From the Archives - Gifts of the Past

Gifts of the Past

As Tanglin celebrates its centenary, the school community has come together to donate their cherished items that reflect its rich history and enduring legacy. What are some of these items and what stories do they hold? We chat with the Tanglin Alumni who donated them to find out.

Janet Kipling - Weyhill Uniform

“I remember going to a tailor to get our uniforms made. Two or three blue checked dresses, and a pale blue sports tunic. What every Weyhill girl would remember is the matching big elasticated knickers! I think these cotton dresses were the perfect cool comfortable uniform at the time. We also all carried a little hard fabric-covered mini suitcase, with our schoolbooks, lunch, and a frozen squash drink in a plastic bottle with a cup on the top, wrapped in a towel. There was no dining hall or food to buy at Weyhill. My little case was red which I didn’t like as everyone else’s was tartan. Also inside we would have a hard plastic box pencil case with the padded flip top which closed with a magnet. That was another source of competition for who had what cartoon character or picture on the front. I remember mainly filling mine with my eraser collection, my favourite of which was the perfumed ‘smelly’ ones.

Mum was very sentimental and kept many things from our years in Singapore including this dress and a pair of gym knickers! After my parents died, I kept it in my loft for years. I couldn’t bear to throw it out but of course, had no idea really what to do with it. I suddenly got the idea to contact Tanglin Trust about it and was delighted when they said they had no other Weyhill dresses and would be happy to take it.”

Amelia Barrett - Bus card and Report card

“We can thank my mother for saving these small tokens from my time at Tanglin. The bus card is from 1988/89 when I was in Nursery at Winchester, and the report is from my first term in Reception (‘Infant 1’). I was at Tanglin for only two years - Nursery and Reception - before my family was repatriated to Sydney, Australia, in 1990 when I was five. In Nursery, I do remember racing to get on the bus and hoping to get the very front seat so I could sit next to the Bus Aunty and share her sweeties. My Mum and Dad followed the bus to school in their car every day during my first week.

We also put on an ‘under the sea’ performance in Nursery that year in which I was one of three or four - very cute albeit sweaty mermaids. Reception is less memorable, weirdly. I was surprised to read Ms Upsall’s account of me being an ‘avid reader’ at only 4 years and 9 months old...different times, I suppose. My Mum always lamented us moving to Australia and me promptly forgetting all of the spelling I had learned in Singapore. I apparently came home from one of my first days in Kindergarten in Sydney and announced, “It doesn’t matter how I spell anything here!” A vote of confidence for the standard of early learning at Tanglin! I also played Babushka in the Tanglin Christmas performance that year.  

It’s so lovely (and wild) that I am back here with my daughter, Peri, who went through Nursery last year and is enjoying Reception this year. The comments from her teacher, Miss Stevens, are very similar to what you see in my report from 35 years ago.”

Stephanie Cheah - Hymn Book

“It was such a long time ago! I remember that we used the hymn book regularly, using the prayers at the back and singing the song ‘Lord of the Dance’.”

Ben Stevens  - Tanglin Sports T-shirts

Ben Stevens (Cohort 2004) kindly sent us four sports t-shirts from the late 1990s. Now based in the UK, he works for Crystal Palace football club. 

Martha Sayers - House T-shirt & Badge

Martha Sayers, who attended Tanglin Prep in the late 1970s to   early 1980s, visited us and left her yellow House t-shirt and badge. Tanglin student Alby is modelling the t-shirt in the photo.

Dorothy Webber - Letters from Cameron Highlands

Dorothy Webber donated early school reports and letters that she wrote home from the Cameron Highlands. She is now 90 years old and lives in Australia.

Now that you know the stories behind these historic items, be sure to visit the Centenary Exhibition at the Centenary Building to see them up close.