Sentosa, previously called Pulau Blakang Mati, was once a British military base and a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.
In a 1972 contest organized by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, the island was renamed Sentosa, a Malay word meaning “peace and tranquility” from Sanskrit, Santosha, and turned into a tourist destination in 1972.
The popular resort receives some 20 million visitors per year, including Gail and her rodeo announcer husband, Wes Cummings of Water Valley, Alta., who travelled to Singapore to visit their Sundre-raised niece and her family.