Monsoon Memories

“Those were the days” are not nearly enough words to describe the strong nostalgia that British author and photographer Derek Tait feels for Singapore. Derek got his first whiff of Singapore in 1965 when his father was seconded to KD Malaya within the Naval Base at Sembawang. They lived just across the causeway at Johor Bahru at a place called Century Gardens. The experience was an assault on his three-year-old senses.

Young as he was (and perhaps precisely because of that), Derek, now 47, recalls his experiences in vaudeville detail: hundreds of sampans (flat-bottomed wooden boats) with fruits and fish, snake charmers, street magicians and “endless shops”. “There would also be lots of hot food prepared in front of you,” he told Singapore. “The smell, and it wasn’t really unpleasant, is a smell I’ve never smelled since! Singapore then had a smell of its own and was a very busy place.

“It was so hot that the front doors and the windows would be permanently open. We’d also have a ceiling fan going most of the time just to cool us down. The weather was constantly humid … [and] the heavy downpours of the monsoon season had us running outside when we first arrived, just to cool down. Even then, the rain was still warm. During the monsoon season, the drains would flood and the water would flow to the front door. Quite often, there were violent thunderstorms which seemed to shake the whole house.”

It might have been the vividness of his experiences, or his job as a history textbook writer, or both, that spurred Derek to start penning his recollections in a book, Sampans, Banyans and Rambutans – A Childhood in Singapore and Malaya, which was published in 2006.

He recalled how the locals were as fascinated with him as he was of them. For instance, his fair hair drew commentary wherever he passed. Despite the language barrier, he grew close to his Amah (housekeeper) and her family during his four years in Singapore: “I sort of remember the day when we left and said goodbye to Azizah and her family. Azizah had two of her own children; a boy called Fadzil and a daughter called Fadzilla. I don’t remember the kids speaking any English. They were similar in age to me though and would always come to my birthday parties.”

His book drew similar recollections; his mailbox got flooded with stories from more people who had memories of Singapore to share. These he compiled and published in Memories of Singapore and Malaya in 2007.

The book garnered even more interest and today, Derek is working on More Memories of Singapore and Malaya. “I was very pleased that so many people were interested in the book,” he said. “A lot of them who write to me were children then, but I also get a lot of emails from servicemen who were stationed there. I think they all see it as being an idyllic time of their lives.”

Derek visited Singapore and Malaysia once more in 1990. While modern Singapore is “a lot more built up and cleaner”, he misses the rich rusticity of the Singapore of his youth. “My favourite places in the 60s were Tiger Balm Gardens and the Botanic Gardens. The Botanic Gardens at the time were full of monkeys and we used to love feeding them,” he recalled.

“I loved the old Singapore but I love the new Singapore too. In some ways, they almost seem like different places. My childhood in the 1960s just seemed like a wonderful time which would be lovely to relive,” continued Derek. “There was something special about being brought up in Singapore.

If anyone is interested in contributing their photos, memories or tales, you can contact Derek at derek.tait@virgin.net.