This is my story - 3

3 – Contact with The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army began operations at the Balestier Road area in 1937. Just a short distance away from our house at the corner of Lorong Limau and Kim Keat Road was a two story bungalow which the Army rented and used it as a Boys’ Home – the first Boys’ Home in the Army’s history. The officers in charge, Adjutant and Mrs. Harold Mathews were not content to just run the Home, they moved out into Lorong Limau area and made contact with the people there. The majority were not English speaking –they were mainly Chinese, Indian and Malay families who spoke their own languages. Adjutant and Mrs. Matthews were missionaries in Indonesia before being appointed to Singapore in 1936 hence could speak the Malay language.

Lorong Limau was a new housing estate where the Government had built many small units for poor families. Each unit comprised one tiny bedroom, a sitting room, tiny kitchen and an open air well. There was no modern sanitation in those days and twelve families shared a common tap.

Adjutant and Mrs. Matthews went door to door visiting and met a Eurasian family by the surname of Hensen who agreed to have a Sunday school in their little unit same size as ours. I observe Balestier Corps began mainly with the Eurasians and peranakans as they spoke English and Malay. Hence Balestier has this peranakan tradition.

The Salvation Army began to hold open air meetings. I remember as a five year old, I used to go with my sister to watch these strange people singing and playing the concertina, the drum and tambourines. By then the Army had rented a shop house at Balestier Road. My sister, older brother and I went to the Sunday school on Sunday afternoons at 3.p.m. The children would be divided into classes, and I went with other five year olds to the back of the hall where there was a sand tray. O how I looked forward to Sundays to play with the figurines in the sand tray. My Sunday School teacher was Norman Lim and he would tell us stories from the Bible.

One day Norman was telling the story of the lost sheep. To illustrate his point, he picked me up as his lost sheep. I was that lost sheep whom the Lord called to be a shepherd of His people. I entered the Shepherds’ Session of cadets in January 1954. More of this later. To this quiet shy lad, it was fun and Sunday was a day I looked forward to. My sister and brother joined the guides and scouts respectively. They gave her the name of Rosie, a name she retained for the rest of her life.

The officers accompanied by Mrs. Ong as the interpreter visited us and seeing we were so poor, they offered my mother a job as the hall keeper. Mother was delighted as this meant extra income. It was much easier than washing clothes for so many families one of them was Mrs. Ong. She continued washing for the Ong family for many years. Mrs. Ong invited her to attend the Home League which was conducted in English and Malay. She usually took me, a very shy five year old, to the Home League and the ladies would fuss over me. They would offer me local cakes and I would hesitate to accept for that was the way I had been taught. But they would push the cakes into my hands. Of course I was delighted and looked forward to attend the Home League!

There was this family of spinsters who lived in Lorong Limau not far from us. Their niece was Lim Siok Chin who became a Salvation Army officer later. The made nonya cakes for sale, and that was their livelihood.

Mr. Ong Kay Sung was the YPSM and the family became very close to us. They would pass on the innards of chickens and ducks for mother to take home. Mrs.Ong was a registered midwife. She was quite a big woman with a big heart - very kind and gracious lady who had great influence in the community. The Ong family comprised Ruth and Janet (they and their families are now Canadian citizens) Ellen (promoted to Glory a few years back) Errol who died when he was a baby and Andrew, still active in the Balestier Corps.

I cannot recall the names of all the people of Balestier Road Corps as it was then called. (The name was changed to Balestier Corps when it moved into Martaban Road.)There was a young lady Molly Yeo who later became an officer and was married to Captain George Tan Koon Hoe. She lived in Martaban Road and used to teach in Sunday School. In 1970 when we were appointed to Central Corps, we visited her and got her and her husband back to the Army. She now attends Chatswood Corps in Australia.

Adjutant Matthews was a very tall and thin man, and his wife a big fat lady. In later years, their daughter Margaretha came and work as an officer nurse at Batang Melaka.

We children attended Balestier Corps Sunday School very faithfully until Singapore fell to the Japanese in February 1942 and The Army closed down. By then I was nine years old.