From Shop Assistant to Barber in Roban

One of the grandsons of Lau Kah Chui who came with Wong Nai Siong, left Nang Chong Village, after marrying Nyuk Yiek (from Daro) for Roban, to start the first Foochow general store in the 60's. It was one of the 6 wooden shops in Roban before the big fire came.

Lau Kiing Choon
Grandson of Lau Kah Chui, one of the 1118 Foochow pioneers who came to Sibu with Wong Nai Siong

Roban Shop

My cousin Ah Choon's education was interrupted by the Japanese Occupation which lasted 3 years 8 months. He only had 3 years of education at the most. 

Poor him, when he had to grow up quickly and make a living all he could find before he reached adulthood was to be a shop assistant, earning less than $40 a month, with food and a small canvas bed at night in the shop in Sarikei.

Nguk Yiek was a Hokkien from Daro shopkeepers' family and she was a shop assistant in Sarikei when she met my cousi Ah Choon.

When they decided to marry my Uncle Pang Ping had to sell his pigs to raise money for the wedding and he was in debted for a few years, to pay for his loan, he had to sell more pigs, more chickens and some rice.

Nguk Yiek was good in business with her background in Daro. while my cousin was the proverbial Foochow barber with a "knife" she too had her "knife" . She was a hair dresser, dress maker and a general shop store owner, selling everythig to the Ibans and other races of Roban.

They made a bit of money until a fire broke out and razed all the six wooden shop houses.

The government came in to help by giving some subsidies but eventually my cousin and his wife decided to move back to Sibu to stay for good.

By that time my cousin Ah Choon was almost 50 years old. He took up making coffee for  his sister, who had started a coffee shop in Sibu.

Cousin Nyuk Yiek had a small hairdressing and dressmaking shop next door.