Last of our Pioneers

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.

Last Centenarian of Ubin passes away

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!

Ubin Lodge is now open!

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

Oldest man on Pulau Ubin

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.

On this day, 66 years ago...

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. ...