Aunty in Perth
We took the train and she picked us up in her new Toyota. Yes even the retired widow can afford to buy a brand new car. Eat your heart out, Singaporeans. It was nice to visit her in her modest but clean and tidy home with a well maintained backyard garden. We chatted over coffee. This was the aunty who went forth with her nursing qualifications and worked overseas in England, Kuching, Brunei, and Australia. She stayed in Australia because she fell in love and married a Caucasian Australian.
Roots in black and white
She showed us her photo album and I struck oil. A black and white photo caught my attention. “Who’s this?” “Its my grandfather and your great grandfather.” “Do you know anything about him?” I queried eagerly at the prospect of fitting in another piece of my ancestry. Of course I know my spiritual ancestry but I find it interesting to fill up the blanks in my past. “No I know nothing about him.” Sayang. There is a picture, and a list of names written on the back of some envelope. That’s all. Below is the picture and the names of the great grand uncles and aunties, some of whom are in Singapore, in Kuching and who knows where else. Maybe by typing their names somebody may stumble on this post, and make contact, and I’ll get more information !
Standing Left: Joseph >Henry; Patric; Anna; Arthur >Lydia; Phylis; Bery
Second from Left: John >Philip; Ida; Mabel; Ada; James; Harry; Lily; Florence > all my siblings and cousins.
Third from Left: Andrew> Dot; Thomas.
Fourth from Left: Julia > Chan; Tay > Chan -Maud; Helen; Cecilia; Dolly; Tay-Henrietta; Hilda; James.
Fifth from Left: Mary > Lily Chee; Thambb(?)
Sixth from Left: Allen > Meg; Paul; Winni; Sysl; Amy; Rose; David; Lily; Augusta; Michael; Morgan; Henrietta.
Seventh from Left: Sammule (Samuel?) > Soong —: Lawrence.
Eighth from Left: Charles > Josephine; James; Min; Kit; Rosalind; Soon Siang.
Seated from Left: Great grandfather
Seated second from Left: Henrey (the towkay, I surmise by his posture)
Seated third from Left: the great grand stepmother.
I also found out their surname in Mandarin, which I cannot read (see right).
Wow!
This is so cool!
That Chinese surname is read as “Luo” in hanyu pinyin. It’s written in “fantizi”, the complicated Chinese style, not “jiantizi” or simplified Chinese style.
Wah (jaw drop) , Stanley, kam sia. No wonder my maternal grandfather’s surname was spelled “Law” in English by some colonial civil servant. Could have been Low?