History
Gertrude
Guok
12 March 1923 – 25 Nov 2018
Gertrude Guok was born in Singapore on 12 March 1923. She was the eldest daughter of a former schoolmaster and journalist, later turned anglican pastor and philanthropist, the late Reverend (Canon) Guok Koh Muo, who dedicated his life to charity, evangelism and other Christian works.
Gertrude pursued Economics, Political and Social Science at the London School of Economics. After graduating in 1950 with an honours degree, she returned to Singapore and commenced work at the public social welfare department for six months before being offered the role of Lady Assistant Secretary and Head of the newly established Counselling and Advice Department.
Around the same time, she was also the first local woman to be gazetted as Protector of Women and Girls for Works, which involved the protection of Chinese women and young girls from forced prostitution. In this role, she was also actively involved in the government’s work for the prevention of cruelty to children, adoption of children as well as advisory for settling disputes amongst families and married couples.
After almost a decade of having served the Singapore government, Gertrude decided to take a sabbatical and embarked on a round-the-world voyage. Her travels took her to many parts of the world including the United States, where she was captivated by the city skyscrapers and modernist architectural style.
Inspired by what she had seen, Gertrude decided to venture into real estate development upon her return to Singapore. She became a committee member of the Real Estate Developer’s Association of Singapore (“REDAS”) in 1963 and established a property development company with her younger brothers, Peter and James. As the first woman developer in Singapore, Gertrude successfully completed multiple housing development projects as well as re-developing commercial properties both in Singapore and Australia in the 1990s.
The Sunday Standard 27 May 1951
Gertrude was also involved in other businesses including the family-owned public transport company in Singapore, a textile and trading factory in Indonesia and a water transport business in Hong Kong.
Growing up, Gertrude was actively involved with her father’s evangelism work. She was instrumental in helping with fund-raising activities of the Church of the True Light, an Anglican church founded by her father in the 1920s.
In January 1952, she organised a fund-raising concert that helped raise $10,000 to build a free clinic and kindergarten at the Church. She donated funds to the Singapore Bible College in the 1960s to help raise building funds for the College’s new premises at Adam Road.
One of her most generous donations was the purchase of land to build and establish a church to honour the vision of her late father, Rev. (Canon) Guok Kuo Muo, to have a church and kindergarten in the area.
The St James Church building and land at Leedon Road that it currently sits on were eventually gifted to the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. Even after her father’s passing in 1963, Gertrude and her brother, James, continued to financially support the evangelistic efforts of many Christian outreach and often carried out philanthropical acts in his name.
The Straits Times - 6 January 1952
Rev. (Canon)
Guok Koh Muo
In loving memory of
12 March 1889 –
23 March 1963
An esteemed Pastor who all his days served God and loved people, promoting public good and helping the needy. A model teacher who dedicated his life to saving souls, and nurturing leaders through theological education.
Rev. Guok with his brothers, sisters and family.
Bishop Baines - Lord Bishop of Singapore, Rev. Guok and guests at the laying of the corner stone on St Francis Day, 4th Oct 1951 . Church of the True Light Church new building.
Rev. & Mrs. Guok with all the family at Rev. Guok's Seventieth birthday and Golden Wedding Celebration. circa 1959.
Rev. (Canon) Guok Koh Muo was born in the Futsing district of Fujian province in China on 12 March 1889. He was a scholar and calligraphist, and at age 21, Rev. (Canon) Guok set south and arrived in Singapore in 1911, which at the time had seen the country’s population growth primarily fueled by the immigration of workers from China and India.
He started regular gospel meetings in the evenings with a few of his fellow Christians from the Heng- Hua community in a barber shop in Bencoolen Street. The group quickly grew in numbers and had to move premises to fit the congregation in a house in Jalan Besar, which is where Rev. (Canon) Guok later established Church of The True Light. In 1941, when an opportunity arose to permanently settle into a more suitable location, he purchased the land where the church currently sits on at an auction and paid off the first instalment with a bank loan, and subsequently managed to raise the remaining funds by organising evangelistic tours in Malaya, now known as Malaysia.
Seeing the need for education for the children of Chinese migrant families in Singapore, Rev. (Canon) Guok established the Poi Ching School in 1919. The Futsing Association took over the management of the school in 1924 and Poi Ching became a government-aided school in 1958. In 2000, Poi Ching School moved to its present premises in Tampines and the school named its assembly hall after Rev. (Canon) Guok in his honour as their Founder and first Principal as well as erected a sculpture in his likeness.
Even though Rev. (Canon) Guok immigrated to Singapore, he still held the people of his village in China close to his heart. When he learnt of the high number of opium addicts in his hometown, he opened a rehabilitation home to help them. Years later, Rev. (Canon) Guok also founded Pei Yuan Primary School and build a memorial hall and a maternity hospital in Futsing, China.
November 2018