The name Nee Soon more likely than not brings up stories from the army camp after which he is named after, which is a shame, because the story of the ‘Pineapple King’ is the pioneer’s tale of hard work made good. The Rojak Librarian writes about his connection with the Bukit Brown cemetary – while not buried there, his family is.
A brief rundown of Lim Nee Soon’s rise:
He received his early education in both St. Joseph Institution and Anglo-Chinese School therefore proficient in both English and Chinese languages. From a humble beginning working as a shopkeeper assistant at the age of 18, he climbed the rungs by next working, for timber merchant Tan Thye and his son Tan Chor Nam. By 28 he was Manager of United Singapore Rubber Estates and later Sembawang Estates(a company formed by Dr. Lim Boon Keng and Lee Choon Guan). Sembawang. With enough savings and experience he strike it on his to form Thong Aik Shop and eventually became a rubber baron and a “pineapple king” with over 6000 acres in Singapore and 20,000 acres in Malaya. He was also a landbroker, rubber factory owner, merchant and propertier of Lim Nee Soon and Co. He together with other prominent Chinese pioneers had a hand in the founding of the following banks: Eastern United Assurance Co. , Chinese Commercial Bank, Oversea-Chinese Bank and Oversea Assurance Co.
Many of his family members are buried in Bukit Brown. Join the Rojak Librarian as he takes you on a tour in his posthere.
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