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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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Ang Siew Hock (Bukit Brown)

October 30, 2024

Block 3 Div C Hill 3

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Seah Wah Ee (Bukit Brown)

October 30, 2024

Block 2 Division B Hill 2

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Koh Beng Hoon (Bukit Brown)

October 29, 2024

Block 3 Div B Hill 3

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Tan Teck Bee and Madam Chua Eng Neo (Bukit Brown)

October 28, 2024

Block 3 Div C Hill 3

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Detective Tan Kee Chuan (Bukit Brown)

October 27, 2024

Block 3 Div C Hill 3 Murder Plus Codes Police

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Mrs. Goh Sam Sye nee Madam Wee Cheng Neo (Bukit Brown)

October 26, 2024

Block 3 Div B Hill 3

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Mrs. Lim Whye Pin nee Madam Wee Nyonyah (Bukit Brown)

October 26, 2024

Block 3 Div B Hill 3 Plus Codes

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Miss Lily Woon Fong Yuen (Bukit Brown)

October 26, 2024

Block 3 Div B Died Young Hill 3

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Goh Kang Whye (Bukit Brown)

October 26, 2024

Block 3 Div B Died Young Hill 3 Plus Codes

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Bukit Brown Sheds and Superintendent House

October 23, 2024

Bukit Brown Images from the Past old photo

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Lee Teck Puay (Bukit Brown)

October 20, 2024

Block 4 Div A Hill 4

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Ong Wah Ting (Bukit Brown)

October 20, 2024

Block 4 Div A Hill 4

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Goh Wong Chun (Bukit Brown)

October 20, 2024

Block 4 Div C Hill 4

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Kheam Hock Road Temple (Images from the Past)

October 16, 2024

Elliot Collection Images from the Past kheam hock road village temple

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Labels

Bukit Brown958
Hill 3315
Hill 1181
Hill 4160
Died Young133
decorative tiles133
Block 3 Div D130
Block 4 Div A111
Hill 297
Block 3 Div B84

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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)

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

Rojak Librarian+ (other Rojak matters)

Archive

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2014 92
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2013 99
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2012 78
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2011 44
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2010 29
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2008 2
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2007 10
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2005 45
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2004 6
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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 Pah

Tan Swee Hoe mansion in Batu Pahat

The status of Tan Swee Hoe's mansion at 160 Jalan Kluang, Batu Pahat was finally revealed! The mansion that was once owned by Tan Swee Hoe's descendants was sold and the rumors circulating at one point of time was it was going to be demolished. In fact various readers of my blog sent me pictures of the mansion after it was sold where the rooftop of the building and the interiors was completely stripped. Tan Swee Hoe's mansion (minus the roof) Well it was finally revealed in various Malaysian papers ( Sin Chew Daily , Johor China Press ) that it was purchased by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, the Sultan of Johor. It was reported in the papers that the Sultan of Johor plans to restore the building and turn it into a Heritage Centre featuring the artefacts of the Johor Chinese community as well as as artefacts from China as a strong symbol to reaffirm the long relationship between the Johor Sultanate and China. About Tan Swee Hoe Tan Swee Hoe T

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

Wee Thiam Kee and family (Bukit Brown)

Wee Thiam Kee, Wee Thiam Siew and Wee Thiam Leong were partners in the business of Cigars, Cigarettes and Tobacco Dealers under the firm name Ban Leong and Company at 229, Rochore Road. On July 1, 1930, Wee Thiam Kee left this partnership to form his own company under the company name Chop Hong Leong. His two brothers, Wee Thiam Siew and Wee Thiam Leong continued the partnership under the name of Ban Leong and Company. There is not much information about his career, but because he passed away intestate (i.e, without a will) in 1939, it lead to a probate suit which gave me more information about him, his wife and three secondary wives. His first wife was Madam Ang Boey Neo and secondary wives are Khoo Ah Kow, Tan Beng Choo and Koh Cheng Keow. Wee Thiam Kee Secondary wives legal widows In a court case that span several days, the defendant, Madam Ang Boey Neo (alias Ang Meow Neo) contended that the 3 women were just mistresses and not lawful widows. Wee Thiam Siew (broth

Tan Ean Kiam (Bukit Brown)

Tan Ean Kiam (陈延谦)( Tan Eang Khiam / Tan Ean Khiam) was a successful rubber magnate and banker. He together with Khoo Koh Wah established the Overseas Chinese Bank (OCB) in 1919 and became the Managing Director. The Chairman of the Bank at that time was Mr Lim Nee Soon . Banks in the past were very much run by community leaders and "towkay's" of their respective dialect groups. As a way to strengthen the economic fundamentals of banks after a major recession and also to reflect the growing commonality of a unified "Chinese" identity not based on dialect groupings, Overseas Chinese Bank later merged with Ho Hong Bank and Chinese Commercial Bank on 31 October 1932 to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation or OCBC Bank. Tan Ean Kiam was its Managing Director until his death on 30 March 1943. Tan Ean Kiam was nominated as a member of the Chinese Advisory Board by Sir Shenton Thomas in November 1937. Tan Ean Kiam was a member of the Tung Meng Hui (Chinese R

Chinese Volunteers Perished in Captivity (Chinese Memorial at Kranji War Memorial)

In one corner of the Kranji War Memorial is Plot 44 Column 44, a section for Chinese Memorial. A recent visit there was spurred by recent connections of 1 of the person listed there to his father who is buried in Bukit Brown. This got me thinking there might be more relations. I was greeted by a standalone wall which reads; The men whose names are recorded on these panels perished in captivity in February 1942 and lie buried here in one grave with ten comrades whose names are not known. Perished in captivity as Prisoners of War ? Were this soldiers murdered or mortally wounded and eventually died after the fall of Singapore ? I am not sure at the moment and hopefully one day will find out what really happened and how they died. Most of their death dates were listed as from 18th February to 23th February 1942. What i have done next is to list the names from this wall and map it with additional information (such as the name of their spouse, mother or father if available) that i

Sarawak Villa - Heritage Houses Series

Sarawak Villa was a beautiful home. It was said to be once the residence for Ong Hood Hin and located at 313 Upper East Coast Road (later re-numbered to 320 Upper East Coast Road as seen in the picture below). The name "Sarawak Villa" was probably from the extensive business dealing with Sarawak that Ong Hood Hin parents and grandparents had. Ong Hood Hin passed away at the age of 76 on 22nd July 1957 at his residence, 313 Upper East Coast Road, leaving behind his only son, Ong Cheng Bee, 1 daughter-in-law and 7 grandchildren. He is buried in Senh Ong Burial Ground. (One of Mr. Ong Hood Hin's wife, Madam Tan Swat Neo is the eldest daughter of the Tan Jiak Kim. She passed away at the age of 26). Sarawak Villa in the 1960's (source: National Archives) Sarawak Villa (close-up ) (source: PictureSG) Father: Ong Tiang Soon (1855-1934) Ong Tiang Soon is the eldest son of Ong Ewe Hai. Following in his father's footsteps, he traded in rice and general produce, and was a

Jewish Cemetery at Choa Chu Kang Singapore

This is my blog experience of my visit to the Jewish Cemetery in Choa Chu Kang on 17 November 2024. The visit was made possible via My Community Festival - My Last Journey. During this tour i learned a lot from Rabbi Nissim Zawdy (a young Rabbi from The Chesed-El Synagogue at Oxley Rise River Valley). During our visit Rabbi Nissim eloquently and patiently explained to us the story of the Jewish Community in Singapore, the Jewish Cemeteries that exist as well as finally the Jewish funeral rites and practices in Singapore. He also answered many curious questions that we may have about the Jewish customs and rites. Disclaimer: If there is any mistakes in my interpretation, it is solely by me and not associated to Rabbi Nissim nor the volunteer guides of MyCommunity. At the entrance of the Jewish Cemetery in Choa Chu Kang, i am greeted by a sign in Hebrew. Curious to understand what it was trying to say, i used AI to interpret it for me. The plaque with the Hebrew text at the entrance of

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 Oct

Jewish Cemetery (Penang)

As i was walking back after having a good lunch in Macalister Road, i stumbled upon a rod iron gate that was inscribed with the words Jewish Cemetery. Penang is well known for its food and heritage, but i have not heard before of its Jewish community let alone cemetery. Curious, I walked towards the gate and was greeted by a friendly Indian lady who spoke fluent Hokkien. Chatting with her, i found out she was a third generation caretaker who lived within the cemetery compounds with her children and grandchildren. She invited me in for a quick tour and of course i obliged. I tipped her at the end of the tour, for her time and patience in showing me around and sharing with me the stories of some of the Jews buried here. Entrance to Jewish Cemetery Back in Singapore, i learned further that the Penang Jewish Cemetery was established in 1805 and is believed to be the oldest single Jewish cemetery in Asia. It forms a 38,087 square foot cleaver shaped plot of land situated alongside Jal

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