SINGAPORE - With six children in his care, Mr Tan Kim Soo volunteered to take extra shifts in a factory that was the first to be built in Jurong Industrial Estate in the 1960s, despite concerns about his health.
He was among the first batch of technicians employed at National Iron and Steel Mills, where they put in eight-hour shifts under challenging conditions.
There were very few safety precautions when it came to protecting the workers against fumes in the factory in his time, Mr Tan recalled, and many of his co-workers fell ill.
As a precaution, Mr Tan made it a point to take deep breaths at MacRitchie Reservoir in the morning and breathe through a wet handkerchief in between his shifts while he was an employee in the mill.
"I was in the factory from my 30s until I retired at 60. I did tell my friends to do it too but they wouldn't listen to me. You must protect yourself, learn when to take deep breaths," Mr Tan said.
The iron and steel produced by the factory were used to build the nation's first MRT tracks and support other infrastructural development in Singapore's early years.
Mr Tan's story, along with that of six others, is now being told in n an exhibition - with both online and physical versions - that is part of a process of curating stories for the Founders' Memorial, set to open at Bay East Garden in 2027.
It is the latest development of the memorial as the Founders' Memorial Committee turns from deciding on the building's design, settled after 50,000 votes were cast, to the content of its exhibition.
Kengo Kuma & Associates and K2LD Architects' design for the memorial, which includes a viewing gallery, a lake, a forest trail and an amphitheatre, was picked in 2020.
By featuring stories like Mr Tan's, the committee hopes to get more Singaporeans who lived through the 1950s to 1970s to contribute artefacts and stories that reflect the values of the country's first generation leaders, such as multiculturalism, boldness, openness, resilience, integrity and service to others before self.
These will then be assessed and possibly incorporated into the memorial's permanent exhibition space when it opens.
The travelling exhibition, currently at Gardens by the Bay until June 12, is made out of information panels, videos and an installation of a Rollei 35 LED camera, a made-in-Singapore product that became a household name in the 1970s.
The National Heritage Board said the exhibition will next be set up in Causeway Point, Junction 8, Funan, i12 Katong, Plaza Singapura and Westgate until Sept 4 before heading to libraries, community centres and schools between September and February next year.
The board is looking for stories and objects such as those related to national symbols, community spaces and efforts to promote social cohesion between the 1950s and 1970s.
Submissions that relate to Singapore's cleaning and greening efforts, the transition to Housing Board flats from kampungs, Singapore's economic progress and people's interactions with the nation's founding leaders are also welcome.
Those who wish to submit artefacts or stories can do so at this website.
Physical submissions of objects will not be accepted at the travelling exhibition venues as they must be vetted for relevance.
The idea for the memorial was first raised by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2015 after calls from some to honour the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding prime minister.
Mr Timothy de Souza, a Founders’ Memorial Committee member who also contributed a 1968 photograph of his training days in Britain to become one of Singapore’s first fighter pilots, said the 1950s to 1970s was a period of dramatic transformation for the country.
“We hope that more Singaporeans will come forward to share their personal artefacts and stories, and help shape our Founders’ Memorial,” he said.
