Dr. Wee loved that the Istana, the Singaporean presidential palace, was a garden in the middle of the bustling city. Upon leaving office in 1993, he moved into Cavenagh Court, a condominium complex with windows overlooking the Istana grounds. This room is a near-exact replica of Dr. Wee’s Cavenagh Court lounge and office, where he would work, rest, and host visitors until he passed away in 2005. The office was lovingly called the Istana Kechil (“Little Istana”) by Dr. Wee and his friends.
Dr. Wee’s daughters, Eng Hwa and Hong Neo, who assisted in recreating this space, note many unique and valuable items beloved by their father. Can you find them all?
Books gifted by authors
“In this display of books on the bookshelf, they were given by people who wrote them - the authors and in particular… Among the books on this bookshelf is a book “Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew” which he autographed for my father.”
Chinese books
“He was a lifelong learner. So these were his Chinese books. And he persisted with the Chinese learning. For many years, almost to the end. My mother would tease him mercilessly about his pronunciation. He also could speak some Japanese. He tried to learn French. But my father actually read widely.”
Presidential confirmation items
“We have a space here to display President Wee’s appointment as president and his earlier appointment as a Justice of the Peace… That book represents Lee Kuan Yew’s election speech and some of the other MPs for the election of President Wee, and then there would have to be a resolution passed to appoint him.”
Rabbit collection
“Wee Kim Wee was born in the Year of the Rabbit. And people kept giving him rabbits - all kinds and sizes. And eventually we ended up with hundreds of rabbits… Those two rabbits were from the then-chairman of SMU, Mr Ho Kwon Ping, and his wife, Claire.”
Exercise schedule
“My father was an exercise fiend. He did it every single day. And he even went to the extent of writing out an exercise schedule for all his friends and relatives. We all received a copy.”
Phone fax machine
“Behind the desk, we have this phone fax machine. And on it, he has stuck a list of people who would call frequently. And among them would be this. His children. His brother-in-law and Chilli Padi, a shop that he used to order food from. Yes, his favourite Peranakan food.”