On
my Heritage Walks, I usually lead the group in a route to the city’s heritage
quarter via the breezy Segget Walk, turn into Jalan Segget, pass through the
archway into the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk to head towards the Johor Bahru
Chinese Heritage Museum.
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The front porch of the OCBC Bank Johor Bahru remains an iconic feature in this building
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Adjacent
to the archway into the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk at Jalan Segget, stands one
of the modern buildings in the heart of the city since the 1960’s that features
a landmark porch. Over the years, this building has been renovated with its
façade upgraded but this porch remains an iconic feature of the OCBC Bank in
Johor Bahru.
Headquartered
in Singapore, OCBC offers comprehensive banking services across ASEAN and China
with a presence in New York, London and Sydney.
In
my commentary during the Walk, I will point out to participants that the
Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) is situated at one end of the Tan
Hiok Nee Heritage Walk while another bank, the HongKong & Shanghai Banking
Corporation (HSBC) stands at its opposite end.
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Facade of the OCBC Bank Johor Bahru at Jalan Segget
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These
established banking institutions have served generations of customers to this
day, since its inception when the banks provided an essential service to
overseas Chinese who worked hard to earn a living in order to send funds back
to their homeland.
While
hardworking Chinese provided for their families in China, many sinkek or
new arrivals – whose hearts were still with their homeland – contributed funds
in support of the revolutionaries’ cause to overthrow the Manchu rulers of the
Qing dynasty.
Recently,
I was in front of the OCBC Bank again on a Heritage Walk with a group of Sun Yat Sen docents from Friends of the Museum, Singapore, and we captured a photo
to the backdrop of the arch for the Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk.
I
did not know it then but I was back there again a few days later, this time to
go into the OCBC Bank to meet with Regional Manager, Fiona Gan. My mission was
to deliver a set of the trilogy of My Johor Stories to her, who will
then convey my books to retired Bank Manager, Tan Ngiap Joo (TNJ) in Singapore.
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Sending My Johor Stories books to Ramona when we met at the DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru in February 2025
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It
all started last year when my cousin, Malcolm, in Sydney told me that he reconnected
with his former colleague in OCBC Bank Sydney, Ramona Tan, and that she wanted
to have a set of the trilogy of My Johor Stories.
He
reminded me that Ramona’s family used to live opposite our grandfather’s house
at Jalan Ngee Heng and that she and her sister studied in the Johor Bahru
Convent school and were familiar with my sisters, cousins and I.
When
Ramona got in touch with me, she told me that she was checking online for
information on our school’s centenary celebration plans and that her sister,
who still lived in Johor Bahru, confirmed that I was related to the people who
lived opposite them at Jalan Ngee Heng.
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It was good to meet with Ramona and her husband on their visit to Johor Bahru
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We
exchanged a series of messages to arrange for my books to be sent to her in
Victoria, Australia, and by December 2024, Ramona safely received my books.
In
our message exchange, she mentioned names of some schoolmates and tried to
hazard a guess if I was related to so-and-so just because we had the same
surname.
No,
I replied that I am certain that I was not related to any of them and urged her
to read my story titled, We are OCBC, documented in Book One, My
Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage.
In
this piece published in my 2017 MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller, I used OCBC as the
abbreviation for, Orang Cina Bukan Cina, to explain a bit about my
parents and family heritage.
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Inside the OCBC Bank Johor Bahru...
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Then
Ramona told me that after 20 years of living abroad, she planned to visit Johor
Bahru for Chinese New Year in 2025. Meanwhile, she asked for another set of My
Johor Stories books for a lady friend and I agreed to pass the books to her
when we meet up here.
For
her stay in Johor Bahru, Ramona said that she was booked into the DoubleTree by
Hilton simply because it was built close to where she used to live on that same
road.
I replied
that I had a stay with the DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru ahead of its opening to the public to do a hotel review and was pleased to document the
experience because – I agree – that it was really exciting to see how that
familiar road was being developed.
Over
hot brewed coffee, I met with Ramona at the hotel, who was back in Johor Bahru
with her husband. I was pleased to let my cousin Malcolm know that I had a good
chat with his former colleague in OCBC Sydney, reminiscing about the Jalan Ngee
Heng neighbourhood, our school’s centenary celebration plans and of course, some
stories documented in My Johor Stories.
I
could not help but blushed when Ramona Enconniere (her husband is French)
declared, “I think it’s wonderful that there is someone in Johor Bahru like
you, who is so interested and willing to share their stories.”
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Fiona Gan [Left] receiving the trilogy of My Johor Stories on behalf of TNJ
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Then
recently in April, Ramona reached out again, this time to ask for a set of My
Johor Stories for her (and my cousin’s) former General Manager at OCBC
Sydney, TNJ who was now retired in Singapore.
She
did very well to coordinate the arrangements for me to meet with Fiona Gan,
Regional Manager based in OCBC Johor Bahru, to pass my books to her so that Fiona
could personally deliver them to TNJ in Singapore.
Once
again, there was a furious exchange of messages to connect me to Fiona Gan in
Johor Bahru and a further exchange of messages between me and Fiona to arrange
an appointment in her office.
So
there I was again, walking along Jalan Segget to OCBC Bank that bright morning,
not on a Heritage Walk but to meet with the Regional Manager in the bank.
This
bank has been here for generations but I have never stepped inside. After all,
there was no reason to do so but now I had a real mission – to send my books
over.
On
my Heritage Walks, I sometimes choose to walk along Jalan Ibrahim from the
front of the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum to the Segget Walk and beyond.
This
was an opportunity to share with participants, a little about the history and
heritage of the original businesses that used to occupy the shops along this
road.
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Facade of the shop unit formerly occupied by Everstrong on ground level; The embossed logo on the upper level of this building
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When
we passed the last block of two-storey shops located adjacent to the OCBC Bank,
one of the shops that used to house Everstrong, was easily identified by
its name in capital letters, emblazoned vertically on two stone pillars at the
corridor in front of that shop.
I
remember looking at the façade of this shop unit from the opposite side of the
road and spotted a circular design embossed on the front wall of its upper floor.
From
a distance, this design features a Chinese junk that closely resembled the logo
of OCBC Bank. I was convinced that this shop unit was the original site of the
bank and made a mental note to find out more.
As
I climbed the stairs that led to the front entrance of OCBC Bank, I made it a
point to say something about this to Fiona when I had an opportunity. So it was
uncanny when Fiona was the one who brought up this particular matter and we
both marveled that this same thing was on our minds.
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The wall plaque inside OCBC Bank Johor Bahru that records the bank's opening on 20 July 1963 by Sultan Ismail of Johor
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She
immediately showed me a photo of the shop’s façade which she said was shot just
that day because the bank was keen to preserve its logo designed on the
concrete façade of that shop. Personally, I was pleased that this confirmed
that it was in fact, the OCBC logo and that the bank was once operating in that
space.
Fiona
explained that she had been trying to get in touch with the property owners to
discuss it but without success.
Once
again, it was uncanny that she was speaking to me, one who was familiar with
the property owners. I assured her that I will help to connect them to discuss
about that logo and hopefully, reach an amicable solution to preserve that
precious heritage for the bank. I was excited to learn that an OCBC Heritage
Gallery was being curated… but more about this later.
I
was pleased to present the trilogy of My Johor Stories to Fiona who
received them on behalf of TNJ. When I wanted to capture a photo memento, she
suggested that we go to the Private Banking lounge where we should get some
shots of ourselves with a model of a Chinese junk – an icon of the bank’s brand
– in the backdrop.
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Fiona Gan [Right] presenting the trilogy of My Johor Stories to Tan Ngiap Joo in Singapore
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After
a pleasant chat with Fiona, I was ready to leave. And on my way out of the
bank, she showed me the wall plaque that recorded the opening of this bank in
1963 by His Highness Sultan Ismail, the son of Sultan Sir Ibrahim.
As
I slowly descended the iconic stairs and headed out into the bright sunshine, I
mulled over how My Johor Stories connected with OCBC in so many ways.
A
day later, Fiona personally delivered the trilogy of My Johor Stories to TNJ in
Singapore and she kept her word by sending me a photograph proof of the book presentation
to him.
“Delivered
the books to Mr Tan yesterday. He likes the stories,” I read Fiona’s message that
came with the photo of herself and TNJ, holding my books.
Thank
you, cousin Malcolm and Ramona, for your support in promoting My Johor
Stories and connecting me to Fiona, TNJ and the proud heritage of OCBC in
Johor.