swimming pool at mt emily




the very first public swimming complex in singapore was the mt emily swimming complex which opened sometime in 1930s (no specific date was recorded). this complex was converted from an old reservoir which supplied water to the kandang kerbau hospital. however, the swimming complex was demolished in 1983.

so, up to the early eighties, there was still a public swimming pool at mt emily. i preferred mt emily swimming pool to farrer park swimming pool because the former was not so crowded. although the pools at mt emily were not the standard olympic size type, we had a lot of fun swimming there. it was easier to swim the breadth as well as the length of the pools.

there was something else that was unique about mt emily swimming complex. they set aside different days of the week for males and females swimmers. there were also days when mixed swimming was allowed. so, if you turned up on the wrong day, you would not be allowed admission to the complex.

after a swim at mt emily, we would walk down the hill to the lane next to the rex cinema for our food and drinks. there were stalls selling indian rojak, satay, mee and the ice kachang and chendol.

(the crest was on the wall of the entrance to mt emily park)