The year 1986 was an important milestone year for Temasek, as it shifted its office from the former DBS Tower to the (then) new Treasury Building in Shenton Way. The latter location was to become our home for the next 16 years.
And for one of our former colleagues, Mr Lam Khin Khui, the day when the new building was completed had an even greater significance for him personally.
On the very same morning of 28 Oct 1985, his son was born.
“I was at the hospital the night before, and rushed to the TOP (temporary occupation permit) ceremony the next day!” the ex-Company Secretary said with a hearty laugh.
That was just one of many stories shared during the Temasek Alumni Network’s Annual Dinner last Friday, where over 110 former colleagues returned to our present day office at Atrium@Orchard for a night of rekindling fond memories and catching up with old friends.
As part of Temasek’s 40th anniversary celebrations, alumni were greeted by numerous exhibits featuring memorabilia from yesteryears, some of them of historic value.
These included old investment ledgers dating back to 1975, a collection of Temasek-commissioned ties which were given out as corporate gifts, and even a life-sized mockup of an old Temasek office cubicle, complete with actual furniture pieces from the time.
For our alumni, what made Temasek special wasn’t just the physical space, but the friends they spent many long hours with, something Ms Anna Wee attests to.
“Everyone was open and friendly,” enthused Ms Wee, who had worked as a Personal Assistant in the Strategic Relations department from 1999 to 2004. “There were no barriers at all between management and staff.”
As the evening drew to a close, colleagues both past and present began snapping away, hoping to capture the special evening for old time’s sake.
For Ms Margina Lee, our longest serving employee of 35 years before she left the company last December, bidding farewell was a bittersweet moment.
”After having been here for so many years, it will always feel like home” she said fondly.
