Designed by artist Chua Mia Tee, this fifty dollar commemorative note was issued to celebrate Singapore’s 25th year of independence on 9 August 1990. It was the first commemorative note to be issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore. The obverse shows the nation’s development from Singapore’s beginnings as a strategically located British colony (illustrated by W. Gray’s 1861 painting on the left) to modern Singapore, a major manufacturing and financial centre (illustrated by the highly computerised container port and the impressive buildings of the financial district).The reverse features the image of a group of Singaporeans, of different races, standing together with the state flag behind them (and the Singapore arms beside the flag), highlighting multiracialism (right), and an illustration of the first parliament sitting on 8 December 1965 (left).