in loving memory of

For further details, please contact Edmond Chong from Xiao En at +6016-332-6493

What a life, rich in experience, subtly influential md passionate. He was generous, resilent and dedicated.

Lak Seong was my classmate for the entire six years in high school and Siew Chin and I were from the same youth organisation, albeit from two different states. The fact that I was the common denominator in their early social circles had been a point of interest for some. Who would have expected their 'lifelong chore' to be the result of my simple request to Siew Chin to 'look after' a mate when he travelled to her hometown to attend university?

Our peers would have only regarded Lak Seong to be a harmless mate in the early days but none would have realised that this subtle personality and not in-your-face attitude were his biggest assets. He had worked quietly in the background and attained an outstanding academic achievement. He was, in fact, the Number One in our batch! Remember that it was a time when available material resources were limited and most of us were from humble family backgrounds.

Lak Seong certainly took advantage of his natural assets, topped it up with the right qualifications and industrial experience plus further hard work to build up a remarkable career to achieve excellent commercial success in a complicated business world.

The Chews have always been warm hearted and value the nostalgia of our beginnings. To the old mates, they maintained an inclusive attitude and would attend any reunion and get together function despite Lak Seong's busy schedule. Despite a decade or so of no contact and in the absence of today's technology, they managed to hunt us down in my family's newly adopted home abroad.

Their fondness of travel brought them to visit  us at this South Pacific island nation. The time spent in our wooden cottage was precious and memorable, as we reminisced on the times we grew up together over local wine.The warm welcome the Chews gave us when we returned home has always been overwhelming. It was always a delicious feast somewhere in town, followed by a pu-er or oolong tea session in their home.

Lak Seong, you have certainly led a virtuous and productive life; no matter the situations,you just got on with it without much fuss. Your passing has left a significant hole and the time ahead will undoubtedly be challenging for Siew Chin, Alex, Kheng Suan and family. But rest assured, that just as you were, they too are resilient, resourceful, and with the support from us friends and extended family, they will have the strength to move forward and further enrich the legacy that you have left behind. 

Tan Thy Chong, Auckland