Remembering Kampong Wak Sumang
Ms Rohaida Ismail and her six siblings felt excited when about 40 years ago they were told that they had to leave Kampong Wak Sumang and move into an HDB flat.
The siblings, who were then young adults, looked forward to starting afresh living in a flat.
But now as they age, they miss the carefree life of the kampung days.
The family moved out of Kampong Wak Sumang in 1984, as Punggol underwent a transformation. Kampong Wak Sumang was also known as Kampong Punggol.
Today, they often have a picnic at Punggol Jetty and reminisce about their life in the village.
Ms Rohaida remembers catching fish and collecting clams with her late father, Mr Ismail Awang, who was at the time working as a boat driver.
His widow Naisah Ahmad, 88, told Berita Harian: "It was blissful dozing off in the middle of the sea."
Ms Rohaida recounted how she and her siblings would feed their chickens and climb trees to pluck fruits.
"We would eat the fruits we plucked while sitting on the roof of our house," she said.
But there are also less pleasant memories of the village.
"The stench of the pig farm nearby is something we definitely do not miss."
As young children, the siblings were also afraid to go to the bathroom at night as their bathroom window was facing the burial ground next to the Wak Sumang mosque.
Ms Rokiah, 70, felt that their four-room flat in Hougang was too cramped for the family of nine. They also felt trapped in the flat – a stark change from the freedom they experienced living in the village.
Their family house at Kampong Wak Sumang had six bedrooms.
"We could expand our living space as needed when we lived in the village," explained Ms Rahyu, 58, adding that the neighbours in the village were also much closer than those in HDB flats.
Ms Rohaida said she will always miss her life at Kampong Wak Sumang.
"It was not just a village but a reminder of a humble life filled with happiness."
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