Hyped about Heritage

Tucked away in a row of shops at the void deck of Block 463 Commonwealth Drive is a modestly-sized museum filled with treasures from old Queenstown. Bowling pins from an alley that no longer exists, a vintage television set, old store signs and other well-preserved bric-a-brac are meticulously curated within Museum @ My Queenstown, capturing the heritage of the area. The man responsible for this novel set-up is NUS alumnus and Economics graduate Mr Kwek Li Yong. 

Opened in January 2019, the museum is a product of more than 10 years of legwork in the area. Over this time, Mr Kwek and his team — comprising some 500 volunteers — have been going door-to-door collecting stories from residents, conducting tours, as well as hosting carnivals and block parties in Queenstown. “The interest sparked when I was 17, and was volunteering as a befriender to elderly residents in the area,” he explains. “Many were eager to share stories about the neighbourhood and how it was like in the past.”

Mr Kwek was intrigued by their sense of belonging to the community, and his own affinity for the past began to take shape. The now 29-year-old went on to pursue a Masters in Heritage Studies in Sydney, and the rest, as they say, is history. When he returned to Singapore, Mr Kwek founded My Community, a registered charity and an Institution of Public Character, which “documents social memory, celebrates civic life and champions community heritage.”  

Studying economics to appease his parents turned out not to be a waste of time. “Heritage companies are typically underfunded by the state. So we have to be self-sufficient and look for our own sources of funding and support,” Mr Kwek lets on. “Knowledge in finances and budgets, data management and analysis, became a useful tool.” The company’s end-goal is for every community in Singapore to have a heritage tour and museum driven by residents. Says Mr Kwek: “Every community has a story to tell, and it is our privilege to bring people together so they can share their fondness for and memories of a particular area. That’s when heritage comes alive.”