In those days, when there were no internet, smartphones, computers, cable TVs and probably most modern technology gadgets of today, what were our source of leisure, recreation and play? The outdoors were where we can find our fun, from the old long open style corridors to the old playgrounds nearby our home. Today, I am embarking on the fun and reminisce our good old childhood times at the Old Playgrounds, giving each remaining individual Old Playground a write up that she strongly deserved to have, an integral part of Singapore’s history, heritage, culture and growing up years. What does the Old Playgrounds meant to you? Do you miss the Old Playgrounds? Growing up in the 1980s, the Old Playgrounds were of great fun and excitement, a location to meet your classmates/schoolmates after school to play and run around until you were asked (forced) to go home by your parents.
The Old Playground that I am featuring is the Baby Dragon Playground in the heart of (Braddell area) Toa Payoh HDB Estate. The Old Playgrounds were designed by Mr Khor Ean Ghee, who was working in the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in the 1970s and 1980s. The Baby Dragon Playground was a smaller version of her bigger cousin, the Dragon Playground. The Dragon Playground was Mr Khor’s favourite playground among his many playground designs that he completed for HDB and it lived up to the mandate of creating spaces for the children to play safely and learn about local identity.
When I found the Baby Dragon Playground, things had changed, the sand pit were no longer around. The flooring had changed and there were a new modern playground beside it too. As I climbed up the steps and ran down the curved slide, nostalgic childhood memories came running back into me. Even though it will never be the same like before, I am happy that the Baby Dragon Playground is still around and hopefully still be around into the decades ahead into the future. Whenever we stood at the top of the Old Playgrounds, we had a top of the world feeling (when we were small kids and it looked kind of high up there!), fast forward ahead as an adult, the feelings never change, the top of the world feeling is still around (except that it’s not that high since we are now adults!).
Coming back down, taking photographs, documenting and now sharing the Baby Dragon Playground here, my thoughts, my stories, my fun times. I hope to add more photographs of the Baby Dragon Playground from different perspectives and views, to continue sharing what the Old Playgrounds meant to some of us. This is my own personal project to document Old Playgrounds in Singapore, my collection on Flickr! Every post I write for each individual Old Playground, I am taking a small baby (hence the Baby Dragon Playground) step to producing my own and very first photobook on each individual Old Playground story, photographs and adventure. It’s a dream that I want to fulfil eventually some time down the road. Will you join me in going back to your childhood days and play again at the Old Playgrounds?
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Useful information and links on Old Playgrounds in Singapore
– Singapore Memory Project ~ Mosaic Memories – Remembering the Playgrounds Singapore Grew Up In
– Map of the Old Playgrounds locations in Singapore by Justin Zhuang
View Old Singapore Playgrounds in a larger map