Singapore Recreation Club and Eurasian Literary Society

The Eurasian Association (EA) was founded in 1919, 36 years after the founding of the Singapore Recreation Club (SRC).

It is unfortunate that so few historical records of the early years of the Eurasian Association have been preserved, but from what evidence is available it appears that the EA had a precursor – the Eurasian Literary Association which was formed in 1918.

This literary association ceased to exist in 1919 following the formation of the EA and it seems likely that its founding members were also among the founding members of the Eurasian Association since a number of its committee members also featured prominently in the Executive Committee of the EA for several years.

Founding Objectives

The objectives of the Association as enunciated in its first constitution were as follows :

• To promote the political, economic, social, moral, physical and intellectual advancement of all Eurasian-British subjects.
• To promote among its members an active interest in the affairs of Malaya.
• Generally to look after the interest of all Eurasian-British subjects.

These objectives remained unchanged from 1919 to 1947.

Post-Independence Objectives

The objects of the Association were revised sometime after 1965 but there is no record of the exact date of revision. The objects were

• To promote the economic, social, moral, physical and intellectual advancement of all Eurasian Singaporeans and Eurasian Permanent Residents.
• To promote among the Members an active interest in the affairs of Singapore.
• Generally, to look after the interests of all Eurasians in Singapore.

Membership

Pre-War Benchmark
In the years before the Second World War, the Eurasian Association maintained close ties with the SRC and the two associations had many members in common. On the eve of the Japanese invasion of Singapore, EA membership stood at 770.

’60s Dip & ’70s Record
In the 1960s records show that membership was about 400 and rose to a record high in the 1970s. The membership figure for 1973 was 855 members.

’80s Dwindling Numbers
However, in the 1980s membership began to dwindle from 306 in 1981 to 153 in 1983, falling as low as 91 in 1986.

’90s Rebirth & Growth
In 1989, the Management Committee embarked on a massive membership drive which resulted in the membership rising to almost 1,000 in the two years which followed. Membership has grown steadily since then and now stands at 7,300 (as at August 2009.)

1994
The Eurasian Association became one of the four Self-Help Groups in 1994. It has qualified as a registered charity and was successfully granted IPC status on with the Institution of Public Character (IPC) status.

Scholarships Through The Years

Education has always been accorded a high priority by the Eurasian Association.

Hochstadt Scholarship
In 1947 the Hochstadt Scholarship was introduced by the trustees of the estate of John Hochstadt. At $300 per annum, tenable for three years, these awards were for marine engineering, motor engineering, plumbing, carpentry, dressmaking, linotyping and nursing.

Eurasian Industrial Scholarship
In addition to this were the Eurasian Industrial Scholarship and the EA School Scholarship for those in the eighth standard.

Eurasian Voluntary Industrial Scholarship
In 1948 a Eurasian Voluntary Industrial Scholarship was started to apprentice boys in trades.

Scholarship Fund
In 1971, EA President Thomas Wilfred Prins launched a drive to start a $100,000 scholarship fund.