Goh Chai Sin and Hoe Jun Han Marisa
Goh Chai Sin:
It is very difficult to tell my story without mentioning my father. My father, Goh Choon Leng married my mother Koh Geok Lan. My mother was married at the age of 18 (2 years before Japan invaded Singapore). She came from a well-to-do family, her father owned a few plots of land opposite Keat Hong Camp.
Father came from a humble family lived in Chen Du Estate (Now SAFTI), like all families there and they all keep some pigs, chicken and planted some vegetables. After a few failed business ventures, my father started a grocery shop named Sin Soon Heng at Yunnan Estate (Now NTU) in 1950s.
My parents have in total 5 boys and 3 girls. I'm the 5th in the family. During my primary school days, I have to help at the shop. Looking back, it was a privilege to tag along my father. The shop was just outside the Nanyang Technology University (NTU) and renamed Yunnan Store taking on the name of a rubber plantation (Yunnan Estate). This whole plot of Yunnan plantation estate belongs to Hokkien's Clan Association) was donated to build the Nanyang University.
My father prepared a pot of hot coffee and with some chairs daily in from of his shop. Neighbors stop for a drink, chit chat a bit. (They used to say la-kopi together). Most of our neighbors are farmers and not educated. My father has a listening ear and a heart to help. Slowly this place became a regular place to meet and share their problems. Sometimes seek advice from my father.
Those neighbours were most concerned about children's education, electricity and water supply, muddy road with potholes. In late 1950s and early 1960s there isn't any tap water and no electric supply in the village. No proper schools for their children etc.
My father gathered all the ground feedback and seek help from Mr. Ho Kah Leong, the MP for Jurong. In fact, my father spent lots of time with the MP and his team discussing over municipal issues, neighbour disputes although rare of all the neighbors.
One day, the Public Works Department came to mend the road, the whole neighborhood came forward to help. This is the real kampong spirit "Gotong Royong".
Besides helping to improve the living environment for the village, my dad also helped to raise funds to get the children educated. Through all the neighbors' effort FuHua Primary school was founded in 1941. In 1946 after the Japanese occupation, my father again helped to raise funds to actually build FuHua Primary School on a donated goat shed. Chinese schools were not funded by the government then.
My mother suffered lots of hardship during the war and very appreciative to those whom have helped the family during those times. She is the backbone that holds the family. She keep reminding all the children not to forget the kindness we received and always reciprocated when possible. She is the one who pushes my father to fight hard in life and is very supportive of him to do charity.
I was surprised to know that my mother actually supported my father to donate half of his borrowed money for the business to donate for the building of Fu Hua Primary School.
During the construction of Nanyang University, my father sold coffee (coffee was then 3cents per cup) and groceries to the construction workers, and my mother provide laundry service to them. Both my parents have lived up to 100 years old when they passed on.
In 1980s the whole village were relocated and most of my family members moved into Jurong West region. I started a stationery shop and decided to name it as Yunnan General Supplier. My other siblings open up a restaurant (Yunnan Seafood restaurant) and a mini-mart (Yunnan store) in the new Jurong West estate.
I’m inspired by my parents and decided to continue their good work by contributing back to the community. I was invited to form up the Hong Kah Shop Proprietor Association in 1985, was then appointed as the first Treasurer, and later got invited to join the CCC of Hong Kah West when Mr. Yeo Chow Tong was the MP. Today I'm still serving in the CCC and have served 5 MPs (Mr. Yeo chow Tong, Mr. Harun Ghani, Mr. Lim Boon Heng, Mr. Desmond Lee, and Mr. Shawn Hwang).
Besides in the CCC, I continue to provide my services to connect the schools in our district with the social services and our grassroots groups. Served as College Advisory Committee of Jurong Junior College to from 2000 to 2010. Later sitting in the School Advisory Committee of Jurong Primary School from 2010 until now. I was asked to head the Jurong West Social Service Networking by Minister Desmond Lee in 2013. This gave me more opportunities to work with the schools in many areas.
Few events worth mentioning are - Organized primary school children to "Tour" our neighborhood shops and study their business models. Later organized Jurong junior college Students to run this school visit project. Conduct "Motivation Talks to YuHua Secondary. "Business Talks" to JJC students. Organised a street 'Flash Mob" dance outside 505 Market by YuHua Secondary School and impromptu performance of National Day Songs in a Malay Coffee shop for National Day celebration 2015.
I'm glad that I have continued the community service in Jurong west where I still meet up with many 'old neighbors' from the same village when I was a young kid.
I continue to offer my help to them like what my father used to do. Today we don't have to worry on water or power supplies but with more complex issues such as the aging population, medical issues and how to create a happy environment for everyone within the estate.
My work with the schools is no longer fundraising issue but more on networking between the schools, students, and the community. Linking up students (with different interest groups) with our grassroots volunteers to jointly create projects such as improvement schemes or seasonal services to needy households.
Example — Yu Hua Secondary School had mobilized all students from the school to do community area cleaning before Chinese New Year 2014, 2015. This is to allow our students to learn the effects of cleanliness in our common space and also appreciate the hardship of our cleaners from the town council. I still keep constant contact with teachers and some students and over the years I can see many of them continue to volunteer in our community activities.
After more than 25 years of social services, I believe team effort and team spirits will be able to do great things. I am calling out to the younger generations to step forward and do their part. Everyone have different strength and capability, a little effort can make a great difference for the society. Sharing feedback, and giving your views to government policies all help to effect policies for a better home.
I'm sharing my story so that some younger generations can come forward. We can change the way we live, be a bit more caring, pay some attention to our neighbors and look out for each other.
Hoe Jun Han Marisa:
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
As I was taking an evening stroll with a close friend of mine down Robertson Quay last month, I remember vividly being asked who the closest person in my life was. That question; though fairly simple to many, effectuated a mix of strong emotions within me. In that instant moment, my mind went blank and my heart shrivelled. I struggled to give an answer - only because the person ceases to exist anymore. That person is none other than my beloved mother and this story is my best attempt at doing the beautiful life she led justice.
Growing up, I was the youngest in the family with two elder brothers. My father worked relentlessly to be the sole breadwinner while my mother naturally took on the role of a housewife. My mother was like the manager of our family and she put in her heart and soul to fulfill all of her duties - ensuring that all of her children's needs were well taken care of.
As a mother, her children were the most important thing in her life and it was evident how she would drop everything else to ensure that we had the best upbringing we could ever ask for. My mother did not come from a privileged background and had to come out early in her life to make ends meet. Having gone through the struggles, her priority was for her children to complete their education so they could increase their chances at securing a stable future.
As a friend, my mother cherishes all of the friendships she has and is always willing to lend a helping hand. She has the biggest personality and she brings with her this abundance of positivity everywhere she goes. It is no wonder that she is well-liked in her circle of friends. By a curious twist of fate, she got acquainted with a group of new friends and was invited to join the Jurong Spring Community Centre as a member. My mother took a leap of faith and never looked back.
My mother has always adopted the give it your all or nothing mindset in everything that she does. Since the day she joined the community, she actively partakes in all of the activities organised by members of the community. She took part in a myriad of classes such as drum, magic, singing. It is also worth highlighting that while some of the classes were about her genuine passion and interest, some others were simply because she wanted to support her fellow community members.
One event which my mother thoroughly enjoyed the most was bringing the elderly out around Singapore. While we were all still fast asleep, she would leave the house at the break of dawn with the biggest smile; feeling extremely excited to mingle with the elderlies. When she came back in the evening, she would always recount to me how content she was with socialising with the elderlies. Not only did she manage to forge even more friendships, she also built a special bond with each and every one of them. Seeing how her spirits were lifted after every excursion just goes to show how magnanimous my mother was and how much she yearned to make a positive impact in the lives of others. She also constantly reminded me to always give back to society in every way we can - especially given that Singapore is facing an ageing population, we should also do our part to ensure that our silver generation is well taken care of.
Right before the peak of Covid-19, my mother was tasked to plan a huge event for Chinese New Year. My mother was feeling extremely stressed and overwhelmed due to her perfectionist nature. We understood the scale of how important this event was to her and gave her moral support along the way. Given her strong ability to influence others and eye for detail, she pulled through and the event turned out to be a huge success.
Despite having to juggle the different roles as a mother, friend, and community member, my mother has never neglected or prioritised any of the roles over another. If anything, she would always fork out time to show her appreciation and gratitude to people around her. During her free time, I frequently catch her discovering new recipes on Facebook live just to whip up a sumptuous meal for all of us. One of her best dishes is indisputably Vinegar Pork Trotter - it was in such high demand that she had to cook a huge pot to distribute to all of her friends in the community centre.
I am of the belief that with everything in life, every high comes with a low and my mother's life was undeniably not an exception. My mother was diagnosed with cancer a few years back but it was not life-threatening at that point. Last April, my mother's condition worsened and we were told by the doctor that she only had 3 more months to live. When I first learned about this news, my world came crashing down. However, I am extremely humbled at how my mother's community friends made my mother's pain so much more bearable.
Everyone in the community was sending their support for my mother in their own special ways - be it showering her with words of encouragement, sending her fruits and flowers, or simply praying for her in silence, it was truly a heart-warming sight. The amount of love, care, and support my mother received was just a testament to how much more she has given out and touched the lives of people around her.
The 3 months was indeed a trying period for all of us but it is nothing compared to what my mother was going through. Seeing how she battles with her inner demons every day but still tries to put up a good fight aches my heart. She wanted to put an end to her pain but also wanted to live on for all of us. I would trade anything in the world for my mother's illness to be cured but unfortunately, some things are just beyond our control. The cancer cells in my mother's body continued to spread and eventually, she took her last and final breath. No words could describe the throbbing pain or fill the void in my heart.
Now that my mother is no longer around, I made a conscious promise to myself to carry on my mother's footsteps and ensure that her legacy lives on forever. I know I have big shoes to fill - but I know that it is the journey; rather than the final destination; that matters most in life. My mother may have passed on way earlier than we would wish for, but to say that she led a fulfilling life is an understatement.
Many things my mother did right but the one which resonated with me most was her leading by example. To always be generous and kind to the people around us. My mother's story is a constant reminder that we should always balance living a life with no regrets instead of merely leaving a legacy.
I know that this is just the beginning for me and I look forward to what lies ahead. At the end of the day, nobody ever gets ready by waiting, you only get ready by starting and this is when my journey as a Jurong Spring Community member begins.
