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Rojak Librarian

The Rojak Librarian is a blog that covers a range of topics related to Singapore's history, culture, and heritage. I wrote many articles on Bukit Brown, exploring the cemetery's past and present, the lives of the early pioneers buried there and the social and cultural significance of the site. I also cover about nature and birdwatching.

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By-laws for the Burial Ground for Chinese at Bukit Brown

February 19, 2025

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Certificate of Reservation for Bukit Brown grave plots

February 18, 2025

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Wee Ban Cheng (Bukit Brown)

February 11, 2025

Bukit Brown exhumed

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Madam Lee Poh Neo (Lao Sua)

February 01, 2025

Lao Sua Plus Codes video

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Tan Kang Bee Chew (Bukit Brown)

January 26, 2025

Block 3 Div D Died Young Hill 3

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Linda Mah Fei Yin and Gabriel Lek Tze Hui (Mandai Columbarium)

January 21, 2025

Died Young Mandai Columbarium

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Phuah Kee Soon and family (Mandai Columbarium)

January 21, 2025

choa chu kang cemetery former Alexandra Cemetery Mandai Columbarium

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Yap Kim Han (Bukit Brown)

January 19, 2025

Block 5 Division A Died Young

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Madam Cheang Kok Peck (Bukit Brown)

January 18, 2025

Block 3 Division 7 tomb mason

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Madam Sng Cheng Lian (Bukit Brown)

January 18, 2025

Block 5 Division A Bukit Brown video

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Mrs. Wee Yam Seng nee Madam Bek Kwai Neo (Bukit Brown)

January 18, 2025

Block 5 Division A decorative tiles

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Tan Cheng Yong (Bukit Brown)

January 16, 2025

Block 3 Division 7 Family - Tan Kim Tian video

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Miss Helen Lee (Bukit Brown)

January 15, 2025

Block 4 Div A Died Young Hill 4

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Madam Teo Cheo Neo (Bukit Brown)

January 15, 2025

Block 4 Div A Hill 4

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Mrs. Wee Kiong Hoon (Bukit Brown)

January 15, 2025

Bukit Brown Pauper Section 3 Section 9

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Madam Tan Kepok (Mandai Columbarium)

January 14, 2025

exhumed former Bukit Brown cemetery Mandai Columbarium

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Lim Chin Kiat and Ong Siok Hay (Bukit Brown)

January 14, 2025

Block 1 Division F Bukit Brown Hill 1

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Labels

Bukit Brown965
Hill 3318
Hill 1185
Hill 4165
Died Young145
decorative tiles135
Block 3 Div D131
Block 4 Div A115
Hill 298
Block 3 Div B86

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Rojak Librarian (Peter Pak): Advocate for Conservation of Bukit Brown Cemetery. Heritage and Nature Enthusiast.

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Resource Guide on Bukit Brown

History from the Hills (2013)

Newspaper mentions (2014)

Newspaper mentions (2017)

Tuesday Report (2018) 星期二特写 | 行脚。发现第4集：武吉布朗之旅

Newspaper mentions(2022)

Grave Matters-The Greater Bukit Brown(2023)

Newspaper mentions(2024)

Newspaper mentions(2024)

The Stories Behind: Birdwatcher turned grave hunter reunites families with forgotten tombs of their ancestors(2022)

Rojak Librarian+ (other Rojak matters)

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Popular Post

"Forgotten" Japanese War Memorial found at 159 Mount Pleasant

I finally managed to get access to house 159 Mount Pleasant in February 2021 to investigate my theory of a remains of a Japanese War Memorial located there (my earlier blog article dated 26 August 2020) and it was with the blessing of the Kelders who were staying there that i got to explore more of the grounds. In fact he was the one that pointed to me the possible location of a structure which is likely the concrete foundation with a granite memorial stone for the mass graves of 76 Japanese soldiers who died during the intense battle to dislodge the British soldiers entrenched at Mount Pleasant on 14 February 1942, just before the British officially surrender the following day marking the Fall of Singapore. The bodies of 76 Japanese soldiers were gathered from around the compound of the Mount Pleasant Houses and in areas nearby and buried in this mass grave where they lie undisturbed till today. The memorial itself was partially destroyed by American soldiers af...

Tan Swee Hoe and family (Batu Pahat)

Sometime back in August 2012, i wrote an article about Tan Swee Hoe who is buried in Bukit Brown. Tan Swee Hoe came to Singapore as a young boy and worked his way up, eventually becoming one of founders of Ho Hong Bank, and later a director of Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) after it merged with it. He was also for two terms, the president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Batu Pahat, shareholder of Ho Aik Steamships. Tan Swee Hoe was a member of the Council of State, Johore and received a title S.M.J (Setia Mahkota Johore) from the government of Johore in 1929 for his contributions. He owned several property in Singapore and Batu Pahat. Tan Swee Hoe In January 2014, i was fortunate to make a trip with like minded friends to Batu Pahat to visit one of the properties he owned as well as a temple he contributed too and finally the grave of his son. Tan Swee Hoe's mansion First on my wishlist was Tan Swee Hoe's mansion on 160 Jalan Kluang, Batu Pah...

Valley of Death (Siglap)

There was a series of pictures that were recently published on PictureSG, donated by Foo Chin Hwa 胡拯华 1962 that got me curious. It was a series of pictures that shows and describes exhumation being carried out and bones found in Siglap. However nothing further was added in the description and credit line of this pictures except for a few. For this series of pictures, a few things were consistent, the year the pictures were taken and the donor, Foo Chin Hwa 胡拯华. source: PictureSG Bones found in Siglap (source: PictureSG) Piles of discarded footwear source: PictureSG Storing bones in jar (source: PictureSG) Siglap's "Valley of Death" The newspaper article headline of 24 February 1962 caught my attention. It describes a recent sandwashing activity at 7.5 mile Siglap Road which led to a discovery of mass war graves. The location of this place is off Evergreen Avenue and very close to Puay Poon School. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce set-up a ...

By-laws for the Burial Ground for Chinese at Bukit Brown

Sharing the by-laws of Bukit Brown Cemetery and how Bukit Brown Cemetery came to be when it was first opened to public burial for all Chinese in 1922. There are many interesting nuggets in the by-laws - for example, you can only enter the cemetery between 6 am -6 pm daily only at one point in the past and you will notice that it is rare to find memorial headstone that is more than 6 feet in height in Bukit Brown. No. 59. SUPPLEMENT TO THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS Government Gazette, FRIDAY, 29th JULY, 1921. The Municipal Ordinance, 1913. By-Laws for the Regulation of the Municipal Burial Ground for Chinese at Bukit Brown. FRAMED BY THE MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONERS OF THE TOWN OF SINGAPORE UNDER SECTION 90 OF THE MUNICIPAL ORDINANCE, 1913. PASSED AT A SPECIAL MEETING HELD ON 24TH JUNE, 1921. 1. The Burial Ground shall be used only for the burial of Chinese not of the Christian religion. 2. A Superintendent who shall reside at the Cemetery shall be employed by the Municipal Commissioners. 3. The B...

Sir George Edward Noel Oehlers (former Bidadari Cemetery)

George Edward Noel Oehlers / George E N Oehlers / Geno Oehlers (1 April 1908- 27 October 1968) was educated at St. Andrew's School and Raffles Institution, George Edward Noel Oehlers was called to the Bar (Gray's Inn) in 1931 and to the Singapore Bar in March 1932. He practiced as advocate and solicitor in Singapore until he was appointed Speaker designate of Singapore Legislative Assembly in December 1954. He was appointed First Speaker of the Singapore Legislative Assembly in 1 June 1960. Sir George Edward Noel Oehlers was knighted in 1958 making him the first Eurasian in Singapore to be knighted. Other positions he held throughout his career included being the President of the Industrial Arbitration Court (1965) and Chairman of the Public Utilities Board, Singapore. Sir George Edward Noel Oehlers Sir George Edward Noel Oehlers passed away due at his residence in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur at the age of 60 on 27 October 1968 in Kuala Lumpur age 60 and was cremated on 28 Oc...

Certificate of Reservation for Bukit Brown grave plots

When Bukit Brown first open for public burials, it was not popular because of its strict rules on the size of the tomb as well as restrictions for not allowing for multiple plots. That changed with the change of rules allowing for the size of the plots to be increased which was approved on 1 September 1922 with the size change from 14 by 8 feet to 20 by 10 feet From then on, i observed also on the Government Gazette, certificate of reservations being issued. Below are a few i managed to gather. Certificate No. 336 Madam Seow Poh Neo (died 23 March 1924) - Block 1 Section, plot 190 and 1/2 of 192) and husband. Chew Hock Seng (died 2 April 1957) - Block 1 Section F, plot 192 and 1/2 of 191. Certificate No. 337 Wee Siang Ho (died 20 March 1924) - Block 1 Section E, plot 4 and 1/2 of 3.

Kamala Circus - The Great Indian Circus visits Singapore

I heard about the Tai Thean Kew circus from my involvement with Bukit Brown and during one my tours on the Queenstown Heritage Trail , i was told of another Indian circus troupe that existed in the late 1950's and 1960's. Recently, while curating ideas for a Bukit Brown tour on Pioneers of Early Entertainment, i came across a travelling circus troupe by the name of Kamala Circus. Kamala Circus (source: NewspaperSG) Kamala Circus was reputed to be the largest travelling show in the Far East. It boasted over 100 Indian artist and featured acts such as the flying trapeze act, the "Globe of Death" motor cycle act by two young girls, a 30 foot leap by a motorcyclist and the "cat" act. It claims over 300 tons of equipment and animals which include 16 horses, 8 Ceylon baby elephants, an African lion and 2 lionesses, 2 tiger cubs and 3 Indian mountain goats. It came to Singapore in 1947 from India via Ceylon and performed for a month before touring around th...

Lim Nee Soon and family (Bukit Brown)

Mr. Lim Nee Soon's wife (Wee Pek Hay) and two of his son's ( Lim Chong Kuo and Lim Chong Pang ) tomb can be found in Bukit Brown, Block 4 Division A. Mr. Lim Nee Soon is not buried there but in Nanking, China. It is however difficult to write a story about Lim Nee Soon family members tomb cluster in Bukit Brown, without first introducing Mr. Lim Nee Soon first. Pineapple King and Patriot Mr. Lim Nee Soon (1879-1936) is the son of Mr Lim Peng Guan and was born in Kampong Glam, Beach Road in 1879. His father died when Lim Nee Soon was only 8 years old and was left in the care of his maternal grandfather, Mr. Teo Lee (Mr Teo Eng Hock's father). Lim Nee Soon received his early education in both St. Joseph Institution and Anglo-Chinese School and therefore proficient in both English and Chinese languages. A Teochew, he started from scratch, working as a shopkeeper assistant at the age of 18 and from there he climbed the rungs by next working for timber merchant Tan Tye a...

Tan Jiak Kim (former Alexandra Cemetery)

Tan Jiak Kim, J.P. C.M.G. / 陈若锦 was born in Singapore on 29 April 1859 and came from an old and respected family. His grandfather was Tan Kim Seng, the founder of Kim Seng and Co, and a well known public benefactor. When he passed away in 1863, his son, Tan Beng Swee (Tan Jiak Kim's father) succeeded as head of the firm and was also a well known public figure in Singapore and Malacca. Educated privately, he entered the firm of Kim Seng and Co, as apprentice at the age of 18 where he gain business experience. After the death of his father, Mr. Tan Beng Swee in 1884, he was taken into partnership by his uncle, Mr. Tan Beng Gum . Tan Jiak Kim was also one of the founders of the Straits Steamships Company Ltd, a Director of the United Singapore Rubber Estates Ltd. In 1886, Tan Jiak Kim was elected a Municipal Commissioner and 1889 appointed as a member of the Legislative Council until he resigned in May 1915 when he resigned due to health reasons. On 1st January 1912 he was presented ...

Rattan furniture industry in Singapore: past and present

Exploring the HDB estate opposite Queensway Shopping Centre, i came across a Rattan furniture shop , Chun Mee Lee Rattan Furniture. It is not often you find a shop in Singapore that sells furniture solely made by rattan and indeed it was a pleasant and nostalgic surprise to encounter.The shop was filled to the brim with rattan furniture and ware, but what was more surprising for me, was to see a lady working on re-upholstering a chair with rattan trimmings. This indicates to me that not all the rattan ware was exported from either Indonesia and Malaysia, some were still done locally. Chun Mee Lee Rattan Furniture( directions here ) Rattan furniture stacked to the ceiling Worker reupholstering a chair with rattan trimmings Fast forward a few weeks, this time in Joo Chiat, i came across another shop called Teong Theng Co ( directions here ) which although wasn't filled to the brim with rattan furniture (there were other types of wood furniture as well), i...

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