The struggle from landless to landed (1969 to 2001)

Mission History No 5 

 1969 attap hut temple at Woodlands Singapore

1972/3 awning shed temple at Woodlands Singapore

1974 to 2002 Singapore Bo Tien Temple at Woodlands Singapore

Abridged excerpts from Elder Ling's draft memoirs

"On the tenancy issue, sometimes in 1996 or 1997, some officials from a government body held a meeting with the management in our aged home ground at Woodlands. They set irrevocable terms in that the tenancy lease would end on 30 June 1999. There would be no further extension. The aged home at Woodlands must move out and the aged residents would be dispersed to other homes. They offered to us an alternate project - a day-care - in the void deck of a housing estate. There was no mention on the fate of the shrine hall."

"For more than a year, we went around frantically looking in vain for a suitable site for our purpose. They were either not suitable or the prices were exorbitant."

"Three or four months before the tenancy lease deadline (30 June 1999), there was hardly any headway made. I discussed with the incumbent President about it. He asked me why I was confident that our organization would survive. I responded by a quote Lord Bo Tien told us before – no one could destroy our organization so long that our own members stand together as one."  

"It was only after my assertion that the thought of appeal to extend lease dateline at Woodland site was revived. The appeal was rejected. We were however successful in the second appeal. Soon after, we were took part in a tender by a government body JTC for a land parcel at Chin Bee Road. We were successful in our bid. Our tenancy lease was immediately extended at Woodlands to allow time for development of Chin Bee site." 

Majestic temple building at Chin Bee Road Singapore in July 2003

"We obtained the legal documents in the beginning of year 2000. The whole development process was thus set in motion. Our success in securing the land had greatly enhanced the morale of the members. Good efforts were put in to promote the first fund raising project – a dinner and show – at Neptune Theatre & Restaurant. It was a great success. That propelled the members to organize two bigger stage shows by foreign artists at Harbour View. The capital outlay for these shows was more than four hundred thousand dollars. The next that followed were donation draw and other smaller projects. There were problems of human nature along the way but we prevailed and succeeded"

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