Singapore Stories: The Heart of a Nation

For 180 years, The Straits Times has faithfully told the Singapore story – in words and, perhaps more powerfully, in pictures.

Across decades, the paper’s photographers captured moments that will make you remember, sigh, pause – or, hopefully, smile.

An iconic photo documenting Singapore’s birth as a nation can take you back to where you were and what you were feeling at that pivotal moment. Even 60 years on, that unforgettable image still invites a second – or even third – look.

Decades later, another image of a boy beaming over his haul of Hello Kitty toys after hours spent queueing up for them makes us grin widely.

It was the simplest of times, it was the hardest of times. While survival was the name of the game, other pursuits took root. Students, for instance, had much more on their minds than just passing exams. Many joined protests – often instigated by the communists – against colonial policies on education and conscription, and were also in the thick of the action backing striking bus drivers. These riots frequently turned violent, resulting in deaths.

Other issues based on race and religion spilt into the streets, sparking conflicts such as the 1964 race riots and the 1950 custody battle over Maria Hertogh, a Dutch girl adopted by a Malay family.

There were also moments that united the country and made it proud. Bodybuilder Tan Howe Liang, Singapore’s first Olympic medallist, and badminton star Wong Peng Soon became household names both within and beyond the sporting arena.

Jobs were menial but plentiful. Postal workers, policemen (yes, they wore shorts), trishaw riders, teachers and labourers – samsui women in their distinctive red headgear among them – rolled up their sleeves to help keep the country moving.

On the home front, joy was simple: holiday treats shared with neighbours, family rides in open-top cars on the idyllic island of Tekong, a bowl of noodles slurped at a street-side hawker stall or the thrill of a lifetime – getting married alongside 12 other couples.

After the war, a growing desire for self-governance from British rule began to take root among the people.

A Merdeka Week was organised, culminating in a rally at Kallang Airport on March 18, 1956, which drew a crowd of 20,000 people. The stage collapsed while Chief Minister David Marshall was speaking, triggering a riot in which 50 people were injured. A petition calling for independence, organised alongside the rally, gathered 170,000 signatures.

Singapore gained self-rule in 1959, and on Sept 16, 1963, joined the Federation of Malaysia alongside the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo, later renamed Sabah.

Disagreements between the leaders of Singapore and the federal government in Kuala Lumpur over equal rights for the different races eventually led to Singapore’s separation from Malaysia. On Aug 9, 1965, a nation was born.

In the words of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, the only way Singapore could survive was to be extraordinary.

And Singapore famously became the little country that could – transforming itself into one of the world’s richest nations in just about three decades of independence.

After unexpectedly gaining independence in 1965, Singapore had to grow up – fast. Its leaders moved to quickly get things in order, focusing on the economy, housing, racial harmony, education, healthcare and transport.

Defence became a top priority – and remains the Government’s largest area of expenditure – alongside improving infrastructure.

By and large, Singaporeans rallied behind the Government as kampungs and farms made way for factories and flats.

With changes aplenty, Straits Times photojournalists remained a constant on the ground. They continued to cover the Singapore story as it unfolded through the years.

Singapore’s leadership was able and stable, with four prime ministers from the PAP steering the country’s progress through the years.

In 2015, the nation mourned the death of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Singapore also grieved through periods of loss brought by the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, outbreak and the Covid-19 pandemic.

A series of man-made disasters such as the 1978 explosion on the oil tanker Spyros – Singapore’s worst industrial accident, which killed 76 people and injured 69; the 1986 Hotel New World collapse, which claimed 33 lives; the Nicoll Highway collapse of 2004; and the Sentosa cable car accident of 1983 were sobering reminders of the need for vigilance.

Singaporeans also grappled with the effects of weather-related challenges such as floods and the haze.

Progress and renewal came at the expense of many beloved and popular landmarks such as the National Library in Stamford Road, the old National Stadium (home of the Kallang Roar), the National Theatre, Bugis Street, the Jurong Drive-in Cinema and foodie paradise Glutton’s Square.

By the 1990s, Singapore had become one of the world’s wealthiest countries. The nation took flight in many other ways, earning global recognition for its economic growth, political stability, medical advances, quality of life and even its national airline – a great way to fly.

Singapore also played host to famous celebrities and historical political summits.

The arts scene also flourished, with the opening of the $600 million Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, while Singaporean actors and movies began winning honours at international film festivals.

Singapore’s reputation as a garden city also burgeoned over the years.

Singaporeans took pride in ever-grander National Day celebrations held at the Padang, Marina Bay floating platform and National Stadium.

Our sporting scene stirred the nation – from Malaysia Cup fever to the previously unknown sport of kitefoiling.

Technological advances have greatly affected news and photography. The ease with which artificial intelligence can be used to create realistic but fake images blurs the lines of what is real and what is not. This means that photojournalism plays an ever more important role now — as a channel to show the truth on the ground and counter misinformation.

The photography exhibition Singapore Stories: The Heart of a Nation will run from Nov 7 to 23, 2025, at Selegie Arts Centre from 11am to 7pm daily.