I once worked as a chauffeur for the Little Sisters at the Little Sisters of the Poor, Home for the Aged at 49 Upper Thomson Road. That was in September - October, 1991, three months before I left home to work in Hong kong. Prior to that, I have just left the employment of a Japanese company, Hitachi Asia Singapore (HAS). At that time, HAS has its corporate office at 911 Bukit Timah Road at the current Tan Chong Motor office. What an address "911". Ever since the Sept 11 incident in the USA in 2001, today anything that has the "911" number does raised my attention. The number is the universal emergency number for everyone in the USA. When I learnt that our old Hill Street Police Station, now MICA Building has a total of 911 numbers of windows (if you counted them all, both inside and outside). It rings a bell in me. Not many locals knew that, not to mention tourists. So many are amazed when I told them there are 911 windows. It always attracts a second look from them. Some said it is a beautiful building with the colorful windows but others thought otherwise. Especially with its dreaded past as a torture chamber for the kempeitei during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. Somehow, it used to be a plain white building until a government minister who took over decided he wants a change to it.
Over at HAS, I worked there for a short 3 months and I quit as I couldn't get along well with my immediate superior, Mr Natsu Matsunaga. It was my first job with a Japanese MNC. I was with a division selling Hitachi elevators and escalators. Unlike today, at that time in the early nineties, there were only a few key industry players like Schindler, Mitsubishi, Otis, Fujitec, Kone and Hitachi. I like selling these personal and goods transporters but I just cannot accept the Japanese corporate culture and practices of Mr Matsunaga. To think back, I could have been too cocky a young lad and just being arrogant at that time. I just doesn't like the nagging and criticism of my General Manager. I found him a double standard rascal and there was inequality and he doesn't practice what he preached. He must have his reasons for the different treatment as I could have been that incorrigible bad ass that showed no respects for him and underperformed. I failed my probationary period and I was told to resign to make it beautiful. I can understand that with profound regrets. There wasn't any chemistry between the two of us.
I was a young thirty years old and single. I wasn't in a hurry to find work and I chanced upon a temporary job as chauffeur to the Little Sisters. What a job! Driving the lovely Little Sisters in and out of a lovely chapel and convent home day in day out. The Little Sisters is a congregation of religious Sisters known for their care for the sick and the dying. They worked tirelessly to assure the aged residents comforts and peace in their golden years. It was a one month job as relief driver for a Mr A who is unwell and resting at his own home. There were two full time drivers at that time at the Home. So I worked buddy system with another Malay driver, Mr B. He was the Chief driver and I am the assisting driver. At that time, I drove a mini bus with a hydraulic ramp access platform at the rear for the wheelchairs. On the body of the white color bus were the big words: "Little Sisters of the Poor". They could have liven up the bus designs with nice pictures of beautiful smiling and cheerful singing nuns instead. Just like the Sisters in the mega movie, The Sound of Music. This could have a better effect on advertising for contributions from prospective donors and collaborators. Otherwise, the bus was very much like the bus we hired to ferry mother to the wedding parties.
My main duties then was to ferry the Little Sisters when they run their various errands in and out of the Home. At times, I also ferried the home residents for their various medical appointments at the hospitals and clinics together with the Sisters. These trips were as and when the Chief driver has too much load to cope and I assisted him.
The Little Sisters at the Home were multinationals, some Caucasians, some Asians. Some were huge in size, some thin and tiny. Some pretty good looking ones. By virtue of their callings in serving the aged and the needy, I found them all like angels in white. At least, that's what their attire are during the day. I don't get to see them at night because mine was a day job from 8am to 5pm. The home closed its door in the evening to visitors. They locked up the main gate and I assumed the residents retires to bed early, just like my mother going to bed at 6pm. There were no late night parties or rather there were but I was not informed and invited by the Sisters. I can comprehend that. No drivers were on duties in the evening and in the event of emergencies, the Sisters will call for ambulance or taxis. That was what I was told.
I was close to a few of the Little Sisters at that time as they were regulars who sat in my bus when they go out running their errands. Some has worked in Hong Kong and overseas missionaries. The few who has worked in Hong Kong previously actually told me some great stories from their own personal experiences. Those informations came in handy when I actually got my subsequent posting and job in HK. I just relive their memories.
As the Home was in Thomson area, a frequent place of visit of the Little Sisters was the former Thomson Yaohan at Thomson Plaza. At that time, Thomson Plaza was perhaps more well known as Thomson Yaohan, due to its anchor tenant. Yaohan, a Japanese retail giant actually pioneered the first one stop shopping concept. This store at Thomson opened in 1979. However, was declared insolvent during the Asian financial crisis and cease operations in 1997. The Sisters do most of their marketing for groceries at that place. As I can remembered, one of the favorite drinks of the Sisters were Luk Yu Chinese tea bags. I believed they like the flavor of these tea drinks as they drank it regularly during their stints when they were in HK. Luk Yu is the Cantonese version of Lu Yu. The name of a Tang Dynasty poet who wrote the "The Classic of Tea" which describes the history and culture of Chinese teas. Others commonly purchased items by the Sisters were cracker biscuits, milk and poultry dairy products, and etc.
Driving a mini bus doesn't requires a Class 4 licence. However, it is still a much longer vehicle with a higher roof. I was actually quite skillful driving that and in operating the hydraulic ramp and platform for the wheelchairs. However, I still met with an accident. Like they said, accidents can happens to anyone, anytime and anywhere. It's unpredictable fact, sometime drivers faults and sometimes faults of others.
There was this day where I was ferrying the Sisters to Orchard Road. They alighted and I was told to swing out and wait elsewhere due to parking problems and to return at a later time to pick them up. I remembered going to former Yen San building at 268 Orchard Road where Citibank used to be located as a major tenant. There was this very narrow lane behind, Bideford Road and it was cramped with parked cars at the roadside. Understand, it was a good place to park and wait as the traffic wardens never bothered to fine illegal parking there. I remembered there was a drive in ATM and a Jack Place restaurant around the corner. Somehow, I misjudged and glazed the side of the vehicle. It rubbed against the bumper of a parked car. There was a dent on the side of the vehicle and some scraped off paintwork. It was a minor accident but it was still a mistake on my part or otherwise, who else?
A little background information about this Yen San building. It was built on top of a Teochew cemetery like Ngee Ann City and Wisma Atria. So rumors were that it was haunted place. When staffs at Citibank worked late at nights, eerie things happened, the air cons tripped by itself, eerie toilets and some saw something sometimes. No one dared stayed late after dark and Citibank eventually moved out. Somehow, my accident happened in bright day light. So I have no one else to blame but myself.
Back to that incident, it was reported to the Sisters, no police report needed but I was to write a incident report when I was back at the Home. The good thing was I wasn't asked to pay for the repairs to the damages as I was paid a small salary as a relief driver. The Little Sisters were a fairly kind understanding lot with Big hearts. At least that's was my conclusion or probably I was their good chauffeur and has performed well exceeding their expectations. I remembered I always volunteer to carry their shopping bags and I pushed their shopping trolleys and I waited for them like their loyal servants. The Little Sisters had no servants in their convents. Each Sister was assigned her special tasks and the residents helped the Sisters with their chores. I was paid to do work, so it was my duties.
It was a short one month work but I truly enjoyed myself being a chauffeur and helper to the Little Sisters. It was really a understatement to mention the name "Little" as these Sisters has devoted themselves to the Bigger mission to serve the sick and elderly in their charge. I wasn't assigned to drive a fanciful Big car and I am not chauffeur to one Big person but I drove a Big bus for many Big Sisters. To think back, it was a purpose driven job and very meaningful.
The Little Sisters of the Poor in Singapore was built in 1938. It was Home for the Aged and destitute. Originally founded in France in 1839 by Saint Jeanne Jugan, LSP is an international congregation of religious Roman Catholic sisters who served the elderly poor in many countries around the world.
With the departure of the Sisters from Singapore in 2003, the Catholic Welfare Services took over the management and renamed Saint Theresa's Home. Today, it is a voluntary welfare nursing home. The staffs endeavor to emulate the Little Sisters as best they can in the care and support they give the residents.