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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To say Thank You to Google, for Street View.

64 replies

shoshe · 09/06/2010 14:34

60 years ago, my parents met and married in Singapore, whilst in the RAF, we as a Family subsequently went back on 4 more 3 year tours there with the RAF.

Mom and Dad buried one son there, and his remains were moved after we left, lived in various houses, and always said they spent the best years of their lives there.

Sadly Mom, died 18 years ago, and Dad is now 82, and could never fly that far , although
DH and I went back in 2001 on honeymoon.

Yesterday I sat with Dad and we explored Singapore again by Street View, we went to all the places that he went with Mum, (well all that were still there, Singapore has changed a great deal), but there was still enough for him to see. We went to Kranji, to were my brothers remains were re interred, and to Tiger Balm Gardens were they got engaged, and to the Church in Changi, were they married.

We went to Montreal Rd and found the house we lived in the longest, and could see the Palm Tree he had planted, when lightening hit the one that was there before, the gate Dad put up, to stop my little brothers getting out on the road, and the window boxes he had made, which was wonderful considering we left that ouse to return to England in February 1972!

It made a old man, who gets out very little, so very very happy, so for all the negative things I have heard about Street View,

Thank You so much Google.

OP posts:
FleurDelacour · 10/06/2010 15:54

The website is www.straitstimes.com

At the bottom of the page there is an "email us" link.

Let us know what happens!

shoshe · 16/06/2010 15:58

sshhhhhhhhhhhhh a journalist has contacted me about this Dad is thrilled.

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alibubbles · 17/06/2010 08:40

Inspired by this I have done the same for all the places I lived in as a service brat, I went to 12 schools, so it was a lovely reminder and I am amazed at how some of the places are just how I remember them, and one is of the school I attended 48 years ago!

Happy memories!

shoshe · 17/06/2010 12:15

Ali never realised you were a Padbrat as well!

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HappySeven · 17/06/2010 12:42

What a brilliant idea and thank you to you for posting on here and giving me the idea to do it too!

boiledegg1 · 17/06/2010 12:46

A lovely story and a brilliant idea. My grandma often talks about the house where she grew up. She would love to go back to the places where she grew up but it is so far away and she can't manage long car trips any longer. I have just found her road and I can't wait to show it to her later.

BertieBotts · 17/06/2010 13:14

Brilliant! My Grandma would have loved StreetView - she loved her computer and really got into emails etc, unfortunately she passed away in 2004. I don't think my Grandad would entertain the idea

alibubbles · 17/06/2010 15:32

shoshe Nowhere as exciting as Singapore! looked at my two houses in Northern Ireland, 2 schools in Malta, 2 in Cornwall, father was Coastal Command, chased Russian subs!

prayingforababy · 17/06/2010 15:36

I love streetview. We've been looking at buying a house in an other part of the UK so can't make multiple visits and been able to shortlist houses based on streetview.

YouKnowNothingoftheCrunch · 17/06/2010 15:42

What a fantastic idea. My dad was born there, I'm going to get him googling his first home. Thanks shoshe!

SlightlyJaded · 17/06/2010 15:48

that's the nicest thing I've read all day and now I am going straight to my parents to take my dad (also 80) for a visit to Beirut where he grew up. Thanks for such a brilliant idea

Megatron · 17/06/2010 16:37

That's really lovely. I looked at my parents house last week and I can see my mum standing at the window of the house. You can't see her face but I know it's her. She died last month and although it made me cry it was a weird kind of comfort as well.

Rollmops · 17/06/2010 16:43

Lovely story

shoshe · 25/06/2010 13:46

UPDATE: From starting this thread, a journalist has contacted me, the result being he is going to interview DF, the places he has been, and how Streetview has brought so much back for him, DF has so many original photos of the places, it will be a sort of before and after feature. DF is so excited.

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