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In the 1890s, a penniless young man from Hainan,
China, came to Malaya in a junk boat with dreams
of forging a better life. Mr Lim Hong Chin had
the most basic of education, but through
determination, perseverance and hard work, he
went on to become a businessman.
These very traits inspired 86-year-old alumnus
Mr Lim Joo Hock to make a gift of $250,000 to
support a scholarship at the School of Computing
in honour of his father. The gift towards the
Lim Hong Chin Memorial Scholarship – the first
named scholarship at SoC – will attract a
dollar-for-dollar matching grant from the
Singapore Government.
"The road to success had not been easy for my
father. He worked as a water carrier and
assistant cook upon arriving in Malaya. After
many years as a cook, he accumulated enough
savings to set up a rubber plantation in Kuala
Lipis, Pahang," Mr Lim Joo Hock said.
"After three years of clearing virgin jungle and
planting rubber saplings, my father went back to
China, leaving the plantation under the care of
a supervisor. On his return, he found his
supervisor gone, the fencing of the property
breached and the saplings destroyed by wild
water-buffaloes," recounted Mr Lim Joo Hock.
Undaunted, Mr Lim Hong Chin sold the land for
$200 and before 1920, he established a bakery
and coffee shop business in Johol, a village ten
miles from Tampin on the road to Kuala Pilah in
the state of Negri Sembilan. After more than 20
years years of operating the business, he
accumulated enough money to buy a rubber
plantation. During the Japanese invasion in
December 1941, he and his family took refuge in
this rubber estate.
His father's enterprising spirit and
never-say-die attitude left a lasting mark on Mr
Lim Joo Hock, and fuelled a desire to honour his
legacy. Mr Lim Joo Hock said, "My father told me
that he had only two years of formal education,
but he acquired knowledge by reading the Chinese
language newspapers every day. He had always
strongly believed in learning and the value of
education, and I'm sure that he would have been
very happy to know that a scholarship in NUS is
now being offered in his honour."
"My father showed incredible foresight when he
financed me to study in Raffles College. This
was in spite of concerns raised by my step-uncle
that some of those who received Western
education in Britain or USA were ashamed of
their families and abandoned them on their
return. My father, being fully aware that the
British were in control of Malaya, was convinced
that those with tertiary education in English
would have a better future," Mr Lim Joo Hock
added.
Lim Joo Hock himself was the recipient of three
scholarships, first the Raffles College
Scholarship in his final year, and later on, a
departmental scholarship at the University of
Malaya, where he graduated with an Honours
degree in History in 1952. In 1957, he received
a government scholarship to study public
administration in Australia under the Colombo
Plan. The colonial government was then grooming
locals to take over government posts.
At the age of 35, Mr Lim Joo Hock became the
first Asian to be appointed Acting Controller of
Immigration. He went on to hold other senior
positions in the civil service including
Chairman of the Central Provident Fund Board in
1961. On his retirement in 1972 from Government
Service, he was holding the post of Acting
Permanent Secretary of Labour. Mr. Lim Joo Hock
then went to London to continue his Law studies
at Lincoln's Inn. He completed the Bar Part II
examination in 1975 and was called to the
English Bar. He then returned to Singapore to
read in chambers. He completed his Post Final
Law Examination and was called to the Singapore
Bar in August 1975. He worked in several law
firms before setting up his own practice in
1977. After twenty three years as a lawyer, he
retired in April 1998.
Said Mr Lim Joo Hock: "I have benefited greatly
from the scholarships awarded to me whilst I was
in Raffles College and in the Civil Service and
I wish to pass on the benefit by founding the
Lim Hong Chin Memorial Scholarship. I received,
so now I give. Learning is a lifelong pursuit
and I hope the scholars would maximise the
opportunity given to them and make the School
proud of their achievements."
On his decision to support a scholarship for
students of NUS School of Computing (SoC), Mr
Lim Joo Hock explained, "Electronic computing is
a revolution comparable to the invention of
printing. It has greatly changed the way we work
and carry on business. It has contributed to
improving our quality of life and standard of
living. I hope this scholarship would encourage
more bright young minds to enter this field and
develop applications which would be of benefit
to humanity."
Expressing his appreciation, Professor Ooi Beng
Chin, Dean of SoC said: "On behalf of SoC, I
would like to thank Mr Lim Joo Hock and his
family for their generous gift in support of the
Lim Hong Chin Memorial Scholarship. We believe
that future Computing students will stand to
gain not only from the prestige and benefits of
winning the Scholarship, but also by emulating
Mr Lim Joo Hock's example as a scholar and
philanthropist."
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