Paya Lebar is one of the most important residential quarters of Singapore and may be called a satellite town. It forms a very attractive district with its bungalow-type of houses in their spacious and shady compounds. Year by year it is growing in importance and beauty.

In this district there is a very good proportion of Catholics, and up to this year there was neither Church nor boys’ school to cater for them. The Convent, on the other hand, had already started before the war to hold classes in two private houses that are now occupied by a Chinese School. Soon after the war the Convent of St. Joseph was built at Hillside Drive, and it now has more than 800 pupils.

This year has seen the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream of the late Bishop A. Devals with the coming of both the Church and the boys’ school. Our Archbishop, Mgr. Olcomendy, is no less solicitous for the youth of Malaya, and he has graciously given the land exclusively for educational purposes. The site is both along Upper Serangoon Road and along Hillside Drive, but a Malay mosque occupies the corner.

The land is unfortunately very uneven, and a lot of money has to be spent in levelling the approaches of the school and behind in order to have a good football field. It is long enough but it is narrow and very low.

The building is 150 ft. long, it has two storeys and a basement which contains a modern canteen and an assembly Hall or games room.  The architect, Mr. Ghan Yee Lim has succeeded in putting up a very neat and attractive building, with very airy and bright rooms as well as wide verandahs. The work was done by Messrs. Chye Keng Hill & Co.

The school is provided with modern sanitation, which has been installed by Messrs. Lee Chwee Slang & Co - This has proved to be very costly: nearly $50,000, but it was a “must” of the Educational Department before obtaining the approval of the school. The present installation is supposed to cover all requirements for the whole school when the two wings are completed.

For the first year there are only five classes: two of Primary I, one each of Pri­mary II, Std. I and Std. II. Each year there will be one grade higher. Eventually it is possible that the Science classes of Holy Innocents’ English School may be transferred here, as no space can be obtained in the old School for a modern and fully equipped Science Laboratory.

The name given to this School comes from the name of the Brothers of St. Gabriel. It may be of interest to know why the Brothers came to be called by this name. In the time of St. Louis Marie de Montfort the Brothers were called “Brothers of the Holy Ghost” and the house where they stayed was called also “the Holy Ghost”. The Fathers also lived in the same house and this continued until the time of the French Revolution. Later a new Superior took charge of the foundations of St. Louis de Montfort and they were infused with a new life. The Brothers specially increased rapidly and it was neces­sary to find a new residence for them. A house was acquired and it was named “St. Gabriel”, from the name of the new Superior. The Brothers of both houses continued to form one Institute and they always followed the same rule and way of life. But the Brothers of the new house were little by little called “Brothers of St. Gabriel” and finally the name was applied to the whole Institute.

In conclusion it may also interest readers that the total cost of the first part of the project will be in the neighbourhood of $175,000, including the buildings, sanitary instal­lation, furniture, light, etc. Of this, Government has promised a grant of $71,000. The rest must be found from private funds. So far donations from benefactors and well-wishers amount to about $45,000 and it is expected that the balance will come little by little.