Robin Loh

Robin Loh

Robin SK Loh (1928/29 – August 28, 2010) was an Indonesian-born Singaporean businessman and real estate developer. Loh was best known in Australia as the founder of Robina, Queensland, a suburban town on the Gold Coast of Queensland.[1] Robina, which turned 30 in 2010, is considered one of Australia's most successful planned communities.[1] He is also credited as a leading businessman during Singapore's industrialization.[2][3]

Education

In the mid 1990s, Mr Loh would also obtain both a master's degree and a doctorate from UC Berkeley.[4] The University of Berkeley considered his business success as a general degree and allowed him to pursue his degree in the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.[5]

Early life and career

Loh was born in Indonesia and moved to Singapore during the 1940s at the age of 18.[2][4] He began his career in business by salvaging abandoned U.S. Army military equipment.[4] He also worked as a taxicab driver.[2] In the early 1970s, Loh established the Robin Shipyard in Singapore.[2]

In 1980, Loh purchased 20 square kilometres of grazing land on the southern Gold Coast in Queensland.[1] Loh built the town of Robina, which grew into a planned community with a population of approximately 30,000 people, as of 2010.[1] Loh built a town center with entertainment, parks and healthcare facilities.[1]

In addition to Robina and other real estate holdings, Loh also held interests in research and development, hotels, banking, shipbuilding, manufacturing, shipping and oil rig construction during his career.[1]

Robin Road and Robina House, in Singapore's Shenton Way, are named after Loh.[2]

The government of Malaysia also granted him the title Datuk.[4]

On August 28, 2010, Robin Loh died of breathing difficulties on an international flight from Singapore to Hong Kong, at the age of 81.[1] He had suffered from Parkinson's disease.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Planned community pioneer and Robina founder Robin Loh dead at 81". The Australian. 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kwok, Jonathan (2010-08-31). "Tycoon passes away at 81". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  3. ↑ http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/010-1977-05-16_jtc.pdf
  4. 1 2 3 4 "City salutes Indon visitor with vision". Gold Coast Bulletin. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  5. ↑ Savage, Victor R; Yeoh, Brenda S.A. (2013). Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. pp. 326–327. ISBN 978-981-4408-35-6. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
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