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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 March, 2026

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Mr. and Mrs. Wee Teong Chai (Bukit Brown)

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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

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Popular Post

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. Washing of bones from mass graves 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 Chi...

Mosquito Bus with Tanjong Pagar route sign (Images from the Past)

Found this interesting picture dated 1929 and it shows a close-up of an early local transportation that was popular during that time period - a Mosquito bus. The photo was originally in black and white and faded. I used Gemini and prompted it to sharpen the picture and colorise it without changing anything else. Without commenting on the color of the mosquito bus itself (which could be wrong), there are still other layers of potential information from the photo with the most obvious one- Tanjong Pagar and the license plate of the vehicle (S4267) and the owner ? (H.W. Teck). In the background is another smaller vehicle and in the background is a church steeple - possibly Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (today CHJIMES). Tanjong Pagar denotes the route of this bus service - Tanjong Pagar - Geylang. Just behind the Mosquito bus (which is fully laden with passengers), i can make out a Dispensary but not its name. From old maps, i will make an educated guess that the road t...

Prisoners Executed at Outram Road Prison and buried in Bukit Brown

1470 prisoners died in Outram Road civilian gaol or Outram Road Prison during the Japanese Occupation. Of this, 141 were executed and the rest died of "other causes". In February 1946, a comprehensive list of this "war" victims were published in the Straits Times on 23, 25 and 26 February 1946. The list was kept secretly by 2 people employed in the goal and written in English. The newspaper published starting first with the known list of 127 Chinese executed at Outram Road Goal from 14 May 1943 till the time the Japanese surrender in 1945. The other, list the rest who died of "other causes". The first batch of Chinese executed in Outram Road Prison in the newspapers were as follows; When i saw this list, it got me thinking - where are this "war" victims buried ? My suspicion was that many were likely buried in unmarked graves in Bukit Brown as they were Chinese and Bukit Brown from experience was an active cemetery during Japanese occupation wi...

Paya Lebar Airport and Airport Road (Images from the Past)

From this 1958 aerial photograph from the Royal Airforce, i suspect that this was the photo of the new Singapore International Airport ( Paya Lebar Airport) that was built to replace Kallang Airport. You can see the newly constructed dual carriage road that also leads to the airport. This road is likely Airport Road today. What is fascinating is you can see how Singapore look like in the past with its Kampong's and agricultural farm lands on what is now likely Tai Seng and Ubi Industrial estate area. Paya Lebar Airport / Singapore International Airport (1958) - source: NAS Paya Lebar Airport officially opened on 20 August 1955, replacing Kallang Airport as Singapore’s main international gateway. At its launch, it was hailed as one of Asia’s finest airports, equipped with modern runway lighting, radio navigation aids, and radar. By 1960, the airport was already handling more than 300,000 passengers annually, with 11 airlines operating 125 weekly flights. Throughout the...

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...

Madam Lim Bee Neo and Lee Siew Fong (Mandai Columbarium)

One of the unique ceramic portraits i seen while exploring Bukit Brown was of Madam Lim Bee Neo ( (梁門林氏) was passed away at the age of 76 on 21 February 1941. She is seen sitting down with a lovely smile on a chair in a studio shoot. If you look closely at her feet, it is very likely she has bounded feet . Her tomb in Block 5 is no longer in Bukit Brown as it was one of the many affected by Lornie Highway with the LTA stake number 1114. Next to her tomb is her daughter-in-law, Madam Lee Siew Fong who passed away at the age of 43 on 29th June 1949. Her LTA stake number was 1115. Madam Lim Bee Neo (photo taken on 31 December 2013) I was told both tombs have been claimed by descendants. Fast forward to 2025, i finally got a glimpse of their next resting place, sharing a niche in Mandai Columbarium. Madam Lee Siew Fong and her mother-in-law Madam Lim Bee Neo Madam Lee Siew Fong and her mother-in-law Madam Lim Bee Neo Madam Lim Bee Neo (age 76, died on...

Sheums Circus

Shanghai-born, Mr. Sheum Cheng Fook ( 沈常福 / Shen Chang Fu) first started out as a strongman in an acrobatic show in Hong Kong at the age of 19. In 1927, when the troupe performed in Penang, he decided to start his own circus in a small way- with a pair of tigers he bought with his life savings. Sheum Cheng Fook sought permission from his mother, Madam Cheng Kao Shih and stepfather, Sun Si Ting, both founders of Tan Thean Kiew circus to allow him to set-up his own circus. Both gave their blessing and from there was born another famous circus troupe, Chang Fu Circus or also known as Sheum's Circus. Half of the troupe from Tai Thean Kew went over over with him including his biological sisters and her daughters. Both troupe as we know it, continue to co-exist post war. Sheums Circus was popularly known as "Sim Siong Hock" in Hokkien (but i don't really know the reason why is this so and if anyone of you might know, do leave a comment below). Mr. and Mrs. Sheum Cheng F...

Beatification and canonization of Sybil Kathigasu ?

On 12 June 2025, at the tomb of Sybil Kathigasu , the 77th Death Anniversary Mass of Sybil Kathigasu was held by His Eminence Cardinal Dato' Seri Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang. It was the Bishop of Penang who called for the investigation for the possibility of beatification and canonization of Sybil Kathigasu, a heroine and lay martyr who protected information and housed and nursed local members of the anti-Japanese resistance. This was reported in the Catholic News Agency in 4 July 2024 . Announcement for the special 77th Death Anniversary Mass for Sybil Kathigasu Sybil Medan Kathigasu (3 September 1899 - 12 June 1948) Sybil Medan Kathigasu was born as Sybil Daly in Medan, Sumatra. She was the daughter of an Irish planter, Joseph Daly and Eurasian mother, Beatrie Mathilda Martin. While studying nursing and midwifery in Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, she met Dr. Arumugam Kanapathi Pillay, a Ceylonese. Faced with objections initially due to different religious background (she...

Dream Clue to 11 Year Mystery - Finding Boey Kai Hong

For 11 year, the relatives of Mr. Boey Kai Hong (a well known Cantonese merchant and son of pawnshop millionaire in Singapore, Mr. Boey Pak Fook) disappeared during the Japanese occupation in March 1942, have been wondering what happened to him. Boey Kai Hong, who was 42 years was taken away by the Japanese from his office at Kwong Wai Siew Hospital on 6 March 1942 when the Japanese military police arrived at 4:30 pm with the intention of taking him for his role of leading the anti-Japanese resistance and supporting the China Relief Fund. He never returned. Dream Clue It was reported in the same article dated 22 December 1953, that a relative had been dreaming for days that he saw Mr. Boey Kai Hong's "spirit" hovering over an embankment outside Outram Road School, Singapore. The school was believed to be a Kempeitai depot during the occupation and they believe he was killed by the Japanese there. Diggers unearthed a few bones and a piece of blood-stained canvas after Bo...

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...

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Online guide to Chek Jawa, Ubin

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