Changi Village today retains some of its old-school charm. Located at a not-too-developed edge of the island, weekenders head to Changi Village as a gateway to Pulau Ubin, or to make a pilgrimage to the hawker centre for its famous nasi lemak. The only way to get to Changi Village is still by car or by a handful a buses that service the area. Being sparsely populated, Changi Village has a few basic amenities: a market, a food centre, convenience store, small shops and restaurants. But can you believe that in the 1970s, the village boasted its own cinema?

Changi Village Cinema by Derek Tait

Jerome writes:

The memories that I have of the village come from my frequent trips there with my parents, and besides the lazy Sunday afternoon strolls, there were also many stopovers to pick up supplies for a beach picnic or the odd butterfly net with which we could harvest the fruits of the sea that the seaweed, sea cucumber and starfish decorated sandy seabed offered those who did not mind walking with a soggy pair of sneakers. On several occasions, trips there would have been on the excursions from the holiday bungalows that my parents often stayed at during the school holidays at Mata Ikan and Tanah Merah before the idyllic coastline they were set in was lost to land reclamation that allowed Changi Airport to be built. There are still some of the souvenirs of the strolls, which, in the form of the photo albums that hold some memories of not just my days in the idyllic coastline, but also of much of my childhood, are some of my most treasured possessions.

Where is the former site of the Changi Village cinema today? Find out, and reminisce the old Changi Village in Jerome’s post here.