princess_morbucks
08-12-13, 08:13
It was 1937 when Peranakan widow Wan Chin Neo, a mother of three, bought a small bungalow in Katong for the then princely sum of $1,900.
She decided the property should remain in the family for generations to come, and created a trust that stated it was for her descendants to occupy in perpetuity.
By the end of 1939, Madam Wan and her two adult daughters were dead. Only her son was alive.
It was more than 70 years before the house in Carpmael Road near Joo Chiat came to the attention of the High Court, when some of Madam Wan's descendants wanted to check if the trust was valid.
http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/imagecache/story-gallery-featured/20131208/ST_20131208_ESTATE08KDI6_3954273e.jpg
She decided the property should remain in the family for generations to come, and created a trust that stated it was for her descendants to occupy in perpetuity.
By the end of 1939, Madam Wan and her two adult daughters were dead. Only her son was alive.
It was more than 70 years before the house in Carpmael Road near Joo Chiat came to the attention of the High Court, when some of Madam Wan's descendants wanted to check if the trust was valid.
http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/imagecache/story-gallery-featured/20131208/ST_20131208_ESTATE08KDI6_3954273e.jpg