Small world, yet, so near yet so far...

If we think about it, the world is getting smaller, with jet travel and especially with the internet. But I am also referring to those rich men in business; we may not know them personally, but we do know of someone related to them, works for them, or simply they have a project near us.

The Star’s Bizweek today featured a number of very successful businessmen and the one that caught my eye was Ireka’s founder, Lai Siew Wah. I remember him as someone who worked for Ha Tham Engineering, tractor repairers, when I was a kid. Our house was situated in the middle of a longish piece of land. I used to see him with some other workers walking from the back portion to the coffee stall sited at the front next to Jalan Ipoh. As a kid, my impression of him was someone who walks with big strides but now I find him short! It was a time when Eric Chia used to frequent the place to learn more about tractor service and repairs before he listed United Motor Works. Siah Brothers, Kwee Heng and Kwee Swee used to check on their lorries undergoing repairs by the carpenter.

I last met LSW in the early 80s at a wedding dinner held at Golden Phoenix, Hotel Equatorial in KL. It was my wife’s cousin’s big day and he was then working for him. I approached him to mention about his time at our place and he could still remember my second brother. Actually my wife’s brother is still working for Ireka. While the service apartments next to Westin were still under construction, he took us to view their show apartments, using those construction lifts. If I am not mistaken, the first flyover in Batu Gajah was built by them, at the time when our Sultan was the Agong.

Anyway, the writer, Thean Lee Cheng must have got the facts wrong somewhere. If Lai is now 67, then he was born in 1940. The Japanese occupation years were 1939-1944, so how could he have done construction works during the occupation years?

There were spelling mistakes too like Yeoh Tiong Lay spelt as Tiang; one of Tan Kim Hor’s sons, Dr. Tan Kan Leong spelt as Gan. Dr. Tan used to be one of my brothers’ classmates in Methodist Afternoon School, Sentul. Being brilliant, he was soon transferred to Methodist Boys Secondary School, Sentul and later left for Australia for further studies.

Before LBS was listed, the name Lim Bock Seng was often heard when I was a kid. His sister’s husband came from the same village as my grandparents. We used to have a little temple, off 3 ¾ milestone Jalan Ipoh. At least once a year, there will be offerings and prayers to the gods followed by lunch for everyone. Each year, the idol would be taken home by someone, selected to look after it. Many years ago, Ong Chah died when he was knocked down by a motorcyclist, while on a morning walk in Sungai Way Village, which is also the base of LBS till today.

YTL’s Sentul Raya project also brings back memories. My father started as apprentice in Sentul Railway Workshop in the 1920s. As a student, occasionally, I used to walk home from school, through the park. When I was working in Jalan Pipit (our house turned into a developer’s office), I used to have lunch at the Sentul Golf Club, as it was affiliated to Kinta Golf Club in Batu Gajah, before it was demolished.

Puan Sri Siew Yong Gnanalingam is an old girl of St. Bernadette’s Convent, Batu Gajah, which is also my daughters’ Alma Mater. I happened to know her youngest sister. But as she once said, her sister is in a different league. And her brother and my sister-in-law (also ex-St.BC) were ex-colleagues!

Last but not least, my new friend, BH, whom I have not met yet, works for NK Tong!
Sorry, just thought of some more info to do with the Tong family. My ex-classmate’s family actually bought over Alan Tong’s bus company prior to listing Park May Bhd!

I have actually wanted to write on Lai Siew Wah only and I ended up going on and on by association! Good for the memory I hope.