分是本地常见的植物，如星果木（simpoh air）、合欢树（albizzia）等。一些较罕见的植物如小叶红光树（seashore nutmeg）则可能受采石活动影响，当局将把它们移植到其他地方。沿岸的红树林则不会受影响。

公园局也在石场周围记录到57种鸟类，这些鸟类也出现在乌敏岛其他地方。根据过去的采石经验，当局相信炸石的噪音不会影响岛上的野生动物。

可克石场的业主是建屋局，该局将在近期招标采石。据了解，本地目前约有五家采石商，一些采石商在新加坡于上个世纪末停止采石业后，转移到邻国经营采石业。

建设局将发出执照给中标的采石商，并监督采石商遵守沙地和花岗石场法令（Sand and Granite Quarries Act），以确保他们做好环境保护和安全措施。

采石商预计需要三个月的时间抽干石场坑里的水。这些水主要是雨水和地下水，对乌敏岛的水质和渔场影响不大。不过，建设局将进行更详尽的研究，以确保水质符合国家环境局的要求。在排水期间，有关当局也将监测附近水域的水质。

石场坑里的水抽干后，采石商将炸开裸露的花岗石。炸石工程只会在平日的白天进行。炸石前，石场周围须架设栏杆，也会响起警报。一般上，炸石过程不超过一分钟。

炸开的花岗石块将在现场碾成碎石，然后由驳船运到本岛。碾石工程也只能在平日的白天进行。建设局和环境局也将管制炸石和碾石过程所产生的噪音和尘土，包括通过洒水和利用噪声衰减器来控制尘土和噪音。

运送花岗石的驳船码头设在距离石场不到200公尺的海岸，以避免运送碎石的路线影响到居民和动物。

乌敏岛采石业历史超过150年

采石业过去曾是乌敏岛的经济命脉，其历史可追溯到1848年以前。当时，白礁的霍士堡灯塔（Horsburgh Lighthouse）和后来的莱佛士灯塔（Raffles Lighthouse）便是以乌敏岛的花岗石建造的。

乌敏岛的采石业在上个世纪六七十年代最为蓬勃。当时新加坡兴建的组屋、公路、填海和樟宜机场所用到的花岗石便来自乌敏岛。事实上，乌敏岛在马来文的意思就是花岗石岛。

在1970年代，岛上有10多家采石公司，有千多名员工。过去，炸石的时间每天两次，第一次从上午11时至中午12时，第二次从下午5 时至傍晚6时。

1993年，中央花岗石场在一次炸石活动发生石块飞到800公尺外砸伤居民的意外。

乌敏岛的采石活动在1999年完全停止，石场也归还政府。

未来几个月，政府将在乌敏岛废弃多年的可克石场（Kekek Quarry）进行有限度的采石活动。

"Singapore looking to reopen granite quarry"

2007-04-09T18:23:00.000+08:00

Have you figured out yet where the quartet was going last Saturday? Here's the video in question: Ubin Journies Ep 1

Singapore looking to reopen granite quarry
Posted: 09 April 2007
Channel News Asia

SINGAPORE: Singapore is looking at reopening a granite quarry on Pulau Ubin, according to Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu.

She said this on Monday in response to questions from MPs in Parliament on whether Singapore had alternative sources of granite.

Singapore's supply of granite and sand from Indonesia had been affected recently when Jakarta announced a ban on sand exports and later detained some barges carrying granite to Singapore.

Ms Fu said that while Singapore has sourced and received imports from other granite sources, efforts will be made to ensure that the supply line is further diversified to enhance resilience for the local construction industry.

She said that while Singapore looks to buy from as many sources as possible, to build its stockpile and work with the industry for more sustainable construction methods, one other alternative is to look into the local granite sources.

Ms Fu said there will be some limited quarrying and the HDB will look into re-opening one of its quarries on Pulau Ubin.

Pulau Ubin lies on the northeastern tip of Singapore.

The island was once a thriving centre for granite quarrying, employing several hundreds of quarry workers.

When limited quarrying work is started on the outlying island of Ubin, Ms Fu said efforts will be made to ensure environment protection.

Ms Fu said marine life, which is rich on Pulau Ubin, will be taken care of with measurements being made of the water content discharged as well as the discharge rate from the quarry site.

Safety is another issue that's being kept in mind and Ms Fu said precautions will be taken such as the sounding of sirens to warn of blasting and the use of barricades to cordon off the area when blasting takes place.

In addition, dust from the blasting will be both monitored and managed.

Ms Fu revealed that the Kekek Quarry has been chosen for re-opening as it is far from the residential area of Pulau Ubin, therefore minimising the impact on the island's residents.

At the same time, Kekek is close to a barge so granite can be transported with disruptions to life on the island kept minimal.

She said the consensus is to keep Pulau Ubin as a place for leisure, so blasting and mining activities will not take place on weekends or at night.

At the end of the exercise, Ms Fu said, efforts will also be made to rehabilitate the quarry area. - CNA/ir

Singapore to reopen granite quarry-minister

2007-04-09T14:15:00.000+08:00

9 April 2007
Reuters News

SINGAPORE, April 9 (Reuters) - Singapore said it will reopen a small granite quarry on one of its islands to supply its booming construction industry after Indonesia interrupted granite exports and banned all sand exports to the city-state.

The government fears that Indonesia -- which was Singapore's main sand supplier until it banned all sand exports to the city-state on environmental grounds -- may halt granite exports as well, potentially damaging the city-state's fast-growing building sector and the economy.

Grace Fu, minister of state for national development, told parliament on Monday that the government would look at restarting a quarry on the tiny island of Pulau Ubin to provide local supplies of granite.

"It is necessary to carry out some limited quarrying to understand the issues involved in reactivating quarries," Fu said, adding that Singapore was also importing granite from other countries in the region.

The construction sector has already been hit by the sand ban, as builders are being forced to buy more expensive sand from the government's stockpile and from other countries.

Goerge Yeo, Singapore's foreign affairs minister, said on Monday that Indonesia has not banned granite exports to the city-state. However, Yeo said that supply has been disrupted after 22 Singapore-bound barges and tugboats carrying granite were detained by Indonesia in February and March.

Yeo said seven of the 22 tugboats and barges were alleged to be carrying sand, while the rest were detained for violating other Indonesian shipment and custom regulations.

Indonesia has said that the detention was part of "administrative verification procedures".

Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said last month that Indonesia would continue to export granite to Singapore as long as the shipments were checked by appointed surveyors to guard against damaging the environment.

The price of concrete, which is made of sand, granite and cement, has nearly tripled to S$200 ($132) per cubic metre from S$70 ($46), according to the local Straits Times paper. The higher raw material prices would add about S$100,000 ($66,100) to the cost of building a S$2.5 million house, the paper said.

Singapore has turned to other sand suppliers including China, Cambodia and Vietnam since Indonesia's sand ban in January. Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry said last week that Myanmar could also be a long-term supplier of sand and granite.

Ties between Indonesia and Singapore have soured since the ban, with Singapore criticizing Indonesia for using the sand export ban to pressure it into negotiations on an extradition treaty and border delineation.

关闭十年乌敏岛石场将恢复开采

2007-04-09T11:31:00.000+08:00

For a video of how the quarry looks like, see the news reel video clip, commentary in Chinese

关闭十年乌敏岛石场将恢复开采
9 April 2007
Channel 8 News
www.xin.sg

新传媒新闻报道，新加坡政府将重新开放乌敏岛花岗岩采石场，以解决花岗岩短缺问题。乌敏岛在1999年年底之前，是花岗岩开采中心，岛上共有7个开采场。不过，近年来，它像仄爪哇一样，成了吸引游人的生态保护区。

克克石场位于乌敏岛以北海岸，和人来人往的码头有段距离，它将再度为新加坡建筑业供应花岗岩。采石场已经关闭了十年，有议员置疑，如果恢复开采，是否对环境造成破坏？

白沙-榜鹅集选区议员张有福表示，“石场可能重新开采，对我们的环境采取保护措施，同时也应该向邻居说明，开采花岗岩不会破环境和生态，也不会影响海上边界。”

新加坡国家发展部政务部长傅海燕表示，“我们选择克克石场，因为这里远离居民，我们会把对居民的影响减到最低，开采过程中将顾及安全问题。”

多年来新加坡也利用这里的矿井收集雨水。如果将雨水抽出，首先必须研究是否影响石场周围的海洋生物和野生生物。

为安全起见，在施工前，当局将封锁石场周边地区。爆破之前也会响起警报，提醒公众远离。

由于热爱大自然的民众喜欢造访乌敏岛，因此开采工作不会在周末进行。当局也将监控开采花岗岩所引起的灰尘问题。

Ubin Journies Episode 1

2007-04-07T16:51:00.000+08:00

4 singaporeans set out for an adventure one saturday morning in April 2007.

Where were they going?
What are they looking for?
What adventures lie ahead of them?

Watch the video and find the answers!

To be continued...

This video was filmed on location at Pulau Ubin.
Directed, Filmed and Produced by:
November Tan
Starring:
Khew, Pauline and Ria
Supported by:
Pulau Ubin Stories
Date of Filming:
7 April 2007

Looking for a clue to the questions above?
You might have some luck at the new Wildfilms blog!

.

Green House soft launches on 24 March 2007

2007-03-22T01:20:00.000+08:00

Since it's first mention on this blog in October 2006, Green Volunteers Network's (GVN) Project Green House Ubin has come a long way. Within just 5 months, the previously empty building in the main town of Ubin near the jetty has experienced an entirely green transformation!

August 2006

When GVN Head, Grant Pereira's intention of tendering this building for the Green House was first announced, a quick visit to the house saw a "State Property" sign still adhered to its frontage. Tendering for a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) was in order. But that was soon taken care of.

As soon as that was taken care of, Grant's plans were quickly put into motion.

By February 2007, just a few short months later, a new look was in the works for the previously unoccupied building, instilling in it a new lease of life!

Left: Happy workers look on at the Green House. Right: Grant and his GVN volunteers at the Ubin Hub launch in October 2006

With the house near completion, the soft launch is scheduled this Saturday, 24 March 2007 around noon. In addition to the launch of the house that comes complete with solar power, rainwater harvesting and heat deflecting material to keep the house cool and provide lighting, GVN is also launching its Kids Konservation Klub's Ubin Adventure!

A really cool companion guide to all things Ubin and green, the Ubin Adventure comes complete with cheerful illustrations and facts about flora, fauna on Ubin. It also serves as a guide to the GVN guided walks at the sensory trail. Certain suitable for all ages, even one at my age cannot resist the fun and allure of this new publication. Can't wait to put it to good use!

Coming to live! Photo taken by Adelle on 16 March 2007

Always a generous and reliable source on all things Ubin, Adelle shared with me these photos she took of the green house last week. She commented that since the photos were taken, the house is even more colourful now!

The Green House does promise to be a most colourful and exciting addition which sets to breathe new life into Ubin town. I can't wait to see it on Saturday!

Development of Chek Jawa wetlands

2007-03-21T23:53:00.000+08:00

Interesting bit of communications from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore regarding Chek Jawa. According to this notice, works will be carried out at Chek Jawa till August this year but the launch of the boardwalk is scheduled to happen around July 2007!

Boardwalk in progress at Chek Jawa, taken by Dr Chua Ee Kiam on 25 Feb 2007

According to some sources, the boardwalk is pretty much complete, awaiting the recovery of our beloved intertidal area. Either way, a bit of buffer time and alertness amongst mariners passing by Chek Jawa is always good. We definitely wouldn't want any ships accidentally bumping into our reefs!

Boardwalk in progress at Chek Jawa, taken by Dr Chua Ee Kiam on 25 Feb 2007

In a notice released to mariners on 19 February 2007, the Port Marine Notice No.24 of 2007 was reproduced by PORTWORLD on 21 Feb 2007.

"Works for the development of the Chek Jawa wetlands at Pulau Ubin will be carried out from 21 February to 21 August 2007.

According to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's Port Marine Notice No.24 of 2007 dated 19 February 2007, the works will be conducted 24 hours daily - including Sundays and Public Holidays - at Pulau Ubin, within a working area bounded by the following coordinates (WGS 84 Datum):

1) 01 deg. 24.487'N / 103 deg. 59.333'E
2) 01 deg. 24.370'N / 103 deg. 59.357'E
3) 01 deg. 24.383'N / 103 deg. 59.420'E
4) 01 deg. 24.432'N / 103 deg. 59.410'E
5) 01 deg. 24.447'N / 103 deg. 59.465'E
6) 01 deg. 24.427'N / 103 deg. 59.497'E
7) 01 deg. 24.427'N / 103 deg. 59.548'E
8) 01 deg. 24.447'N / 103 deg. 59.575'E
9) 01 deg. 24.468'N / 103 deg. 59.585'E
10) 01 deg. 24.517'N / 103 deg. 59.585'E
11) 01 deg. 24.530'N / 103 deg. 59.573'E
12) 01 deg. 24.550'N / 103 deg. 59.597'E
13) 01 deg. 24.598'N / 103 deg. 59.552'E
14) 01 deg. 24.598'N / 103 deg. 59.458'E

Replacement of the existing jetty and construction of a coastal boardwalk at Chek Jawa wetlands will be carried out within the working area.

Craft involved in the works will exhibit the appropriate local and international day and night signals.

When in the vicinity of the working area, mariners are reminded to:
(a) keep well clear and not enter the working area
(b) maintain a proper lookout
(c) proceed at a safe speed
(d) maintain a listening watch on VHF Channel 21
(d) communicate with Sembawang Control on VHF 21 for assistance, if required."

"Kampung Gourmet,: by Tabitha Wang. Today, 02 Feb 2007.

2007-02-03T07:59:00.001+08:00

KAMPUNG GOURMET
---------------
Why chase western food fads when we have snob appeal at our doorstep?

I WAS so amazed to find unripe jackfruit at Tekka Market the other day that I called a friend to tell her. A fellow foodie, I thought she would be ecstatic. Instead, she offered a bored response: "So what? They're not artichoke hearts."

Artichoke hearts? This was better than artichoke hearts - and possibly rarer. Granted, in the bad old days, unripe jackfruit was the poor man's vegetable but now that orchards are scarce in HDBland, it is a delicacy you have to root out in obscure market stalls. Artichoke hearts you can find in almost any supermarket now.

When I was a kid, my baby- sitter was a Malay makcik. She also cooked for us so my palate was trained from young to appreciate simple kampung food.

Unripe jackfruit curry was one; the others included stir-fried sweet potato leaves and winged beans, petai (stink bean) sambal and young fern shoots in coconut milk. All simple produce she could get for free from her kampung compound but tasting so fresh and delicious.

She wasn't the only one influencing my tastebuds. Both my grandmothers were nonyas and no one's more finicky about her food than Peranakan matriach - even more so, I dare-say, than Anthony Bourdain.

Only the best would do. No factory-made palm sugar for them, only those made in bamboo.

Belachan (shrimp paste) had to come from Penang because only the Penangites used fine enough shrimp. You couldn't fool my grandmas - one sniff and they could tell the difference.

Even food preparation was down to a fine art. Spices had to be pounded to different consistencies depending on whether they were for stir fries or for curries. Buah keluak, that brown nut so beloved in nonya cooking, had to be soaked for three days before it could be used.

Having grown up under such strong influences, I've always been as exacting in my kitchen and when I go out for meals. I never thought of myself as being a gourmet, just a little nonya girl with kampung tastes.

My friends would often laugh at me when I went into ecstasy on finding the perfect tamarind paste or a rare dish of jungle herb salad. Once, I found a stall that served delicious unripe jackfruit curry and went back every day for a week to get my fix. The last few days, I went on my own as no one wanted to have curry that many times.

So, it's funny to see the same friends putting on airs these days about getting expensive gourmet food. "Oh, I've been using only free-range eggs since Jamie Oliver recommended them on TV," one told me. Another said: "You must try organic food. It has the most amazing flavour."

These are not new discoveries. What are free-range eggs but kampung eggs? And kampung folk have been eating organic food (fertilised by free-range chickens) since before Jamie Oliver appeared on TV. Since before TV was even invented.

And the same people who poked fun at my "nonya tastes" are now snobbishly telling me I have to "educate my palate" to enjoy truffles and foie gras. I don't need to - truffles have the same earthy flavour that you find in mushrooms harvested from the jungles behind kampungs while foie gras has the same texture of well-made otak otak.

My palate knows them well.

It's sad that these "gourmets" hooked on Western food fads can't see the rich heritage they already have.

Last weekend, I went for a cookery course held in a 200-year-old kampung house on Pulau Ubin. We harvested herbs from the garden to make nasi kerabu, a traditional dish that is harder to find now than coq au vin because of the rarity of the ingredients. None of the herbs used could be farmed - we were lucky because the house was so old that they still grew in the garden like weeds.

My class had 18 people, of which only six were Singaporeans. The rest were foreigners who obviously appreciated Singapore's fare more than the locals do. Where were the rest of the Singaporean self-styled gourmets?

My bet would be at a $300 cooking class conducted by a foreign chef on how to use imported free-range chicken and herbs harvested from Umbria instead of Ubin.

Tabitha Wang is no food snob but still takes a plane to Penang for her belachan.

Ubin Boy Season 2

2006-12-09T16:39:00.000+08:00

Remember the Kids Central production, Ubin Boy?

Well the series is back for its new season. See more of Ubin on TV through the series that is starting tomorrow, 10 December 2006, Sunday, 9.30am on Kids Central.

"It’s the holidays again, and Steven is looking forward to his visit to Pulau Ubin.

But there is a slight hiccup. Ah Ma has to care for a sickly old friend in the city, and she doesn’t trust her mischievous grandsons, Steven and Ah Boy, on their own on Ubin. Perhaps the two boys can stay with Mr and Mrs Teo on the mainland.

But Steven and Ah Boy convince Ah Ma, Mr and Mrs Teo that they can be trusted to be on their own. Mr and Mrs Teo are initially hesitant, but they finally relent when Ah Ma says that she will be back on the island in a couple of days.

Back on Pulau Ubin, Steven and Ah Boy, having gained total freedom from adult supervision, forget their earlier promises to behave themselves. On their first night, they gorge on mangoes and rambutans for dinner, and resolve to stay awake the whole night by telling each other ghost stories. In no time, they are too spooked to sleep and need company to visit the toilet."

Read more of the synopsis on Kids Central's website.

Related Reads:

UBIN BOY returns 10 Dec Sun 9.30am, Kids Central Website

"Ubin Boy" on Kids Central, Pulau Ubin Stories, 21 January 2006

Launch of the Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub

2006-10-31T19:12:00.000+08:00

On the morning of 28 October 2006, Saturday, a large crowd was sighted on Changi Point Ferry Terminal. Many of whom were the who's who in the nature scene in Singapore, along with a myriad of participants coming for NSS' Fun with Nature program that was held concurrent with the launch.

On the boat ride across the Straits of Johor, I had the honor of being in the same boat as Dr Chua Ee Kiam, author of the book, Pulau Ubin - Ours to Treasure.

Other than celebrating the launch of a long awaited infrastructure dedicated to the volunteers who had worked hard on the island for almost a decade, it was also a excellent opportunity for volunteers from different organizations to get to know each other and catch up with the latest news. There were members from Nature Society Singapore, Green Volunteer Network, NPark's Ubin Volunteers, RMBR Toddycats, NIE Green Club and Wildfilm crew to mention a few. For the young'uns like myself, it's excellent opportunity to meet the seasoned old guards.

(L-R) Dr Chua with Pak Ali; Dr Chua and the Wildfilm Gang (Chay Hoon, Ron and Ria)

In addition to the volunteer hub opening, the event also coincide with the launch of the HSBC Care-For-Nature stamp series whose latest theme was inspired by NSS' Fun with Nature series with Vilma at the helm of the program. The RMBR Toddycats! were all excited of course as one of the animals featured on the stamp series is a civet cat, or more affectionately known to us as a Toddycat.

A glimpse of the stamp series with a civet cat on one of the stamps!

To officiate the launch of the volunteer hub, 3 final tiles were added to the mosaic collage on the outer wall of the building. There I was thinking previously why it was left empty but now we know the reason! The collage was made up with photos contributed by staff and volunteers on the island with the mascot of the island, the Pied Hornbill featuring prominently over the outline of the island. The photos highlights the spectrum of activities that volunteers conduct on the island, from the early days of chek jawa to even the International Coastal Cleanup (ICCS) that happens every year on the island. We even spotted many youthful photos of familiar faces taken years ago! See if you can spot them when you visit the volunteer hub.

The completed mural featuring ICCS!

The new volunteer hub comes complete with a lounge for the volunteers (below left) and even a computer with broadband access for the use by ubin volunteers! The world has met Ubin through the internet for a long time but this is probably the first time Ubin met broadband Internet! Other than previous dial-up modems accessible to the NParks staff on the island, this is quite an interesting addition to the island. Unfortunately it's only available to staff and volunteers. If only IDA will next consider introducing free wifi to Ubin!

(L-R) Enjoying the volunteer lounge; broadband on ubin!

There is also a library with books and resources on Ubin and its ecosystems. This is part of the resource room. Not to forget, the NParks staff will also have their offices housed at this volunteer hub. At the end of the day, volunteers and staff gathered together to celebrate the joyous occasion with a few bubblies.

(L-R)Kenneth checking out the books; Hitting the bubblies!

But the day was not over yet! Concurrent to the launch of the hub and stamp series, Vilma and her team from NSS Education Division was working hard under the sun, having fun with nature with a big group of kids! The morning saw a big group of them gathered in front of the site of the future "Project Green House Ubin", a new eco-center by the Green Volunteer Network. Otherwise affectionately nicknamed "Grant's House" by this Monkey.

Registration and the crowd for NSS' Fun with Nature

There were activities for the kids within the hub with storytelling and videos. But of course Fun with Nature can never be kept indoors! There were lots of activities for them in different stations over at the Jelutong Campsite, otherwise known as the Butterfly Hill.

(L-R) Gathering in what the monkey thinks is the multimedia room at the hub; Fun under the sun in little canopied stations at Butterfly Hill overlooking the sea

Related Reads:

More photos on my flickr set

Ubin Volunteer Hub, Pulau Ubin Stories, 24 Oct 2006

"Pulau Ubin Has Oldest CC With Oldest Chairman" By Jimmy Yap, Straits Times, 15 February 1995

" Volunteer Hub Sneak Preview", Pulau Ubin Stories, 27 Oct 2006

" Opening of Pulau Ubin Volunteer Hub will boost nature conservation", By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia, 28 October 2006

Opening of Pulau Ubin Volunteer Hub will boost nature conservation

2006-10-28T22:47:00.000+08:00

By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia
Posted: 28 October 2006 1922 hrs
[Website]

Nature conservation and outreach efforts on Pulau Ubin got a boost on Saturday with the opening of the $250,000 Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub.

The one-stop centre for Pulau Ubin was set up in recognition of the dedication and efforts of the volunteers.

It is jointly set up by the National Parks Board and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

HSBC contributed S$800,000 to the Pulau Ubin Conservation Fund last year and S$250,000 of the sum went to setting up the Volunteer Hub.

The rest of the donation will be used for nature conservation, outreach and research initiatives on Pulau Ubin.

Pulau Ubin welcomes some 300,000 visitors a year and many got to enjoy guided walks and events - thanks to a dedicated group of 200 volunteers and others like the Nature Society, the Green Volunteers Network, and Pedal Ubin.

In the last six years, the number of volunteers on Pulau Ubin has grown nine fold.

With the Hub, volunteers can now tap into the resource centre, which is stocked with reference and multimedia materials on conservation research.

It also has a lounge and seminar rooms for volunteers to gather for training and networking.

The HSBC Care-For-Nature Stamp Series was also launched on Saturday by Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu.

The series features the native wildlife of Singapore like the Common Palm Civet, the Common Flying Dragon, the Black-spotted Sticky Frog, and the Common Tiger Butterfly. - CNA/ch

Related Reads:

Volunteer Hub Sneak Preview, Pulau Ubin Stories, 27 Oct 2006

Ubin Volunteer Hub, Pulau Ubin Stories, 24 Oct 2006

"Pulau Ubin Has Oldest CC With Oldest Chairman" By Jimmy Yap, Straits Times, 15 February 1995

Volunteer Hub Sneak Preview

2006-10-27T22:50:00.000+08:00

Went to deliever the panels for the permanent exhibition in the Ubin volunteer hub today and got a sneak peek at the new hub.

The wall of the old community center is now down and the building has a new coat of cheery paint with a new roof. Manicured gardens with bougainvilleas decorate the lawn while back of the hub overlooks the sea. We can now spot the building from the jetty. I even saw butterflies frolicking at the lawn.

One of the exciting features of the hub is a mosaic tile map of Ubin made up of photographs contributed by volunteers and featuring people and places on Ubin. Toddycats are definitely represented with a picture of the civet cat right in the middle of the map!

The launch of the volunteer hub also coincides with the launch of a stamp series entitled Fun with Nature, inspired by the namesake program conducted by NSS for kids, with NSS' Vilma at the helm of course. We had a gathering of familiar faces today on the island with Angie (NSS) bumping to me on the bumboat (pun intended) and then encountering Choon Beng (Nparks), Andrew and Vilma (NSS) on the jetty with promise of Grant (GVN) waiting for us at the hub. It's all fun and bustle as we set up our exhibition.

Can't wait to see the guests learning more about volunteers and work on the island. In fact the guest of honor's presence on the island tomorrow must have resulted in the presence of army rovers on the island! We were surprised but speculations were that they were barged over from the nearby Pulau Tekong.

Military vehicles spotted on the island!

There will also be a children's program concurrently happening with the launch while Toddycats' Pedal Ubin will be having a leisure ride for members and guides with an interview on wheels happening for new members.

My Ubin Friday ended with me sharing about Pedal Ubin and Pulau Ubin Stories at an event with the NUS community. In addition, a chinese newspaper article about Ubin by a journalist from Malaysia was sent to me and will be posted on here soon!

The place to meet - Meeting Point 1!

Definitely looking for another Ubin day tomorrow.

Related Reads:

More photos on my flickr set

Ubin Volunteer Hub, Pulau Ubin Stories, 24 Oct 2006

"Pulau Ubin Has Oldest CC With Oldest Chairman" By Jimmy Yap, Straits Times, 15 February 1995

Ubin Volunteer Hub

2006-10-24T12:41:00.000+08:00

One of the key landmarks of Ubin has always been the community center along the coast, in front of the basketball court, otherwise known as "meeting point 1".

The old Ubin community center. Taken from wildsingapore.com.

The community center served the thriving population on the island and on 15 February 1995, it was even featured on the Straits Times as the "oldest CC with [the] oldest headman" in Singapore.

"PULAU UBIN COMMUNITY CENTRE can boast of many things. It is the oldest community centre in Singapore and is the only island community centre left. Mr Lim Chye Joo, 89, the chairman of the Community Centre Management Committee (CCMC), is Singapore's oldest serving chairman, having been in the position for the past 28 years. The CC was renovated two years ago at a cost of more than S$20,000. The old plank walls were replaced with brick, a new roof was put on, and the flooring was done up. It now looks brand new."

A decade later, the community center will yet again be renovated. However, this time, it will be taking on a new persona, as the new Ubin Volunteer Hub.

Notice of construction outside the old CC in August 2006

Signs of construction in August 2006

I was informed that some construction had to be done to convert the old CC to the new hub as the roof was leaking. But rest assured, the CC will again be revitalized and be the place where people will come together just as it served the Ubin residents for decades before it closed on 1 September 2003.

Almost at completion in October 2006.

Seeing how the volunteer hub is scheduled for completion on 25 October 2006, and the launch for the newly dubbed "Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub" scheduled on 28 October 2006, everybody must be scurrying around, getting ready.

Many of the volunteer groups with activities on the island have been invited to contribute to the volunteer hub and RMBR Toddycats and Pedal Ubin will be contributing several panels to the hub. They should be seen decorating the walls of the hub by Saturday. Pulau Ubin Stories will be featured as well of course. I will be popping by on Friday to deliever the panels and check out the progress of works myself.

More reports later.

Related links:

"Pulau Ubin Has Oldest CC With Oldest Chairman" By Jimmy Yap, Straits Times, 15 February 1995

Ubin Volunteer Hub Photo Set on Flickr by November Tan.

Mr Lim Chye Joo, BBM

2006-10-07T22:30:00.000+08:00

Orbituary from the Lianhe Zaobao on 7 October 2006, Saturday

Pulau Ubin headman, 101, dies

2006-10-07T20:43:00.000+08:00

Straits Times Interactive
Oct 7, 2006

Photo by Dr Chua Ee Kiam

PULAU Ubin has lost its headman and oldest resident.

Mr Lim Chye Joo, 101, died on Thursday at his home on the island, where he had lived for more than 70 years.

The centenarian, who had nine children, had been the Pulau Ubin headman for more than 30 years, frequently intervening to resolve conflicts between families and neighbours.

He was often involved in fund-raising activities and even helped set up a school on the island.

Mr Lim was also known to wake up at 5am daily to walk around the island, until a bladder problem confined him to a wheelchair 10 years ago.

When he was 80, he survived a bout of prostate cancer and came through relatively unscathed, having only to take the occasional painkiller.

However, the disease struck him again three months ago.

After a brief hospital stay, his condition worsened. A week ago, he was only able to eat oatmeal and drink milk.

On Thursday afternoon, Mr Lim died after an hour-long coughing fit.

His wake will be held at the void deck of Block 230, Pasir Ris Street 21 until next Wednesday.

----
Share your memories of Mr Lim Chye Joo on the Focus Ubin Forum. Read more on the dedication page of focus ubin website.

Headman's Wake

2006-10-06T15:43:00.000+08:00

Ubin Headman Mr Lim Chye Joo's wake will be held at the void deck of Blk 230 Pasir Ris St 21 until 11 October 2006. The cremation will then take place at Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium.

Mr Lim's wife was buried on the island but it remains to be seen if Mr Lim can or will be lay to rest beside her.

In memory of the headman

2006-10-05T14:46:00.000+08:00

In July 2004, NParks' newsletter Ubin Tides conducted an interview with the Pulau Ubin headman, Mr Lim Chye Joo. In memory of Mr Lim, I am republishing and archiving the interview article here on Pulau Ubin Stories.

The Headman Speaks
Ubin Tides Volume 4, No. 2 (Jul 2004)

Mr Lim Chye Joo is well known to those who visit Ubin regularly. As the village headman for the island over the last few decades, he has represented the villagers on many public issues. Although wheelchair bound now, Mr Lim can still be seen regularly being pushed on his rounds at the village centre. His position and honor of being Ubin’s oldest man (currently 102 years old) meant that he is a gemstone of information on Ubin’s earlier days. We paid a visit to him at his house for an interview and were warmly invited in for a cup of tea.

Mr. Lim, how did you first arrive in Singapore and why did you decide to settle in Ubin?

I arrived in Singapore in late 1936 from Swatow, China. I sailed in a junk and the journey took us over one month. On a friend’s recommendation, we moved to Ubin and set up a small provision shop business. We grew some vegetables and reared poultry at the same time.

How did you become the village headman and was it a challenging job?

Actually there was no official appointing of village headman. After staying here for a fairly long time, many residences started addressing me as their village headman. At that time, no one really cared for the position as we were leading a very simple life and everyone was enjoying this pace of life. However, we all agreed that we needed someone to represent our villagers in times of need. The headman’s role is not as challenging as the title sounds. The village was very peaceful and the villagers enjoyed their way of living. No one attempted to make trouble, as everyone was just concerned about bringing bread home.

What was Ubin like then?

There were no proper roads on the island itself and there were many forested areas. Everyone living here was working from dawn till sunset to earn a living. In those days, life was hard but simple. Most of the villagers were working in the quarries for the British while there are others working in the rubber plantations. Most of us planted fruit trees, vegetables and reared poultry at home for sale at the main village square. Besides that, we have Malay villagers who fished for a living. Starting from the sixties, many people from Singapore mainland came here to farm and mine, with the population reaching almost four thousand in the eighties.

How has the nature in Ubin changed since you first stepped onto the island?

Flying foxes are not as commonly found as before. We regarded them as pests then, feeding on our fruits. The villagers had to keep them away by laying poison on flowering buds or shooting them down with a catapult. Large parts of the original forest were cleared and replaced by coconut palms, durians and other tropical fruits planted by the villagers.

What are some of the incidents in Ubin that have left the deepest impressions on you?

I remember during the Japanese Occupation, how the island was not as chaotic as in Singapore mainland. As long as you bow to the Japanese soldiers when you pass them, they would not make trouble. When any villager sighted Japanese soldiers making rounds, he would cycle around on the bicycle to inform the families with young Chinese woman to hide in the Malay villagers’ houses since the Japanese seldom disturb the Malays. Such was the kampong spirit of helping each other.

The simple way of living in those days is something I cherished most of all.

Rest in peace

2006-10-05T13:00:00.000+08:00

The 101 years old headman of Pulau Ubin, Mr Lim Chye Joo, passed away at his home on Pulau Ubin today, 5 October 2006 at 11.11am. His wake is held at Blk 230 Pasir Ris St 21 until Wednesday, October 11.

Straits Times reported that:

"When [Mr Lim Chye Joo] was 80, he survived a bout of prostate cancer and came through relatively unscathed, having only to take the occasional painkiller. However, the disease struck him again three months ago. After a brief hospital stay, his condition worsened. A week ago, he was only able to eat oatmeal and drink milk. On Thursday afternoon, Mr Lim died after an hour-long coughing fit."

With his passing, it is almost like the end of an era for Ubin. For me, he was the pillar of the island, a reminder of the prime of the island. He was the headman even when my mom was a little girl. He represented in my eyes the pioneers that toiled on the island.

The news of his death shocked me, and many others, as I almost take it for granted that he will always be there, a permanent fixture of the island.

He will be missed by many.

Rest in peace Headman.

----
Related articles:

"Pulau Ubin Headman celebrates turning 100" The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2005

""Mr Lim Chye Joo, Pulau Ubin's Village headman, R.I.P" Habitatnews, 5 Oct 2006

"Ubin Headman Passed Away." Focus Ubin Forum: Ubin Happenings. 05 Oct 2006.

Mr Lim Chye Joo, photo, 12 May 2006. Photo by s25251 on Flickr.

Village Headman. Ubin's Vanishing Kampung. RGS students project for Cyberfair 2001.

"The Headman Speaks", NParks Ubin Tides Volume 4, No. 2, July 2004

"Pulau Ubin headman, 101, dies", Straits Times, 7 Oct 2006

Upcoming Pedal Ubin Ride @ 8 Oct Sunday

2006-09-30T21:14:00.000+08:00

It's the time of the month again for Pedal Ubin. After a break in September for the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore which many of our guides are involved in, we're back and excited about the next upcoming ride in October.

Date: 8 October Sunday
Time: 8am - 12noon (approximately)

Meet at the Changi Point Ferry Terminal by 8am. You will go to Ubin together with your guide(s). Do note that we do leave on time, so please do not be late!

If you're interested to sign up, do send an email with the following details to

1. Name
2. Email address
3. Mobile phone number
4. Cycling ability (wobbly, steady or wow!)
5. Emergency contact [name, relationship (e.g. mother/father/wife) and phone number]

You will receive a reply to confirm your participation and instructions about payment. Registered partcipants will receive an FAQ closer to the event date.

Confirmation and Payment (from May 2006)
The charge is S$10.50 (inclusive GST) per participant. If you bring your own bicycle, the charge is S$7.35. Payment covers the bumboat ride from Changi to Pulau Ubin (one-way) and whole day bicycle rental.

Payment if strictly non-refundable. In the unlikely event that the trip is cancelled by Pedal Ubin! due to lightning threat or similar reasons (has not happened yet), a replacement ride will be arranged.

For more information on how to make payment, please refer to the Pedal Ubin website.

Want to know more of what we did? Read an account of the last ride in August 2006 by the Pedal Ubin Project Manager, Ivan Khong.

"August marks 1 year since the latest batch of guides graduated and thus, we celebrated the anniversary with a ride to the east of Ubin!

The ride started of to the east...at the sensory trail. [After which] we zipped to the coconut plantation trail via the mangrove. From there, it was a stopover at the Suria House before our exciting ride to the East.

Hitting Jalan Durian, the participants were thrilled with the donwhill leg, which coupled with the cold morning air was both pleasant and exciting. Rallying point was Kelichap hut, where a short briefing on off-road biking was delivered before we hit the dirt roads.

We hit the German Girl shrine [next], and made it back to the Y U So like that Stall when it started to drizzle.

We saw lots of mudskippers, and a sluice gate in action at the mangroves. [We also] heard a Jungle fowl crowing in the distance.

All in all, it was a fun ride!"

Sounds like an exciting way to spend a Sunday morning exploring our last wild frontier? Sign up for the ride now!

Images of Bin Kiang

2006-09-01T18:04:00.000+08:00

2 weeks ago I was on Ubin for the monthly Pedal Ubin rides and while waiting around the bike shops for a friend, I chanced upon a wall of old Ubin photos. One of the photos was the schoolboy in front of the old Bin Kiang school.

It made me extremely nostalgic as I remembered my mom's Bin Kiang graduating class photo which I first posted here 2 years ago.

Today, all that is left of Bin Kiang school is a road sign naming the little back street after the school.

Bin Kiang Road in 2005. Photo by November.

Yet change is constantly surrounding us on Ubin. Last year this time, when I brought my mom back to Ubin to see where her old school used to be, it looked as above.

One year later, after the area was cleared, angsana trees were felled, this is how it looks like now.

Bin Kiang Road in 2006. Photo by November.

While my mom was reminiscing, she also mentioned that the principal's residence during her time used to be right beside the school. Although she pointed it out to me, we both did not attempt to climb up the steps to explore further since as we know it, changes happen and most likely, the family has moved as well.

Where the principal of Bin Kiang was. Photo by November, 2005.

When I first posted about Bin Kiang school, a reader wrote to me telling me that his dad used to be a teacher in the school. Unfortunately I have lost his email. If you are reading this now, please get in touch! I very much would like to find out more. My mom previously told me that one of her teachers on Ubin ended up moving out to the mainland and teaching her again in secondary school. Today, some of her classmates are still in touch with him. I hope that I would be able to interview him sometime.

Islander Bikeshop. Photo by November.

Sometimes a conversation can reveals a treasure trove of stories. After seeing the photos hanging on the wall outside this bike shop, I spoke with the lady and found out these are photos from and of their neighbors on the island. Today they still maintain their house on Ubin but return to their other home on the mainland at night. Many families on the island now do the same. It's almost like a dual citizenship!

The next time you are on the island, check out the photos and talk to the owners and find out about their childhood and lives on the island. I am sure they would be very happy to share. In fact, many of the old newspaper cuttings I have on the blog are also collected and generously shared by them. I will post more of the old photos I spied on the wall next time.

If you have any stories or old photos to share of Bin Kiang or Ubin, please email me.

---
Related Articles:

Bin Kiang School Alumni, Pulau Ubin Stories, 26 May 2004

Tree Down!

2006-08-18T09:42:00.000+08:00

Photo by November

2 weeks ago, I posted a letter to the forum written by an islander's daughter, complaining about a dead branch hanging over the roof of her father's house, causing much fear and worry.

At that time, my mom wondered if the children can just trim it for the father but then I managed to verify that the tree is truly very big, up to about 20m tall and definitely requires a crane to do the deed.

1 week ago, I updated on the sighting of SLA trimming branches of a grand old Angsana Tree behind the row of shops in Ubin Town, where the old Bin Kiang school is. This was observed during the Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang celebrations. Then, there was a crane observed trimming some branches.

Of course, immediate thoughts was that SLA seems rather responsive to the letter to the newspaper forum page. Either way, the villager can now sleep well at night.

Trimming in process. Photo by November

Still, SLA must have been alerted a while back about this since it takes a substantial amount of time to arrange for a crane and then a barge to send the crane over. It would have taken more than a few days and is probably planned for prior to the release of the newspaper article.

What's missing? Photo by November

However, on Friday, 11 August 2006, when I revisited the island for a plant survey, I found something terribly missing as I stand in the town center, in front of the wayang stage. The place looked very bright and very empty.

It was then I realized that something was missing.

The whole Angsana tree has been cut down. Not just one, but 4 of them.

How big the girth of the tree was! The worker at the side for scale. Picture by November.

According to NParks, it turned out that one of the Angsana tree got a disease called Angsana Wilt where ambrosia beetles colonises the tree, causing it to wilt and eventually collapse. It also spreads very quickly to other trees and thus explaining why the other trees around it had to be cut down as well. This is a problem that is quite widespread in Singapore and Malaysia and the usual recommended way to control the disease is to remove the diseased trees. [Source: Botanic Garden Trust of Australia]

Photo by November

Although a terrible lost to the landscape of the island, it is rather dangerous to have a 15-20m tree crashing down on your house in the middle of the night, or even in the day. However, we all wonder if the villager will now have very hot days and warm nights to complain of from now on. I know we will.

Took a few days to remove the trees - truck load of dismembered leaves and branches remains. Photo by November

---
Related Articles

Pulau Ubin Old Tree's Dead Branch, By Cai Li Zhu, Lianhe Zaobao Forum Page, 2 August 2006, Wednesday

Branch Trimming, Pulau Ubin Stories, 10 August 2006

Angsana Wilt Disease Complex

Recent visits

2006-08-16T19:09:00.000+08:00

Visited Ubin 3 times in the last week and am filled with updates and stories to share on Ubin Stories. But before I rain words and tales on you, I thought I will share the photos from my visits first.

Pulau Ubin @ Hungry Ghost Festival
Includes visits to Butterfly Hill, otherwise known as Jelutong Hill or Jelutong Campsite. Looking more and more like ECP or Pasir Ris Park if you ask me. The hill is artificial. The area was a dumpground for Ho Man Chu quarry which it overlooks. After years of creating holes on Ubin, now we're building hills instead!

Pulau Ubin @ Plant Survey
Includes pictures of baby wild boar, OBS land, Nparks officers, wayang stage, and angsana trees being cut down.

Pedal Ubin @ 13 Aug
The most recent trip to Ubin was rewarding as spring tide exposed some glorious sights of Ubin. I also met this lucky offspring that is the newest addition to the Jelutong Coconut Stall Auntie's household! Lucky had an offspring! heh It was also my first time riding to Kampong Melayu proper. Only time I went that far in was with the Cookery Magic class.

Branch Trimming

2006-08-10T15:31:00.000+08:00

On 8 Aug 2006 tuesday, when I was there for the Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang, I saw the path behind the Tua Pek Gong temple being blocked off.

Upon exploring, it seems that a crane was trimming the branches of a very tall Angsana(?) tree near where the Old Bin Kiang school was, behind the row of shops in Ubin Town.

Could this be the branch that was mentioned in the letter to the forum in the chinese newspaper that we mentioned last week? [See: Pulau Ubin Old Tree's Dead Branch, Lianhe Zaobao Forum page, 2 Aug 2026]

The tree being trimmed seems to loom over the houses in the area as the article described but this could just be a routine trimming. However, after asking around, it seems that this particular tree trimming is being conducted by SLA instead of Nparks. Could it be just a coincidence?

Still, I am unsure if this is the tree that was mentioned in the letter to the forum. If it is, then surely the letter to the forum was quite effective afterall!

I must clarify something from my previous post though. After an interview with Adelle, our friend at the Nparks office on Ubin, it does appear that only certain areas on Pulau Ubin is under the care of SLA and others have been taken over for maintenance by Nparks.

However, what remains unclear to me is whether SLA is the overall landlord of the entire island but only certain area it is responsible for upkeep while most have been given over to Nparks for caretaking. Or does it mean that SLA has no jurisdiction over 'Nparks land' at all?

I did hear that even if OBS wants to clear any trees or forested area within its boundaries, it has to run through its plans with NParks first.

(?) unconfirmed

Hungry Ghost Festival Celebrations

2006-08-09T01:39:00.000+08:00

Teochew opera is staged on Ubin every year for the 7th month of the lunar calender, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival or Zhong Yuan Jie in Mandarin Chinese. Pulau Ubin has one of the few rare freestanding wayang stage left in Singapore. In fact, there is probably only 1 left on mainland Singapore (at Balestier) which would make this 1 of 2 in the whole of Singapore.

These days, the stage is only used twice a year, once during the 7th month of the lunar calendar, and once in the 4th lunar month. One of the groccery shopkeepers divulged to me that the latter is also for the Tua Pek Gong temple that is facing the wayang stage.

This year's 7th month celebration is held on the 15th and 16th day of the lunar month which is effectively 8th and 9th August 2006 (Tuesday and Wednesday). Despite it being a public holiday eve, when I arrived on the island at 1pm, the island was relatively quiet. As Adelle who was there last year confided that last year there were many more people. Perhaps people are away on holiday already! Hopefully tomorrow there would be more people.

The stage was set up by the troupe on Monday, the day before the actual performance. Even as I arrived, much activities were bustling backstage and on stage. Mic tests and what nots. Yes, it comes with a full sound system. The troupe was the same as last year according to Adelle. Many photographers were also sighted on the island. 2 ladies were busy backstage taking photos. Meanwhile there was a gentleman that came equipped with camera, tripod and all. I heard through the grapevine that he is like me, the descendant of an ex-islander. Sadly, I was unable to cajole my parents to join me today.

Part of the ceremony involves 'praying' for 4D numbers, drawing numbers randomly out of a canister [photo on the left]. In case you are interested, the number drawn was 9102. See the gleeful smiles of the actors as they draw the numbers. In the photo on the right, demoted guards from last year's generals.

Around 2.30pm, activities started first with a cast line up and paying respect to the gods. I am not sure who the main characters were dressed up as but Victor has a brief account from last year's ceremony which is almost exactly similar. The only difference was the obviously diminished offerings. There was definitely no freshly slaughtered pig as Victor reports. Also the generals have been demoted to mere guards. Instead of televisions for the auction, there were 2 new bicycles up for grabs! Of course the usual gold 'trophies' seen in hungry ghost festival auctions. The auction will be held tomorrow night so if you miss the action today, feel free to go join in the bustle tomorrow.

Highly diminished numbers in the ubin population reflected in the small number of 'goodie bags' distributed to the contributing members of the celebration - usually the majority of the members of the community. Adelle confides that there are less than 50 residents on the island now.

View from the stage

With the opera troupe momentarily installed at the stage, the entire Ubin Town seems to come alive, even for a tuesday public holiday eve. I have never seen the stage opened up or even visited backstage before but I got a treat today and fully covered the 4 corners of the structure like an excited fan who suddenly got backstage pass at the sydney opera house. In fact, I also spotted a few celebrities during my backstage tour. One of the visitors to the island observing the celerbations looked very much like Dr Julian Davison, the host of Site and Sound. Perhaps it was really him!

Backdoor leads out to the sea [photo on left] while adverts hangs at the side of the stage. Phone number for the troupe at the bottom. [photo on right]

Unfortunately, I did not stay on till the end of the day. Perhaps those who went at night or stayed on could leave a comment as to whether the crowd got bigger after the sun set.

It's definitely not quiet anymore! Not for now anyways...

I was planning to stay and thus while waiting, I visited the 'new' butterfly hill, had a tour of the NParks facilities courtesy of Adelle and had the most fascinating conversations with Adelle and Angie from NSS. When the ladies decided to go home before sun sets, this monkey was persuaded to leave as well.

Musicians warming up

It was lucky I decided to leave then since I managed to capture some wonderful photos of the setting sun.

What a way to end the day

For more photos, please refer to my flickr account.

If you would like to share your experience of this year's hungry ghost festival celebrations on Pulau Ubin, leave your blog link in the comments section or email me your account.

Related articles

Sons of Ubin keep tradition alive

Account of wayang performances on other occasions on Ubin

Pulau Ubin Zhong Yuan Hui by Victor Yue

Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang

2006-08-06T11:31:00.000+08:00

If you have always wondered about the old days where Ubin was a bustling community, the Hungry Ghost Fetival wayang performance may just be the chance to send you back in time. The nowadays usually neglected wayang stage in the center of Ubin town comes alive with lights and performances. Islanders and their descendants who have left for the mainland come back for this annual event.

Date: 8 and 9 August 2006 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
Time: Various (around noon and after sunset)

Adelle from NPark writes that:

"... Normally in a day there's a few performances and there should be one at past noon. On the first day, there would be prayers by the performers at past noon. If one is interested in the rituals and the villagers, they can come in at noon, catch a performance and leave the island at a decent time. Second evening, there would be the 'auctioning' of the symbolic items."

Dog sleeping at the backdoor of the wayang stage on a quiet lazy afternoon on Ubin.
Photo by November Tan.

It would not be quiet anymore!

Questions? Post them on the Focus Ubin Forum.

Related articles

Sons of Ubin keep tradition alive

Account of wayang performances on other occasions on Ubin

Pulau Ubin Zhong Yuan Hui by Victor Yue

Pulau Ubin Old Tree's dead branch

2006-08-03T01:27:00.000+08:00

By Cai Li Zhu
Lianhe Zaobao Forum Page
2 August 2006, Wednesday

My father is 70 years old this year and currently lives on Pulau Ubin. Life was peaceful and without worries but recently something made him extremely worried and uncomfortable. An old tree besides my father's house has 2 dead branches hanging over the house and when the wind blows, the branches swings about perilously, threatening to fall on the house, causing much fear and worry.

Therefore, my father made a trip to the Nparks office on the island to complain but guess what, they asked him to lodge his complaint with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) instead.

Not long after, my father againt went to look for another Npark officer to seek their help. This time, the lady officer finally helped him to write a report and promised to submit it on his behalf. However, it has been 2 months and yet there has been no action to remedy the situation.

Do we have to wait till the branch falls and for a tragedy or accident to happen before there will be remedy?

Briefly translated by November Tan.

-----------------
Thanks to my mom for the alert! She has been very conscientiously supplying me with chinese news and articles with regards to Ubin as she knows I have been trying to keep Ubin Stories updated.

On another note, she also commented that perhaps the author of this letter should have helped her dad to cut the branch or to report to SLA as suggested instead of writing to the newspaper. Is that what people would have done in the good ole kampong days? A reliance on self and family.

Still, it's interesting to read about SLA's role on the island since it's the 'landlord' and owner of the island. Would NParks then be considered Ubin's custodian? I am always piqued by the interplay of agencies on the island.

Pulau Ubin Stories

Teochew Opera performance at Ubin

2011 Tua Pek Kong Celebration Dates

Last of our Pioneers

"Native Trees of Pulau Ubin"

34 Ubin House

Red tide affecting Pulau Ubin

Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang

Greater Mousedeer Populations on Pulau Ubin

Pulau Ubin Stories Workshop, 3 Jul 2009, 7pm

Wayang Performance

Greater Mouse Deer sighted in Pulau Ubin

Last Centenarian of Ubin passes away

Trail to Chek Jawa closed

Wildlife sighting on Ubin

Ubin Lodge is now open!

Ubin, the clean-energy island

Pulau Ubin, the model ‘green’ island?

Pulau Ubin could be model "green" island powered by clean energy

Ubin to host testing site for 'green' energy

Safe Cycling on Pulau Ubin

Residents call it 'cemetery road'

More news report on Ubin Cycling Fatality

Mum of three falls off bike and dies on family outing

Capital 95.8fm Report of Cycling Accident on Ubin

Fatal cycling accidents on Ubin

More opting to scatter ashes at sea

Hungry Ghost Festival Wayang 2008

Is this a forewarning of reservoir in Johor Straits?

Family of otters spotted at Jelutong!

Away on Research

Vesak day celebrations at Ubin

May Day Dugong Ambassadors Outreach at Chek Jawa

What's wrong with an Ubin-Tekong reservoir?

Poll: Your Favourite Restaurant on Ubin

Ubin First Stop Restaurant now on mainland Changi

Pulau Ubin featured on The New Paper

Oldest man on Pulau Ubin

Increase in Ferry Prices

Upcoming features on Ubin

Coastal Erosion Management - Ubin Style

Former Civil Service College Chalet

Endangered Ubin Lontong II

Diesel cars on Pulau Ubin

On this day, 66 years ago...

Endangered Ubin Lontong

Long lost classmates

Six restoration projects win Architectural Heritage Awards

Large trap found in Pulau Ubin, illegal poaching suspected

Pulau Ubin Fun Map

Hungry Ghost Festival 2007

As Far Away As Pulau Ubin, Hotels Grapple With F1 Levy

Goodbye Ubin Thai Temple

Kekek Quarry will not be reopened yet!

35 new plant and animal species recorded in Singapore

"Ten cyclists injured each month on Pulau Ubin's 'danger spot'"

Pedal Ubin on 2 June 2007

“天湖”可克石场 周末吸引不少游人

Concrete plans to sustain construction; New scheme to step up use of alternative building materials over next 5 years

Mining work may start at Kekek Quarry in 3-6 months: Grace Fu

'Minimal disruption'

马宝山：乌敏岛只是小规模采石花岗石来源充足就停采

Reopening of Kekek Quarry on Pulau Ubin: No Cause for Worry

Blasts from the past

Govt to further liberalise hiring of foreign construction workers

Leave Pulau Ubin and my wild-boar relatives alone

A Kekek Pictorial

Pulau Ubin residents welcome move to re-open granite quarries on island

Overview of Kekek Quarry

A jewel that needs to be protected

"Old Ubin Quarry May Be Up And Running"

Pulau Ubin granite quarry may reopen

为缓解石荒问题乌敏岛将恢复采石

乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗岩

S'pore may reopen Ubin granite quarry

缓解石荒 扩大来源 乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗石

"Singapore looking to reopen granite quarry"

Singapore to reopen granite quarry-minister

关闭十年 乌敏岛石场将恢复开采

Ubin Journies Episode 1

“天湖”可克石场周末吸引不少游人

缓解石荒　扩大来源　乌敏岛将恢复开采花岗石

关闭十年乌敏岛石场将恢复开采