In Loving Memory

 

In Loving Memory ofDad

 

Dad 2006 birthday

My dad came to Malaysia at a tender age of about 10 from China by sea. He once told me of how he had fallen into the water unnoticed from the ship and was rescued upon discovery by a sailor thereafter. Unfortunately, little else is known to me of his early days except for the times we shared together.

 

Dad was strict with us, his children (6 + 1 [adopted] sons and 2 daughters). We developed a certain fear of him especially when he was angry. But his punishments were infrequent and were not as severe as what we made it out to be. Generally he expressed his love for us in his own ways. When he was endowed, he was generous and would bring home his catch or buy us some quality fish from the market. He provided for us although we knew his earnings were not much. We had a good house (big wooden house) to stay and were never hungry because the vegetables mum planted were able to earn us income for our sustenance and the farm poultry provided us occasional dishes of meat.

Dad was not formally educated but he taught himself to read, was well read (examples: Chinese novels like the Three Kingdom) and  kept up to date with events and happenings from reading the Chinese dailies. He took a positive approach to life, always believing in himself and proud of his family.

His initial ventures into business did not take off successfully but his opening of a Bak Kut Teh restaurant paid off handsomely with patrons coming from far away places like Singapore just to savour his delicious cooking. His business flourished and he was able to pass it on to my younger brother who later invited other siblings to join in the business. All in all there are now three brothers and one sister running their own BKT business, learning the trade from dad. My friend Kiam Hann who knew a part of dad’s business history told me that dad was well liked by his friends who encouraged him to start the business and supported it from the opening. This is his legacy – Teo Chew BKT is now well known in Malacca and in KL (when Kim Haw decided to open his restaurant, he named it after father, He Teck BKT).

Dad had an illustrious life even before this, having travelled and worked outstation and in Australia (some of his friends who followed him to Christmas Island and Perth stayed back and are today citizens of Australia, living comfortably). He tried his hands at farming, cooking and mining jobs as well as sea fishing. It was not easy for him, being away from us but he was clever at hiding it. Eldest brother was encouraged to follow him to Kota Kinabalu where he learned the spray painting trade. Having saved some money he returned home after a few years to start his own spray painting business.

Dad more than made up for his absence from us by making frequent visits to our home in KL in later years. He would take bus rides from Malacca and walked to my wife’s kindergarten from the bus stop. At times he bought us fish or other meat and carried it all the way. He did his best at communicating with us all and was especially fond of the grand children. When he was with us, he would bring the kids for movies and occasional treats. His mobility was restrained in later years after sustaining a fall and as time progressed he had difficulty walking and remembering.

The last two years were particularly hard on him as he was less mobile and suffered poor health. I had always pictured him as a strong person both physically as well as mentally and had difficulty accepting his frail condition. In the week before his passing, eldest brother phoned me that dad asked for me. And so I visited him in hospital where we had to say our last farewell. Dad succumbed to his illness and passed on from this life on the 28th May 2009 at the age of 87. He brought us up well and we hope to live up to his good name. We have lost someone dear to us and shall miss him. Dad was laid to rest on the 1st June 2009. We cherish the memories of the time we shared together and will forever keep him in our hearts.

I would like to convey my appreciation for the many condolences, words of comfort, prayers, flowers, messages and visits by relatives, brethren and friends during the period of bereavement. Thank you all for your kind concern and thoughtfulness. The outpouring of love has helped to lighten our grief and sorrow. 

A Tribute to Mr Chua

The poem below is an illustration of one student’s special regard and respect for Mr Chua Cheng Chye, the primary school headmaster of ACS Malacca during the mid 60s till the writer completed his secondary school education in 1976.

Teachers Paint our minds
and guide our thoughts
Share in our achievements
and advise our faults
 
Inspire a Love
of knowledge and truth
As they light the path
Which leads our youth

For our future brightens
with each lesson they teach
Each smile they lengthen
Each goal they help reach

For the dawn of each poet
each philosopher and king
Begins with a Teacher
And the wisdom they bring

- Poem by Kevin William Huff

Such were the unselfish dedication and contributions of teachers who helped made student life in school fun and inculcated a learning mindset to excel in every aspects of life. They helped to mold characters and develop minds towards becoming better citizens of tomorrow. Mr Chua exemplifies one such teacher who has through the years helped molded many students to becoming professionals and leaders of today. The years passed quickly and his students have now arrived and many speak volumes of his great influence on their lives and how his kind words and support have impacted positively in shaping their future.

Mr Chua is remembered for his regard in the welfare of his students, especially the under-privileged as this writer experienced on a personal level. During one school day I lost my pocket money and was searching for the lost coins, tears streaking down my face, along the road fronting Mr Chua’s office not knowing that he was watching from a short distance,. To my surprise, Mr Chua approached me to enquire about the problem and without hesitation he placed his hand into his pocket and out came some coins that made up the loss. What a joy and relief!

Over the years the friendship between Mr Chua and the writer grew with more friends added into a special circle; Mr Chua as the mentor and advisor. The blossoming of this friendship led to the informal Magna 7 (M7); a group of boys influenced by characters from story books coming together to establish a bond of friendship. We regularly met (almost weekly) at Mr Chua’s residence in Kampung Pantei to listen to his words of wisdom, enjoy his good food (which was really a treat to us students who experienced for the first time special recipes; from nyonya laksa to western food), and the rides in his car – a black Austin around town and sometimes to the outskirts. These were good times and the fond memories of the yesteryears flashed back as one reminisced the past and the times spent together.

Mr Chua, we salute you! You have made us into who we are and words fail us in expressing our deep appreciation for your kindness and mentorship. We cherished the moments shared together and will continue to treasure the memories. For many of us who came from poor background, your words of wisdom, the books, the magazines, the newspapers, not forgetting the times when you examined us as the Scout Movement’s District Commissioner for our proficiency badges, your commitment to the Boys Brigade; these were the first tastes of what education can bring for us and what a good Christian represents. And you motivated and prepared us to face the future with confidence.

The original M7 extended to include many other friends. These students have over time gone separate ways, some residing in far away countries, others returning and a few in the capital city of KL. The rest that stayed in Malacca were your regular companions. Those that are further away made a point to visit you on occasions when we returned home. Your students have now become Educators, Engineers, Accountants, Entrepreneurs, Surveyors and emulating your good examples. We are approaching retirement age ourselves and like you we hope to touch the lives of those we come into contact with, but it would be a tough act to follow.

Mr Chua we know that old age and poor vision may make it difficult for you to read what is written but we believe that deep inside, you are aware of our appreciation towards your friendship and the positive influence you have made in our lives. We pray that you will have many more years of good health and may God’s special blessings continue to fall upon you.

In honour of his memory, an adapted version of this article was printed in The Star Section 2 (page T10) on the 11th Nov 2008.

[Mr Chua left us for a better place on the 7th Nov 2008. May he find eternal peace in God's bosom]