Post by NZBC on Jun 8, 2013 21:55:14 GMT 12
Young Lowe Soo Yee
楊
楊楊
楊
劉
劉劉
劉
蘇
蘇蘇
蘇
宜
宜宜
宜
of Tongmei village
耱
耱耱
耱
美村
美村
美村
美村
23 June 1914 – 20 December 2009 Young Lowe Soo Yee 楊劉蘇宜was born in Guangzhou in a family of three sisters
and a brother. Her mother was the second wife of a widowed gold-miner from Australia who went back to China to remarry and returned there without his wife and later diedthere. The family was relatively well off and her m
other saw to it that all the children received a good education. Soo Yee was introducedto a young man Young Yuk Foon 楊旭垣from Ping Di village平地村 who had returned from New Zealand and soonmarried him in the mid 1930’s. When her first child was born, Japan was threatening to invade China, so it was agreed that her husband quickly return to New Zealand and find a way to get his wife and daughter there. At that
time, the then New Zealand government had changed its immigration policy by allowing some wives and families
of Chinese men to join them in New Zealand. However, it was too late for Soo Yee as Japan invaded China and
travel by sea was not possible and money could not be remitted, so Soo Yee and her daughter were left
on their own. She made a little money by scalping train tickets – getting up early to queue for a ticket at the
station then on selling it to wealthier but late rising travellers
who were in a panic to go to Hong Kong. As the Japanese advanced, it was time for her to leave also and she and daughter joined the thousands fleeing from the Japanese army.
In 1945, Japan was defeated and things gradually returned to normal and in 1947 Young Yuk Foon came back from New Zealand to join his wife and they had two sons. When the civil war broke out between the Comm
unist and Nationalist parties and won by the Communists in 1949, Young Yuk Foon returned to New Zaland.
In 1951, after many trials and tribulations, Soo Yee arrived in Wellington with her daughter and two sons and
stayed with relatives in Brougham Street, Mount Victoria.After a few months, the family, now reunited, moved
to Kawiu Road, Levin, to try their hand at market gardening,something that they had no experience at and their
only form of mechanisation was a broken down horse pulling a sledge!
The children now had English names – Susie, her daughter and the two boys were named Steven and Leslie. A
second daughter arrived on Guy Fawke’s Day 1954.On their retirement, the family moved back to Wellington where Soo Yee spent most of her time looking after her children and grandchildren as by this time her own
children had married and had children of their own.In later years, she enjoyed seeing the grandchildren develop
careers of their own, marry and have children of their own.
She is remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother.Soo Yee is survived by her daughter Susie, and two sons Steven and Leslie. Her younger daughter Lillian havingpassed away earlier from cancer.
Her funeral was held at the Lychgate Chapel in Willis Street, Wellington, and afterwards, the family t
ook her to Levin where she was buried alongside her husband.
www.tungjung.org.nz/images/stories/newsletters/2010/Autumn_Issue_2010_amended_.pdf
楊
楊楊
楊
劉
劉劉
劉
蘇
蘇蘇
蘇
宜
宜宜
宜
of Tongmei village
耱
耱耱
耱
美村
美村
美村
美村
23 June 1914 – 20 December 2009 Young Lowe Soo Yee 楊劉蘇宜was born in Guangzhou in a family of three sisters
and a brother. Her mother was the second wife of a widowed gold-miner from Australia who went back to China to remarry and returned there without his wife and later diedthere. The family was relatively well off and her m
other saw to it that all the children received a good education. Soo Yee was introducedto a young man Young Yuk Foon 楊旭垣from Ping Di village平地村 who had returned from New Zealand and soonmarried him in the mid 1930’s. When her first child was born, Japan was threatening to invade China, so it was agreed that her husband quickly return to New Zealand and find a way to get his wife and daughter there. At that
time, the then New Zealand government had changed its immigration policy by allowing some wives and families
of Chinese men to join them in New Zealand. However, it was too late for Soo Yee as Japan invaded China and
travel by sea was not possible and money could not be remitted, so Soo Yee and her daughter were left
on their own. She made a little money by scalping train tickets – getting up early to queue for a ticket at the
station then on selling it to wealthier but late rising travellers
who were in a panic to go to Hong Kong. As the Japanese advanced, it was time for her to leave also and she and daughter joined the thousands fleeing from the Japanese army.
In 1945, Japan was defeated and things gradually returned to normal and in 1947 Young Yuk Foon came back from New Zealand to join his wife and they had two sons. When the civil war broke out between the Comm
unist and Nationalist parties and won by the Communists in 1949, Young Yuk Foon returned to New Zaland.
In 1951, after many trials and tribulations, Soo Yee arrived in Wellington with her daughter and two sons and
stayed with relatives in Brougham Street, Mount Victoria.After a few months, the family, now reunited, moved
to Kawiu Road, Levin, to try their hand at market gardening,something that they had no experience at and their
only form of mechanisation was a broken down horse pulling a sledge!
The children now had English names – Susie, her daughter and the two boys were named Steven and Leslie. A
second daughter arrived on Guy Fawke’s Day 1954.On their retirement, the family moved back to Wellington where Soo Yee spent most of her time looking after her children and grandchildren as by this time her own
children had married and had children of their own.In later years, she enjoyed seeing the grandchildren develop
careers of their own, marry and have children of their own.
She is remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother.Soo Yee is survived by her daughter Susie, and two sons Steven and Leslie. Her younger daughter Lillian havingpassed away earlier from cancer.
Her funeral was held at the Lychgate Chapel in Willis Street, Wellington, and afterwards, the family t
ook her to Levin where she was buried alongside her husband.
www.tungjung.org.nz/images/stories/newsletters/2010/Autumn_Issue_2010_amended_.pdf