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Give more thought to the preservation of local icons

The King Albert Park McDonald’s closed on Sunday. I remember having my children’s birthday parties there and passing by the drive-through to pick up breakfast or a late-night snack.

The writer reminisces about the National Stadium and hopes local icons can be preserved even in the face of progress. TODAY File Photo

The writer reminisces about the National Stadium and hopes local icons can be preserved even in the face of progress. TODAY File Photo

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The King Albert Park McDonald’s closed on Sunday. I remember having my children’s birthday parties there and passing by the drive-through to pick up breakfast or a late-night snack.

The Cold Storage at King Albert Park was open 24 hours a day, which was a nice thing to have. I wonder what the mixed development that will replace these Bukit Timah icons will bring to the neighbourhood.

I also used to enjoy weekend activities with my family at Marine Cove in East Coast Park.

We would head there on a weekend evening, rent bicycles and have a nice dinner at one of the restaurants, such as BFD and The Mango Tree. I also recall going to the bowling alley that was there for years.

When I was in school, I played in the band. We had marching band competitions at the National Stadium and I will never forget the smell of the tartan track as the day progressed and the track got hotter.

And who can forget the rowdy Malaysia Cup matches at the stadium, with the likes of Quah Kim Song and Samad Allapitchay doing battle with Malaysian teams?

Yes, we need progress. Singapore’s physical geography cannot and will not be the same as it was in 1980. We will need to redevelop ageing neighbourhoods and structures; gentrification has rejuvenated and improved many such areas.

Do we always stop to consider, though, if we need another mixed development or shopping centre before we tear down another building?

I cannot take my fast-growing children to Marine Cove and reminisce with them about the bike rides I had there.

Neither can they take their children there one day and say: “This is where we used to come with grandma and grandpa when we were young.”

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