Tay Lian Teck (Chinese: 郑连德; 1899 — February 1947) was a prominent businessman, member of the Municipal Commission of Singapore, member of the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements and president of the Singapore Chinese Football Association.
Early life and education
Tay began attending Victoria School in 1906. He completed the Junior Cambridge examination at the age of 13 and the Senior Cambridge examination at the age of 14.
Career
After graduating from Victoria School, he became a teacher there. He served as the Honorary Secretary of the Singapore Chinese Football Association from 1925 to 1930, and served as the association's president from 1935 to 1941. In 1932, he became a member of the Municipal Commission of Singapore. He was a committee member of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1933 to 1941. He was appointed a Nominated Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements in 1935, following the retirement of council member Tan Cheng Lock. He was a committee member of the Chinese Advisory Board from 1935 to 1941. He resigned from the municipal commission in 1936 in order to devote more time to his business affairs and the legislative council. In 1939, he became a member of the Singapore Improvement Trust. He was reappointed a nominated unofficial member of the legislative council for another three years in 1941.
He was the secretary of the Ho Hong Steamship Company, Ho Hong Oil Mills and the Ho Hong Portland Cement Company, and was on the board of directors of several other prominent companies in Singapore. He was the president of the Straits Chinese Recreation Club and a member of the Singapore Amateur Football Association.
Personal life and death
Tay married Grace Tan Chew Neo, a pioneer of community and social work in Singapore. They had two daughters, musician Phyllis Tay and actress Gracia Tay.
Tay was aboard the SS Kuala when it was bombed by the Japanese in February 1942. He died during the bombing. In 1947, the roads Kee Sun Road, Kee Sun Avenue and Kee Sun Drive were renamed Tay Lian Teck Road, Tay Lian Teck Avenue and Tay Lian Teck Drive respectively, after him. A memorial was erected in his honour in 1948.
References
- Kua, Bak Lim (1999). 新华历史人物列传. 教育出版私营有限公司. p. 116.
- ^ "FORMER PUPIL HONOURED". The Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle. Singapore. 23 April 1935. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ "Portrait of Mr. Tay Lian Teck, former President of the Singapore Chinese Football Association". BookSG. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "NEW UNOFFICIAL COUNCILLOR". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 17 January 1935. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "MR. TAY LIAN TECK RESIGNS". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 23 January 1936. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "Improvement Trust Gains New Member". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. 7 January 1939. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "Improvement Trust Gains New Member". The Malaya Tribune. Singapore. 25 January 1941. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "Tan Chew Neo". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- "Members of a leading Straits Chinese family, Mr. Tay Lian Teck, and her daughters, Phyllis (left) and Gracia who plan to erect a Singapore memorial soon to Mr. Tay Lian Teck. He was distinguished Municipal Commissioner and Legislative Councillor. Japanese bombing killed him on the vessel Kuala when he was due to leave Singapore on the day before the city fell to the Japanese. Mrs. Tay and her daughters spent the war years in Australia. Phyllis is a musician and Gracia a psychologist". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 5 February 1948. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ "Memorial To Late Mr. Tay Lian Teck". The Malaya Tribune. Singapore. 31 January 1948. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- Savage, Victor R.; Yeoh, Brenda S.A. (15 June 2013). Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International, Singapore. p. 377. ISBN 9814484741.
- "NEW NAMES FOR ROADS". The Malaya Tribune. Singapore. 13 March 1947. Retrieved 2 March 2023.