1979 in Singapore explained

The following lists events that happened during 1979 in Singapore.

Incumbents

• President

Benjamin Henry Sheares

• Prime Minister

Lee Kuan Yew

Events

January

• 11 January – The Singapore Refining Company is formed by three oil companies, namely Singapore Petroleum Company, Chevron and BP.^[1]
• 24 January – The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is formed, playing its first concert.^[2]

April

• 1 April – The Vocational and Industrial Training Board is formed from a merger between the Industrial Training Board (ITB) and the Adult Education Board (AEB). The Board handles vocational and industrial training until the formation of Institute of Technical Education in 1992.^[3]
• 16 April – Plans for Raffles City, a future mixed-use development, are unveiled with a model shown to the public. The development will include a mall, an office block and 3 hotel towers; with one standing at about 200 metres high. Costing about S$600m, the development was targeted for completion in 1983, but it only opened in 1986.^[4]
• 20 April – Mitsukoshi Garden is officially opened in Jurong.^[5]

June

• 1 June – The first National Courtesy Campaign is launched.^[6]
• 27 June – Sentosa Development Corporation announced a new monorail system that will replace double-decker buses, as well as a new 10-storey luxury hotel on Fort Siloso.^[7]

July

• 1 July – The four-digit postal code system takes effect, replacing the previous system used since 1950.^[8] The system, first announced on 25 April, will help in automating mail sorting processes.^[9]
• 30 July – The Ulu Pandan Incineration Plant is officially opened, making it Singapore's first incineration plant.^[10]

September

• 7 September – The first Speak Mandarin Campaign is launched to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to speak Mandarin instead of dialects.^[11]

October

• 15 October – The first automated teller machine (ATM) in Singapore is launched.^[12]
• 20 October – The first McDonald's outlet opened in Liat Towers.^[13]

Date unknown

• Singapore becomes the world's second busiest port in terms of shipping tonnage.

Births

• 13 February – Jesseca Liu, actress.
• 2 May – Joscelin Yeo, former national swimmer.^[14]
• 26 June – Alaric Tay, actor.
• 28 June – Jeanette Aw, actress.
• 30 June – Rosanne Wong, former singer and 2R member.
• 10 July – Sun Xueling, politician.
• 25 November – Chua En Lai, actor.
• 25 December – Celest Chong, actress and former singer.

Deaths

• 2 September – Checha Davies - Activist, volunteer, social worker (b. 1898).^[15]
• 3 September – Lim Cheng Hoe - Pioneering watercolourist (b. 1912).^[16]
• 2 November – Jah Lelawati - Bangsawan actress, writer (b. 1937).^[17]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Singapore refining companies . SG process industry . 23 August 2019.
2. Web site: Singapore Symphony Orchestra . Singapore Infomedia . Jan Yap. National Library Board Singapore .
3. Web site: Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB) . NLB . 13 September 2019.
4. Web site: The $600m Raffles City . The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB) . 23 August 2019 . 17 April 1979.
5. Web site: You can now visit Mitsukoshi Garden . The Business Times (retrieved from NLB) . 8 August 2019 . 21 April 1979.
6. Web site: Launch of first National Courtesy Campaign . NLB . 15 July 2019.
7. Web site: Monorail for Sentosa . New Nation (retrieved from NLB). 18 August 2019 . 28 June 1979.
8. Web site: New post code to subdivide districts . 8 October 2019 . The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB) . 26 April 1979.
9. Web site: New postal code system from July 1 . 8 October 2019 . The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB) . 3 May 1979.
10. Web site: Singapore's first waste-to-energy plant shuts down . Asiaone . 20 July 2019.
11. Web site: Speak Mandarin Campaign is launched . NLB . 16 July 2019.
12. Web site: Instant cash' through an automatic teller . The Straits Times . 22 July 2019 . 10 February 1980.
13. Web site: Fast-food chains . NLB . 22 July 2019.
14. Web site: Joscelin Yeo Wei Ling . NLB . 29 October 2019.
15. Web site: Checha Davies . NLB . 12 November 2019.
16. Web site: Lim Cheng Hoe . NLB . 29 October 2019.
17. Web site: Jah Lelawati . NLB . 29 October 2019.