Heartland Heroes: Celebrating the Unsung Heroes that Make Our Estates Home

In the vibrant tapestry of Singapore’s neighborhoods, countless unsung heroes quietly make a difference every day. Our latest campaign for National Day 2024, Heartland Heroes, is dedicated to celebrating these local champions and their remarkable contributions.

Let’s shine a spotlight on the personalities and hidden gems that define each community. This initiative not only honors their invaluable efforts but also fosters a deeper sense of local pride among residents, allowing them to see and appreciate the true spirit of their neighborhoods.

Join us as we embark on a journey to recognize and celebrate the real stars of Singapore’s heartlands. Look out for these familiar faces in a neighborhood near you.

If you’re in the west side of Singapore and crave traditional cakes and pastries, Ng Kim Lee Confectionery may come to mind. This family-run bakery has been around along Chun Tin Road for an extraordinary 70 years since 1954 – and has been run by the friendly, yet soft-spoken Uncle Bernard Ng for over 30 years.

Lauded for their mini muffins and fluffy pandan cakes, the shop boasts a long heritage of selling a wide variety of Teochew-style cakes and pastries. And the figurative cherry on this cake? They’ve managed to keep their prices affordable through the years, so everyone in the neighbourhood can continue to enjoy a taste of heritage.

Starting his trade by selling textiles in pasar malams, Uncle Wellie Ang Kum Siong has not waned in his passion for batik, nor in his deft skills. You wouldn’t have guessed that the eponymous batik store owner is 98 years old, given that he can still thread a needle without any assistance, and is still actively creating beautiful batik clothes, totes, and other accessories alongside his son, Eric Ang.

Wellie Batik Fashions opened in 1978 and specialises in Indonesian batik – offering a wide range of fabrics from hand-drawn tulis to modern hand-stamped batik, and even customised patterns. There’s no doubt Uncle Wellie carries a quiet charm with his long-standing, established presence in the Holland Village neighbourhood.

Who’s a good girl? Skai, the Labradoodle, is! Working with her owner, Adele Lau, who founded Animal-Assisted Interactions (AAI) Singapore, they tap into the unique and powerful human-animal connection to support emotional and psychological healing – particularly among the elderly and children in Bukit Batok.

Adopted from pawrents who gave her up when she was just a few months old, Skai has not only found her fur-ever home, but is now giving back to the community and empowering better mental well-being among vulnerable groups – significantly shaping the landscape of animal-assisted therapeutic practices.

For Mohamad Zaki, better known as ‘Alex’, his crowning glory is not just his well-styled hair. It’s 40 years of running Scissors Plus, one of the first barber shops in Tampines. Many of Alex’s customers have grown up with his trims and have since started to bring their sons here too.

Taking great pride in listening to his customers, Alex makes it a point to make them feel happy with quality and affordable haircuts – even in the wee hours of the morning. Running till 4am is not unheard of in this Kampong-style Tampines barber, simply because loyal customers have built such a strong community and trust with him over the years, that they are willing to wait for a fresh cut and hearty conversations in his barber chair.

Woodlands Botanic Gardens, a sprawling 2,500m² plot of greenery, started from a few plant seedlings on an empty grass patch. As the land belonged to the government, there were initial discussions on whether this unauthorised initiative should be shut down. But the man behind it all, Ganesh Kumar, impressed the authorities with the vast biodiversity the garden introduced to the neighbourhood.

Now, it serves the people as both an ornamental garden and a mental wellness sanctuary – and is home to 350 different plant species, 250 ornamental plants, and 60 butterfly species. Together with his father and around 20 volunteers, they plant, prune, and tend to the land, growing not just plants and flowers but also lasting bonds and strong community spirit.

Coming to Singapore from the Philippines more than three decades ago, Alicia is probably an unexpected heartland hero. As a full-time domestic helper in the quaint neighbourhood of Farrer Park, Alicia takes pride in extending care and love to strays in the neighbourhood – providing shelter, rescuing, and feeding them.

With a heart as giving as hers, it’s no wonder the family she’s lived with for the past 24 years calls her an endearing ‘yaya’, which means nanny in Tagalog.

Priscilla Ong is more than just a volunteer. The co-founder of Project Love Lunch Singapore not only raises funds and buys groceries for 250 rental units in Yishun – but also extends emotional and practical support to the elders, like settling their affairs before the end of their lives. These residents know her by name and warmly chat with her, even outside food distribution sessions.

While a car accident left Priscilla relying on a mobility scooter to move around, she remains no less passionate about advocating for the less fortunate and sustainable practices. Citing her mother as her inspiration, Priscilla continues to make a difference with a group of 20 volunteers to uplift the neighbourhood of Yishun.

What comes to mind when you think of cobblers? It’s probably not a hole-in-the-wall operation out of a ground-floor SIT HDB unit. And probably also not a jovial, giggly 69-year-old woman who loves playing the pipa and building ceramics. Meet Aunty Alice Wong from Moh Guan Terrace, who’s in the business of repairing shoes, belts, bags, and more.

Yellow floral-patterned curtains and multiple hand-drawn cardboard signs cover most of her living room window, which conveniently doubles up as a drop-off for customers if she’s not home. For an impressive 53 years, Aunty Alice’s iconic shop front has brought a quiet, rustic charm to the vibrant Tiong Bahru neighbourhood.