It is yet another sweltering day, but that is par for the course for Mr Shahruddin Datok, 66, a postman whose mail route includes Pulau Ubin. After sorting out the mail bound for the island at the Singapore Post base in Tampines, he sets off to catch a 15-minute bumboat ride to get there.
He does this two to three times a week, covering around 30 or so addresses scattered around the island. Mr Shahruddin has been delivering mail to this area for about three years, so he is known to the islanders and knows the trails there better than most.
As he gets on the boat with his trusty bicycle, he makes a final check to ensure the mail is secure and says with a laugh, as perspiration runs down his forehead: "Not much mail today, but I really look forward to going over to the island - it's such a great way to escape the mainland and get some fresh air and exercise."
Mr Shahruddin is one of the few postmen at SingPost who do offshore deliveries.
Two postmen deliver to Sentosa - Mr Yugendran Sanmuganathan, 22, covers Resorts World Sentosa and the various leisure and food and beverage businesses on the commercial side of the island, while Mr Mohamad Hisyam Selamat, 25, tackles the residential areas there.
SingPost's roots go back to 1858, when the post office became an independent department during colonial rule.
Its service areas in the past included islands that were inhabited then. But as islanders relocated to the mainland over the years, postal services to most islands have stopped as well.
Today, SingPost delivers to three offshore islands: Pulau Ubin, Sentosa and Jurong Island, where facilities such as petrochemical and other plants are located.
SingPost accepts mail to Pulau Tekong but does not physically deliver it to the island itself as it is a restricted area. It delivers such mail to the guardroom at the SAF Ferry Terminal in Changi.
Some people who live on islands not covered by the service apply for post office boxes on the mainland to receive their mail. Mail addressed to other islands is returned to the senders.
Mr Shahruddin says being one of a handful of "overseas" postmen is something special.
"I get to enjoy the sea breeze on the boat ride, interact with the inhabitants and, more importantly, get to cycle with almost no traffic around an island that's unique in our fast-paced world."
