8. The Sky-Blue Kayak

Beng Guan and Cheng Yan with their Kayak

​​​​This happened after the MCE exams in 1970 - It began with a blueprint for a single-seater kayak I received from my Australian pen-pal. Excited, I shared it with my friends - Beng Guan, Yap Min, Tony Kwa, and the late Paul Lau. Right away, Beng Guan, who was known as a self-taught carpenter, said, “Let’s build it!” And the project began at his house in Coronation Road.

We managed to get the right kind of wood from a sawmill where my late uncle used to work. Piece by piece, Beng Guan cut, joined, and shaped the kayak. He coated it with tar to water-proof it and painted the exterior a bright sky-blue. It looked beautiful.

When the day finally came, we carried our creation to a disused mining pool. The funniest part was the way we transported it – balanced across two bicycles, with Tony in front and me behind, each of us holding it on our shoulders as we pedalled along.

At the pool, we took turns to try it out. To our amazement, the kayak floated perfectly on the very first attempt itself. One by one, all of us managed to have a go. There were no leaks, no tilting, no problems at all. It was such a high. We felt elated, proud that our plan had actually worked.

The kayak became a part of our lives for the next few years. We even brought it to the Lake Gardens to paddle around, with Chong Beng joining us.

Looking back, it wasn’t just about building a kayak. It was the laughter, the "let's-do-it" gung-ho, the boyhood nonchalance to follow through a whim, and the friendship that made it such a lasting memory.

Chong Cheng Yan

7th September 2025