Everything is so fascinating.
It's not like a normal HDB block.
Every day and every morning,
I look forward to coming here.
When I started, nothing was here, and now
it has transformed into something truly amazing.
We didn’t want this to be just another void deck.
more of a place where people can connect, where people can come together,
and is a space for everybody.
This place used to be “cold”.
Not many people actually used the space.
But after we took over the space,
with the help of the community and our residents,
we have grown it into something on a bigger scale than we expected.
We wanted to create
a learning thrill for the children, which is why we have our nostalgic corner,
and we have the library.
We have our Pets Kampong too.
There’s the silkie chicken, which is “furry”.
There are also ducks.
You can’t see wild ducks in Singapore.
There are no HDB blocks where you can see ducks and chickens.
So it's very special.
It makes you feel like you're in a kampung.
Our estate is pretty mature.
So we have the aunties and our uncles who bring their grandchildren here.
So it's like a talking point for them.
So a lot of things here have been donated.
Then we just place them.
Every piece of furniture in the Eco Habitat actually tells a story.
They are a part of history, part of a legacy.
They play a very important role in our education show.
So to us, this is not just a place where you can chill,
but it’s a place where you connect. A place where you bond.
This is their corner as well, and you feel that is home.
I have a lot of interest where pets are concerned,
because I love pets
Every morning, I will pop by at about 7am.
The first thing I'll start with is to let all the pets out.
and then I'll proceed with cleaning their cages,
feeding them, checking to ensure that they're healthy.
We start with the rooster and two mother hens.
and then after that, we add more.
For all the years I've spent working, working working....
After my retirement, I realised this is the type of thing that I missed out on.
So I’m catching up now.
When you join,
everybody is very friendly. They don't criticize you just because you’re a kid,
or think that you can’t do anything.
After one year, I’ve learnt to harvest the crops.
And I learned to take care of the animals.
I learned to do a lot of things that I usually wouldn’t do.
Sometimes, when I let the younger kids hold or feed the animals,
they're like: “Oh, I want to do that again!” And then looking at their expression,
and does make me feel very happy.
So this is our Sea of Flowers. There are a lot of flowers here.
What I do is teach the community members how to plant vegetables.
Interestingly, I'm not a resident of Bishan Zone 1.
I actually stay in Punggol.
Pre-pandemic,
I had businesses in Thailand.
When the pandemic happened,
I quickly rushed back to Singapore.
Having to shut down all my businesses.
And, you know,
you’re just trapped in your house.
Coming to this community has been a really amazing journey.
I got to meet many friends at times when I couldn't be productive
in my own personal life, I felt that I could bring something to the community.
I'm always happy to hang around and continue to be friends
with the community here.
How do you get all these neighbours
in little boxes in their HDB flats to come out and interact with each other.
And I realise a lot of people are craving for friendship, craving for community.
I like the fact that when you know your residents well, it's
not another stranger or another face you see on the road.
You say hello, ask about their day...
And I feel that it's more personalised.
Everywhere you go, they see you they will call out to you.
Some come and visit our farm and then they also share their problems with us.
This place is very welcoming.
Everybody is always very nice to each other.
I'm the youngest volunteer here, but they don't treat me like a kid.
I feel like I'm a part of them.
If we were to base this project on one person's effort,
we really couldn’t get this much done.
We can't come this far.
There are a lot of things to do.
So if we didn’t have the support of the community for this,
I can tell you that we couldn’t pull this off.
Our future plan is to maintain Green Hub as it is because really, we can’t grow it any further.
It is a lot to maintain as well. Because we always have to keep an eye out
to make sure that everything is in order.
We don't want a place where it’s cluttered and overrun.
We want to encourage more residents to join us...
...hands on.
A lot of the time, you know, we are busy with our lives.
But a lot of the time, your community can support you in your most difficult time.
If you can bring value
to other people in your community, why not start off with your own community?
So back in Punggol,
I'm setting up a 5,000 sq ft community garden.
I have even brought some of my friends here
because you can tell them: “Oh, I did this.”
You can’t just show off your HDB block if you never do anything.
But I can say that I did something here.
I helped out. And I'm very proud of all this.
If (Green Hub) was not here, I don't think I would know so many of our residents,
especially those small kids and older folks.
And I love this place very, very much.
These place is like my baby.
I gave birth to it
in that sense, and I’ve seen it grow from strength to strength.
And I'm very proud when my baby is walking and doing well.
The community spirit has brought us together
so that we all learn to look out for each other.
We learn to take care of everybody in the community,
including the animals, the pets.
When I grow up, I don't think I'll ever forget this place.
It cannot be forgotten.