Donald Moore – Justin Zhuang

1980-ST-06-21-p31 — *Straits Times*, 21 June 1980, p. 31.

Die-hard Singapore football fans will proclaim the late 1970s and early 1980s as the best times for the national team. With the likes of “Gelek King” Dollah Kassim, the tough-tackling Samad Allapitchay, the Quah brothers and a then rising star in Fandi Ahmad, the team made it to seven consecutive Malaysia Cup finals and won twice. Their exhilarating performance on the pitch was captured in countless write-ups in the local newspapers, including a editorial cartoon in The Straits Times known as Sham’s Saturday Smile.

This creation of graphic artist Shamsuddin Haji Akib offered avid football fans fans like himself a punchline on Singapore football, bringing smiles to fans looking forward to Malaysia Cup matches every weekend. After a commentary on how the national team’s performance was being disrupted by coach Trevor Hartley’s ever-changing line-ups, Shamsuddin depicted him as a mad scientist who would not stop experimenting. Responding to various reported incidents of unruly behaviour amongst fans and players, he turned in cartoons with referees wearing helmets and Hartley learning the Malay art of self-defence, bersilat, to control his players.

Donald Moore and his wife, Joanna, helped build an arts and culture scene in Singapore and Malaya after the second World War. | COURTESY OF SUMI SAITO

A pioneer in developing Singapore’s post-war arts and culture scene is finally getting the spotlight he deserves. A retrospective exhibition has been organised for Mr Donald Moore, a writer, publisher, theatre producer and co-owner of lifestyle-concept store Donald Moore Galleries.

The Arts House, with the help of book publisher Goh Eck Kheng, have put together some 80 artefacts — books, programme leaflets and Moore’s photographs — to tell the forgotten tale of a man who created a multi-million empire in Malaya by bringing in world-class acts like Mohammed Ali and publishing the first biography on Lee Kuan Yew. This all went bust 30 years later as Moore eventually went bankrupt and left for England with only £250 in his pocket.

The programme cover for the 1973 Muhammad Ali exhibition fight that Moore brought in. | DONALD MOORE COLLECTION, COURTESY OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF SINGAPORE

Through his imprint “Donald Moore Press,” Moore printed many books on the arts and culture in Singapore and Malaya, including a “Background to Malaya Series” in the 1950s. This was written by various writers such as journalist Alex Josey and academic Wang Gungwu, who gave insights to the region via a range of topics such as its pre-history, education system and even the state of the fishing industry.

In the 1950s, Moore published the “Background to Malaya Series” (left) which featured various academics and writers expounding on different aspects of Malaya. They were the inspiration for the new exhibition’s flyer (right).

Below is a gallery of book covers published (or written) by Moore courtesy of Mr Lai Chee Kien who is also moderating a panel discussion this Thursday on this renaissance man and his contributions to Singapore’s arts and culture scene.

Justin Zhuang

Tag: Donald Moore

Spectator Sport: The Cartoons of Sham’s Saturday Smile

Pressing for Singapore