Ee Peng Liang,

K.St.J The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British British monarchy ...

(; 24 November 1913 – 24 August 1994) was a businessman and a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. He was the founding member and President of the Singapore Council of Social Service as well as the Community Chest. Known as the “father of charity” in Singapore, Ee Peng Liang was well known for his charitable nature and voluntary work, for which he received numerous accolades. Ee also held key appointments in over 50 public organisations ranging from Christian welfare agencies, reformative institutions, public welfare bodies, and even women’s and Malay/Muslim associations.

Early life

Ee was born to a poor ethnic Hokkien

Peranakan The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...

family in 1913 and grew up at the Kallang gasworks area of Singapore in a family of eight siblings. His parents were named Ee Seng Watt and Lim Choon Neo.

Education

He was educated at St Joseph’s Institution and later was qualified as a chartered accountant. In 1947, Ee Peng Liang set up Ee Peng Liang & Co., which started out serving family businesses and grew to serve a sizeable portfolio of clients including public companies. His firm eventually merged with the then Turquand, Youngs & Co. and Ernst & Whinney in 1974 and 1986 respectively, to become part of Ernst & Young.

Career

While working as an accountant, Ee began volunteering at Boys’ Town, of which he was later appointed chairman in 1955. In 1947, he became secretary of the Good Shepherd Sisters’ Marymount Vocational Centre. In 1953, he founded and became vice-president of the Singapore Council for Social Service, and then president in 1958. He has won numerous accolades for his humanitarian work, including the

Public Service Star The Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (English: Public Service Star) is a Singaporean decoration instituted in 1963, is awarded to any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore, or who has distinguished themselves in the ...

which he received in 1964 and the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: *Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Med ...

which he received in 1967.

Personal life

He married Mary Seow in 1936 and had five children (Theresa, Lawrence, Cecilia, Agnes and Gerard). In 1996, his daughter Theresa Ee-Chooi published a memoir about her father.

Gerard Ee Gerard Ee Hock Kim (; born 1949) is a public figure championing social service rights and issues in Singapore. He is the son of the late Ee Peng Liang, a Singaporean philanthropist and the ''Father of Charity'' in Singapore. Career Ee became a ...

is the current President of National Council of Social Service and has been the CEO of NKF since 2005.

Death

On 24 August 1994, Ee died of heart failure at his home in Katong, at the age of 81. His funeral was attended by, among others, former President

Wee Kim Wee Wee Kim Wee ( zh, s=黄金辉, poj=Ûiⁿ Kim-hui, p=Huáng Jīnhuī, first=s,poj,p; 4 November 1915 – 2 May 2005) was a Singaporean journalist and diplomat who served as the fourth president of Singapore from 1985 until his resignation in ...

, who was also his closest friend, and then Prime Minister

Goh Chok Tong Goh Chok Tong (; born 20 May 1941) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1990 and 2004, and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party between 1992 and 2004. He was the Parliament of Singapore, ...

References

External links

Singapedia website

Singaporean people of Chinese descent Peranakan people in Singapore 20th-century Singaporean businesspeople Singaporean philanthropists Saint Joseph's Institution, Singapore alumni 1913 births Singaporean Roman Catholics 1994 deaths Recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award 20th-century philanthropists {{singapore-bio-stub