Tan Boon Chin and Song Lak Neo
Extracted from the Song Ong Siang book:
Mr. Tan Boon Chin was born in Malacca on the 26th of May, 1857, and, after spending four years at a Chinese school there, came to Singapore at the age of 12. Along with his younger brother, Tan Boon Chew, he found a home in the family of an uncle, Mr. Wee Lim Guan, and was sent for education to Raffles Institution. Here he made rapid progress in his schoolwork, getting promoted twice in one year, and, at the age of 16, he had attained to the first class—the highest class in the school at that time, excepting the Special Class. The headmaster, at this time, was a Mr. Armstrong, and he was followed by Mr. R. W. Hullett in June 1871. The school classes were divided at that time into
1. The ABC Class, where the younger children began to learn learntheir alphabet.
2. The 'Papan' Class, where they began to spell and read.
3. The Third Class, where grammar, geography, arithmetic up to simple proportion, and maps were studied under Mr. Yzelman.
4. The Second Class, with two divisions, in which were taught Euclid, Algebra, History, Compound Proportion, the use of the globe, etc., with a Mr. Brown as master.
5. The First Class, where advanced lessons were taught by Mr. Armstrong.
The death of his father at Klang, who was engaged there in tin mining, compelled Tan Boon Chin to close his school career at the age of 16. Joining the firm of Guthrie & Co in February 1873, he served through all the departments of their business, comprising shipping, sales, bookkeeping, produce, insurance, rental, and properties, until his retirement in 1916.
His employers regarded him with great esteem and showed their appreciation of his efficient and faithful service over a period of forty-three years by granting him a pension. He married a daughter of Mr. Song Hoot Kiam in 1880 and has a family of four sons and seven daughters. One daughter, married to Mr. Tan Boon Guan, has been the lady organist of Prinsep Street Church for some years, while another daughter is the wife of Dr. Jap Ah Chit. In 1905, when the silver wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Tan Boon Chin was celebrated, among the guests was Mr. (now Sir John) Anderson, one of the witnesses who had signed the register on the occasion of their marriage.
Mr. Tan Boon Chin has, since 1891, been the Hon. Secretary of the Chinese Christian Association and has been on the list of voluntary preachers, in the Malay language, at Prinsep Street Church since 1886. He is also editor of the Prinsep Street Church Messenger, a religious monthly magazine started in 1908 and distributed gratis. Until Sunday services in the criminal prison were banned, Mr. Boon Chin went there regularly with the late Mr. Charles Phillips, on Sundays, to preach to the prisoners. He is a man of great personal charm and, in many quiet ways, has worked hard and steadily for the welfare of the Straits Chinese community, of which he himself has always been universally regarded as a most highly respected, valued, and outstanding member.
Comments
Post a Comment