Page 13 - Stories from our Grandparents

Mr Wong Soon Seng
y name is Jimmy Fam and I have
been a tailor for over 30 years. BORN 1925
How did I start? Well, I started off ITE College Central
By Dennis Ng Han Jie & Law Junwei Daniel
Mas an apprentice; my parents found
me the job because I dropped out of school.
The best period for the business ife was hard. If I were not
was when there were many people able to find a job for that
joining the banking sector and Mr. Jimmy Fam day, the only thing I could
working as property agents – Ldo was to run back home
many of them needed new suits. By Lee Zen Wei & Lai Kai Xuan BORN 19xx so the soldiers would not harm
ITE College Central me. As days passed, I started to
The business flourished because of feel fearful; not knowing if after I miss the three worlds:
them. I provide mostly suit tailoring all the agonising pain, I would be New World, Happy World,
services. Nowadays, young people able to come home alive. This and Great World. I loved
prefer to shop at the malls or was my life for the 2 years during
online – this has affected business. the Japanese occupation. carnivals, and nothing
compares to the great
It was funny. I always felt a sense
As a tailor, you cannot specialise in one of being loved despite being in an world amusement park.
area – you should know everything as there arranged marriage. In the past there From throwing rings with

are many different types of garments and wasn’t much of “marriage because my friends to bottles to
you need to know how to make anything of love” but rather, we get married the fun rides, I still keep all
the customer requests. Hence, you need to help the family financially. I don’t these close to my heart.
to know everything about tailoring and the even know when I got married! Sometimes, even at this age,
Those days you only know this: if
different style of clothes. both families have sons or daughters, I wish to be brought back
then they’ll become sworn brothers to the amusement parks
How have I survived? It is all because of or sisters. If one family has a son and relive the fun times
customer service – I believe in making and the other a daughter, then the and memories I’ve had.
the customer happy. If you make a two of them will just get married!
mistake, let them know and fix the An arranged marriage was ideal
mistake quickly. Of course, we are only for me as I was a very easy-going
human; sometimes we cannot control person and tend to ‘go with the flow’.
our feelings and may lose our cool if Despite this I’m still happy with my
customers are too demanding. It is only wife till this very day.
natural. The important thing is to be
professional and work quickly to resolve Image courtesy of National Archives of Singapore
the conflict. from Wong Kwan, Lim Kheng Chye and RAFSA
Collection (clockwise).
12 Grandpa Stories Grandpa Stories 13