Sunday, July 21, 2019

Raymon Huang on Mrs Wong-Lee at On Air Book Launch

Dedication of ON AIR book to the Late Mrs Wong Lee Siok Tin
A speech by Raymon Huang at the ON AIR book launch at Mediacorp Campus on 2 July 2019


On this occasion of the official launching of the COT’s book - ON AIR Untold stories from Caldecott Hill-, I have been given the privilege, the honour of making a short statement about the late Mrs Wong-Lee Siok Tin, to whom the book is dedicated.
For me, to me, Mrs Wong-Lee was a “three-in-one” person- a good friend;brilliant fellow undergraduate; and a good boss. Indeed that was how our relationship was. So I would refer her as “Siok Tin”.
I first met Siok Tin when she was 8 years old. This was in 1945, in Endau, Johore. It was during the Japanese Occupation. It was at a resettlement village colourfully called “New Sayonan” or New Singapore. I was a fishmonger. Siok Tin’s father was the most loyal customer of mine. We became good friends.
WWII ended. Siok Tin went back to school at Raffles Girls’ School and I at Raffles Institution. We lost contact. But as fate would have it ,our paths crossed again. We were fellow undergraduates at Raffles College (later renamed the University of Malaya in Singapore). We were in the same Philosophy class in1959. She was some 12 years younger than me. I was on a MOE scholarship after teaching for 9  years. And later, in 1971, our paths crossed again – when I joined broadcasting in 1971. She was my boss.
During my stint at broadcasting, the moments I remembered most were when we became SBC.
During the Monday morning meetings with heads of department, she showed her mettle and personality. She was a leader who led by example. Siok Tin was firm, yet friendly, she was unobtrusive, yet persuasive, she was meticulous yet flexible. Even when there were disagreements, she would win us over. She was never officious.
An example:she would ask me to go to her office to have a cup of tea., when she would talk about her Endau days; my teachingdays;my film censorship days; and so on.
Siok Tin was brilliant in every way- as a student, as a undergraduate, and as a broadcasting person.She was very articulate. She spoke “Queen’s English”;but without airs! Her credentials speak for themselves. In 1955 she was the winner of Rortary Public Speaking Contest. She was a teacher then. She often accompanied PM Lee Kuan Yew on his overseas trips. He trusted her a lot.
Sadly she passed on in 1993. But the excellent broadcasting legacy she left behind was not forgotten. In 2017 Siok Tin was inducted as an Honoree into the 4th Singapore Women Hall of Fame.
To me, Mrs Wong-Lee was “Mrs Broadcasting”.
“This book is dedicated to Mrs Wong-Lee Siok Tin who devoted her life to the profession of broadcasting in Singapore. Her tireless devotion and critical instincts at the helm of the national broadcasting station led the station through the early and difficult times of nationhood’
We have with us today her daughter, Karen. I would invite her to come up here to receive a copy of “ON AIR” dedicated to her late mother.





Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Comments by Choo Lian Liang on the ON AIR book

Comments by Choo Lian Liang on the ON AIR book
She wrote Chapter 22 -Chinese Current Affairs:My 30 years in Broadcasting

加利谷山集体记忆 亮亮
一群加利谷山上的退休同事,一日在一酒肆聚餐聊天,吃着喝着有人说为什么不出
版一本书来记录各自曾拥有过的青春年华,以及在山上的点滴往事?凭着三分酒意和七分
豪情,几位资深媒体人登高一呼,众人响应。一年多的时间,一本525页的名为“On Air”的
图文并茂大书面世了。
47位作者51篇回忆录,并凑的是一幅新加坡广播电视事业的发展史。广播如何从
无到有,电视如何一步一脚印地发展,其中多少青春激情,多少美梦成真,多少悲欢离合
,尽在字里行间。书的前页注明此书要献给加利谷山备受尊敬的第一任台长黄李淑珍女士
,在她之后的几位领军人物,如郑东发先生和李金富先生都没有被老同事们所忘记。
新加坡的广播事业始于1936年,一个名为英属马来亚广播公司(BMBC)的私人机
构开始在加利谷山广播;1941年,这个公司被海峡殖民地政府和英国政府收购,成为马
来亚广播公司(MBC),主要播音室设在乌节路的国泰大厦。1942至1945年日本占领时期
,电台改名“昭南广播公司”。1946年新加坡是马来联邦的一员时,这个电台是马来亚电台
的一部分。50年代初,国泰大厦的设施搬迁到加利谷山上的新录音棚。1959年,新加坡
自治,电台改名新加坡广播电台。
1963年电视启播,最早的两个频道是第5和第8波道。1965年,新马分家,电台和
电视台改名为新加坡广播电视台(RTS),隶属当时的文化部。
我是在60年代末期与RTS结缘,接着当上兼职广播员。1971年大学毕业后参加了一
场为期两天半的助理编导考试,同一个考场里最后进入RTS还有另外三位南大生:李明芬
,陈汉和黄廷益。
70年代之后加利谷山上的变化和发展,“On Air”里有不少篇章,很自然的,年代越
早的篇幅越少。马来亚电台时期本地有哪些风云人物?他们做过些什么经典节目?依稀记
得冯仲汉大哥曾经说起点点滴滴,如今冯老大已经作古,知道当年事的人恐怕不多了。
浏览大书的目录,中文节目制作人的回忆属于少数。过去几十年,第三广播网,第
8波道的综艺节目和戏剧节目,都曾拥有广大的听众和观众,为华语社群提供娱乐和资讯
,或许基于时间紧迫,这本书的编辑组未能征集到更多的稿件。
“On Air”是一个开始,希望它抛砖引玉,激励更多退休媒体人写下往事,丰富我们
的集体记忆。

Above by courtesy of Choo Lian Liang

Monday, July 15, 2019

On Air Public Book Launch 13 July 2019

Public book launch of ON AIR Untold Stories from Caldecott Hill
13 July 2019 at Central Public Library


Moses Lim aka Tan Ah Teck and his family of Under One Roof
Watch video courtesy from CNA

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/i-am-going-to-tell-you-a-story-caldecott-hill-s-pioneer-11718544

More than a 100 members of public attended the book launch at the Central Library.  The event was hosted by Brian Richmond with participation by cast of the Under One Roof Team , Moses Lim, Koh Chieng Mun, Vanetta Lopez, Daisy Irani and Nicholas Lee . Wong Li Lin was present to share her stories on Triple Nine and other memories on Caldecott Hill.
Mun Chor Seng who contributed most of the photos in the ON AIR book and one of the team members gave a presentation of some rare pictures of Old Singapore. He is producing his next book working title Those Were the Days, a photo book of Old Singapore.
(The book team members are Philip Tay, Horace Wee, Belinda Sunshine, Mun Chor Seng, Raymond Fernandexzand Joan Chee)

Please email me at tay.philip@gmail.com if you wish to share your thoughts about the ON AIR book. TQ.


Saturday, July 13, 2019

Book Launch 2 July at Mediacorp Campus


Book Launch of ON AIR Untold Stories from Caldecott Hill at Mediacorp Campus One Stars Avenue 2 July 2019

Group photo at the private book launch at Mediacorp 2 July 2019
video from CNA

               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCB-Hq_d6c4

Saturday, July 6, 2019

BOOK Launch

Book title: ON AIR Untold stories from Caldecott Hill


Re: My speech at the ON AIR book launch 2 July 2019 at Mediacorp Campus

Thank you Susan.(Emcee for the event) Mr George Yeo thank you for joining us today. Friends and ex colleagues I am very glad to see you all . It brings back a lot of warm memories. Let me first begin by answering the question Why you 6 fellas (Joan Chee, Raymond Fernandez, Mun Chor Seng, Horace Wee, Philip Tay) got out of your retirement comfort zone to produce this ON AIR book..
At the beginning of 2018 we had a Caldecott Old Timers gathering,our usual annual gathering to chit chat and merry making. This time at Kok Ying Poh’s Growlers Bar at MacPherson. In the course of the chit chatting Belinda Sunshine popped up the idea of sharing our memories and work experiences on the Hill. She said we must have over 2000 years of recollections among us  that we could share with the Singapore public. George Favacho than quipped “Better do it quickly. Time is running out!”. Mun Chor Seng who was on the same table turned to me and said Tay we could do it together. I run a blog called Memories of Caldecott Hill and Mun has more that 10,000 photos about broadcasting and old Singapore. Mun contributes to the Singapore Memory project frequently .
He said we should able to produce a book with materials from the two blogs. Maybe it is time to do something, retirement life is getting boring. I retired 10 years ago and spend the first 5 years travelling and did I wanted to do . After that it is now mainly looking after grandchildren. I thought that it would be good to record our memories which then can be found in homes and libraries and as a legacy to our grandchildren and future generations. They would know we contributors to this project,  how we were involved in nation building and entertaining the Singapore Public. So I agree to take up the challenge  to lead the team. It is basically  a history of broadcasting reference book on the history of national broadcasting being told personally by people who were there in a building  on the Hill, it being a protected place where very few knew what was happening inside.  Now they know.
We met at Thomson Plaza Food to discuss how to proceed. We were not optimistic. Who would want to get out of their comfort zone and write? We had to think of a strategy.
First I got hold of Raymon Huang. He was very enthusiastic. Almost immediately he sent me three scripts one on Mrs Wong Lee Siok Tin, the second on the Japanese occupation of Caldecott Hill running the station Radio Syonan and third the Days he had heart attacks.. We accepted two scripts . I showed the scripts to Lee Kim Tian and Sim Choon Hin. They were excited and said if Raymon could do it, we can too. Kim Tian contributed a chapter. Here is the News and recounted his experience the day he almost got killed by a Malaysian soldier in the stormy period while coming to work when we were in Malaysia. And how he covered the news on overseas trips with the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. And Mr Sim wrote , Down memory lane, how he built up a transmission network for radio and television broadcasts all over Singapore
What was  more surprising was, when I approached to top gov leaders Mr Cheng Tong Fatt and Mr Moses Lee to write, knowing that I have little chance of succeeding because top civil servants have secrets and would normally keep to themselves. Surprisingly they agreed to contribute, Mr Cheng on the Corporatisation of RTS and the rise of Chinese Drama and Mr Lee on the Privatistion of SBC, both of them built the foundation of Mediacorp to what it is today.
What is more inspiring is when I emailed to Mr George Yeo for a FOREWORD,  he immediately replied Dear Philip, it is my honour to write a Foreword for the book. It is an important book. Within a week, he sent me the most beautiful foreword I have ever read. I showed it to Kenneth Liang, Tai Ho, Chan Heng Wing, May Ling and others and they agreed it is a great foreword …all agreed to contribute to the book.  That is why Mr Yeo s name is in the front of the book.( He is sort of anchor tenant for the book) I recommend you to read it first before the content page! It encapsulated a important part of the history of broadcasting when he was Minister of Information and the Arts. Full of quotable quotes and memories.  To conclude I would lke to quote a sentence from his Foreword
Quote: “The history of National Broadcasting  in Singapore is inseparable from the history of independent Singapore Unquote. How true this is…after reading the book you will realise why we contributors and staff on Caldecott Hill are very proud and glad that we play a role in national building, entertaining the public and independent Singapore! Thank you. And with your permission Horace Wee one of the Team members will now say a few words.

Speech by Horace Wee




Horace’s Speech

For those who don’t know me, I am Horace Wee and was with the Orchestra during the time the station was known as RTS. I am a multi-instrumentalist and that probably was the result of studying music arrangement, where it was necessary to understand how each instrument played. You can read more in the chapters I have written for the book on the RTS Orchestra and about two musicians Ahmad Jaafar and Rufino Soliano. These two subsequently became leaders of the orchestra.

The book has 51 essays written by about 70 Caldecott Old Timers most of whom are here today. There are a few who have passed on namely Steven Lee, Ee Boon Lee, Chandramohan, Ananda Perera, Joseph Seah, Vernon Palmer, Rufino Soliano, Ahmad Jaafar and Mrs. Wong-Lee Siok Tin.
We are very glad that some of their relatives are here today to grace the launch of this On Air book. Let us welcome;
Mina Ee, wife of Ee Boon Lee.
Brian and Amy Lee, son and wife of Steven Lee. Brian, you are now looking more like your dad.
Nirmala and Arjuna, wife and the son of Chandramohan.
Kathleen daughter of Rufino Soliano, my friend and colleague. I have known Kathleen since she was a little girl.
And Karen Wong daughter of Mrs Wong Lee Siok Tin .

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. George Yeo for the foreword and all the authors who contributed their rich memories. Thanks also to the Ministry and to Mdm. Yeong for approving some of the photos of Mr Lee Kuan Yew in the book. Most of all thank you Mediacorp for your strong support and hosting of this event.
Finally thank you Marshall-Cavendish for publishing the book. It will be sold at book stores at $40 You can buy the book at a special discount for Mediacorp staff at $30 over there at the counter.
Enjoy reading the book.
Thank you