Since 1958
www.aasingapore.com
January 2017
American Association..... 1-8 Member Discounts............. 3 CRCE & Business............... 9 Community News....... 10-12 The Early Days............ 13-25 Education........................ 26 Health & Wellness........... 27
AAS 1-8
CRCE 9
Check Out Photos from Turkey Trot & Toys for Tots
The Key to Growing a Successful Business in Singapore
Health & Wellness 27
Why You Should Be Glad You Live in Singapore Now
The Early Days 13-25
What Was Singapore Like When Americans First Came? MCI (P) 116/04/2016
Happy Centennial, AAS! By Glenn van Zutphen
Singapore 1917
I
magine Singapore in 1917. Clipper ships unloading their holds onto small bumboats (in the area that’s now Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands); jostling for space up and down the bustling Singapore River at Collyer, Boat, Clark and Robertson Quays. Just look at the image above! Think of all the sights, sounds and smells (!) of a working port and all the excitement that comes with it. Picture sultry Singapore with no air conditioning; no ice (or refrigeration in the early days); frequent tropical downpours and flooded streets; kids playing among workers hauling loads of tin, rubber, gambier, pepper, tapioca or copra on their backs; trash being thrown and sewage draining into the river. It was a chaotic, booming, exciting era in our local history. Think about getting off your sailing ship or steamer at Johnston’s Pier (1856-1933) or Clifford Pier (1933-2006) after more than a month at sea, traveling from the US East Coast, through Havana, around the tip of South America and through the Pacific Ocean, stopping in Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai and other
exotic ports to finally get here. Who would be there to greet you? Who would give you “a piece of home” far away from your loved ones and the life that you knew? FH Levenhagen, AAS President in 1962, wrote, “The American Association of Singapore had its inauspicious beginning in 1917 when a handful of American businessmen met in the office of the Consul General with the vague idea that something ought to be done to organize the American community for mutual benefit.” It was felt that an American society among brotherhood lines was needed. On August 25 that same year, AAS was officially founded by a small group of Americans then stationed in Singapore, under the name “American Association of Malaya.” The constitution stipulated that only a “male American citizen of full age who is a resident of Malaya and other such countries … shall be eligible to membership.” At inauguration, the association had 30 members. The objectives of the Association were simply stated in the Preamble of the Association’s Constitution:
“… to promote good feeling between Americans and persons living in Singapore, to promote friendship among ourselves, to provide educational facilities for children and for other purposes….” Out of this mission grew a multi-faceted organization that served the community in a variety of ways. Over the decades, AAS has founded most of the American groups in Singapore (see our timeline on pages 14-15): • American Women’s Association (then American Women’s Auxiliary) (1935) • The American Club (1948) • Singapore American School (1956) • American Chamber of Commerce • (then American Business Committee) (1969) • Singapore American Community Action Council (SACAC) (1973) • Boy Scouts of America Troop 07 (1986) • American Dragons dragon boat team (2005) Continues on page 19
American Association of Singapore’s Centennial Partners