After toying with the idea of remaining on the North-East line until its southern-most conclusion Friday, my trip to Labrador Park on Sunday afternoon found it necessary to do just that. I departed the North-East line at the Harbour Front (NE1) station and intended to proceed to Telok Brangal Rd, but instead I proceeded to somewhere on this side of absolutely lost. No worries—Harbour Front Centre provided me safe, though crowded, refuge, and I took the opportunity to scout around the upper floors of the complex to the departure area for the cruises offered there. A pleasant view of the bay was all mine once I happened outside and onto the deck overlooking the area.
But onward, I said, to Labrador Park, lest Yang laughs at me when I tell him I couldn’t find it. After studying an area map of the outlying area, I found my way to bus stop 14121—close enough to where I needed to be. After a quick ride on bus 57 (and a quick jaunt doubling back to 14161, as I originally missed the stop) I waited at Telok Blangah Rd, opposite Blk 45 . . . and waited, paced a bit, then waited some more, until finally Parks #408 made an appearance. (SBS Parks #408 only appears in half-hour intervals, and only then on weekends and public holidays—glad I decided to go on a Sunday.)
Upon arriving at Labrador Park, I pulled out the camera Yang lent me and basically snapped shots of everything in the area. I have a better visual memory of the former Fort Pasir Panjang through the chambered passage of the viewfinder than through my own eyes, which suits me fine since I find the photographs much more reliable than my memory in most cases. That being said, I absolutely loved every moment spent there. It occurred to me as I navigated the pathways through the bunker area that this is as close as I’ve gotten to some physical semblance of World War II as ever in my life. (Previously, the closest I’d been to WWII was when Yang and I argued over the merits of Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan versus Malick’s The Thin Red Line!)
The shore-side park area was quite the sight to behold. Sure, to locals I imagine it might not bear mentioning or be reason for excitement, but based on my experience I wasn’t the only one enjoying myself. Hundreds of fellow visitors enjoyed their day of leisure by service of the shade provided by the copious amounts of—to these eyes—exotic trees. Others took their chances in the direct sunlight while casting multiple fishing rods into the sea. Me, I just walked haphazardly all over the place, confident that my light, Irish complexion would reflect all the sun’s rays right back toward the sky. A group of people near the middle of the shore-side park began setting up tables, on top of which they situated pamphlets and food and drink; perhaps a volunteer-driven benefit of some sort?
There’s a lot of history to digest care of the numerous plaques and information postings spread throughout the park. A WWII buff would get a whole lot out of a visit here. After reading through only a couple I found I was—and still am—woefully ignorant of the island’s role during World War II. And of course, the significance of Labrador Park extends back well before then. If I can retain even half of what I learned during my visit to Labrador Park I’ll be content.
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