'Tampenis'? Baey Yam Keng shares father's school-leaving cert showing old spelling of Tampines
Minister of State Baey Yam Keng has shared a photo of his father's school-leaving certificate from 1954 — and it turns out Tampines was once spelt very differently.
In a Facebook post, Mr Baey, who holds portfolios in Culture, Community and Youth as well as Transport and who is also a Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC, revealed that his father was a student of Tampenis School from 1952 to 1954.
Yes, you read that right, and that was how Tampines used to be spelt.
An unexpected family discovery
Mr Baey wrote that he came across the certificate while looking through his father's belongings.
"I was going through my father's old documents and found out that he studied at Tampenis (I didn't know that's how the school and road names were spelt during that time! Check out the certificate.) School for three years," he wrote.
"I didn't know this part of my father's life history. What a coincidence!" he added, referring to his current role representing Tampines.
A quick check shows that Tampines was named after the Pokok Tampenis, a tree that once grew abundantly in the area.
Over the years, the name appeared in various forms — Tampinis, Tempines and Tampenis — until the Singapore Rural Board standardised the spelling to "Tampines" in 1939.
However, the unofficial older variations persisted, including in school names such as the one on Mr Baey's father's certificate.
Tampines or Tampenis?
Netizens were amused by the old spelling of Mr Baey's ward.
"Did I just see tamPeNis? Haha… no wonder they changed the spelling," said a Facebook user.
"I didn't know that Tampenis is the old and original name for Tampines," said another.
One netizen shed some light on the matter: "Yes, it is the original name of Tampines in Malay, which is called 'Pokok Tempenis' in case many are not aware of it."
The post also prompted reflections on what the area once looked like, back when Tampines was largely rural, with farms, kampongs and long stretches of road.
"Enjoyed taking a car-ride with late dad along this very secluded stretch — ulu and scenic, with lots of fish/veg farms and some scattered Chinese Villages/Kampongs," said a commenter.
Today, Tampines is home to multiple institutions bearing its modern name, including Tampines Primary School and Tampines Secondary School along Tampines Street 12, as well as Tampines Meridian Junior College, which is located in Pasir Ris.
