Year 1959
Singapore Go-Kart Club Formed
Sunday, 6th December 1959
The Singapore Go-Kart Club was formed and will be organising Go-Kart Racing in Singapore. The Club is affiliated to the Singapore Motor Club. Go-Kart racing was first introduced in 1957 in the United States.
Lightning Killed Two
Sunday, 6th December 1959
A Malay couple were killed by lightning as they sat in the doorway of their attap house in Jalan Kayu. They were resting there after lunch when they were struck by a bolt of lighting during a severe thunder storm. Their friend who is resting in an adjoining room suffered burns on his back. The rain also caused flooding in low-lying areas along Bukit Timah Road.
National Loyalty Week
Thursday, 3rd December 1959
National Loyalty Week was held between 3 - 10 December 1959 to encourage a sense of loyalty to the new state of Singapore amongst its diverse citizens. It saw the inauguration of key national symbols including the state flag, the national anthem, the state crest and the installation of the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara or Head of State. During the week people could dial 2 or 3 to listen to Majulah Singapura on the telephone. Admission to swimming pools was free, and rides at the Great World and Happy World were free or greatly reduced in price. The Legislative Assembly and the University of Malaya's Science Faculty were opened to the public in the mornings. Exhibitions with free entry included "The 'Peoples' Government at Work" at the Victoria Memorial Hall, photography and arts exhibition at the Polytechnic, and the Singapore Harbour Board exhibition at the SHB Exhibition Pavilion at Tanjong Pagar.
Fly Via Viscount to KL
Wednesday, 2nd December 1959
Malayan Airways started Viscount Service between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The new Viscount airplane can carry up to 44 passengers and fly at the speed of 300 miles per hours. The journey from Singapore to KL takes less than half and hour. The Viscount was a British made medium-range turboprop airliner.
Farewell Sir William Goode
Monday, 30th November 1959
The three services, Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors, staged a farewell parade for Sir William Goode (the Yang di-Pertuan Negara) at the Royal Naval Air Station at Sembawang. The parade marks the end of an era in Singapore Colonial history.
cleaning the city
Monday, 23rd November 1959
Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew today led a mass drive to spring-clean the city for National Loyalty Week, and also to time with the official installation of Singapore’s Yang di-Pertuan Negara on December 3. Three other Ministers also joined thousands of volunteers on the first day of the one-week giant campaign known as Gerakkan Pembersehan Bandar Raya Singapura. He said the government aimed to make Singapore as one of the cleanest and healthiest cities in Asia.
Oily Man in East Coast
Monday, 16th November 1959
An “oily man” (Orang Minyak) scare gripped residents of Frankel Estate here. shortly after a young girl reported that she was attacked in a playground off Changi Road by a young man wearing only swimming trunks. Several passers-by answered the girl’s cries for help and chased her attacker up to a steep cliff. The fugitive escaped the police dragnet. All womenfolk in the estate remained behind bolted doors as armed police searched for the girl’s attacker who was said to be smeared with oil. Malay legend has it that the “oily man” possesses evil supernatural powers and preys on women.
amnesty offer to secret society gangsters
Saturday, 17th October 1959
The Singapore Government announced a general amnesty offer to all Singapore secret society gangsters, giving them a chance to decide within 16 days to reform or be wiped out. The offer held good for around a fortnight. After that, a relentless campaign would be launched by the police, who had been given more powers under the new “beat the gang” laws recently passed by the Legislative Assembly.
National Anthem Majulah Singapura
Monday, 31st August 1959
The national anthem Majulah Singapura, written by Zubir Said, was presented. Students of the then University of Malaya had the distinction of being the first to welcome a Cabinet minister with the Singapore's National Anthem. Interestingly, Minister for Home Affairs Ong Pang Boon was attending a rally in the Bukit Timah campus to celebrate Malaysia’s independence. After the playing of the Malaysia anthem, Mr Ong was greeted by “Majulah Singapura”.
Pulau Sudong given a face-lift
Sunday, 30th August 1959
Five hundred volunteers today braved rain and a choppy sea to give Pulau Sudong a face-lift. It was part of the Ministry of National Development’s project to improve living conditions on the Southern Islands. The Minister for National Development, Mr Ong Eng Guan, led the volunteers who were from the National Cohesiveness Corps and oil companies from the neighbouring islands. Fallen tree trunks and rubbish heaps in the small kampongs were carried off to a dumping ground. The graveyard was fenced off, buildings were painted and a derelict hut, used as a medical clinic, was renovated. Pulau Sudong was originally filled with mangrove trees and swamp. It made the headlines when geologists raised the alarm that the island was sinking. The islanders, however, were unwilling to move to nearby Pulau Pawai but they did not heed his warning and stayed firm on Pulau Sudong.
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