FEATURE
F O S T I B SCC Y R O T S I H FUN ev en ts tha t of wh ich is fill ed wi th ch mu – y tor his g lon ub ha s a we loo k at Sin ga po re Cr ick et Cl ga po re. He re tho ug h, Sin A Cl ub as old as the in nts me lop ve de po liti ca l ing , so cia l an d ev en led to im po rta nt sp ort SC C’s his tor y. es fun ny mo me nts in tim me so d an ng sti so me of the int ere
The “Pink Elephant” Some time in the 1880s or ‘90s, the SCC cricketers perpetrated a practical joke which briefly caused the drinker’s proverbial “pink elephant” to come to life. Under the cover of night, the young men stole across the road from the Club pavilion to the front of the Town Hall (today’s Victoria Theatre). There stood the statue of a Thai elephant, presented to Singapore by the visiting King of Siam in 1871. The Cricket Club pranksters painted the poor elephant a tasteful shade of pink and green. According to one 1921 account, “An indignant Municipality speedily restored him to a proper sense of decency. But after all, cricketers will be crickets and in those halcyon days, paint was as cheap as whiskey!”
The Thai elephant statue now stands in front of The Arts House at The Old Parliament, opposite the Club.
The Presidents’ Drinks Charles Stringer (President: 1882, 1889 – 1891, 1899-1900) was so fond of his gin and tonic that fellow Members used to order a “Stringer gin and tonic”. Andrew Gilmour’s (President: (1947-1949, 1962 – 1967) favourite tipple was a whisky-water in his personally preferred proportions and was so well known in the Club that SCC aficionados would simply order “A Whisky Gilmour, please”. In the 1980s, most members knew that President Haider Sithawalla’s (President: (1981 – 1985) drink was a non-fattening, non-alcoholic “Gunner”- a drink still popular with Members today.
SCC Past Presidents Charles Stringer, Andrew Gilmour, and Haider Sithawalla.
MAY / JUN 2020 THE PADANG
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