RAJATHURAI, Subaraj Special Project, Accession Number 004236


  • Oral History Centre
    Source
  • 10
    Total Reels
  • Benjamin Ho
    Interviewer
  • 08:54:56
    Total Running Time
  • English
    Language


Copyright Notice

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Metadata

  • 9 Jan 2018
    Recording Date
  • 00:53:54
    Running Time
  • MP3
    Format
  • Open Access
    Conditions Governing Access

Synopsis

Born in Kandang Kerbau Hospital, Singapore in 1963. Grandparents from both sides originated from Sri Lanka. Occupations of families. Raised in a middle-class home in Siglap. Parents were teachers. Described living environment as neighbourly. Description of parent’s influence on Subaraj. Fondly recalled visits to relatives in Malaysia during childhood. Description of extended fa mily spread all over the world. Description of two siblings, one elder brother and younger sister. Description of growing up years, visiting Glutton’s Square at Orchard Road, Tay Buan Guan and Fitzpatrick’s supermarkets and Changi Swimming Club. First encounters of nature include the garden, visits to Malaysia, magazines, the animal pictures on the Milkmaid condensed milk cans and watching documentaries by David Attenborough, Jacques Cousteau, Jane Goodall and David Bellamy. Recalled the trip to Cameron Highlands at the age of ten.  Recalled the schools his parents taught at. Father taught Science and mother taught English. Description of school time at Guillemard East Primary School and Tanjong Katong Technical School. Picked Tanjong Katong as first choice as advised by his teacher who did not expect his results to be good enough for Raffles Institution (RI) due to injury which affected his attendance. However, his results were good enough to go RI. Subaraj finds it hard to recall names due to the numerous people met during course of work. Repeated ‘O’ levels at Siglap Secondary School. Spend four years after National Service to self-study on nature in Singapore. Wrote everything he encountered in a notebook and went to the National Library to research. Attended extracurricular courses taught by professors Wee Yeow Chin and Dennis Murphy. Met Dennis Yong the birdwatcher. First paid job was to take a couple of foreign birdwatchers for a birdwatching tour in 1988. Spent National Service in the Navy. Was seasick and downgraded to be a recall clerk. Recall experience of getting a tour guide licence from Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB). Became a first specialised nature tour guide in Singapore. Description of Bukit Timah Hill in the early 1980s. Bukit Timah was like a cloud forest during rain. Giant millipedes were everywhere. Forest was becoming dry after forest was cut. Opinion of Bukit Timah as the grand lady of nature parks in Singapore. Recalled Macritchie, Upper Seletar, Upper Pierce and Lower Pierce. Decryption of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong in 1981. Recalled Pulau Sakeng kampongs. Involvement in Sungei Buloh’s conservation. Recalled the Caucasians as the only group interested in nature during the sixties and seventies. First local to lead a birdwatching group was Prof. Ng Soon Chye in 1974. Description of the ascend up the hill from the 9th mile, Bukit Timah. Recalled the low pay of park wardens during the Parks and Recreation Department days.

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