DISTANT, Donald Patrick
The Public Service,
Accession Number 002676
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 18
Total Reels
- Jason Lim (Dr)
Interviewer
- 08:48:24
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
All rights to the recordings and transcripts on this website, including the rights to copy, publish, broadcast and perform, are reserved. Written permission is required for any use. If you have any queries, please contact nas@nlb.gov.sg
Reel/Disc 1 of 18
Metadata
- 5 Dec 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:31
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Parents' background. Father remained in Singapore during Japanese Occupation while mother, brother and interviewee were in Bombay. Riots in Bombay after assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1947. Cyclone damage in Bombay in 1949. Life as boarder at St Mary's High School from 1946 to 1949. Studied Hindustani. First day in school. Impressions of his teachers. Kite-flying and other activities. Dormitory life. First impressions of Singapore upon arrival in 1949. Stayed at Meyer Road, then at Buffalo Road. Neighbours at Buffalo Road. Changes in Singapore. Studied at St Joseph's Institution (SJI) from 1950 to 1958.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 18
Metadata
- 5 Dec 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:30
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Impressions of his teachers at St Joseph's Institution (SJI). Worked as relief teacher at De La Salle School for few months in 1959. Participation in extra-curricular activities at SJI. Belief in getting things done in shortest possible time. Training in athletics. Differences in teaching between Christian Brothers and lay teachers at SJI. Involvement in various school activities. Impression that teachers at SJI were strict.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 18
Metadata
- 5 Dec 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:38
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Schoolboy ambitions. Why he decided to study Engineering at University of Malaya in 1959. First impressions of University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Engineering programme at university. Campus life. Hostel life. Small number of undergraduates in 1959. Anecdote concerning assassination of John F Kennedy in 1963. Impression that hostelites did not care about news on television. Student ragging. Activities of Catholic Students' Society. Anecdotes about his motorcycle. Impressions of his lecturers. Worked at National Electricity Board (NEB) in Kuala Lumpur on practical attachment in 1962.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 18
Metadata
- 5 Dec 2002
Recording Date
- 00:30:23
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Worked at National Electricity Board (NEB) in Kuala Lumpur on practical attachment in 1962. How he got job at NEB after graduation from University of Malaya in 1964. Why he chose NEB over Public Utilities Board (PUB) in Singapore. Did not get any letter of appointment from NEB. Job opportunities upon graduation. Other job interviews attended. Working experiences as Pupil Engineer at NEB from 1964 to 1965. Industrial attachment as Trainee Engineer at Allmana Svenska Electriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) in Sweden from 1965 to 1966.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 18
Metadata
- 30 Jan 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:42
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Life as Trainee Engineer at Allmana Svenska Electriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) in Sweden from 1965 to 1966. Benefits of working overseas. Entertainment in Sweden. Return to Kuala Lumpur. Working experiences as Distribution Engineer at National Electricity Board (NEB) from 1966 to 1969. Consequence of floods in Kuala Lumpur in 1970. Distribution of power to mines. Impression of Europeans who stayed in Malaysia. Working environment at NEB. Promoted to Head of Transmission Department in 1970; worked in Butterworth.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 18
Metadata
- 30 Jan 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:14
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Working experiences as Head of Transmission Department, National Electricity Board (NEB), in Butterworth from 1970 to 1971. Travelling to northern Malaya. Anecdotes concerning leaches and bees. Impression of technicians and artisans at NEB. Circumstances which led to his departure from NEB and how he got job as Electrical Engineer at Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) in 1971.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 18
Metadata
- 30 Jan 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:35
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Joined Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) as Electrical Engineer in 1971. Recollection of May 13 riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969. Overview of his career in National Electricity Board (NEB) in Malaysia from 1964 to 1971. First impressions of PSA. Involved in the containerisation programme of PSA. Promotion to Executive Engineer in 1972. Turned down job offer at Sembawang Shipyard in 1971. Role as Executive Engineer at PSA.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 18
Metadata
- 30 Jan 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:26
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Worked on Power Distribution Network at Port of Singapore Authority (PSA). Visited World Trade Centre in New York in 1975 and worked on building of World Trade Centre in Singapore from 1975 to 1978. Importance of going abroad and learning from experiences of other countries. Worked on PSA Building and Pasir Panjang Port as Senior Electrical Engineer. Misnomer of term "Senior Electrical Engineer". Studied for Master of Science in Transportation at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1979 to 1980.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 18
Metadata
- 30 Jan 2003
Recording Date
- 00:31:00
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Why he chose to do Master of Science in Transportation at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1979 to 1980. Degree programme. Impressions of his lecturers. University life. Preparation of his thesis. Life in Boston. Examinations and project papers at MIT. Impression of taxi drivers in Boston.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 18
Metadata
- 26 Feb 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:26
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Access to recording/transcript requires written permission from interviewee
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Anecdote concerning fire in his flat in Boston. Crimes in Boston. Transportation and food in Boston. Little snow in Boston in winter of 1979. Life in Boston. Impression that Americans were advanced in certain areas. His children's schooling life. Impression that some Americans were ignorant about Singapore and very nationalistic. Impression that some Americans tended to ignore trouble and problems.
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