Woon Khai Boon and Chan Yee Keng with Jurong Radio Transmitting Station behind (now replaced by Pioneer Mall)

1959 – Woon Khai Boon and Chan Yee Keng standing at Jurong Crescent Road (now replaced by Pioneer Mall / Pioneer MRT Station)

(with Jurong Radio Transmitting Station behind)

I grew up in a place that has almost vanished from memory — “14½ Miles, Jurong Crescent Road.” Back then, it was a wide open field dotted with towering antennas, all managed by Singapore Telecoms.

This spot had a rich history. In the 1950s, it was known as the RAF Jurong Transmitting Station, later renamed the Jurong Civil Radio Transmitting Station (CRTS). By the 1960s, it became simply JRTS – Jurong Radio Transmitting Station, and eventually came under the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). In the 1970s, it was managed by Singapore Telecom, until the site finally shut down in the 1990s. By the 2000s, the entire area was redeveloped — what once was a transmitting station is now Pioneer Mall and Pioneer MRT Station.

The station sat on more than five acres of land at 14 M/S Upper Jurong Road, near the old Nanyang University Arch. It was a self-contained compound — complete with aerial fields, a transmitter building, staff quarters, and a shared entrance. One road led to the Telecom station, the other to JRTS.

The transmitters had been there since the 1940s, used even during the Japanese Occupation for AM transmissions. Over the decades, they handled AM/FM, shortwave, and medium-wave broadcasts, connecting Singapore to the region and beyond.

Life there was vibrant. Staff from both SBC and Telecom shared the same canteen, stayed in nearby quarters, and gathered at their own social hub, fondly known as the “Jurong Club.” In all, about 200 people lived and worked there, turning the place into a close-knit community.