Shedding Some Light: Rifle Range Road
by Kevin Lee
Leading into a quiet residential area in posh Bukit Timah is a road that doesn’t conjure up images of quiet or residents: Rifle Range Road.
But the area does seem to have been a residential area even before the present houses there were built – except that early residents, though living on landed property, were less well-heeled. The area was actually occupied by squatters, who were resettled about fifty years ago (Singapore Improvement Trust, 1955).
The area seemed to have been the site of a granite quarry too, supposedly “one of the deepest quarries in Singapore … It was later filled, converted into flat land and used for building development work.†(Naidu, undated).
The road then leads past Rifle Range Link, which is passable on foot, before coming to a dead end.
While explosions must have rocked the area while the quarry was in operation, there were other things that also went “boom!” around Rifle Range Road. Before the Japanese occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945, the British had used the site where the Singapore Gun Club currently stands as an ammunition depot, and remnants of its presence were left behind.
“Over the years, World War II grenades, bombs and even pistols have been uncovered from within the shooting range†(Singapore Gun Club, undated).
The Singapore Gun Club started in the early 1950s, operating initially “from a tiny zinc-roofed wooden shed of about four square metres†(Singapore Gun Club, undated).
If “club†sounds odd when used together with the word “gunâ€, it should be noted that shooting was – and still is – not just restricted to war, but also a peacetime leisure activity similar to golf. After all, both pursuits involve long metal things to launch projectiles. In fact, NTUC launched its inaugural shoot at the club in 1991 (Singapore Government, 1991).
About the writer: Kevin Lee enjoys journeys to wide open spaces and into the past by bicycle. He rides around Singapore occasionally to “paint with light”, photographing scenes that may shed light on bits of the island’s past. This way, he can relive in future memories of the past even when what has been photographed has disappeared. After all, when things are gone, all we have left are memories which may dim with time – and photographs.
Also read Kevin’s previous contributions on Jalan Kampong Chantek and the Singapore Quarry.
References
Naidu, RT, undated, Dunearn Road, Singapore Infopedia.Retrieved 3 Aug 07 from http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_294_2005-01-26.html
Singapore Government, 1991. Speech by Mr Ong Teng Cheong, Deputy Prime Minister, at the NTUC inaugural shooting at the Singapore Gun Club, Rifle Range Road on Sunday, 10 February 1991 at 10.00 am.
Singapore Gun Club, undated. Retrieved 3 Aug 07 from http://www.singaporegunclub.com/
Singapore Improvement Trust, 1955. Agricultural Squatters Resettlement Scheme – Rifle Range Rd Area 42. Retrieved 4 Aug 07 from http://www.a2o.com.sg