Your S’pore Story: ‘There was a time in my life when I used to model’

Mark van Cuylenberg, more affectionately known as The Flying Dutchman, is one of the most recognisable voices on Singaporean radio and has become an essential part of many Singaporeans’ morning routines.

He might look Caucasian (his father was Dutch, while his mother was English Eurasian) but did you know that the 69-year-old is Singaporean through and through? 

Watch his video here.

He was born at the then-Kandang Kerbau Hospital by one of the nation’s most famous historical figures and even attended St Michael’s Primary School and St Joseph’s Institution. 

Currently hosting The Morning Drive show with

Carrie Chong

on One FM 91.3, he shares how he got into radio, the stories behind his moniker and why he cannot ever see himself giving up the mic.

“There was a time in my life – I mean, you look at me now and you would never say this – when I used to model. God help the modelling industry! 

But I would also host fashion shows, and that is where I was discovered by the late Paul Chong. He took me to Rediffusion where I did a demo. Eric Lim listened to it and thought there was something there. I went through two weeks of training before going on air. And it was during that shift that I went, now this is what I’m going to do. I haven’t taken a break from radio since.

That was in the early 80s. So if you stop to do the count, I’ve been doing this for 44 years. That’s a long time. But what’s kept me going is, I don’t come to work. I think that’s the secret; I come to play.

How did I get the Flying Dutchman name? If you check Wikipedia, it will tell you the story of a DJ running between two studios in the Rediffusion building over a 48-hour period, because everybody was sick. And he did shifts for 48 hours. When he went home, he slept for a day and a half. And that’s why his boss called him the Flying Dutchman.

Then, of course, there is the story of a young boy who was born on a KLM Royal Dutch Airline flight over international airspace, and Holland claimed him. So he was called the Flying Dutchman.

And then there is the story of the boss who said, ‘Your name is just too damn hard to pronounce. You have Dutch heritage. We’ll call you the Flying Dutchman.’

Nobody knows the real story. And nobody ever will. Because I’m not going to tell you. You figure it out. Which of those stories do you think is real? As long as you think it’s real, it’s the real story.

I love the name. It allowed me to do things Mark van Cuylenburg couldn’t do. Mark was a Singaporean boy, a Eurasian boy, bound by certain rules. But the Flying Dutchman was a character. He could do whatever he wanted. And with the help of Glenn Ong and Joe Augustin, he did just that.

My family’s been in Singapore longer than many Singaporeans. We were here before CK Tang was built. We came through Sri Lanka, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca. So we’re very Singaporean. We may be white – I mean, I’m white because I don’t go in the sun – but I’m a Eurasian boy.

Dr Benjamin Sheares, who became president, was the gynaecologist who delivered me. Is that why I’m a national treasure? I don’t know. Some people say I am. But I’m just a guy who goes on the radio and hopefully makes you smile in the morning.

I don’t think I will ever be ready to give up radio. I joke about it. Glenn hates it when I do it. But I’ve always said, I want to die on shift.

Because can you imagine it? Front page, Straits Times. The Flying Dutchman dies on air. That’s the way to go. But it’s probably not going to happen.”

For generations, The Straits Times has told The Singapore Story. To celebrate our 180th anniversary, we’re putting the spotlight on our communities – for you to tell us yours, from all around Singapore. Discover the stories from your neighbourhood as the series continues at

Your Singapore Story

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