POSBank is poised for a milestone its integration with DBS Bank this year. Separation, however, is what POSBank's former chief executive officer Bertie Cheng (left) will never forget. The 61-year-old retiree talks to YONG SHU HOONG about July 9, 1966 the day Singapore Post Office Savings Bank moved its headquarters from Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, to Singapore

From the 1820s until
1874, the activities of the
Post Office were run
from a room on the south
bank of the Singapore River.

IF you think moving house is
tough, try moving a bank.

We carried tonnes of
documents and ledger cards
for 250,000 POSB accounts
opened at Singapore post offices from Petaling Jaya to Middle Road.

This was not unusual in the '60s. Joint organisations, like Malaysian Airways and Straits Times Press, had offices both in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore when the island was part of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965.

The separation in 1965, also affected businesses and services.

The control of Singapore Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) was officially transferred from
the Postmaster-General of Malaysia to our top Post Office officer on July 8, 1966.

The following day, I attended the handover ceremony at the joint POSB headquarters in Petaling Jaya.

Passbooks issued during the bank's colonial period.

Mr Bertie Cheng supervising the transfer of the ledger accounts from Petaling Jaya to Singapore.

My appointment was Controller, Savings Bank, at that time.

I had joined the Post Office in June 1961 it was my first job after graduating with an economics degree.

I remember the ceremony was a simple affair. Just a matter of shaking hands and taking a few photos.

At that time, the bank was not yet computerised. Customer particulars like account balances and transactions were all recorded on ledger cards and kept in Petaling Jaya.

In early 1966, the bank had recruited 12 young women as accounting machine operators to process the ledger cards. There were about 16 other staff.

POSBank girls during the '70s (above) and in 1995 (below).

And that was it just the 30 of us
trying to set up Singapore's national
saving bank.

Since March 1966, the staff had
been taking turns to go to Petaling
Jaya for their attachment stints.

They spent between one to six
weeks learning the ropes from the
Malaysians.

I was excited. After so many months of preparations, the day had finally arrived .

I had about 10 staff assisting me with the packing of tonnes of files.

We packed the records into crates and boxes. Some were also stored in thick cabinets and heavy fire-proof safes.

There were also three 10-year-old NCR posting machines (they looked like giant typewriters) used for printing out interest amounts and balances on the ledger cards.

Changing face of the passbooks and bankcards over the past 20-plus years.

Workers helped to load all the items onto three covered lorries which were bigger than the 3-tonners used by the army.

By the time the lorries set off, it was about 12 noon. My staff and I followed in our cars.

From the old-style shophouse branches (above) ...

At 1 am, we met up with the lorries at the General Post Office in Johor Baru. We returned to Singapore while the lorry drivers spent the night in JB.

Early next morning, I drove to the new POSB headquarters to supervise the unloading.

The office was located in the former garage of the Registry of Vehicles in Middle Road. I remember it was my 29th birthday that day, but work came first.

The lorries left JB at 5 am and reached Middle Road at 6.30 am.

Cranes were already stationed near the POSB office to hoist the records and equipment to the second storey. There was no way to carry them manually through the front entrance.

...to the designer branch at Suntec City branch.

It was a tricky situation.First, the lorries had to park in the alley behind the building.

Next, the workers had to break down parts of a wall on the second storey so the items could be swung directly into the office.

As soon as the records were up in the office, the opening on the side of the building was sealed up.

We then started the arduous task of unpacking and sorting out 250,000 POSB accounts and files. It was 9 pm that night before we were done.

Jegadisan Sankar Kumar, 18, Temasek poly student (right): Were there any more dealings with Malaysia's post office bank after the move?

Mr Bertie Cheng: Yes, we still maintain close ties with the Malysian bank, known as Bank Simpanan Nasional Both national savings banks take turns to organise regular games for the staff.

Mr Cheng: Yes. Because of the move, we were able to offer unrestricted withdrawals at the POSB headquarters at Middle Road and increase the withdrawal limits at Singapore post office counters.

The move also led to the incorporation of POSB as a statutory board in 1972 and to a computerisation programme that enabled the bank to expand.