Sembawang
|
|
Sembawang is a region in the northern-most part of Singapore. It is a largely residential area with military, industrial and recretational facilities at its margins. In colonial times, the area was home to a major British naval base, including dockyards, wharves and workshops, as well as supporting administrative, residential and commercial areas. Beyond the Naval Base area, there were also many small vegetable farms, plantations (mostly rubber) as well as Chinese graveyards. Since the 1960s, the Naval Base has been handed over to the Singapore government, which converted it into a commercial dockyard, which has gone on to become Sembawang Corporation, a major State-owned industrial conglomorate listed on Singapore stock exchange. The farms and graveyards have given way to modern housing, especially the development in the 1990s of a HDB public housing New Town. Today, Sembawang Town is a typical suburban public housing New Town in Singapore, with a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Station and a few shopping centres.
History
Prior to the 1990s Sembawang was a small town. The town central was known locally as 13th Miles, and was divided by Sembawang Road in the middle, with Kindo Cinema on the east and Sultan Theatre (known as Chong Pang back then) on the west. There was a colorful wet market over at the Kindo Cinema side located on Sum Wah Chee Drive. There was also a Chinese temple which organised annual Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations with colourful street opera and Getais (open air concerts).
To the north, there was a roundabout that no longer exists, which branched into Canberra Road and Sembawang Road. Beside the roundabout was the Our Lady Star of the Sea Church. Further down Canberra Road, there were 2 primary schools (West Hill School and Canberra School) and 1 secondary school (Naval Base Secondary School). The Chong Pang Police Station was also there with a community centre and an out-patient polyclinic.
Chong Pang Road lead to the Sultan Theatre Roundabout, which was a special roundabout that housed some foodstalls (selling laksa noodles for 20 cents, and barbecued chicken wings at night), bookstores and some sundry shops. Weekly pasar malams (night markets) were held along Chong Pang Road, where many hawkers jockeyed for space. There was a fish ball noodle stall just directly outside the public toilet.
In the area near the Kindo Cinema, there was a Malay stall that sold delicious nasi lemak in the morning. The Cambridge Bookstore was also located there.
Further north of Sembawang Road and a mile away from Sembawang Town Centre, the area was known as 14th Miles. There were high rise residential blocks and an area known as The Strip, which housed several bars and nightclubs mostly catering for the ANZUS military and local young men.
At the end of Sembawang Road (also known as 15th Miles) was Sembawang Beach.