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Obituary..........................
William (Bill) Chui Wai Wong –
黄潮惠
黄潮惠
黄潮惠
黄潮惠
Gwa Liang village
瓜嶺村
瓜嶺村
瓜嶺村
瓜嶺村
25 April 1921 – 14 June 2011 218221 Pte 1 Otago, 431870 P/O RNZAF Dunedin has lost a stalwart in the Chinese community in the death of Bill Wong who had spent most of his adult life there. He was born in Christchurch in1921 to Wong Kow Hing黄求興 and his wife Lowe Sam Kwai 劉三葵 ,the eldest of seven siblings. In 1924, his father b ought a greengrocery in Temuka where the family, now five children, lived for four years until his father sold the businessand moved to Invercargill, where he bought another shop in Tay Street. Bill attended Invercargill Middle School but times were hard during the Depression. He and his brother George were sent back to their native village of Gwa Liang in 1930 to live with their grandfather so they could have a Chinese education. Atthat time, Gwa Liang was a reasonably prosperous village as many of the male villagers had gone overseas and sent money back to the village so that children had better schools and teachers. Bill and his brother stayed in the village until his grandfather died and the Japanese were invadingChina. His grandmother borrowed some money to supplement themoney the boys’ mother had sent back for them to return to New Zealand.
Arriving back in New Zealand in October 1936, Bill,now 15 years old, worked in fruit shops and market
gardens to repay their grandmother’s loan. In 1939, Bill and his brother George, formed a partnership in a fruit shop and called it Wong Brothers Fruit Shop in an area known as Cargill’s Corner in South Dunedin. The Wong family lived above the shop until 1953 when they moved to the King Edward Street house. This partnership lasted until both brothers retired in 1990.
In April 1941 to 1945, Bill was called up to the army where he served in the 2nd Scots camp based at Addington, where he was known as Private Bill MacWong, and then to the 1st Otago regiment in Burnham. In 1943, he was transferred to the airforce and trained as a fighter pilot at Woodbourne, flying Tiger Moths, then was stationed at Harewood, Ohakea,Swanson and Hobsonville, flying Harvards and P40 Kittyhawks. He was very proud of the fact that he was one of two Chinese commissioned officers of the NZ armed forces in World War two.
After the war, Bill married Ivy Lowe in 1948, living at Earls Road, St. Clair and latterly at Fairfield. They enjoyed 63years of married bliss and raising four children –
Carolyn, Glenys, Brian and Graham. Over the decades, they havehosted many Chinese students who have studied at Otago University.
Bill was a very active man in the Dunedin community. When home from China, he taught Chinese language
classes to local Chinese children after school which were sponsored by the Chinese Association. He transcribed the Chinese names into English for James Ng’s book“Windows on a Chinese Past”
and for many documents and old graves. He was interested in the history of the Chinese in New
Zealand. He was also involved in the NZ Retail Fruiterer’s Associa-tion and was the Otago delegate in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He was an active member of the Rotary Club of South Dunedin from 1965 till 1994 and later enjoyed his retirement years with the South Dunedin Probus Club.
In 1988, he somehow gained a role in the Disney film The Rescue playing as a North Korean pilot and had minor parts as a Chinese storeman in the movie Illustrious Energy made in New Zealand. The ultimate highlight in his
acting career was travelling to Bangkok with his wife Ivy, to film aTV commercial for
The Sun, a Hong Kong newspaper in 1999.
Bill was the manager and tournament controller of the first Chinese double tenth sports tournament held in Dunedin in 1950. He has also helped many writers on Chinese subjects and helped in the restoration of the Chinese gravestones in Otago and the Otago Settlers Museum’s display on local Chinese history.
Among Bill’s hobbies was horse racing, both as an o wner and a keen TAB participant. His first share of
a horse partnership was in the 1950’s and he was an early member of the Forbury Park Trotting Club. He was also a formidable mah-jong player and has had many “four rounds“ with family and friends. He even tutored the game at Taieri High School night classes for a couple of years. In 2001, he took up playing bridge and loved the challenge of the game as well as the companionship of friends. His social skills were impressive and at his age, he quickly picked up using the computer for email , the TAB website and skypeing to friends and
grandchildren.
Bill is survived by his wife Ivy, daughter Carolyn and husband Tong King, Ashburton, daughter Glenys and husband
Philip Shum, Dunedin, son Brian and wife Fiona, Auckland and son Graham and wife Debra, Los Angeles.
He had 11 grandchildren and 1 great-grand daughter.
The NZ Chinese community will miss Bill for his involvement with the NZ Chinese Association, his long-
time membership of the Otago Chinese Association, the Tung Jung Association and his connections with his native Gualing village.
Bill’s funeral was held at the First Church in Dunedin on the 20th June and was packed to the door with many relatives andfriends who had come down to Dunedin to pay their last respects to a man they all loved.
Carolyn King
www.tungjung.org.nz/images/stories/newsletters/2011/Spring_issue_2011_pdf.pdf
