Kheam Hock
Community in Action A City in a Garden
Everyone living on this small yet lush island will at some point have noticed Singapore’s continuing efforts to make the city more pleasant and green to life in. Singapore’s greening initiative ‘City in a Garden’ is all around us, and about to get even closer, as we are asking for help to get the Hollandse Club involved too. What does it mean for us, to become a ‘Club in a Garden’?
Quality of living
Fifty years ago, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew planted a Mempat tree at Farrer Circus, kicking off a long series of projects aimed at making this little island-state more green and attractive, and to enhance the quality of living for its people. These days, Singapore is full of beautiful parks, majestic trees and colourful flowers. Still, more can be done, as Singapore continues to urbanise, it seeks to preserve its green and vibrant atmosphere. It’s aim? To be a city nestled within a thriving garden. To really get the city to become a garden, everyone in Singapore needs to get involved, including our Hollandse Club and it’s members. This year, to commemorate 50 years of greening Singapore, the National Parks Board (NParks) is organising various activities for the community to become part of its ‘City in a Garden’ vision.
Kheam Hock in action
Community in Action for Kheam Hock, is a long-term, community-led initiative, involving NParks, Nature Society Singapore (NSS), community gardening volunteers and the Kheam Hock community. For the first time, the community is coming together to grow bird and butterfly attracting plants at homes, along roads and within buildings. Doing this will help create a Nature Way for birds, butterflies and other small animals to travel between the different green areas of Singapore, and bring biodiversity closer to the neighbourhood. Kheam Hock Road is key in Singapore’s greening initiative, as this largely residential neighbourhood connects two of Singapore’s largest green areas: the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Three other Nature Ways will be created at Admiralty, Tampines and Yishun. Every Singaporean, whether permanent or temporary resident, whether living in one of the designated community areas or not, is invited to join in and do their share in making Singapore more green, and further shape the ‘City in a Garden’ vision. 12 The Hollandse Club www.hollandseclub.org.sg
Create a ‘Club in a Garden’
Kheam Hock refers to the area of largely residential land between the Pan Island Expressway in the north, Dunearn Road in the south, Adam Road to the west and Whitley Road to the east, including the Hollandse Club within its borders. Naturally, we want to do our share. To learn more about what the Kheam Hock Project is about, and to involve both club staff and members in this worthwhile community project, we have organised a special project day.
Project day and walk
The Kheam Hock project day is planned for Saturday the 18th of May, starting at 9.30am and involves a lecture by NParks at the Lounge, followed by a walk to the Botanic Gardens, including a special ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the nursery. A large part of our members live in the Kheam Hock area, and we hope many of you will come by and join in to see how we can contribute to increasing Singapore’s biodiversity, at the Club and at home. People living outside the Kheam Hock area are encouraged to come as well, as greening Singapore is not contained within the area’s borders.