Have you ever gone on a school excursion? School excursions were such exciting days, because they were a break from the normal routine, and also a chance to visit interesting places in Singapore that one would only visit as a tourist – think about it: the last time you went to the zoo or bird park was likely to be in the context of a school excursion.

James shares his memories of going on a school excursion in the 1950s:

In 1950 when I attended Primary One at Kai Kok Primary School at Bukit Ho Swee, I had looked forward to the year-end school holidays.

When the teacher announced in class that the students would be allowed to join a one-day tour to various parts of Singapore on a bus, we were delighted. However, we would need to obtain written permission from our parents.

A printed form from the school was brought home for my father to sign on it and return to the school. After my father explained the form in Chinese to us, my mother appeared concerned because it was my first time leaving on a bus tour with only the school teachers to guide us. We were instructed to obey the teachers, cannot roam around the place by ourselves throughout the excusion.

Read about his excursion here.