ReTRIeVIA

Mohammad Eunos bin Abdullah (1876-1934)

Going eastwards on the MRT system your train will pass through Eunos Station. Do you know that the Eunos Station was named after the pioneer, Mohammad Eunos bin Abdullah?

Eunos bin Abdullah was the Master Attendant of Singapore Harbour, a Justice of the Peace and editor of the Malay newspaper, Utusan Melayu. He pushed for better education and employment to improve the lives of the Malay people.

He was also keen to preserve Malay culture and customs. In 1927, he succeeded in getting from the British Government a grant of 670,000 square metres of land to develop a settlement for the Malay community. This settlement became known as Kampong Melayu or Kampong Eunos. The road Jalan Eunos runs through this area and Eunos MRT Train Station takes its name from this road.

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Stamp: 2001 Feb
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Edwin John Tessensohn (1857-1926)

Born in Malacca in 1857, he moved to Singapore where he found work as a clerk. He worked his way up to become a comprador – a person engaged by foreign and local companies to act as a middleman in business transactions.

Edwin Tessensohn contributed to society in many ways. He is best known for his role as the first Eurasian representative to sit in the government’s Legislative Council, which had the power to pass laws for Singapore. He was also a founding member of the Catholic Club, which sought to provide aid and welfare to people of all ethnic groups.

In 1918, Tessensohn founded the Eurasian Literary Association. This association became a self-help group for the Eurasian community. It is now known simply as the Eurasian Association.

Tessensohn Road, near Race Course Road, is named after this pioneer.

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Stamp: 2001 Feb
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Tan Tock Seng (1798-1850)

Tan Tock Seng came to Singapore in 1819 (the same year Raffles founded Singapore) and ran a business selling fruits, vegetables and chicken. His business thrived and he became very rich. His concern for the poor made him an influential leader among the growing Chinese community.

1n 1844, Tan Tock Seng donated $5,000 (a very large amount of money in those days) to help build a hospital for the poor. The original hospital was located at Pearl’s Hill in Chinatown. The present hospital is located in Jalan Tan Tock Seng near Novena MRT Station.

Tan Tock Seng also donated generously to build the famous Thian Hock Keng Temple in Telok Ayer Road.

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Stamps: Left 1978 Aug     Right 2001 Feb
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EARLY PIONEERS

Under the administration and protection of the British, Singapore grew rapidly in importance as a trading centre. Many people came to Singapore to seek a new life for themselves.

They came from countries that had suffered poverty and hardship caused by wars, natural disasters (such as floods, drought, earthquakes, typhoons) and lack of employment opportunities.

They are our early Singapore pioneers and they came from all over – from Europe, Middle East, India, China and Southeast Asia.

The stamps on the following pages remind us of these pioneers.

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Stamps: 1999 Dec
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Lord Elgin (1811-1863)

Born in 1811, James Bruce was the eighth Earl of Elgin. The elegant bridge with its bowstring-shape design was built in 1929 and named after him. It replaced an earlier Elgin Bridge built in 1863.

Before his appointment as Governor-General and Viceroy of India in 1861, Lord Elgin was the Governor of Jamaica from 1842 to 1846 and Governor- General of Canada from 1846 to 1854.

He was the British High Commissioner to China when the Second Opium War ended in 1857.

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Stamps: Top 1985 Mar Bottom 1990 Jul
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Lord Dalhousie (1812-1860)

The caption in the stamp, “Dalhousie Lane, Little India” reminds us of Lord Dalhousie.

Born in Scotland in 1812, Lord Dalhousie was Governor-General of India from 1847 to 1856.

In 1850 he made an official 3-day visit to Singapore. To commemorate the occasion the Dalhousie Obelisk was erected. This obelisk is located on the river side near Cavenagh Bridge.

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Stamp: 1996 Jan
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Lord Canning (1812-1862)

The captions in the two stamps here are “Fort Canning Park” and “Scene of Singapore River and Fort Canning 1843-7”. These captions refer to the VIP by the name of Lord Canning.

Charles John Canning,Viscount Canning of Kilbrahan, was the Governor-General of India during the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and became the first Viceroy of India in 1858.

The name ‘Fort Canning’ itself refers to a fort completed in 1860 and named after him. The area, now known as the Fort Canning Park, is open to the public. Roads near the park include Canning Lane, Canning Rise and Canning Walk.

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Stamps: Top 2003 Oct      Bottom 1971 Dec
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James Horsburgh (1762-1836)

Horsburgh was famous for his knowledge and experience of the sea lanes and shipping routes in Southeast Asia between China and India. His navigational charts showing the rocks and reefs helped greatly to improve the safety for ships sailing in these waters.

When he died in 1836, a group of rich merchants raised funds to construct the lighthouse in memory of him. Horsburgh Lighthouse was completed in 1851 and is still in use. The rocky island on which Horsburgh Lighthouse stands is known as Pedra Branca (“White Rock” in the Portuguese language). Both Singapore and Malaysia claim ownership of Pedra Branca and the case was submitted to the International Court of Justice in 2003.

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Stamp: 1982 Aug
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Dr Nathaniel Wallich (1786-1854)

The caption in the stamp states, “View from Mount Wallich in 1857”. Wallich was born in Copenhagen in Denmark and worked as a surgeon and botanist in Calcutta (Kolkata) in India before coming to Singapore.

The first Botanic Garden was set up by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1822 on Government Hill (now Fort Canning). In setting up the botanic garden, Raffles was influenced by Dr Wallich who was in charge of the Botanic Garden in Calcutta.

The ‘Mount Wallich’ mentioned in the stamp no longer exists. Located near present-day Tanjong Pagar MRT station, Mount Wallich was cut down to provide soil to reclaim land from the sea. There is a street named after Wallich near this MRT station.

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Stamp: 1971 Dec
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George D Coleman (1794-1844)

George Doumgold Coleman first visited Singapore in 1822. He worked as an architect in Singapore from 1826. In 1833 he held the post of Government Superintendent of Public Works.

Coleman also teamed up with William Napier and Edward Boustead to establish a newspaper, The Singapore Free Press, which first appeared in 1835

The Armenian Church that Coleman designed is situated at the junction of Coleman Street and Armenian Street. This church is a national monument and still in use.

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Stamps: Top 1985 Mar Bottom 1978 Aug
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