June 18, 2010

Reminiscing Sarikei Days

How many people can recognize you after 47 years? How many can you recognise if you have not seen them for 47 years?

Mr. Wong Chung Kang the teacher of James Wong (Hua Chiew School Sarikei) immediately recognised his own student in Miri recently. 47 years must have just flashed across his eyes. Mr. Wong did not expect his student to come directly to his door that day. James had flown in unannounced to surprise him.

James (the brother of Judy Wong -Principal of Methodist Pilley Institute Sibu) came back to visit Sibu and Miri a few weeks ago. He had not seen Mr. Wong for nearly 47 years!!

Mr. Wong has plenty of Sarikei stories to tell.


Mr. Wong Chung Kang is the brother of the late Mdm Wong Chung Kee and has moved from Sarikei to Miri in 2007. He served the Sarawak Education for more than 35 years in different capacities as teacher and then principal in Sibu and Sarikei areas. He is now nearly 75 years old. In Sarikei Mr. Wong himself said that he was most famous or infamous as a man who hasd EIGHT daughters. Many people in the past even mocked him and asked him if he would educate all his eight daughters!! He did more than that. Now his daughters are highly qualified and spread around the globe. He and his wife cannot finish visiting them in one year especially when each want them to stay as long as three months!!

this meeting was a unique meeting for a teacher and a student. The student  went overseas to study in the early 1960's and had very little contact with Teacher Wong. He finally came back in the new century to find his "old teacher". He could not find his teacher in Sarikei where he went first after arriving in Sibu. His search ended at a house in Pujut 4 in Miri where 4 palm trees grew in the front. That was how Mr. Wong described his new abode.

Surprise element again!! After meeting up with Mr. and Mrs. Wong I realised that Mrs. Wong was my Sunday School teacher in Sing Ang Tong in Sg. Merah!! Rev. Ho Siew Liong was the pastor then. Rev Ho's daughters are Ho Kah Ping and Ho Kah Huo who were seniors in the Methodist School. Rev. Ho's sons are Kah Muo and Ka Hwang who were all very good basketball players. What a small world. We got to talk about people we knew and where they are at the moment. Mrs. Wong does not look like she is more than 50 years old.

Furthermore Mrs. Wong was born in Sg. Merah and was introduced to Mr. Wong by his own aunt who was the late Mrs.Ting Chiew Hing. It seems very complicated by Foochows from Sg. Merah would understand all these connections.

Our world is so small.

9 comments:

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Ho Kah Moh, Ho Kah Han, do I remember correctly they are bros? The younger bro came back from USA and taught us when I was in form 1 in 1967. (He didn't teach me that year, but at some stage he did.)

Judy Wong's face is familiar as my senior. Is she related to Wong Leong Ming, Leong Geok?

I am surprised I do not know this Old Mr. Wong. Usu my dad tells us stories of schools and teachers.

Anonymous said...

I understand that Ho Kah Ping passed away recently in Melbourne, Australia

Anonymous said...

我的一位泗里街的親戚林貴貽和他的太太也曾當過小學校長

Ensurai said...

Dear Ann
Mr. Wong Chung Kang served in Hua Kiew which later became Sarikei Tinggi. And I think he is much younger than your dad. I will ask him about your dad when I visit him again.
Judy is your senior (librarian) and she is sister to Liong Ming and Liong Guik.
Mr. Ho taught us in school and later he married a rich man's daughter and got a better job in a bank or huge company. Cannot remember that anymore. But renember the orchid nursery outside Methodist Secondary school? That is run by Mr. and Mrs. Ho Kah Muo...They were our florists for decades. And I used to bring my young daughters there to appreciate the plants and flowers.

Ensurai said...

Dear Anonymous
Thanks for telling me about Kah Ping. It is a pity to hear that..I have lost touch with the Ho's since I moved away from Sibu and occasionally when I went back to Sibu I would pop in at Mr. Ho Kah Muo's Orchid Garden...but in these past 10 years I had not done so...Thanks for dropping by.

Ensurai said...

Thanks Anonymous....I will pass the story to Sarikei Time Capsule Daniel Yiek....

He is a good cyber- Historian and blogger...Please check my list of bloggers.

thanks for dropping by...cheers.

Anonymous said...

Wong Chung Kang is 81 years old instead of 75.

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Wong Chung Kang is 75 years old.

Anonymous said...

"Mrs. Wong was born in Sg. Merah and was introduced to Mr. Wong by his late aunty Ting Pick Nguik, who was the sister of late Mrs.Ting Chiew Hing."

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