Paintings of a Pioneer

Posted by dark_guardian216 under Uncategorised
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Major William Farquhar, believed to be one of the founders of Singapore, and the first Resident of the island was very interested in animals when he first landed on the island of Singapore. Thus, upon arriving in Singapore, he commissioned some painters to paint the flora and fauna of this new island. These precious records was passed on from generation to generation, switching hands many times, until it was found by Mr. G.K. Goh, who donated it to the National Museum.

There, it was recognized to be the earliest records of the plants and animals of that time. They were very detailed and concise, being one of the most informative and detailed sources of the Singapore’s ecology, with well drawn diagrams.

Farquhar was one of the first to realize the significance of the natural diversity here in Singapore. We have a great ecology, and many new species to discover. A biologist who studies insects, and whose name eludes me at the time of writing, once said that in Singapore, he and his wife (who worked with him), could never really relax as they could never stop finding new species of insects, even on a tree on the way to the hawker center for dinner after a hard day’s work!

I also have a friend, an ex-teacher by the name of Mr Court, who is working with the NUS discovering new species of arachnids, or otherwise known as spiders. He also finds quite a few.

Even in the ocean, at places like Chek Jawa, an absolutely wonderful marine paradise. Situated on the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, it is a clear example of how our biodiversity should be saved and cherished. I myself managed to get a chance to visit this place, and I was nearly swept off my feet (but i wasn’t, and with all the mud and seawater, thank goodness for that) at the surroundings. We saw crabs, fishes and all sorts of sea creatures, some of which I had never even heard from, such as the Peacock Anemone. I was shocked that the lagoon was originally scheduled to be destroyed for land reclamation. But due to the valiant efforts of some MPs, National Parks Board and diehard naturelovers, news spread, and soon people had to book months early just to visit the place.

These are strong examples why we should try our best to protect our island’s unique ecology and biodiversity, not just the above mentioned Chek Jawa, but also various other places that we should take time to look at and learn. They are another important part of our heritage.

I leave you with this quote from the song “Big Yellow Taxi”, sang by various artists:

“Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot”