Tales of a Eurasian family in Singapore

THE name Hochstadt is likely to draw a blank among young Singaporeans today, but their parents may recall it. Herman Hochstadt is most likely the name that will come to mind, for the generation that worked through the 1960s to the '80s. Those were the years of the making of modern Singapore, and Herman, a Eurasian, was one of the key government people who helped build it.

Herman was a top civil servant and later chairman of Neptune Orient Lines, which started as the national shipping line before it was listed on the stock market. He was not the only Eurasian in high places of public service during the formative years of Singapore's independence. These individuals included Benjamin Sheares, the country's second President; Law Minister Edmund Barker; George Bogaars, another top civil servant; and Barry Desker, a prominent diplomat.

The Clan ... At Large is not about the Eurasian community at large. Yet in focusing on one particular family and its legacy, the book offers an intimate look into the lives of the mixed-race community. These are stories of life in the old days of Singapore, and of an elite community that had much to do with many of Singapore's early businesses and institutions.