Family of Wong Shin Chiang 黃承青 1887-1939 > 3/5 Wong Syak Kee 黃錫基 1921-2008 > 1/7 Wong Fook Yee 黃福裕 1953 -
WONG Fook Yee 黃福裕 and Shirley Claveria
| Link to WONG Fook Yee's parents | Link to Shirley Claveria's parents |
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 Shirley Claveria 1968-12-27 Baguio |
Holiday Trip at Pogimpaan Homestay in Kundasang 2024-02-18 09:41
Outing to Taman Gaya, Tawau 2002-09-15
Hospital Yguazu, Paraguay 1994-09-27
After marriage registration, with friends in front of
City Hall Marriage Registry in Hong Kong
9th June 1993 Morning
PHOTO ALBUMS:
1- Album 2 : 1991 to 2026
A family photo album is more than a collection of pictures. It is a visual history of love, sacrifice, hope, and the passing of generations. Every photograph preserves not only faces, but moments that can never return. Looking back from 1991 to 2026, our family journey spans more than three decades across Asia and South America, connecting China, Hong Kong, Paraguay, Brazil, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
Our story began in the early 1990s with travels and work opportunities that brought us far from our ancestral home. The photographs from Hong Kong, Cheung Chau Island, Sai Wan Beach, and Sai Wan Village captured youthful days filled with exploration and dreams. Those years represented the beginning of a life journey that would later expand across continents.
In 1993, an important milestone arrived with the civil marriage registration in Hong Kong. Marriage marked the formation of a new family unit and the start of building a shared future. Soon afterward, life took us to Paraguay, where I worked at the parquet production line of Macosur sawmill opened a new chapter in South America.
The Paraguay years became years of growth and young parenthood. Hospital visits, first-month celebrations, birthdays, family picnics, and everyday life transformed photographs into precious memories of raising a child far from home. The arrival of the first born brought new purpose and responsibility. Every birthday photograph reflected another step in the family’s growth.
The mid-1990s also brought experiences beyond Paraguay. Christmas celebrations in Brazil, visits to Curitiba City and the Botanical Garden, and family outings created memories filled with warmth and discovery. These moments demonstrated that even while living abroad, family remained the centre of life.
A major turning point came in 1998 when the family left South America and return to Sabah, Malaysia. Migration meant beginning again: building a home, and establishing roots in a new society. Early photographs in Tawau documented our first rented house, Chinese New Year gatherings, official immigration photographs, and the gradual transition from newcomers to residents.
The bank loan purchase of the first and only family house in Taman Semarak around the year 2000 symbolized stability and achievement. The house was more than a building; it represented years of effort, sacrifice, and hope for future generations. Family photographs taken there became the heart of the album because the house witnessed birthdays, celebrations, Christmas gatherings, and the daily life of the family.
Faith and community became important pillars throughout these years. Participation in Baha’i camps, Christmas carolling, Roman Catholic church gatherings, Filipino community celebrations, and cultural festivals reflected the family’s spiritual life and commitment to community unity. These events showed that family identity was not limited by nationality but enriched by multicultural experiences.
Education formed another major theme in the family story. School photographs, university visits, graduation pictures, and convocation ceremonies recorded the progress of the younger generation. From primary school group photographs to university graduation at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, these images represented the fulfilment of parental hopes and years of dedication.
The family also remained closely connected to nature and travel. Beaches, islands, waterfalls, mountains, parks, and cultural villages appeared repeatedly throughout the album. Kundasang, Sibuan Island, Manukan Island, Madai Waterfall, Tinagat Beach, Genting Highlands, and many other places became settings where family bonds strengthened.
The photographs also reveal the importance of remembering roots. Visits back to Baguio City after many years, returning to places connected to childhood memories, and reconnecting with relatives and old friends showed that distance never erased family heritage.
The later years reflected the transition from childhood to adulthood. Convocations, final school years, birthdays reaching adulthood, cultural festivals, community events, and eventually wedding celebrations marked the passing of one generation into another.
Particularly meaningful was the family photograph taken at The Peak and shared in Facebook in 2023 and later selected by Tawau Town Board for tourism promotion in Tawau. A simple family image became part of the town’s public memory — a symbolic reminder that ordinary family moments can become part of a larger community story.
By 2026, the album reached another joyful milestone with a wedding reception of our neighbour. The bridegroom I saw him grew from a boy to today a married man, signifying the continuation of the family line and the beginning of another generation’s journey.
Looking back over thirty-five years, this album tells the story of migration, perseverance, faith, education, multicultural identity, and enduring family love. It is a journey from youth to parenthood, from rented homes to a permanent family house, from school uniforms to graduation gowns, and from children’s birthdays to weddings.
These photographs preserve more than memories. They preserve identity.
For future generations, this album is not merely a record of where we went; it is the story of who we became.
1991–2026: From many places, one family.
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