Reconnecting with our Past: Peranakan Trail 16th October 2011@ Bukit Brown
To all Peranakans,
We are a social group of interested persons dedicated to “Save Bukit Brown”. This group is lead by Raymond Goh co-founder of Asia Paranormal Investigators. For more of what API does, read here. Together with his brother Charles and with the ardent support of another member Victor, who created the Face book Heritage Singapore – Bukit Brown site; Raymond has been conducting tours, discovering and documenting the tombs of our forefathers at Bukit Brown, also known as “kopi sua” dari dula kala. Some of the residents of Bukit Brown are Peranakans.
Background
As you would have read in the press announcement by LTA as recent as 12th September 2011, some parts of BB will have to make way for the expansion of Lornie Road. The objective of this social group is to create awareness and hopefully save whatever bit of Bukit Brown if possible. Bukit Brown is a living cultural heritage, rich in bio-diversity as well. A legacy left by our forefathers, it would be a tremendous pity and painful loss if descendants of Peranakan and non Peranakans alike are oblivious to what their ancestors have contributed to make Singapore what it is today.
As a member of Singapore Peranakan Association, I take this opportunity to inform you that there will be a “Peranakan Trail” this coming Sunday 16th October 9am at Bukit Brown. This tour is free of charge. I attach the link for you to disseminate to members of the association- The name of the group is Heritage Singapore – Bukit Brown. The tour this Sunday 16th Oct 9am will highlight the resting places of Peranakans. You can say this part of Bukit Brown is akin to Bukit Cina in Melaka.
In the Facebook group page , there is an “Events” page in which anyone can join this group AND indicate their interest in attending this Sunday’s “Peranakan Trail”. You would be interested to know that amongst the tombs recently discovered is that of Koh Hoon Teck, one of the founders of the Dondang Sayang Association. A pantun expert and one of the old guards of the Singapore babas, his tomb is likely to be in the path of the proposed new road. Read about it here
This could be the last if not only opportunity also for descendants to locate and re-connect with their “lost” ancestors, without whom we will not be here. I hope this event will also serve as an eye opener to what we will lose in exchange for progress in the 21st century. For now, we will lose about 5000 tombs to road widening at Lornie. Recently, because of the awareness created by LTA’s announcement, some members of the public have begun to look for their “lost ancestors” buried in Bukit Brown. They have found.
I will be at Bukit Brown this coming Sunday 16th Oct at 9am. In fact, it would be a tremendous opportunity for the Peranakan community to gotong royong! Not only will we be meeting the living but also re-connecting with our past:)
Mari lau jiat!!
Rosalind Tan,
Member of the Peranakan Association,
Extracted from an email to the Secretary of the Association
