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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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Madam Lee Swee Neo (Bukit Brown)

November 09, 2026

Block 2 Division G

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The unique marble benches of Madam Tan Thai Neo (Bukit Brown)

November 09, 2026

benches Block 2 Division F

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Mrs. Poh Tiang Siew nee Madam Yeo Choo Neo (Bukit Brown)

November 09, 2026

Block 2 Division G Youtube Shorts

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Belgian Tile - Manufactures Céramique d'Hemixem, Gilliot & Cie (Bukit Brown)

November 09, 2026

decorative tiles floor tiles Stories from the tiles Youtube Shorts

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Golden Bell Minstrels

November 08, 2026

Golden Bell Minstrels

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Madam Kwek Wan Neo unique ceramic memorial photo (Bukit Brown)

November 05, 2026

Block 3 Division D ceramic photo

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Song Kee Kuan (Bukit Brown)

November 02, 2026

Block 3 Div C Youtube Shorts

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Tan Bian Teng and Koh Yan Tee Neo (Bukit Brown)

November 01, 2026

Block 1 Division A Youtube Shorts

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Madam Chew Hong Neo (Bukit Brown)

November 01, 2026

Block 1 Division A

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Mrs. Chan Twee Geok nee Madam Cheong Choo Neo (Bukit Brown)

November 01, 2026

Block 1 Division A marble

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The Debt-Ridden Lawyer: The Story of Kow Soon Kim (Bukit Brown)

November 01, 2026

Block 1 Division B Lawyer marble

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Mrs. Lim Cheng Swee nee Madam Ong Seok Neo (Bukit Brown)

November 01, 2026

Block 1 Division B marble Youtube Shorts

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Oh Thian Kew and family (Bukit Brown)

October 31, 2026

Block 1 Division A

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Lee Kim Seng (Bukit Brown)

October 31, 2026

Block 1 Division A

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Tan Wee Hock (Bukit Brown)

October 31, 2026

Block 1 Division B marble

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Labels

Bukit Brown771
Hill 3221
Died Young202
decorative tiles184
Hill 1179
Block 3 Division D153
Hill 4150
Block 4 Div A142
Block 3 Div C134
Block 4 Div C108

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

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

Newspaper mentions(2025)

Newspaper mentions(2024)

Newspaper mentions(2024)

Grave Matters-The Greater Bukit Brown(2023)

Newspaper mentions(2022)

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

Newspaper mentions (2017)

History from the Hills (2013)

Newspaper mentions (2014)

Resource Guide on Bukit Brown

Rojak Librarian+ (other Rojak matters)

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Popular Post

Brother and Sister buried side by side (Bukit Brown)

Master Tay Tow Seeh (9 years of age) and Miss Tay Poon Neo (7 years of age) lay buried side by side in Hill 1 Division B plot 423 and 424. They are the children of Mr and Mrs Tay Geok Hong. Tay Tow Seeh (Age 9 , 16 December 1926) Tay Poon Neo (Age 7, 15th December 1926) On the burial records, Tay Tow Seeh (Tay Tow Si ) is listed as 12 years of age. Their residence address and cause of death is masked off from the online burial registrar. This two information would be useful to determine what was the cause of death (was it the same sickness that cause the siblings to die so young and their residential address would help confirm who their parents, Tay Geok Hong are. Probable link The only information of Tay Geok Hong i could find was from the newspapers obituary of a Mr. Tay Geok Hong who passed away on 11 September 1928, where Mrs. Tay Geok Hong and Mr. Tay Geok Swee (brother of Tay Geok Swee) thanked staff of Fraser & Neave Ltd, Members of Straits Bachelors Ph...

Mrs. Poh Tiang Siew nee Madam Yeo Choo Neo (Bukit Brown)

How we remember stories of past can also be based on recent encounters that help refresh memories of past encounters. A chance encounter recently with Angeline Kong helped refresh Raymond Goh's memory of how he helped Angeline reconnect with her great grandmother and they have a video to prove it as well ! It started with a vivid dream by Angeline of her ancestors tomb and every since that dream, she was on a quest to find her ancestor tomb and the rest of the story is well documented in a youtube video from 2013. Thanks to Raymond Goh, i manage tag along today to revisit his steps and also of course the tomb of Mrs. Poh Tiang Siew nee Madam Yeo Choo Neo to see her tomb once again. The tomb, has since been "upgraded" after the encounter (if you watch the video, you can see the before) and maintained till today thanks to the descendant's Mrs. Poh Tiang Siew nee Madam Yeo Choo Neo (screen capture from video) Madam Yeo Choo Neo passed away at the age of 29 on 5 July 19...

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...

The Debt-Ridden Lawyer: The Story of Kow Soon Kim (Bukit Brown)

A simple marble headstone uncovered in Bukit Brown. The marble headstone reads; 437A In Loving Memory of Kow Soon Kim Died 8 April 2602 Age 62 years A simple marble headstone but it possibly helped me uncover a story mostly people have forgotten. With the age and timeline matching, I matched Mr. Kow Soon Kim (高順金) to lawyer Kow Soon Kim who lived during that timeline. When we think of lawyers in old Singapore, we usually think of rich, successful people. But history also has stories of people who struggled. One of these people was Kow Soon Kim, a local lawyer who made a sad confession in court in 1940. Kow Soon Kim From Bangkok to Singapore On 24 February 1906, the Unity Club (of Stra-ts-born Chinese) at Bangkok gave a farewell dinner to Mr. Kow Soon Kim, late marshall of the British Court for Siam on his leaving that port for England where he intends to study law and to read for the bar. Kow Soon Kim was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple on 5 May 1909. Kow Soon K...

Khoo Kay Hian (Bukit Brown)

During the rubber boom of the 1910, Khoo Kay Hian / Khoo Kay Hean was well positioned and made money as a rubber broker based in The Arcade. He went on to be the founder of one of the best known stock broking firm in Singapore bearing his namesake, Kay Hian and Co in 1921. He was also a committee member of the Singapore Sharebrokers' Association (this was before it became the Singapore Stock Exchange). Throughout his career, he held various positions and they included: Assistant Secretary of the Ee Hoe Hean Club (1918) ; Management Committee of the Garden Club (1920) Chinese Lantern Procession (1922), Joint Honorary Secretary together with Lim Kee Cheok. (Lim Chwee Chian was the Chairman) and also Committee member of the Singapore Chinese Girls School (1925). He contributed to various causes and some of them include: Kampong Martin Relief Fund (1916), Chinese Halifax Relief Fund (1917), Sir Arthur Young's Portrait Fund (1919), St Andrew's Hospital Building (1920), Nanyang U...

Song Ong Siang and family (All Saints Memorial)

Sir Song Ong Siang was the the eldest son of Song Hoot Kiam and Phan Fung Lean. He served as a voluntary preacher and succeeded his father Song Hoot Kiam (when he died in 1900), as an elder of the church. He also served as Chairman of the Chinese Christian Association for many years and was a strong advocate for educational reform, helping in the formation of the Singapore Chinese Girls' School and becoming one of the members on the Board of Governors and its Vice-president. Sir Song Ong Siang achieved many first. He was as earlier mentioned, the first Chinese to be Knighted. As a young boy, he was a brilliant student. He excelled in his studies and was the first recipient of the Queen's Scholar but was disqualified due to the fact he was underage. The honor instead went to another distingushed person, Dr. Lim Boon Keng. He did eventually became a Queens Scholar in 1888 and was the first Queens Scholar to study law. He went on to establish the law firm, Aitken and Ong Siang...

Madam Kwek Wan Neo unique ceramic memorial photo (Bukit Brown)

Madam Kwek Wan Neo passed away on 15th September 1934 at the age of 84 (from the burial registrar). She is buried in Bukit Brown on the 19th September 1934 at Block 3 Division D, plot 1034. Madam Kwek Wan Neo Madam Kwek Wan Neo tomb What in the burial entry matches with the headstone: 1. Plot no.: 1034, as carved in the incense holder on the tomb altar. 2. Surname: Kwek (郭) What doesn't match, which is a mystery: 1. First name: Liang Neo (涼娘) vs. Wan Neo 2. Age: 89 (享壽八十九 painted in the headstone portrait) vs. 84 3. Year of death: Mingguo Year 24 (民國二十四年)(1935) vs. 1934 But, the Mingguo Year painted in the headstone portrait (民國二十三年, which is 1934) and the lunar month and day on the headstone (8th Month 7th Day), converts to 15 September 1934 on the Gregorian Calendar. That looks reasonable when compared to the interment date (19 September 1934),

Tay Geok Hong (Bukit Brown)

Tay Geok Hong passed away at the age of 41 on 11 September 1928. He was a staff of Messrs. Fraser and Neave Ltd. He left behind a widow and 4 sons and his brother, Mr. Tay Geok Swee. The funeral wake left from his residence at No. 665 Geylang Road to Bukit Brown on 13 September 1928. From the tomb, it states that he leaves behind 3 sons. Sons: Tay Toh Mee, Tay Hock Kee, Tay Hock Lee Mrs. Tay Geok Hong and Mr. Tay Geok Swee thanked the staff of Fraser & Neave, Ltd., Members of the Straits Bachelors Physical Culture. Further link: Master Tay Tow Seeh (9 years of age) and Miss Tay Poon Neo (7 years of age) Brother: Tay Geok Swee Tay Geok Swee was a staff of the Anglo-Siam Corporation Ltd. He passed away at the age of 66 on 14 June 1958 at Ceneral Hospital leaving behind 5 sons; Tay Khim Loh, Tay Khim Poon, Tay Khim San, Tay Khim Soon, Tay Khim Tian. 2 sons-in-law, Chen Boon Yew, Tan Teck Lim, 4 daughters and 6 grandchildren Mrs. Tay Geok Swee n...

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...

Song Kee Kuan (Bukit Brown)

Song Kee Kuan was the shroff at the Colonial Treasury. There was even a court case where he helped examined five $5 notes handed to him during a court case and help determine that it was forged notes. Song Kee Kuan in another article (1912) was described as an assistant cashier, Government Treasury and had been employed in the Treasury for about 11 years. Song Kee Kuan has long been associated with the Sepoy Lines Funeral Association, with roles as Hon. Secretary, Vice President (1915-1932). Past Presidents included Lee Hoon Leong and Loke Yew Bee . Song Kee Kuan passed away at the age of 54 on 16 December 1932. The name of his children; Sons: Song Chin Lee, Song Chin Suan, Song Chin Swee Daughter: Miss Song Kee Neo Song Kee Kuan Son: Song Chin Chuan There was a file in the archives that contains correspondence pertaining to the application for payment of gratuity due to Song Chin Suan, Clerk Class III, Audit Office, Singapore, who was taken aw...

Archive

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2024 187
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2023 168
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2022 237
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Rojak Librarian +

Heritage in S'pore and M'sia

All things Bukit Brown
Singapore Tombstones Epigraphic Materials 新加坡墓碑铭集录
Bukit Brown Cemetery
Bukit Brown Trails
Burial Registrar
Bukit Brown Documentation of Graves
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Historic Chinese Architecture in Singapore
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Good morning yesterday
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Overseas Chinese in the British Empire

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Nature in S'pore and M'sia

Focus Ubin
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Mangrove Flora and fauna of Sg Buloh
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Online guide to Chek Jawa, Ubin

Daily Moon Phase

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