"Because of that change of mindset, that Singapore was going to be our home, you become more settled," 66 years-old Neville Beston came to Singapore with his wife 17 years ago, after a global career. He cherishes the natural beauty, vibrant culture, safety, and strong community bonds that make Singapore his beloved home.
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Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00It just ticks so many boxes for us to live here in Singapore that if I was able to say something to myself
00:07back then it would be
00:09Take time to enjoy what Singapore has to offer. Don't just
00:13Restrict yourself to your comfort zone. Let's step out of your comfort zone. Singapore has so much to offer
00:23Hi, my name is Neville Beston
00:25I'm 66 years old originally from Australia been living in Singapore for 17 years
00:31I grew up in rural New South Wales
00:34Just to the west of Sydney most of my childhood was running around farms chasing sheep climbing trees
00:42You know the things like a young boy would would do
00:46Family moved to a town called Newcastle. I did my high school education
00:50Went to university studied science became a geologist from there worked
00:56If I compare my childhood to my living now in Singapore
01:00It's very very very different Australia is a very wide open country wide open spaces
01:05Singapore is very cosmopolitan. It's a city most people live in apartments
01:09I mean, we're fortunate we have lovely parks here in Singapore
01:12So I can still escape to the outdoors different living living in an apartment
01:19I've always had a desire to travel that being a geologist that allowed me to get into oil and gas industry
01:25And so when the opportunity came up to work for an international company multinational company
01:30They gave me opportunity to to move and live around the world
01:33I just jumped at it every three or four years you move to a new country a new job
01:38So I did that for some 30 40 years my first country. I got assigned to actually in Brunei
01:44That's where I met my wife. She's
01:46Bruneian Chinese and
01:49So she embarked with me on this on this global adventure that we had working in different countries
01:55When we originally were assigned and posted to Singapore
01:58We thought it was only for three or four years
02:00But the opportunity came up towards the end of the of my assignment here in Singapore to basically take early retirement
02:06Our daughter was still in high school
02:07So we thought it's good to stay on in Singapore and let her finish a high school at that time
02:12We thought we were going to retire back to Australia
02:14But the longer that we stayed in Singapore the longer we enjoyed it here
02:18Why do we should we move back to Australia when we enjoy life so much here in Singapore?
02:22But having lived in different countries around the world during my career
02:26we've seen lots of different cultures from the Middle East Asian cultures European cultures and
02:31One of the thing that I think attracted us to Singapore was that culture here and that goes into not just the people but the food
02:39the way of life here climate even
02:42How did you get involved in the company?
02:44During the first three or four years here in Singapore
02:46I was working on a work visa for the company and so I was very much involved with with my career when I retired
02:53I still did some part-time work
02:55But it did allow me the opportunity to actually get more involved in the community
02:58We moved from sort of like more inner city out to basically the heartland and we chose to live in the West Coast area
03:06I've been involved with the local condominium
03:09Council have been involved with them for more than 10 years now on and off and it was through that involvement with the
03:15Management Council allowed opportunity to get more involved with a wider community
03:19so even beyond the condominium where I
03:22Was able to get involved with the community center and in any events and things they put on
03:27I was visiting the CC one day and I saw some some people playing pickleball and I thought what did I do?
03:33This is not badminton. What are they doing?
03:35So I watched and one of the the people who was playing
03:40Invited me to to try so I got involved and I enjoyed it from that. I developed a love for the game
03:46I made a lot more friends as well
03:49Hi, I'm here today to play pickleball. I come to the CC every Thursday morning and we play from 1030 to 1230
03:57There's a large group of us
03:59Get a chance to socialize get a chance to do a little bit of exercise and it's great fun here. I also
04:06Volunteer at our community library. There's storytelling. There's all sorts of activities and whatever
04:12And it's a good chance to meet the young kids. They enjoy coming in. It's a great center for for young families
04:21Few years ago now before COVID times the community center decided to put in a community library and they were looking for people to become
04:29Storytellers to read stories to the children on a regular basis. I put my name forward and I was fortunate enough to be selected
04:35I started involved with with the library
04:38Unfortunately COVID hit and that stopped a lot of what of our activities are
04:42But now coming out of COVID things are getting back to normal storytelling is starting back up again
04:47We're very fortunate where we live that we only live five minutes away from the local community center and also from the local Hawker Center
04:54The retirement it for us is very good in Singapore
04:59I think one of the things that we enjoy about living in Singapore and living where we do is is that it's the parks
05:05My wife and I enjoy very much taking walks in the park
05:08Most people in Singapore live very close or nearby to a park
05:11And I think that's one of the great things that Singapore can can offer the people that live here
05:16And it certainly does take me back to my childhood and growing up in Australia running around the great outdoors
05:21So even though I may live in an apartment
05:24I can still get involved with the environment with nature and whatever and the thing about the parks here is that they are so well-maintained
05:31They're kept clean. The plants are all well looked after they're fertilized and pruned and everything and
05:37You get to know the the people who work in the park as well. You see the same faces
05:41Walking through the park of a morning and so, you know, and it might just be a morning
05:46Hello as you pass you may not actually need to have a conversation with that
05:50It's that sort of oh, I know who you are
05:52You we live in the same area
05:54It's a nice feeling to be able to meet and see other people even though you don't have a long conversation with them
05:59Or you but you know much about them at all
06:01We meet many friends in the park of a morning on our stroll
06:05We'll do a bit of exercise and from that we always invariably finish up in the Hawker Center for breakfast
06:12As an expat you tend to live to some degree within a bubble whatever country you go to you
06:18Don't really get to experience what a country has to offer even though you're there for a short time
06:22That changed when we realized that we were staying here longer that we could actually put down
06:27routes that we could actually get it more involved in the community because that opens up a whole lot of different opportunities that you
06:34Evolved in Singapore because of that change of mindset that Singapore was going to be our home. You become more settled
06:42And you become in some ways more adventurous
06:45Singapore has so much to offer in terms of not just the food
06:49But the culture even the art scene. It's so vibrant
06:53So what I would say is open up get involved enjoy your time in Singapore. Enjoy everything that Singapore has to offer
07:02Dear Singapore as I sit in my cozy apartment overlooking your vibrant skyline. I am filled with immense gratitude
07:10Although originally from Australia, I now proudly call Singapore my home.
07:16I wanted to express my appreciation for all the wonderful aspects of living here and
07:20Why I have chosen to spend my retirement in this remarkable city-state
07:26The cultural tapestry of Singapore is fascinating the harmonious coexistence of different ethnicities and religions is a
07:34testament to your commitment to multiculturalism
07:37The colorful celebrations of various festivals and the variety of cuisines available are a delight for a foodie like myself
07:46Safety and security make living in Singapore comforting the low crime rate and efficient law enforcement provide peace and stability
07:55Walking the streets at any hour without worry is especially reassuring in my retirement years
08:01The emphasis on green spaces and nature conservation is something I deeply appreciate
08:07parks gardens
08:09nature reserves
08:11All offer a serene escape from urban life
08:14Allowing me to connect with nature
08:16Rejuvenate my soul and my childhood
08:21Lastly the warmth and friendliness of the people have made my transition seamless
08:25The sense of community and kindness truly make me feel at home. Thank you, Singapore
08:30For providing an unparalleled quality of life enriched with efficiency safety
08:36cultural diversity and a deep connection with nature I
08:40Look forward to many more years of exploring learning and living in this extraordinary city
08:47with heartfelt gratitude
08:50Neville Bestin
08:55You