tag:peatix.com,2011:1 2021-11-15T09:33:39+08:00 Peatix Jane Iyer tag:peatix.com,2018:event-326680 2018-03-15T09:00:00SGT 2018-03-15T09:00:00SGT

Immerse yourself in nostalgia as we visit some of the building blocks of modern Singapore in this heritage neighbourhood - in the company of Betty, herself a Commonwealth resident.Some of the many highlights will include:A visit to a 3-room HDB flat where we'll learn about HDB's acclaimed "Home Ownership" scheme set up in 1964.A bird's eye vista of the area from a rooftop garden to find out more about the more recent SERS program (Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme) established in 1995 to renew older housing estates. A walk up the famous 16 storey VIP block 81 to which visiting dignitaries - Prince Philip, Spiro Agnew & Emperor Akihito amongst others - were brought for a panoramic view of Queenstown (see pic below) and to showcase Singapore's success in establishing public housing and its first model satellite town. A visit to the Queenstown Lutheran Church, an Art deco church built with funds from the United Lutheran Church in America.A walk around the extraordinary Yin Fo Kun Cemetery which comprises an ancestral hall, a memorial hall and a 3000 tombstone cemetery of the Hakka clan. Shielded by blocks of HDB flats and industrial buildings, this amazing cemetery contains reburied remains from graves exhumed from an area which was once twenty times the size of the present plot.A sampling of the delights of the famous Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre - where we'll have our refreshment stop. Discover the story of the flatted factories (light industrial buildings of more than one storey, constructed or converted for multiple occupation) that made history in Singapore, and their diverse tenants.We will end with a 1-hour guided tour of the MOE's Heritage centre which showcases Singapore’s Education Story from the early 19th century to the present. Learn how the Republic's 15-year-olds were ranked No 1 for mathematics, science and reading in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa). And on a lighter note, have a game of giant snakes & ladders - see pic below.