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A street party a year keeps the neighbours close

SINGAPORE — One of Singapore’s longest-running street parties at a private housing estate started with an innocuous suggestion from one neighbour to another that they should organise a potluck party.

Residents of Opera Estate at a street party at a community-organised street party on Jalan Bintang Tiga on 29 Aug 2015. Photo: Robin Choo

Residents of Opera Estate at a street party at a community-organised street party on Jalan Bintang Tiga on 29 Aug 2015. Photo: Robin Choo

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SINGAPORE — One of Singapore’s longest-running street parties at a private housing estate started with an innocuous suggestion from one neighbour to another that they should organise a potluck party.

Mr James Suresh, 61, who runs a training consultancy business, recalled: “Some neighbour down the street — a doctor I used to meet at the playground — said that maybe a few of us should have a potluck gathering.” That was how, in 1999, around five or six families decided to carry chairs and tables onto the street where their houses were located, and shared food and drinks through the night.

Nearly two decades on, the street party at Opera Estate has become a regular fixture around National Day in August. Neighbours such as the doctor have come and gone, but Mr Suresh, who naturally fell into the role of organiser, maintains the tradition each year.

Having resided at Jalan Bintang Tiga for the past 24 years, Mr Suresh and his wife Evelyn Chew, 59, keep a registry going of their past and present neighbours.

Each time the party comes around, Ms Chew, a homemaker, would drop flyers announcing the event into letterboxes along the street. She would follow up with phone calls to arrange the potluck dishes, and extend the invitation to those who have moved out of the estate.

A former neighbour, who was a contractor, offered to set up fluorescent lamps along the street, while another family strung up a candy-filled pinata to cables connected to the lights.

Mr Suresh takes charge of planning the games and preparing a quiz — usually peppered with questions about the history of the area.

His three children, aged between 21 and 27, prepare the highlight of the evening: A game of water bombs.

Of late, nearby eateries have sponsored pastries and drinks for the event as well.

After the party wraps up, the children clean up the street voluntarily. Mr Suresh said: “If anybody sends over their maid to help, we’ll say, ‘No, get the kids to clean up’.”

The number of partygoers have swelled over the years, and these days, as many as 40 households take part. “The older folk catch up with each other, and the children love the games (which include relay races down the street),” Mr Suresh said.

There have been no complaints about traffic obstruction, as the gathering is held on a small street within the estate, and the residents would move aside the tables and chairs if vehicles needed to pass.

The neighbourly ties built during these parties remain long after the fun ends, Mr Suresh added.

For instance, sometime last year, a resident spotted another living across the street trying to flag a taxi, and upon learning that she was headed for the hospital, he sent her there instead.

On another occasion, the woman went to Mr Suresh’s house seeking help. Her son had accidentally locked himself in the room, and Mr Suresh had to kick the door down.

Beyond extending a helping hand during emergencies, the neighbours are also considerate towards one another. When Mr Suresh is hosting friends at home, his neighbours offer parking spaces to his friends in front of their houses. “Everyone becomes more cooperative when you know each other,” he said.

Another resident, Mr William Ku, 50, a general manager at a telco, recalled that a civet cat appeared in the neighbourhood about two years ago. “I remember my wife and a few others ganged up to chase out the animal. They would give each other tips through a Whatsapp group (on how to tackle it).”

Asked about the success of the street party, Mr Suresh humbly pegged it to a carefully curated programme of good food and games. The enthusiasm of his neighbours also make all the difference.

He said that neighbourhoods should be like kampungs (villages) with that kampung spirit. “I felt that this street could be like that, and fortunately for me, I have neighbours who felt that way, too.”

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