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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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Showing posts from September, 2025

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Madam Ho Leng Hay (Bukit Brown)

September 04, 2025

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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)

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Popular Post

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 Paha...

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...

Serendipity encounter with Chia Hian Neo (daughter of Chia Seng Quee and Chua Kim Neo) at Bukit Brown

We arrived Bukit Brown slightly late (as it rained earlier in the morning). We were lucky as Soh Ah Beng who was waiting for us chatted with a family and we were told by Ah Beng that they could not find a tomb at Bukit Brown Hill 4 Section A. Striking a conversation with them and looking at the picture from their phone, i was pleasantly surprised it came from my blogpost on Chia Seng Quee ! What coincidence and good luck as they were just about to leave empty handed. Among the descendant present was no other than Chia Seng Quee's daughter ! - Madam Chia Hian Neo. She is 91 years old, sharp as ever and fit enough to make the long climb up to visit her father. She indeed is an inspiration to me as she still actively participates in community activities and is a Dance Instructor. It was one of her dance student /partner that encouraged her to visit her father, something that the Chia family have done in the past together with their mother, Mrs. Chia Seng Quee nee Chua Kim Neo but due...

Too Nam (Cheras Christian Cemetery)

A Cantonese teacher by the name of Mr. Too Nam (杜南) who taught the late Dr. Sun Yat Sen in Honolulu and maintained their friendship since then, has passed away at the age of 86 years old on 5 October 1939. Mr. Too Nam of No. 1 Old Pudu Road taught Cantonese in Honolulu and California in his younger days and several Malayan Government officials studied under him. Among them were Messrs. Sansom, Fairburn, P.B. Shelly, Pountney, Ridgeway and Rev. Horley where some of his pupils. When the Anti-Opium Society was formed, Mr. Too Nam was one its pioneers. He helped to form the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and was its Secretary for many years. He had a namesake school, the Too Nam School, where many students graduated and went on to public servants and post also in mercantile firms. Other than being a teacher, Mr. Too Nam studied Perpetual Motion, a system where with perpetual motion can be realised and once realised used for the elimination of the disasters to which the earth is subjected...

Ng Boo Bee (Taiping)

Ng Boo Bee (1853-1921) 黄务美, was born and educated in Fujian, China before making his way to Malaya, first in Penang before eventually making a name for himself in the State of Perak. His father is Ng Koh Sung and mother, U Choot Kwah. He started out as a brick manufacturer and timber merchant under the name of Chop Swee Bee in Taiping, Ipoh and Teluk Anson. In Taiping, he acquired the tender contract as a railway contractor under Mr. C.R. Hanson, Resident Engineer for Perak Railways and was probably responsible for the building of the first railway in Malaya which connected Taiping to Port Weld. It was during this time he shrewdly acquired land around Kamunting. Ng Boo Bee Millionaire tin miner The land purchases around Kamunting made Ng Boo Bee a millionaire and with that he acquired also various houses in Taiping and also Penang. The Governor of the Straits Settlement, Sir John Anderson visited Ng Boo Bee tin mine in 1908 which had at that time, employed 4,500...

Madam Kwek Hwee Teck and Lee Kia Joo (Bukit Brown)

When i saw the tomb, it was covered with creepers with a huge trunk of a fallen tree that narrowly missed hitting it and initially i thought it was an exhumed tomb as well, as it was small. But cleaning further, it was totally intact just the headstone itself was short and not of typical Teochew design shape although the engraving style made me assume that it was Teochew. Three names were etched on the headstone but who was buried here ? That is the most common question we have for Teochew tombs. The most important clue was the date of birth and death at the altar table. Born 28 July 1878 - Died 28 June 1949 . From the burial registrar i can confirm that the person buried here is Madam Kwek Hwee Teck. Madam Kwek Hwee Teck passed away at the age of 76 on 28 June 1949. Her dialect is Teochew. From the newspaper archives, i found a record of a Mrs. Lee Kee Sin nee Kwee Hwee Teck who passed at the age of 77 at her residence, 90 Wilkinson Road, Singapore. She leaves behind; 1 son; Lee ...

Chia Thian Hock and family (Bukit Brown)

The beautiful large ceramic picture of a tomb in Hill 3 Division B, Plot 170 caught my eye. After some cleaning up, it was the tomb of Mrs Chia Thian Hock ( Chia Thiam Hock),born on February 5, 1888 and died on September 5, 1930 at the age of 42. The obituary confirmed with what is inscribed in the tomb, that Mrs Chia Thian Hock nee Lee Siew Hiok passed away at the age of 43 at her residence in No. 69 Cuppage Road on Friday, 5th September 1930. She is survived by 8 sons: Chia Poh Eng, Chia Poh Chiang, Chia Poh Koon, Chia Poh Leng, Chia Poh Yian, Chia Poh Yong, Chia Poh Chuan, Chia Poh Chye, 5 daughters: Chia Siew Gim, Chia Siew Kim, Chia Siew Wan, Chia Siew Hong, Chia Sia Kim and 1 daughter-in-law. There was an acknowledgement by Mr. Chia Thian Hock thanking those who attended the wake at his residence in No. 69 Cuppage Road. Mrs Chia Thian Hock nee Madam Lee Siew Hiok Mrs Chia Thian Hock Chia Thian Hock (Chia Thiam Hock) of chop Hiap Thye Chiang is a p...

Kwa Siew Tee and family (Choa Chu Kang Christian Cemetery)

Kwa Siew Tee, a Semarang born Chinese was a Municipal Commissioner (an appointment he held till 1949). He was also the General Manager of Overseas Chinese Bank Corporation Limited, Assistant General Manager of The Eastern United Assurance Corporation, Limited and a Member of the Hospital Board. He received a Certificate of Honour in 1951. Kwa Siew Tee passed away at the age of 89 on 20 March 1977. Group photo of the founding of Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation in 1932 Kwa Siew Tee is standing behind. (source: National Archives of Singapore) Family Kwa Siew Tee and family (source: National Archives of Singapore) Wife: Madam Wee Yew Neo Madam Wee Yew Neo is the daughter of Wee Theam Seng . She passed away on 14 May1980. She is survived by; 3 sons: Kwa Soon Siew, Kwa Soon Chuan, Kwa Soon Bee 4 daughters: Kwa Geok Neo, Kwa Geok Lan, Kwa Geok Choo, Kwa Geok Eng. Son: Kwa Soon Hock Kwa Soon Hock is the eldest son of Mr and Mrs Kwa Siew Tee. He was a sta...

A visit of rediscovery and closure (Bukit Brown)

The tomb request came in to help a descendant (Tan Lay Hoon) to reconnect the tombs she once visited with her recently deceased father in the past in Bukit Brown. Thanks to the photos and information from her previous visit that she documented very well, finding the tombs was not too difficult (of course made easier with Soh Ah Beng). The only exception was the search for the tomb of her grandmother, Madam Sim Geok Kim which ended taking a bit longer as we were initially searching in the wrong division. It was at the tomb of Madam Sim Geok Kim tomb i was told about the story of Lay Hoon's father, Mr. Tan Yam Cheng and that he was only about 2 years old when her mother passed away. Yet i can see from the tomb of Madam Sim Geok Kim it was refurbished in the past well visited by her family. For me, this visit in my personal opinion seems to brings some closure to Lay Hoon seeing that now, her dad is now reunited with his mother, Madam Sim Geok Kian and their fellow family members som...

Chia Seng Quee (Bukit Brown)

While exploring Hill 4 Division A, i came across a tomb that was covered with creepers. Clearing it i uncovered the tomb of Chia Seng Quee who died on 24th November 1936 at the age of 37. The headlines of the papers reads " Man dashed to death in Singapore Street fall from high building ". Chia Senq Quee was Straits-born chinese and a senior clerk with the Great Eastern Life Insurance Co. for more than 14 years. He was earning $175 a month and was witness to have reach work on the 24th November at 8:30 am and left his personal belongings and a letter behind. Chia Seng Quee died as a result of multiple injuries sustained in the fall from the Bank of China Building in Cecil Street. Witness reporting hearing a loud thud and saw the body of Chia Seng Quee, who was dressed in a white tunic suit in a mutilated condition with his head smashed. Madam Chua Kim Neo (widow of Chia Seng Quee) who was dressed in black and with tears in her eyes gave her evidence in English during the co...

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