L
ikemostAsianparents,GinnyWiluan’s
parents—ChewGianMoh,adoctor,and
ChristyChew,whousedtoheadatrust
company—placedalotofimportanceintheir
children’seducation.Butthewayshetellsit,
theydidnotbelieveinrotelearning.
“BeforeIlearnttoreadformyself,mymotherdiligently
readtomeeverynight,”shesays.Aesop’sfableswerea
frequentbedtimepick.“Ofthese,oneofourfavouriteswas
TheLionandtheMouse,whichteachestheimportanceof
kindnessandhowitdoesnotmatterifwearebigorsmall,
strongorweak;wecanallofferhelptothoseinneed.Each
nightandtalewouldendwithalessonlearnt.”
Similarly,herfather“inventedstoriesofadventureand
valour,andenraptureduswithmythsandoldwisdoms
fromHomer’sTheIliadandtheOdyssey”,Ginnyreminisces.
“Hewouldquizusonthebotanicalnamesofplantsthat
wepassedinthepark,giveusthefullanatomicaltermsDEVELOPING POTENTIAL
GINNYWILUAN
forbodypartswiththeirassociatedmedicalconditions,
andpepperourdailyconversationswithrandom
brain‑teasers.”Beforeeachfamilyvacation,Ginny’sparents
wouldalsoencourageherandhersisterstolearnaboutthe
cultureandhistoryoftheplacestheywereabouttovisit.
Bymakinglearningfunandexciting,theyhelped
toinstilladeeploveforlearningintheirchildren.“I
believemyparentswantedtogivemeanappreciation
oftheworldthatwasatadeeperlevelthanthatofa
merespectator,andigniteapersonaldesirewithinmeto
makeitbetter.”TheseareexactlythelessonsthatGinny
andherhusbandRichardWiluannowstrivetoimpart
totheirthreechildren.“Ihopetheydevelopthesame
loveforlearningthatisnotconfinedtoconventional
academicspheres,butencompasseseverythingtheworld
hastooffer.IfIcangivethemnothingelse,Iwillgive
themagoodeducationthatwillhopefullygivethem
theintellectualandemotionaldepthtobecomethebest
versionsofthemselves.”
Ginnyisalsodoingherparttohelpmorechildren
developtheirfullpotential.TheCitramasFoundation,
foundedbyherfather‑in‑lawKrisWiluan,aimstoimprove
thelivesofunderprivilegedchildreninIndonesiathrough
theprovisionoffinancialandmedicalaidandeducation.
Itrunsprogrammessuchasanannualmedicaloutreach
inBatamthatseesvolunteerdoctorsfromSingapore
conductingmedicalscreeningsforchildren.
Onthebusinessfront,ithasbeena“busybutexciting
time”fortheWiluans’variousventuresinIndonesia,
saysGinny,whoisadirectorofNongsaResorts,while
Richardisitspresidentdirectorandalsoaboardmember
fortheCitramasFoundation.Besidestheupgradingof
NongsaResorts,theadjacentNongsaDigitalPark,a
jointventurehelmedbyherbrother‑in‑lawMikeonthe
CitramasGroupside,hasalsobeengrowingfromstrength
tostrengthsinceopeningin2018.InJuly,consultingfirm
SurbanaJurongwasappointedtodevelopamasterplan
foranewtownshiptosupportthedigitalpark.
ThetechhubispoisedtoturnNongsaintoa“digital
bridge”betweenIndonesiaandSingapore.Buttrust
thewomanwhowastaughttoappreciatetheworld
atadeeperleveltopointoutthatinthisdayandage,
aneconomicenginecan,andindeedshould,alsobe
environmentallyminded:“Whileweworkoncapitalising
onthisconnectivity,wehaveprioritisedsustainability
andensuringourdevelopmentisecologicallyfriendly,
preservingthemangrovesthatflankourlandandthe
vegetationoftheareathatmakesNongsasomagical.”“I believe my parents
wanted to give me
an appreciation of
the world that was
at a deeper level
than that of a mere
spectator, and ignite
a personal desire
within me to make
it better”
singapore tatler. october 2019 167