Ignatius Visits Lausanne – The Chew’s Holiday Home On Penang Hill

Laisanne, the Chew's holiday home

One of the goals of Ignatius’ stay in Penang was to visit their holiday home, Lausanne, on Penang Hill.

The last time he had been there was over to 50 years ago. He remembered taking the train and having to get off at Viaduct Station then walking up to their bungalow with the other cousins.

The journey to Viaduct station ... 

 The visit that morning brought back memories but it was short lived. After disembarking at Viaduct Station and walking approximately 300 meters he found the road was cutoff due to a landslide.

........... cut short due to landslide 

Unable to proceed and being close to lunch Ignatius decided to proceed up to the Upper Station for a meal and take in the sights.

Pauline taking in the sights at the Bellvue Hotel

Penang Hill is a very relaxing place and after a light lunch and a siesta courtesy of the Bellevue Hotel he made enquiries about using the Jeep Track to access to Lausanne.

As luck would have it there was a driver who knew about Lausanne and how to ‘get there somewhat’ as he would introduce us to someone to take us there.

Taking the Jeep Track to meet Datuk Malek. 

The driver took the Jeep Track till he reached the Fairmont, the home of  Datuk Malek the neighbor to Lausanne.

Lausanne is located above the Fairmont. Malek gladly showed the way guiding us along the drain that took us up to the entrance of Lausanne to finally see the old holiday home.

"the way i remembered it" Ignatius Chew. The drain came out to the entrance of the driveway .... 

The climb up the drain came out at the entrance to the driveway leading to the front of the Lausanne. Ignatius said that the gate was just the way as he had remembered it.

There were changes to the front façade but the house was still intact though the grounds was overgrown. 

driveway ...that led to the front of the house.

the front of the house .......

...with the grounds overgrown.

After coming down and enjoying Malek' gracious hospitality he dropped us off at the station to catch our train.

....going down  ....

... on Datuk Malek's Fairmont verandah overlooking a panoramic view of George Town

then back at Viaduct Station.

Ignatius scheduled plans were all fulfilled and the trip to Penang was indeed very memorable.

JAG

Ignatius Visits Khaw Cheng Bor - The Oldest Cousin

(Front) Thomas Khaw Cheng Bor with wife Rose Lee Moi Kwee. (At back) Ignatius and Pauline Chew.

After visiting the younger cousins Ignatius now turned his attention to Khaw Cheng Bor, the oldest amongst the cousins.

Thomas Khaw Cheng Bor, was born in 1925 to Chew Gaik Tuan (Chew Boon Juan 1^st daughter) who married Khaw Bian Wan.

Cheng Bor' parents Chew Gaik Tuan and Khaw Bian Wan. (right pho
o, clockwise) Lily, Alice, Cheng Bor. Cheng Poe and Cheng Soo.

Being born so early his knowledge of the Chew family members was intimate, from his grand-parents right down to the 6 uncles and 10 aunts and their children.

Cheng Bor’ memory even at this age, 93, was good and he was able to remember from the 1930’s,  his school years at St.Xavier Institution, his account during the second world war and even covered his time when he came to work at Ban Hoe Seng in Ipoh.

The visit was a courtesy call cum fact finding visit and was very fruitful indeed as Cheng Bor was akin to a walking encyclopedia on the Chew clan.

Ignatius getting the real story of the Chew's from Cheng Bor

Before we left we asked for directions to Chew Boon Juan’s grave as it had been many years since Ignatius' last visit.

After lunch we made our way to Western Road Cemetery the largest Christian cemetery on Penang island.

Michael Tan with Pauline and Ignatius at their grandparents grave.

There in a quiet, cool and peaceful corner of the cemetery was Chew Boon Juan’s grave and lying beside him his beloved wife Goh Lean Kee.  

JAG

Chew’s Penang Get Together – Meets Cousin Peter Lo From New York.

(From left) Ignatius and Pauline Chew, Isaac Lim, Lim Gin Heng, Angeline and Michael Tan, Li Heng Hong and Peter Lo

It was in early in March when Ignatius Chew, the creator of the Chew Museum, received a call to visit Penang on a weekend to catch up with the his cousin Peter Lo who had arrived from the USA.
Peter Lo Sze Shun is the grandson of Chew Boon Juan’s from his 10^th daughter Chew Gaik Swee that married Lo Chung Liang. Peter came to Penang with his wife Li Heng Hong.

There were 2 reasons for him to come back this year, to visit his father’s grave and this year 2018 was the 50^th anniversary of his departure from Penang having left for New York, USA since March 1968.

Ignatius together with his wife Pauline and his sister Angeline and her husband Michael Tan met up with Peter for dinner at a leading Beach hotel in Tanjung Bungah. 

Lim Gin Heng, (another grand-daughter of Boon Juan’s from his 1^st daughter Chew Gaik Tuan and Khaw Bian Wan) and her son Isaac was present.

Angeline is a resident of Penang while Gin Heng lives in Singapore.

All cousins. Lim Gin Heng, Angeline Tan, Ignatius Chew and Peter Lo.

The conversation centered about updating each other with the latest news but ultimately touched on the good old days, their time spent in grandfather Chew Boon Juan’s house in Gurney drive and the hours of fun they had back then.

“It was a big piece of land before the sea front, bigger than what was shown in the photos” said Peter.

Chew Boon Juan's house on 4 Gurney Drive...'bigger than shown in photos"...

Peter remembers climbing jambu and chiku trees .....(pics from cousin Yeoh Poh See collection) 

Peter who was born in 1948 reminisced about his time at 4 Gurney Drive in the 50’s and climbing the jambu and chiku trees.

The next day Ignatius met more cousins over lunch held at the Penang Swimming Club.

(L-r) Yeoh Seng Keat, Grace Wong, Annie Choong, Toni Chew, Cornelia Tan and parents Angeline and Michael Tan, Ignatius and Pauline Chew.

They were Toni Chew Suat Eng, (the grand-daughter of Boon Juan’s 4^th son Chew Choon Hock and Khoo Gim Choo) and Grace Wong Onn Loo born to Chew Gaik Loo (Boon Juan’s 9^th daughter) and Wong Kim Bee.

A surprise acquaintance was Annie Choong, the grand-daughter of Chew Boon Hong by his first wife.  Annie lived at Gurney drive when young.

The lunch was delicious and with Grace and Annie contributing the majority of Chew heritage stories with help from the other cousins made for a wonderful afternoon of nostalgia.

JAG    

Chew Boon San's Ban Hoe Bee & Tin And Rubber Trading.

Ban Hoe Bee

When Chew Boon San shifted to Gopeng he started with tin trading operating from his shop house at 6, Sungai Raia Road the main trunk road that ran through Gopeng town.

His trading company was called Ban Hoe Bee Tin Ore Shop and traded in tin ore at the time.

His customers were the dulang washers, mainly Chinese with some being Malay, that panned the land surrounding Gopeng for tin

The site of their former rubber factory (now a driving school) behind No 6 Sungai Raia Road

In later years due to the demand for rubber he purchased a plot of land behind Ban Hoe Bee and opened a rubber trading outlet and factory which processed rubber. 

The outlet was a sizable and consisted of a working area, a space for drying the rubber sheets and worker quarters. 

His clients were the rubber small holders surrounding Gopeng who would bring in rubber and latex to the centre.

Boon San also owned a rubber plantation in Segari near Lumut which had a factory for processing rubber.

When he was getting on in years Boon San requested his second son Chew Choo Peng to return from Penang to assist him and his elder brother in the business.

On returning to Gopeng he became the treasurer for the local Chinese school SJK ( M ) Man Ming and was active in the local Hokkkien Association and temple.

Chew Choo Peng with his wife and family

Choo Peng married Chang Poh Yoke and they were blessed with 6 daughters and 1 son.

Chew Soak Leng with her
mother Chang Poh Yoke

Chew Soak Leng, Choo Peng's 2nd daughter said she and her sisters used to help their father in the tin trading shop. This would involve receiving the tin, drying and packing the tin ore in standard amounts.

When there was sufficient volume of tin and rubber stocks their father would load their lorry and send the stock to Ipoh to be sold.

Regarding the rubber plantation at Segari her father would visit it once every fortnight taking his family with him.

On those excursions father would drop the family off at Lumut and proceed to the plantation. Only occasionally would he take them to Segari. When at the estate they were to remain in the office due to ‘the ferocious mosquitoes’.

On the return journey home they would stopover at Sitiawan for dinner before heading home.

Several times a year father would go to Penang for a weekend at the beach sometimes staying at the holiday bungalow belonging to Eastern Smelting Company. 

In the late seventies there was a recession. It affected both the commodities of rubber then tin causing the family to sell off their assets gradually until family had to shift from No 6 Sungai Raia Road.

End

Chew Boon San (1) – The Third of the Chew Brothers

Chew Boon San 

Chew Boon San was the third of the Chew brothers. He came over to Malaya from China after their mother died in early in the 20^th century. 

Boon San came over bringing his family which included his wife Toh Bok Wai, Chew Gaik Khim, Chew Choo Beng and Chew Choo Peng. The family stayed at Kg. Kepayang.  

In 1909 he moved to Gopeng, a shop house he purchased, at No 6 Sungai Raia Road which became his new residence as well as his business premises.

From here he operated his business, Ban Hoe Bee Tin Ore Shop first trading in tin and later in rubber.

Chew Boon San and Toh Bok Wai had 4 sons and 5 daughters

In time to come he built his Gopeng Bungalow which was situated at the next the block.His eldest son, Choo Beng was married in the Gopeng bungalow.

Chew Boon San's Gopeng bungalow was located after his block now occupied by the Petron gas station.

When elder brother, Boon Juan was building his bungalow at Jalan Chamberlan Hulu Boon San decided to join him and built his unit behind his home.

Not long after he built another bungalow located at Kampar Road. This bungalow was eventually turned over to the Salvation Army.

Boon San’s second son Choo Peng was married at the Kampar Road bungalow.

In later years, according to Soak Leng the grandaughter, Boon San lived in a rented house next door to his house No 4 Sungai Raia Road.

“This house was large. It had a big hall and he and grandmother lived downstairs. Upstairs there were five rooms where the family lived”

Chew Boon San was a quiet man and similarly his wife Bok Wai.

Boon San's built his 2nd bungalow (left photo) back to back with Chew Boon Juan's bungalow at Jalan Chamberlain Hulu (currently the Raja Perempuan School)

Boon San's 3rd bungalow, currently the Salvation Army Girls Home on Kampar Road. (Inset) Chew Choo Peng marriage photo was taken at the Kampar road home.

During the day he would be in the tin ore shop. He read the newspaper while his sons Choo Beng and Choo Peng, tended the business.

We would all have dinner in the evening at 5pm. We had a cook who would prepare the food for the family including the workers.

Sometimes after dinner Boon San would visit his friends. They would meet in a sundry shop at Jalan Kampong Rawa and chat for about an hour.

My sister and I would tag along and grandfather would buy us sweets.

Other times we would talk with our grandparents in their room. During this time she (Soak Leng) would try to get pocket money from the grandparents for school.

She observed that her grandparents had separate beds. Grandfather slept on a big wooden bed while grandmother had a big metal bed which could hang a mosquito net.

Of her grandmother, she observed that she was a China bride as she had small feet, the kind that had been bound since young.

Chew Soak Leng at the former location of their Gopeng bungalow now a petrol station.

This is an account of Chew Boon San was told by his grand daughter Chew Soak Leng. 

End