Volunteering to Clean Up Tombs @ Bukit Brown Cemetery

I have never been a "volunteer" kind of person and have rejected countless requests from friends who are keen to introduce me to the caring and passionate world of "volunteerism". 

Hence, it should surprise quite a few friends that i finally took on volunteering work last Sunday although it has nothing to do with the welfare of any living bodies! There's a reason why i don't want to volunteer at animal shelter, old folks home etc but that would be explained in a future posting. 

Anyway, the intention of our visit that day was to clean up the unkempt tomb of this lady who passed away back in 1934; she was Japanese and married into a Chinese family which could possibly mean she could be one of the earliest Japanese immigrants to Singapore! 

Reached the tomb without any difficulty, thanks to the two veterans who have been involved in such voluntary work in Bukit Brown for god knows how many years. It was hard work clearing the tomb with so much foliage surrounding it! 

A tree has also toppled across the tomb and there were only so many branches i can saw away using my half-past six skill! The ground was wet and muddy and i found irritating tree roots that have spread to the tomb mound! By the way, the above picture was taken when we were halfway done! 

My gloves at that stage. It gradually darkened by the end we were done with the clean up.

There were tonnes of earthworms buried in the ground; plump and juicy ones okay! I think i could have sold them for a good price to the anglers if i had collected all of them.

Sweeping is considered an easy chore for many. Try sweeping floor that was thickly caked with mud! We had to use a spade to scrape away the top layer before we can even attempt to sweep the tiled floor. 

Woah, it was a great satisfaction to see the "before" and "after"! Contrast the above photograph with the fourth one in this post and spot the differences! Tiles previously covered with green moss can finally show their beauty to the outside world!

With only five of us equipped with basic tools, we did the best we could in three hours although it would be a bonus if we could remove the toppled tree! However, i agreed with Ee Hoon that the tree did give the tomb a different vibe compared to the rest. 

The final "product" after much sweat! 

p.s. Muscle ache is a definite for the next few days.

Keen to Volunteer / Know More about Bukit Brown?
Join https://www.facebook.com/groups/bukitbrown/

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Additional Information

Things have changed a lot since i last visited Bukit Brown cemetery! There is a immensely helpful map that clearly charts out the various blocks and divisions.

Directional signs have also been improved with pictures of the tombs and even distance required to reach them! Now, this would really help those who are interested to pay the cemetery a visit yet worried that it would be hard to navigate! 

Be fast if you want to visit. Exhumation work for some sections of this cemetery has already started that would clear the land for the eventual building of new roads that are supposed to alleviate the traffic condition along Lornie road. 

Enjoy the beauty while you still can.