Memories - Margaret Drive Part 1

Back in the sixties and seventies, Queesnstown was the 2nd busiest town after Toa Payoh. Margaret Close and then Margaret Drive was where I spent my growing years. Although I drive by the place every now and then and sometime go there for the char kway teow, I had never stopped to ponder what was missing until recently when I read a blog post about the place.

This used to be where my first home was. Sadly it is now a vacant piece of land waiting for some rich developer to buy and build condominiums but in the sixties, there were many blocks of 1-room rental flats. This part of Queenstown was situated at the corner of Margaret Drive and Queensway facing the Queensway Sec School. I grew up in a 1 room flat. The block of flat was in a H shape and our flat on the 4th floor overlooke a badminton court/sepak takraw court. I spent many happy hours outside the flat looking at the many sepak takraw matches and joining in the street soccer or just playing badminton. My best memories was the roti man going around delivering loaf of breads to the household and the fried char kway teow guy in his stall. I sweared char kway teow never tasted so good!

We moved over to Blk 6A along Margaret Drive when I completed my secondary school after the government decided to tear down the rental flats at Margaret Close. Mum was determined to own her own home and so she worked 2 jobs and beg and borrowed from auntie and her close friends to buy this place. Sadly the flat is now no more - another piece of vacant land. My best memories of this place? Going to JC every morning with a neighbour and trying to avoid the Principal at the bus stop. Why? Because the Principal, the Rev Tan Teng Wai could stop and pick up any students on his way to school and as students, we definitely did not want to be seen coming to school in the Principal's car. So uncool!

This used to be the Venus theatre. I remembered going there with a neighbour to gawk at Hongkong movie star Chan Poh Chu when she made a stage appearance. It is now a church - Church of our Saviour.

Another cinema that went the way of the church was the Golden City cinema. It is now the Church of Fisherman of Christ Fellowship (or something like that). I spent a lot of time here watching Taiwanese martial art film so much so that I now got a phobia of going to the cinema alone:)
Of course the most important place in the area and still standing was the hawker centre.
Unfortunately its days are numbered and soon it will be following in the footstep of the emporium. More of the hawker centre in another post.

This canal was where we children used to go to catch guppies and worms. In those days, it was so common for us kids to go down to these 'monsoon' drain to catch fish but nowadays I don't think any parents will allow their kids to do so. Anyway, I think there are no more fishes.
To be continued...