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Ong Wei Mei Galloping On Her Toy Horses
Ong Wei Mei born 2.5.1949 is the granddaughter of Ong Bee Thye and Luc Sim Ma, both immigrants from China. Their stories are included in this archive. She married Stephen Andrew Baker from UK on 15.10.1975. Her father Ong Boon Cheong (born 15.11.1920) the youngest son of Ong Bee Thye married Lim Guat Kooi on 12.6.1948. Ong Mei Wei was brought up in Tapah in the family home, originally a godown bought by her grandfather in 1917 for 17,000 dollars from Harper Gilfarland, who used it for washing and storing tin ore. The building then eventually became Ban Hong Leong Company.
During her childhood, the company was the local agent for Hercules Bicycles and Triang Toys, among others, and she was therefore very fortunate to be able to play with a wide variety of Triang products.
These two photographs were taken in the year 1954. The photograph on the left shows Wei Mei on a Mobo toy horse that actually walked along, with her cousin brother Loke Wai Hong standing beside her. Wai Hong is the son of Mei Wei’s third aunt, Ong Suan Tee who married Loke Yew Sum. The photograph on the right also shows Mei Wei but this time, in a field and on another Mobo toy horse that has foot pedals.
Other entries in this archive picture her with a variety of toys popular with all young people worldwide in the 1950s.
To read more about Mobo Toys and the Mobo Bronco, click here.
To see Ong Wei Mei in her toy cars, click here.
To see Ong Wei Mei on her bicycles, click here.
To see Ong Wei Mei and her dolls’ prams, click here.
To read more about Ong Bee Thye and his Wife Tan Siew Ewe, click here.
To read more about The Ong family of Tapah, click here.
To see a video of the Mobo mechanical horse in action, click here.