Ong Eng-Joo, the 25th son of Ong Seok Kim, was born in Sitiawan. He was educated at St Francis School and Anglo-Chinese School in Sitiawan, Perak State and later in University of Science Malaysia in Penang and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He worked as a town planner and economist in the public and private sectors in Kuala Lumpur for over a decade. In 1988, Eng-Joo and his family migrated to Australia. In Sydney, he worked as an environmental planner for a local council and later for the New South Wales State Government for 2 decades. In latter years, he established his own consulting firm and practised as an environmental planner.

王叔金 ONG SEOK KIM

FAMILY BOOK 2013

王叔金 ONG SEOK KIM

FAMILY BOOK 2013

By

Ong Eng-Joo

Consultant and Editor Lena Khaw

Published by Ong Eng-Joo Address all correspondence to: Ong Eng-Joo 17 Manor Road Hornsby, New South Wales 2077 Australia Email: ongengjoo@gmail.com engjooong@gmail.com First published 2013 Copyright (c) 2013 by Ong Eng-Joo All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher/copyright owners.

vii

王叔金 ONG SEOK KIM

1884-1964

To

王叔金 ONG SEOK KIM

For your contributions, carried out with passion, dedication, compassion, honesty, integrity;

for your belief in humankind in the 50 years (1912-1962) of charity works, in particular Chinese education,

in Dindings (天定) [now known as Manjung (曼絨)] District (县), State of Perak (霹雳州), Malaysia (马来西亚),

that is and will be a continued inspiration to your family - current and future generations, and the community at large.

PREFACE

This book has been three years in the making. The Ong Seok Kim Family Book 2013 is a record, primarily in pictorial form, of family members of the Seok Kim family, his descendants over five generations, namely the 30th Generation to the 34th Generation. With the exception of the family of his brother Wang Rongchao and a few relatives, the record of family members is limited to the direct lineage stemming from Seok Kim.

The main objective of the book is to document family members so that the Seok Kim family has knowledge of other members and the connections between them. In fact, it was the stated wish of Seok Kim, as expressed in his 1962 and 1957 Memoirs, for close ties within his large family, especially to that of the family in China. In both Memoirs he had specifically expressed the importance of support among his children and the importance of relating to family members. It is my hope this book will in some way fulfill his wish.

This book should be read in conjunction with “No Other Way Out”, a Biography of Ong Seok Kim, in particular Chapter 2 which discusses his ancestry and family structure.

When I started this book, I relied on the 1962 Ong Seok Kim Memoirs as a starting point to identify and to place his children in the family structure. One notable fact is that he placed his two adopted daughters, Ong Cheng Yee and Wang/Lin Qinghe, as number 7 and number 8 in the chronological order of his daughters. This “upset” the hierarchical order of his children, in particular his daughters, as it is commonly known in the family that Ching Chee is the 7th daughter (now 9th) and this would also automatically “push” the other daughters after Ching Chee two positions down the line. Thus Cheng Swee becomes the 10th daughter, Kam Heong the 11th, Chong King

12th, Cheng Sim (Betty) 13th, Bee Heong 14th and Poh Himg (Poh Heong), the last daughter, the 15th daughter.

Having determined the extent of the family structure, I started to compile a Family Directory which listed family members with their basic details such as gender, residential address and contacts. I managed to trace and establish contact with Cheng Yee’s family in Alor Setar. As I embarked on gathering information of family members, I realised the enormity of the task, having to deal with a family of more than 200 sub-families (nuclear families) and more than 780 descendants. Being such a large family, it is to be expected that the levels of co-operation vary, ranging from indifference of some family members to active participation and involvement of many. However, the internet has certainly made it easier and faster to contact family members and to gather information in a timely manner for inclusion in the book. Having regard to the size of the family, a book of this magnitude would be near impossible to compile 20 years ago.

Photographs of family members are crucial elements in bringing to life inter-family connections. A lot of photos were sent to me through the internet. Old photos needed to be scanned and not all family members were computer savvy. Further, it was not easy to convey the types of photos that were suitable for inclusion in the book. So the one option I had was to visit family members and pry into their photo albums and borrow their photos. I visited scores of families in many part of Malaysia, Singapore, China and Australia, vetting through thousands and thousands of photos. From there, I selected and borrowed 3,000 to 4,000. Together with photos received through the internet, the choice was whittled down to 2,000 or so. These were then retouched and fixed for damages so that they would be suitable for inclusion.

This book is part of a bigger scheme that is being undertaken to preserve and publicise the Seok Kim heritage, his contributions to Chinese education in particular and charity in general, for a period covering almost 50 years. Concurrently, Wang Jianshi, 17th son and I have published “No Other Way Out”, a Biography of Ong Seok Kim. In addition, a website, ongseokkim.com, has been established in his honour to provide the family and future generations and the community at large with inspiration of his selfless contributions to society. The website is in English and Chinese.

For the Seok Kim family, I have set up the family structure and provided family details in “myheritage” website which include family trees, family profiles, portraits and photos of family members and basic personal details such as year of birth, year/date of marriage, and date of passing of family members.

The Ong Seok Kim Family Book 2013, ongseokkim.com and “myheritage” websites and the Family Directory are not static projects. They will be updated regularly to add information about births and marriages, as well as record the passing of loved ones. It is my hope that more family members, especially the younger generations, will get involved in projects such as these so that the Seok Kim legacy and heritage will live on for the knowledge, benefit and inspiration not only for the present generations but also for future generations. In my own little way, as one of his descendants, I hope to eternalise the flame Seok Kim lit.

Ong Eng-Joo 25th son of Ong Seok Kim September 2013

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A family book of such immensity and complex, covering a period of over a

century and a large family of more than 780 family members could only be

successfully completed with the assistance and contributions of a large

number of individuals.

I am indebted to our relatives - brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces,

grandnephews, grandnieces and cousins - for their contributions in

providing me with photos and information of their family and feedback on

the book. I appreciate your warm hospitality during my visits and your trust

in lending me your invaluable family photos for inclusion into the book.

Wang Yufeng and Robin Wu Chunyu greatly assisted in gathering

information from relatives in China. Without them, and Wang Ping and

Chen Yanling who drove me around Yongchun, Dehua, Quanzhou and

Xiamen to meet relatives, this project would not have been completed. I am

thankful for the assistance.

I am also grateful to Thean Teng, It Shaw (David) and Chong Eng for

taking me around Kuala Lumpur and surrouding areas and to various parts

of Malaysia - Sitiawan, Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Kangsar and Johor Bahru - to

meet family members and to gather information. On the other side of the

world, Geok Yen (Grace) provided me with a base to meet relatives in

Melbourne for which I am appreciative.

The preparation of the book was complex, involving the use of various

computer softwares. Being not particularly computer savvy, I am indebted

to Andy Goh Ting Fong and Andrew Springell for their ever willing support

in providing me with assistance to resolve my inadequacies in computer

knowlege. Andy Goh also assisted in retouching most of the black and

white photos. In this regard, I am also grateful for Denis Jenkins’ skills in

the retouching of the majority of the colour photos.

Eddie Neo provided guidance in the use of Adobe Indesign software and

setting up templates for the layout of family photos for which I am

appreciative.

Lena Khaw is the consultant and editor who advised on the planning of the

book. She also edited the text. Freddie Cheah provided invaluable

comments and suggestions in respect of editorial. Their insights are

appreciated.

Many have contributed toward the preparation of this Family Book, but the

responsibility for any of its failings and shortcomings must solely rest with

me.

CONTENTS

Page

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xi

List of Appendices xiv

List of Charts xv

1.0 Family Profiles 1

1.1 Gender, 4

1.2 Living Vs Deceased, 5

1.3 Relationship Status, 6

1.4 Place of Residence, 7

1.5 Age Distribution, 8

1.6 Average Age of Mortality, 9

1.7 Year Born, 11

1.8 Year of Marriage, 12

1.9 Age at Marriage, 13

1.10 Marriage Duration, 15

1.11 Marriage Age Difference, 16

1.12 Number of Children Per Family, 17

1.13 Age When Having Children, 18

1.14 Age Difference Between Oldest and Youngest

Children, 19

1.15 Generations Distribution, 20

2.0 Family Structure, Family Reunions 23

3.0 Profile - Wang Chunchi, Father of Ong Seok Kim 37

4.0 Profile - Ong Seok Kim 41

5.0 Profiles - Wives of Ong Seok Kim 55

5.1 Lin Yue, 57

5.2 Khoo Saw Kee, 59

5.3 Phie Ah Im, 64

6.0 Profiles - Sons of Ong Seok Kim 73

6.1 Wang Jianque, Eldest Son, 75

6.2 Ong Kean Leong, 3rd

, 91

6.3 Ong Kean Hor, 4th, 103

6.4 Ong Kean Par, 5th, 112

6.5 Ong Kean Hong, 6th, 120

6.6 Ong Kean Khow, 8th, 141

6.7 Ong Kean Peng, 9th, 151

6.8 Ong Kean Hian, 10th, 159

6.9 Ong Kean Keok, 11th, 173

6.10 Ong Kean Pang, 12th, 183

6.11 Ong Kean Hock, 13th, 195

6.12 Ong Kean Boon, 16th, 208

6.13 Wang Jianshi, 17th, 212

6.14 Ong Kean Siang, 18th, 223

6.15 Ong Kean Hoe, 19th, 224

6.16 Ong Kean Tawi, 21st, 238

6.17 Ong Teong Cheng, 22nd

, 243

6.18 Ong/Khoo Kean Chye, 24th, 246

6.19 Ong Eng-Joo, 25th, 250

6.20 Ong Tai Seng, 26th, 260

6.21 Ong Thean Teng, 27th, 264

6.22 Ong It Shaw (David), 28th, 269

6.23 Ong Thean Sang, 29th, 278

7.0 Profiles - Daughters of Ong Seok Kim 281

7.1 Wang Qingbian, Eldest Daughter, 283

7.2 Ong Ching Koo, 2nd

, 284

7.3 Wang Qingdian, 3rd

, 301

7.4 Ong Cheng Peik, 5th, 313

7.5 Ong Cheng Heong, 6th, 338

7.6 Ong Cheng Yee, 7th, 344

xiv

7.7 Wang/Lin Qinghe, 8th, 351

7.8 Ong Ching Chee, 9th, 357

7.9 Ong Cheng Swee, 10th, 365

7.10 Ong Kam Heong, 11th, 375

7.11 Ong Chong King, 12th, 385

7.12 Ong Cheng Sim (Betty), 13th, 390

7.13 Ong Bee Heong, 14th, 396

7.14 Ong Poh Himg (Poh Heong), 15th, 400

8.0 Profiles of Relatives 407

8.1 Wang Rongchao/Wang Xian/Ong Kean Hin, 409

8.2 Wang Chunyu, 417

8.3 Ong Seok Sit, 423

8.4 Khoo Toon Suan, 428

8.5 Other Relatives, 434

9.0 Assortment of Inter-Family Photos 437

Appendices A-1

Appendix 1: Index of Ong Seok Kim’s Descendants/Relatives -

Names in Alphabethical Order, A-2

Appendix 2: Index of Ong Seok Kim’s Descendants -

Chronological Order by Sons/Daughters, A-28

Appendix 3: Index of Ong Seok Kim’s Descendants/Relatives -

Chronological Order by Generations, A-54

Appendix 4: Index of Significant Dates, A-80

LIST OF CHARTS

Charts 1 and 2 - Gender 4

Page

Charts 3 and 4 - Living vs Deceased 5

Charts 5 and 6 - Relationship Status 6

Charts 7 and 8 - Place of Residence 7

Charts 9 and 10 - Age Distribution 8

Charts 11 to 14 - Average Age of Mortality 9

Charts 15 and 16 - Year Born 11

Charts 17 and 18 - Year of Marriage 12

Charts 19 to 22 - Age at Marriage 13

Charts 23 and 24 - Marriage Duration 15

Charts 25 and 26 - Marriage Age Difference 16

Charts 27 and 28 - Number of Children Per Family 17

Charts 29 to 32 - Age When Having Children 18

Charts 33 and 34 - Age Difference Between Oldest and Youngest Child 19 Charts 35 and 36 – Distribution of Generations 20