The Scent – Back On Track

So, I still wasn’t any closer to finding out who actually owns Hillview Mansion before it was bought over by V.P.

I realise then at this point, I should look even deeper into the history books if I were to throw further light onto this puzzle.

I pored over what information I had. Then I realised something. Based on the certified plan that the land where Hillview Mansion stood was ‘carved out’ only in the 1980s.

But the Informant working in C&C suggested that the bungalow was built in the 1970s, by the Chua Brothers of C&C.

So then I started looking at who was the Chairman of C&C at that time .

I went back to the National Library and consulted the C&C ‘bible’ again. I was referring to the book, Wheels of Progress: 75 years of Cycle & Carriage, written by Jennings , Eric in 1975.

I learnt that the Chairman of C&C then was Mr Chua Boon Peng. He was the Chairman of C&C right up to the time this book: Wheels of Progress was written.

So if the urban legend that we heard was true, then Mr Chua Boon Peng was the Chairman of C&C at the time of the story. Mr Chua Boon Peng was the Chairman until his resignation from the C&C in 1985. I also found out that Mr Chua was sued for bankruptcy in 1987.

Still, he is just a name, just like the name of C&C Chairman Thomas Chua in 1990. I still couldn’t prove he own the Mansion. 

But confirmation would come. I recieved this email in 2007:-

“The late Mr Chua Boon Peng was my uncle. In the early 1970’s when we visited my uncle and auntie( at another house of theirs), all they could talk about was how haunted the Hillview house was. The construction workers claimed the haunting was so bad that they refused to carry on work. Bomohs, priest, mediiums, some even from overseas tried to exorcise the place but to no avail. I think some even advised my late uncle to stay there himself so that his aura would prevail, but the place was even too scary for him.”

The Scent – The Theories So Far   

Theory 1:  We knew that the Chairman of C&C at the time the Hillview Mansion’s land was certified in 1980, was Mr Chua Boon Peng. Mr Chua resigned from C&C in 1985. SLA records showed that the Hillview Mansion was sold by Peaktop Property to V.P. in 1990. Peaktop Property was registered as a company only in 1987. This means that Mr Chua Boon Peng (if he owned the property), being sued for bankruptcy in 1987, could have sold the Hillview Mansion to Peaktop Property the same year or before. 
   
Theory 2:  The Chua family, managing C&C, had been very active in Hillview Area, purchasing large pieces of land, as well as land formerly occupied by the car assembly plant set up in 1965. Hillview Mansion’s land could have been bought at that time, so that the C&C Chairman could overlook his ‘empire’, being at the top of the hill means he was able to survey his entire land from his very own door step.
   
Theory 3:  The Hillview Mansion was built possibly in 1970s (base on email records by 2 persons with relationship to the Hillview Mansion’s owner) . That would place Mr Chua Boon Peng as the original (possible) owner of Hillview Mansion. But so far, official records has shown that the Hillview Mansion land was owned from 1970s by Popular Estates P L when it started constructing the houses of Hillview estate.
   
Theory 4:  The land on which Hillview Mansion stood was sold off in sometime between 1987 (1987 was the date of incorporation of  Peaktop Property) and 1990, the year the property, the Hillview Villas at Hillview Crescent was sold. Hillview Villas was the 1 st property in Hillview to be sold off by C&C.

So it was possible that if the land perhaps belonged to C&C, once C&C decided to divest their interest in Hillview area, the Hillview Mansion land was sold off as well.

So could this be it? That this divestment of interest was the reason why Hillview Mansion was sold?

The Scent – A New but Misleading Lead

I met Mr Chia, a small time building contractor at a meeting I also attended. Our conversation drifted to how the property market has slumped and that he (Mr Chia) now gets very few contracts to do renovation works for ‘Ang Moh’ houses, as he put it.

Lamely I asked if he knew if there was this empty house right at the top of Jalan Dermawan.

“Oh, you mean the haunted house at the hill top?”

He knew about it! Inwardly I leaped and somersaulted though on the exterior I was a face of calm.

“Yes,” I replied. “You knew why it was empty?”

“I visited the place once, when I was tendering for a project near there.” Mr Chia began. “A few contractors and me, we all went up to the house and looked around. It must have been many years back. One of my contractor friend said that halfway during renovation, Mindef (Ministry of Defence) put a stop to the works as they wanted to take back the land. There was a huge military installation just behind the hill where the House stood, and so Mindef wants the land back for security reason. The House Owner of course disputed Mindef claim for the land, having paid a large sum of money for it.”

Mr Chia paused to catch his breath. He was going 50, grey hair streaking cross a otherwise jet black hair. I too, paused not daring to breath, lest I disturb his thoughts.

“So then the matter was brought to Court to settle. And as a result, the House remain as it is till today, as the case is still being fought out.”

I understood what he meant. Recently there had been report of a church land being taken back by our Government and being paid a dollar for it. If I were the owner, I would fight off the acquisition with my hands and teeth.

I thanked him and left hurried.

There was work to be done! He has told me information that I need to verify. And the sleuthing blood in me was racing to my head.

First, Mr Chia reminded me again that the renovation works in Hillview Mansion was left half completed, thus sprouting all these rumours of suicides, ghosts and murders.

Reading back on the land information I got from SLA , I realise that Hillview House was mortgaged twice; once in 1990, and the second in 1994.

The first mortgage in 1990 should be for the purchase of the House. As for the second mortgage in 1994, could it be for the renovations?

If so, then was the renovations really stopped by Mindef due to security reasons? I know for a fact that Mindef hasn’t taken over the place yet. Else their standard ‘No Trespassing’ or No Entry’ sign would be plastered all over that gate.

So now I need look to look for court cases that might have been brought about by the Owner to stave off any compulsory land acquisition by the Government.

Unfortunately I didn’t manage to find any case in that nature. Or perhaps I didn’t look hard enough.

But looking over my SLA data there wasn’t any State Land encroachment charges either.

So if it wasn’t the Government that is taking back the land, why then was the Hillview Mansion left half-renovated or half-constructed?

But as if Fate was smiling at me, in conducting one of my Haunted Heritage Trail with a group, I met an elderly man who was outing jogging with his son. He was at the top of Jalan Dermawan’s great slope, when my group walked to Hillview Mansion gates.

He spied and approached me.

I said. “We are here tonight to look at the gates of this infamous House.”

“Ah Yes, this house is very famous… “The elderly man said, “Many people had come to visit this place. It’s very big, if I had money, I would buy it for myself..”

“Any chance you know who own this piece of land?” I inquired. Behind my back I was keeping my fingers crossed.

“It belonged to Cycle & Carriage Chairman, that Chua-something fellow.”

“You seemed so certain, how did you know?” I asked, “Did you stay in Hillview long?”

“Young man, you see how old I am? He seemed angry. “That’s how long I have been staying here. If I say C&C Chairman stayed here, HE STAYED HERE.

“Then you must know why the house was half renovated and left as it is then.” I probed. I wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by.

The elderly man looked at me in askance, and his son who was standing besides us chipped in.

“Yah dad, that guy is right. The House is left half renovated. It seemed that they (the contractors) simply stopped halfway and left”

The elderly man pondered for awhile before answering: “Well, I do know that House Owner mortgaged the house to loan the money to someone. But there was some problem with the loan. Perhaps the loan had something to do with the half-done renovations.”

By then it was time to say goodbye to Hillview Mansion as my group went up the bus and departed to our next destination.