Joe is a born and bred Singaporean, and like many fellow countrymen of his generation, has seen a huge amount of change to his homeland as it has progressed from Third World to First. Tangible changes include singing 3 national anthems: “God save the King/Queen” (under the British), “Negaru Ku” (when Singapore was part of Malaysia) and since 1965, “Majulah Singapura”!

In a varied career spanning 50 years he has worked in the Singapore Civil Service, had a 25 year career in the Singapore Armed Forces, including 3 tours of duty as a Commanding Officer in the Air Force, and a stint as a stockbroker. His latest passion is Tour Guiding.

Joe is most at home with nature, having grown up in a village on the edge of a mangrove forest, and indulging in such activities as catching crabs and fish with his bare hands and climbing trees like Tarzan (Jane & he get on well!).

He experienced first hand the traumatic days immediately after the Japanese occupation when food was scarce. He was brought up on tales of horror and suffering by village folks who survived the Japanese invasion and the fall of Singapore. This, coupled with his experience in the SAF, enables him to give a consumate and very personal account of events leading to the leading to the Fall of Singapore, and the over 3 years of life under the Japanese occupation.

In addition to exploring the impact of WW2, Joe can show you our “heartlands” including the best places to sample our many & varied cuisines.