Armenians and their contributions

Calvin Ong(3)Isaac Ray(9)

Jeremy Lee(16)Loh Jian Cong(18)

Early Armenians

• Came to Singapore from as early as 1800s

• Came to Singapore as merchants and traders

Their contributions…

• The Sarkies brothers, Martin, Arshak, Aviet and Tigran, founded the Raffles Hotel

• Catchick Moses (Movessian) (1812-1895), was a co-founder of the Straits Times

Raffles hotel

The Sarkies Brothers

• They were a group of Iranian brothers of Armenian ethnicity

• They were not only the founding fathers of Raffles hotel, but of many others like the:

Eastern Hotel (Penang, Malaysia)Oriental Hotel (Penang Malaysia)Kartika Wijaya (Java, Indonesia)Strand Hotel (Rangoon, Yangon, Burma,

Myanmar)Hotel Majapahit (Surabaya, Indonesia)

Their contributions

• Due to the increase in Armenian families in the 1930s, this church was erected

• In March 1835 the Church of St Gregory the Illuminator was built, making it the first church in Singapore

• It was then consecrated in 1836

Their contributions

• Catchick Moses founded the Straits Times

• The founding was almost albeit by default

• Moses’ friend, who had intended to start a local paper, was short of funds

• So to fulfill his friend’s dream, Moses’ started the Straits Times

Their contributions

• In 1981, the Vanda Miss Joaquim was designated Singapore's national flower

• It was named after Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian

So why should we remember them?• What they have done has shaped the way

Singapore is today

• The Straits Times is something that almost everyone reads, what would happen if it didn’t exist?

• Our national flower, is something that foreigners recognize Singapore by

• And last but not least, Raffles Hotel and the very first church in Singapore

Our Monument

• Therefore, after much discussion, we have come up with a monument that symbolizes all these contributions

Are you Ready?

Our Monument

Our Monument

The Straits Times and our National flower-Vanda Miss Joaquim

As you can see here, on the left column of the newspaper, there are the “articles” on these influential Armenians

In Conclusion…

• After knowing what the Armenians have done, we hope you will consider our idea for this monument

• We hope that everyone has benefited from this presentation and has learnt more about the Armenians

Group Reflections

After doing this project, our group has learnt many things related to early Armenians. If it weren’t for them today, we would not have the Straits Times to read and our national flower.

During this project, we required much teamwork and communication to complete each of our slides.

This project has deepened my understanding of Singapore’s rich history

Reflection

This project has deepened our understanding of Singapore’s rich history and culture.

This has certainly been an enlightening experience.

Biblography

• Armenians in singapore. (2011, February 18). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenians_in_Singapore

• Armenian apostolic church of st. gregory the illuminator singapore. (2010, September 1). Retrieved from http://armeniansinasia.org/

Biblography

• The eastern and oriental hotel, penang. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.amassia.com.au/Raffles.htm

• Respected citizens: the history of armenians in singapore and malaysia . (2006). Retrieved from http://www.amassia.com.au/

Biblography

• Armenian church, singapore. (2011, March 23). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Church,_Singapore

• Sarkies brothers. (2010, December 3). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarkies_Brothers

Thank You

Any Questions?