Singapore's young islanders were such good swimmers, they would encourage people to visit the Southern Islands, to throw coins into its waters for them to retrieve.
Former St John's villager Muhamad Akim Giman, 69, said: "We had to dive in fast as the coins sank rapidly. We emerged with them in our hands or our mouths."
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
