Melanie Fitzgerald is from New Zealand originally, but lived in Singapore for 25 years. Melanie is a realtor with Citiprop Property Management. She talks to us about her home, things she likes about the neighbourhood and her favourite restaurant in Seletar.
The Specifics
What’s the name of your street? Maida Vale. It’s in Seletar Camp, which was formerly a British RAF airbase, and the streets are named after streets in London. The area was once referred to as “Little England” and is steeped in history – the black-and-white houses were built for the RAF personnel to live in back in the 1930s. Seletar Airport is now the “other” Singaporean airport.
What’s a common myth or misconception about your neighbourhood? That we are soooo far away from anywhere! On a good run down the CTE, we can be in Orchard Road in 20 minutes – 15 minutes if you’re really lucky!
Exact words you tell a taxi driver to get home? “Maida Vale, please – Jalan Kayu exit.” Lots of taxi drivers have stories of family and friends who used to live here or spent their National Service period at the SAF Seletar camp. It’s very unusual to meet a taxi driver who doesn’t know this area.
Closest MRT station? Sadly, we don’t have anything close so it means either a bus or taxi ride to Sengkang, Yio Chu Kang or Lentor MRT station, depending on your destination. This is one area of Singapore where I would say it is very handy to have a car.
How long have you lived here? Nearly four years; it’s bliss. Some of our lovely neighbours have been here for decades so I still think of us as the newcomers.
Why here? Friends lived here so we understood how special this area of black-and-white houses with gardens is – it’s a real community of wonderful people. During COVID, we lived in a downtown apartment with no balcony and decided we needed to get our feet back on the ground. We feel it is a real privilege to live in a home that has played a part in the rich history of Singapore.
The Scene
When you walk out of your place, what’s the first thing you see? A beautiful heritage tembusu tree of some age. We often have woodpeckers, kingfishers, parrots, hornbills and owls singing and hooting in the tree and sometimes even a large monitor lizard will scramble up its trunk. It’s magical!
What’s the closest store to Maida Vale? No stores nearby but we do have some bars, cafés and restaurants at Seletar’s The Oval, which used to be at the end of Maida Vale before the highway was built in the 1990s. It’s a very popular destination, especially at the weekends for people to come and hangout, watch the mostly private planes taking off and landing at the airport, and then dine, have a coffee or a refreshing beverage, and stay late for the live music.
If your street was chosen for a remake of a film, which would it be? Maybe a 1950s period drama? We do see film crews visiting quite often, so who knows what’s in the works!
We’re sure your neighbours are great, but is there anything you wouldn’t mind a little less of? The only thing that can be annoying are the incredibly loud wild roosters who also call it home. They don’t quite get that 5am is a little early to start the day.
What’s the unofficial uniform of your street? Dog walking and exercise clothes. Lots of Lululemon and Uniqlo; it’s very casual!
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on your street? I once came face to face with two very large wild boars who had snuck under the fence and were digging up the lawn at 3am, obviously snacking on something delicious under there.
The Superlatives
Favourite restaurant in Seletar? A welcome new addition to The Oval is a café called Nomads – a fun dining concept with tents and a camping theme. They make a fantastic coffee and have a really good breakfast burrito. Also at The Oval is Brewerkz for cold beer and burgers, and The Summerhouse for a bite to eat and a coffee.
Not far from the camp is Jalan Kayu, famous for its roti prata offerings – naughty but nice!
What are the best places to shop at in the neighbourhood? Greenwich V would be our closest Cold Storage supermarket with a small food court and other essential shops and medical and dental care. A 10-minute drive away we have the huge Waterway Point Mall, which has just about every shop you can think of; it’s very handy if we don’t want to dice with the CTE and head into town.
We’re also a 20-minute drive from Changi Airport (and there’s a direct bus there too) and can get to anywhere in not too much time.
What are some fun or interesting things to do in the neighbourhood? Watching the private planes of the rich and famous come and go can bring some crowds here, like when Taylor Swift came to town. But this is normally a very quiet neighbourhood – I call it “the countryside”.
People come to birdwatch at Hampstead Pond, ride their bikes, walk their dogs and jog. Having a bit of space does make it handy if you do want to have a noisy party or celebration without upsetting your neighbours.
Something quite different for Singapore is our wonderful Maida Vale bar-and-fire-pit meet-up. We grab our chairs, a beverage of choice and meet our neighbours and friends around a glowing fire and set the world to its rights. Incredibly special.
What’s one thing you’d never change? The actual existence of our houses and the neighbourhood. Originally, there used to be over 300 houses before they had to make way for the Seletar Aerospace Park. We hope these remaining houses are offered to families to make into their homes far into the future to make their memories as many have done so before.
How about one thing you would change? Some of the black-and-white houses at Hamilton Place and Hyde Park Gate have fallen into complete disrepair and are literally falling apart. It would be great if they were renovated and restored and made available for rent.
If the city gave you a million dollars to soup up Maida Vale, how would you use it? At the end of our street is a large unused car park. I would love to see a full basketball court installed for the kids, and a pickleball court or two (preferably with some shade) for us older kids. In a fantasy land (as a million dollars would not do it), an MRT nearby would be the icing on the cake.
Beyond The ’Hood
What are your favourite Singapore spots for taking out-of-town guests? We often have friends and family to stay and we love to show off the contrast of the older heritage areas of Singapore such as Joo Chiat, Chinatown, Arab Street and Little India, with their stunning architecture. A trip up to the top of Marina Bay Sands for the views and a refreshment is always a winner too.
Depending on the visitor, a walk in the jungle at MacRitchie Reservoir or a bike ride along the East Coast Park to see all the ships is also popular. If time and weather allow, the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a great place to walk, hopefully with an accommodating crocodile or two coming to say hello – from a distance.
Food haunts such as Din Tai Fung are an absolute must, too, and repeat guests are so excited to go back to them. Of course, if possible, everyone should also experience the Singapore Zoo and the new bird park, Bird Paradise.
When you’re in need of a dose of culture, where do you go? Anything produced by the SRT (Singapore Repertory Theatre). We’re looking forward to the upcoming production of Macbeth, which may have one of our neighbours in the cast! Also, the Sunset Cinema at Sentosa is fabulous.
If you’re missing home, what do you do? Singapore has been home for 25 years, so there’s not a lot to miss really. Living here is neutral territory for my British husband and me being from New Zealand; I always joke that it keeps both families equally unhappy! We’re in such a fantastic location to travel both to Europe or go the other way to New Zealand, and Singapore has been a wonderful home for our family.