An Island off an Island

Pulau Tekong. An island off an island. The island every Singaporean male either comes to love of to loath.

Yet, islands off islands are no different to the Isle of Wight off the south coast of the UK, or the Orkneys off the north coast of Scotland, the Isle of Mann to the West, or even Singapore's playground: Sentosa. But this island is a little different.


Pulau Tekong, roughly translated as obstacle Island, is not so named because it is home of Singapore's military recruit training schools with their Standard Obstacle Course (SOC - as Singapore loves acronyms), but because it sits, somewhat blocking the mouth of the Johor River. Well, that is one explanation. 

The history of the island is thought to go back 3,000 years with evidence of settlements, but what is certain is that Tekong was originally two islands. The smaller of the two, being Pulau Tekong Kecil (Kecil Malay for small). During the 19th century, the island of Pulau Tekong served as a trading post between Johor and Pulau Ubin, another island a little further to the south (and closer to Singapore). Tekong had a thriving community of settlements or Kampongs, growing fruit and even tobacco (perish the thought in smoke-allergic Singapore!).

In 1987, Pulau Tekong was established as the Basic Military Training Centre for many National Service men, and over the years, other training camps have been relocated to the island. 

The NS journey, as we discovered, does not quite start the moment you step off the ferry and onto the terra firma of Tekong. It starts before that. And, if you are Ang Moh (a Caucasian), and no matter how hard you try to integrate, you miss out on the build-up to IPPT through the Singapore education system, then you will find yourself spending not only the standard 9 weeks of basic military training, but a further 8 weeks to build your fitness up.

But, I won't go into that. The early mornings over at Toa Payoh stadium, watching painfully as (not situps but) pushups were struggled with before a 2.4km run in sweltering heat. Nor trying to make sure there was a supply of large plastic ziplock bags, loo roll and underpants - no trunks - underpants :( and whatever else was not on the packing list.