YEOH, Desmond Chew Sing
Economic Development of Singapore,
Accession Number 002180
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 15
Total Reels
- Jesley Chua Chee Huan
Interviewer
- 07:16:57
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 15
Metadata
- 18 Aug 1999
Recording Date
- 00:29:53
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Born in Chye Kay Village off Sembawang Road in 1955. Family consisted of 12 members. Parents did fish, animal and vegetable farming. Most residents in the village were Hokkiens with surname Lim or Toh. He belonged to minority Teochew dialect group. Enjoyed fishing at the river as a child. Family owned sampan. Described village Chinese school. Found village life "not pressurizing". Disliked pig, chicken, duck farming because it was "very smelly". Family owned second largest number of pigs in Chye Kay Village. Why "catching" of ducks was done at night. Parents allocated work accordingly for all the children.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 15
Metadata
- 18 Aug 1999
Recording Date
- 00:29:58
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Detailed on fish harvesting. Part time helpers given fish as payment. A typical day in the farm. Spoke of house built at the centre of the pond. Avoided going out at night as village had no streetlights. Villagers' stories of "ghosts". Bat hunting common during rambutan season. Father caught iguanas and pythons which were boiled with herbs to make "tasty" soups. Recalled an incident when he was nearly bitten by a cobra. Description of open air cinema. Touched on Malay and Indian families in the neighborhood. Remembered Community Centre and row of shops at junction of Chye Kay Village. Explained how bamboo was used to catch catfish at sea.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 15
Metadata
- 26 Aug 1999
Recording Date
- 00:29:54
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Though family owned fish farms he found fishing "in the wilds" more thrilling. Children kept fighting fish in bottles to watch them fight "till they die". Name fresh/seawater fishes that parents reared. "Soon Hock" fish was popular but difficult to rear. Described structure, depth and shape of ponds. Different variety of carps could be put together but certain other species could not. Initial fish stocks were imported from China and Thailand. Pig waste, grass, chicken intestines used as fish food. Fish had to be at least a month old to survive transportation. Ponds drained to enable fish "sorting" according to size.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 15
Metadata
- 26 Aug 1999
Recording Date
- 00:30:04
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Fish sorted according to size; profitability depended on their weight. Revealed prices of various fishes. Preparation of fish food done in huge cauldrons. Recalled incident when sister fell into cauldron and burnt her leg. Tins containing fish food were balanced on poles and brought to ponds. Reared shrimps and crabs to meet demand for "live" seafood in '80's. Why seawater or salt was thrown into ponds when fish were sick. Reason why bamboos were stuck into fish ponds. Flooding caused entire pond of fish to be swept away into river once. Fish harvesting done every 8 months. Role of "brokers" during fish harvesting.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 15
Metadata
- 26 Aug 1999
Recording Date
- 00:30:07
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Fish harvested within two days but took a week to be sold. Neighbours, relatives and brokers helped with fish harvesting. Detailed on the process involved during fish harvesting. Light bulbs fixed in chicken-house to keep chicks warm but had to be checked at least twice during the night by his mother. Egg laying chickens kept for a year before they were sold. Ducklings introduced to water twice a day for first 20 days. Preparation of chicken and duck feed. Pig diseases common then; sick and dead pigs sold cheap to roast pork sellers. Infected dead pigs thrown into Khatib River.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 15
Metadata
- 26 Aug 1999
Recording Date
- 00:29:09
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Family owned about seven to eight hundred pigs. Piglets were given special care and took six months to mature into adult pigs. Pig sty needed to be cleaned everyday. Pigs had to be 150 "katis" in weight before they were sold off. Explained how pig feed was prepared. Detailed on average size of chicken coops in farm. Family paid vet for injecting chickens to expedite their growth. His farm chickens were never infected with virus. Japanese farmers owned animal farm nearby but bought vegetables from his parents. Father threw vegetables into sewerage tank before selling them to Japanese to avenge bad treatment received by them.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 15
Metadata
- 9 Sep 1999
Recording Date
- 00:30:29
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Surprised to find fishing license issued during the Japanese Occupation recently. Permit cost $3.00 for an area of 20 acres of fish ponds. Parents planted pepper post war and made "a lot of money". Considered father an intelligent man with business foresight. Family took up ornamental fish business only in '70's. Principal of Li Cheng School instrumental in teaching Chye Kay villagers how to breed ornamental fishes for extra income. Concrete ponds within school compound enabled principal to teach villagers. Family considered one of the richest in the vicinity. Living standards of average farmers. 20 families formerly from Chye Kay village currently in Tampines breeding quality "Singapore guppies".
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Reel/Disc 8 of 15
Metadata
- 9 Sep 1999
Recording Date
- 00:30:32
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Ponds situated near Sungei Khatib suitable for guppy breeding. His family ventured into guppy breeding much later compared to neighbours. Recalled floods washed away guppies into river once. Chye Kay families concentrated on two or three types of guppies each. Cited different species and colours of guppies. Why family changed to goldfish breeding after three years. Initial cost of guppy fry. Guppy males more colourful than females. Estimated that 10 varieties of guppies were created at Chye Kay. Farms known by owner's names then. Newly created guppies included "Snakeskin", "Dragonhead" and "Ribbon". Why Ulu Sembawang was suitable for goldfish breeding. Circumstances led family to become "brokers" and later importers.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 15
Metadata
- 9 Sep 1999
Recording Date
- 00:29:49
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Imported fish from Japan initially but sudden change in temperature caused fish to die. Fish exported first to Labuan followed by many other countries. His "liking" for fish kept him in family business. Switched to goldfish breeding because it was bigger, easier to count and fetched higher price. Guppies fed twice daily. Seawater put into pond to weaken parasites and strengthen guppies. Why role of farmer, broker, exporter was important in fish business. Detailed on how guppies were sorted. Export of guppies done "almost everyday". No local market for guppies as they felt they were from drains. Elaborated on various stages of goldfish breeding.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 15
Metadata
- 16 Sep 1999
Recording Date
- 00:30:13
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Special care necessary for certain species of goldfish. Named five varieties of goldfish bred in Singapore. Why Lion Heads grew faster than Pearl Scale or Rancho. Differentiated goldfish bred in mud ponds and concrete tanks. Explained on egg laying and hatching of goldfishes. Milk powder mixed with wheat flour prepared as goldfish feed. Difficulties encountered initially in goldfish breeding. Red coloured goldfish most popular. Price differences amongst different species of goldfishes. "Rancho" sold for 14,000 in Singapore. UK, Saudi and Middle East biggest goldfish importers. Documentation formalities involved in fish export. Styrofoam boxes used for packing fishes. Ice blocks put in boxes to control temperature.
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