Lip Po left China, with a Catholic priest, and came to Malaya at the age of 5 in 1877. Having completed his education, he later went into mining. He however lost his mine in Falim and then ventured into selling cold drinks on the street. With that, he saved up some money and bought a 10-acre plot of land – which became Po Garden.
Po Garden, with its many fruit trees and flowers, eventually became the first organisation to have worked with Interflora. Here is a picture of Mr Lip Po with his first car, probably in the 1920s. Next to him in the car is one of his sons – all his 5 sons studied at St Michaels Institution; hence, Lip Po was one of the major donors for the 1939 extension done in the school.
I’m sure some of you out there remember Po Garden, located just beside the Main Convent. During my Primary years at the Main Convent, I would sometimes walk along Po Garden Lane (between the nursery and the Convent) and admire those shady trees. Now that the nursery has moved, the land which once stretched from Brewster Road all the way back towards Syuen Hotel has been (sadly) abandoned.
The company Po Garden still exists in the Cameron Highlands.