NS soldiers used to train along Chestnut Avenue

Mr S. Rajamanickam interviewed by Chan Kim Yin in May 2018 NS soldiers used to train along Chestnut Avenue which was a straight road through rubber estate leading to a PUB pumping station The national service people, they used to come here for training. There was no “overpass” or BKE. It was one straight road all the way into the pumping station. If you continue, you go right to the reservoir. After the dinner, we’ll all walk to the pumping station and back. It was rubber estate on both sides (in the 70s) – they were still tapping. [The single old, HDB-like apartment block] that was built much later where some of the PUB workers stayed. It was in the middle of nowhere; very close to nature. There was no down and up; just one strait road all the way to the reservoir – the Upper Pierce Reservoir. I used to wear a veshty, carry a stick and walk. And the Indian national service soldiers, they would say “Watch, ma-ma is coming”. The pipelines were hidden but you could see it on the left and right (exposed).