In our series on interesting and inspirational expat women, freelance writer and editor KIM INGLIS talks about her home in Bin Tong Park near Holland Village, her family, work, travel – and what inspires her.

What brought you to Singapore?
Kevin’s work, initially. He came here 15 years ago from London to open a branch of his company. I followed soon with Tanis, who was just a baby. As I was born and brought up in Pakistan and India, and have spent no more than a total of ten years in England, the expat life wasn’t strange to me.


How long have you been in this post-war colonial-style tropical bungalow, and how did you get it?

It’s been our one and only home in Singapore. When Kevin first arrived, the estate agent warned that our chances of getting it were very slim, but he told her to give it a try, anyway. Eighty-seven business cards were literally put into a hat, and his was the one that was drawn. That’s how it worked in those days. If we were to move out, though, the next tenant would be decided by the new bidding system.

So, we were lucky to get it. The property wasn’t in the best condition, however; tropical decay had set in and the grass was waist-high. But the various government-contracted landlords we’ve had over the years have been very good about maintenance and rent increases. That said, we are good tenants: instead of asking for a new kitchen a few years ago, I went out and bought one from IKEA; and when the bathrooms were redone last year, we bought the fittings we wanted over and above the bog-standard ones supplied.

This living area is all original, from the red-oxide-painted front porch to the terrazzo-chip tiling to the terracotta on the back verandah. Built to house junior army officers, it’s a fairly basic British standard design that was used from Bengal to Singapore. It’s the ideal home for us: reasonably central, but nice and quiet.