A piece of history - Merger photobook

This is literally a piece of history. The chinese characters on the cover of this document reads:

马来西亚来临 (Malaysia is approaching)
如日之升逝所必然 (It is as sure as the sun will rise)
认识马来西亚相簿 (Know your Malaysia photo book)

This booklet was probably distributed amongst the school children before the merger as a means of propaganda to gain the people's support for merger. Singapore had wanted merger, to be part of Malaysia, to counter the communist threat. A referendum was ultimately held on 1 Sep 1962 and 70% voted in favour of merger.

My maternal grandparents on their wedding day. My grandmother passed away when I was in primary school. Mum said that this photo was taken during the Japanese Occupation and her parents had to pay loads of banana notes to have the photos taken and developed.

My mother (2nd from left) with her siblings. She was probably around 10 years of age. The boy on the left was her eldest brother who passed away before reaching his teenage years; he suffered from illness. On my mother's lap was Aunt Jacqueline who was still a baby. The standing girl was Aunt Sherry who looked troubled. And the boy on the right was Uncle Pak-Keong.

For the photo on the right, my mum was still a toddler with obvious curly hair. The baby in the centre was probably Uncle Pak-Keong and the boy on the right was mum's eldest brother.