Page 59 - Stories from our Grandparents

I “I
have lived a hard life like many others my age,” said my 85-year-
old grandfather, Wong Kwee Ngiam. You could see the pain
came from Hainan Island,
and the joy in his eyes as I probed into his life story. A man who
China at the age of 1. I do
survived World War Two and battled through hardships.
not have many memorable
experiences during my
childhood as I was only 2 when Mr Phang Cheng Hong Curiously, I asked my grandfather in the Hokkien dialect, “How was your
childhood like?” His eyes opened wide and with a smile, he shared his
World War 2 began. My family lived
on Lavender Street at the time. By Tan Qing Zhe BORN 1939 childhood days of enjoyment in Skudai, Johor. However, everything took a turn
for the worst when he was nine when Japanese soldiers invaded Malaya.
Queenstown Secondary School
I vividly remember the Japanese
troops knocking on the door to He tells me stories of the countless days of running and hiding
check if there was anyone staying At first, I became a policeman but in jungles, slaughtering pigs and sleeping in their abhorrent
in the house. Everyone was very I did not like my job as it was very pens. Wherever the crowd went, he followed.
terrified and dared not disobey unsafe and my family supported
the Japanese’s instructions. After the idea of me changing my job. Their destination: Singapore. My great great grand uncle lived in
Singapore gained independence, Luckily, I had a friend who was a Singapore and thought here would be safe because of the British. My
there were already public buses. minister and could help me. grandfather then talked about how everyone tried to help each other.
I told him that I had wanted to be Miraculously, they made it to Singapore with no fatalities.
In every bus, there would a teacher instead of a policeman.
be two persons on duty: the He told me that he would consider “How about the Occupation?” I asked. He recollected the times of starving,
eating any food they could. My grandfather recalled his childhood was not a
driver and the helping me. A few weeks later, merry one. But, he disclosed to me about how he learned mandarin during
person who I was a Geography teacher. that time. Then, I asked about the pre-independence life, and he conveyed
issued the I think that Singapore has grown about attending free night school and the political groups disagreeing with
bus tickets. and developed a lot over the years. the British as well as selling kuih on the street for money. He then attended
day school and got an internship at a photo studio. He also told me
Sometimes, However, everything in Singapore about his first-placed win in a South-East Asia photography competition
is very expensive, but as the saying
there would goes: in 1957. He then opened a photo studio in Tiong Bahru. After that, he
be another 比上不足 got married to my late grandmother. He turned to me and he told me,
person who 比下有余 “I do not want today’s young to experience what I had to, instead,
would check whether you I want all of you to have a good and better life.”
bought the correct tickets. (to fall short of the best, but be I contemplated how incomparable the hardships young
better than the worst), so I still Singaporeans currently face against those faced by our pioneer
Kampong days were fun. There think that Singapore is not that generation. We truly are privileged as youths and we should
would always be little kids running bad. I would like to tell the next respect and help the pioneer generation as much as we can.
around, playing games. generation of Singaporeans to His legacy will always be with me.
learn Chinese well as China is
developing very fast and they
are the future.
Mr Wong Kwee Ngiam
58 Grandpa Stories Grandpa Stories 59 BORN 1934
By Wong Zhi Yang, Nathaniel
Temasek Polytechnic