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Over 10,000 photos of post-war S’pore among donations to NHB

SINGAPORE — No assignment was more exciting for retired Television Singapura cameraman Mun Chor Seng than the five-week trip he took to 17 African nations on a charter plane in 1964, as part of a Malaysian mission to support Singapore’s admission into the United Nations.

His meticulous documentation of the trip is part of his extensive collection of more than 10,000 photographs and video footage taken during the ’50s and ’60s, access to which he has offered to the National Heritage Board (NHB).

Announcing the move yesterday, NHB group director (Policy) Alvin Tan said contributions such as Mr Mun’s — one of the largest received from the community — provide tangible evidence of what life was like during that era and greatly enhance research on Singapore’s heritage.

“These contributions address gaps in research on the ’50s and ’60s, making them very valuable sources of information,” said Mr Tan at a media conference showcasing the NHB’s latest community donations.

The NHB could not provide figures on community donations and loans to date, but a spokesperson said the agency had collected all kinds of items, ranging from clothes — which are telling of a trend during a particular period — to paintings by renowned local artists and rare items such as a Peranakan altar cloth.

With more people seeing the importance of preserving their heritage, this awareness has enhanced the NHB’s research, the spokesperson added.

Mr Mun’s collection — which also represents his 40-year career as a photographer and cameraman — also features significant events in Singapore’s history, such as the first National Day Parade, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s overseas diplomatic visits and scenes of everyday life in the Republic at the time.

During the trip to Africa, which took place at the height of the Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation, the crew got to meet some of the founding fathers of the African nations, such as Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s first President.

“For five weeks, that plane was like our hotel — we ate, slept and travelled on it,” said the 74-year-old.

Another collector, Ms Helen Lyou, 70, has loaned to the NHB her collection of 100 programme booklets from various performances at the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall in the ’50s and ’60s, including performances by the former Singapore Ballet Group and Maudrene’s School of Dancing.

A former dancer with the Singapore Ballet Group, Ms Lyou said she decided to contribute the booklets to help the current generation better appreciate the dance and music scene of that era. “It is proof that the ’50s and ’60s were a culturally vibrant time,” she added.

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