Pondok Kelompang Gubuk

Pondok Kelompang Gubuk was a pre-war house situated at 35, Upper Weld Road. It was the first home in Singapore for most of the Boyanese who originated from the village Kelompang Gubuk in Bawean Island. This Pondok was able to house up to about 20 families at a time.

(The main enterance of Pondok Kelompang Gubuk - 1980s)

During the years before the 1970s, there were many visitors from Bawean who came to this Pondok to stay during their visit in Singapore. There were also many Boyanese sailors who rested at this Pondok for few days before sailing off to other destinations. These sea-men normally would bring news to the residents of this Pondok about their relatives living in Kelompang Gubuk village in Bawean island. They also acted like middle-man, transporting gifts from relatives in Bawean and vice-versa.

(The main enterance of Pondok Kelompang Gubuk - late 1950s)

Gradually, the number of visitors from Bawean Island decreases as time goes by. By the time it reached the 1990s, there was not even one around. The Pondok is now no longer in existence. My maternal aunt and her family was the last to move out from it in the late 1990s, before the premises along the whole stretch of Upper Weld Road were taken over by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) for re-development of the Jalan Besar area.