EVERY day stories about leaking roofs, petty squabbles and rice and ghee rations may be mundane, but the Straits Settlements Records (SSR) are also a treasure trove of historical information about British colonial rule in Singapore.

Some records date back to 1807, even before Singapore became a British colony. The handwritten records give us an interesting insight into the matters colonial rulers dealt with on a daily basis.

As a part of the Citizen Archivist Project, the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) has put up digitised microfilms of these records on their website. Members of the public are welcome to help in transcribing them.

It is a monumental job as many of the papers in the SSR are in fragile condition. They are written in cursive handwriting and some are faded, smudged or illegible – making them difficult to decipher. It is therefore very rewarding for an archivist to be able to fathom and record for future generations the story of where it all began.

I should know, as I am one of the more than 250 volunteers who have contributed to the project. The NAS is hoping to transcribe a million of these records by 2019 – the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles’ landing in Singapore.

More than 9,000 of these pages have been transcribed while another 1,600 old photographs have been described by the community so far, said The Straits Times in an earlier report.

Familiar names pop up in the SSR, previously identified only as roads and buildings. Cuppage Terrace is named after William Cuppage, the acting postmaster general in the 1840s. Purvis Street takes its name from John Purvis, a sheriff of Kampong Glam.

The pages are sprinkled with references to roads as we know them now – Beach Road, North Bridge Road, Arab Street etc.

Transcribers not only deal with an antiquated style of writing, but also with words from regional languages as well. Hindi makes an appearance with words like “bhatta” (allowance) and “sicca” (coin), for example.

It’s quite a linguistic feat to read through it all and, if not recorded now, many of these words will also disappear so it becomes even more difficult for future generations to decipher them.

The papers dealing with the early part of the 19th century paint the story of a region which was forested, undeveloped and rural.

It was in need of laws and charters to develop it. By the beginning of the 20th century, the tone of the records shifts from basic policy matters, to dealing with a more evolved government structure.

It is not all about government matters, however.

There are interesting nuggets like how, in 1858 Singapore was so infested with tigers that people had put up tiger pits in order to trap them and in turn receive a reward from the government for helping to clear the island of tigers.

The volunteer archivists are often stumped by the handwriting. Whenever a double “s” appears, it seems to be an “f” and “s” leaving them wondering if “afsefsment” was a word at that time.

This is where experience comes in handy. Knowing the context of the records also makes them easier to understand.

When written in cursive hand W and M seem the same.

Do the papers refer to Mr J. Kerr or W.J. Kerr? Passionate archivists even go to the extent of searching online for more information to get the correct spelling of names and places.

Transcribing is not something that can be taken casually.

Since history is being recorded, accuracy is of prime importance. All pages have to be transcribed as is, including spelling errors and abbreviations. Unreadable text has to be left alone.

The thoroughness of record keeping by the British colonists is praiseworthy.

Even more creditable is the massive effort being put in by the NAS to preserve the records in its repository.

It is a humbling experience to know where we came from, the hard work and effort that went into creating Singapore, and of the individuals who built their lives here.

It is at the same time enriching to be able to play a part in maintaining these old records and saving them for posterity.

It would be wonderful if more people came forward and volunteered their time to restoring these archives.

The story of Kunnuck Mistree

THE Straits Settlements Records (SSR) have scattered references to an Indian convict named Kunnuck Mistree. When pieced together, there emerges an interesting story of a man convicted of larceny and sent to Bencoolen in 1818.

He was moved to Singapore in 1825.

Mistree was working as a dresser in the convict hospital in Bencoolen and he continued to be employed in the same position in Singapore.

Over the years he won accolades and appreciation from his superiors and those who came in contact with him for his diligence and good conduct.

In 1846 he decided to apply for a ticket of leave which allowed him to live anywhere in Singapore and follow any profession of his choice.

He then worked as a native holistic doctor.

In 1856 when he was nearly 70 years old, he decided he would like to return to India to spend his last years and die on the banks of the Ganges river.

His appeal was granted, and he was allowed to return, but not before he had given away his land in Singapore for religious purposes.

His story, which would have been lost but for the SSR, gives a human face to the term “convict labour”. He spent nearly 40 years of his life in Singapore.

tabla@sph.com.sg

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A baby pangolin that was found weak, hungry and abandoned in Upper Thomson Road in February is thriving under the care of vets at the Night Safari.

It is a victory for the wildlife park as the endangered species generally does not do well under human care – the scaly mammal has only a 50 per cent chance of survival.

The four-month-old Sunda pangolin has grown from 776g to 1.1kg.

It was bottle-fed kitten milk replacer, a substitute for its mother’s milk, before being introduced to ants’ eggs, which it now relishes.

It will join seven other Sunda pangolins at an exhibit in the Night Safari once it becomes independent and starts on its captive diet.

This diet includes minced beef, ants’ eggs, mealworms and insectivore supplements, said Wildlife Reserves Singapore, the parent company of Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo and River Safari.

This article was first published on April 8, 2016.
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After he was flung from his bicycle, the right side of his face smashed into a roadside drain, leaving him barely conscious.

The horrific accident on a late August evening at Tanah Merah Besar Road three years ago almost left Mr Khairul Anwar Wahab blind in his right eye.

But he did not let it stop him from starting his university studies just four days later.

On Wednesday, Mr Khairul, 25, was among 461 students who graduated from the Singapore Institute of Management-University of London (SIM-UOL) programme.

On top of a Second Class (Upper) Honours in banking and finance, he was also a valedictorian at the graduation ceremony.

“I didn’t expect to be chosen as valedictorian. There were so many people who did well in my batch, so I kept asking ‘Why me?'” he said.

The second of five siblings told The New Paper yesterday that graduating together with his elder brother, Mr Ahmad Syafi’l Wahab, 26, who received a degree in Business Management from the same university, was the icing on the cake.

Recalling the accident, Mr Khairul, who used to be a fixed gear bicycle enthusiast, described it as the turning point in his life.

Fixed gear bicycles, or fixies, usually do not have brakes, with cyclists using methods like skid-stopping or pace-pedalling to stop the bicycle.

Mr Khairul said: “I was reaching a three-way junction when I saw an oncoming car. I tried to avoid the car but since there were no brakes attached to the bicycle, I lost control.

“The next thing I knew, I was flung off the bicycle and landed face first in a drain by the side of the road.”

He was taken to hospital after a jogger found him and called for an ambulance.

Mr Khairul, who was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, said: “I fractured my right eye socket, tore my lower right eyelid and eyebrows.

“But at that time, all I could think of was that school was starting soon and I didn’t want to miss my first day.”

He went through two minor operations to close his wounds and underwent face reconstruction surgery during which metal plates were inserted to correct his facial structure.

UNFOUNDED

Fortunately for Mr Khairul, initial fears that he could lose his sight in his right eye turned out to be unfounded.

Four days after the accident, he started his first day of university life.

“In the first week, I went to school with the right part of my face swollen and covered in stitches and bandages,” he said.

“Even when I tried to cover my face with a cap and sunglasses, people still gave me strange looks.

“As my face was still healing at that time, I struggled with self-esteem. Sometimes, the right side of my face got droopy and it would swell and subside when I was in a cold room. It got quite uncomfortable.

“But I eventually regained my self-confidence. I didn’t want to bother too much about superficial things. I just wanted to focus on my studies.”

His girlfriend at the time, Miss Nurul Nasyitah Md Nashir, 25, who was also his varsity mate, told TNP that Mr Khairul has always dreamt big and constantly inspires her.

“There are many things he wants to achieve in his life, so I was not surprised when he turned up in school on the first day,” said the accounts executive.

“During the first week, he told me he just wanted to hide at the back of the lecture theatre. It broke my heart because he was not that kind of guy.”

Miss Nasyitah, who is now engaged to Mr Khairul, said: “He has come a long way from hiding behind his cap and sunglasses to being confident with his looks. This is what I admire most about him.”

Dr Zhang Jianlin, head of programmes at SIM Global Education, remembers the first time he met Mr Khairul.

“He had just gone through an operation a few days earlier and had bandages covering his eyes when he came to class,” said Dr Zhang, who was Mr Khairul’s economics lecturer.

“I could feel him struggling to follow my lecture initially but after several weeks, he got more confident. At times, he even challenged me on theories he didn’t quite agree with.

“I remember his incisive questions and his persistence for clarifications until his doubts were cleared.”

Mr Khairul said the accident was a setback, but he refused to let it drag him down.

“I had to constantly revise my studies to make up for my disability at that time,” he said.

“Even so, I’m happy I overcame this chapter in my life because it motivated me to work harder.”

Aiming to work in financial crime compliance, he added: “I want to educate the community about the finance sector with a focus on Islamic banking in the future.”

Mr Khairul, who no longer rides, said wistfully: “If I could do it all over again, I’d have brakes on my bike and wear a helmet.”

2,619 to graduate from SIM-UOL

A total of 2,619 students are graduating from the SIM-UOL degree and graduate diploma programmes this year.

Out of the total number, 461 students graduated with bachelor’s degrees in economics, banking and finance, and mathematics and economics.

The graduation, which spans six sessions from April 6 till today, at the SIM HQ Campus also saw 169 students receiving first class honours.

The guest-of-honour, Ang Mo Kio MP Intan Azura Mokhtar, told the graduates at the first session on April 6: “Find your work opportunities not just in Singapore or the region, but cast your net wide and explore the possibilities of being employed anywhere.

“Once you have gained substantial global experience, come back to Singapore and find ways to contribute to our economy and the experiences at home so that Singapore – this little red dot – continues to thrive and shine.”

This year also marks the 30th year of SIM Global Education’s partnership with the University of London.

fnawang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 8, 2016.
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