TRIBUTE | LUMEN
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Bernard Chen Tien Lap ( 20 September 1942 –
8 April 2015 ) – SJI Board Member and
Politician
Mr Bernard Chen Tien Lap passed away on 8 April , at age 73 . Bernard completed his ' O ' levels and preuniversity education at SJI in 1960 and 1962 respectively . He served in SJI ’ s first Board of Governors ( BOG ) since August 1987 and was the Deputy Chairman of 3rd BOG until he stepped down in January 1995 .
The former Minister of State for Defence and Member of Parliament was a strong advocate of family values and education . He was Chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools ( ACCS ) for 10 years and also the Chairman of Catholic Junior College Management Committee .
He began his distinguished career in the Public Service in 1967 in the Economic Development Board ( EDB ) and subsequently served in the Ministries of Defence and Finance before becoming Minister of State for Defence from 1977 to 1981 . He represented the constituencies of Radin Mas , Clementi , Pasir Panjang , Brickworks and West Coast as a Member of Parliament over a period of more than 20 years . After retirement from public office , Bernard contributed his wealth of management experience to the development of Singapore ’ s private sector as General Manager and Director of Fraser & Neave ( F & N ) and Chief Executive Officer of Intraco . He was also Chairman of Singapore General Hospital and a Director of DBS Bank .
Deeply concerned about promoting the welfare of workers , Bernard served as Adviser to the Union of Keppel Shipyard Employees of Singapore and later as a Director of the Singapore Labour Foundation . For his contributions to the union movement , Bernard was awarded the NTUC Friend of Labour Award in 1979 and the NTUC Meritorious Service Award in 1986 .
SJI Pays Tribute to Founding Father of
Singapore
The SJI family was deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew on 23 March 2015 . As a school established in Singapore since 1852 , SJI has seen the transformation of the nation from a fishing village to the first-world clean and green city state over the last five decades . It was Mr Lee ' s leadership , foresight and determination that transformed and led the nation during the tumultuous times in the 1950s - 60s to become an independent state in 1965 .
SJI was privileged to have Mr Lee Kuan Yew , then Prime Minister of Singapore , as its guest of honour at the 115th SJI Founder ' s Day Parade held at the former Bras Basah campus on 15 May 1967 .
As a mark of respect for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew , the SJI student council set up a condolence book for the Josephian community and well-wishers to pen their tributes to the late Mr Lee . Many students , staff and parents expressed their immense gratitude in the condolence book to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew , for his nation-building efforts in leading Singapore to become a first-world country it is today . The book was sent to Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong . On 25 March , a contingent of students , student leaders , and staff also paid their final respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at the Parliament House where his body was laid in State . The school held a memorial Mass on 26 March , to commemorate the life of one of our greatest leaders in the history of Singapore . More than 200 students , parents , staff and alumni attended the Mass , celebrated by our school chaplain Friar Michael D ’ Cruz .