Old Singapore Fifty Years Ago

This blog topic "Old Singapore Fifty Years Ago" is the video title on YouTube and uploaded by Michael Rogge.

Kees Renard filmed with his 8mm camera Singapore in 1962 when his freighter ss 'Straat Johore' called on the city.

MichaelRogge has sent me a message:

Re:Old Malaysia and Singapore back in 1961

To:Thimbuktu1

Yes, go ahead and use my video clips for your blog topics. 

I have replied via email today to Michael to thank him for his kind and gracious consent to share his home-made movies filmed during his visit to Singapore in the 1960s.

Michael Rogge interviewed on Singapore in 1949 on YouTube.



All of a sudden than ever before, nostalgia fans and friends on Facebook, YouTube have new channels of new media are now looking for forgotten home-movies of their visit Singapore many years ago. 

They now remember the old 8mm or 16 mm home movies kept somewhere in the attic or the stores somewhere, so now can post on YouTube and other Internet nostalgia sites to share with us.
Michael visited Singapore in 1964.  Same place, different times, different memories on the YouTube video.


Uploaded by MichaelRogge on Sep 13, 2010

Hans Brinckmann and his wife visited Singapore in the course of a cruise by ms Straat Banka through the Far East. They recorded it on Kodachrome 8mm film. Hans and I were colleagues and know each other for almost fifty years. I was best man at his wedding with Toyoko.

Thanks to the Facebook friends of "On a little street in Singapore" created by Jerome Lim, British friends who created the "RAF Changi" and several related nostalgia groups on Facebook, we are pleased to revive nostalgic memories with "memory-aids" not only with still photos mostly in black and white of the early days in Singapore, we now have video converted from these 8mm or 16mm home-made movies.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many times more for enjoyment to watch the old Singapore video, with sound and home-made movies.

As I watched these old movies of Singapore, its like walking down memory lane of many places I have visited in the 1960s.  The places, the buildings, the people,  the environment.  Its awesome!

It's yesterday once more...



Are there any ways to create the "memory of smell..." as we once upon a time walked past the Singapore River, or the fragrance of cooked food in the open-air hawker stalls at Bugis Street?

My British blogger friend, Derek Tait and many British friends on Facebook and everyone all over the world who visited Singapore in the early days as tourists or travelling on business trips, please revive our fond collective memories.  Good for our brain training and memories of our nostalgia friends too.

As in the case of Derek, he was a young lad staying with the family in Singapore when his father was serving in the British Royal Navy at that time. Derek has written several books about Singapore 1960s and vivid descriptions of his childhood experiences with loads of photos to share for posterity.

Many of the owners of these home-made movies must have stored them safely for decades and now posted these home-movies on YouTube and other social network to share with us.  Thank you very much. 

The "treasure chest of old home-made movies"  filmed in Singapore over fifty years ago are not wasted.  They would only be wasted if the films were destroyed, lost or infested with fungus or stains. If  these home movies are in working condition,  the "memory-aids" could share them with everyone on YouTube.

The "Best Singapore Documentary" linked below is one of them.



Uploaded by davidwhitefield on Apr 8, 2011 http://www.visualworksinc.com

This is the complete documentary produced and directed by David Whitefield Jones of VisualWorks Inc. http://www.visualworksinc.com for Fodor's and Travel World Video in 1989-99.

Please enjoy these old home movies of Singapore filmed decades ago.  Thanks to all the respective owners for sharing these video clips to trigger our Singapore memories to remember our fond nostalgic childhood memories.