Page 11 - Stories from our Grandparents

was born on 4 May 1932, in Hepo
Mr Hon Leong BORN 1932 I y grandparents were
born in Malaysia.
Town of Jiexi County in Guangdong
Growing up, life was
By Hon Shuzhen Province. At the age of two, my Mnot easy for them. My
father took me on a boat to Nanyang
Gold Award Holders’ Alumni
grandma used to recount how my
in search of better fortunes.
great-grandma carried her on her
When we first arrived in Singapore, we had neither relatives nor friends, Mr Wong Wan Sing back and squatted in the lalang
and father turned to The Singapore Han Clan Association for help. Mdm Law Diana field to hide from the Japanese
He participated in their activities and received support and By Lim En soldiers during World War II.
companionship from fellow clan members. Till today, Gold Award Holders’ Alumni BORN 1927 & 1940
I am still a proud member of the association. When she grew up, she met my

To make a livelihood, my family tried our hands on grandpa through a matchmaker.
They moved to Singapore in the
agriculture, growing vegetables in Jalan Bahar. We grew late 50s after getting married. In the ‘60s, they got a flat at the first housing
choy sum, but it did not fetch favorable prices. 50kg of estate in Tanglin Halt, fondly known as chap lau chu (10-storey buildings
choy sum was worth merely $2. We then grew cucumbers, in Hokkien). In the three-room flat, my grandparents and their seven
which were valued at higher prices. Life as a farmer was children shared the limited living space and everything they had,
tough, I worked long hours to ensure mouths were fed. resulting in a special bond among them. I have always had
Those were the darkest days of my life, but I pulled through utmost admiration for my grandma, wondering how she
with grit. My first turn in fortunes came in 1977, where a fellow managed to take care of seven children by herself while
Chinese immigrant thought highly of my integrity and honesty, grandpa worked hard as the breadwinner of the family.
and partnered me in the business of rearing chickens. With his 50kg I guess she got this tenacity from my great-grandma, who
investment, I built sheltered coops. Business was brisk. 100 gave birth to 13 children and raised them up well.
chickens could bring me 80 eggs, and each egg costed five to
seven cents. I had some savings from this business. In Dec 1971, when the Singapore Traction Company
(STC) ceased operation, grandpa lost his job as
By 1980s, the government had plans to redevelop Jalan Bahar a bus mechanic, but he did not give up. He and
and my family was relocated to Bukit Gombak. Since then, grandma braved through the tough times together
I left the agriculture industry to start a small provision shop by going house to house to sell raincoats to earn some extra
named after my three sons “Teck Cheng Peng Provisions Store”. income. Fortunately, not long after, he signed on as an army
My sons learnt some business skills by working alongside me, mechanic and was stationed at Ayer Rajah Camp, conveniently
before I gave them my blessings to venture into the second- located just across the railway track from the house. After
hand automobile business. retiring from the army, grandpa continued to work at VICOM
and eventually retired at the age of 70.
Today, I am happy in retirement, just
spending quality time with my family of Even though my grandparents passed away for years now,
88 members. I wish the next generation their stories of grit and determination so that they could raise
will receive good education, and be their kids, will always be my source of motivation to do the
empowered to change their lives. same for my children.

10 Grandpa Stories Grandpa Stories 11