Chew Choo Beng - The Eldest Son of Chew Boon San

Chew Choo Beng and Low Siew Yong 

Chew Choo Beng was the eldest son of Chew Boon San and Toh Bok Wai. He married Low Siew Yong in 1947 and stayed at Chew Boon San’s bungalow in Gopeng. 

The couple had three sons. Chew Oon Chuan, Chew Yuen Keat attended SK Cator Avenue and Anderson School in Ipoh but Yuen Hin attended the Government National Type Primary School and Lower Secondary school, Kopisan, Gopeng. 

Chew Yuen Keat being carried by his maid

Yuen Keat, mum Low Siew Yong and Oon Chuan

Oon Chuan and Yuen Keat 

Yuen Hin and Yuen Keat

Chew Oon Chuan after completing his form 5 worked with Kinta Rubber Works. However he resigned shortly after to work in Kuala Lumpur with the Bank of America. 

Oon Chuan recalls that he saw photos of his father graduating in Hong Kong. However he does not know what happened to those photos. 

He used to see his father in Ban Hoe Bee.  A helper who was also a neighbor used to help him dry the tin ore in a huge wok. That usually happened on cloudy days when there was no sun.

He also remembered a dealer from Kg Kepayang coming to collect rubber sheets at Gopeng and dad communicating with him.

I heard that when he passed away a big group of dulang washers came by bus to pay their respects. He was well known among the dulang washers and they used to call him ‘fei lou’ .

Chew Yuen Keat similarly started work immediately after finishing school. He was 19. He approached his uncle Chew Choon Siew then Chairman of Ban Hoe Seng enquiring if there was a vacancy. Choon Siew immediately invited him to come on board. 

Yuen Keat, then 40, on the grounds of Ban Hoe Seng.

He started as a store keeper then later was put in charge of claims before rising to become Service Manager. He retired as Motorcycle Dealer Relationship Manager after having worked at Ban Hoe Seng for 42 years.

The Honda motorcycles team under Agnes Chew (4th from right). Yuen Keat is at extreme right. 

Yuen Keat is married to Annie Chum Ket Ming and they have two children Chew Lee Lean and Chew Ghim Seng and two grandchildren. 

Chew Yuen Keat  and Annie Chum Ket Ming

Family photo upon Lee Lian's graduation in Computer Science from USM.

Married (l) Chew Lee Lian and Liew Yen Keat (r) Lee Lian with her children Zhen Nam and Zi Wei (with guitar)

Chew Ghim Seng married Vivian Cheang Pui See. Ghim Seng has a diploma in engineering.

A recent photo of Annie and Yuen Keat with Oon Chuan recuperating from an eye operation

When Yuen Hin was 15 years old, after his Lower Certificate Examination he was accepted into the Royal Military College. After the RMC he joined the RMAF as a cadet officer and rose to the rank of Major. He requested for optional retirement and continued flying with national carrier MAS until he retired this year.  He is married to Carol Chang Koon Keng.

Yuen Hin (l) With RMAF he flew Hercules C130 (r) Malaysia Airlines Airbus 330

Yuen Hin and Carol Chang Koon Keng

On his mother Low Siew Yong, Yuen Hin said she taught English tuition to the local residents of Gopeng.

Low Siew Yong (seated 2nd from left) with her students. On the right, at back is the rubber factory.

He also remembers the factory at the back of their house. It had many workers. The collection of tin and rubber would be at Ban Hoe Bee shop house. Then they would take the latex to the factory for processing until drying the rubber sheets.

When my father passed away in 1966 my mother helped out in her familys’ business.The Low family operated the Malaya Aerated Water factory located at No1 Leech Street now Jalan Bandar Timah. They bottled the Sarsi and Orange drinks that sold for 10 cents a bottle. 

The Low relations at 1 Leech Street where the aerated water factory was located

Celebrating his grandmothers birthday at Hoong Tho restauraunt. On left is Low Siew Yong while Yuen Hin (next to grandmother) looks on.

Yuen Hin had fond memories of 1 Leech Street as there was four families of cousins that he could play with once a week. Those were fun days.

End