As you may have guessed while staring at the MRT map, Singapore is a rather small country.
You can get from one end of the country to the other in around 45 minutes, provided the roads are clear.
Because space is at a premium, Singaporeans cannot own land or anyhowly use it for their own purposes.
This means that even if you have a small, secret garden in a forested area which is frequented by more animals than humans, you can get into trouble.
And that’s exactly what happened to one retiree recently.
75YO Retiree Maintained Secret Garden in Forest For 10 Years
For the past 10 years, Mr Goh had been keeping a secret.
It didn’t involve an illicit affair nor an undercover operation, but simply a garden.
Unbeknownst to many, Mr Goh has been maintaining a garden the size of a three-room flat in a forest in Chua Chu Kang.
It was just a small seating area when the 75-year-old first started working on it in 2011.
Speaking to The New Paper, Mr Goh said it was his retirement dream to set up a small garden, as he’d always been an avid gardener.
“I visit the garden almost every day, especially in the morning after I take my grandson to school. My wife joins me on the weekends. It is a quick bike ride and I am there in 30 minutes,” he said.
His garden is around 2.5km from the main road and about 5km from his flat in Choa Chu Kang.
Mr Goh explained that he had no place at home to set up a garden, which is why he built it in the Chua Chu Kang forest.
There, he’s grown bananas, mangoes, papayas and even some herbs.
“I would rather have this hobby than sit in a coffee shop all day doing nothing”, he said.
SLA Ordered Clearing of Garden Due to Trespassing
Unfortunately for the retiree, he has to give up on his retirement dream.
Recently, a hiker stumbled on Mr Goh’s small farm and alerted the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).
SLA officers inspected the area on 19 March and ordered Mr Goh to clear the site and vacate the area by 9 April.
“We have placed an advisory at the site requiring all items to be removed by April 9. Such cultivation constitutes a trespass offence under the State Lands Encroachments Act”, SLA told TNP.
SLA added that it will clear any remaining materials found on the site after 9 April.
When Mr Goh’s daughter was asked about the issue, she said she understands where SLA is coming from, as her father was using state land.
“But I also feel sad because he told me this is the retirement life he has always wanted and he doesn’t know what to do after this. It breaks my heart to see him upset”, she said.
Featured Image: Facebook (Lye Soo Choon/David Yip)
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