When the late Ong Ewe Hai (whose father migrated from Fukien province, China to Singapore in the first half of the 19th century) decided to plant his roots in Kuching, he made sure the house he was going to build for his family would have a clear frontage overlooking the river. So he selected one of the highest spots on the compound of the present Bishop House for this purpose. Ewe Hai’s priority for getting a suitable site was understandable because by profession, he was a trader with vast business interests in Sarawak and Singapore. As all Chinese businessmen are geomantically inclined, so was Ewe Hai. When the house was finally completed in 1885, it not only overlooked the street where Ewe Hai’s shop houses were built on both sides of it, but also the Sarawak River some distance ahead. The street was later named after Ewe Hai.
The House, solidly built with belian and sun-baked bricks before it was sold to the Anglican Mission for a few thousand dollars in 1933 had been the home of three generations of ONGS all under the same roof – Ewe Hai’s son, Tiang Swee, his families and their families. Former Malaysian Federal Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Tan Sri Ong Kee Hui was also born in the House with his brothers, uncles, aunties, cousins and nieces.
The Anglican Mission turned the House into a boarding house in 1933, and the rest is history…..
(insert photos of Ong’s family house)
