This is a very memorable gathering of my graduating batch of students whom I will sorely miss next year. The highlights were the BBQ and the night exploration of old Changi Hospital. Since I teach most of them history, it is fitting that our gathering was held at a tranquil, huge, old colonial house built in the 1920s. It used to be the living quarters for married senior officers from the British Army in the 1930s and from the Royal Air Force after the war. The house has five large bedrooms and a huge, roomy hall where one can view the scenic panorama of Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong and the Straits of Johor unfolding before you.
The British armed forces comprise of volunteers and so to attract officers to take up overseas posting to the distant garrisons of the vast British Empire, such luxuries were seen as necessary. In the heydays, of the British Empire, the officer occupying this house probably had five to six servants (a cook, a laundrywoman, a gardener, a butler, a chaffeur and a maid), some of whom lived here. Thus, there is a servants' quarters with kitchen attached to it which is now used as a store.
I like the Changi Village area for its rustic charm. The British may have returned to their country but time seems to have stood still here since the 1960s. Here, one does not see high-rise buildings but survey endless greenery, hear the sounds of birds and feel the gust of sea breeze. It is a good place for relaxation, rejuvenation and retreat. And historically, besides serving as a huge British military complex, it has been a place for holiday since the 1840s! Many of the historic buildings still exist today.
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