18
LUMEN | JOSEPHIANS
An
Unordinary
By Matthew Mok , Navoneel Chakraborty , Aaron Chee and Jasper Loong
When others would be content to enjoy their golden years , Mr Thomas Wee chose otherwise . From someone with a colourful past , he became a champion for orphans .
“ This is normal work .” Certainly not the usual if many of us compare our daily lives with that of Mr Thomas Wee ’ s . These days Mr Wee ’ s time is spent mainly at his Ang Mo Kio thrift shop St Isidore Centre where he sorts clothing donated by the public or places price tags on saleable items such as children ’ s toys and games , household items and other miscellaneous goods . He breaks from his routine when an occasional customer steps in to browse and purchase something that has caught her eye . In a year , he goes on monthly trips to Indonesia and bi-monthly , he will head to the Philippines to the orphanages he had set up .
Some people might remember Mr Wee as the illegal bookie turned orphan ’ s hero , from a December 2012 Straits Times article . Graduating from St . Joseph ’ s Institution in 1957 , Mr Wee began his seemingly innocuous career as a photographer in the Singapore General Hospital ( SGH ), with a basic salary . However , knowing he could make a lot more on the sidelines , he became
Life
a modern day Shylock happily lending doctors money for their gin rummy games . Besides this , extra money came in through boxing . Eventually , he left SGH to become an illegal bookie and began a gambling syndicate . ‘ Making money ’ was his top priority then . With the gains he made , he started a catering business , owned a six hectare land in Bintan and eventually established three hotels , one of which was Bintan Lagoon Resort , in Indonesia . With his thriving businesses , life was comfortable for Mr Wee ; he stayed in a large fiveroom apartment , and drove luxury cars . He could afford the best of things . However , being a successful businessman did not appear to be his calling . It changed when his maid of twelve years , Ms Maria Santa Teresa , requested him to send a box of old clothes to her village in Lalakhan , Philippines . At the beginning , it was just a box of clothes and the odd cans of food every month . However , as time passed , he began to wonder about whom these donations were benefiting .
He then made up his mind to visit Lalakhan . When he arrived , he was appalled . He saw twenty people crammed into one small place . Taken aback by the living conditions in Lalakhan , by the way the children had no toys to play with , and by their lack of clothes ; he decided to give back . Compared to them , he was very blessed indeed .
He spent nearly $ 200 000 to build a home for Ms Santa Teresa and her sisters . This home also served as a distribution centre for all the clothes , food and goods that he sent over . Mr Wee did not stop there . Every month , he would set aside $ 1 000 for the homeless and the hungry who showed up at Ms Santa Teresa ’ s doorstep . As he was still running
This page ( left ): Aaron , Matthew , Navoneel and Jasper with Mr Wee at his thrift shop
This page ( top ): Mr Wee amidst the happy children of Willing Hearts Orphanage
his gambling syndicate , he did not think much of his contributions . For him , it was ‘ easy come , easy go .’
The turning point came when his right leg began giving him problems , and he found out that he needed an operation on his knee . By God ’ s grace , he recovered without surgery . That was a clear sign from God .
Soon , he found himself raising money by selling his chunky gold chain , trading in his car , selling one of his hotels , and moving in with his son so that he could sell his house . Using the money raised , he bought a plot of land next to the home he built in Lalakhan , hired a social worker , and registered an orphanage under the name of ‘ Willing Hearts Orphanage .’ By this time , Ms Santa Teresa had returned to Philippines , and was helping him to run Willing Hearts Orphanage .
His grandson , Mark Wee , a secondary two student and fourth generation Josephian finds his grandfather inspirational , as ‘ he turned his life around ’.
Clearly , Mr Wee has no plans to stop working . A new wing , which will be able to accommodate 30 more children in Lalakhan , is in the pipeline . All this is made possible by the initiatives started by Mr Wee – the thrift shops in Singapore and in the Philippines . He also encourages interested parties to visit the orphanages before they decide to make a donation . This is to ensure they understand the reason for his mission .
“ No , I am not a hero ; this is just part of my work . I ’ m only happy when I can help someone .”
All in a day ’ s work indeed for this 76-year-old gentleman .