The Singapore Times Exclusive: THE ABDUCTION OF RORY DYLAN STEPHEN: VICTORY PARTY WITH THE ELITE OF SINGAPORE
Immediately after the winners of the Singapore Westie of the Year were announced Sir Reginald Nicomshire invited all in attendance to a large, tented area for a late lunch of various grilled meats and fish, salads and large tubs of Poor Poor and Tiger Lager: all for the “common folk” noted Bobby Jr.
That evening Nicomshire was hosting a party at his mansion and Bobby Jr. and I were invited.
Westies were running to and fro picking up crumbs and chunks of fallen meat. I rather liked Raffles who wasn’t bothered by his disqualification for performance enhancing drugs in his urine courtesy of Bobby Jr.’s syringe of “juice”. He invited me to vermin hunt in the kitchens of Raffles Singapore Hotel. Sounded like an activity to look forward to and of course to preserve the hotel’s reputation we had to keep that on the sly! I was flabbergasted to hear a team of Westies were operating at the hotel to hunt cockroaches and uncover colonies of bed bugs. Thank goodness none of this scandalous activity was occurring at Singapore Shangri-La.
After a chunk of satay chicken Bobby and I headed to the Chi, the spa at Singapore Shangri-La which for me was a grooming and bath in jasmine scented water while Bobby Jr. had a hot stone massage and manicure. When you are invited to Sir Reginald Nicomshire’s Good Class Bungalow (GCB) in the Bukit Timah area of Singapore you better look and smell like a million bucks Bobby Jr. remarked.
At 19:00 a Jaguar, chauffeured by a beautiful Malay woman picked us up transporting us to Nicomshire’s GCB.
Nicomshire greeted us at the door, gin and tonic in hand, Prunella his well preserved and quite pickled wife at his side. I was picked up and given a hug by Nicomshire whilst Prunella moaned, “My allergies!”
Nicomshire introduced us to many guests mostly the political and financial elite of Singapore. So many governmental types from the ruling Political Action Party. Senior ministers with protégés most of them Presidential scholarship students destined for power and prestige in the Singapore family compact as in Singapore government is described by many as a “family business”.
While cocktails and champagne flowed several members of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra played soothing background music.
Bobby Jr. knew many of the guests and chatted amiably with many of them. I wonder why! As there were no other dogs Bobby Jr. undid my lease and said enjoy the back lawn noting it was fully enclosed with an 18-foot fence and no exit points. Not taking his word on this, I meandered about and yes indeed no chance of escape but again what would I do and where would I go if I escaped?
Dinner was served in a large tent in the back lawn and guests ate at tables in the airconditioned comfort of the ballroom entertained by Jazz Quartet Singapore. Just about any type of food you desired including specialities like Malaysian crocodile steaks, Pernakan Pizza, Singapore Duck, Cambodian Chicken a la Pol Pot, Orchard Street Orangutang and Indonesian Wild Snake Curry. I enjoyed the Cambodian chicken with my usual bowl of Evian which the servers were attentively filling as needed. A huge slice of seedless watermelon cooled one down beautifully.
As we were about to leave Madame Fong appeared in a spectacular Mary Quant gown and some heavy-duty jewellery. I am sure all that sparkled was real.
She was engaged in an animated conversation with Sir Nicomshire like old friends who tend to argue bitterly from time to time. What were they arguing about? Who is this Madame Fong? Who is Sir Reginald Nicomshire? How did I fit into this all?
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