AM ERICAN AS S O C I ATION O F S INGAP ORE
Since 1958
www.aasingapore.com
April 2018
American Association..... 1-5 Member Discounts............. 3 CRCE & Business............... 4 Community News........... 6-8 Living in Singapore..... 10-11 Travel........................ 12-13 Architecture............... 14-18 Food & Dining................. 19 Environment.................... 21 President's Message........ 22 What’s Happening.......... 23
Community News 6-8
Living in Singapore 10-11
Travel 12-13
Architecture 14-18
We find out what Martin Rudden is up to now
The story behind the Qing Ming festival
Adventuring sandy beaches the hard way
Dive into diversity of design in Singapore MCI (P) 071/03/2018
The American Journey in Singapore By Cath Forte
Photo by Katie Baines
I
n celebration of 100 years of the American Association of Singapore (AAS), we commissioned author and long-term American expat, Jim Baker, to write a very special book. With 35 years’ experience teaching at Singapore American School (SAS), and several published works to his name, Jim was the perfect author for this incredibly important book. Interspersing beautiful photography with engaging narrative, The American Journey in Singapore is testament to the relationship between Singapore and the United States, detailing how it has evolved over the last 100 years. The American Association of Malaya (later Singapore) was officially founded by a small group of Americans posted in Singapore on August 25, 1917. The constitution decreed that those eligible for membership should be “male
American citizens of full age who are a resident of Malaya and other such countries.” Its mission: “… to promote good feeling between Americans and persons living in Singapore, to promote friendship among ourselves, to provide educational facilities for children and for other purposes…” Little did those 30 original members know that, 100 years on, the association would continue to flourish and fulfil its purpose of bringing the community together; providing a little piece of home for those posted far away from the life they knew and the beloved family and friends they left behind. The American Journey in Singapore opens with a heartfelt foreword by Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. US Embassy Singapore, praising AAS for the impact it has had on the American community in Singapore. From chartering key organizations to bringing the
Centennial Partners
American Association of Singapore – Since 1917
community together through events and newssharing, AAS has “touched the lives of millions of people, whether American, Singaporean or from one of the many other countries represented on the island,” she writes. Through the chapters of the book, the story of the American experience in Singapore unfolds, from the clippers and steam ships of the early 1900s, through the war years and Singapore’s independence, and onward into the jet age and the technological advances of the 21st century. Since the early years of colonial rule, Americans have made important contributions to Singapore’s progress. The last 100 years have seen the relationship go from strength to strength. The American Journey in Singapore, traces the key role played by AAS in establishing and nurturing this special relationship between the two countries.