The ending of 2nd world war does not bring any economic reprieve to my father. As a widower, managing his family in a war torn city was unbearably difficult. He decided to return to Hainan Island where we had our ancestral home with farmland. Through match making he remarried my mother sometime in 1947 or 48. My mother came from a very remote farming village and the only daughter of a farmer and part-time carpenter. In 1949 my elder brother Bobby was born. My mum said he was the first to be delivered in a village hospital. That was mum and dad wedding photo on the right. Sadly, the looks on both faces betrayed the supposedly 'joyous' occassion. Life then was all about fate and destiny.
Coming to Singapore
In the 50’s there was hardly any economic opportunities in china, least to say in a village on Hainan Island. So my father came to Singapore to work as a clerk in a small hotel called Shang Onn, owned by our hainanese relatives. A few years later, my mum and brother emigrated from China. With some saving my dad bought an old attap house in Sembawang, about 13 miles from the city, 20 minutes walk from Chong Pang. The final stretch of about 5 minutes walk through dirt trails.
Bought Attap House
The address is 162C Sembawang Road. My life history commences from this attap house. Here in 1954, I was born. Father was 50 years old then. In those days, baby was delivered by midwife at home. I was born at night under kerosene light. My sister was born a year later and follows by my youngest brother in 1959.
I had very scant memory of my grandmother. She passed away when I was in Primary 1 or 2. I never saw my grandfather except in photograph. My grandmother did not left any meaningful impact on me. I could not remember one single moment I was with her.
New job as 'Kapala'
When one of my rich uncles bought a piece of land, my father took on a new job as the estate headman. The villager called him Kapala. His responsibility was to collect from over the 70 households and squatters monthly rental. He was also to develop the rubber plantation. He grew and nurtured rubber saplings for this rubber plantation. When the rubber trees matured, he was to supervise the tapping and collection of rubber latex. The latex need to be processed smoked and then sold. Father was a responsible and honest worker. Many squatters had attempted to bribe him to illegally occupy more land and build bigger structure to expand their chicken and pig farming. For a poor man who refused easy money was truly respectable and honorable. This to me is integrity. That’s what makes a poor man proud.
My father was a very tough supervisor. All the plantation workers were scared of him. If he was not happy, he will just blast off and no want dare to argue or disagree with him. As for the villagers, they respected him. We received lots of food during the Chinese festivities as some respected him as a village head.
In the village, it is a norm to breed chicken and pigs, grew your own vegetables to supplement one’s income. Although his income was miniscule, it was enough to support his family. Father was a thrifty man. He never spend money on himself, never wasted his money in coffee shops. For him, every cent counted. We had more than enough to eat. He provided us with education. We lived a normal life and we all had meaningful and happy childhood. Father was very strict and stern in the family. His gaze alone will send shiver down your spine if you are guilty conscious. We were taught good manners and respect for the elders and the authority. Father never seems to be fearful of darkness, ghosts, dogs and anything under the sun or moon.
My Mother
My mum was strong and very hardworking. She did all the domestic chores, washing, cooking, and looking after 4 children. I admired her tireless effort, working from dawn to dusk, in the farm, tending to chicken and pigs. Now in my comfort zone, I often asked why people from my mother's generation work so hard and complain so little. Could it be economic imperative or social environment or just plain instinct to survive, or just working hard to secure a better future for the next generation. How do I explain the meaning of ‘hard work’ to today generations?
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