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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 with the label cemetery

Posts

Notice of Exhumation - Unidentified Coffins uncovered near Bukit Timah Road

December 03, 2025

bukit timah cemetery exhumation

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Jewish Cemetery at Choa Chu Kang Singapore

November 18, 2024

cemetery Choa Chu Kang Jewish Cemetery

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The end of former St. John's Church Cemetery at the Old Jurong Road

February 09, 2023

cemetery Old Jurong Road St. Andrew's Church Mission

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St. John's Church - The "almost" forgotten Church at Old Jurong Road

November 27, 2021

11 milestone Jurong cemetery Church Hong Ka Old Jurong Road St. Andrew's Church Mission

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Qing Ming in Ubin Island (April 10, 2016)

cemetery qingming ubin

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Bukit Brown Iron Wrought Gates refurbished, columns relocated

October 10, 2015

Bukit Brown cemetery

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Bukit Brown910
Hill 3332
Hill 1187
Died Young178
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decorative tiles163
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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...

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...

Chia Hood Theam and Madam Yan Lan Neo tombstone

The below is a close-up of an entry from the notebook of Mr. Chia Keng Tye (son of Mr. and Mrs. Chia Hood Theam ) dated 15 June 1931. The entry that perk my interest was the one i highlighted: 15.6.31 2 Graves completed at Bukit Brown for C.H.T. & Y.L.N Wee Geok $1050. Entry from Notebook of Chia Keng Tye (source: Down Memory Lane by Noreen Chan) A number of things come to mind that i could possibly decipher from the entry. The tomb of Mr. and Mrs. Chia Hood Theam were constructed before their deaths. Chia Hood Theam (C.H.T) passed away in 10 July 1938 while his wife Madam Yeo Lan Neo (Y.L.N) passed away on 21 July 1949. This entry was dated 1931. This means that the plot was purchased in advanced (probably via reservation) and tomb was constructed way before the death of Mr. and Mrs. Chia Hood Theam. Construction cost and tomb mason The second nugg...

Jalan Besar Stadium (Images from the Past)

From the aerial photograph with only generic metadata from Royal Air Force below, i manage to identify Jalan Besar Stadium from its 4 tower flood lights. Comparing with maps of the past and today, i tried to identify the road names as well. Jalan Besar Stadium and its surrounding roads (source: NAS ) Youth Festival (1961) at Jalan Besar Stadium (source: NAS) President Yusuf Ishak opening the Youth Festival at Jalan Besar Stadium (source: NAS) Some snippet about the site: Jalan Besar Stadium, officially opened on 26 December 1929, quickly became the heart of Singapore’s sporting scene. Built as a municipal sports ground, it was home to football matches, athletics, and community events, drawing crowds that often exceeded its capacity—most famously in 1951, when 16,000 fans packed in for a Singapore FA clash with South China AA. From the 1930s onward, it served as the national football team’s home ground, earning its reputation as the “cradle of Singapore football.” Over...

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...

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...

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...

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

Mr. Wee Teong Chai passed away at the age of 63 at his residence No. 117, Lorong 25, Geylang at 7:15pm on 6 September 1934. He leaves behind; 1 daughter: Miss Wee Geok Kim Nephew: Wee Chim Kay Adopted Daughter: Mrs. Gan Hock Cheow, Niece: Tan Teck Neo Granddaughter: Amy Gan Grand nephew: Tan Kiat Kwee Mrs. Wee Teong Chai nee Cheng Hong Neo passed away at her residence, No. 117 Lorong 25 Geylang at 5:15 am on 4 October 1933. (In the burial registrar her age was listed as 54). She leaves behind, her husband, Daughter: Wee Geok Kim Nephew: Wee Chim Kay Adopted Daughter: Tan Kim Choo Niece: Tan Teck Neo Grand Nephew: Tan Kiat Kwee Granddaughter: Amy Gan Wee Teong Chai Family Adopted Daughter: Mrs. Gan Hock Cheow nee Tan Kim Choo Mrs. Gan Hock Cheow passed away at the age of 70 at her residence, 27 Lorong K off Still Road on 27 January 1959. She leaves behind 3 daughters: Mrs. Tan Kiat Kwee, Mrs. Beck Teck Bock, Mrs. Lim Kim Teck and 3 sons-in-law. She is ...

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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