PLEASE NOTE EVENT HAS BEEN SOLD OUT

An offsite event with veteran Brownie Alex Tan Tiong Hee on his memories of Singapore circa 1950s of “Girls, Gangsters and Gentlemen Clubs.

Alex who usually holds court in Bukit Brown will be at Select Bookshop for event (photo Catherine Lim )

What was life like in Singapore when the Maria Hertogh riots of December 1950 broke out; when Mr Lee Kuan Yew became the Prime Minister in June 1959; and when the Beatles became the leading pop group in 1964? Alex Tan, the treasure trove of tales from bygone times, will bring us back in time, and indulge us with, among other things, the glitzy world of the gentlemen’s clubs at Club street: the China Weekly Entertainment, Goh Lor Club and Ee Ho Hean; and the social life of youth in the 50s and 60s – the dating scene, ferocious gangster scene, popular music and more.

Alex Tan Tiong Hee is the second son of Tan Yeok Seong a man with a deep interest in Nanyang or Overseas Chinese history and who in 1964 gave his entire book collection known as the Ya Yin Kwan Collection to the National Library for the purpose of (in his words) “reaching out to the minds of future generations of Singaporeans that they would know more about who they are and how they come to be where they are today”.

Please sign up here

http://cakapheritagealextan.eventbrite.com/