It was 1962, and Mr Teo Peng Hoe was living opposite the building in Hill Street. He would observe the progress of the building's construction as he returned home from Victoria School, and managed to create an intricate, accurate model made from plywood and office pins.
He gifted it to SCCCI during the building's opening in 1964, where he met founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was impressed by his talent.
His model of the SCCCI building is one of over 200 artefacts and photographs on display at the building's 60th anniversary exhibition, which is being held at the SCCCI Chinese Business Culture Hub in Hill Street.
The exhibition is centred around the theme "Home to the Business Community", and includes interactive multimedia installations that celebrate the historical journey of SCCCI, the apex body of the Chinese business community in Singapore.
The free exhibition was launched on Sept 17, and will be open to the public from Sept 18 to June 2025. Opening hours in 2024 are between 10am and 5pm from Mondays to Fridays, and 10am and 1pm on Saturdays. Opening hours in 2025 will be announced on SCCCI's website at a later date.
Building that model changed Mr Teo's life. "I was bad in all my subjects except art and geography," he said. "The chamber helped me transfer to Queenstown Technical Secondary School, to learn woodwork in Secondary 3 and 4."
This story is from the September 18, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 18, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Dutch chef Sergio Herman opens Le Pristine in Singapore
If the zing of kaffir lime in the mussel antipasti, or the chilli king crab on the pizzette, or the soursop in the gambero rosso seem somewhat familiar, that would be Dutch chef Sergio Herman putting a little bit of Singapore into his food.
SINNER'S 'SPECIAL' YEAR-END TOP SPOT
First Italian to finish the year as No. 1 will clinch 7th title of 2024 if he beats Djokovic
Kiwis get down to business quickly
BARCELONA - New Zealand beat Britain in the opening America's Cup races on Oct 12, with the holders setting the pace in the early skirmishes with the challengers in the first-to-seven contest.
"'SPORTSWASHING' CRY AS NBA PLAYS IN UAE"
But commissioner Silver disagrees that its presence in a key market helps hide abuses
SailGP matures with new tech, stiff rivalry
NEW YORK - As SailGP approaches its fifth season of racing, this professional sailing league is finally flying on its own two foils.
WALLER-LANE IN GUINEAS UPSET
Private Life steals the show after inch-perfect front-running ride in Caulfield 3YO feature
Fintech exec began developing her investing acumen as a teen
Her initial better-safe-than-sorry approach has given way to a higher risk appetite now
Betting apps are more toxic than you think
Betting companies all publicly espouse their commitment to responsible gaming. They help fund programmes to combat addiction and give customers the option to exclude themselves from betting or to enrol in \"cool-off\" periods that keep them from logging in for a day or two.
Revival in demand for private resale homes
Volume of transactions in Jan-Aug up 11% from same period a year ago, data shows
How to plan for retirement when you are on your own
For Ms Sara Zeff Geber, the \"aha moment\" came a few years ago as she listened to a friend recount all the tasks she was taking on to help her increasingly frail 91-year-old mother.
