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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. The are many articles on Bukit Brown that have been particularly insightful, exploring the cemetery's past and present, the lives of the people buried there, and the social and cultural significance of the site. I also cover about nature and Birdwatching in some of my articles.

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Showing posts from November, 2018

Posts

Tan Chian and family (Kopi Sua)

November 27, 2018

kopi sua Merchant whitley cemetery

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Sie Yok Swie (victim of 1954 airplane crash in Kallang Airport)

November 07, 2018

Gelong Pah Greater Bukit Brown Toa Payoh cemetery

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Loo Boon Kwee and family (Greater Bukit Brown)

November 05, 2018

Gelong Pah Greater Bukit Brown Toa Payoh cemetery

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Kwik Tiang Boon and family (Bukit Brown)

November 03, 2018

Banking Block 4 Div A Bukit Brown Hill 4

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Bukit Brown894
Hill 3283
Hill 1172
Hill 4137
decorative tiles117
Block 3 Div D115
Died Young97
Block 4 Div A94
Hill 286
birdwatching83

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Rojak Librarian: Nature has a lot to teach us, if only we stop to pay attention.

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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(2020)

Newspaper mentions(2022)

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

Ng Khian Soo (Kopi Sua)

Ng Khian Soo passed away at the age 9 on 26 July 1966. His beautiful rectangle shaped tomb is located at Whitley Road Hokkien Cemetery (we colloquially call this place Kopi Sua). Master Ng Khian Soo tomb is very close to PIE nearer to Whitley Detention Centre entrance facing PIE. Ng Khian Soon Ng Khian Soo tomb after a bit of clearing (June 2023)

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

Qing Ming 2022 - Yap Geok Song revisited

8 years ago i met the descendants of Yap Geok Song in a very happy gathering to celebrate the clearing and restoration of the tomb after they contacted me. The occasion did not go unnoticed and was reported in Zaobao dated 22 September 2014 . Today (16 April 2022) i was fortunate to meet again the descendants in their annual Qing Ming occasion to honor their ancestor. I am thankful once again for their permission to document this private moment and for allowing me to join them in this special occasion. I was also very happy they remembered me as well and to note that all who attended today are healthy enough to make the journey into the forest despite a wet muddy day. Fortunately everyone arrived to tomb of Yap Geok Song safely and without incident. Experience shows and everyone efficiently did their part to get ready the offerings and prepare for the prayers and subsequently completing it. It was a gathering of sorts as well, where while waiting for their ancestor to "finish ea

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), it reminded

Madam Pang Wai Heng (Kopi Sua)

Madam Pang Wai Heng passed away on 11 February 1957. Listed on her tomb are the name of her children; Sons: Sio Puay Thiam, Sio Puay Chye Daughters: Sio Chew Hiong, Sio Chew Har, Sio Chew Beng Madam Pang Wai Heng I am unable to find any information about Madam Pang Wai Heng but it was a search using her children names i found an obituary notice of a Mr. Sio Tian Soo who passed away on 13 April 1987. With so many of the children name matching, it is very likely that Mr. Sio Tian Soo and Madam Pang Wai Heng were once husband and wife. Sio Tian Soo leaves behind; Wife: Tan Gek Hong Sons: Sio Puay Seng, Sio Puay Thiam, Richard, Sio Puay Chye Daughter-in-law: Aileen Lau Daughters: Sio Siew Choo, Sio Yew Choo, Sio Chew Hiong , Sio Chew Har, Sio Chew Beng Sons-in-law: Lee Kim Poon, Yeo Hong Huat, Adrain Ang Teow Bin, Anthony Leong Tung Yu, William Lai Yew Ghee and many grandchildren. Location of tomb Mrs. Sio Tian Soo nee Madam Pang Wai Heng's tomb is located in Kopi Sua (towards

Armenisgild Stanislaus Desker (former Bidadari Cemetery)

Armenisgild Stanislaus Desker (also known as A.S. Desker or Hermogenes Desker) of 60 Waterloo Street (19th April 1853 - died 14th May 1912) was a prominent person in the Eurasian Community and the Catholic community. He studied in Raffles Institution before joining the service of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Co. in July 1870 and worked till his retirement for 31 years in December 1901. Mr. A.S. Desker held the position of Chief of the Dock Accounts Department. One year prior to his retirement, the company in consideration of his long and faithful service, granted him 1 year's leave one full pay, paid in advance and a free first class return passage to England and on his return awarded him a pension. Mr. A.S. Desker then went on to be Broker and Insurance Agent till his death in 1912. He was twice married, his first wife being a daughter of the late Mr. J.F. Hansen, who predeceased him in 1911 and by the side of whose grave at Bidadari he was buried (before Bidadari Cemetery was exhumed f

Chua Seng Phong and family (Bukit Brown)

Chua Seng Phong passed away at the age of 66 on Friday, 12 June 1931 at 48 Tras Street. He leaves behind; 5 sons; Chua Boon Kow, Chua Boon Lay, Chua Boon Liat, Chua Kay Tuan, Chua Boon Seng. Listed on his tomb are the name of his; Daughter: Chua Pheck Lian Grandsons: Chua Cheong Eng, Chua Cheong Quee, Chua Cheong Jin, Chua Cheong Hwa. Chua Seng Phong came from Kinmen, Fujian province to Singapore seeking for fortune. Working hard, he made his fortune selling chickens at the former Telok Ayer Market. Mrs Chua Seng Phong nee Madam Tan Woo Neo / Tan Ooh Neo (1881-1929). Madam Tan Ooh Neo was born on 5 August 1881 and passed away on 2 May 1929. Mother of Sons: Chua Boon Kow, Chua Boon Lay, Chua Boon Liat, Chua Kay Tuan, Chua Boon Seng Daughter: Chua Pheck Lian Grandsons: Chua Cheong Eng, Chua Cheong Quee Messrs. Chua Boon Kow, Chua Boon Lay and family thanked members of the Amateur Sporting Association, Amicable Athletic Association Straits Bachelor Physical Culture, S.C.F.A.

Tan Cheong Thye (Kopi Sua)

Tan Cheong Thye passed away at the age of 72 on 16 September 1951 at 11:15 am leaving behind 2 sons, Messrs. Wm. Tan and Tan Chwee Kim and also 2 daughters, 2 daughters-in-law, 2 sons-in-law and 10 grandchildren. Funeral procession started from 26 Sago Lane. In loving Memory of Mr. Tan Cheong Thye who passed away peacefully 16 September 1951 From Tan Cheong Thye tomb, the name of his children; Sons Tan Ah Lek, Tan Chwee Kim Daughters Tan Kim Moey, Tan Ah Moey, Tan Ah Kwee Grandson Tan Lin Siong, Tan Hoe Guan, Tan Gim Thong Grand-daughter Tan Heng Loo Tan Cheong Thye Tan Cheong Thye tomb at Kopi Sua Stories from the tomb Two things that strike me from Tan Cheong Thye's tomb; Funeral Procession from 26 Sago Lane The first one being was the funeral procession started from 26 Sago Lane, which during that time period (1951) was still an active "sick receiving house " or "death house" . Reading other newspaper archives during the September 1951 confirms that

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

Mr. and Mrs. Tan Boon Tin and the unique name for their son (Kopi Sua)

On first glance the tomb of Mr. Tan Boon Tin who passed away at the age of 41 on 31 December 1934 seemed normal. However we were alerted by Raymond Goh on the uniqueness of this tomb. On closer inspection, he shared that the name of one his children is shockingly strange. Clearly etched on both Mr. and Mrs. Tan Boon Tin tomb is the name of one of their son as 糞掃. Literally translated, 糞掃 would mean SHIT SWEEP. Another less unpleasant translation was RUBBISH. Because it appears on both tombs of Mr. Tan Boon Tin and his wife, so it is unlikely to be a mistake. So why did they name their son in such a manner ? I heard of folk tales, where the parents will name their son in a "ugly" manner to prevent evil spirits from taking their son to their untimely death. But wouldn't such a name be too extreme ? If you have a theory or answer behind this, do leave a comment below. Tan Boon Tin tomb Mrs. Tan Boon Tin tomb

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