Bessie Cheah writes " EULOGY FOR 9M2JL , ONG CHOO LYE
FAREWELL, OLD MAN.
Pak Ong of Jalan 223 Tok Penghulu (local headman).
To each and every one of us, Ong had played many roles. Ong had
touched our lives in his own special ways. He had left his mark and
we are now coming to terms with our sorrow and loss. We will strive
to preserve your legacy and honor your memory, Ong.
I am privileged to be able to call Ong, my mentor and be counted as
one of his friends. Ong was one of my `three knights" who
came to
setup my radio station on the memorable 1st January 1999. What a New
Year's Day! I am a lucky and proud owner of a personally
handcrafted
antenna made by the late 9M2JL. When the antenna was put up on top
of my roof, the joke of the day was, should the roof collapse, the
antenna would still remain intact. 9M2JL designed the bracket
holding the antenna so solid and strong, it would last a lifetime.
Believe you me, Ong had given me lessons on DIY like how to solder a
dry joint and to assemble an antenna. A simple tasks no doubt to
those who do know how. But from this novice, the care and detailed
execution of a simple task spoke well of the teacher, from the
quality of the end product and its performance.
Regardless of whether YL or OM, the basics got to be learned and
practised. According to Ong, an amateur radio ham operator comes in
many shapes and sizes but there is no gender differentiation. I have
high respect, regards and gratitude to Pak Ong for showing me the
ropes of ham radio operation. No easy tasks for a YL in an
OM's
strong hold.
Ong never once begrudged our differences of styles or opinions. And
through it all, and above all, Ong was our friend, mentor, and
teacher. Ong was a dedicated ham operator. His commitment to MARTS
was well known and acknowledged. Ong had risked his life climbing
the heights to repair repeaters. His scars would tell the story. Ong
could be counted on to come to the rescue, to lend a hand, a
sympathetic ear, to provide a strong shoulder to lean on. Ong shared
so much and gave so much to the end.
Ong had been generous to a fault, sharing his knowledge, advice and
experiences. I believe, Ong had contributed and always had spare time
and energy for our fellow HAMS seeking his guidance, support and
assistance. His technical know-how helped us to trouble shoot
problematic rigs. His expertise in homebrewed equipment and antennas
helped us to make our own. The wisdom and understanding expounded by
Ong was like the wise old man on the hill, in this case the RTM hill
where Ong and his colleagues were custodians of numerous gigantic
satellite discs.
I will miss the morning QSOs with the late 9M2JL. His vivid
description of nature coming alive, the morning sun breaking through,
the birds chirping in the forest and squirrels scampering down the
trees from the vantage point of his saltmine, the RTM hill, were the
high points in my morning drive to my own saltmine.
Ong was also noted as an entertaining conversationalist, throwing his
jokes with a straight face. I truly enjoyed our eyeball QSOs when he
reminisced on his poignant life experiences.
Ong's indomitable sense of perseverance, resilience and
unbreakable
spirit boils down to him being strong-willed. Some might call it
plain stubbornness, but this had stood him in good stead many times,
when it really counted. He had to overcome numerous complications
arising from his diabetic conditions, one after another during the
last six months of his life. I admired his tenacity, the will to
confront and overcome the odds, in spite of the pain and sufferings.
There were lessons to be learnt here. He was fighting for his LIFE.
But God had better plans for Ong.
Farewell, my friend, we will always remember you, for having shown
the way. You will be dearly and sorely missed.
He did it his way as in " My Way " the song sung by Frank
Sinatra.
Vaya Con Dios, Ongsan
God Be With You Always.
You live on forever in our hearts!"
From:
9W2CP(Bessie Cheah)
in collaboration with 9M2PA (Lay Suan) and 9M266215 (Neela)