Neo Ao Tiew

Neo was born in Nan'an, Fujian, Qing Dynasty in 1884. This house, which later became a travellers' inn, was the centre of Thong Hoe village, a village that Neo built up. ==Career==

Neo Ao Tiew, together with British and Arabic investors, constructed roads, houses and a seaport in the Lim Chu Kang area. To further improve villagers' welfare, Neo also set up a maternity hospital with only one resident midwife. He was also known to personally send expectant mothers to the Kandang Kerbau Hospital. During World War II, Neo actively raised funds from the Chinese community to support the anti-Japanese war effort. He also encouraged Chinese youths to join the British army in defending the Lim Chu Kang-Kranji port defence line from the invading Japanese army. For his efforts in the war, he was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. After the Japanese successfully invaded Singapore, Neo fled to China to escape the Japanese's persecution. His 45 relatives who remained behind were all killed by the Japanese conquerors. After the war, Neo returned to his former role of running the village. Neo died in 1975 at the age of 91 or 92. ==Awards==

Neo Ao Tiew was awarded the S.C.H. medal by King George VI after World War II. For his contributions in the development of the Lim Chu Kang area, the British colonial government named a 3.5 km stretch of road as Neo Tiew Road in his honour. ==References==