Issue#4Restricted Access

What’s Inside a Mortuary? Let Dr. Chia Shi-Lu tell you…

ueenstownA Quarterly Newsletter by My Queenstown and Queenstown Citizens’ Consultative Committee

Page 4&5

Former Queenstown Cinema & Bowling Alley Revealed!

The Demolition of Margaret Drive –

A Pictorial

Page 3

Inside the former Queenstown

Remand Prison

Page 6

Behind the Scenes: Firefighters @

Alexandra Fire Station

Page 8&9

Issue#4Restricted Access

What’s Inside a Mortuary? Let Dr. Chia Shi-Lu tell you…

ueenstownA Quarterly Newsletter by My Queenstown and Queenstown Citizens’ Consultative Committee

Page 4&5

Former Queenstown Cinema & Bowling Alley

Revealed!

The Demolition of Margaret Drive –

A Pictorial

Page 3

Inside the former Queenstown

Remand Prison

Page 6

Behind the Scenes: Firefighters @

Alexandra Fire Station

Page 8&9

My Community02

龙年来咯! 祝大家：龙马精神，龙运当头！万众欢腾、万众期待的龙年终于到来了！2万民女皇镇居民在

劲歌热舞的陪伴下，一起度过一个难忘的农历新年晚会。

来自女皇镇小学的华乐队在欢腾的气氛中掀开序幕。乐队呈

献出三首脍炙人口的新年歌曲，让台下的观众拍手叫好。紧接

着的韩国舞蹈与阿拉伯舞蹈也让居民兴奋不已。这些充满异国

风情的舞蹈表演是由华源会新舞团所呈献的。让大家目不转睛

的传统潮州剧《爱歌》成为晚会上的一个焦点。蔡碧霞等人的

演出扣人心弦，深深地吸引在场的观众。

参与这个新年晚会的女皇镇居民们各个喜上眉梢。汪育琪

（32岁）表示：“能在农历新年这个喜庆的节日跟亲朋戚友度过

是非常美好的！”

Pongal! Pongal! Pongal! The Thai Pongal is a harvest festival where Tamil Indians pay

tribute to the Sun god for the good harvest by consecrating the first grain to him. In this festival, Tamil Indians would decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the floor with decorative patterns called Kolam drawn using rice flour. This festival is held from the last day of the Tamil month of Maargazhi to the third day of Thai.

Laughters and cheers filled the auditorium at Queenstown Community Centre on 15 January 2012 as 200 jubilant resi-dents joined the Indian community in celebrating this joyous festival. Drawing contests and kolam decorating competition were held at the sidelines.

Residents from the other racial groups were also invited to cook the pongal. Pongal is a traditional Indian dish where sweet-

ened rice is boiled with lentils until it “spills over.” The spilling over of milk in the clay pot symbolises mate-rial abundance for the household.

Shoo, Bad luck! The slight drizzle in the afternoon did not de-ter 20,000 residents in Queenstown from travelling to Queens-town Primary School on 3rd February 2012 to usher in the Drag-on year. The year of the Dragon is widely regarded as the most auspicious because it is the only mythical creature among the dozen animals that represent each year in the Chinese cosmic cycle.

The elaborate and colourful performances can attest to the significance of this festival. Residents were first treated to a rep-ertoire of familiar festive tunes performed by the Chinese Or-chestra from Queenstown Primary School.

Thereafter, a heartrending Teochew Opera skit presented by Ms. Cai Bixia, 39, and Susanna Goh, 49, captivated the audience and invited cheers and applauses. Then, an exuberant Malay dance item performed by students from the MDIS enthralled the crowd with their youth and vigour. The memorable evening was

Mdm. Rohani, 58 (left) and Mdm. Ariani, 50, cooking the pongal

Beautiful Kolam decorations were designed and drawn by 11 year-old Divya

MDIS students preparing for their Modern Dance Performance

Happy Dragon Year!

Yuummm Sennggg!

ended with three toasts for good health and a better year ahead.What can be better than celebrating the Lunar New Year

with your friends and family? One of the teachers from Queen-sway Secondary School who joined their peers at the dinner was Sheryl Kaur, 37. She smiled, “I am delighted to be part of the Queenstown community and celebrate this important festival with my Chinese friends!”

My Community03

Adiós, Margaret Drive!The writing is on the wall. The erection of scaffolds and the

presence of excavators were clear indications that the demol-ishing was inevitable. For the past 50 years, the iconic landmarks along Margaret Drive had been integral to the social fabric with-in the Queenstown community. In less than 4 months, these proud buildings were completely obliterated. Let us sneaked past the fences and relived the last days of Margaret Drive.

Margaret Drive Hawker Centre was the first to be demolished

Block 34A a.k.a. the NTUC Block The once revered Block 6C was brought to its knees by excavators

← Block 64 at Strathmore Avenue was fondly remembered as “Lam Po Lei” by Queenstown Residents (Courtesy of Ho Soo Yiah)

↓ The 7-storey Block 34 was located next to a famous landmark in Queenstown, the Forfar House (Courtesy of Ng Bee Hua)

← The old Block 108 at Margaret Drive was demolished to make way for new developments (Courtesy of Tan Seng Huat)

My Heritage04

The Former Queenstown Cinema and Bowling Alley

Entrance to the Cinema

They kept the cinema reels here

Queenstown Cinema and Bowling Alley in 1978 (Photo courtesy of HDB)

when the movie commenced. At S$6, movie-watching was considered as an extravagant pastime and not many residents could afford it.

Playing for “strikes” and “turkeys” at the former Bowling Alley had been unforgettable for residents too. Ten pin bowling was initially confined to the private lanes of the American Club because it was a flourishing multi-million-dollar industry that was popular among Americans residing in Singapore. The first public bowling alley, the Jackie’s Bowl, was constructed in 1965. As queues formed outside the bowling alley, curious onlookers had “so much desire to get a touch of the new sport.” That signalled the start of a bowling “fever” as bowling alleys sprouted all over the island. Queenstown caught the cold too.

The scoring boards and charts at the Bowling Alley were recorded manually on pieces of paper in the 1970s before they were replaced with monotonous electronic ones in the mid-1990s. There was a small chart indicating the rules of counting scores and the receptionists would gladly give it to the bowling

A deep, putrid stench jolted our sens-es as the metallic shutter at the en-

trance of the cinema was gradually pulled up. The ticket counter and the snacks bar bore little or no resemblance to the past. The window panes and the metal-lic grilles were removed and there were puddles of murky water at the counter. I understand from Mr. Ho. Kok Hock, caretaker of the former cinema, that se-vere corrosion at the roof of the cinema and the lack of maintenance had caused parts of the complex to be waterlogged.

The interior of the cinema was beyond imagination. Seats were discarded and screens were taken down. The carpets had been shredded into bits and pieces too. Who could have envisaged that this was the first cinema which installed soundproofing features by minimising the use of wood-wool slabs and acoustic ceiling board?

Watching a movie at the former Queenstown cinema was a fascinating experience for many residents. Then, the screens of the cinema were covered by a curtain and it was fully drawn manually to reveal the entire length of the screen

The desolate Queenstown Cinema and Bowling Alley at Commonwealth Avenue

My Heritage05

During its prime, the Queenstown Cinema and Bowling Alley was home to several state-of-the-art entertainment and recreational facilities which few could match in the country. There was a cinema (with two halls), an 18-lane bowling alley, fast food restaurants and private karaoke lounges. Built in 1977, this entertainment complex was extremely popular among students and residents in Queenstown. It was the first cinema with soundproofing features incorporated in its design. Seats were arranged hexagonally so that the audience could have an unrestricted view of the screen. Although the cinema was closed in 1999, it continues to reign as Queenstown’s most iconic landmark.

The Former Queenstown Cinema and Bowling Alley

The Bowling Alley – with the gutters and scoring boards removed

The Cinema – without seats and screens

Retrofitted seats at the former KFC branch

A movie ticket from the yesteryears

Graffiti at the cinema walls Palace KTV

enthusiast when he or she asked for it. What was left at the Bowling Alley

today were falling concrete and broken roof tiles. The gutters, the scoring boards and the waxed wooden lanes were completely removed.

Bowlers and their friends could enjoy a meal at the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant after their game by climbing a narrow flight of stairs at the side of the Bowling Alley. Patrons to the fast food restaurant would then be greeted with a gleeful smile from Colonel Harland Sanders, a statue outside the restaurant. The fried chicken was served with rice and soup and customers were given forks and spoons when they purchased a meal. Then, it was common for bowlers to sneak a fried chicken takeaway while waiting for their turn at the Bowling Alley.

Located adjacent to the Bowling Alley was the Palace Karaoke lounge. Opened in the late 1980s, the lounge was popular among karaoke enthusiasts who wanted to test their vocal abilities. A room at Palace KTV could set one back by $2 per hour. The early karaoke equipment used cassette tapes and required users

to change the tracks manually. The entertainment system at Palace KTV had a karaoke mode that tried to remove the vocal track from the regular audio tapes. The crudeness of this approach was reflected in the reverberation of the voice track and the inadvertent removal of other musical instruments.

There are neither addictive dance beats nor soothing sentimental ballads emerging from the karaoke lounge at the entertainment complex today. There are no pulsating bowling matches taking place and there are no Jackie Chan

movies being screened at the cinema. Queenstown Cinema and Bowling Alley, once the pride of the estate, had succumbed under competition from bigger multiplexes equipped with the latest sound systems. The reconfiguration of the cinema hall into a billiard centre in 2001 and the occasional private screenings could not transformed the fortunes of the entertainment complex that symbolises our youth. We shall continue to reminisce as we await plans for the redevelopment of the complex.

Before Queenstown Remand Prison, remand prison-ers were held at Outram Prison at Pearl’s Hill.

It was built in 1847 by the British to alleviate overcrowding at the attap and wooden prison facility in Bras Basah where more than a thousand convicts were incarcerated. However, the puni-tive approach to prison management resulted in a high rate of recidivism and the continued problem of overcrowding. There was an urgent need for a new prison with better facilities and larger space to house the prisoners.

Thus, in 1949, it was decided that the land at Pearl’s Hill would be released for the development of a public housing estate known as Outram Park Complex and a new prison would be built elsewhere. Situated off Margaret Drive at Jalan Penjara, Queenstown Remand Prison was built to accommodate 300 inmates. The groundbreaking of the new prison started in 1963 and it was opened on 23 September 1966 by Othman Wok.

According to an ex-inmate, each cell in the prison measured 6 feet by 12 feet long. There were basic amenities in the cell that catered to the needs of the inmates. Some of these ameni-ties include a table, a bed and a sanitary corner. Every morning, the remand prisoner would be given free time to take a shower, make a phone call or interact with other inmates. Meals were

My Heritage06

When retailer chain, Calvin Klein, unveiled its Spring-Summer Collection for 2010 at Queenstown Remand Prison, there existed a sense of optimism among Queenstown residents that the authorities were abandoning their bulldozer approach towards built heritage in the estate. Much to their dismay, the speculation that the Remand Prison would be converted into an Arts Hub was just “castles in the air.” Today, the vast open space at the site of the former Remand Prison bears little or no resemblance to the once revered institution in Queenstown.

Farewell Queenstown Remand Prison!

taken in a giant canteen.Visitors could communicate with the remand prisoners

through “tele-visiting.” It is an electronic means of communi-cation which allows visitors to speak to the inmates at Prisons Link Centres without having to go through elaborate security procedures.

Queenstown Remand Prison was home to some (in)famous inmates such as Chee Soon Juan and Michael Fay. Michael Fay was the American teenager who briefly shot to international notoriety when he was given corporal punishment for vandal-ism. The case received worldwide media coverage and dozens of reporters were seen at the Remand Prison covering the case. Mr. Albert Tan, 65, a long time resident at Strathmore, recalled, “There were many reporters and many cars parking along Mar-garet Drive. It is unbelievable that there is a heavy traffic jam here!”

The Prison Warden Quarters in 1969

The excavators at the RemandPrison in August 2010

Queenstown Remand Prison before its demolition in 2010

The Pris Block D was a former Prison Warden Quarter on Warden Quarters in 1969

24 year-old Teo Seow Tian was just a toddler when the four-storey Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) apartment flats along Stirling Road were demolished in 1994. In its place was the 38-storey Queens Condominium, once the tallest private housing apartment in Singapore. Today, the suave young man from Nanyang Technological University reveals his pride and love for Queenstown from his “home sweet home.”

Seow Tian’s family moved into

their upscale apartment at the Queens’ Condominium some 10 years ago. For the first six months or so, Seow Tian could not adapt to the new living environment because he had missed his friends and playmates at his former home in Bukit Merah. The incessant and boister-ous bellows from the SMRT trains next to his apartment block was totally unwel-comed because they stole his precious sleeping time. He hated his new home.

As the years went by, Seow Tian and his family had got acquainted to the idyllic neighbourhood and the obstreperous trains. Every weekend, Seow Tian and his parents would either dine at the Margaret Drive Hawker Centre or shop at the Queensway Shopping Cen-tre. He also made new friends while jogging along the Alexandra Canal Park.

There was an instance where he chanced upon an online video which depicted the history of Queenstown. He recalled, “I became very fascinated with Queenstown’s history after

watching a video showing the old SIT flats along Stir-ling Road. I did not expect myself to be living in an es-tate where heritage flourishes.”

The Queens’ C o n d o m i n i u m consisted of 3 gi-gantic towers that were named af-ter royal palaces such as Windsor, Buckingham and Hampton in Britain, our former colonial master.

Today, Seow Tian is a self-confessed admirer of the history and heritage in Queenstown. He visits the library or the National Archives regularly for information pertaining to the estate’s allur-ing past. Like many older residents, he laments at the ongoing destruction of buildings that possess immeasurable historical value. He said, “The demolition of the hawker centre and other facilities in Margaret Drive had taught me an important lesson of not taking things for granted. I have learnt how to appreciate my family, my home and my community more.”

Home Sweet Home07

The King of the

Queens

Aerial view of Margaret Drive and Stirling Road. The Queens condominium is built on the site along Stirling Road where 4-storey SIT flats once stood

My Civic Life08

Alexandra Fire StationBehind the Scenes:

Fire-fighting in Queenstown dates back to 1939. The colonial Auxiliary Fire Brigade had 15 officers and 60 firemen stationed at the Archipelago Brewery Company along Alexandra Road. They played a vital role in putting out fires in the nearby kampung villages located at Mei Ling and Alexandra Village. Opened in February 1954, Alexandra Fire Station was the 3rd station in Singapore and it served an increasing population in Singapore’s first satellite estate, Queenstown.

Fires were common in pre-in-dustrialised Singapore. Kam-

pungs and villages were made of rattan and attap and fires could engulf the en-tire village within seconds, with blessings from gales and breezes. One memorable fire that blazed across the night sky oc-curred in the squatter settlements at Bukit Ho Swee in 25 May 1961. Fire fighters from Alexandra and Central Fire Station rushed to the site and rescued numer-ous villagers from the jaws of the great fire. 2,200 attap houses were destroyed and 16,000 villagers were made home-less. These homeless villagers were then resettled in newly built HDB estates such as Queenstown.

Situated near the famous junction of Queensway and Alexandra Road, known as Rumah Bomba Circus (Malay for Fire Brigade House), Alexandra Fire Station was famous for its wide range of activi-ties happening outside the station in the 1960s and 70s. Itinerant hawkers ped-dling wares were common and the area was well known for Malay street food such as satay, otak otak and mee rebus.

The establishment of Queensway Shop-ping Centre ensured a youthful vibrancy around the fire station which many resi-dents had fond memories of.

In 2002, Alexandra Fire Station was demolished to make way for the current headquarters of SCDF’s 1st Division and its fire-fighters. The fire station was shift-ed to a temporary premise at the former Police Reserve Unit at Tanglin Halt.

The Fire Fighters at Alexandra Fire Station

The heroics of fire fighters are duly exemplified in many popular films and dramas. Their courage and decisiveness

in mounting rescue operations have made Queenstown a safe home for our residents.

Alexandra Fire Station has an opera-tional coverage which stretches from Farrer Road to the Southern Islands. To-gether with 5 other fire stations form-ing the 1st Civil Defence Division, they respond to emergency ambulance calls that convey patients to the hospital and protect the Southern and Central region of Singapore from fires.

Besides having a comprehensive network of fire stations and fire posts, a clear and distinct command structure within the SCDF is also crucial in rescue

Alexandra Fire Station in the 1950s

Alexandra Fire Station in the 1990s

My Civic Life09

operations. The headquarters of SCDF command and control the various units through the divisions. These Civil De-fence Divisions are responsible for their operations within their geographical boundaries. Under the divisions are fire stations which provide immediate re-sponse to any incidents happening with-in their operational coverage.

The commander of the Alexandra Fire Station takes charge of both the fire brigade unit and ambulance service. On one hand, the responsibilities of the fire brigade include fire fighting and con-ducting rescue and HAZMAT operations. On the other hand, the responsibilities of the ambulance unit include rescue oper-ations involving paramedics and the pro-vision of immediate medical treatment.

There are 3 rotas (or shifts) in the fire station. Each rota consists of about 50 fire fighters and a rota commander who is involved in the planning of all activities to ensure that his team attain an optimum level of operational readiness to deal with all possible emergencies, be it fire, rescue or hazmat incidents. The chain of command is further passed on to sec-tion commanders and firemen. There are about 50 Full time National Servicemen (NSFs) in the fire station who serve in the SCDF as part of their national service. They will discharge their duties as med-ics, firemen and section commanders.

The rest of the fire fighting squads con-sist of regulars.

Strict enforcement on discipline and teamwork is fundamental in the Civil Defence. Equipment drills and HAZMAT drills are carried out daily to ensure that the personnel are operationally ready. Hydrant testing and maintenance of ve-hicles are also procedural routines for the fire fighters at Alexandra Fire Station. Physical training sessions, conducted in the form of sports and games, are at-tempts made to forge ‘brotherly’ bonds among the fire fighters.

The Fire-fighting Vehicles and Equipment

The state-of-the-art fire fighting vehi-cles and equipment at Alexandra Fire Sta-tion allow for maximum response during emergencies. Some of this equipment in-cludes combined ladder platforms, HAZ-MAT Pods, pump ladders, fire bikes and ambulances:

∞ The combined ladder platform is 30 metres long (or about 10 storeys high) and it is used for saving trapped occu-pants in drastic conditions.

∞ HAZMAT (acronym for hazardous materials) Pod is used in the mitigation of risks associated with hazardous materi-als and decontamination of toxic com-pounds. The vehicle contains protective equipment that protects the response team and the victims from coming into contact with dangerous chemicals so that their exposure to these toxic compounds does not exceed occupational exposure limits. Alexandra Fires Station is one of the 4 stations in Singapore equipped with capabilities to deal with these hazardous materials.

∞ Fire and paramedic bikes allow fire fighters and medics reach the site of res-cue swiftly and they are particularly useful

during traffic jams since bikes can weave through the maze of vehicles easily.

Rescue OperationsWhen a phone call is dialled to 995,

the operations centre (a.k.a. OPS centre) will locate the exact site of the emergen-cy and relate messages to the respective divisions. The watch-room in Alexandra Fire Station is responsible for dispatching the vehicles and necessary equipment required for rescue operations. Each fire engine (or section) consists of 4 person-nel, 2 of whom are section commanders and the remaining 2 are firemen. About 4 to 5 vehicles are dispatched in each res-cue operation. The rota commander will then decide if there is need to employ more vehicles to the rescue site.

At the rescue site, one of the sections will set up the nozzle and “water jets” for fire fighting. Another section will then connect the water jets to the risers, fire hydrants or water mains while the other sections proceed on to rescue the vic-tims. Some of the notable operations mounted by Alexandra Fire Station in recent years: Chlorine leakages in Sin-gapore Armed Forces Recreation Asso-ciation (SAFRA Mount Faber); structure collapse at Fushionopolis; and residential apartment fires in Bukit Merah estate.

Combined Ladder Platforms

Fast Response Light Fire Attack Vehicle – one of the newer additions to the fire station

The newly renovated Alexandra Fire Station

Paramedic Bike for quicker response to emergencies

Shop ‘Til U Drop10

Sin Palace Hairdressing Saloon has been grooming the neighbourhood’s male residents for more than 30

years. Mr. Ong Choon Kwee, the bespectacled proprietor of the famous saloon, is one of Singapore’s last experts in the tradi-tional art of ear cleaning – an experience which is truly heav-enly and relaxing! He also offers nose trimming, shaving and a decent shot at the sides.

Mr. Ong moved to Queenstown after the devastating Bukit Ho Swee fire some 40 years ago. He picked up the trade by working as an apprentice under an established barber. He said, “The hairdressers were very different in the past. The barber shop often had a small beaten tarpaulin canopy for a roof, be-low which was the shop. The space between the two canopies acted as a territorial boundary. The shops usually consisted of a few old-fashioned chairs, a box-like cupboard hung on the wall, a small wall mirror and a few plastic bins with water.”

After giving his client a comfortable haircut, Mr. Ong used a 5cm long metallic ear cleaner hooked at one end to fish out the ear wax. Then, a small fluffy brush was swished around the middle ear before wiping the eyes and the nose. Thereafter, the tongue was scrapped gently with the barber’s knife to rid of its white coating. Sometimes, he would go on to massage his cli-ent’s shoulders.

With his trusted tools such as gunting (Malay for scissors), pi-sau cukor (razor blade) and ketam (clippers), Mr. Ong has served his customers diligently for the past 40 years. Like other tradi-tional barbers and hairdressers, Mr. Ong faces immense compe-tition from modern saloons. He has made plans to retire in the near future.

The present-day barbers no longer clean the ears, nose or tongues of their customers. They use gadgets such as elec-tric clippers and razor blades which their predecessors are not

equipped with. Like a reliable time machine, the little shop at the corner of Block 117 in Commonwealth Crescent provides older residents with an avenue for reminiscing the good old days. As Mr. Ong continues to exchange words of wisdom with his long-time customers, we know, for sure, all good things do come to an end.

Right here in Commonwealth Crescent, you can still partake in one of the most blissful services that are available only for men

Sin Palace Hairdressing Saloon, at Block 117 Commonwealth Crescent remains an icon for many Queenstown residents

Razor blades, shavers and scissors used by Mr. Ong

Mr. Ong providing a haircut

P.S.: Females are not allowed

Sin Palace Hairdressing Saloon

Makan Shiok/Quiz11

WIN Guess Guess Guess! Spot the differences between the two photographs and win exclusive prizes! 10 lucky winners will be drawn from all the correct entries and they will win a free five-year PAssion membership card worth S$12 each. Winners will be notified by post. 我猜我猜我猜猜猜！ 请从以下两张照片中找出5个不同之处，便有机会赢得丰厚奖品及礼券！ 我们将从所有正确答案中，抽出10位幸运优胜者。每位幸运儿可获得价值12元的PAssion 会员卡！

Queenstown Community Centre, 1982, 女皇镇联络所

Name:

NRIC: Tel:

Address:

Write down your name, address, contact number, NRIC No. and send your entry to:请填写您的姓名、地址、联络号码及身份证号码，并寄到以下地址：

EditorQueenstown Constituency Office c/oQueenstown Community Centre 365 Commonwealth Avenue, Singapore 149732

∞ You can also email to myqueenstown@gmail.com∞ 您也可电邮至 myqueenstown@gmail.comS( )

Winners of the Previous “Guess Guess Guess” Contest: Tan Yong Chuan (Lengkok Bahru), Kwan Seng Hong (Lengkok Bahru), Albert Tay (Tanglin Halt Road), Ong Lai Yeng (Tanglin Halt Road), Haji Ahmad Zulfakar (Tanglin Halt Road), Tee Siew Yet (Tanglin Halt Road), Kylie Cheng (Stirling Road), Jason New (Commonwealth Drive), Tang Tin Ing (Commonwealth Drive), Tan Teck Seng (Strathmore Avenue)

Deadline截止日期: 15 April 2012

The snaking queue outside Henry Chicken Rice food stall is a testament of its popularity among Queenstown residents.

The delightful sight of juicy and succulent chicken meat topped with a crispy and fragrant roasted chicken skin and homemade chili sauce is the main reason why residents choose to queue for almost thirty minutes at the stall.

Mr. Teo has been serving residents with his awesome roasted chicken since 1985. He is the disciple of the main chef at the famous Chatterbox Chicken Rice in Mandarin Orchard. On a good day, he can sell up to 30-40 roasted chickens!

Henry Chicken Rice

∞Address: Block 119 Commonwealth Crescent #02-84 Commonwealth Crescent Market

Photograph Contest! Do you have an old photograph of Queenstown? Send the original hardcopy of the photograph completed with a 100-word written description and win exclusive prizes! 10 lucky winners will be drawn from the photograph contest and they will win up to S$50 cash and a free five-year PAssion membership card worth S$12.

您是否有张关于女皇镇的旧照片？把旧照片找出来并描述一番，就可赢得丰厚奖品及礼券！我们将从所有参赛者中，抽出10位幸运优胜者。每位幸运儿可获得价值12元的PAssion 会员卡！

A sumptuous plate of Henry Chicken Rice

Mr. Teo preparing his roasted chicken

My MP12

Advisor: Dr. Chia Shi-LuChief Editor: Kwek Li YongEditors: Jasper Tan, MyQueenstown TeamTranslator: Normala Osman

EDIT

OR

IAL

TEA

M For feedback, suggestions or recommendations, please write in to: The Editor,Queenstown NewsletterQueenstown Constituency Office c/oQueenstown Community Centre 365 Commonwealth Avenue Singapore 149732

Email to: myqueenstown@gmail.com

Design Consultant: Focus Publishing Ltd (a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings)

Special Thanks: Ho Kok Hock, Thanalachumi Kanniah, Major Ryan Ong, Audrey Chong, Amos Ng, National Heritage Board, Housing and Development Board

Printed by Times Printers

Supported by: Queenstown GROs queenstown.org.sg

Published by: Queenstown CCC and My Queenstown myqueenstown.blogspot.com

谢世儒医生在新加坡中央医院就读医科

时，曾踏进殓房解剖死尸。看着一具具血

淋淋的尸体，世儒的同学们都直作呕。

有一次，世儒必需剖验一具高度腐烂的

尸体。臭气熏天的尸味渗入医袍，让乘搭

巴士回家的世儒十分懊恼。他说：“当时，

我没发觉自己的身上有股浓浓的尸味，所

以没理会周围的乘客。”

殓房，停尸间的旧称，是遗体停放的建

筑物。亚历山大医院的殓房里有冷藏室和

剖验套间，可摆放遗体并给予后人有充足

的时间安排葬礼仪式。由于卫生及隐私理

由，因此殓房在医院里是个禁地。

殓房之旅Pertama kali Dr Chia Shi-Lu diajar menjalani

pembedahan adalah di bilik mayat Hospital Umum Singapura. Ada di antara teman-teman sedarjahnya yang terasa mual kerana mereka tidak tahan melihat mayat yang mengerikan.

Pelajar dalam tahun 3 ini merasakan satu pengalaman yang agak luar biasa setelah menjalankan kajian anatomi kepada mayat reput yang dijumpai di laut itu. Beliau teringat, “Setelah menjalani kelas anatomi, saya pulang kerumah menaiki bas. Saya tidak faham mengapa semua orang di dalam bas tersebut asyik merenung saya – saya berbau busuk!”

Bilik mayat adalah tempat menyimpan mayat sementara menunggu untuk dikenalpasti, diperiksa atau dibuang. Mayat-mayat akan disimpan di dalam peti ais untuk melambatkan kerapuhan. Terdapat beberapa meja yang diletakkan dekat dengan sinki supaya cairan dari mayat akan mengalir. Bilik mayat ini adalah salah satu kemudahan yang terdapat di Hospital Alexandra dan dijauhi umum agar selamat, bersih dan privasi..

Selain dari bilik mayat, teater operasi juga adalah tempat larangan daripada awam. Teater Operasi ini luas dan cahayanya cukup terang untuk menjalankan pembedahan. Dalam lawatannya yang pertama ke teater operasi ini, Shi-Lu diminta mengamati dan turut serta dalam pembedahan yang melibatkan pundi kencing pesakit. Katanya, “Saya tidak menyangka bahawa saya akan dipanggil untuk turut serta dalam operasi tersebut setelah pembantunya jatuh sakit. Saya mengingatkan diri saya bahawa saya harus fokus dan saya tidak boleh merasa khuatir atau takut.”

Di dalam Bilik Mayat

Dr. Chia Shi-Lu’s first encounter with the mortuary was an anatomy class at the Singapore General Hospital where he was taught dissection. Several of his classmates felt nauseous because they

could not stomach the sight of a grisly immobile corpse. Performing an anatomy study on a badly decomposed body recovered from the sea was quite

a revelation for the then 3rd year medical student. He recalled, “After the anatomy class, I took a bus home. I did not understand why the passengers were staring at me until I got home – I stink!”

The mortuary is used for the storage of corpses awaiting identification, autopsy or disposal. Bodies are kept in refrigeration units to delay decomposition. There are several autopsy tables within the mortuary that are slightly tilted to the sink so that body fluids can be drained. The mortuary is one of the facilities within the Alexandra Hospital that is out-of-bound due to security, hygiene and privacy concerns.

Besides the mortuary, operating theatres at the Alexandra Hospital are off-limits to the public too. An operating theatre is a spacious well-lit room where surgical operations are carried out. In Shi-Lu’s first visit to the operating theatre, he was asked to observe and participate in an operation that involved the reconstruction of a patient’s bladder. He said, “I did not expect myself to be called upon by the surgeon to assist in the operation after his assistant fell ill. I reminded myself that I must focus on the surgery and I do not have the luxury to be worried or nervous.”

Inside the Mortuary…