Joining the police force was a popular career choice for women in the 1960s. Recruits were trained in a variety of areas, from physical fitness and self-defence, to understanding court procedures and recognising members of secret societies.

In the 1960s, Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin were home to 8,000 residents. This video shows how daily life was like on Singapore’s biggest offshore islands.

Although often overshadowed by the large-scale factories that were opening and operating in Singapore in the 1960s, smaller industries were also thriving during this period. This video looks at one such factory specialising in the production of incense sticks.

By the 1960s, the good work of the Singapore Anti-Tuberculosis Association (SATA), coupled with rising standards of living, had helped reduce the mortality rate for tuberculosis in Singapore. This video looks at the services offered by SATA in the fight against this deadly disease.

Go-karting was featured in Singapore’s first annual Festival of Sports (Pesta Sukan). Described as ‘motor-racing in miniature’, it offered spectators and racers all the thrills of motor-racing with few of its dangers. Watch as these made-in-Singapore go-karts race for the finish line!

As part of plans for the development of Toa Payoh satellite town, former residents of the area were moved from their attap houses to concrete ones, where there was land for farming, and they were able to resume their cottage industries.

To support Singapore’s shift from entrepot trade to industrial production, vegetation and swamps were cleared in Jurong to make way for factories and dry docks. This video shows the development of Jurong into Southeast Asia’s “industrial showpiece”.

This video introduces the wide range of courses offered by the Singapore Polytechnic in the 1960s. In areas such as electrical engineering, telecommunications, and building and architecture, these courses were designed to equip young Singaporeans with the technical skills necessary to meet the needs of a rapidly industrialising economy.

The Singapore Lady floating restaurant was an ambitious addition to the entertainment scene in 1968. Moored off Clifford Pier, it offered a variety of decks, lounges, and restaurants where tourists and locals alike could dance, listen to music, and savour European and Indonesian cuisines.

In this video, tour old godowns (warehouses), markets, hospitals, and other buildings associated with Singapore’s pioneers such as Tan Tock Seng, Whampoa, and Hajjah Fatimah.

By 1963, nearly a quarter of Singapore’s population had been rehoused in public flats in areas such as Mountbatten and Tiong Bahru. In time, towns grew up around these flats, offering a wide range of amenities such as markets, schools, and clinics.

The rise in living standards resulted in a growing number of motor vehicles on Singapore roads in the 1960s, and a corresponding demand for petrol, oil, and servicing.

At the Primary Production Department’s Farm School in Sembawang, students were taught practical farming methods, animal husbandry, fisheries, and the identification of livestock diseases. The use of these modern scientific techniques was meant to improve the standards of living of Singapore’s farming communities.

Queen Elizabeth Walk was the venue of Singapore's first open-air art exhibition. Featuring works from famous artists such as Ng Eng Teng and Lim Yew Kuan, the exhibition drew a sizeable crowd to the scenic waterfront area.

Singapore’s island location makes it ideal for hosting sea sports competitions. This video features the first Regatta organised by the Siglap Citizens’ Consultative Committee. Races were held for koleks, speedboats, rowing boats, and motor sampans.

To celebrate the acquisition of a new modern fire engine, the Singapore Fire Brigade held a public demonstration of the brigade’s firefighting capabilities at the Central Fire Station.

Rapid industrialisation in the 1960s led to the opening of many new factories producing goods for domestic sale and export. In this video, watch how toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes were manufactured in one such factory.

The Botanic Gardens’ successful orchid-breeding programme resulted in a thriving export industry for homegrown orchids, and a growing international reputation for Singapore in the flower world. This video shows some of the painstaking work involved in the cultivation of orchid hybrids at the Gardens.

Dressed in sarong kebayas, the finalists of the Miss Tourism Singapura competition were judged on their looks, poise, intelligence, and ability to promote Singapore. The winners would become Singapore’s first goodwill ambassadors overseas, tasked with winning friends and attracting more tourists to the country.

At this unique holiday camp in Changi, racehorses were given the chance to rest and recuperate. They enjoyed water therapy, time in the playpen, and a diet of special grass.

This video follows Mr E.W. Barker, then Minister for Law, as he toured Kallang Gasworks, the Port of Singapore Authority, and Pasir Panjang Power Station – three symbols of Singapore’s industrial expansion and growth.

This video features a swimming class held at the Yan Kit Swimming Pool. Organised by the Ministry of Social Affairs for children above the age of eight, the two-week course equipped students with the skills to swim in various strokes.

Photography was a popular hobby in 1960s Singapore. This video shows an adult education photography class, where students received training on composition, interior lighting, and developing photographs in a darkroom.

Shells found around the shores of Malaysia and Singapore were prized by both collectors and souvenir-hunters. This video shows how the shells were carefully cleaned and polished before being displayed in museums and sold in shops.