www.eurasians.org.sg APRIL - JUNE 2011 Remembering President Benjamin Sheares PLUS RULING THE WAVES EA Dragons’ epic boat trip UNIVERSITY OF LIFE Engineering scholarship student plans his career with precision MICA (P) 154/06/2010 THE MINISTER Representing the Eurasians in Cabinet Mr George Yeo CONTENTS Patron Herman Hochstadt Trustees AT THE HELM FSS & YOUTH Oscar Oliveiro 03 President’s message 13 FSS faces funding cuts Barry Desker Timothy de Souza Underpriviledged children enjoy the Joseph Conceicao NEWS performance of a lifetime Gerald Minjoot 04 Eurasian community funding Toastmaster’s triumph Gerry de Silva 06 Jazz star nominated for international AUDIT COMMITTEE award SPORT Kevin Scully 06 Youngster wins teen model competition 14 Eurasian Dragons make an epic journey Chad Olsen EA’s annual meeting on the high seas Daryl Pereira Helen Lee Donate your 2011 Growth Dividends FUND-RAISING COMMITTEE 14 Francis Remedios Ralph Stanley 04 LEGAL ADVISORY PANEL Martin Marini (Chair) Michael Palmer Susan de Silva William da Silva 06 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE CULTURE AND HERITAGE 15 Joe Conceicao’s novels reflect the real President EDUCATION William Jansen 07 EA university scholarship recipient lives of past Eurasians Vice-President discusses his plans for the future Benett Theseira Music student wins US scholarship PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY Honorary Secretary Youngsters receive boost to educational 16 Lester Low talks about his work as the Jason Dendroff success EA’s Director of Operations Honorary Treasurer Lynn Desker 07 The Eurasian culture is the subject of a 17 Volunteer Appreciation Tea Do you know them? Committee Members student’s doctoral thesis Carla Barker Renowned drummer offers lessons to 18 Chingay Francesca Eber disadvantaged children 20 New Year’s Eve Ball Yvonne Pereira Vincent Schoon Geoffrey da Silva Burton Westerhout www.eurasians.org.sg APRIL - JUNE 2011 Remembering President SECRETARIAT Benjamin Sheares PLUS RULING THE WAVES EA Dragons’ epic boat trip Director of Operations UNIVERSITY OF LIFE Engineering scholarship student plans his career Lester Low with precision Team Secretary Cecilia Sim 07 Education/Heritage Jacqueline Peeris COVER STORY FSS (Family Support Services) 09 A commemoration of President Benjamin J Ramakrishnan Sheares, who died 30 years ago this May On the Cover Bridget Basnayake Corporate Communications Rachel Chen Advertising Rates Series discounts, twice a year: Accounts Bernadette Soh Prime positions (full colour) 5% discount Faye Eng Bleed size: 215mm x 280mm The quarterly magazine of Series discounts, four times a Type area: 185mm x 255mm Events/Operations The Eurasian Association, year: 10% discount Patch Tan Singapore Front Desk/Security Inside front cover: $1,200 Walter Pinto Inside back cover: $1,200 How to place your ad The NewEurasian is published Outside back cover: $1,500 Call the EA at 6447 1578 or quarterly and read by more than EDITORIAL TEAM e-mail Rachel Chen at rachel@ 17,000 Eurasians in Singapore. Loose inserts: $1,500 eurasians.org. Benett Theseira (Chair) It is also circulated to senior Rebecca Morris (Editor) Angelina Fernandez government offices, various Inside: Colour Peter Rodrigues ministries, statutory boards, Full page: $1,000 Deadline Rachel Chen community organisations and Half page: $600 Copy must be submitted two self-help groups. Quarter page: $300 weeks before publication date. CONTRIBUTORS Joe Conceicao, Geoffrey Morris, Vincent Schoon, Timothy de (Established July 1919) Souza, Benett Theseira, Burton 139 Ceylon Road, Singapore 429744 Westerhout Tel: 6447 1578 Fax: 6447 3189 Email: [email protected] At the helm 3 April - June 2011 • The New Eurasian President’s message It has been a year since the current If we need inspiration for what Eurasians management committee took office, and a can achieve, we need only look to former year since I took the position of President of President of Singapore Benjamin Sheares. the Eurasian Association. This month, we will This May marks the 30th anniversary of be holding our annual general meeting on 26 Dr Sheares’ death and we have chosen this April at the Eurasian Community House at occasion to commemorate his exemplary life 7.30pm. I hope that we have a good turnout in our cover story this issue. of members so you can participate actively in steering the association into the future. We also celebrate the achievements of a number of Singaporeans in these pages, from In this issue, regretfully, we have had to deal the book launch of Joe Conceicao, one of with a couple of matters concerning funding. our oldest and most revered members, to In January this year, the EA sent out letters younger members who have triumphed in to various individuals to appeal for funds to educational, sporting and other fields. And support the various projects and activities we record the work of a PhD student who is organised to improve the lives of Eurasians looking for participants to feature in her thesis in Singapore. that includes the lives of local Eurasians, a subject which continues to be of interest for Although we are more than two years away academics and laymen alike. from the great economic downturn of 2008, the acquisition of funds to support We are a small but important force in the association remains challenging. The Singapore and the more that people become Eurasian Community House has also been active in the EA, the more influence we will ageing over the years. Not only do we continue enjoy in the community. We hope you enjoy to need funding for our programmes, but we this issue of The NewEurasian, continue also have to maintain the building granted to to take part in our social events – that we us by the Ministry of Community, Youth and Eurasians, especially, know how to enjoy! – Sports, which houses many of the activities and please dig deep into your pockets to help we organise. the less fortunate members of our community if you can. Moreover, the Family Support Services has recently been faced with budget cuts from Best wishes funding agencies and organisations. We are saddened to hear the announcement of these cuts, and the situation remains challenging as we try to find alternative means of funds to support our FSS programmes and the Eurasians who have come to the EA for help. I would like to appeal to our Eurasian community to reach out and provide a helping hand to the association. No amount is too small and every contribution will be William (Bill) Jansen, greatly appreciated. President 4 News April - June 2011 • The New Eurasian The ECF – 16 years on The Eurasian Community Fund is a monthly contribution automatically deducted from the wages of working Singaporean Eurasians. EA trustee Timothy de Souza explains how the ECF contribution began and EA Vice- President Benett Theseira explains why the association now needs to raise the level of donations Timothy de Souza The Eurasian Community Fund came about Olivero took on this role. Some $1 million after the Eurasian Association became a self- Self-help group status was raised in the first few months and the help group (SHG). In 1991, when I took over endowment fund stands at $1.7 million today. as President, the EA had some enrichment came in 1994. It was a activities, such as the tuition classes, but they huge achievement: we had As the endowment fund was insufficient were available only to EA members and not demonstrated that we could to support the day-to-day running of the to the whole Eurasian community. programmes, we sought to establish an raise money, gather volunteers, additional operating fund called the Eurasian The management committee felt that the EA and implement tuition and Community Fund (ECF), which was similar had a wider role to look after all Eurasians in welfare assistance programmes, to those of the other self-help groups. At the community who needed help. the time there were some 7,000 working bursaries and awards Eurasians. The government agreed to match Educational bursaries and grants for contributors’ donations. Eurasians once existed in the 1930s and The government responded most favourably. 1940s. However, they were not sustained, It supported the idea of educational Self-help group status came in 1994. It and lasted only for about a decade. advancement, but did not think there were was a huge achievement for us: we had sufficient needy Eurasians to justify the demonstrated to the government that we Education and family support creation of a social assistance programme, could gather volunteers, raise money, and put We wanted to provide help for families in which was championed by Bryan Davenport. together a core team to implement and sustain two important aspects: the educational tuition and welfare assistance programmes, advancement of children at all levels and of We knew of a number of Eurasians who bursaries and awards. different socio-economic backgrounds, from needed financial assistance. We established secondary school to university students; and the welfare task force, which raised donations The government gave us temporary social assistance for needy Eurasians. These for needy Eurasians. Generous donors helped headquarters at Mountbatten, then the were our community’s two most important out, but we needed sustainable funding. At permanent Eurasian Community House in needs. At that time, Mendaki had been that time, the EA did not have any premises Ceylon Road after about eight years. providing these programmes for the Malay – we were working out of members’ homes community for nearly two decades. In the and had only a mailing address. The ECF rate of contributions has not early 1990s, SINDA was formed to focus been revised since its launch in 1995. on educational advancement for the Indian Producing evidence of need What has gone up is the number of community. CDAC followed with similar To explain the magnitude of the problem, Eurasians being helped by EA and the programmes for the Chinese community, the EA commissioned a study undertaken by cost of running the various programmes.