Thursday, June 12, 2008

In the old days, boys and girls watched the bullocks


The Bullock Cart - circa 1940s
Remember the old folks in the kampong. They used the bullock carts to carry heavy things. But strangely enough, bullock carts were also used in the old days to transport water around Chinatown. Most of the bullock carts were stationed along Kreta Ayer Road, hence its Malay name. Chinatown in Singapore was also referred to as "bullock carts carrying water." Indian convicts brought into Singapore to do hard labour in 1825 were given bullocks as incentives for good behaviour, upon the completion of their penal sentence in Singapore.

1 comment:

wwsmarcom3 said...

Hi! I would like to inquire if it is possible to obtain this photo of the bullock carts used in Singapore for publication in an educational booklet for a proposed Marina Bike Learning Trail (MBLT) targeted at secondary and tertiary students and young adults in Singapore. This learning trail will be held in the vicinity of Marina Reservoir and incorporates a multi-disciplinary learning experience that includes topics such as History, Geography, Science, Arts, Civics and Biodiversity. This learning trail is to be developed by Waterways Watch Society (an NGO based in Singapore), with the support of PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency. Please feel free to contact me at wwsmarcom3@gmail.com for more information and your response is much appreciated. Thank you!