Save Farrer Park and Its Rich Sporting Heritage!

Obbana Rajah

A petition has been circulating to ‘Conserve the Sporting Heritage of Farrer Park’.

It has been scheduled for redevelopment and to be returned to the state by mid-2020.

However, the space is currently home to a gym, Singapore Amateur Boxing Association Farrer Park Swimming Pool, and a huge field.

Farrer Park has been witness to many sporting events and achievements, it holds the swimming pool where Ang Peng Siong learnt to swim and fields where Fandi Ahmad, Dollah Kassim, the Quah brothers slogged over training sessions.

The Petition:

“Kunalan won the 100 metres in 10.38 seconds!” (C. Kunalan held this national record for 33 years)

“Good hit, Kadir!” (Syed Abdul Kadir, first Singaporean boxer to win a Commonwealth Games medal)

“Go Peng Siong, go!” (Ang Peng Siong, world’s fastest 50m freestyler in 1982)

“Goal for Fandi!” (Fandi Ahmad, Singapore’s football icon)

“Go Singapore go!”

The echoes of sporting spirit permeate through Farrer Park. It has a unique sporting history, with its many firsts in our sporting history. As Singapore’s cradle of sports, it has nurtured national footballers, boxers, runners, weightlifters and swimmers*. It is a one stop kampong sporting arena where people from all walks of life have gathered for the love of sports.

What’s more? Farrer Park witnessed lots of history in the making, including political rallies by People’s Action Party on the 15 August 1955 for self governance. It was also a place to witness the historic first airplane to ever land in Singapore on the 4th of December 1919 by Captain Ross Macpherson Smith. In March 1986 , Farrer Park was also used as a landing ground for the RSAF Helicopters to rescue survivors from the Hotel New World disaster.

On 31 March 2018, the Straits Times reported that Farrer Park will be returned to the state by mid of 2020 for redevelopment. This means the gym, home of Singapore Amateur Boxing Association for 50 years, will be gone. The current Farrer Park Swimming Pool, where Ang Peng Siong learnt to swim, will be gone. The lush green fields where the likes of Fandi Ahmad, Dollah Kassim and the Quah brothers, trained at, will be gone. With these, goes the sporting heritage built up in Farrer Park since 1842.

We are calling for the authorities to find ways to integrate this heritage with the future development. If you believe in conserving our sporting heritage in Farrer Park, please:

1. Sign this petition, feel free to add your comments.
2. Send the link to 10 other people who cares about this. Tell them why it’s important to you, to future generations and to Singapore.

*List of national athletes nurtured in Farrer Park

1. Footballers – Dollah Kassim, Quah Kim Song, Quah Kim Lye, R. Suriamurthi, Fandi Ahmad and Ahmad Wartam
2. Boxers – Tan Cheng Joo, Syed Abdul Kadir
3. Runners – C Kunalan
4. Swimmers – Theresa Goh, Yip Pin Xiu, Toh Wei Soong, Danny Yeo, Teo Zhen Ren, Ang Peng Siong

You can sign the petition here.

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