ReTRIeVIA

Today, trishaws are still seen in many other parts of the world. Notice that the
designs of the trishaw can vary. In one design, the rider is seated in front of
the passenger. In another design, the rider is seated behind the passenger.

In the case of a Singapore trishaw, the rider is seated on the side of the
passenger. As can be expected, this arrangement facilitates conversation
when the passenger is a tourist.

Touring-by-trishaw is a popular way of seeing older parts of the city.
It is not unusual to see a big group of Japanese tourists in a trishaw
convoy, with two tourists seated in one trishaw. You can hear,
before you see, a trishaw convoy as there will be loud music blaring
from the trishaw’s radio system.

Favourite routes for trishaw tours are in Chinatown, Little India and
the Malay heritage area of Kampong Glam near Raffles Hotel.

Riding a trishaw is hard work though it is much easier than pulling a rickshaw.
In the 1960s there were about 9,000 trishaw riders. Today, there are only
about 100 trishaw riders left. Many of them take tourists on excursions
around the city.

A trishaw rider can earn about $30-$50 dollars a day. A trip from Raffles
Hotel to the Orchard Road shopping area would cost about $40 for two
passengers. A bus ride would cost only a fraction of a trishaw ride but would
not be as memorable.

The stamp shows a trishaw waiting for tourists outside the world-famous
Raffles Hotel. This popular hotel is one of our National Monuments.

(Left picture: Forty winks in between rides
Right picture: Stamp of Raffles Hotel and trishaw)

Trishaw

A tricycle is essentially a bicycle fitted with an additional wheel to make it
stable and easy to ride. With seats added for transporting people, the
tricycle becomes a trishaw. The trishaw can accommodate two average-
size adult passengers. Like the rickshaw, it comes with a collapsible hood
which provides shade to the passengers.

Trishaws appeared on Singapore roads in the 1920s. They were easy to ride
and were twice as quick as the rickshaw. Charging the same fares, the
trishaw began to overtake the rickshaw as the preferred mode of transport.
Many new and unskilled Chinese immigrants found trishaw riding to be a
suitable occupation.

Did you know that in 1941-1942, the humble bicycle was used by the
Japanese Army to travel 1000 kilometres quickly from Kota Bahru
southwards to invade Singapore? Thousands of Japanese soldiers came
down in a manner and speed that totally surprised the British and Allied
Forces.

The British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese on 15 February 1942.

(Left stamp shows the advancing Japanese Army with their bicycles.
Picture from ‘Singapore – Journey Into Nationhood’

Right stamp shows Gen Yamashita dictating terms to Gen Percival.
The “Japanese Occupation” ended on 12 September 1945.)

The bicycle can also be used for recreational and social activities.
In rural areas in Malaysia the bicycle comes in handy when one
wishes to visit friends who live a short distance away.

There is also a children’s game whereby a bicycle rim is rolled
using a stick.

Modern bicycles are attractive and user-friendly. One type is the traditional
and simple no-frills bicycle shown in the picture on the left. Such bicycles
are cheap and are used for everyday activities such as delivering mail,
groceries and newspapers.

At the other end are expensive bicycles with alloy rims, multi-speed
gears and spring suspensions. These are used in cycle races as
shown in the picture on the right.

Bicycle

The three vehicles highlighted so far (rickshaw, bullock cart and horse-drawn
carriage) made use of a very simple device – the wheel – to bear the weight
of the load that is to be transported.

The bicycle, and the trishaw, also make use of the wheel but with the addition
of a gear chain and pedals for turning the wheels more easily and rapidly.

Early versions of bicycles appeared in England around 1819. The rider sat
astride the bicycle and pushed it along with the feet as it did not have pedals.
This was hard work. Another 20 years passed before Kirkpatrick Macmillan
built the pedal-powered bicycle.

In Singapore the first bicycles were introduced in 1866-67. They were brought
in by T S Thomson and his friend, Robert Jamie, a chemist at John Little’s.

This is what the boy brought the next day!

Do you have a Horse Calendar like the one above in your house?

On the topic of horses, here is a story about a school boy and his father.
One day, a primary school teacher asked his class to talk about pets. The
pupils took turns to talk about their pets. Most of them talked about dogs,
cats, fishes and birds that their families kept as pets. When it was the last
boy’s turn to speak he said, “My father loves horses”.

The teacher remarked, “Really? That’s interesting! Please tell us more.”

The boy continued, “My father was born in the Year of the Horse. He likes
to read books about horses and to see pictures of horses. The book that he
likes to read most is about horses and the book’s author is Professor Jones.”

The teacher was very impressed and asked the boy to borrow the book and
pictures and bring them the next day to show to the class.