Talk:Robert Iau

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. Track your hook after promotion. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Beta Beta Beta (talk) 01:50, 15 September 2026 (UTC)

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• Article history

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• ... that a question asked by Robert Iau regarding the structural safety of Singapore's National Theatre led to inspections that ultimately caused its demolition?

• Source: "My eye was caught by this great, big, beastly cantilever space fram over the whole of the audience. And just out of sheer curiosity I asked the management of the National Theatre Trust whether the space frame was certified safe. And whether there had been regular inspection of the stability of this space frame roof...", "It would seem that I touched a raw nerve. There was no record of the roof being certified fit, there was no regular inspection of the strength of the stability of the structure and I became rather alarmed. And I requested the Board to consider doing a scan, an ultrasound scan on the roof which was duly carried out. The report was not very encouraging, being completely neutral. It is apparently as stable as could be expected under the circumstances." Iau, Robert (2002-05-06). "Iau, Robert Kuo Kwong – Oral History Interviews – Record Details (Accession Number 002275) Reel/Disc 20 of 25". National Archives of Singapore.
  "THE National Theatre is to be demolished because its structure is unsound and unsafe..." "Theatre's demolition due to its unsound structure". Singapore Monitor. 1984-01-21. p. 2.

• • ALT1: ... that before becoming a colonel in the Singapore Armed Forces, Robert Iau trained as a volunteer pilot on a de Havilland Tiger Moth? Source: "I believe on the initial flying on the Tiger Moth, we were given something like 14, 15 hours of dual instruction and we must go solo. If you fail to make the deadline then you are scrubbed. I think I went solo, my first solo was about nine hours, 10 hours; I went for my first solo." Iau, Robert (2001-07-09). "Iau, Robert Kuo Kwong – Oral History Interviews – Record Details (Accession Number 002275) Reel/Disc 9 of 25". National Archives of Singapore.
    "THE Director OF MANPOWER, Col. Robert lAU yesterday called on newly graduated officers and NCOs of the Singapore Armed Forces to develop new concepts and doctrine and be always conscious faithful to them." "Col. Iau On Hallmark Of Commanders". Eastern Sun. 1969-12-06. p. 14.
  • ALT2: ... that Robert Iau, who led the development of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, described the project as "overwhelming but what a bloody challenge"? Source: "As executive chairman of the Singapore Arts Centre Company in the 1990s, Mr Iau meticulously oversaw the development of Singapore's performing arts centre the Esplanade - Theatres On The Bay." Hooi, Alexis; Teh, Joo Lin (2005-02-28). "Arts patron Robert lau, 70, dies of heart attack". The Straits Times. p. 4.
    "It is a task Mr Robert Iau, 58, executive chairman of the Singapore Arts Centre Company, calls "overwhelming but what a bloody challenge".""The people behind The Esplanade". The Straits Times. 1994-07-24. p. 25.
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Minna no Keizai Shimbun Network

Moved to mainspace by BenTanXiaoMing (talk). Number of QPQs required: 1. Nominator has 11 past nominations.

BenTanXiaoMing (talk) 09:37, 17 August 2026 (UTC).

General: Article is new enough and long enough
New enough: Long enough:

Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems
Adequate sourcing: Neutral: Free of copyright violations, plagiarism, and close paraphrasing:

Hook: Hook has been verified by provided inline citation
Cited: Interesting:

QPQ: Done.

Overall: Article is new and long enough, Earwig is at 5.7%, nice work. Hook 0 is the most interesting, but long, I suggest shortening and punching it up along the lines of ALT3: ... that Robert Iau asked a question that led to the demolition of Singapore's National Theatre? —BrechtBro (talk) 18:21, 2 September 2026 (UTC)

• I should add re: Alt0/3, the sourcing is perhaps a touch thin given this is his own account rather than secondary, but I think it's ok as it's supported by the other source and what's at the National Theatre page. However, I don't find Alt1 and 2 particularly interesting.—BrechtBro (talk) 19:47, 2 September 2026 (UTC)
  • @BrechtBro: Thanks for taking the time to review this! ALT3 sounds good to me :) BenTanXiaoMing (talk) 04:34, 3 September 2026 (UTC)

Approved for ALT3—BrechtBro (talk) 17:07, 3 September 2026 (UTC)