5 Dollars 1967, Singapore
| in Krause book | Number: 2a |
| Years of issue: | 12.06.1967 |
| Edition: | 45 000 000 (all years of issue) |
| Signatures: | Minister for finance: Mr. Lim Kim San |
| Serie: | 1st Series - Orchid Series (1967–1976) |
| Specimen of: | 12.06.1967 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 127 × 71 |
| Printer: | Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company Limited, New Malden |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
Head of the lion.
The lion facing rightwards to represent a more forward looking nature.
Avers:
Centered is the orchid "Vanda T.M.A" - famous orchid hybrid of Vanda sanderiana and Vanda Josephine van Brero.
Vanda is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae) which, although not large (about fifty species), is one of the most important florally. This genus and its allies are considered to be the most highly evolved of all orchids within Orchidaceae. The genus is very highly prized in horticulture for its showy, fragrant, long lasting, and intensely colorful flowers. Vanda is widespread across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea, with a few species extending into Queensland and some of the islands of the western Pacific. The genus is sometimes abbreviated as V. in the floral trade.
Top right is the coat of arms of Singapore.
The National Coat of Arms of Singapore is the heraldic symbol representing the Southeast Asian island nation of Singapore. It was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. The committee that created it, headed by then Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye, was also responsible for the national flag and the national anthem of Singapore.
At the center of the emblem is a red shield bearing a white crescent (a new moon, representing a rising young nation) and five white stars (representing various national ideals including multiculturalism), supported by a lion and a tiger (representing Singapore and Malaysia respectively); below them is a blue ribbon inscribed with Majulah Singapura in gold, Malay for "Onward Singapore".
The central emblem of the coat of arms is a red shield with five white stars resting above a white crescent, similar to the crescent and stars used on the Singapore flag and such other national symbols as the national ensign for civilian ships. Red symbolizes "universal brotherhood and equality of man" and white "pervading and everlasting purity and virtue". The crescent represents a new moon, which reflects "a young nation on the ascendant", while the five-pointed stars "stand for the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality".
The supporters of the shield are a lion and a tiger: the tiger symbolizes the nation's historical connections to Malaysia (which Singapore was a state of from 1963 to 1965) while the lion represents Singapore itself. Below the supporters is a blue ribbon on which the national motto, Majulah Singapura, is written in gold. Majulah Singapura is also the title of the national anthem; it means "Onward Singapore" in Malay, the national language of Singapore.
Denominations in numerals are in all corners, in words on the right side, under coat of arms.
Revers:
Plenty of Twakow boats on the Singapore river. The Boat Quay taken roughly from Elgin Bridge, which carries North/South Bridge Road. The tall building on the right is the Asia Insurance Building, which still stands and is known now as Ascott Raffles Place.
Boat Quay is a historical quay in Singapore which is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River on its southern bank. It spans from the shophouses near UOB Centre, stretching along one bank of the Singapore River, all the way till Elgin Bridge.
It was the busiest part of the old Port of Singapore, handling three-quarters of all shipping business during the 1860s. Because the south of the river here resembles the belly of a carp, which according to Chinese belief is where wealth and prosperity lay, many shophouses were built, crowded into the area.
Though serving aquatic trade is no longer Boat Quay's primary role, the shophouses on it have been carefully conserved and now house various bars, pubs and restaurants. Therefore, Boat Quay's social-economic role in the city has shifted away from that of trade and maritime commerce, and now leans towards more of a role accommodated for tourism and aesthetics for the commercial zone of which encloses the Singapore River. It is the soft front to the cosmopolitan banking and financial sectors lying immediately behind it.
Boat Quay is also the name of the road along the quay, which has since been converted into a pedestrian mall. 
Centered are the tops of the Old Supreme court and clock tower of Victoria concert hall visible.
The Twakow is the forgotten workhorse of Singapore (1819-1982).
Singapore, as we know it today, started when Raffles signed a treaty in 1819 with the Temenggong and a freetrade zone was established. The transit trade started on the north bank, but soon after the south bank was in use. This part was asigned to the Chinese immigrants from Hokkien and Teochew. They build the twakow, first used as a small coastal trader and later as a lighter to (un)load ships at the Singapore roadstead.
After Raffles established the free trading zone the English colony grew fast. At the crossroads of shipping trading was favourable.
Rice, wood, sugar and Gambier where transshipped. The wood for houses and ships where transported to Singapore by tongkungs (spitsgatschepen). The twakow was used for bulkgoods such as firewood, sand and gravel, and quaried stone. They where loaded to there maximum, so the water touched the garboard. Waters is perpentual surprised that it does not burst asunder.
As in 1869 the Suez canal was open to more sea traffic came to Singapore. From 1904 on the rubber trade grew in importance.
Because the harbour trafic increased, the role of the twakow changed from coastal trader to habour lighter (bumboat).
In this new role all the sailing equipment and fittings disappeared.
After the II world war sea ships became bigger and bigger and so the twakow.
After 1960 they are big enough (more then 100 ton) that there is space for a diesel engine, which makes them more reliable.
These traditional vessels began to disappear around the 1930s, following the introduction of motor-powered boats and contemporary-type lighters.
In the '80 the ship sizes became to big to sustain the methode of loading/unloading, which is very labour intensive, notwithstanding the use of mobile cranes at Boat Quay to speed up the (un)loading.
Containers marked the end off a long tradition. The port of Singapore authority was already busy to extent the harbour docks at the seaside.
In 1977 the clean river project was started and Singapore becomes more and more a commercial service center with highrise office buildings. In 1983 Clark Quay, Boat Quay and Robertson Quay where cleared. All ships go to Pasir Panjang and the big cleanup of the river starts.
Linda Berry takes pictures in these days of the river and surroundings and tells how fast the old buildings disappear, so every picture has to be right. In the book Singapore Lifeline Marlene Tanzer shows the difference before and after the cleanup (on the photos).
More about the Twakow you can read here (www.ebedejong.nl).
Denominations in numerals are in top right and lower left corner.
Comments:
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