You know, sometimes, when someone shouts, “Eh, you think this one your grandfather’s road arh,” that person might literally mean it.
Well, maybe not “grandfather”, but “grand grandfather” might a more accurate phrase.
After all, some of our roads in Singapore are named after early pioneers of Singapore—in fact, quite a lot.
Really. Just look at these popular roads:
Chew Boon Lay
People in the west know Boon Lay Way very well: it’s long and almost parallel to the MRT track, all the way from Clementi to Boon Lay. But do you know that Boon Lay is named after Chew Boon Lay—a prominent businessman?
One of his businesses that contributed to his success is manufacturing biscuits (oh?). I don’t know why I feel that this correlation is important; maybe it justifies the fact that because I stay near Boon Lay, I have the license to eat more biscuits. Right?
Chew Joo Chiat
“Chew” must have been a lucky word for people in the 1900s, because Joo Chiat Road, and many other establishments and roads, is named after Chew Joo Chiat. Just like the other Mr Chew, he was an immigrant from China and was a wealthy businessman.
You see, in the past, wealth meant power. In other words, not only was he wealthy, he was powerful, too. But he, too, was a philanthropist—so it’s almost like the modern-day Bill Gates.
Lim Boon Keng
No, my dear readers—Boon Keng is not merely an MRT Station or the name of one of your classmates. Dr Lim Boon Keng was an influential doctor who fought for health and educational reforms in Singapore (when, erm, Singapore was part of the British colony).
Do you know that OCBC Bank is also co-founded by him? Well, the story is a little complicated as he founded Chinese Commercial Bank that, eventually, played a role in the formation of OCBC Bank.
It must have been surreal to have an OCBC ATM at Boon Keng MRT Station. Is there one at Upper Boon Keng Road?
Major-General Sir Archibald Edward Harbord Anson
Anson Road is one place that cars will avoid at all cost during morning and evening peak hours. During this time, the traffic lights there will be overfilled with sweaty executives holding Starbucks cups. Who would have imagined that the road is named after a military officer?
But then again, I think this shows one thing: a man wearing uniform is training hard elsewhere so that on this road, people will be protected from threats and can focus on their jobs while enjoying their Starbucks.
