Madam Sze Mui Wong

Late Mrs Sze Mui Wong passed away peacefully on 17th August 2021. Beloved mother of Yau Cheung Wong. Aged 107 years. Forever in our hearts. Due to COVID pandemic, only 10 mourners will be allowed to attend funeral service in person. In this circumstance, live-streaming will be made available through the link below: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/authorise.php?k=1629220804669291 The link will only show screen 5 minutes prior to the service. --------------------------------------------------- Mrs Sze Mui Wong Eulogy (in English and Chinese): --------------------------------------------------- Madam Sze Mui Wong (nee Chu) was born in Vietnam on 12 February 1914 to Chinese parents who were rice farmers. With the outbreak of World War II and the advance of the Japanese, her family fled Vietnam for China, where she had an arranged marriage. The first time she saw her husband, Mr Charn Wong, was at the tea ceremony that marked the wedding, and she started her life as Mrs Wong from that day. Their only son, Yau Cheung, was born in 1944. In 1951, Mrs Wong and her family migrated to Kowloon, Hong Kong. She made a living through breeding and selling pigs and vegetables to locals. Their son married in 1965 and she became a grandmother in 1967. She and her husband migrated to Australia in 1979 to join their extended family. Through the years, Madam Wong had looked after five grandkids, but in their treasured memories of her, she never complained of how naughty they were at all. Her husband, Mr Charn Wong, passed away in 1993. Her strength continued to live to 110* years of age. Madam Wong had kind, gentle, easy-going characteristics. She wouldn’t resist or oppose any decision and always just goes with the flow. She was humble and always enjoying the moment, happy-go lucky, a stress-free person. She was also very cute and loveable with a mischievous smile each time her dear grandkids tickled her. One would say “Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.” In her family, Madam Wong often cooked an awesome traditional tomato egg dish which was loved by her family, and they all learned it from her, continuing to cook it the same way. Her favourite pastime foods were pork belly with preserved vegetables, preserved plum and of course, sweet tofu dessert and ice cream. She was the only person we know, who ate pineapple and orange with salt, to make it sweeter. Those foods are now carrying a culture, a history and a story of her. When Madam Wong was living at home, she also liked eating hamburgers and fries from McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Although Madam Wong was illiterate, she was cheeky and had a sense of humour. She did not seem to feel old and that whenever she was given new clothes, she would say: "I'll wear them when I'm older." Mr and Mrs Wong were adventurous where they would walk regularly to Newtown Chimney (Newtown 烟囱) and back. One day, they didn’t arrive home at the usual time as they took the wrong turn. Without knowing how to use a phone & illiterate, it was a relief that they eventually managed to find their way home. Madam Wong treasured what she used every day and did not want a new replacement. She would think of multiple ways to mend it and make it workable. Natural Raffia Fan and her long smoking pipe were just a few to name. She loved going to yum cha, which her family would take her up to six times a week. She loved to observe people at the restaurant and watch all the hustle and bustle. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, she hadn’t been able to go to Yum Cha. As for entertainment, Madam Wong loved playing the fishing magnetic game. She also loved to sit on ‘her couch’ every night after dinner, with her legs up and nodding off to sleep with the TV on until everyone all went to bed. She always enjoyed watching “The Benny Hill Show” and “Mr Bean” shows. She loved eating Cadbury chocolates and would go through a whole packet in a couple of days. Whenever they were on special, the family would all stock up for her. Shame we didn’t get an endorsement from Cadbury all those years ago. Her great granddaughter, Samantha remembers whenever she was at Rockdale, Tai Tai (太太) would always give her lai see lollies (利是糖). Tai Tai would have a big stash of lollies in her bedroom and always had some in her pockets too. She also liked to rearrange the clothes on the clothesline as the sun moved, although the clothesline can rotate. On many occasions, you may see clothes hanging off the gutter with a hanger. She didn’t like to be home alone or windy days, was afraid of her own shadow and always asked her family to come home early. Madam Wong was dedicated to her family and she has told her family that the secret to a long healthy life is to be happy and surrounded by family, with one son, five grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Madam Wong was always so happy when any one of her family returned from overseas because she was so looking forward to her Double Strength DRUM tobacco. She started smoking when she was about 9 years old. It was the trend in those days. We all remember her smoking tobacco with her long pipe in the backyard. Despite smoking from a tender age, she was able to quit cold turkey in 2011. She was also a strong breast cancer survivor since 2005. Her daughter-in-law, Siu Chun and Yau Cheung, lovingly devoted their life caring for Madam Wong. Following a couple of falls at the family home, Madam Wong was admitted to Fairlea Aged Care at Penshurst in 2011 and resided there until she passed away peacefully on 17 August 2021. She had lived a long and fulfilling life for 110* years, and would be always remembered by her family in their hearts. {* According to Chinese customs, three years are added to their age - a year each to signify Heaven, Earth and human age.} 黃老太朱四妹婆婆，在她110歲的人生歲月中，是一位賢良的 妻子，偉大的母親，也是各個孫兒女、曾孫女兒眼中可親可愛 的婆婆、太婆。根據家人對她的珍貴回憶，我有幸在今日和大 家分享一下黃老太的生平往事： 黃老太出生於 1914 年的越南，父母是在當地耕田勞作為生的 華人。當時她成長的那個年代，貧苦艱難，動盪不安。在第二 次世界大戰打響，日本侵入越南之時，黃老太一家避難回到了 中國。而在那裡，她和當時好多女性一樣，在父母的安排下進 行了包辦婚姻。黃老太在結婚奉茶的時候，第一次見到了自己 未來的丈夫，Charn Wong黃先生，亦在那時開始了自己作為黃太的人生。他們唯一的愛子，黃友祥先生在 1944 年出世。 1951 年，黃老太和家人移居香港九龍。當時，她通過養豬賣 菜，和丈夫一齊賺錢養家。後來他們的兒子於 1965 年結婚， 黃老太亦在 1967 年見成為了嫲嫲。 1979 年， 她和丈夫一齊移居澳大利亞，同兒子和其他家人一家團聚。甘多年來，黃老太照顧養大了五個孫兒女，在一班孫兒女對她的珍貴記憶中，嫲嫲從來沒有投訴過他們五個有幾調皮。後來她的丈夫先生於 1993 年去世。從此之後，黃老太一直保持住她的堅強樂觀的生活精神，活到了110歲的高齡。 黃老太為人善良隨和，從來不會抗拒或反對任何決定或改變，永遠順其自然。她知足常樂，明白享受當下，隨遇而安的道理，在生活中保持輕鬆無慮的態度。黃老太是一個好可愛的長者，她有著自己天生獨特的調皮搞怪的笑容，每次及格孫兒女逗她玩的時候她面上總是會露出那樣調皮幽默的微笑。 有人話：美食能表達言語不能形容的愛。家裡每一個成員最鍾意就是黃老太煮的番茄炒蛋，雖然好普通但卻是最好味的。大家都會跟住她教的方式做這味餸，希望繼續傳承這個味道。她平時喜歡食物的餸同零食就是梅菜扣肉、話梅，和豆腐花和雪糕。在孫兒女眼中，嫲嫲是她們認識的人當中唯一一個食菠蘿和橙子要配鹽一起食的人， 她話甘樣食起身味道更甜。在家人的心目中，這些對食物講究成為了她們家人的傳統，承載住黃老太生命當中與家人相交的故事同埋他們對她的寶貴回憶。除了傳統的食物之外，生活在澳洲多年的黃老太也愛上了麥當勞的漢堡、薯條，還有肯德基炸雞。 大家不要以為黃老太讀的書少就可以欺負她，他其實非常精靈也很有幽默感。她從來唔認老，每次屋企人幫她買了新衫，她都會話： “等我老了再著。” 同時黃太同黃生原來是充滿冒險精神的夫婦。以前她們會定時定候行去Newtown的煙囪在行返屋企。殊不知有一天，她們兩個都沒有準時到家，原來她們行錯路了。當時不知道如何使用電話而且又語言不通的夫婦二人最紅可以安全回家，這簡直對家人來說是鬆一口氣。 除了幽默、善良、又富有冒險精神之外。黃老太的身上還有著中國人勤儉節約的美德， 珍惜自己的日常用品，譬如她用了好多年的蒲扇和煙斗，壞了也不捨得扔，一定要想各種方法來修修補補然後繼續使用。她身上的這些的精神品質， 在家人心中留下了深深的影響和回憶。而想起黃老太，大家的 心中都會浮現好多關於她的有趣記憶。 平時黃老太好中意去飲茶，鍾意的程度可以到達一個禮拜她的家人要帶她去 6 次（最多的情況下）， 她會坐在酒樓入邊觀察來往的客人，睇下熱鬧。但是由於Covid的限制，她就不能再去飲茶了，確實是有些可惜。 在家庭的娛樂方面，黃老太喜歡玩釣魚遊戲，或者她喜歡系屋企坐在沙發翹起腳，開著電視“鍾”眼訓，直到全家都睡覺了。電視節目裡面，她有其喜歡 “憨豆先生”和 The Benny Hill Show鬼馬show，這類型的搞笑節目，可能她的幽默感也是從這些節目裡面學習回來的。屋企人都知她好中意食吉百利朱古力（Cadbury chocolate），幾日就可以食曬一 包，所以家人意見到超市的吉百利朱古力打折的時候他們都會幫她買好多翻去。這麼多年其實應該問吉百利爭取個忠實顧客認可證書。 曾孫女Samantha對於這個太嫲（太太）印象最深刻的是她總會一見到她就給她利是糖，太太好似收藏了好多利是糖係衣袋同她的房間，因為她隨時都有利是糖可以拍給大家。 有時，你又經常可以見到她追著太陽走來走去，原來她在轉換正在晾衣架上面衣服的位置希望曬到太陽。不過，這個晾衣架其實是可以旋轉來轉換位置的。黃老太這味老人家是個好熱鬧又陽光的長者，所以她不喜歡陰雨天或者自己獨處，她會感到非常不安然後催促家人快點回家。黃老太將自己大部分的生命和時間都奉獻給了她的家庭，她告訴她的家人，健康長壽的秘訣是幸福和快樂，她有一個兒子，五個孫兒女和就和曾孫兒女這是她醫生最開心和快樂的事情。 所以每次有屋企人從中國翻澳洲，黃老太都好開心，你以為是她期待見到家人，那你就錯了，她是渴望她們幫她空運回來的香煙而且還是特濃菸草那種。雖然現在我們都不鼓勵抽煙的行為，但是黃老太在當時她成長的環境，抽煙是普遍的現象，而她 9 歲就開始食煙，家人都記得以前她在後院拿著長長的煙斗的模樣。不過在 2011 年，她毅然戒了煙，她更佳是真生癌症的勝利者。 黃老太的一生不但長壽更是真正的有福氣。媳婦少珍，兒子友祥一直對她的照顧可以說的無怨無悔更義無反顧。後來因為黃老太在家中跌倒幾次之後，為了她的身體健康以及可以得到更完善照顧，2011年，家人將她送到了Fairlea 養老院生活直到安詳離世。完滿地完成了她110歲的生命旅程。雖然生命會結束，但是她的精神力量將會永遠留在所以家人和後備的心中，成為大家寶貴的回憶。

Madam Sze Mui Wong

August 17, 2021