Where do I begin? I discovered Tanjong Chek Jawa some years ago after visiting the old Ang Mo bunglow (1 Pulau Ubin). With a view of Changi and Pulau Sekudu, the bunglow was great for evening BBQs! Unfortunately it is now fenced up. On the other side of the Chek Jawa promontory (northern side) was a bay. Because the bay was extremely shallow, the family living there had an old wooden jetty extending dozens of metres out. It was only one plank wide in places which scared some. I loved sitting at the end of that old jetty and relaxing to the wind and the waves. The family also had a lot of unusual pets. Among them was a wild boar who stills hangs out there. I have no idea what the family called her, but NSS members have taken to calling her Priscilla. It was only later in the new millenium that I accidentally 'discovered' the beauty of the mudflats and its flora and fauna. This was just before the time that Nature Society started organising trips there. The hill I found out about only this year. Locally, the place is simply known as 'Tanjong'. As for Chek Jawa, I have heard that it simply means "a woman from Java". Bunglow | Jetty | Mudflat | Hill Wild Boar | Intertidal Flora and Fauna

Tanjong Chek Jawa Websites Maps & Guides: Cartoon Sketch Map of Chek Jawa 1997 URA plan for Ubin 2001 URA Concept Plan Map MPA Map showing planned reclamation works. Guides: Habitat News Chek Jawa Homepage Chek Jawa Flora and Fauna Guidesheets Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore Photo Galleries: by Joseph by Ria by Sivasothi by Beng Chiak by Nick Nature Watch Articles: "Pulau Ubin's Tanjung Chek Jawa: A Treasure to Behold" by Chua Sek Chuan and Shawn Lum. Jul-Sep 2001 issue. "Chek Jawa Days" by Joseph Lai. Jul-Sep 2001 issue. 2001 Flora and Fauna Survey Results

History of the Reclamation The plan to reclaim the eastern edge of Ubin has always been in Plan X. Even after the plan was activated, nobody I knew thought of Chek Jawa as anything special. Then came the actual announcement to reclaim the eastern edge of Ubin in late 2000. The Maritime Port Authority Port Marine Notice dated 15 Oct 2001 regarding the reclamation has a map showing the planned reclamation boundaries. A gradual awareness grew among Nature Society members of the mudflats and its flora and fauna. Although worth saving, it was not possible as the development plans were already being carried out. Education walks were planned instead to give the public a glimpse of the vanishing mudflat life. In normal times we would not have done that as the mudflats are rather sensitive to people trampling around. However, because of the reclamation, the ecological damage was no longer a concern. The walks were a staggering success with hundreds of people coming for every walk. Of course the part of Chek Jawa that was being heavily visited became quite damaged with the more fragile creatures vanishing. Seemingly out of no nowhere came Tan Choon Meng: a undergraduate student back for the holidays. He was at Ubin jetty every weekend handing out leaflets about Chek Jawa. Here is a letter he sent out over the Internet in August 2001. The other major thing that happened was a survey of the mudflat using volunteers. Flora and fauna were sampled and sent back to RMBR for identification. The professionals were also there hunting for new and rare species to add to the RMBR collection. November came and went with no sign of the reclamation work starting. However, work on the Tekong side appears to be proceeding as scheduled. Hope began to rekindle... Then came this announcement in December: Deferment of Reclamation Works at Tanjung Chek Jawa : Ministry of National Development Press Release Now everyone is trying to get organised for the long term preservation of Chek Jawa for study and education. Because the expertise lies in different organisations, arrangements for training guides, plans for limiting access, etc. have to be coordinated. A visiting schedule and registration for visitors has been instituted as well. Visit the NParks website for information on how to visit Chek Jawa. I'd like to thank the dozens of people and organisations who made the difference.